There's some pieces that I really, really love (WH, DR, FF zones) but others just seems pretty forgettable. I'm used to finding the the pieces in Sonic soundtracks range from good to amazing, but this time it's more like passable to amazing. It's like Ohtani was spread a bit thin doing the entire soundtrack, but that's not to say that the end result wasn't really good all in all.
Retro Review is up for Wii U. I sat around for a bit after watching the credits roll and playing two of the extra world's... "levels", for lack of a better term to let things sink in. It was fun, though I do hope Sonic Team fine tunes the gameplay some more.
The Retro review (and my experience of 'Modern' Sonic) confirms my suspicions. I got to play the Wii U version of the game last month, and I assumed I was moving along so slowly due to me not knowing the controls, I just assumed there was a button to hold in or something. The games looks gorgeous but is the gameplay there? The review indicates no. Anyway. Its clear to me SEGA need to pull some of their Modern Sonic resources and put them back into the Classic franchise. The original Sonic games were all about being the best in their class. Games that were up there as among the very best that their console generation had to offer. Can this be said about any 'modern' Sonic game? No. SEGA need a complete reset of the series, a period of focused reflection, and ultimately pick up where they left off with the original Megadrive series. Get in guys who knows exactly how the originals worked, get in guys who worked on the originals, if they'll come, and of course get in Taxman. By all means develop Modern Sonic alongside it, but use a lot less of the resources on it, bringing out a new game when the resources allow. SEGA, its time to give the fans what they want. If for no other reason than giving the fans what they want, in any area of entertainment, results in Money. Rolling. In.
On the subject of game length I maintain that alternate characters would fix that. So long as the game is designed like S3&K where different characters have their own sections or ways to navigate stages and they all play similarly. You increase replayability along in addition to shit like red rings and time attacking. But since people hate Sonic characters for the wrong reasons and the bigwigs at Sonic Team are terrified of ever making anyone but Sonic relevant again, it will continue to not happen. Instead they'll make something like Lost World, where you play only as Sonic doing a bunch of stupid unSonic things via the level gimmicks in the act. But is ok because its only Sonic doing those stupid things instead of shitty friends!
That's what is really irking me the most about the Sonic-only thing, they're shoehorning lots of weird gimmicks on him that don't make much sense. He's not free to be himself when he also has to fill in some missing roles too. Extra characters would even open doors to wisps, since their behavior could be different depending on the character, but we're not seeing that happen.
Oh, well of course! I could've told you that much... at least, about Generations. It's another thing I like about the modern stages. Because there's so much going on in them, I can keep discovering new things with each subsequent playthrough. That's part of what makes them fun for more than one time, and I think it's bullshit that so many people complained about Generations being "too short". That's like complaining that Starfox 64 is too short, as if you're only supposed to play it once and you've seen it all. I think replayability is the absolute MOST IMPORTANT element of any game. Anyhow... on to Frozen Factory, heheh. Wish me luck. Heh, you've just made me remember something... so many times over the years, people would comment on my Unleashed review and "counter" my criticism of the daytime stages by saying that they're "fun". They just couldn't grasp that what they find fun can't be applied to everyone, and there needs to be more too a game than that, and I basically had to tell them what you said at the beginning of your reply post.... over and over and over again. Ah, yes, Sonic 3K... that's my favorite 2D Sonic game of all, and for the reasons you stated. The platforming and thrills (and even exploration elements) were so seamlessly blended together, so perfectly balanced (most of the time, anyway), that it was a fast PACED sort of game in which crazy new things were constantly happening, and it was great. Honestly, I think Sonic's gameplay style in Sonic Adventure 1 was the closest they ever came to bringing that feel into the 3rd dimension. Sonic was pretty fast, but not TOO fast. There was a ton of platforming, and a good amount of space to roam around in, at least some of the time, in stages like Twinkle Park. I am sad they abandoned that gameplay style following 06, but it was good for a first try... if not their most faithful attempt.
