Sonic Generations Megathread

Honestly? I'd personally prefer the game without warning messages.

I don't mind the warning messages being in the game, don't get me wrong. Without them though, that puts in the whole fun of playing a new game for the first time. Die, figure out how to pass what killed you, then progress! (After all, what are extra lives for, eh?)

 

Wasn't that one of the most hated things about Unleashed? Trial and error sections?

 

Funny, Megaman's like that and the fans love it.

I didn't really had those moments in Unleashed... its difficult the first times around yes, but its mostly about having a quick reaction to something. There wasn't anything in the game that made me go "how am I supposed to know/do that!?". Throughout Unleashed I realized my mistakes and when I need to be ready. In some cases, I already was. There wasn't anything like an off-screen badnik or platform that I had no idea of knowing about to hinder my progress. The game encouraged boosting and while you are boosting, its harder to react to obstacles in the game. Thats why you take it slow at first and use boost for later runs.

 

Yeah, Unleashed was pretty heavy on the clairvoyance =/

Up untill the point where you knew it by memory, it wasent much fun, in the older games, you nearly always had "just" enough time to react to an obstacle, even if it was new, but in Unleashed, there was barely any time for anything.

 

They're just there to test your reflexes. If you like reflex-based challenges in a high-speed semi-racer, then good for you. I'd prefer more platforming, puzzle, and physics challenges myself, but whatever's fun is fun.

If they ever feel the need to use warnings in 2D sections, I think it'd be a funny and artful use of the "warning system" to have Sonic emote some facial and vocal response to signal a close incoming obstacle, like if he said "Uh oh!" or "Whoa!" or made some non-speech noise and his head swelled up for a brief moment in alarm. If you don't react in time—and it's a wall—you lose your rings and flatten onto it like a cartoon.

 

If they did adopt something along those lines, they could again pay homage to a game of the past...



EDIT: Whoops...

 

Not to be nit-picky sega but the spin dashing, can you make it so you can charge up the attack like Sonic 2 and give it the revving up sound from Sonic 2?

 

they at least got the damn sound effects right

 

It's important not to confuse trial and error with actual gameplay, though. The most important aspect in a game is that failure must feel like something the player is doing wrong and that the game isn't being cheap and just killing him unaware. That's what trial and error is - being killed for something the game does not explain.

In the case of Sonic Unleashed, that boils down to how confident you are in your own reflexes. The game does its best to warn you before there's danger - it's up to how fast you can react on whether or not you can avoid the hazard.

Thus, how much trial and error Sonic Unleashed features is dependent on who happens to be playing. Personally, I didn't find it to have tons of trial and error.

 

Ya know, I'm totally willing to agree that M. Sonic's GHZ is basically just a Sonic Unleashed level with a GHZ skin, but you know what? I'm still grinning every time I see that level. It's the perfect mix of nostalgia and just awesome, because my GHZ from Sonic 1 didn't have giant ass fish chasing you, backgrounds that made it looks like you were running right along the edge of a waterfall comparable to the Niagara falls, or dark caves with water below. In fact even classic Sonic's GHZ looks almost entirely like a new zone. I mean if it didn't have the checkered walls, or it looked more like planet wisp, would one even be able to tell that it was GHZ beyond the beginning of the level?

I'm loving the approach they took with this game. They took the two Sonic formulas I love the most, put them together in one game, and make essentially a reimagined best of collection for the 360. There is not one thing about that combination that I'm not loving.

 

THATS WHAT YOUR IMAGINATION IS FOR DUDE.

Well I bet this has already been mentioned, but looking at modern Sonic during the official gameplay trailer made me notice what appears to be realtime GI. Certainly its being faked but holy shit they're beasts with graphics this time around. I think what is driving me the craziest are the shaded waterfalls. They have particle systems matching the shading of the environment. Brb choking on mouth foam.

 

Oh of course, but after so many years of seeing GHZ, whether in Sonic 1, recreated in SA2, or fan interpretations, it's simply so strange to see it modernized in this way

 

So we might have an idea of some of the stages coming out thanks to these *cough* very "random" selection of enemy figures and characters, both modern and classic, being put on the market.






Sonic 1 - classic Sonic & Moto Bug
Sonic CD - classic Amy (2 pack with Sonic)
Sonic 2 - classic Tails & Grabber
Sonic 3 - classic Knuckles & ???
Sonic & Knuckles - classic Robotnik & EggRobo
Sonic Adventure - modern Sonic and Spinner
Sonic Adventure 2 - Shadow and GUN Beetle
Sonic Heroes - modern Knuckles and Egg Pawn
Sonic '06 - Silver and Iblis Biter (fire dog)
Sonic Unleashed - modern Eggman and Egg Fighter
Sonic Colors - modern Tails and Sandworm

This might have nothing to do with anything but something seems SUSPICIOUS. Also, they use the Motobug Sonic Generations look and the design of the Grabber (from Chemical Plant) is new.

