Toy Review: Sonic Boom Sticks the Badger

Let's take a look at the Sticks action figure for our next stop on our tour of the Tomy Sonic Boom toy line.

If you're unfamiliar with Sticks, she's a feral jungle badger nearly consumed with paranoia and an obsession with conspiracy theories. Though most of what she spouts comes off as complete nonsense she is right on rare occasions. She's a capable fighter, has a wealth of survival knowledge, and is a master of the boomerang which is her trademark weapon.

Since she's the fifth member of the group she is only available as a single pack which makes her lack of any accessories all the more glaring. They seriously couldn't give her a boomerang? What's worse is that her price point hangs around the same as the 2 pack figure sets.

Aside from the lack of accessories the figure itself maintains the nice quality sculpt and paint job found in the other figures. She has the same joints as well, allowing her to swing her legs back and forth and position her arms in any direction but lacks any joins in the elbows or knees. This is probably for the best though since she's so small.

When it comes to poseability, her skirt gives her the same problem as Amy in that she can only bend over so far before it gets in the way. This unfortunately prevents her from ever being in a sitting position. Despite having the biggest hair of all characters, it does not get in the way allowing you to turn her head any way you see fit. She also stands up on her own very easily.

Once again I would really only recommend her for maybe ages 6 and up as this figure would probably be too fragile for rough play. Price and accessory issue aside you're going to want to pick her up to complete your Sonic Boom team.

Pros:

-Nice paint detailing and sculpt. They even got her shell necklace.
-Packaging is colorful and has a neat design if you're looking to display in their box.
-No problem standing without support.

Cons:

-On average her price is around the same as the 2 packs everywhere I've seen her.
-No boomerang!

Previous: Knuckles and Tails 2 Pack Review

Thanks for reading!

Comic Review: Worlds Unite #2

The next episode of the World's Unite crossover picks up in Sonic Boom #8. Fair warning, it's going to get increasingly difficult to avoid spoiler information as I move forward from here. I would advise you to stop reading here if you haven't already read this issue.

The chapter begins with the Sonic Boom crew in the middle of a battle with Dr. Eggman per the norm. Or rather, the end of the battle as we see Sticks get knocked off panel, followed on the next page by a single shot of the group celebrating their victory, where Amy asks "Did anyone see where Sticks landed?"

This is the setup to separate Sticks from the rest of the Sonic Boom cast. If you haven't noticed from the promotional images released by Archie, Sticks is the representative of the Boom universe for this crossover. In my personal opinion, I feel like they could have found a better way to pull her from Boom and introduce her to the crossover.

Since Sticks has the time to conveniently meet Mega Man X and crew, get an explanation of their predicament, recruite Fastidious Beaver and Comedy Chimp, infiltrate Eggman's volcano base, and force Orbot and Cubot to create a new Genesis portal for them, I can only surmise that she was knocked half way around the world back on the first page. Otherwise, wouldn't Sonic had been able to find her in seconds? That or none of her so called friends bothered to look.

Never the less, we now have Sticks teamed up with the Maverick Hunter team and on their way to the next part of the story. Did anyone else think that Orbot and Cubot looked particularly sinister while opening the portal for them? I wonder where exactly they'll end up.

We cut back to the Hex zone to see more of Sigma's ultimate plan unfolding, but not before Eggman refreshes Wily's memory on the events of the Worlds Collide crossover, conveniently told from his point of view. This scene actually acts as a handy catch up for anyone that may be just as in the dark as Wily (his memory was restored and the events of the Worlds Collide forgotten once they returned to the Mega Man universe). Even though Eggman's account of the events are twisted a bit in his favor.

Soon after, we learn that the final two robot masters (or roboticized masters if you will) are none other than Sonic and Mega Man, twisted in favor of the designs of their opposing world's mad scientist. Sonic looks much like Mecha Sonic, with the addition of a Wily "W" on his forehead and arm cannon, while Mega Man dons a darker paint job with helmet trim that resembles the Eggman mustache.

In the final pages we see the corrupted heroes venturing to their opposite worlds to lay waste and set Sigma's plans in motion much to the dismay and terror of the inhabitants. Just what are his plans and will the remaining heroes of either universe be able to stop the corrupted Sonic and Mega Man? We'll have to wait until the next issue to find out.

