History YMMV / SonicColors

* SpiritualSuccessor:
** While not officially part of the series, the DS version is likely the closest we'll get to a third entry in the ''VideoGame/SonicRush'' series, since it has the same gameplay (albeit with a couple of tweaks, plus the wisps) and presentation as those games, on top of being made by Creator/{{Dimps}} (who developed the ''Rush'' games). Many fans tend to frequently group this game with the ''Rush'' titles for this reason.
** Mainly to ''VideoGame/SonicCD'', as the vast majority of the game's stages are puzzle-like, the inclusion of the Past-like {{Retraux}} stages, a bigger emphasis on stage gimmicks, etc.
** It's also one to ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'', in terms of general presentation, gameplay, and the appearances of things like Orbot and the Miles Electric.
** To ''VideoGame/KnucklesChaotix'' as well, with its amusement park theme and its [[DenserAndWackier more whimsical and wacky]] tone.

* SpiritualSuccessor: While not officially part of the series, the DS version is likely the closest we'll get to a third entry in the ''VideoGame/SonicRush'' series, since it has the same gameplay (albeit with a couple of tweaks, plus the wisps) and presentation as those games, on top of being made by Creator/{{Dimps}} (who developed the ''Rush'' games). Many fans tend to frequently group this game with the ''Rush'' titles for this reason.

* FranchiseOriginalSin:
** The Color Power mechanic in this game was met with praise, as the levels were designed specifically to accommodate it, and the Wisps themselves were both cute and important to the main plot. However, following games would bring the gimmick back with less than stellar results. The Wisps in ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld'' were considered clunky to control and disruptive to the main gameplay, while the Wispons from ''VideoGame/SonicForces'' were criticized for coming out of nowhere and being [[GameBreaker so overpowered]] that they remove any semblance of difficulty the game could offer.
** The concept of Wisps in general supplanting the more traditional power-up monitors and character-specific abilities and equipment has left a sour taste in the mouths of a lot of fans, with Sonic Team's reasoning for them still being around amounting to basically [[HandWave "They're around because they like Earth."]] not helping smooth it over at all. ''VideoGame/TeamSonicRacing'' provides the more reasonable excuse for the Wisps' involvement that Dodonpa collaborated with them in order to build his cars and set up the tournament, though it didn't do much to warm the Wisps up to those who were already sick of seeing them.
** The game's story being more lighthearted than previous installments was, at the time, considered a breath of fresh air after the DarkerAndEdgier games that came before it. There was also the fact that the new comedic tone didn't clash with the game's overall plot too much, and the game still had some genuinely impactful moments from time to time. As time went on, however, the games that came after ''Colors'' started relying heavily on this style of comedy to the point where, any time the series attempts a dramatic moment, it has a tendency to fall flat. By the time ''VideoGame/SonicForces'' rolled around, fans started getting tired of newer ''Sonic'' games not taking themselves the slightest bit seriously anymore, especially when it hurts their overall story.
** When ''Sonic Origins'' had its proper reveal, it received ire for the website's confusing table showing the different versions in a confusing manner. ''Sonic Colors: Ultimate'' originally did the same on the website. It didn't gain much ire, however, due to only comparing the standard and digital deluxe editions, while ''Origins'' featured the DLC packs as well leaving fans to believe there were five versions of the game rather than two.

* CondemnedbyHistory: Overlapping with the examples above, following the negative reception of ''Sonic Forces'', this game began to fall under some serious scrutiny as fans of the late 2000's "Dark Age" games, along with ''Colors''' detractors from back in the day, became MUCH more vocal. ''Colors'' is now often seen as the scapegoat for everything wrong with the 2010's style games, especially as [[VideoGame/SonicUnleashed its' predecessor]], which started the Boost formula that this game builds on, continues to be seem in a favorable light. Nowadays most see ''Colors'' as mediocre at best and franchise-damaging at worst. While it did gain some favor back with the announcement of ''Sonic Colors Ultimate'', considering how THAT game turned out (see Porting Disaster below), it shows that this game's reputation will remain pretty negative for the foreseeable future.

