Here's one thing you have to know about Sonic Rivals: it ain't a 2D platformer. Yeah, it may be disappointing considering that the announcement prior to E3 was that the series was returning to its 2D roots. However, despite this, Sonic Rivals proved that first impressions really can be wrong as it was set up for demo play at the THQ's Loaded Event.

According to the hands-on preview by PALGN, initially, the game was said to have felt like Sonic Riders but in 2D. The beginning of the game leads Sonic to a stage reminiscent of Green Hill Zone, where a race countdown was displayed on the screen. Basically, the objective was to just get to the end of the level ahead of the other player. However, enemies and other obstacles are there to slow you down, so you can't just press the right directional pad. It didn't seem to be that impressive.

But then, taking the time to go through the entire level and exploring would probably change your mind about the game. The interesting thing about it is that while you consistently move along a 2D path, the camera rotates, thus making it feel a bit like a  3D game. Entertaining as well were the loops and jumps, and thankfully, for those who were irked in Sonic Rush, there were no bottomless pits this time. Hitting an enemy in the middle of a race makes you lose rings, but not necessarily all of them.

All in all, the conclusion from the demo play of Sonic Rivals is that it will be a lot of fun, especially in multiplayer. And while you may still feel like wishing that there was a 2D Sonic platformer on the PSP, the short game time with the demo still proved to be sufficient to disspell skepticisms that some gamers earlier had.

Basically, the objective was to just get to the end of the level ahead of the other player.

But then, taking the time to go through the entire level and exploring would probably change your mind about the game.

for those who were irked in Sonic Rush, there were no bottomless pits this time

The interesting thing about it is that while you consistently move along a 2D path, the camera rotates, thus making it feel a bit like a 3D game.