The story is moving along at a nice pace, though I felt the uniting of Sticks with the Maverick Hunters seemed a bit rushed thanks to the details I mentioned above. As for the art, most of it is great, though you can tell that the Sega universe is definitely Yardley's comfort zone. The Capcom characters just seem a little more off than usual. The color work is excellent though.

Hiccups in this issue aside, I'm still hooked and can't wait for the next issue!

Click here for my review of Issue 1

Click here for Issue 3

Thanks for reading!

Heroes Con 2015

This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending Heroes Convention in Charlotte NC thanks to my buddy Rob. Once again dude, thanks for the ride to the con, letting me crash on your couch, and for always being such an awesome host. It was an incredible weekend!

I think this was probably the biggest vendor room I have ever seen. I've been to a lot of anime and smaller comic cons in my day but this thing was huge. Had to be at least the size of a football field or more. I think for the first 45 minutes or so we just kind of wandered around aimlessly just to take it all in. I don't think I've ever seen so many comics, toys, and aother nerdy junk all in one place before.

The thing I loved the most about this convention was the focus on meeting artists and writers over big celebrities.

As such I was able to meet Ian Flynn, writer of Archie Comic's Sonic the Hedgehog and Mega Man series, and his wife Aleah Baker, who is a colorist for the Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic Universe books.

I asked them if they could say any more on the cancellation of the Sonic Boom but they didn't have anything else to reveal that we didn't already know, just that the word came down from higher up at Archie and that it wasn't due to poor sales or by the request of Sega. I suppose the cancellation will have to remain a mystery, for now at least.

I was also able to meet Tracy Yardley, who is an artist on just about all of Archie's action series comics. Unfortunately I couldn't get a picture of him as his booth was pretty swamped with people trying to get him to do sketches for them. Eventually I did get to speak to him for a moment and got him to sign some things for me.

So thanks to the great folks at the Archie Comics booth, I'm now caught up (until Wednesday anyway) on the World's Unite crossover event with signed copies of each to boot!

Ian also hooked me up with this sweet signed collection of Sonic Boom alternate covers that all line up in a single image. I've got to find a way to safely display this thing.

That's it for the comic loot I scored over the weekend. Stay tuned for my follow up post where I'll be sharing my favorite cosplays from the weekend.

Thanks for reading!

Sonic Boom news June 2015

The past few weeks have had its ups and downs for the Sonic Boom Universe. Let's take a look at what's in store for this version of Sega's blue mascot.

Archie Comics canceling Sonic Boom Comic

Archie Comics announced via Twitter that they would be wrapping up the Sonic Boom comic series once the Worlds Unite story arc is done. They assure readers that the Sonic Boom characters will continue to appear in their other books though. My guess is we'll be seeing them more in comedic shorts from here on.

What happened is anyone's guess, but with comics being a business we can likely attribute this to poor sales. I'm disappointed but not really surprised. The art was really great, but the writing, while amusing at times, just took me back to the beginnings of the original Archie Sonic Comics. Meaning lots of slap stick and breaking the 4th wall, which of course isn't for everyone.

I think the main audience for the Archie Sonic comics were craving a more serious drama (like the main series) than the Sonic Boom series could provide, so it probably would have been wiser to do a sort of comic adaptation of the games. Who knows, it's unfortunate but maybe they'll take a stab at it again in the years to come.

Sonic Boom: Fire and Ice announced

Sega announced today that Sanzuru is developing a sequel to the 3DS title, Shattered Crystal. Check out the trailer below:

The gameplay looks largely unchanged, with the exception of the fire and ice elements added which look to be a method for navigating different pathways and manipulating platforms. Amy is also a playable character this time with her hammer in tow for melee attacks. Overall it looks like we can expect a similar experience to Shattered Crystal, which is a good thing in my opinion.

Hopefully the eshop will grace us with a demo for people to try. If you're still on the fence about Sonic Boom I would encourage you to forget the Wii U version and give the 3DS Shattered Crystal a shot.

Thanks for reading!

Toy Review: Sonic Boom Knuckles and Tails 2 Pack

Continuing our look at the Sonic Boom toy line, I'd now like to share my thoughts on the Knuckles and Tails 2 pack. If you missed the first review in this series, click here to check out the Sonic and Amy 2 pack.

