Healthy Living Books Video Games
welcome to the Healthy Living Bookshop, here you will find a great resource for Video Games for the whole family.
Video Games : Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (Nintendo DS) .
Rating: 
- average at best
Everything about sonic chronicles hints about it being like the start of a series of books, but if that's the case then Bioware need to pull their socks up next time around. Other reviews have covered the story aspect so I shall cover the gameplay and graphics in more depth. Considering the DS hardware the 3D graphics in the game are pretty well done and for the most part the backgrounds consist of talented artwork as well as even a few cutscenes in the game.
Despite this however the game gives the impression multiple artists worked on the game, in the game menus the characters have more of a modern sonic look while the cutscenes on the other hand hark back to the 2D games more cute look of the characters, not to mention these scenes normally play out more like animated comic books then animations.
The combat does have a little strategy involved but some of it feels poorly thought out. Each character depending on their speed can have multiple attack turns in a round, where the options consist of a melee attack, run, items, defend or POW moves (the games equivalent to magic attacks) you choose the attacks and then wait until that round finishes before you can choose what to do next.
To execute a pow move you also have to touch or drag a series of buttons using the touchscreen (which btw is also the only way to play the game since most of the buttons do nothing) this would be a good game mechanic, if it wasn't for the fact even the smallest mistake can cripple the move to the point it often does nothing; on the flipside however this does make dodging attacks much more interesting then just waiting for the next round, since touching the series of buttons that appear on an enemy attack increases your chances of dodging it.
More annoying then this however is other combat flaws such as way you can restore pp for using pow moves on one characters set of turns, but no character can actually use that new energy until the next round, or how if you take heavy damage on your teams first set of attacks there's nothing you can do in terms of changing your strategy until that round of attacks is over.
Easily the biggest mistake of the game however is the sound, while some may argue that not having the 4kids voice actors is actually a good thing the sounds used in replacement in particular when characters take damage just seem completely random. The game also boasts having remixes of some classic sonic game music in certain areas, but for the most part they sound abysmal and more on par with something off a gameboy pocket, ironically the best music in the whole game is actually when you're fighting, particularly against boss characters.
It has to be said the sonic franchise is in a bit of a mess right now and bioware were brave to take on this project, for veterans gamers especially rpg lovers you will feel short changed because this is certainly no super mario rpg. Your characters only level up to about lv 20, but there is fun to be had here especially for sonic fans. Hopefully if bioware will make a sequel they will learn from the mistakes in this game, but for now I would call this game 'try before you buy' material.
Rating:
- Sonic's Back!
I've been playing Sonic games since he spun his way onto the Mega Drive, and although I've always loved the Spiky Blue One, his recent outings into 3D have left a lot to be desired. Too many characters have been introduced, the voice-overs on the games are 'Wow dude! Radical!' awful, and most of all, they've stripped away what made Sonic work best: sheer fun.
It's odd, then, that Sonic finds a return to form with Sonic Chronicles...an RPG! How can this be? Sonic games are about speed and thrills; RPGs are slow, strategic things.
But, amazingly, it works. Developed by the acclaimed BioWare, you always were going to be in good hands, but just how good the final product is is stunning. Gone are the corny voices. You talk on behalf of Sonic. You tell him what to say to others. In other words, you can make him as kind or smarmy as you like.
There's a real story going for it, too. Set 'years later', Sonic returns from a round-the-world vacation after defeating Eggman (apparently permanently) to find everyone's getting along just fine without him. All the other characters you've grown to hate have actually grown up: Tails is smart; Amy has a boyfriend; even Big the Cat seems to have gained a few IQ points. BioWare have taken the swollen Sonic roster and really fleshed them out, given them depth and personality, and interacting with them is a real joy. Sometimes, the best moments of the game is simply talking, just seeing how Tails or Amy respond to what you say.
