Sonic Boom Shattered Crystal (Nintendo 3DS, 2014)

Sega's famed blue hedgehog joins his friends Tails, Knuckles, and newcomer Sticks as they try to rescue Amy from an evil villain in Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal. Amy found an ancient manuscript, and the snakelike Lyric kidnapped her in the hopes of uncovering the Lost Crystal of Power somewhere on a mysterious new island. Gamers can jump between the foreground and background to find secret areas and use each character's unique skills to fight back against Lyric and his robot army in classic, high-speed side-scrolling platform action.

Sonic can use his famed speed and homing attacks, Tails can fly and use gadgets, the brawny Knuckles can burrow underground or climb on walls, and Sticks throws a boomerang that she can manipulate in mid-air. Each character's abilities can be upgraded, and all four can also use the new EnerBeam device to battle foes and quickly traverse levels. Gamers who play through Shattered Crystal can unlock special upgrades for the Wii U title Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric, and the game also offers rival races, special stages, and a StreetPass collectible mini-game.