I loved Sonic R back in the day, got in as part of that Action 4 Pack for PC that I regrettably no longer own... I'd love to see it with new characters, Fang, Big, Shadow, AND Mighty and Ray pls. Also replace the coins with Red Star Rings... the Red Star Rings today already use that sound byte anyways... PS All the courses must start with R... if not, then it isn't legit... in any way. Radical, Radiant, and Reactive are adjectives... don't forget those. Just saiyan...
I want a new Sonic R that's got all the old levels, physics, everything and some new levels added. That's all and I can die happy.
Perhaps I didn't compare Sonic R's controls properly. Sonic R controls characters similarly to how I'd expect a tank to control. The characters are slow and their movements are clunky, things like turning around take forever, and regardless of what you say, turning is awkward. The Boost era games also had car like controls yes, but those felt good and made sense. When Sonic drifts it looks and feels like he's actually drifting, not just leaning slightly and accidentally veering right. When you need to turn around, you just press back and he turns around. The car controls work for the Boost era because it's really fast. Sonic R is not fast. If anything Adventure 1 controls would work wonderfully in Sonic R. I never had a problem with how Adventure 1 or 2 feel (Heroes it's kind of like butter on ice so lets not get into that), I have a problem with everything else in those games. How Sonic handles is the one thing they got kinda right, and for the moderate speed the controls work. If Sonic R 2 was made I would expect that it would control like the Boost era games, hell right down to the boost. I mean I like Sonic R, but mostly due to nostalgia. I don't look back at the game and am like "wow these controls are perfection." A 3 ft tall hedgehog going for a jog should not handle like a 2 ton machine. The Boost era games however needed the car controls, because if it controlled like SA1 but with a boost the game would be unplayable. Speaking of all of this, I would love a Generations Mod that ported the Sonic R maps to the game. Might be fun to play around with.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, don't you dare put words in my mouth, look through my 3,000+ posts and see if you've ever heard me defend any of those. :P Can't stand those controls, or those games for the most part. As far as I'm concerned there are no Sonic games beyond when Sega stopped manufacturing consoles. I'm sure I'm not alone. And to say Sonic R's controls are better than Sonic's handling in the original Adventure makes me think you have some sort of brain injury. Or just haven't played the games. How can this even be argued? Also, for those saying the L/R triggers save the game, maybe you're not aware of the fact that not only are those turns way too sharp but they make you feel like you're sliding out of control. I don't normally say something is *objectively* bad. But there's not a single character in the whole group who can actually turn, at a reasonable speed, like in any other Sonic game, ever, without awkwardly sliding across the screen and just semi-tilting to the side awkwardly for animation. I like Sonic R. I really do. But to say the controls are even *okay* in comparison to Sonic's handling in Adventure 1 has got to be a joke, right? (this is coming from a person who has a NTSC copy on his Saturn and the original PC CD...I guess the only other criticism is that it's way too short. I can finish the entire campaign generally on the second whirl through (since I don't think getting the emeralds count when you have to unlock the other characters, and I think Radical City (or one of them) requires you to do two runs to effectively get both emeralds.) It's 'cause I'm good at the game, but I blow through it in an hour. I guess I blow through Sonic 2 in an hour, too, but I feel like Sonic 2 is just so...meaty, still, somehow.
Yea Sonic R's controls were terrible. But I'd love a new one. But don't base it on boost era gameplay. Contrary to what CMG would have you believe, boosting was not analogous to accelerating with a button. It was a run button, sure, but it drastically changed how you were able to control Sonic. Drifting was the ONLY way to reliably turn. That's all well and good, but if you're going to make a foot race game, make a foot race game. Sonic Adventure 2: Battle did it best, if you ask me, and should serve as the basis of a new Sonic R game.
I'd adore another Sonic R. I've always wondered why Sega stopped putting in a nice in depth 2 player mode in their games after SA2B. Sonic Heroes tried it's best, and can be fun, but the framerate for 2 player mode was garbage.
For the record, I own Sonic Adventure 1 & 2 for my GameCube. If by "original" you mean the Dreamcast version, then no, I haven't played that one. But if the controls are just as bad as the GameCube version, then I'll gladly take Sonic R over that anyday. Everytime I give Sonic Adventure another chance to color me impressed, it always dissapoints. Can't last the first stage without wanting to shut off the console because sonic handling so piss poorly (at least thats the main reason... theres plenty of other reasons why I put Sonic R on a higher mantle than Sonic Adventure)
Most games after didn't have 2 different playable characters. The handheld games often included it however. Liking your sig by the way. :D
Normally I don't say this, but you're wrong. Usually said words are only saved for people who say Sonic 06 is a good game. But I'll be damned I had to go pull out all the stops there.
I swear the controls on the PC version are a lot better; I've played both it and the Saturn version and the handling in the Saturn version is slippery and confusing. I mean I don't see a whole lot of reasons to play the Saturn version in the first place since the PC version almost completely supercedes it.
Picked up Retro Gamer magazine for a more in-depth look at the Making of Sonic R article. Originally designed as F1 3D for the Saturn before Sega requested it be retooled as a Sonic game in order to rush it out as they already planned a marketing strategy for a Sonic title. It was initially called Sonic TT (as in Tourist Trophy - but also as a subtle reference to Travelers Tales) before Sega of Europe retitled it Sonic R. The soundtrack was a late suggestion by Naka.
Is the article available online? I thought Sonic R was developed after TT developed a purposeless 3D engine for the Saturn.
The AI is far more difficult in the Saturn version, which that, paired with the controls, makes the game much harder. In some instances the AI is better though. In the PC port of Sonic R, characters can get reallllllyyyy screwed up in Reactive Factory.
Jon Burton specifically names the engine as being intended for a F1 game on Saturn, all that was built was a McLaren Mercedes, a test track and a basic AI routine before the work was shifted to Sonic R.
I heard the Saturn version has Reverse Race in some other modes such as Versus (it's only in Time Attack in the PC/Gems version). Is this true? And of course Saturn Radiant Emerald has that cool transparency effect.
Case in point.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aUUU5xd_A4#t=29m04 "What the hell is he doing?" "HOW COULD I LOSE?!"
Can't really vouch for the difference between the Saturn and PC AI, but what I remember the most is how much of a freaking cheater Metal Knuckles was in Reactive Factory in the race to unlock him in the PC version. Taking that hard right on the pit, bypassing the loop. I don't even know how many times I played that race before I realized what he was doing. Now I always take that shortcut. I was 9, so in hindsight it really wasn't that difficult, but that's just what I associate most with the game. Cheating Metal Knuckles.
