<s>
is	O
a	O
Sonic	O
the	O
Hedgehog-themed	O
party	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Sega	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
in	O
2000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
plays	O
like	O
a	O
board	O
game	O
much	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
vein	O
as	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
Mario	B-Application
Party	I-Application
series	O
,	O
with	O
up	O
to	O
four	O
players	O
moving	O
their	O
characters	O
across	O
a	O
game	O
board	O
filled	O
with	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
spaces	O
which	O
can	O
trigger	O
different	O
events	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sega	O
contracted	O
Hudson	O
Soft	O
,	O
the	O
developers	O
of	O
Mario	B-Application
Party	I-Application
,	O
to	O
assist	O
with	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
graphics	O
,	O
they	O
used	O
the	O
same	O
cel	O
shading	O
technique	O
used	O
in	O
their	O
earlier	O
game	O
Jet	B-Application
Set	I-Application
Radio	I-Application
(	O
2000	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
classified	O
Sonic	B-Application
Shuffle	I-Application
as	O
an	O
inferior	O
clone	O
of	O
Mario	B-Application
Party	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
Shuffle	I-Application
is	O
a	O
party	O
game	O
for	O
up	O
to	O
four	O
players	O
,	O
playing	O
like	O
a	O
board	O
game	O
in	O
a	O
similar	O
fashion	O
to	O
the	O
Mario	B-Application
Party	I-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
is	O
set	O
in	O
a	O
dream	O
world	O
called	O
"	O
Maginaryworld	O
"	O
,	O
where	O
a	O
fairy	O
asks	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
,	O
Tails	O
,	O
Knuckles	O
the	O
Echidna	O
,	O
and	O
Amy	O
Rose	O
to	O
retrieve	O
"	O
Precioustones	O
"	O
to	O
help	O
her	O
save	O
Maginaryworld	O
from	O
Void	B-Application
,	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
villain	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
players	O
can	O
choose	O
to	O
play	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
these	O
four	O
characters	O
,	O
or	O
Big	O
the	O
Cat	O
,	O
E-102	O
Gamma	O
,	O
Super	O
Sonic	B-Application
,	O
and	O
a	O
Chao	O
if	O
unlocked	O
later	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
player	O
is	O
dealt	O
seven	O
cards	O
at	O
a	O
time	O
,	O
and	O
their	O
deck	O
is	O
visible	O
on	O
their	O
personal	O
VMU	B-Application
screen	O
in	O
their	O
controller	O
,	O
keeping	O
it	O
a	O
secret	O
from	O
other	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
Shuffle	I-Application
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Sega	O
,	O
with	O
assistance	O
from	O
the	O
Hudson	O
Soft	O
team	O
behind	O
Mario	B-Application
Party	I-Application
(	O
1998	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
supervision	O
from	O
Sonic	B-Application
Team	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Smilebit	O
had	O
previously	O
developed	O
Jet	B-Application
Set	I-Application
Radio	I-Application
(	O
2000	O
)	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
which	O
was	O
well	O
regarded	O
for	O
its	O
cel	O
shaded	O
visuals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sega	O
used	O
the	O
same	O
cel	O
shading	O
techniques	O
in	O
Sonic	B-Application
Shuffle	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sega	O
revealed	O
that	O
a	O
Sonic	B-Application
Adventure	I-Application
spin-off	O
was	O
in	O
development	O
alongside	O
Sonic	B-Application
Adventure	I-Application
2	I-Application
in	O
October	O
1999	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
revealed	O
in	O
the	O
June	O
2000	O
issue	O
of	O
Electronic	O
Gaming	O
Monthly	O
(	O
EGM	O
)	O
with	O
the	O
tentative	O
title	O
Sonic	B-Application
Square	I-Application
,	O
shortly	O
before	O
the	O
E3	O
trade	O
fair	O
that	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sega	O
had	O
planned	O
to	O
reveal	O
information	O
about	O
Sonic	B-Application
Adventure	I-Application
2	I-Application
to	O
EGM	O
for	O
the	O
issue	O
,	O
but	O
decided	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
not	O
ready	O
to	O
be	O
shown	O
,	O
and	O
shared	O
Sonic	B-Application
Square	I-Application
instead	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
Shuffle	I-Application
was	O
released	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
November	O
14	O
,	O
2000	O
,	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
December	O
21	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
Europe	O
on	O
March	O
9	O
,	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
expected	O
to	O
appear	O
in	O
the	O
2002	O
compilation	O
Sonic	B-Device
Mega	I-Device
Collection	I-Device
,	O
but	O
was	O
ultimately	O
not	O
included	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
were	O
quick	O
to	O
identify	O
Sonic	B-Application
Shuffle	I-Application
as	O
an	O
inferior	O
clone	O
of	O
Mario	B-Application
Party	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
GameSpot	O
and	O
Eurogamer	O
felt	O
as	O
though	O
the	O
minigames	O
were	O
an	O
afterthought	O
,	O
only	O
appearing	O
sparingly	O
whereas	O
in	O
Mario	B-Application
Party	I-Application
they	O
were	O
central	O
to	O
the	O
experience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Official	O
Dreamcast	B-Operating_System
Magazine	O
(	O
UK	O
)	O
argued	O
that	O
the	O
minigames	O
interfered	O
with	O
the	O
main	O
board	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GameSpot	O
wrote	O
:	O
"	O
The	O
combination	O
of	O
the	O
unbearable	O
load	O
times	O
,	O
the	O
smattering	O
of	O
minigames	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
poor	O
minigame	O
design	O
make	O
Sonic	B-Application
Shuffle	I-Application
a	O
boring	O
diversion	O
at	O
best.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Eurogamer	O
felt	O
that	O
Samba	B-Application
de	I-Application
Amigo	I-Application
(	O
1999	O
)	O
was	O
a	O
better	O
party	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GameRevolution	O
praised	O
the	O
environment	O
textures	O
and	O
felt	O
the	O
graphics	O
were	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
high	O
quality	O
as	O
Jet	B-Application
Set	I-Application
Radio	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Under	O
the	O
dark	O
shadow	O
of	O
Sonic	B-Application
Adventure	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
this	O
tepid	O
,	O
diluted	O
affair	O
will	O
have	O
difficulty	O
proving	O
itself	O
,	O
even	O
to	O
franchise	O
stalwarts	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Official	O
Dreamcast	B-Operating_System
Magazine	O
(	O
UK	O
)	O
and	O
its	O
American	O
counterpart	O
both	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
more	O
fun	O
with	O
human	O
players	O
rather	O
than	O
computer-controlled	O
opponents	O
,	O
and	O
complained	O
about	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
online	O
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Official	O
Dreamcast	B-Operating_System
Magazine	O
(	O
US	O
)	O
felt	O
that	O
with	O
more	O
development	O
time	O
and	O
support	O
from	O
Sonic	B-Application
Team	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
could	O
have	O
been	O
saved	O
.	O
</s>
