Sonic Advance

Join Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and their new friend, Cream the Rabbit as they take off on a fast quest to dodge Dr. Eggman's gamplan. Zip through space age metal labyrinths and other new locales. Unfasten special features and stages by collecting Emeralds

With so many corporate mega-mergers having gone down in recent years, can it come as much of a surprise to Sega's own figurehead finding a new home on Nintendo's Game Boy Advance? Wipe that shocked look off of your face and prepare to join the speedy little critter on an all-new adventure that fits in the palm of your hand. New graphics give the SONIC series a welcome overhaul, and there are four playable characters in this version. The gameplay takes elements from the classic series namely the side-scrolling, power-up system, and collection of items and combines it with a party game atmosphere, allowing four player in on the action at one time. If you're new to the series, the action revolves around a noble (and awfully fast) little hedgehog that has to traverse worlds and levels, picking up items and battling enemies. This installment adds a "grind" maneuver to Sonic's standard jumping ability, and there are tons of new faces to get franchise fans excited.

Although the game will seem very familiar to Sonic fans, Sonic Advance is an entirely new creation that's been built from the ground up. The gameplay, graphics, and sound borrow from the classic Sonic games on the Genesis and are successfully translated to the Game Boy Advance. The game's single-player modes are relatively short 2-D platform rounds--each run takes two to three hours--but replay value is added through the game's various characters. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy each have different abilities that make getting through the game a unique experience. The real star here is the game's link capabilities. The Chao Garden allows you to raise your little critters and upload them to the GameCube via the link cable and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle. Having one cartridge lets up to four GBA players compete in one minigame. Gamers can play two additional minigames if each player owns a cartridge. Although the single-player game is quite good, the link options give the title tremendous value. The only notable problem stems from the series itself: There are still entirely too many cheap deaths resulting from the title's high-speed gameplay. You'll find yourself zipping along a level only to be hit by an obstacle you had little chance of seeing, let alone avoiding. Ultimately, the only way to get past these hazards is to memorize where they are. This minor flaw doesn't detract from the game's excellent value, though. Sonic Advance offers a very good single-player game and some of the best link options of any GBA title. --Raymond M. Padilla Pros: Classic Sonic gameplay Outstanding link options Four characters add to replay value Cons: Classic Sonic cheap deaths Single-player runs are short

Now, for the first time on GBA! The original Sonic The Hedgehog that busted the speed barrier wide open on the SEGA Genesis is coming to the Game Boy Advance with exciting new features! For the first time, you'll be able to save your high scores and progress as you rocket through the seven gravity-defying stages that started it all. Outrun Dr. Robotnik and his badniks in Original Mode, race through the famous loop-de-loops even faster with Sonic's trademark Spin Dash in Anniversary Mode which celebrates Sonic's 15th birthday.

Sonic Advance 3 lets you save the world as the world's fastest hedgehog. Sonic's archenemy, Dr. Eggman, has used his Chaos Control to break the world into 7 pieces. While Tails and Sonic work with friend to put the world back together, Dr. Eggman builds the ultimate fighting robot to stop them once and for all.