I somehow feel like they just used random zones to represent them (they used Hydrocity tiles for the 1992 Tails figure with the Grabber) then thanks to where enemies appear in the game I would bet:

Sonic 1- Green Hill Zone (NO DUH, but come on, Classic Sonic with the Generations version of the Motobug even)
Sonic 2- Chemical Plant Zone (the Grabber design is also notably new, HMN)
Sonic 3- ??? (not seen clearly so can't say)
Sonic & Knuckles- Sky Sanctuary (Eggrobo with classic Robotnik hints to it)
Sonic CD- ??? (Classic Amy is included packed with Sonic as well as they are using the CD jump noise and some other inspirations from him)
Sonic Adventure- ??? (Spinners can be found in several stages)
Sonic Adventure 2- ??? (GUN Beatles are found in a lot of stages, but one would guess City Escape)
Sonic Heroes- ??? (Egg Pawns are in every stage and I seriously doubt they're using Seaside Hill. However, those Egg Pawns look updated...)
Sonic 06- Flame Core (it looks likely and the Iblis Biters were prominent there.)
Sonic Unleashed- ??? (Egg Fighters were in every stage of the game.)
Sonic Colors- Asteroid Coaster (those Sand Worms were ONLY found in Asteroid Coaster in Colors)

This is at least my take on it.

 

See, when it comes to complaints about the new Green Hill, my only issue with Classic Sonic's footage is that everything is huge. Seriously, the platforms and scenery make Sonic look like he's been shrunk. Outside of that, I am psyched to see Classic Sonic and some 'old school' gameplay. Of course, I was also psyched for Sonic 4 so... It can still prove me wrong and dash all my hopes.

Modern Sonic looks like more Sonic Unleashed/ Sonic Colours stuff, which I can stomach if they moderate the actual speed he runs at! That was my biggest gripe with those games, Sonic was too fast.

I'm really hoping they don't do a plot that involves the two Sonics being from alternate timelines or dimensions or something. I would truly give up on Sega if that's the case.

The figures seem interesting, but I'll wait to see some actual prototypes for the figures before deciding if I want to buy them - they do confirm Classic Sonic, Tails and Amy, which was to be expected. I can't see a Classic Knuckles though, which I would love to see.

 

I'm hoping they do. Then this thing will really be like Turtles Forever.

 

Silly. Sonic's not smaller. The stages have been enhanced for speed. This improvement helps Classic Sonic fit in with today's modern audience ensuring that they will have more enjoyable and longer lasting experience when progressing through these retro stages.

 

@Chimpo: If they managed to pull off anything as good as Turtles Forever I would be genuinely shocked XD

@Drex: It just plain doesn't look right to me. I mean, even the twisted pathways are at least three times the size they were in the older Sonic titles. Maybe it will help the gameplay but those giant swinging platforms weren't even moving until Sonic got on them, and then the size of them meant it would hardly be a challenge to time and aim your jumps across such things.

 

I agree. If it was just cosmetics I would say that most of it just needs some tweaking, but when it gets to the point of effecting game play in such an obvious way they should reconsider how to handle the proportions

(then again if Classic WAS bigger that'd mean Modern would have to grow accordingly making him feel cramped during his gameplay. Or they could just ignore the size difference between the two altogether during gameplay. I don't know)

 

Alright, I would like to humbly request that someone kindly enlighten the ignorant white boy... just what the fuck is this Anis-whatsit Filtering thing that people keep bringing up in response to screenshots?

As for the size thingamajig we're dancin' here: I only see Sonic as looking overly big in relation to a few specific objects. The corkscrew is fucking massive. One or two of the platforms are a bit fatter than I'm used to seeing. The circular chain-links on the swinging platforms are a bit big. Apart from that, everything looks fine, it's mostly the far-out camera angle that makes Classic Sonic look so small combined with those few oversized objects combining to emphasize the effect. Sonic looks smaller, objects look bigger, honey we shrunk the hedgehog through sheer optical illusion power.

Less about aim and more about making sure the platform is were Sonic needs it to be regardless of when he gets to it, I suppose.

 

A wild GOOGIPEDIA appeared!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anisotropic_filtering