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Here's a new feature for Future Gamer. They are exactly like our normal reviews, but one-eighth the size. We shall call them... Mini-Reviews...
The rumours were true - the NeoGeo Pocket Colour has got a version of Sonic and it's simply fabulous. Using the philosophy of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", Sega have given us Sonic the Hedgehog in all his Mega Drive glory, only this time you can stuff him in your pocket. You won't believe the speed of the animation, or the oh-so-slick scrolling. The super high refresh rate of the NeoGeo's screen means that there's no motion blurring either. The feel of controlling the blue, prickly one is so faithfully translated it's like somebody shrunk a Mega Drive in the wash. The levels are wonderful, with so many alternative routes you'll spend ages finding them all, and so much hidden stuff that... well, let's just say you'll be playing it for a long time to find it all. Couple this with some nifty sub games, two-player and time-trial modes and longevity isn't an issue. Unless you truly hated each of the original Sonic games, your NeoGeo is lost without this. Dismiss it as retro nonsense at your peril. This is Sonic as it was meant to be.
Rounders with a big bat! Doesn't set you on fire? Me neither. Somebody has put a lot of effort into this game, and it's a shame. Graphically, it's as good as a 2D baseball game could be. The options are good and the menu structure is non-irritating. The sound is adequate, the game physics reasonable and the rules faithfully (as far as I can tell) interpreted. So why the downbeat tone? Well, it's like this. Football sims sell well in this country because people play and understand the game. Across the pond this game deserves all the success it can have, but here? Not a prayer of a good score. Sorry. There are other quirks. It's nigh on impossible to judge hitting the ball, and pitching and fielding are a bit of a mystery too. Needless to say the computer has no such problems and hits home runs for fun and fields like a demon. Again, if you were a fan you'd probably soldier on and get good at it. Anyone who truly understands and is passionate about baseball will have to ignore the final score and buy this. Non-fans, please avoid.
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