IGN: 3.9/10 for SBK

By
Tristan Oliver
– March 4, 2009

ign“Craps all over everything that has ever made the series interesting”

Is it IGNorance or is it the truth?

That will surely be the topic of debate throughout the Sonic community over the next several days and perhaps weeks, as IGN becomes the first major gaming media site to weigh in on Sonic and the Black Knight since Nintendo Power did it almost a month ago.  Nintendo Power had kind things to say about the game.  Overall, IGN’s Matt Casamassina did not.

In all, he gave SBK a 3.9 out of 10, a much lower score than the 7.2 given by them to Sonic Unleashed for the Wii, the 4.5 given to the XBOX 360 edition of Unleashed, and even the 4.2 given to the PS3 edition of Sonic the Hedgehog, a game almost universally panned by critics.  You may remember that TSSZ News uncovered evidence that lead many to believe one of the IGN Unleashed reviewers, Hilary Goldstein, stopped playing the game not even halfway through.

Casamassina did praise the graphical prowess of SBK, but he warned gamers not to be deceived by the pretty pictures:

…Here is the second, integral component to consider: gameplay. And it’s here where Black Knight is defeated, slashed through its corrupted heart time and time again. Imagine the trademark intense speed, loop-de-loops, corkscrews, jumps and pinball mechanics that have helped define the Sonic name over the years. Good. Now throw all of that tried-and-true stuff out the window, slow down the action to a relative crawl, give the blue hedgehog a big sword, and throw enemy after enemy in his path. This is the backbone of the offensively awful design template that is a succubus, perpetually draining fun away from the experience. To make matters worse, Sonic himself is controlled clumsily with the nunchuk’s analog stick — he moves like a tank, barely able to nudge to the left and right so that he might sidestep approaching obstacles — and he is constantly locked in stupid swordplay.

Noteworthy in Casamassina’s review is that he did give the visual and presentation components of the game both 8.5 ratings.  All in all, however, he wasn’t impressed, and there is again a comparison between the recent direction of the series and more classic fare:

Sonic & the Black Knight is a disappointing mess of presentational highs and design lows. The game will wow with its crisp cinemas, slick interface, online functionality and pretty in-game graphics, but when you sit down to play it, you will quickly discover a slow, clunky, boring affair ruined by stupid design choices. The intense speed, loop-de- loops, and pinball jumps that Sonic is known for have been altogether removed for insultingly bad swordplay tied to retarded Wii waggle that will leave your arm sore and your heart broken. There isn’t a level in Black Knight that is even one tenth as compelling as a single daylight mission in Sonic Unleashed.

This is a Sonic game that craps all over everything that has ever made the series interesting and then adds pointless waggle. More importantly, the end experience is altogether lackluster, not just for those who want a return to the form for the series, but for those who value fun, well-made games as a whole.

Let us know your thoughts on this review in the comments below.  We will continue to bring you updates on reviews for Sonic and the Black Knight as they become available.

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