I beat Frozen Factory, after many a game over. Frozen Factory 2.... what a lives drainer. Oh no, it wasn't being a snowball that got me killed. See, I've played the shit out of Super Monkey Ball 2 and, well, this wasn't that different, at least to me. So everyone who complains that this stage is sooooo hard because Sonic is so uncontrollable or whatever, pfffffft. What really got me in this stage were those bullies from that lava level in Mario 64. You know, the ones you have a big dick contest with to ram each other off the platform. Yeah, what WERE those guys doing here? Oh right.... Mario influences. The level itself was fairly easy up to the point where the really big dudes were all over the place. Most of my deaths in act four weren't so much due to the level itself, but more or less me EXPECTING something bad to happen because the ice physics were so unweildly that my mind was playing tricks on me and I was essentially fighting the game and getting myself killed in places that should've been, and pretty much are, EASY to beat. I'll admit, there were many points that just made me go..... nnnnnnngggggghhhhhhh...... Is the worst behind me?
Spoiler No not really. Brace yourself for more bullshit, although your milage may vary on what you consider bullshit (Oddly enough in both the 3DS and Wii U version, Sky Road and Lava Mountain were both easier to me than Frozen Factory or Silent Forest). But yea, you still have Silent Forest Act 2's spot light, Silent Forest Act 3's slippery version of Windy Hill Act 3 which suckkkssss, Silent Forest Act 4's occasionally awkward jumps, Sky Road Act 2's collapsing platforms over nothing, Sky Road Act 4 in general although not so bad for me, Lava Mountain Act 2... all of it (Another rail grinding level but with insta deaths. Have fun), and depending on your tastes, Lava Mountain Act 3. Important note, the Rhythm wisp is never mandatory, consider not using it as it can really trip you up in Silent Forest Act 2. I suggest you go life farming. There's a bonus act in Sky Road that's great for that, but since you aren't there yet I'd go to Tropical Coast Act 1 and take the lives in the clouds. One thing that's good about this game is that for better or for worse (usually for better), when you quit a level you exit with the same amount of lives you had when you entered it. So if you have like 25 lives going into a level you know is going to be tough or a level where you're hunting for red rings and you only have 1 life left, just quit the level and get 25 lives back rather than 5. Oh and I beat the 3DS version (all 7 emeralds and a run through of the levels, haven't S ranked them yet, that's gonna take a while, same with the red rings... I'll get to it eventually, and don't get me started on that hard mode jesus christ). Verdict? Fuck off Dimps. 10 minute long levels sucked in Heroes but at least I saw where the hell I was going in that game and Heroes didn't shoehorn in awful motion controls. You could have made the Special Stages and the Rock Mushroom Wisp use the control pad but nooooooo, just awkwardly move the thing around because that's what I want to do when playing my games, look like a jackass waving my gameboy around. And I already mentioned it but cannot emphasize this enough. ZOOM OUT THE FUCKING CAMERA! Who the fuck looked at that and decided "You know, I think Sonic taking up 1/4 of the screen is a-ok."
Oh man those yeti monster guys are a bitch. I caught Mel streaming when trying to get the red rings for that act. Many a rage quit was had over those. Aha ahahahahahah HAHAHAHHAHAHAHA It only goes downhill from there. Prepare your anus for Sky Road and Lava Mountain, with a sprinkle of bullshit from Silent Forest.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqMtuAZooj8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1iwGjyN6MY Plus Mel shows us a working supersonic snowball in Frozen Factory Zone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPuj0F5glR0 And he encounters the "shadow running into invisible wall" glitch in 1 of the mach speed segments: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vODt418c9r4
So, I'm on Lava Mountain Act 1. That level is so atrocious it makes me just not want to keep playing the game. Since I've basically completed the game in terms of levels. Wow, this game is such a disappointment. I would say it's a below average game. The level design is awful in some cases, and the controls certainly don't help either. I don't think I've ever gotten so frustrated with a Sonic game before. This game is frustrating for all the wrong reasons. It's cheap level design, instant death traps you don't see coming, it's lack of view for you to see hazards at parts. It's just awful. Like, in Lava Mountain Act 1, when the fat Zeti shows up, and the lava appears at the top of the planet. Sometimes I'll be running fast because I need to get rings and the game won't show me the lava is ahead and I'll fall into it, without knowing it was there. There's just so much wrong with the game. The gyro controls for the Wisps is the worst. It seems like they never work at all. It wouldn't be so bad if you could control them with the analog stick like with the Drill Wisp, but you can't. Silent Forest, Frozen Factory, and Sky Road seem to have more bad Acts than good. So it's just really hard to want to keep playing the game when it's mostly garbage. I honestly thought IGN and Gamespot's scores were probably wrong, but I think they're pretty close to how the game should be scored at. I'm glad I was cautiously optimistic about this game. If I was just excited, I'd feel more let down by Sonic Team. This is such a huge drop in quality from Generations that it's not even funny. Hopefully they realize they made such an awful game and make the next one better.