* CondemnedbyHistory: Overlapping with the examples above, following the negative reception of ''Sonic Forces'', this game began to fall under some serious scrutiny as fans of the late 2000's "Dark Age" games, along with ''Colors''' detractors from back in the day, became MUCH more vocal. ''Colors'' is now often seen as the scapegoat for everything wrong with the 2010's style games, especially as [[VideoGame/SonicUnleashed its' predecessor]], which started the Boost formula that this game builds on, is seen in more and more of a favorable light. Nowadays most see it as mediocre at best and franchise-damaging at worst. While it did gain some favor back with the announcement of ''Sonic Colors Ultimate'', considering how THAT game turned out (see Porting Disaster below), it shows that this game's reputation will remain pretty negative for the foreseeable future.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: The game attempts to address many of the complaints that were present in past Sonic titles.
** A common criticism in past ''Sonic'' games was how the gimmicks often came at the expense of the Sonic gameplay, even shifting away from it altogether. By contrast, this game's main gimmick, aka, the wisps, are far less obtrusive, acting more as brief, but useful power ups that expand upon the Sonic gameplay in a way that doesn't deviate from it like the gimmicks in past games have been accused of doing.
** In the 3D games prior, a common criticism from fans was how much of a backseat Dr Eggman had taken in favor of the MonsterOfTheWeek or other villains, becoming more of a secondary villain as opposed to the BigBad he was in the 2D games. ''Colors'' addresses this by making Dr. Eggman the main villain [[spoiler:and the final boss]] again with no MonsterOfTheWeek or other villains in sight[[note]]In the Wii version at least, the DS version does feature a MonsterOfTheWeek final boss in the form of [[spoiler:Nega-Mother Wisp]], though it is a post-game villain created by Eggman rather than an EvilerThanThou usurper[[/note]].
** One criticism regarding the collectables in the last two mainline games was how extreme they were, with the medals in ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'' being practically worthless outside of HundredPercentCompletion and the Sun and Moon medals in ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'' being all but partially mandatory to complete the main story. ''Colors'' decides to take a more middle-ground approach when introducing the red rings. Being optional and not required to complete the game unlike ''Unleashed'''s sun/moon medals, but unlike the medals in ''Sonic 06'', are actually worth collecting outside of bragging rights, as collecting them all unlocks stages in game land, which by completing those, unlocks [[spoiler:Super Sonic]].
** After critics noted the weakness of the game's narrative, Sega has been eager to flesh out the mythos of ''Colors'' with the ''WebAnimation/SonicColorsRiseOfTheWisps'' miniseries and supplementary comics.
** One frequent criticism in ''Sonic Colors Ultimate'' at launch is that there was no option to switch between the rearranged soundtrack and the original soundtrack. Patch 3.0 addresses this by adding in that very option in the settings, pleasing many fans who would rather play with the original soundtrack as opposed to the rearrangements.

** Whether the DS version is better than the Wii version or vice-versa. Some find the DS version to be superior due to its speedier level design, cameos of Sonic's friends and the new content (such as the TrueFinalBoss [[spoiler:Nega-Mother Wisp]]), while others find it inferior due to the lesser presentation and [[ItsShortSoItSucks being far shorter]] compared to the Wii version, as well as finding the new content to be lackluster.

* EightPointEight:
** IGN's score on ''Colors'' is 8.5. Complaints rose, of course, mainly due to the fact the major flaw cited was certain difficult spikes, and difficulty is mostly a subjective concept. On the other hand, considering the scores IGN has handed out to [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 other]] [[VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog 3D]] [[VideoGame/SonicUnleashed Sonic]] [[VideoGame/SonicAndTheBlackKnight games]], 8.5 is amazing.
** Then there's [[http://www.gametrailers.com/video/review-sonic-colors/706920 Gametrailers']] 6.4 score for the Wii version.
** Destructoid's Jim Sterling gave the Wii version a ''4.5'' out of 10, with harsh criticism on the level design, especially the 2D sections. He also criticized the controls, the physics of the game and the Homing Attack. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7RxqnYjP7E Sega of America had some fun with that.]]

* SurprisinglyImprovedSequel: The previous few Sonic games were not very well-received. This one, however, got nearly universally good, if not great, scores and was generally well-received in the long run.

-> '''Dr. Eggman:''' "Critical system failure! Repeat, critical system failure! All wiki access is temporarily suspended. Please evacuate the wiki via the HomePage ahead. THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT."

* PortingDisaster: ''Sonic Colors: Ultimate'' ended up having a variety of glitches and bugs across all platforms at launch, with the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch version in particular having the most extreme issues. Some of said issues include random crashing, major graphical glitches, save data corruption, and the controls breaking after the Tails Save feature is activated. Nintendo was actually willing to freely give refunds for the digital release due to the Switch version being that bad.

