Underrated Modern Sonic: The Advance and Rush Trilogies

[Xzeon]

Modern Sonic sucks yeah yeah we know, but, there's some hidden gems on Nintendo handhelds.

Sonic Advance 1, 2 and 3 for the Game boy Advance are fun and fast old school 2D platformers. Advance 1 was Sonic 4 before Sonic 4. Advance 3 has a really cool team up mechanic, adds lots of variety.

Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure for the Nintendo DS is more platforming goodness but we got BOOST and 3D graphics. Rush 1 also gave us Blaze, one of the better Sonic Friends.

Now like the youtuber Some Call Me Johnny, I also include Sonic Colors DS when talking about the Rush series. Why? Its litteraly Sonic Rush with Whisps. Thus Sonic Colors DS giving us a Rush Trilogy.

I just wanted to shout out these 6 amazing games, cuz while modern Sonic has been not so good on consoles, people been sleepin on some amazing handheld titles.

There's also Sonic Battle and Sonic Pinball Party for GBA and Sonic Classic Collection for DS, for even more good handheld Sonic.

Never played any of the PSP or 3DS Sonic games.

 

[Deleted member 6730]

Advance 1 is a better 2D Sonic than Mania. Yeah I said it.

 

[MaverickHunterX]

All true points. I always described SA not as Sonic 4, but as I would have imagined Sonic and co. on SNES. I also dug the Rush trilogies, save for their problems with the unseen pitfalls. I do admit, that I still have to get my hands on the spinoffs, especially Sonic Pinball Party, which I heard was pretty decent

Advance 1 is a better 2D Sonic than Mania. Yeah I said it.

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Let's not get crazy here. Both are great games, but one is the true heir to Sonics legacy...

 

[Rover]

They were decent, but I thought the wide consensus was that the developer Dimps was terrible at designing Sonic levels

 

[Xzeon]

Advance 1 is a better 2D Sonic than Mania. Yeah I said it.

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Have yet to play Mania so I can't comment.

 

[Hx]]

Rush series is my favorite 2D Sonic

 

[NANA]

The Advance trilogy was mostly good, so I agree, yeah. But I wouldn't say the same about the Rush trilogy though; terrible bosses, bottomless pits everywhere, and that tedious filler in Rush Adventure..

 

[Hx]]

They were decent, but I thought the wide consensus was that the developer Dimps was terrible at designing Sonic levels

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I thought the level designs were ummazing in rush 1 and in rush 2's ones were good too.

 

[Unknownlight]

My personal favorite is Sonic Rush Adventure. While the original Sonic Rush gets points for its awesome funky soundtrack, in terms of level design SRA is so much better. I personally think it's the closest Sega has ever gotten to perfecting the boost formula (note that I haven't played Colors DS).

 

[Deleted member 6730]

Let's not get crazy here. Both are great games, but one is the true heir to Sonics legacy...

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I mean I can see why everybody regards Mania so highly but it only reminds me how much better Sonic 2 and 3 were. Level design doesn't hold a candle to the later Genesis games or Advance 1 truth be told. It feels like a fan game, made with love but the designers never quite got what made Sonic 2 and 3.

 

[NoKisum]

Ugh thank you, someone finally said it. I've had various arguments about how the Sonic series went downhill after Adventure 2, and whenever I bring up the stellar Advance & Rush games, they don't count because "they weren't released on a real console."

I think Advance 3 might be my favorite of that series, but I can't pick a favorite for the Rush series. I will say that I enjoy the music of Rush 1 the most though. All hail Hideki Naganuma.

 

[Xzeon]

The Advance trilogy was good, yeah. But I wouldn't say the same about the Rush trilogy though; terrible bosses, bottomless pits everywhere, and that tedious filler in Rush Adventure..

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Ah, yes the submarine shooting garbage in Rush 2 suuuuuuuuuuuucked. Worst part of the entire series. Also has the always forgotten one off Sonic Friend, Marine the Racoon.

I also think Advance 2 is the weakest of that trilogy. Don't really care for Cream either.

