So I got this game off of a friend of mine (along with a few other games, a headset and a mattress) for Xbox360 and though I am a MASSIVE Sonic fanboy and partially a Sega fanboy I wasn't expecting this game to last long. Sure, I'd play it to completion (whatever that might have meant) but I was pleasantly surprised to become addicted to it. True enough Sonic is the face of Sega and most of the characters are Sonic characters (5 Sonic characters, three more than the max number of characters from any other series) but they did introduce a few games I recognized and some I didn't.

I sort of expected the game to be real simple and like WiiSports' Tennis where you don't even get to move and just hit the ball. No, I was treated to gameplay that's neither too simple or too complex. You have two buttons, each with their own kind of shot and then you do EXTRA shots by pushing them one after the other. So A = standard-allaround move, B = well...I'm not sure what the difference is yet , A then B does a lob and B then A does a weak shot that just barely puts it over the edge of the net so your opponent has to dash to catch it before it hits the ground twice (causing you to gain a point)

If an opponent lobs a little circle shows up and if you are within that circle (or at least next to it) when you hit the A button? You SLAM that ball into the court and so far, no one has caught the ball whenever I've done that. I try not to make a habit of lobbing as it gives the same opportunity to the opponent but sometimes it happens by accident (darn physics engine!)

I love the stages and the music that they have in it. It was awesome to hear Sonic Heroes music which I thought had been lost to the void. Songs like the Final Fortress and Egg Fleet themes are some of my favorite stage themes in the Sonic series and I'm glad they were included. Some of the other stages are Monkey Ball, Space Channel 5, Curien Mansion (when I looked this up turns out it's from the House of the Dead series), Golden Axe (Which has no stage of it's own, unfortunately, just uses Curien Mansion), Jet Set Radio and more! I can't wait to get to the NiGHTS stage. I'm saving that one for last!

It's certainly been a trip playing through this game which has offered me much fun and nostalgia. I haven't even unlocked a few of the stages and I can't wait to find out what they are, but first I have to deal with the Space Harrier stage (which does a very good job of recreating the gameplay of Space Harrier, oddly enough!)

Here's some gameplay to show you what I mean (for those of you who don't know what Space Harrier gameplay is like there's another video conveniently underneath)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb8775ySSQo

The superstar modes are a great addition and spice up the gameplay quite a bit (or in my case: Ensures my collection of that point ) so it doesn't seem quite so dull passing the ball back and forth with CPUs that only kinda half play on the default settings.

As you rally with your opponent your superstar meter goes up and then you can use it when it's full. The superstar mode lasts about five to seven seconds and allows you to hit the ball into a gravity-defying path (for example: Amy shoots it to the net, which it then forms a heart and shoots off in a direction that I'm not sure if you choose or is random) and also has a special effect. Some of the effects happen when the opponent hits the ball, some are projectiles and some involve the environment!

This game is definitely a great throwback for Sega fans. I'd easily recommend it to anyone who is a fan of even one of these series'. I'd also love to play it online with people so add me! (Resulli is my Gamertag)