AUTHOR: SEGA / Sonic Team RELEASE: 1995 TYP: Jump & Run SPIELER: 2 LEVEL: 5 SPRACHE: Eng WERT: ~120€

Nachdem der prächtige Vergnügungspark in die Fänge des windigen Dr. Robotnik geraten ist, bekommt dieser es nun mit Knuckles und seinen neuen Verbündeten zu tun. Völlig neuartige, elastische Ring-Power verbindet 2 Spieler und schweißt sie zu einem schlagkräftigen Team zusammen. 25 riesige Level, 3-D Bonus-Stufen und die totale Kontrolle über unglaubliche Spezial-Attacken machen Knuckles Chaotix zum Hit in 32-Bit Perfektion.

SEGA Magazin Ausgabe 6/1995: ^{[Grafik: 84% Sound: 71% Gesamt: 82%]}
Wer hinter Chaotix ein neues Sonic-Game vermutet, liegt leider falsch! Oder Gott sei Dank? Hinter diesem 32X-Werk verbirgt sich nämlich eine neuarige Spielidee, die insbesondere im Zwei-Spieler-Modus den Spielspaß auf Hochtouren bringt. Der abwechslungsreiche, unvorhersehbare Spielablauf sorgt außerdem für langristige Motivation.
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A lot about the Sega 32X, an add-on peripheral for the Genesis unit, can easily be said in two simple words: it sucked. But every system (and that includes the Virtual Boy) has at least one or two games that is worth the time to acquire when it eventually becomes cheap. Certainly the 32X had potential, but with the Saturn right around the corner, most companies waited for the 'better' 32-bit system, and those that stuck around abandoned ship once the initial earnings for the 32X were reported. When it was all done, the 32X only saw 30-some games over a period of less than a year. And for a system that boasted polygonal graphics and better sound, Knuckles Chaotix, one of the better games to be found on the system, didn't try to shove it down your throat. Knuckles could be considered a straight-up Sonic title, if it weren't for two things: 1) a unique rubber-band gameplay concept, and 2) The lack of appearance from either Sonic or Tails. But what makes or breaks „Chaotix“ is the rubber-band gameplay. You and a computer (or second player) are joined by two rings that have a mystical form of elasticity. Your success in Chaotix will depend on how well you use this 'rubber band' and which characters are connected to it. Aside from Knuckles, there are several other characters brand-new in the Sonic universe, each with the own strengths and weaknesses, and correct manipulation of the rubber band could have you flying high and running fast. Certainly a unique concept that you will either love or hate. Music sounds like it could be recreated on the Genesis hardware, but that's not to say it's bad. In fact, it's some of the most original tunes I've heard coming from a Sonic-related title. I believe this also marks the first appearance of Jun Senoue, who would be the driving force responsible for the rockin' tracks of the entire „Sonic Adventure“ series. While Sega was boasting the polygonal prowess of games like Star Wars Arcade and Doom for the 32X, Chaotix attempts to keep to its 2D roots, which it does mighty successfully. 3D takes a relative back seat to the rest of the gameplay, but that's not to say it's not there. It's saved for the bonus stage, which, if you look back at past Sonic titles, is not too surprising. Bonus stages had become something of a reason to push the system hardware, and it's done here too. It succeeds very well in being challenging and giving you a sense of vertigo. What it comes down to is your level of dedication to Sonic. If you loved Sonic, Chaotix is a must-have to your collection. If you don't, then you might be scared away by the rubber band concept. Either way, you should try to track it down and try it out. And if you don't like it, you can sell it back. You didn't need that 10$, anyway. www.gamesarefun.com