The package includes Knuckles, Tails, and a red colored enerbeam. Even though Knuckles and Tails don't really have any signature items they identify with, I still feel like the enerbeam is a lame accessory. They could have given Tails a little wrench and for Knuckles, I don't know, like a dumb bell or something. Anything would be better than this useless accessory. Maybe if it was actually stretchy so you could fling the figures around or something I would appreciate it more, but as it stands it's just a waste of plastic in my opinion. At least their hands are molded so they have no problem in holding any other accessories out there you might find.

Keeping up with the Tomy standard for this toy line, the sculpts and paint jobs on the figures are very nice. They both look exactly as presented in the tv show. I'm a big fan of the goggles, extra belts, and lab gloves on Tails. Knuckles is probably the one character where the sports tape actually fits his new design.

When it comes to articulation these guys are also limited to only 5 joints. Knuckles has the same problem as Amy in that he can only turn his head as far as his spines (dreads or whatever) will allow. If you tried to force it you would only end up damaging the figure. His arms are obviously much larger than the other figures, so I'm disappointed that they didn't give him an elbow joint for more advanced punch poses. I'm sure everyone is wondering about Tails' tails, and no you cannot move them, or at least not on mine. There appears to be a seam half way down his tails that looks like it would pivot but I think this is just from how they assembled him. I tried to move it and it honestly feels like it would break off before it ever agreed to turn. Maybe someone else out there can confirm this for sure. At least it makes him by far the easiest character to stand.

Once again these figures make great display pieces. My kids love to play with them, but if you're a stickler for poseability you may not enjoy them for that purpose. As always, due to the long and thin nature of legs in the Sonic universe I wouldn't risk letting someone who's really rough with their toys play with them because they just wouldn't last.

Knuckles and Tails retail the same as Sonic and Amy at around 7 dollars for the 2 Pack, so for that price I don't think you'll be disappointed, that is except for the enerbeam thing.





Pros:

-Great paint detailing and sculpt work.
-Packaging is colorful and has a neat design if you're looking to display in their box.
-Figures have no problem standing for out of box display.
-Good price point at 7 to 8 dollars for the 2 figures.

Cons:

-Limited articulation. Lots of missed opportunities here.
-Really lame accessory. Seriously I'd rather just not have the enerbeam and shave some of the price.

Previous: Sonic and Amy 2 Pack Review

Next: Sticks the Badger Review

Thanks for reading!

Sonic Boom Shattered Crystal Review

Since I've owned the full version of Sonic Boom Shattered Crystal for some time now, I wanted to expand my original review on the game. Much of it will be the same, just take the original as a demo review of a demo game.

And now the full review:

To address the first question on everyone's minds: Does it play like a traditional Sonic the Hedgehog game? Well kind of sort of, but it's a good thing. That is if you're open to change. The element of speed is there though capped and not momentum based. Keeping your speed up is reflective of your reaction time to the enemies and stage obstacles. Thankfully the controls are really responsive and I was able to adapt to the physics quickly. A few minutes in and I was able to flow through the stage at a constant speed, dispatching enemies and swinging over pits with ease.

You have access to all four characters at the same time with the ability to switch to each on the fly. For the most part everyone moves and plays the same with the exception of Sonic being slightly faster. In addition each character has their own special abilities for attacking and gaining access to different paths. Sonic has an air dash that breaks certain kinds of walls, Tails can fly/glide, Knuckles can burrow, and Sticks has a boomerang that can be manually guided to hit switches that are out of reach.

The stages are massive with a multitude of branching paths and secret areas accessible by using each character's special abilities. The goal of each stage isn't so much about finding the exit but exploring to find all the hidden items and areas. It's almost like Sonic meets Metroidvania. The map on the bottom screen that you fill in as you progress further drives that feeling of exploration.

The game is divided up amongst several regions that have their own unique environments and map screens. Each map contains a stage or two as described above as well as a worm tunnel and racing stage. The worm tunnels are what I would consider the "special stage" of the game in that you only control Sonic from a 3rd person perspective as you speed down a tunnel collecting rings and dodging obstacles to complete certain challenges, such as grabbing all the rings or completing the tunnel under a certain time limit. The racing stages remind me of the Sonic Rivals series in that once again you control Sonic by himself and race against another character to complete a more speed oriented stage.

