-- Waiting for others Windows games to be added like Sonic Robo Blast 2 for the time being until this can be actually put on the review forum. Thanks. --

Now, I think most of you guys know about a game known as Sonic Robo Blast 2. This game has a very long history over 16 years in development and it still isn't finished. The fan game has a big amount of popularity across a lot of the world and even got a Dreamcast port of v2.0.6 for srb2 players wanting to play on console. There are 3 very popular versions of Sonic Robo Blast 2 known, such as 1.09.4, 2.0.6, and then comes the later releases of 2.1 which all got some pretty good reviews, a lot of amazing reviews to say the least. Development is super long to even detail, so if you want to see the full history of srb2, either look on the wiki, or look through the whole "Archived Releases" section on the official website. Now anyways, I have played the 3 popular versions mentioned above, and it looks so weird and feels strange going from one major release to another. This review is for version 2.1 but if you ever want to, I can go look at the other versions more closely.

Again, this is for version 2.1.xx so any stuff like the different Knuckles sprites from earlier releases will not be talked about here.
--------------------
Graphics - 8
--------------------

Even though at high computer resolutions, the characters and objects may look very pixel-ish, the graphics and designs of the normal stages are just amazing and have pretty good lighting. The characters have their normal faces and animations 100% fan-made but all-in-all, the characters are amazing. The textures and the backgrounds do look pretty interesting, but even if you are in pixel-resolution, the game just looks so good! The bosses are pretty cleverly designed and have their special effects when they fire lasers and their own weapons out. Also, too bad there are no slopes to run up or down in this. It is still possible, but requires a special modified executable srb2 file like the Community Build for 2.0 to make rare slopes in level wads work as they were supposed to. So pretty much, the graphics can please many people, but for some, the pixel nature on larger screens might not make them interested in how it looks, key term looks.

-------------------
Sounds - 7
-------------------

A lot of the sound effects especially for the characters mostly come from the original sonic games, but some are new, like grabbing extra lives, or finding point monitors in the record attack mode. The entire soundtrack is 100% composed with truly original music made for the many levels that the single player and online game modes have. Most of the soundtrack is absolutely gorgeous to listen to, if you are sensitive with game music, even if you get used to it after weeks. Now, people like me just love the sound effects a lot. Some sound effects are also new like when firing certain weapon rings. There is only one thing I didn't like about a select track in the game, the fact that the Game Over music is played on the piano instead of how all the other music in the game uses so many instruments. In the online chat in coop, I keep yelling, "Shut up, piano guy!" In the text box because it bothers me that much that it is just ONE instrument.

-----------------------
Addictiveness - 9
-----------------------

*Be warned, this section will take you almost forever to go through!

The single player mode right now in 2.1 has about 6 zones, 2 of which are just 1 act currently, and there are some zones being made to go in the middle of the game. With just that. It isn't really much, but there are a few secret levels that require doing a specific condition. Then you manage to get the record attack mode. From there, getting a super fast and a really high score using some of Sonic Robo Blast 2's new score methods along with collecting a TON of rings to the end while avoiding taking damage, all make a big challenge but has a ton of fun. Once you get a bunch of emblems, you will get the NiGHTS mode which interestingly no one expected or wanted but they love it being added to 2.1 to replace the 2.0 special stages which with a wad, those 2.0 levels can be brought back. In the new NiGHTS mode, you go and collect the wing objects and also the blue spheres to then use them to destroy the egg capsule which holds the emerald. You have a time limit to work with in every stage for a total of 7 emeralds. Are you good enough to get an A rank on all of the NiGHTS stages? Also, a very insane feature that was in the game since 1.08.x was emblems! In 1.09.4 there was about 40. In 2.0 there was 60, and for 2.1 there is about 160! Wow! A very large amount of them have to be found in secret spots in every stage, except for almost all the boss maps. The others have to be gotten from getting under a certain time quota, scoring a really high amount, or having way more rings than the goal in record attack. Others are obtained in the NiGHTS mode. In the 2.1 release, the mechanic of only being able to collect an emblem as a specific character is now gone, but for wad level makers, the objects are still present (not in the main game) and function so they can only be collected by, for example, blue emblems are obtained by Sonic, orange emblems are collected by Tails, and red emblems are collected by Knuckles. This doesn't apply for the vanilla srb2 meaning the normal game without any extra files added into it.

