Regarding the low review scores... look, the way Kirby's Return to Dreamland has been received has really taught me something about the modern mainstream game reviewers. The vast majority of them praised the gameplay and nostalgia, but compared the game very unfavorably to, of all things, Kirby's Epic Yarn. They said that RtD was lacking in originality compared to the Kirby spinoff games like Mass Attack and whatnot, implying that it's just not enough for a game to be a good platformer nowadays.
Action platformers -- Sonic games -- are my favorite genre to this day. But among the reviewers (and, I'd assume, a large subset of the younger gaming crowd), it's seen as outdated and old just by the virtue of its genre. And most of those reviewers, especially here in America, might not be nearly as nostalgic for Sonic as they are for Mario (whose NSMB games have gotten really favorable scores in spite of being retro throwbacks). So while I'd like to see it getting 9s, and for me personally it'll probably be UnendingOrgasm/10, that its getting mostly 8s is a great indication of how awesome it is.
While I agree with what you are stating, Sonic Generations is not like Kirby, Mario, Donkey Kong, et cetera. It is mixed Classic and Modern, and the Classic is not done right. You cannot fully compare the two types and say 'Where is the 9?!'. Sonic Generations is a weird hybrid, 'best-of' collection - Unleashed mixed with Sonic 4.
Ayu Tsukimiya, on 31 October 2011 - 05:47 PM, said:
Vangar, on 31 October 2011 - 05:42 PM, said:
Polygon Jim, on 31 October 2011 - 01:00 PM, said:
*Amy's Rapeface*
Never fear, Amy Rose is here...
Did you rip that out of Generations already?!
Well done.
That reminds me, what are the chances of SEGA adding some other characters to be playable via DLC in the future?
I doubt they'd add in more playable characters, considering they only wanted two (one?) characters (character?) to be played in it. Maybe in a mission or two, but for the whole game? I don't think so.
These problems aren't game-breaking, though, and Generations smartly lets the player choose the levels they'd like to take on. While some of them are mandatory for progress, those who aren't keen on revisiting Knuckles' treasure hunts (to make an obvious example) can avoid them entirely -- though finishing any stage yields points which can be spent on various unlockables and skill upgrades for Sonic. There's a great deal of game here, which speaks to just how smart Sega is in iterating on a small collection of stages, rather than going the usual route of wasting valuable HD assets on a series of sprawling (and typically unplayable) levels for Sonic to get lost in. If the inevitable sequel to Generations offers the same refinements Sonic 2 brought to the original Sonic the Hedgehog, Sega's blue rodent might just completely emerge from the pit of embarrassment he slowly dug for himself throughout the '00s.
Woo, just got off the phone with Gamestop; since tonight is the midnight release for the new Uncharted, they said it's cool if I came in and picked up Generations. Midnight, here I come!
This post has been edited by Ashram: 31 October 2011 - 09:11 PM
since tonight is the midnight release for the new Assassin's Creed,
wat
Anyway, I never understood all the complaining about bottomless pits; honestly, in no Sonic game have they ever really been a problem for me. It's always been exceedingly obvious where bottomless pits are.
And the talk of control being taken away always makes it sound like their controller is literally taken away and suddenly thrust into their face when they can control Sonic again. Is it hard to hold onto the controls through a scripted scene?
This post has been edited by KittenBurglar: 31 October 2011 - 07:53 PM
Lets be clear on the final cutscene, where Tails calls classic Eggman Robotnik. He says:
"Nobody calls me that anymore *waves hand, like brushing it off*. If you would be so kind as to explain, gentleman genius Dr. Eggman From The Future."
They aren't trying to make out like it's a bad thing, and they aren't trying to hide the fact he was called Robotnik in the western world. They added it in there for us, the classic hardcore fans, as a joke. He's saying no one calls him that anymore because no one does in modern games...
1) Modern Eggman must have told him it's a better name and he gets called that in the future.
2) don't take it so seriously.
He doesn't put emphasis on it, he doesn't get angry.
Thanks.
Spoiler
Basically, Dr. Robotnik became Dr. Eggman BECAUSE Dr. Eggman from the future came back in time and told Dr. Robotnik to change his name to Dr. Eggman. BEST ONTOLOGICAL PARADOX EVER
Spoiler
This could be the best thing to come out of Sonic Generations yet
KittenBurglar, on 31 October 2011 - 07:51 PM, said:
Anyway, I never understood all the complaining about bottomless pits; honestly, in no Sonic game have they ever really been a problem for me. It's always been exceedingly obvious where bottomless pits are.
Bottomless pits are fine to me because they're pretty obvious. Inescapable spike pits while super, those are problems.
Turns out there's no gamestops in Alberta (and thusly Calgary) big enough to do any midnight releases (They're all outlets in malls and stuff) so I have to wait until tomorrow morning to go grab it myself.
Lets be clear on the final cutscene, where Tails calls classic Eggman Robotnik. He says:
"Nobody calls me that anymore *waves hand, like brushing it off*. If you would be so kind as to explain, gentleman genius Dr. Eggman From The Future."
They aren't trying to make out like it's a bad thing, and they aren't trying to hide the fact he was called Robotnik in the western world. They added it in there for us, the classic hardcore fans, as a joke. He's saying no one calls him that anymore because no one does in modern games...
1) Modern Eggman must have told him it's a better name and he gets called that in the future.
2) don't take it so seriously.
He doesn't put emphasis on it, he doesn't get angry.
Thanks.
Spoiler
He just don't care really, he calls his future self (which is still him) Eggman and his future self refer him as "Eggman of the Past" and he says nothing, in fact he shows to be very happy to work with a "him" from the future.
You might say the structure of the "Japanese script"/"What Sega Wanted" didn't let to have more freedom.
The thing is, while I love the name Dr. Eggman personally, it was a big mistake "change" a well established localization name (Robotnik) in Adventure, whatever the reasons were at the time (Help localization, use the intended name made by the original creators, whatever...)
Other mistake was how they handled it, Dr. Eggman is a very egocentric character and very proud of him self and never lose a chance to plaster his mark on the world. Inserting his original name in the continuity making him "hate" this name was another big mistake for these reasons. An password used in the Egg Carrier was a name he didn't like? And he use the Egg moniker in everything? Of course contradictions were bound to happen.
Adventure 2 is a little better with this, but not as good.
Also people saying he refered himself as "Robotnik" since the beginning is kinda incorrect... well because he didn't talk. :P And speaking of in-game references, from stuff that it slipped and other stuff they localized properly at the time, we got a melting pot that use both names, so yeah.... Generations's scene it's more of "Little Continuity Nod for you guys, thanks for being a fan" than a statement of "IT'S THIS NAME ACCEPT IT".
This post has been edited by MastaSys: 31 October 2011 - 09:12 PM
n00neimp0rtant, on 31 October 2011 - 09:46 AM, said:
Still in disbelief that they chose Seaside Hill over Casino Park or BINGO Highway.
Except Casino Park and BINGO Highway were utter shit. Not to mention, they would've had to implement rolling for modern Sonic. And it'd make the Casino Night DLC redundant. Although, I guess with new layouts and only the VISUAL design from those levels, it could've been great.
Mystic Mansion, on the other hand, would've been a great choice, as it's pretty much unlike any other level in ANY game in the series, and one of the most memorable of Sonic Heroes if only for its habit of becoming upside-down.