Sonic Lost World is fun and pretty — but it’s also cruel and merciless (review)

Playing a Sonic game on anything but a Sega console will always feel strange to me. I still have strong memories of running through grassy hills and checkered loops as the speedy hedgehog — while playing on my trusty Genesis. To me, those adventures remain the blue standard.

The latest platformer starring Sega’s wise-cracking corporate mascot is exclusive to Nintendo’s Wii U (and 3DS, which I’m not reviewing here), adding to the widening chasm separating the Sonic maker from its hardware era. But even though Sonic Lost World, which hits stores on Oct. 29, features HD graphics and 3D gameplay, the title could have easily come on a cartridge — because it has a 16-bit soul.