* SoOkayItsAverage: Glitches aside, the ''Ultimate'' port is ultimately considered to be this. While it is still ''Colors'' at its core (for better or for worst), it is still a very barebones and disappointing remaster that adds nothing new to the core experience (outside of being able to customize Sonic's clothing and boost aura, a largely optional new wisp and a race mode with Metal Sonic, all of which are barebones additions that feel like an afterthought) and fixes none of the pre-existing issues the original game had. In fact, it adds some [[PortingDisaster new issues that make it inferior to the original game]].

* SoOkayItsAverage: Glitches aside, the ''Ultimate'' port is ultimately considered to be this. While it does run at a smooth 60fps and it is still ''Colors'' at its core (for better or for worst), it is still a very barebones and disappointing remaster that fixes none of the pre-existing issues the original game had and in fact, adds some new issues instead. Many fans are also disappointed that nothing from the DS version is ported over, despite the ''Ultimate'' port being a good opportunity to do so.

** Destructoid's Jim Sterling gave the Wii version a ''4.5'' out of 10, with hash criticism on the level design, especially the 2D sections. He also criticized the controls, the physics of the game and the Homing Attack. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7RxqnYjP7E Sega of America had some fun with that.]]

** Destructoid's Jim Sterling gave the Wii version a ''4.5'' out of 10. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7RxqnYjP7E Sega of America had some fun with that.]]

* WinBackTheCrowd: Sonic ''[[CueTheFlyingPigs finally]]'' solved the problems associated with {{Video Game 3D Leap}}s with this game, and to say his fans were ecstatic is an understatement!

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: When this game first came out, it was lauded as one of the best 3D games in the series that finally broke the PolygonCeiling the series had endured for years. Things that were praised were the simpler and more concise focus, as well as the game's lighter atmosphere. Fast forward over a decade later, and you'll find a significant group of fans who have accused this game of HypeBacklash and don't find anything particularly amazing about it, often accusing it of playing it too safe in terms of story or content. Something to keep in mind is that when this came out, Sonic had a notorious reputation for games with a lack of focus, polish, and narratives that tried to take themselves seriously, but fell flat due to execution. So a game like ''Colors'' seemed revolutionary at the time, but because the series would stick with that direction for subsequent games, it's caused a level of burnout and for this game to fall out of favor.

* WinBackTheCrowd: Sonic ''[[CueTheFlyingPigs finally]]'' broke through the PolygonCeiling with this game, and to say his fans were ecstatic is an understatement!

'''Eggman:''' This exotic aquarium contains many rare and endangered species. Enjoy them with a delicious soy glaze at the Bucket O’Sushi restaurant!\\

** When ''VideoGame/SonicOrigins'' had its proper reveal, it received ire for the website's confusing table showing the different versions in a confusing manner. ''Sonic Colors: Ultimate'' originally did the same on the website. It didn't gain much ire, however, due to only comparing the standard and digital deluxe editions, while ''Origins'' featured the DLC packs as well leaving fans to believe there were five versions of the game rather than two.

** ''Sonic Rush 3'' for the DS version, since that version uses the same engine, has similar gameplay, and is even made by Creator/Dimps.

* CriticalDissonance:
** Has developed this over time. While the game continues to be held in high regard by critics and general audiences, the game has garnered a more divisive reception amongst the ''Sonic'' fandom in the years following its release, particularly in regards to its level design, structure and writing.
** ''Colors Ultimate'' has also developed this as well, with critics giving it reviews on par with, if not better than the Wii original, while fans regard it as a PortingDisaster that is inferior to the original game in almost every way.

* CriticalDissonance: Has developed this over time. While the game continues to be held in high regard by critics and general audiences, the game has garnered a more divisive reception amongst the ''Sonic'' fandom in the years following its release, particularly in regards to its level design, structure and writing.

* WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs: Not only do levels include a tropical resort [[RecycledInSpace IN SPACE]], an underwater oriental city, and a whole planet [[LevelAte made out of food]], Sonic gets power-ups by ''fusing with magic squids''. The latter gets lampshaded when Sonic explains to Tails how he can use the Wisps' powers.

* CriticalDissonance: Has developed this over time. While the game is still generally well-regarded and seen as a good ''Sonic'' game by critics and general audiences, the game has garnered a more ContestedSequel status amongst the ''Sonic'' fandom in the years following its release, particularly in regards to its level design, structure and writing.

* FanNickname: ''Sonic Skittles'', referring to either the game itself or [[spoiler:the Final Color Blaster]].

** A Sonic YouTuber who got a review copy posted a video with over 20 minutes of glitches from the Playstation 4 version. He was called out about it and bashed since few reviews mentioned anything about glitches or crashes, but then people who pre-ordered the Digital Deluxe version were allowed to play it a few days early and word began circulating that the game was indeed very, very broken.