It's not a bad game, but after four or so years, it just feels like it ought to be better. [Issue #31 – January/February 2018, p. 35E]

Sonic Forces isn't a particularly bad game, it's just a game that never seems to find it's true potential. An overly complicated story and some design flaws stop Sonic Forces just shy of greatness, leaving a decent enough experience to enjoy.

It’s not a great game, but it’s solid. It looks nice, plays smooth, and the gameplay variety is solid. It’s an average 3D Sonic game at a budget price, and that’s not really a bad thing.

Sonic Forces is a disappointing rehash of everything that has been done wrong with the Sonic franchise in the past. There were some good ideas here, but none of them were executed in a way that was fun or enjoyable.

It's mostly just exceedingly average. Levels are short enough where I never once felt like they were a chore to complete, and there's enough variation in there in terms of setpieces where you can really start to see the framework of an expansive, epic Sonic. Hopping around Eggman's base in space while navigating moving platforms gives me flashbacks to the great pair of Sonic Adventure games -- a simpler time.

Sonic Forces ultimately fails to advance the mechanics of previously successful 3D Sonic games, or present them in their best light. A mediocre platformer at best, Sonic Forces manages to do nothing more than reinforce long held stereotypes against Sega's beloved blue blur.

Sonic Forces may have created some hype but unfortunately, it mostly falls flat on its face as it quickly becomes obvious that this game is an exercise in disappointment. While the action runs smoothly whether on a television screen or on handheld mode, the game's short and unimaginative levels, the absence of gameplay mechanics that had become a staple of 3D Sonic games, the unreliable controls and the mediocre soundtrack all add up to a very flawed game from which a lot more was expected.