Despite the critical decline, Dimps' side-scrolling "Sonic" games for the GBA and DS were consistently praised. Writing for "Destructoid", Jim Sterling said: "Hyperbole states that we haven't had a good "Sonic" game since "Sonic Adventure", which really betrays how much we gamers ignore the handheld market... "Sonic Advance" and the "Sonic Rush" games have often ranged from decent to superb, which makes one wonder why Dimps is the 'B' team and the inferior Sonic Team is the 'A' team." In the wake of the 2006 "Sonic the Hedgehog", Brett Elston of "GamesRadar+" said that "Sonic Rush Adventure" "managed to keep the [series'] spirit alive". While "Sonic Unleashed" was criticized for its addition of beat 'em up gameplay, which "IGN" Hilary Goldstein bemoaned had "nothing to do with Sonic whatsoever", its speed-based platforming levels were widely praised; critics suggested that the game would have been better received if it had focused on them.