Your really going to take the IGN "I don't know how to Sonic!" and Gamespot "Imma gon turn around in the opposite direction on a falling pathway for luls" reviews seriously?
Gamespot and IGN gave it a 5 and a 5.8 for the Wii U respectively. I might give Lost World a 6 or a 6.5, but I'd say the scores they gave Lost World are fair. Which I specifically state in my post. I don't say "review" I say "score".
You know it's fun when you're trying to show a friend some later levels because he got fed up with the jungle level, so you go to show him Lava Mountain 2 and how bullshit it is, but wind up dominating through the level while putting on quite a show. Still can't get horizontal wall running to work.
The so-called 'parkour' in this game is little more than the triangle jump from ShTH and ledge grabbing from ShTH/SA2. It's naff, and terribly explained to boot. To wall run horizontally, edge gently toward the wall as you're running and Sonic will latch on. Perform a quick spindash to get some speed and height. The exact same applies when you're jumping. If you turn to sharply into the wall, you'll run up it instead. It's rather finicky.
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time has much less finicky parkour mechanics, and much better explained (granted, I haven't played Lost World yet), you'd have to really suck in order to do the wrong kind of wall vault in that game. That, and that game's platforming was more than just vaulting up walls and wall-running. If there was any game that Sonic Team should have been taking notes from, it was that game.
So as expected, the people who screamed at me for not liking the game from previews alone bought the game and got a humble pie to the face. I'm waiting until the next game. This game is definitely an easy 'not playing' from me--I prefer not to torture myself, thanks. :p
I'll probably skip this one too. I don't have a Wii U right now, but even if I had one, I'd rather wait for the Sonic game that does refine the mechanics for this new formula. Sonic Team needs to learn that you should either stick with what works, or get your new formula right on the first try. I'm not going to support a game that's nothing more than "next game" material. The worst part is I can't even rent the game due to the lack of a Wii U. No one seems to be able to come to a general consensus of just what the main problem with the game is. Is it the parkour controls, the gimmick levels, or the level design? We know it's not the music, we know it's not the visuals, and we know it's not even the story. From what I have watched, the game has charm, but so did Unleashed, a game that was also nothing more than "next game" material. So what should be done now? I'm sure we agree that the gimmick stages need to go unless they are done so infrequently that the core gameplay still takes up most of the game. I'm also sure that after all of the Mario Galaxy comparisons, Sonic Team will abandon the cylinder and planetoid level designs either in favor of open fields or narrow hallways. So what should be done with the parkour controls? That's the most important question, but I don't have an answer for that because I haven't tried them. I would start by getting rid of the lives system. People would complain less about cheap deaths if the lives system wasn't there, but I'd also find another incentive to not die, such as rewards for keeping a low death count.
From the 3DS version, the problems: Lack of in-depth explanation on how the game mechanics, more specifically Parkour works. Levels TOO long. REALLY long. I can't state any clearer than: I took one hour to finish a zone without and I didn't even die (time up doesn't count!). Bad camera, too zoomed in in some places and in others if you don't press L you'll likelly fall in a pit, specially Sky Road 2. Other than that, there would be no problems, even with the gimmicks, because the main problem is that they are not broken themselves, even if the don't belong to a sonic game, they simply aren't fun because of the bad controls/camera or lack of explanation...