Now, for the one thing everyone was waiting for...

.
.
.

ONLINE NETPLAY!

That is right, since 1.08, you could play online with others and host your own game, but for 2.1 the netcode is very different and is sadly a lot worse than 2.0 and I have played srb2 when 2.1 was close to being finished. Problem is, there is a feature of desyncing which happens so often especially on servers that are laggy or with many fast actions happening at once. Sometimes, (I mean, very often) the desyncs cause more than 1 player in a server to desync. After a few (always failed) attempts to resymc everybody, any person who is still desynced from the game host will be automatically kicked, meaning to rejoin the server if possible. When you are playing online, sometimes, a specific joining player can cause the server to hang either for about 6-9 seconds, or sometimes, until the host is forced to shut down, which can go up to 20-27 minutes of waiting. I am not even lying! But that was just the bad. Now for the good, which is almost endless. Coop mode allows you to team up with others to take down Dr. Eggman going through 6 zones and then giving a final crash onto his inventions. The competition mode allows you to go up against other interested players. In competition, you compete for 5 different goals:
- Fastest Time
- Most Points
- Most Monitors Destroyed
- Most Current Rings
- Most Total Rings

Against just 1 player, if you win in 3 of 5 categories, it is possible to still lose in total points at the end. Against multiple players, the point system then gets very weird but interesting for those who love working and looking at algorithms used for games and programs. In Race mode, you go for the fastest time against your friends in a specified stage. Whoever is the fastest wins, and a major change to 2.1 is that there are NO circuit maps which upset many people following the whole development scene for the past decade. In Hide and Seek, players have 30 seconds to hide (changeable by host from 15-300 seconds) in many different spots on many different maps used to battle on. The game then gives the seeker about 10 (can be set from 1-30 or disabled entirely) minutes to find everyone. Some players have insanely clever and complex methods that not too many know of. If the seeker fails to find everyone within the time limit if there is one, any players still not found are given double points at the end. How you can define winning can be either by most points, or by just surviving the whole round. In Tag, it is actually just Hide and Seek but the runners can run the whole time, but you can also hide. The IT player along with the finder in Hide as Seek is randomly selected and must hit the other players with a ring weapon. Use all your known methods to run away from the chasing players. But in Tag, if a player gets hit, then they are able to attack other players that haven't been tagged. The point values given per second depend on how many players are playing and how many taggers there are. If you join a Tag game during the chasing time. You automatically become IT so if you want to play, hurry and decide before time runs out.

Now for 2 big game modes that are so popular you can't even imagine.

--- Capture The Flag ---
This is one of them. In this game mode, you go on two different teams and have to navigate a map to find the other team flag located at a base in the other team's territory. While doing so, other players will be attacking you from their side, so be armed with weapon rings and your team mates will also have to help get them distracted while the flag is going to be taken. When a person has the other flag, they can't use double jump abilities such as flying with Tails, gliding with Knuckles, or doing a midair Thok as Sonic. Using a shield that requires a 2nd jump to activate still works so you can still attack players with a shield. If the flag holder gets hit by a player, they will have to quickly grab it back or else it will be automatically teleported back to the original base. The normal amount of flags to capture is about 5 but can be configured to literally 1 capture or up to about at least 999 million captures! Barely anyone will go to 10 or 20 flags in a game like flag capturing while being under attacked. It is very recommended that there are at least 5 or 6 players for an enjoyable experience. If you have more than 10 or even 15 players somehow, then be prepared... ULTIMATE SSJ4 HYPE LEVELS!

Now to get ready for the biggest game mode that has to offer!

