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Have the waters parted? Is it the end of the world? Has...has Sonic Team made a non-Sonic game?! Yes, it has-and while it's not the hard-working, dedicated world-beater it appeared to be at last spring's E3 show, Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg is an inspired platformer in an age when inspiration in platformers has fallen into the "yeah, let's deal with that later" category.
Young Mr. Hatcher, a bouncy kid in a chicken suit, has been whisked away to a poultry wonderland where crows have encased the world in darkness. His mission is normal enough-take back the light-but his methodology would probably make Sonic sick. Billy's only weapons in this game are eggs-very large eggs, in fact, that are found willy-nilly in each stage. Besides throwing them at (or rolling them over) enemies, Billy can hatch eggs after he's "fed" them with enough of the food that evildoers leave behind. Depending on the egg you've got in hand (there are 72 in all), you can hatch helper creatures, power-up items, energy-granting butterflies, GBA mini-games, and even a certain blue spiky animal...assuming you can find enough coins to unlock that extra. Despite the sheer novelty of rolling eggs over enemies instead of hopping on them, Billy Hatcher is just another mission-based platformer at heart. Basic game structure (not to mention a mission or two) is right from Super Mario 64-you'll know each stage like the back of your hand by the time you complete the five missions in each one. Luckily, most objectives are novel and avoid the "collect X of these" cliché like the plague-shame the controls make everything seem much harder than it actually is. The problem comes down to this, basically: Although the GameCube's got an analog stick, Billy cannot roll eggs unless he's full-on running. This forces you to run in circles, miss jumps repeatedly, and pull your hair out upon every game over. It's like the 16-bit days all over again-you'll die at one jump repeatedly, but everything after that will be so much easier. Still, this is a Sonic Team production, and as such, the platform action is addictive when it clicks. The graphics are lovely, of course, and while the multiplayer modes aren't much, everything (except the controls) is finely polished. It's nice to see Sega's studio try something new...and, even better, to see it mostly succeed. Besides...it's not just another Sonic! Yippee!

Ah, a new Sonic Team game. After a year in the multiplatform business, gaming mastermind Yuji Naka of Sonic the Hedgehog fame decides to create a new game. Since Sonic Adventure 2 Battle a year ago was a success, why not? So he made an original game after 7 years, and I must say, he did a fine job. Sonic Team fans who don't own it, slap yourselves; this one's for you! Here's the review

This game's got a dang freaky story. The evil Dark Raven has turned the Chicken Elders into eggs, so the chicken god Menie-Funie calls Billy Hatcher to bring morning to the land. To hatch the elders you are given a rooster suit. And there's the story.

The game play is unique- using that rooster suit of yours, you get an egg, roll it around. Find some enemies, and then use the egg to beat them up. They drop fruit, and that's how they hatch and stuff. Hatch them- you could get a monster or an item. These things can seriously help you out on Billy's quest.

Graphics are pretty nice. They support a cartoony feel for younger gamers, and the characters show comical expressions on their faces to light up the face of a little kid. It's a nice touch to such a great game.

Sound is neat- it has simple guitar tunes, and then some odd little jingles. It's not a butt-rock collection, just a kid-friendly soundtrack.

Extras are basically if you collect enough chick coins you can unlock Sonic Team character eggs, like Sonic, Nights, the works. And if you hatch the right eggs, you can unlock GBA downloadable mini-games.

The bottom line is that Sonic Team made a good game when the last original game they made was 7 years ago. I'm just glad it made me SOO happy to own. I recommend it to platformer fans or Sonic Team fans or just some gamer that needs an original game.

. A brilliant hybrid of Super Mario 64 and Sonic the Hedgehog, Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg is a game that no Gamecube should be without. The influences are obvious, yet this game stands on its own. You really have to play it to appreciate its greatness. The first thing players will notice is the lush graphics, full of color and life. The game is absolutely beautiful.

The game-play itself, while simple, offers up a really good time. The premise is simple. Your friends have been encapsulated in eggs, by a group of Evil, Black Crows...and it's up to you to save the day. Just how you go about doing this is where the adventure begins. In "Morning Land", the eggs themselves are your only means of defense. By rolling them over enemies, bounce jumping with them on top of foes, and by egg shooting (which resembles a yo-yo like approach), you clear the path for victory

As you roll them about the land, you must also constantly be on the lookout for the various fruits scattered about the land in which to feed your egg. By rolling over them, your egg's yolk level increases...until finally it's ready to hatch. Now a simple press of the "R" button makes Billy let out a war cry of sorts (well it's actually a rooster crow), which in turn hatches the mature egg. Once free of its shell, the newly freed animal is yours to call upon in battle. Each animal brings with it the power to harness four powerful forces.... fire, water, wind, and ice. Make no mistake about it though; this game is all real time action, with an RPG feel thrown in for good measure.

By the time you pry your hands of this game, you'll walk away feeling that you truly played something special. Sega and Nintendo really pulled it off with this title. It's quality for the whole family, and I just can't say enough good things about it. With the exception of its limited difficulty (skilled players will breeze through it), Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg really shines. Don't let the fun pass you by.

"alankelly"