There's no escaping this is an RPG, though. It may be reasonably light, sitting somewhere between Pokemon and Final Fantasy, but it is all about levelling up, turn-based battles and a smattering of item management. So why is this game a return to form for Sonic? Because it's pure, unabashed fun. It doesn't try to be cool, rad or 'down wid the kidz'. The game delivers on excitement of progressing, finding a new ally, defeating a tough enemy - just like Sonic used to. I savoured every second I was in this game's company; it was such a delight to play (and even just look at - there's no doubting this is one of the finest looking games on the DS).
A few tiny flaws would be that battles are slightly too frequent (though this is a common RPG flaw), and the pre-rendered worlds, gorgeous as they are, are sometimes a bit quirky to navigate as it's had to judge the depth and height of things.
But these are minor complaints. This game comes hugely recommended for Sonic fans who pine for a proper game, and it's also serves as a good introduction into the genre of the RPG. But really, I could recommend this to anyone and everyone. Just envision how good this game could be: yes, it's THAT good. Go get it.
Rating:
- Very good for Sonic's first RPG outing!
I wasn't sure wether this would be average or not seeing as Sonic isn't exactly a character made for RP gaming. I can say though that, it does work in a certain way.
The strongest points here are the story and dialogue. Bioware are fantastic in that department, and it shows well here too. Characters are wonderfully portrayed and there are lots of references to older games. This is the first time Knuckles has had the best treatment! Oh, and I love Shade too. She's got a great character design and nice personality. The artwork is neat, the battling is innovative...
But there are some downsides too. The music...is TERRIBLE. Sonic music is known to be absolutely brilliant, but this was ear grating. The sound effects were also very cheap and sometimes made no sense (Shadow sounds like a turkey?). The game was also too short, didn't have many interesting side missions and the final boss is hilariously easy.
You must admit though that, besides these bad faults and the fact that this is Sonic's first RPG, it's not all THAT bad. It's very good, actually. But remember, it's not really a fast game like previous games, and the Rush series is...definitely better in my opinion. XD
Rating:
- Bioware and Sega fail again
This game is awful in every way it could be. That's the simple truth of it.
I could sugar this review up with some excuses and such but nothing in Sonic Chronicles worked properly. As RPGs go, it's clunky, unengaging and annoying to play. As Sonic games go, it's slow and actually has the worst story I've seen in a Sonic game since Sonic Heroes. It sucks.
You basically play as Sonic and a large group of his supporting cast as you battle a long lost race of Echidnas who have stolen the Master Emerald across a number of locations that name themselves after old Sonic levels but look nothing like those levels originally did. What follows is a disjointed, barely fleshed out mess of a story that never really seems to try hard enough. The story on the recent next gen Sonic The Hedgehog game was better than this by a mile, and it had elements of bestiality in it for goodness sake!
The visuals are uneven, washed out looking and jerky, the sound is dull and lacking the 'colour' of the average Sonic soundtrack. The combat in the game is basically the same as Final Fantasy III on the DS, but with the special moves requiring an 'Elite Beat Agents' rip off series of stylus inputs to activate. It gets very old very quickly and the inputs don't respond half as well as they should, definitely not as well as the same inputs did in the aforementioned Elite Beat Agents. Basically, I can't think of anything to recommend this game when there are not only better RPGs out for the DS, but better Sonic games to boot!
This is yet another failure from Bioware and Sega that feels rushed, cheap and deeply ubnsatisfying on every level.
You can do better. You deserve better in fact folks. Avoid this.
Rating: - Sonic RPG by bioware
Twenty five quid is a lot of money so i can understand why some people feel let down by the slow pace of this game, especially considering it holds the sonic brand. I suggest before purchasing a game you do your research a bit more thoroughly. This is a great game and its not its fault if YOU don't like RPG's. This is a slow paced RPG game made by Bioware. Anyone could tell you that Bioware are known for their RPG games so why do some people still expect a standard sonic platforming romp.