The main point of the extra themed stages and exploring of the main stages is to locate the scattered shards of the ancient crystal which you will need to complete in order to foil Lyric's ultimate plans. Shards are found laying around in the main stages while completing one of the extra stages will award you with one shard. The other challenges, such as beating a stage within a time limit or with a certain amount of rings awards you a token that you can use a QNC's shop to unlock character and enemy 3D models to look at. Or if you want to be lazy about it, you can gain one token every 24 hours by completing a simple work out mini game at Knuckles' cave.

The same voice actors from the show reprise their roles here, though they really only speak in a few cutscenes. The rest of the story is delivered through text based cutscenes which now seems to be the standard with Sonic 3DS titles (with the exception of Lost World). Fortunately here the in game models are present and interact with one another as the text scrolls through. They look a little off though. The cutscene models appear to have "chipmunk cheeks." They don't look as nice as the ones featured in the fully rendered cutscenes or the tv show so it's a little off putting.

The graphics in general though are very nice. The stages are very detailed and have a nice amount of depth when playing with the 3D effect turned on. The music is upbeat and fitting of each stages theme though I doubt any of it will get stuck in your head like the classic Sonic titles.

I think they nailed the target audience perfectly with this title. The difficulty is at a nice sweet spot where younger players can enjoy themselves while also bringing enough optional challenges to keep the core fan base and completionists interested. At the end of the day this is a Sonic game that explores territories of the platforming genre not typically seen in the Sonic franchise and your enjoyment will likely hinge on whether or not you're okay with Sonic doing so.

Pros:

-The game controls well and the movement of the characters and physics are easy to adapt to.
-Nice detailed graphics and music.
-Plenty of extra goals that encourage both exploration and speed running.
-Added power ups to make things easier for younger players but can be disabled for those looking for more challenge.
-Includes a gallery area where you can review all the cutscenes, comics and other stuff you've unlocked.

Cons:

-The majority of the cutscenes are text based.
-Avoid the dance party.

Toy Review: Sonic Boom Sonic and Amy 2 Pack

You've seen the show and the games, now let's take a look at the Sonic Boom toy line from Tomy. In recent years Sonic has had some really cool toys released from Jazwares. In my personal opinion they set the bar pretty high. So does the Tomy line stack up? I'll be looking at various examples over the next series of entries to find out.

First off we have the Sonic and Amy 2 pack which includes the figures and a blue enerbeam. Right off the bat I was disappointed they didn't include a hammer for Amy. That was the most glaring thing missing as soon as I saw the package. Unfortunately as far as I know this is the only way to get a Boom Amy figure, so you're on your own to figure out a hammer for her.

The figures themselves are sculpted nicely and are a spot on representation of how they look in the show. I especially like Sonic's cocky grin which shows a bit more personality than the trademark smile they usually give his figures. Amy has a simple cute smiling expression but this might be my favorite sculpt of her out of all the Amy figures I've ever seen out there.

Their paint jobs are clean and accurate so no complaints there.

Articulation wise they're pretty limited at about 5 points each which is quite a bit lower than what Jazwares usually did. Their heads can turn, legs can swing back and forth, and their arms are on a hinge/pin joint allowing them to swivel in any direction. There are no joints at the elbows or knees or wrist and ankle rotation. Sonic is acceptable as you can at least do his trademark running pose. Amy however is much more limited because of her design. While she has the same joints as Sonic, she cannot fully turn her head because her hair/quills collide with her shoulder. Her skirt prevents her from being able to sit down or do crazy running poses like Sonic.

That's about it.

Durability wise the plastic seems to be the same quality as Jazwares offerings. That being said, simply due to the Sonic character designs having such thin arms and legs I wouldn't recommend these figures for rough play. Too many hard collisions or drops and a joint may snap somewhere. That's not a fault of the manufacturer but simply because these figures are so small, standing at about 3 inches.

This accessory is a pretty big let down.

Overall at a price point of roughly 7 dollars for the 2 pack, I'm pretty pleased with these. They're really nice as display pieces (they stand on their own very easily) and my kids really enjoy playing with them despite their limited poseability. I would only not recommend these if you or the person you're giving them to are really rough with their toys, or if you like to display your figures in crazy poses.

