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Genre: Platformer
Format: iPod Game
Developer: Sega of America, Inc.
Minimum Requirements: 3G iPod nano, iPod classic or 5G iPod (video), iPod Software v1.2
Price: $4.99

The little blue hedgehog who wouldn’t die is now on the iPod. Sonic the Hedgehog couldn’t save the Sega consoles, but can he turn the iPod into a legitimate handheld gaming device? No, of course not, and for the obvious reasons. Still, I have to admit there is a certain charm to having one of the greatest platform games of all time at my fingertips.

Sonic the Hedgehog was originally released for the Sega Genesis system back when Nintendo and Sega ruled the console gaming world. I remember the marketing quite well, comparing the blazing speed of Sonic to the suddenly molasses-like pacing of Super Mario. When a friend and I moved into our New York City apartment and had just enough money to fill it with necessities, there was no question what we’d buy: two bar stools, a TV and a Sega Genesis. We may have had to sleep on the floor, but who had time for sleeping when there was Dr. Robotnik to destroy?

That was a long time ago, however, and now Sonic can be played for $4.99 on the iPod. The price is important, because the controls are so frustrating and awkward to use that to pay any more would be rip-off. To their credit, Sega tried to give users two control styles: one-handed and two-handed. Neither of them work, because you just can’t get the precise control you need to play a game of this speed. Both methods require you to remove your thumb from the direction controls (click wheel) in order to jump (center button), and there’s just no time to do this. With practice, it’s possible to work your way through the six stages of the game (all stages from the original game are here), but beating the bosses is quite a chore, and collecting all the secrets is well nigh impossible. The only place I found the controls to work at all were in the bonus stages, which are actually easier here than with the old Sega Genesis controllers.

Sega must’ve realized this would be a problem, because they offer a feature unheard of in platform games: unlimited continues. You’re going to die a lot, so rather than force you to start over, they just let you keep going until you finally finish the game or you give up entirely, with the latter being the more likely result.

The control problem is very disappointing, because Sonic the Hedgehog is otherwise a fantastic game, and it’s faithfully redone here. It looks and sounds exactly like the original, which is great nostalgia for older gamers, but also reminds us that games didn’t need to look “real” to look good. The animations are smooth, the design is interesting, and the colors are gorgeous. Games such as this are fun to look at, which makes them even more fun to play. I wish modern game developers would quit worrying so much about polygons and shading and start focusing again on design and gameplay.

And so, although I heartily recommend Sonic the Hedgehog, I don’t recommend it here. The controls simply don’t work. There’s no way around that. For $15.00, you can get a direct to TV Sonic controller (albeit maybe not this particular Sonic title), and the game’s also available for pretty much every console system out there. Try those out, because the Sonic is as much fun to play now as it was in December of 1992 when roomie and I would spend all night in an unfurnished Manhattan apartment taking turns trying to beat down Dr. Robotnik.

Unfortunately, that degree of fun just can’t be had on the iPod.

See other iPod game reviews.

This review was originally published at Applelinks.