Well, Sonic Team’s big new game is finally out, and being the platforming whore that I am, I just couldn’t resist. Expecting the worst after Sonic Adventure DX, I was surprised to find it an entertaining (though hardly revolutionary) experience in my first hour with the disc.

First off, if you shudder at the thought of collect-a-thons you can save your $40 for elsewhere. The goal of each mission is to collect a Shine Emblem of Courage by saving an egg-imprisoned chicken elder, defeating a boss, or just reaching the end of the path. Borrowing from Super Mario Sunshine’s design, each mission slightly tweaks what is otherwise the same environment to create a mostly linear course. As far as I can tell, each of the six worlds contains five missions. Also scattered in each mission are five chicken coins which are said to unlock the powers of the “blue hedgehog” egg. Hmmm…

Although the uninspired level structure doesn’t bother me, Billy’s Hatcher’s presentation sure did--at least initially. Anyone who found Super Mario Sunshine cutesy will vomit when they watch the demo FMV on the title screen, which features Billy Hatcher’s freakishly monstrous smile and a theme song consisting of kids singing “la, la, la”! We’re talking Happy-Helmet-from-Ren-&-Stimpy freaky. Fortunately, Billy Hatcher becomes much less embarrassing once inside the game. While BHGE is most certainly Japanese with Billy’s “Cu-cu-roodle-roo” and enemies plastered with sinister grins, the game has yet to reveal flukes of “Ei-Ei-Poo” proportions mid-game.

What about the oft-touted gameplay, though? While I found myself initially disoriented, once I adjusted for Sonic Team’s characteristically sensitive controls and stumbled upon Billy’s chicken suit, the game suddenly became enjoyable. Billy can’t do squat on his own, so Morning Land’s giant eggs quickly become the hero’s best friends. The first mission, which is little more than a training lesson, does an excellent job of introducing players to the egg-centric mechanics while maintaining a level of fun. Billy’s egg-based attacks introduce a hint of brawler without compromising platforming gameplay or level design with a limited perspective. (Wario World, anyone?) The assortment of eggs to hatch also looks promising. Some eggs house magical creatures needed to progress through the mission, while others holding power-ups add extra flavor to the dish. The environments themselves, with their sloped hillsides and egg rings, provide further gameplay variety.

While Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg has been entertaining so far, I already have some reservations. First, the game has yet to present a true challenge. Finding all the chicken coins and getting A-rankings will likely be formidable goals, but a lack of difficulty in the missions themselves could prove to be the game’s big downfall. Also, outside of the impressively disturbing CG movies, I have yet to be wowed by the game’s graphics. Models and environments are middle of the road, yet even in my first hour I noticed considerable slowdown. Finally, outside of the annoyingly catchy but oh-so-cute theme song, the soundtrack has yet to catch my interest, with most songs fading into the background.

Billy Hatcher has an excellent premise, but it will have to remain fresh for more than a few hours be a keeper. I’ll let you know whether or not it cracks in my full review.