 

[G_Shumi]

OP, you forgot to mention the best Sonic game if you're feeling that "Classic" itch but want all of the modern jank:

But seriously, Sonic Advance 1 was pretty good. I kinda got into Sonic Advance 2 but the way about getting those Chaos Emeralds was so tedious. Sonic Advance 3 was alright but a bit too convoluted for my tastes.
Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure were okay but I just wasn't into the boosting as much as I should've been. And I couldn't finish Sonic Rush Adventure because of that annoying map and the jetskiing that needed to be done every time you wanted to travel.

I still find it so odd that Dimps nailed the speed/momentum dynamic with Sonic Advance but when it came to Sonic 4, they used the Sonic Rush engine and just slowed it all down. I understand that 9 years had passed between Sonic Advance 1 and Sonic 4 but you would think they would've stuck with their original physics for a non-Rush game instead of slowing everything down.

 

[Deleted member 14002]

OP I wouldn't say underrated as they actually have relatively high metascores, I think Rush or Advance is actually one of the top 5 sonic games by metascore.

That being said I feel like they're definitely overlooked by most people.

 

[Vadara]

Advance series is painfully mediocre, Rush was garbage with a good soundtrack. Only reason they're considered "good" is because most gamers don't have a clue what a good Sonic game actually is.

 

[Silky]

Advance 1 is a better 2D Sonic than Mania. Yeah I said it.

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Most people who don't play Sonic games and base all of their opinions off of YouTube videos of Sonic 06 and the Sonic Twitter page have not played the Advance series.

1 has better original zones than Mania, easy. Definitely a better ending zone and endboss than the former. Mania's an excellent title but Advance 1 did what Mania attempted ages ago

It actually helps that the added mechanics of 1 aren't really shoehorned in like Dropshot was for Mania (I ditched that move the moment I unlocked S3&K Jump). Things are designed very well around the tag mechanic

 

[Deleted member 14002]

Advance series is painfully mediocre, Rush was garbage with a good soundtrack. Only reason they're considered "good" is because most gamers don't have a clue what a good Sonic game actually is.

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Can you elaborate as to what specifically made them bad?

 

[TheMadTitan]

OP I wouldn't say underrated as they actually have relatively high metascores, I think Rush or Advance is actually one of the top 5 sonic games by metascore.

That being said I feel like they're definitely overlooked by most people.

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No one ever talks about them, so I'd consider them underrated. I've been saying the Advance/Rush games were the best games since the Genesis for awhile now. Sega could've looked to those plenty of times for inspiration. Later games suffer some in terms of level design, and all of the other characters are damn near useless IMO, but the games are still solid.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

I don't remember much about Advance 1, but it at least gave us a cool moveset for Amy that was then back-ported to the classic games via romhacking. So, I'd say it was worthwhile for that reason alone.

Rush was the game that made me give up on modern Sonic altogether.

 

[mrmickfran]

They're decent, certainly better than Sonic 4 at least. But a lot of them suffer from the "Dimps syndrome":

• Bland "Hold right to win" level design
• Bottomless pits up the ass
• Just not as fun as the classic 2D games

Rush Adventure was ass though, I don't care what anyone says. Fuck having to replay the same level constantly to advance.

 

[MaverickHunterX]

I mean I can see why everybody regards Mania so highly but it only reminds me how much better Sonic 2 and 3 were. Level design doesn't hold a candle to the later Genesis games or Advance 1 truth be told. It feels like a fan game, made with love but the designers never quite got what made Sonic 2 and 3.

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Of course. I think some time must pass before we reach a point where the 2D Sonics will beat either Sonic Cd or Sonic 3 and Knuckles. But is Mania the closest thing to it, considering that it's an homage and has hints of originality here and there? I think that's fair to say.

The advances always reminded me of 2D versions of the skill sets and overall tone of the Sonic Adventures games. Not that it's a bad thing, but merely not who I picture Sonic to be in my head.