Yes this game is slow paced but it also has a great plot, the same sonic characters we know and love and is generally a very involving and deep experience. It reminds you why Baldur's gate is such a classic game. Because it had Bioware behind it all the way. Can't recommend this game enough to someone who is tired of more normal RPGs
- average at bestEverything about sonic chronicles hints about it being like the start of a series of books, but if that's the case then Bioware need to pull their socks up next time around. Other reviews have covered the story aspect so I shall cover the gameplay and graphics in more depth. Considering the DS hardware the 3D graphics in the game are pretty well done and for the most part the backgrounds consist of talented artwork as well as even a few cutscenes in the game.
Despite this however the game gives the impression multiple artists worked on the game, in the game menus the characters have more of a modern sonic look while the cutscenes on the other hand hark back to the 2D games more cute look of the characters, not to mention these scenes normally play out more like animated comic books then animations.
The combat does have a little strategy involved but some of it feels poorly thought out. Each character depending on their speed can have multiple attack turns in a round, where the options consist of a melee attack, run, items, defend or POW moves (the games equivalent to magic attacks) you choose the attacks and then wait until that round finishes before you can choose what to do next.
To execute a pow move you also have to touch or drag a series of buttons using the touchscreen (which btw is also the only way to play the game since most of the buttons do nothing) this would be a good game mechanic, if it wasn't for the fact even the smallest mistake can cripple the move to the point it often does nothing; on the flipside however this does make dodging attacks much more interesting then just waiting for the next round, since touching the series of buttons that appear on an enemy attack increases your chances of dodging it.
More annoying then this however is other combat flaws such as way you can restore pp for using pow moves on one characters set of turns, but no character can actually use that new energy until the next round, or how if you take heavy damage on your teams first set of attacks there's nothing you can do in terms of changing your strategy until that round of attacks is over.
Easily the biggest mistake of the game however is the sound, while some may argue that not having the 4kids voice actors is actually a good thing the sounds used in replacement in particular when characters take damage just seem completely random. The game also boasts having remixes of some classic sonic game music in certain areas, but for the most part they sound abysmal and more on par with something off a gameboy pocket, ironically the best music in the whole game is actually when you're fighting, particularly against boss characters.
It has to be said the sonic franchise is in a bit of a mess right now and bioware were brave to take on this project, for veterans gamers especially rpg lovers you will feel short changed because this is certainly no super mario rpg. Your characters only level up to about lv 20, but there is fun to be had here especially for sonic fans. Hopefully if bioware will make a sequel they will learn from the mistakes in this game, but for now I would call this game 'try before you buy' material.
Rating:
- Sonic's Back!I've been playing Sonic games since he spun his way onto the Mega Drive, and although I've always loved the Spiky Blue One, his recent outings into 3D have left a lot to be desired. Too many characters have been introduced, the voice-overs on the games are 'Wow dude! Radical!' awful, and most of all, they've stripped away what made Sonic work best: sheer fun.
It's odd, then, that Sonic finds a return to form with Sonic Chronicles...an RPG! How can this be? Sonic games are about speed and thrills; RPGs are slow, strategic things.
But, amazingly, it works. Developed by the acclaimed BioWare, you always were going to be in good hands, but just how good the final product is is stunning. Gone are the corny voices. You talk on behalf of Sonic. You tell him what to say to others. In other words, you can make him as kind or smarmy as you like.
There's a real story going for it, too. Set 'years later', Sonic returns from a round-the-world vacation after defeating Eggman (apparently permanently) to find everyone's getting along just fine without him. All the other characters you've grown to hate have actually grown up: Tails is smart; Amy has a boyfriend; even Big the Cat seems to have gained a few IQ points. BioWare have taken the swollen Sonic roster and really fleshed them out, given them depth and personality, and interacting with them is a real joy. Sometimes, the best moments of the game is simply talking, just seeing how Tails or Amy respond to what you say.
There's no escaping this is an RPG, though. It may be reasonably light, sitting somewhere between Pokemon and Final Fantasy, but it is all about levelling up, turn-based battles and a smattering of item management. So why is this game a return to form for Sonic? Because it's pure, unabashed fun. It doesn't try to be cool, rad or 'down wid the kidz'. The game delivers on excitement of progressing, finding a new ally, defeating a tough enemy - just like Sonic used to. I savoured every second I was in this game's company; it was such a delight to play (and even just look at - there's no doubting this is one of the finest looking games on the DS).