Pros:

-Great paint detailing and sculpt work.
-Packaging is colorful and has a neat design if you're looking to display in their box.
-Figures have no problem standing for out of box display.
-Good price point at 7 to 8 dollars for the 2 figures.

Cons:

-Very limited articulation.
-Bogus accessory or lack there of.

Yeah I ship it.

Thanks for reading!

Next: Knuckles and Tails 2 Pack Review

Sonic Boom TV Series Initial Impressions

This past Saturday saw the premier of the Sonic Boom TV series on Cartoon Network which, aside from the Wii U title, is arguably the largest piece of the Sonic Boom branding. Does it live up the hype they've been pushing on us since February?  I'm here to share my perspective as a long time Sonic fan as well as some much younger fans, my children.

The first half of the show, titled "The Sidekick," begins with the preview footage we saw earlier in the year where Sonic faces Eggman's misnamed creation, Burn Bot. Now we get to carry on after Tails crashed his plane. After Sonic recovers Tails, burned and injured, from the crash he vows to never put Tails in that kind of danger ever again. So what does he do to live up to his promise? He "fires" Tails as his sidekick and then devises a competition to find a new sidekick. It's a goofy premise meant to showcase the lighthearted comedy of the show, but in my opinion was not a good episode to premier with. It's safe to say that anyone getting up this early to watch knows who Sonic the Hedgehog is, but what of the younger folks out there who don't? I think an introductory episode that shows who these characters are and why they're suddenly living together would have made for a much better premier.

The second part or episode titled "Can an Evil Genuis crash on your couch for a few weeks?" is where the show really shined. Eggman shows up one night in the pouring rain begging to crash with Sonic and Tails for a while until his evil island fortress can be rebuilt. For some reason Sonic agrees and from there Eggman's inner child beneath his evil genius exterior runs a muck. He steals the show at this point and quickly became on of my favorite characters in this universe.

We also see the introduction of Sticks the jungle badger. I think there is already a stigma that her personality would be overbearing and annoying due to the way she was described in her sneak peak trailers from earlier in the year, but she's actually quite charming. She's a tad crazy and paranoid but within reason to the situation. Never is she just bouncing off the walls spouting nonsense like the initial worries I've heard of her.

I really like Sticks, though I still have no idea where she came from.

I think Sticks is a great new character that fits in well with the rest of the cast, but once again some back story would be nice as all I've played is the Sonic Boom 3DS demo, so I really don't know how she came to be with the Sonic crew.

Other than the lack of backstory thus far, the show is really well done and I enjoyed watching it. The voice acting might be the best the Sonic series has ever had and the animation itself is very fluid and expressive. I really dig everyone's personalities, particularly Eggman's. For the most part everyone else fits the roles you would expect, however Amy has been given depth beyond "marry me Sonic" which is tremendously refreshing for the character and sends a much better message to any youngsters out there that would potentially seek her as a role model.

Speaking of youngsters, my kids absolutely loved the show. Of course they already know who Sonic is and have played the games themselves but they seemed to really enjoy seeing Eggman acting childishly, a far cry from his portrayal in other animations. After attending a family lunch on Sunday I learned that their cousins had fallen in love with the show as well. So despite what I may think as an older fan, the show has at least hit the sweet spot with the target audience.

Bottom line, I feel comfortable recommending the show to any age Sonic fan or not. The colorful designs and animation are a pleasure to take in. The humor and writing in general is engaging without having to rely on fart jokes, being obnoxiously loud, or other "I'm trying desperately hard to be the new Ren and Stimpy" moments that other cartoons go for these days. The icing on the cake is that watching Sonic usually makes my kids want to go outside and run around which is always a much better way to start the weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing more with them.

Thanks for reading!

Sonic Boom Shattered Crystal (DEMO) Thoughts

Earlier this week a demo version of Sonic Boom Shattered Crystal was released on the Nintendo 3DS e-shop so players can finally get their hands on it to see what changes are in store for the blue blur this time around.

After having played it several times myself I wanted to share what I thought of the demo and the direction they're taking Sonic in this new universe.

To address the first question on everyone's minds: Does it play like a traditional Sonic the Hedgehog game? Well kind of sort of, but it's a good thing. That is if you're open to change. The element of speed is there though capped and not momentum based. Keeping your speed up is reflective of your reaction time to the enemies and stage obstacles. Thankfully the controls are really responsive and I was able to adapt to the physics quickly. A few minutes in and I was able to flow through the stage at a constant speed, dispatching enemies and swinging over pits with ease.