--- Match ---
Everyone is waiting for this! In Match, you arm yourself with tons of rings and weapon rings for 7 different kinds to then fire and aim at your opponents. Match is so popular that the wiki for this game is filled with tutorials and advanced descriptions of the weapon rings. The many strategies you have to know to play real good against the many skilled players that still play are way too much for most other players to handle and remember to work with. By aiming a ring weapon of any kind successfully at an opponent, you score 50 points. You can either compete for most points within a time limit or score a certain limit first which can be voted or set by a server host or server administrator (If the host verifies a user) but killing an opponent scores you 100 points. If you want to play Match decently against many players and eventually come to see me on my own server, check out the srb2 wiki for help and info. Warning: Tons of info for you to process and practice! Across many maps to battle on, the weapons you can collect require you to grab a panel containing a specific weapon in order to use, and all but one costs rings to use and all have limited ammo but can be maxed. These come in automatic rings, scatter rings, bounce rings, grenade rings, explosion (Bomb) rings, and even rail rings. All have a range and some can go all the way across a map, and they have special effects and speeds along with gimmicks. You can also upgrade your normal ring weapon by grabbing a red infinity symbol somewhere in the stage (mostly hidden but some are plain visible) but always remember this: Always have at least 1 ring! Good luck playing against your friends in a skill-based game mode that if you want to become one of the few best players, will take months and even years. That, I am not even gonna lie, it really will take that long in real life to become one of the best, such as how long it can take to become of the many pros at one of 4 Smash Bros games, off of topic. But I will leave it there, good luck, and good skill, massively required.

---------------
Story: 6
---------------

This game has a very weird but somewhat interesting introduction scene that goes for almost 6 real time minutes that just one button press can skip it all. The story goes that it had been 2 months since the last time Dr. Eggman was destroyed, and Sonic manages to find him again, this time under a plan for a different way to conquer the world. Eggman flees after being caught red handed with a time bomb set that destroys a lot of the original buildings and designs of many different places across planet at really fast speeds. He and Tails had 30 seconds to find the bomb and disarm. The seconds slowly ticked as they were running to find the bomb. Once they were close, the 30 seconds ran out and a lot of the Greenflower place alone was destroyed beyond any recognition. The planet was then corrupted with destroyed stuff and the whole areas including the Greenflower area they were in got. The planet was also then infested with badniks. At this point, Sonic and Tails then go to reverse all the changes that occurred to Greenflower and all the other areas they will be running through in order to restore the planet. Little do they know Eggman actually has something up his sleeves, and little do most of you people know.

---------------
Difficulty
As Sonic: 8
As Tails: 7
As Knuckles: 7
---------------

This difficulty applies to the single player mode only. In 2.0 the maps were much harder and even on the easiest settings, those were hard. 2.1 is still pretty hard but has 2 simple first zones, then you will get instantly strikes with rapid difficulty spikes. This is especially the case with anyone playing as just Sonic. As Tails, it is a little bit easier because not only can you find some easier paths and take shortcuts, but you can also fly to big heights and safely do some areas. When you are playing as Knuckles, the levels are mostly designed with paths that Knuckles only either has to take, or can find optional but big secrets that can either lead you to some emblems, or can get you to extra lives and shields. The later zones legitimately test your platforming and movement skills as all characters. Especially the Egg Rock Zone. Tails makes the other zones a bit easier. But some sections can be much harder using different characters, so for Egg Rock Zone 2, Tails can skip the very start section, but with the other paths he then has to take, are gonna be quite harder. Knuckles has some really cruel paths. Take Castle Eggman Zone 1 for example, which has sections that involve you climbing up walls for his route. One mess up with the timing of nearly unseeable spike chains will drop you right back to the start of a long LONG climb. Trust me, you are better off using Tails unless you are real good at controlling your movement, especially with Sonic and his very efficient Thok. Control settings can literally be set to almost any key on your keyboard, as long as they are not near important keys that could close your game or pause it. Also, make sure you got controls set for multiplayer too because you can chat online, in servers that are moderated by server admins and host/operators. Most of the people online are really nice and you can get along with them, do friendly matches, wad battles, and even do interesting Roleplays of almost all kinds. Be wary of certain players that can be rude and sometimes be mean to others. I have a list of people to avoid on SRB2 in general if you need a reference:

