Sonic Rush [DS]

A decade ago, the Sonic Team logo was enough to drive sales that would make any publisher jealous. But faced with competition from mascot characters who were able to do more than run really fast, Sonic the Hedgehog did the unthinkable: he slowed down. Now the pedal is back against the metal. Sonic Rush goes back to the series' speedy roots, and it's the hedgehog's best title in years.

The rotund Eggman (nee Dr. Robotnik) has once again come up with some plan to control the world, which is really just an excuse to get Sonic running along rollercoaster platforms, collecting gold rings, and leaping over impossible chasms.

The early Sonic titles were rarified arcade gaming gone supersonic, and this picks up right where they left off. Using both screens to create a giant vertical canvas, Rush blithely delivers the speed Sonic fans crave, throwing out wildly curving pathways and incredible jumps with an unflappable framerate. If American Sk8land didn't prove that the DS is an accomplished technical platform in a tiny package, Sonic Rush will.

A few new mechanics have been added to the classic run-and-jump equation; Sonic can do tricks in mid-air and has a rechargeable boost meter. The ever-present jump pads have also been augmented with cable throws and other new mechanical ways to make Sonic move faster and higher.

Despite these additions, the hedgehog feels as if he's been brought forward directly from 1994. In any other series that would be a dire insult; in Sonic's case it's a high compliment. Of course, the old-school running gameplay comes with a few undesirable elements, namely cheap deaths and lousy enemy placement. Those downsides are arguably worse now that things can get lost in the dead space between the two DS screens.

And after speeding along a corkscrew pathway enjoying the gloriously fast motion and smooth physics, it is irritating to lose several hundred rings to some spikes that could never have been seen in time. But Sonic has always required some patience and the willingness to learn each level's layout. Though there's frequently one obvious route through each area, it's rarely the best, and finding the hidden corners is still fun.

The only break in the action is the occasional boss battle, which puts Sonic on a 3D platform to face off against a polygonal bad guy. This sole nod to the Sonic Adventure titles works surprisingly well, as the 2D controls translate to rock-solid 3D action. But we're just as thankful that these interludes are brief.

Before picking up the game, our fear was that Sonic Team might have tried to shoehorn some awkward touchscreen controls into the package, but they've smartly shied away from doing so. Just because the touchpad can be used doesn't mean it should, and nowhere is that more true than with Sonic.

This is exactly the sort of game you'd hope to find on the DS. It's vibrant and fast, easy to pick up, and as satisfying as a speeding hedgehog can possibly be in the long run. We're glad the old Sonic is back. Hopefully he'll stick around a while.