 

[qq more]

As far as the GBA games. I've only liked the first one. Thought 2 was not good at all as its levels tends to be very bland or frustratingly annoying, and the special stage gimmick is such a needless tedious thing to do, I don't know what the hell they were thinking. Advance 3 is kind of a mixed bag, leaning on bad but still better than whatever the hell 2 was.

As for 1, I thought it was pretty good sans the last few levels. It's not the most polished Sonic game and not the most exciting but it's still a fun game to play through. Amy Rose was a great addition that took a character that can't roll into a ball into its own interesting challenging gameplay. It somehow actually worked! So it deserves major props for that.

Rush series... ehhhh... First one was really bad, sick music though, but the game suffers from very dull and plain level design and terrible boss fights. The base gameplay was fine. Rush Adventure is a big improvement but has its own issues, but I've still managed to enjoy that one. Colors DS was decent but nothing to write home about, there isn't much to say about this one. It lacks Blaze and the trick system but the wisp power ups were mostly fun, I don't think it was meant to be a Rush 3 despite taking the engine and gameplay completely wholesale.

Overall, I find the modern handheld entries half good and half awful with only Advance 1 being a standout.

EDIT: On the subject of Mania, I find Mania much better than Advance 1 in the level design department to be honest. Mania does have some of its issues regarding level design, but I feel the higher highs are much higher than Advance 1's while the lowest lows doesn't reach Egg Rocket levels of bad. That said, Advance 1's level design is generally pretty good, but nothing in the level design department that exactly wows me.

 

[Vadara]

Can you elaborate as to what specifically made them bad?

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Advance: simplified glitchy physics, level design is awkward as hell with Dimps going absolutely insane with the bottomless pits, crusher, and out-of-nowhere spikes in 2 and 3. 2 was focused on nothing but speed with little platforming, 3 tried to bring the platforming back but is a bloated mess and oh my god the BOTTOMLESS PITS.

Rush: EVEN MORE BOTTOMLESS PITS, physics are just plain awful (Sonic 4's infamous controls derive from Rush) level design was implified even further than Advance, the whole concept of boost completely overrides the skill in gaining momentum and keeeping it, meaning that often you are just mindlessly holding the Go Fast Button while not actually doing anything, and did I mention B O T T O M L E S S P I T S

In retrospect, you can actually still have fun with them, and I was a little harsh. They just don't feel like Genesis Sonic at all and instead are awkward half-attempts at the style (Advance) or a grotesque travesty of it (Rush).

 

[Xzeon]

Ugh thank you, someone finally said it. I've had various arguments about how the Sonic series went downhill after Adventure 2, and whenever I bring up the stellar Advance & Rush games, they don't count because "they weren't released on a real console."

I think Advance 3 might be my favorite of that series, but I can't pick a favorite for the Rush series. I will say that I enjoy the music of Rush 1 the most though. All hail Hideki Naganuma.

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Hell yeah man, I never see people give these games respect. We know what's up.

OP, you forgot to mention the best Sonic game if you're feeling that "Classic" itch but want all of the modern jank:

But seriously, Sonic Advance 1 was pretty good. I kinda got into Sonic Advance 2 but the way about getting those Chaos Emeralds was so tedious. Sonic Advance 3 was alright but a bit too convoluted for my tastes.
Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure were okay but I just wasn't into the boosting as much as I should've been. And I couldn't finish Sonic Rush Adventure because of that annoying map and the jetskiing that needed to be done every time you wanted to travel.

I still find it so odd that Dimps nailed the speed/momentum dynamic with Sonic Advance but when it came to Sonic 4, they used the Sonic Rush engine and just slowed it all down. I understand that 9 years had passed between Sonic Advance 1 and Sonic 4 but you would think they would've stuck with their original physics for a non-Rush game instead of slowing everything down.

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Oh my, Sonic Genesis... oh Sega...

I actually don't hate Sonic 4, I thought both eps were enjoyable.

Advance series is painfully mediocre, Rush was garbage with a good soundtrack. Only reason they're considered "good" is because most gamers don't have a clue what a good Sonic game actually is.

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Let me guess, everything after Sonic 3 is trash right? Lol.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

Mania is better than S3&K in pretty much every aspect except the finale.

