Half-true ‘Colors’

The folks over at Sega must have an entire floor of their headquarters dedicated to their games’ music. From the Star Light Zone music in “Sonic the Hedgehog” to the “Super Monkey Ball” soundtrack to “Bayonetta’s” blazing piano tunes, Sega delivers a brand of synthesized joy so giddy and buoyant, it can only be called carnival pop. Thus, it feels like a homecoming for Sega to quit beating around the bush and set its latest Sonic game at a carnival. That’s right, Dr. Robotnik’s latest plan is to build the most spectacular amusement park in the galaxy. Doesn’t sound so evil to me, but of course it involves the enslavement of furry animals, many of them young-looking, so Sonic has to spring into action.

Since “Sonic Adventure,” which was as much a movie as a game, the Sonic developers have had a hard time knowing how much control over the spectacle to afford the player. In “Sonic Colors,” they find the right balance between letting the player play and knowing when to let the Rube Goldberg machines they’ve devised work on their own while you just sit there holding a direction on the joystick. The result is some of the most exhilarating Sonic levels in years, making you wonder all over again how that pokey Mario could possibly star in a fun video game. Yes, you will loop-de-loop a Ferris wheel. Yes, you will tear through space as an iridescent path materializes in front of you, like Sonic is visiting the secret locale in “Super Mario Galaxy” that hides “Mario Kart’s” Rainbow Road. And yes, you will feel like you’re playing the game.