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The last classic era games I am going to cover star our favorite two tailed fox, Miles 'Tails' Prower!
These two games are quite different from one another but both offer a lot of fun in different ways
. They are oddballs in the Sonic series, as they play nothing like the normal sonic game.....but that is okay as these two games do what they set out to do, well, right. Lets fly in the sky with Tails Sky Patrol!
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Flying in the Sky, Holding Rings in my Hand.....
Tails's home is attacked by Wendy Witchcart and her animal underlings so its up to Tails and his special ring to fly through the levels, defeat the underlings and defeat the witch! Odd set up but Sonic has had some odd settings in the past. He DID hop into the Middle-Ages swinging swords in the future after all......
You have the following to deal with; a flight meter that controls how long Tails can be up in the air in addition to a live counter under the flight bar. Tails can fly forward by pushing right and you can use your ring to attack foes and destroy objects in the levels.
The Ring is quite useful, as you can orbit it around you by holding a button, letting it go at the right time. Gives you a feeling of control and it makes aiming a bit easier. Tails also has a few power ups/items to keep in mind; you can collect candy to increase your flight bar, collect gems to increase your score and even find a shield that makes you impervious to damage/wall contact for a little while.
There are a few ways to ensure the flight meter lasts a long while, as if it goes out, you lose a life:
-Do not bump into walls
-Control how much you push right
-Fly into polls, launchers, mine carts and other objects to get through sections with minimal flight
-Bump into balloons that can help you fly while using less flight meter
So with the mechanics out of the way, how does it all come together?
It leads into a fun shooting/flying game
. Many of the levels are focused on pushing you forward (as everything auto-scrolls right) with you facing foes, walls and other objects. Attacking foes with the ring feels natural and the boss fights with the different underlings and the final fight with the witch is quite fun. The music for this game is solid too, with a lot of the tracks being really relaxing to be quite honest
. Training Area: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNFw3p8yJvQ&index=4&list=PL59A7A9CE44C8D933
Rail Canyon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2SKQze85Yg&list=PL59A7A9CE44C8D933&index=5
Ruin Wood Area Act 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uWXTIa2Bjo&index=7&list=PL59A7A9CE44C8D933
Ruin Wood Area Act 2:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NsaubOwP9Y&index=8&list=PL59A7A9CE44C8D933
Metal Island Area: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im_L3btUpms&list=PL59A7A9CE44C8D933&index=10
Dark Castle Area: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXqmC8rPwI0&list=PL59A7A9CE44C8D933&index=12
Wendy Witchcart: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUlb0-6dBpk&index=13&list=PL59A7A9CE44C8D933
Overall, this is a nice little spin off that flies (*cough*) by quite fast. If you have access to the Sonic Gems Collection, give this one a shot
. Never released outside of Japan, so its nice that we got to play it at all! 
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The Fox vs. the Birds
This game is a 2D action title like past Sonic's.....but done in a different way; its a Metroidvannia! One must ask, how the heck does a genre like that mesh with Sonic, a series known for speed-based platforming?!
Well, keep on reading to find out
!
Tails Adventures is either a prequel to Sonic 2 (JP) or takes place sometime after Sonic 3&K (US/EU) depending on the region, but the general story is that Tails is relaxing on an island but birds start attacking it! Chaos Emeralds are on the island and they want to collect them all. Tails flies into action with bombs on his side to get the emeralds, stop the bird armies and save the day.
So, how does the game play? Its controls are quite simple; D-Pad is to move left/right or look up/down, one button to jump and one button to use your item of choice. You can select one of four equipped items by pressing start and moving left/right to find the one you want to use.
Wait, why does Tails use items? Can't he just jump into them like past games. .....That is a good point, but he has different attacks based on what items you find in the levels.
Tails has the following items he can use as explores through the world:
-Bomb: Standard explosive that blows up in peoples faces.
-Remote Bomb: Remote Bomb that explodes when you press the button again; can squeeze through tight gaps.
-Hammer: Can equip a hammer for short-ranged attacks.
-Mini-Robot: A little Tails Robot that can explore the level through flying and jumping. You can walk over spikes as the robot, fly in the sky and currents/lava has no effect.
-Sonic, Knuckles, Nack Metals: Each gives you a new attack once you find them (Knuckles = Punching, Sonic = Ground/Air Spindash, ect)
-Radio: Can change the level's track to something else
The game has a lot of items, thanks to its open level design and you will be revisiting levels frequently with the new items you get as you explore each level. The chaos emeralds are in each main level and they increase your health by 10 Rings and make your fight last longer.
Tails also has one cool ride; the Sea Fox!
This underwater mech is not new; we saw it in Sonic Triple Trouble/Sonic & Tails 2 and similar to that game, Tails can get around underwater with little issue. You can drill through blocks and you have a little cannon that can attack foes underwater.
The funny thing is that the Sea Fox appears in a number of other games, even appearing on Sonic Boom 3DS as a tool Tails can use to collect blue prints.
Sonic Boom 3DS was inspired by this game, so will be marking comparisons to this game when I get to Boom 3DS.
And like the item system, you can collect different items that increase how powerful the Sea Fox becomes. It also, like the other items, opens doors to new items to collect and thus makes simple underwater sections feel a bit maze-like at points.
The soundtrack to Tails Adventure is solid, and fits the more laid-back tone this game has (gameplay-wise at least):
Lake Rocky: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APzD60WlenI&index=7&list=PLv1tYJbe3vGOIHvF-4gD2HnYN35Zom-77
Polly Mountain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd_VD4VvnTI&list=PLv1tYJbe3vGOIHvF-4gD2HnYN35Zom-77&index=10
Tails House (This sounds so much like the Pokemon Centers in the Pokemon games for some reason to me XD!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hI5i6auPp8&list=PLv1tYJbe3vGOIHvF-4gD2HnYN35Zom-77&index=13
Volcanic Tunnel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIDTBE3qg6Y&index=15&list=PLv1tYJbe3vGOIHvF-4gD2HnYN35Zom-77
Caron Forest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9O-WvLuEUtU&list=PLv1tYJbe3vGOIHvF-4gD2HnYN35Zom-77&index=1
Final Boss: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxaEFiA74Fw&index=5&list=PLv1tYJbe3vGOIHvF-4gD2HnYN35Zom-77
It sounds great like most Sonic OST's and like Sonic 1/2 GG and the Sonic & Tails games, they push the GG sound chip to its limits
. So with this game shifting game genre's completely, does it complement the Sonic series? I think its an enjoyable game. While it sadly didn't grab me completely, I did enjoy my time with the game and it was rewarding hunting around for everything.
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The Fox's Adventures
Both of these games are examples of fun little spin-offs done right; they mix up the core gameplay people love about the main series but does its own thing with polish, care and a lot of thought. I enjoyed both games and while they are not perfect (the level design for Tails' Adventure is tricky to understand at times), they do good in representing the Sonic series
. If you want to give it spin, head over to the E-Shop on your NA or EU 3DS! Its up on that store-front for 4.99 (in NA)
. We will see you soon for sure buddy......with quite a Jam
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This is the final set of games for the Classic era, so to cap-off this Gold Age for the Blue Blur, we are going to have one Jam of a party next week using one of the best compilations of Sonic as an excuse to celebrate everything about this era of Sonic.
Covering three TV shows, the Sonic OVA, Lost games like Xtreme and SegaSonic the Hedgehog, JP/EU/NA commercials, fan games/fan hacks and more!
Like my Sonic Unleashed thread, this upcoming one will be divided into 'parts' to cover as much as I can.
See you next time with one of the best collections for Sonic, SONIC JAM!