 

[Deleted member 6730]

Of course. I think some time must pass before we reach a point where the 2D Sonics will beat either Sonic Cd or Sonic 3 and Knuckles. But is Mania the closest thing to it, considering that it's an homage and has hints of originality here and there? I think that's fair to say.

The advances always reminded me of 2D versions of the skill sets and overall tone of the Sonic Adventures games. Not that it's a bad thing, but merely not who I picture Sonic to be in my head.

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It's a shame because it could've been so much more than that. Press Garden and Studiopolis are brilliant levels. Everything else is kind of a drag.

 

[Vadara]

Mania is better than S3&K in pretty much every aspect except the finale.

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Trufax.

Especially since Mania doesn't have objectively awful levels like Marble Garden and Sandopolis ruining everything. Half of S3&K is brilliant, half of it is ugh.

 

[Deleted member 34949]

It actually helps that the added mechanics of 1 aren't really shoehorned in like Dropshot was for Mania (I ditched that move the moment I unlocked S3&K Jump). Things are designed very well around the tag mechanic

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The melee abilities for Tails and Knuckles are like, the definition of shoehorned. They completely stop all momentum and there's rarely, if ever a moment where it isn't better to jump or roll into something. The somersault and jump dash for Sonic is pretty well implemented tho, as is pretty much everything with Amy.

Not sure I agree about the zone originality, though. Yeah, Advance 1 is 100% original levels, but aside from Egg Rocket, it never attempts to do anything interesting with them, both aesthetically and from a level design standpoint and they end up being pretty bland as a result.

Trufax.

Especially since Mania doesn't have objectively awful levels like Marble Garden and Sandopolis ruining everything. Half of S3&K is brilliant, half of it is ugh.

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I agree for the most part, though I think Sandopolis is actually pretty great. It took me years to come around on that opinion, though.

 

[Virtua Sanus]

Advance 1 is a decent side game but it's bland art direction and it's terrible special stages really hold it back for me. Advance 2 has interesting concepts and better aesthetics but was too focused on speed and had some real frustrating moments. I thought Advance 3 was just a really messy game with a super cool gimmick. I honestly prefer Sonic Pinball Party and even Sonic Battle to the platformers, but that is not really a big deal as I think they are all fine games.

Not really a fan of the Sonic Rush games at all, and think they have aged like milk. That said, these games could be retooled really well to work in proper console remakes. Blaze deserves a starring role in a console game for once.

Barely counts as modern at this point but Sonic Pocket Adventure was a really good handheld game, especially for it's time.

 

[TheOGB]

I have a ton of love for these games. They were the "main series" for me in the days before I got a console newer than the PS1.

I actually just started playing Sonic Rush Adventure again a couple days ago on a whim, and it's still just as fun as I remember. I still have to get back to Advance 3 one of these days.

Spoiler: adding hot takes

Emerl and Blaze are the best character additions in the series
Marine was good (and Chip wasn't that bad either but he wasn't from a handheld game so fuck him for this point)
the vehicles in Sonic Rush Adventure weren't too terrible, only really got tedious in maybe 3 spots
Sonic Battle is the GOAT
Team mechanic in Advance 3 was neat

 

[Vadara]

It actually helps that the added mechanics of 1 aren't really shoehorned in like Dropshot was for Mania (I ditched that move the moment I unlocked S3&K Jump). Things are designed very well around the tag mechanic

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The dropdash is, without, probably the greatest move in the entire series. It effortlessly slots into Sonic's toolset, finally makes him appreciably distinct from Knuckles and Tails (outside of the elemental shields), and reinforces the entire core concept of keeping your momentum that Sonic is built around. It alone makes him my favorite character to use in 3&K by far.

 

[qq more]

Never played any of the PSP or 3DS Sonic games.

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You're honestly not missing much. Lost World is arguably Dimps' worst Sonic game. (I personally find Sonic 4 Episode 2 the worst thus far but I avoided LW 3DS like the plague). Sonic Gens 3DS is okay at best but it's painfully average with some awful game design here and there.

