>Sonic Unleashed (360/PS3)
I don't like the Boost gameplay as much as the Adventure-era gameplay, but Sonic Unleashed was so polished and presented so well that I have to give it a lot of points. Plus, the first time I saw Boost I wasn't as sick of it yet. It was novel. Then the graphics and music were amazing. The story also tried to hit a middle ground between the anime of all the previous games and the nothingness that the fake-fans and critics wanted. So we got a cool story that did still touch on neat concepts and themes, but a bit lighter, but not too light. I liked it. I also liked how it gave Sonic a bit more pathos than he has in any other game, but didn't turn things into a melodrama like some of the adaptations do. People complain about the Werehog, and while I think it's not as fun as the Daytime stages, I do think it's not bad. I still have fun with it. Again, that's probably partially because I never loved the Boost, and the presentation of the graphics and music was so excellent.
>Tails Adventure
I love this game. I'm tempted to maybe even put it above Sonic 2 and Sonic CD. Take Tails, set him in a more Metroid-type adventure game. It's awesome. Tails is slow in the game (which is explained in the story, since it's a prequel from before he met Sonic and learned to be fast), but I don't think that hurts the game at all. Great graphics for a Game Gear game. The game does have discrete levels, unlike Metroid, but you go back and forth between them, using items to go to new locations, so it still captures the same idea, and does it very well.
>Shadow the Hedgehog
It's Sonic Adventure 2 but only Sonic/Shadow gameplay, only the specific movement mechanics and level design are just a little fucked up. I don't mind the guns, I think they fit well enough into the gameplay. I end up ignoring the vehicles except when I need to use them, and on those rare occasions I don't mind them. I think the story is cool as hell, and I love how it ties into Sonic Adventure 2 so well that they feel like one story. I like the choose your own adventure type thing and think that it does the morality system better than almost any other game, since it leads to different missions and then different levels. You really only end up repeating the three missions from the first level three or four times each (and that's the most repetition in the game), but given that the game encourages you to go for A-Ranks, you're expected to do even more than that. That said, I never enjoyed the game enough to actually get all A-Ranks. I still kind of want to, because Super Hard Mode sounds really cool, with all the levels in order, and new dialogue that takes place after the main story, but I just don't like the game enough to get all A-Ranks. But do I like it enough to beat the main story? Yes.
>Sonic Heroes
I like the basic gameplay style, since it's Sonic's gameplay from Adventure, but it's just fucked up enough to not feel as good. The team mechanics don't change things as much as you'd think, but when they do, I don't think it's good. The Flight formation makes it so you're usually just a sucker if you don't use it, even though it's slow, since Sonic and Knuckles are slippery as hell and make it way too easy to slip off an edge. Plus Sonic lacks a projectile move. Now, the game could incentivise you to be fast, to be Sonic, but unless you're going for A Ranks, that never happens. And frankly, I don't enjoy the game enough to go for A-Ranks. It always bugged me that the characters were all shiny here, for some reason. I was always a little disappointed that the story was downplayed compared to previous games. But the music is still pretty great. Well, not as great as before. Frankly the main theme is cringey, and while Shadow and Chaotix's themes are pretty catchy, they're also a lot more cringey than anything from the previous games. Team Rose's theme, though? Masterpiece. Way better than Amy's theme from Adventure. Metal Overlord's theme, "What I'm Made Of," is one of the coolest in the whole series, but it only plays very briefly, and you're unlikely to even hear the whole thing. But anyway, the basic gameplay is still sort of like Sonic's gameplay from the previous 3D games, so I still like that.
>Team Sonic Racing
Good racing game. It is better in multiplayer since the team mechanic is actually important. The graphics and music is good. I like that it has a story, even if it's very light. The gameplay does have complexity, but it mostly revolves around the team mechanic. I prefer when the complexity is in your specific movement, and in the track design. This game does that fine, but I prefer Crash Team Racing (which really doesn't have any team mechanic at all, and I've always wondered why it was called that).
>Sonic Forces
People talk shit about this game and I don't get why. It's Sonic Generations 2. Is it as good? No. But it's pretty damn similar, so I have a hard time saying one is good and one is shit. They're both fine. It's Generations but not quite as well designed. It's still fine.
>Sonic 3D Blast
Sonic 3D Blast is an excellent game, and I'm tired of pretending it's not. I think it does a good job at feeling like Sonic's movement, not to mention Sonic's world. I think the graphics are very cool, especially on Saturn. The music is great, and though the Saturn version has different music, I'm not sure which I like better this time. Maybe the Genesis, but they're both great. The Special Stages are a step down from Sonic 2's, in my opinion, but they're alright. Some people say they don't like how you have to collect the flickies, but I do appreciate how it forces you to explore and appreciate the level design more. Plus, I appreciate how the game is a sequel to Flicky, the arcade game, as much or more than it's a sequel to Sonic.
I also must mention Sonic 3D Blast: Director's Cut, which improves upon the game drastically. The original director of the game, Jon Burton, made a romhack of it over 20 years later. He tweaked the movement and physics, he tweaked the Flicky AI. He added a level-select (with a nice basic-map-like UI), along with Time Attacks and Score Attacks on every level, with very well designed target times/scores. He added playable Super Sonic, and he made it so you can only get one Chaos Emerald per zone, to encourage you to actually play the harder Special Stages later in the game (since if you were any good at the original, you would get all the Emeralds halfway through the game and never play the later Special Stages). My only wish is that someone would somehow port this to the Saturn version, and also give the Saturn version an option to play either the Saturn or Genesis soundtracks. The Saturn graphics are actually better, and that's the only thing Director's Cut is missing. But it's an excellent game either way. It's an excellent game without Director's Cut, even.
>Sonic Rush Adventure
This game is so much better than all the Advance and Rush games before it, and I'm surprised I don't see people talk about that more. Everything is more complex. There's so much more to do. I like the boat sections, I like the exploration in the levels. The level design is better than before. The challenges are more varied and interesting. The story is much more complex and interesting. The graphics are the same style as Rush but more is done with them. The music is good in all these games but I think this is my favorite music of the handheld games so far. Great game.