Knuckles Chaotix is a spin-off of the Sonic the Hedgehog series of Genesis games. The starring character in this title is Knuckles the Echidna, who first appeared in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Knuckles works at Carnival Island, an amusement park. It's his job to protect the park and make it a happy place for visitors. Dr. Robotnik, as usual, has an evil plan for the park. He wants the power emerald which supplies electricity to the entire island. What's worse, he has imprisoned several of Knuckles' friends in the „combi confiner.“ This contraption only allows Knuckles to free one of his friends at a time be attaching a tether between himself and them. Therefore, when you play the game you are always attached to another character. Although the basic gameplay of Knuckles Chaotix is similar to the Sonic games, the bungee cord between the two characters creates new challenges. The new characters that appear are Vector the Crocodile, Mighty the Armadillo, Espio the Chameleon and Charmy Bee. There also two characters whose sole purpose is to slow you down, Heavy the Robot, and Bomb. Chaotix adds several new power-ups and 3D bonus levels as well. www.Mobygames.com

This game was the first official appearance of the entire Chaotix, and the game was released in 1995. Originally, the game was called „Knuckles Ring Star“, which got changed later on. The storyline was pretty traditional for the Sonic the Hedgehog-universe, Eggman is a pain in the neck as usual, and this time, his target is the Floating Island and the chaos rings! The major difference to other Sonicgames was that this game was very suiting for 2 players, as the player control two players at the same time (one leading character and one following). The two players were connected with a kind of elastic band between each other, in order to do certain special moves (mainly for climbing high walls). All members of the Chaotix had their own special moves. Knuckles could glide and dig in the walls (as usual) to climb up high walls, Espio could actually walk up the walls, even up-side-down, Mighty could climb up walls quickly with his feet alone, Charmy could fly, and Vector was able to climb walls as well. Vector had a jet-pack as well, but this jetpack was far from useful. The game is overall pretty easy to complete, as you have unlimited of lives in the game, but the 3D stages, where you must pick up blue spheres in order to get the chaos rings, are rather tricky, as you could easily fall off the course or run out of time. Another problem with the game is that the game tend to get rather repeating, as the levels within the same zone are pretty equal to each other. www.knuckleschaotix.info

A 32x exclusive. Perhaps the 32x would have done better had it spawned a true Sonic game. Sonic 4 was announced, but it never materialized. Instead, we got some sort of odd experiment in the form of Knuckles Chaotix. It's very possible that Knuckles Chaotix started out as an unreleased Genesis/Megadrive game called Sonic Crackers. The screenshots (shown below) suggest the two games share the same basic gameplay elements. Instead of controlling one character, you control a team of TWO characters who are tethered to each other by a rubber band. Stretch out the rubber band and you will slingshot your partner across the screen, dragging yourself along with him. This „new bungee challenge“ is fundamentally different from the traditional super-fast Sonic gameplay that we know and love. The new control system just doesn't feel right, though it is playable with a lot of practice (this is also the first Sonic game with an in-game tutorial, and you're going to need it.) Sega may have found that Sonic Cracker's game design was too much of a departure from the traditional Sonic gameplay that consumers expected and canceled the title for the Genesis/Megadrive, opting instead to introduce the game fronted by the less known (and less loved) Knuckles character. It looks and sounds very much like a Sonic game, with catchy pop music and bright and colorful graphics that feature some neat scaling and rotation effects. The color palate has been increased dramatically over the Genesis games, and some of the of the new boss characters fill up the entire screen. Sonic himself isn't here, but you do get four other characters, including Knuckles the Enchidna (who originally appeared in the exceptionally cool Genesis game Sonic & Knuckles.) The 25 levels are huge and varied, with lots of stuff to see and many power-ups to collect. Most of the graphical enhancements are welcome additions, but the new scaling feature tends to make some the of characters very pixilated. Too bad the entire play mechanics have been changed, and not for the better. Some gamers are fond of this game, and it does have its good points. We applaud Sega for trying something new and different with the stale Sonic formula, but this is a bit too much. Yes, the Sonic formula is stale after 5 games- Sonic 1, Sonic 2, Sonic 3, Sonic CD, and Sonic & Knuckles. This doesn't even include any of the Game Gear, Master System, Neo Geo Pocket Color, and Game.Com incarnations. Don’t forget the Sega Saturn compilation CD, Sonic Jam, nor the two 3-D Dreamcast sequels, or the various offerings for the Game Boy Advance, Game Cube, and various other next-generation platforms. Still, you might be one of those weird people who just love Knuckles Chaotix, so give it a spin. www.the32xmemorial.com