I've played Rivals once but it... kinda just exist I guess?

 

[Sixfortyfive]

I'm hard-pressed to understand why someone wouldn't like the drop dash.

The insta-shield was useful, but the drop dash is useful in addition to making thematic sense in Sonic's toolset.

Trufax.

Especially since Mania doesn't have objectively awful levels like Marble Garden and Sandopolis ruining everything. Half of S3&K is brilliant, half of it is ugh.

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I like 3K a lot, but I don't hold it in as high regard as most classic Sonic fans do because I feel that it's really padded.

Pretty much every level in that game has something interesting and worthwhile about it, but a lot of them also feel like they're stretched out as much as possible for no other reason than to fill out the map size. Lots of "filler" slopes and loops everywhere, and some stage gimmicks/themes wear themselves out before you're done with them.

Mania is made very much in the 3K style more than anything else, but with more variety and substance.

 

[Silky]

The dropdash is, without, probably the greatest move in the entire series. It effortlessly slots into Sonic's toolset, finally makes him appreciably distinct from Knuckles and Tails (outside of the elemental shields), and reinforces the entire core concept of keeping your momentum that Sonic is built around. It alone makes him my favorite character to use in 3&K by far.

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Input has always felt awkward to me and ultimately I've just ignored it most of the time.

Insta-Shield would be that move for me honestly.

 

[Xzeon]

Id really love some kind of compilation or bundles for the 3DS, or if we could eventually get them all on the Switch Virtual Console.

I want more people to play these games.

 

[Azoor]

I really like the Advance series, but I was never a big fan of the Rush games, especially Rush Adventure with it's naval combat mechanics which I never cared for.

 

[MaverickHunterX]

It's a shame because it could've been so much more than that. Press Garden and Studiopolis are brilliant levels. Everything else is kind of a drag.

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Really? I loved the revamped levels and all of the little nods here and there. (My fav being the

Spoiler

Metal Sonic/Silver Sonic Fight

). Even the Saturn-esque special stages were neat. I'll admit that the final acts and last boss (not secret boss) kinda sucked.

If Sonic Mania was released on the Saturn within the first year, I definitely would have bought one for that game. And this coming from a crazy person that bought a CDX for Sonic CD, and a 32X the following year for Knuckles Chaotix. (And the same for Dreamcast for the original SA)

 

[Deleted member 34949]

I think you could argue for Insta-Shield having more overall utility, but I'd say the Drop Dash fits a little better into the basic design philosophy of the 2D games for Sonic.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

I think you could argue for Insta-Shield having more overall utility, but I'd say the Drop Dash fits a little better into the basic design philosophy of the 2D games for Sonic.

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Drop dash makes Sonic super broken in Competition mode.

No reason to pick the other characters unless you're picking a stage that they have huge shortcuts in.

 

[Xzeon]

Kinda off topic but Blaze not being in Forces pissed me off.

You traverse dimensions to attend Sonics birthday party but I guess Eggman killing Sonic ain't worth the trip huh.

 

[Aprikurt]

The neglected and forgotten games of a series that needs all the good titles it can get.

Rush 1 was the best Sonic game since 2.

 

[Virtua Sanus]

Input has always felt awkward to me and ultimately I've just ignored it most of the time.

Insta-Shield would be that move for me honestly.

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Basically just start holding the button at the top arc of your jump. I thought it was a bit weird at first too but once I started thinking of it like the double jump in The Revenge of Shinobi or Shinobi III it has become second nature for me and I actually miss having it in earlier titles.

Kinda off topic but Blaze not being in Forces pissed me off.

You traverse dimensions to attend Sonics birthday party but I guess Eggman killing Sonic ain't worth the trip huh.

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I actually went into the story expecting Infinite to secretly be Blaze under control from that mask or something. A damn shame that did not turn out to be the case because that actually would have been interesting.

 

[Redhead On Moped]

I really hate when people call Colors DS a Rush game. They COMPLETELY ruined how the homing attack since it is no longer on the shoulder.

I love the 6th and 7th gen handheld Nintendo DiMPs Sonic games too, but Colors DS is no Rush.