You have access to all four characters at the same time with the ability to switch to each on the fly. For the most part everyone moves and plays the same with the exception of Sonic being slightly faster. In addition each character has their own special abilities for attacking and gaining access to different paths. Sonic has an air dash that breaks certain kinds of walls, Tails can fly, Knuckles can burrow, and Sticks has a boomerang that can be manually guided to hit switches that are out of reach.

The playable stages in the demo are massive with a multitude of branching paths and secret areas accessible by using each character's special abilities. The goal of each stage isn't so much about finding the exit but exploring to find all the hidden items and areas. It's almost like Sonic meets Metroidvania. The map on the bottom screen that you fill in as you progress further drives that feeling of exploration.

The second playable stage is reminiscent of Sonic Rivals in that you race against one of the other characters through a more traditional speed based stage. This seems to be more of a bonus activity unrelated to story progression and will probably serve as a multiplayer mode.

The third stage is a speed stage but also a sort of boss fight. It actually plays like an endless runner mobile game, think Sonic Dash. Your movement is limited to switching lanes and jumping to latch onto railways with the enerbeam. This may have been my least favorite part of the demo because it was just so easy. On the first try I was able to complete it flawlessly, grabbing every ring in the stage in the process. It's a neat addition but I hope this isn't how all of the boss fights function.

The visuals are nice and the 3D effects add nice depth to the stages. I don't think the screenshots and videos online really do the game justice. In all honesty I wasn't expecting much from the DS title but after playing it I think I'll probably pick up a copy.

The game is a new direction for the Sonic series with a lot of great ideas. At its core it's a fast and fun 2D platformer and I feel like the only reason someone might not enjoy it is if they can't let go of the traditional Sonic formula enough to try something new. Change is good folks!

Thanks for reading!

My thoughts on Sonic Boom

Today Sega has brought to light their plans for the new Sonic the Hedgehog spin-off titled Sonic Boom. The initial announcement was made late last year, along with a pesky teaser image featuring the silhouettes of the redesigned characters which set the internet ablaze in both good and bad speculations.

Now that the designs have been made public, as well as the plans for a TV show and Wii U/3DS games, I wanted to share my 2 cents as a long time Sonic fan.

When I first saw the teaser image, I was worried that the characters would now be wearing clothes, but as you can see the accessories they've adorned do little to distance the characters from their iconic designs. I'm actually digging Sonic's scarf. The belts and goggles go well with Tails' shift to the scientist/mechanic role we've become accustomed to since Sonic Adventure. As for Amy, she seems to sport a different outfit in every series spin-off so I was kind of expecting something like this.

The most jarring changes are obviously Sonic's blue arms and that Knuckles has doubled in height and mass. The arms I'm fine with, I mean it actually kind of makes sense if you look at a real hedgehog. Knuckles might be a little too big for my liking though. If it were toned back just a tad I would love it because I do like Knuckles as "the muscle" of the group.

I'm not sure what the deal is with the tape/bandages, mainly why they chose to wrap it around their shoes. Better traction? Who knows. It does seem a little much though. I think it works for Knuckles' look, but if they wanted to accent Sonic's hands I would have gone for some brown leather (possibly fingerless) gloves.

Those are my opinions, but I'm not really the target demographic for Sonic Boom. At least for the TV show anyway.  So what does the target audience think?  I showed it to my kids and they seem perfectly fine with the redesigns. They said "Knuckles looks big and cool" so he's cleared with them. After showing them the trailer for the show, I envision us religiously tuning in to new episodes of Sonic Boom as well as accumulating action figures from the toy line Sega promised. They loved it. Why do I suddenly feel even more in debt?

As for the game, Big Red Button Entertainment is leading the development of the Wii U version, while Sanzaru is working on the 3DS version. While I feel like Sonic Team has gotten Sonic back on track since Sonic Unleashed, I'm excited to hear that some western developers will be taking a crack at the franchise. It'll be interesting to see what new ideas they bring to the table.

Take a look at the trailers below and see what you think.

Sonic Boom TV series trailer:

Sonic Boom Video Game reveal trailer