A few tiny flaws would be that battles are slightly too frequent (though this is a common RPG flaw), and the pre-rendered worlds, gorgeous as they are, are sometimes a bit quirky to navigate as it's had to judge the depth and height of things.
But these are minor complaints. This game comes hugely recommended for Sonic fans who pine for a proper game, and it's also serves as a good introduction into the genre of the RPG. But really, I could recommend this to anyone and everyone. Just envision how good this game could be: yes, it's THAT good. Go get it.
Rating:
- Very good for Sonic's first RPG outing!I wasn't sure wether this would be average or not seeing as Sonic isn't exactly a character made for RP gaming. I can say though that, it does work in a certain way.
The strongest points here are the story and dialogue. Bioware are fantastic in that department, and it shows well here too. Characters are wonderfully portrayed and there are lots of references to older games. This is the first time Knuckles has had the best treatment! Oh, and I love Shade too. She's got a great character design and nice personality. The artwork is neat, the battling is innovative...
But there are some downsides too. The music...is TERRIBLE. Sonic music is known to be absolutely brilliant, but this was ear grating. The sound effects were also very cheap and sometimes made no sense (Shadow sounds like a turkey?). The game was also too short, didn't have many interesting side missions and the final boss is hilariously easy.
You must admit though that, besides these bad faults and the fact that this is Sonic's first RPG, it's not all THAT bad. It's very good, actually. But remember, it's not really a fast game like previous games, and the Rush series is...definitely better in my opinion. XD
Rating:
- Bioware and Sega fail againThis game is awful in every way it could be. That's the simple truth of it.
I could sugar this review up with some excuses and such but nothing in Sonic Chronicles worked properly. As RPGs go, it's clunky, unengaging and annoying to play. As Sonic games go, it's slow and actually has the worst story I've seen in a Sonic game since Sonic Heroes. It sucks.
You basically play as Sonic and a large group of his supporting cast as you battle a long lost race of Echidnas who have stolen the Master Emerald across a number of locations that name themselves after old Sonic levels but look nothing like those levels originally did. What follows is a disjointed, barely fleshed out mess of a story that never really seems to try hard enough. The story on the recent next gen Sonic The Hedgehog game was better than this by a mile, and it had elements of bestiality in it for goodness sake!
The visuals are uneven, washed out looking and jerky, the sound is dull and lacking the 'colour' of the average Sonic soundtrack. The combat in the game is basically the same as Final Fantasy III on the DS, but with the special moves requiring an 'Elite Beat Agents' rip off series of stylus inputs to activate. It gets very old very quickly and the inputs don't respond half as well as they should, definitely not as well as the same inputs did in the aforementioned Elite Beat Agents. Basically, I can't think of anything to recommend this game when there are not only better RPGs out for the DS, but better Sonic games to boot!
This is yet another failure from Bioware and Sega that feels rushed, cheap and deeply ubnsatisfying on every level.
You can do better. You deserve better in fact folks. Avoid this.
Rating:
- Sonic RPG by biowareTwenty five quid is a lot of money so i can understand why some people feel let down by the slow pace of this game, especially considering it holds the sonic brand. I suggest before purchasing a game you do your research a bit more thoroughly. This is a great game and its not its fault if YOU don't like RPG's. This is a slow paced RPG game made by Bioware. Anyone could tell you that Bioware are known for their RPG games so why do some people still expect a standard sonic platforming romp.
Yes this game is slow paced but it also has a great plot, the same sonic characters we know and love and is generally a very involving and deep experience. It reminds you why Baldur's gate is such a classic game. Because it had Bioware behind it all the way. Can't recommend this game enough to someone who is tired of more normal RPGs
We have also partnered with Amazon and are able to provide a very wide selection of New and Used Video Games for sale. Please browse our extensive collection and take advantage of our great discounts and savings offered. Video Games : Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (Nintendo DS)