*RTKH X* - He is not really good at anything, and he can not communicate in English.
Sperglord-Lava - He is known as one of the biggest trollers online from earlier years (around 2008-2011) and you should be careful near him.
Silver JR - He is another horrible player at matches, and never stops spamming weapons and the chat, but also can't communicate in English properly.
*RhsdaSpy* - You might just wanna stay away from him if you can. If you can go up with him and not get embarrassed, you should be okay.
Shade - The one I am talking about is a long time SRB2 player since 1.09.4 came out and used to be named Sin from 2007-2011 until he his disguise got unveiled after someone really took notes on his play style. He HATES every game mode that isn't Match, and he massively hates people he doesn't know. He also has a big reputation of hate on the mb and across srb2 because he constantly asks for administrator powers and doesn't like coop. People who he does know (like me) he will keep telling them to "play" like to be constantly battling others to be good if they want to get real good. He hates bomb spammers and elemental shield overusers, along with lame players in general.
Root - Oh this guy really knows how to ruin a persons day any time of any day of a week. He calls EVERY person "total newbies" and hates every game mode. He also bans anyone who doesn't leave from his server fast. His server name starts with "GrenServer" and you should REALLY stay away from Root. He massively complains nonstop that the match mode should be much slower and people slow down so he can hit. That is NOT how you play a shooting game.

---------------------------------
Overall Rating: 9.4/10
---------------------------------

This game is one of my favorites of all time, and my top fan game pick. I have played many others, like Mari0 1.6, Sonic Smash Flash, Super Smash Bros Crusade (especially during the v0.8 releases) and Super Smash Land v1.1 which all are very good picks. For Crusade, just make sure you have a very computer if you want to run it at very high speeds, and also have a joystick if you can. This game and its graphics have very nice touching, very cool new sound effects, very high addictive levels for online play, with tons of emblems for you to collect in secret areas, difficult but crazy zones and stages, with very insane online play, and also having a neat story twist.

Let me give a few extra notes:

- If you want to find me on SRB2, either look for a server labeled "SLJ - *insert date*" or find me (mostly) on unmodded servers under this name:
StephenLovesJiggly
This name is me! I may be under some names at rare times like on specific servers. Here is a list:

Singing=Orb
Puff/Thrust
LOLpuff
Heart*That*Is*Pink

Or if I am on a Roleplay server like CyberSonic's server, I may be under one of these names:

Mario Head
King Harkinian
Luigi [Hotel Mario]

But my main name is StephenLovesJiggly. My grammar levels are (no offense) one of the best on Sonic Robo Blast 2 to date. Be warned on srb2 online, you will see a bunch of swears at time, rage quits, or mature talk at rare times.

- My next thing, want to compete against a lot of my really fast level times and scores in record attack? Either find me on SRB2's online servers or we can be on the Vizzed chat. I haven't been on Vizzed a lot lately, you see. This is because I love SRB2 and have serious stuff going on over the past few months.

- Last thing, I love certain wads and luas that can be found on my server, such as Cyber Term, Srb2hub 1.3, house22, and buffgauge1.7 which I may host with. I got someone online who is trying to follow what game modes I am hosting, so it will be unlikely I will host Co-op or other game modes like Tag or RP. The person is the Shade I mentioned on people to stay away from as much as possible on the online play for the game. Right now as I am typing this, I am under attack by a RP about Invader Zim which I NEVER watched when I was young, even today. I can still remember the self destruct that Gir does.

That is just about it. Try this game out. Version 2.2 is gonna take a real long time to develop and then finish like how it took 2.1 about 7 years to create.