Sonic Advance 2... might be the most important and influential Sonic game for me.

 

[Why would you do that?]

I love Sonic Rush. I feel like many people misunderstand it because it has a very different goal than other Sonic games. It reminds me of how I misunderstood Majora's Mask when I long ago said it sucked because it only had four levels. Simply put, the point of MM isn't the dungeons like in past Zeldas, but the story, world, and the 3 day mechanic. Sonic Rush, in turn, isn't about careful platforming and intricate level designs of other Sonic games, it's made to me a fast, twitchy, button mashing game that benefits from memorization.

 

[Xzeon]

The neglected and forgotten games of a series that needs all the good titles it can get.

Rush 1 was the best Sonic game since 2.

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Yup.

I really hate when people call Colors DS a Rush game. They COMPLETELY ruined how the homing attack since it is no longer on the shoulder.

I love the 6th and 7th gen handheld Nintendo DiMPs Sonic games too, but Colors DS is no Rush.

Sonic Advance 2... might be the most important and influential Sonic game for me.

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Its been awhile but I remember Colors DS being exactly like Rush.

And Advance 2 is really bad. You mostly just hold right and don't do anything. Its about an hour of fun.

I know EVERY SONIC GAME YOU JUST HOLD RIGHT TO WIN but Advance 2 is the only game where I feel its actually true.

 

[Bakercat]

I only had the chance to play Sonic Advance 2, but from what I remembered I didn't like the level design in that game. It felt like there were to many leap of faiths or paths that lead to huge pitfalls. Also, every boss battle had you constantly running too like the studiopolis level from Mania.

 

[qq more]

I love Sonic Rush. I feel like many people misunderstand it because it has a very different goal than other Sonic games. It reminds me of how I misunderstood Majora's Mask when I long ago said it sucked because it only had four levels. Simply put, the point of MM isn't the dungeons like in past Zeldas, but the story, world, and the 3 day mechanic. Sonic Rush, in turn, isn't about careful platforming and intricate level designs of other Sonic games, it's made to me a fast, twitchy, button mashing game that benefits from memorization.

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I understood it and get what it's trying to do so I judge it based on its own merit. But I find Rush's level design ultimately pretty bland and too lengthy for what little it offers. And I find the boss fights not entirely fitting with the super fast pacing structure the game offers. Having to hit and wait 20-30 seconds for an attack cycle to be able to hit again is pretty boring in such a game, doesn't help every single boss has an instant kill move. And Altitude Limit was a very frustrating stage. It feels like just another Dimps Sonic game to be honest.

That said, I felt Rush Adventure handled the level design much better. Still nothing to write home about, but still yeah

 

[TheOGB]

I'll say this, Advance 2 and Rush/boost games may not be like the good ol' classics, but they were absolutely a valid and FUN style of Sonic. The aesthetics, the sense of speed, and the tricks/combo systems all made for exhilarating and still arcade-y experiences.

 

[Zippo]

Trufax.

Especially since Mania doesn't have objectively awful levels like Marble Garden and Sandopolis ruining everything. Half of S3&K is brilliant, half of it is ugh.

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Mania is better than S3&K in pretty much every aspect except the finale.

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No lies detected. Sonic 2 is even worse in this aspect. I literally lose all interest in playing 2 after Mystic Cave. Every level after that is garbage.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

I'll say this, Advance 2 and Rush/boost games may not be like the good ol' classics, but they were absolutely a valid and FUN style of Sonic. The aesthetics, the sense of speed, and the tricks/combo systems all made for exhilarating and still arcade-y experiences.

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I didn't like boost-centric gameplay as much as classic "pinball platformer" gameplay, but I can at least acknowledge that there's merit to be found in it.

What really soured me on Rush were the pits. Most Sonic games, even the most-revered ones, involve a little bit of trial and error. I mean that's the main reason why rings work they way that they do; you can keep pushing onward even if you're constantly getting hit because, at some level, the designers are expecting you to get hit and lose your rings. Rush took that way too far with the amount of blind jumps and pits that it had, though.