Honestly if it weren't for the infamous preconceptions about the fanbase's terrible OCs, this wouldn't even be considered so "autistic". Customization and player-defined character roles are a popular thing nowadays, the fact that it's so different for Sonic because it's Sonic is, in and of itself, a retarded concept given that there really isn't any reasoning for it in the eyes of the mainstream consumer.
Gameplay-wise this doesn't just look like them reinventing the wheel again though. It looks more like an evolution of the gameplay in Sonic Colours. For once they seem to be actually reiterating on a previous game while trying to make meaningful changes to the formula.
Why is it ok for dragonball to do this and as soon sonic has the same thing, it's garbage. Cinossu Edit: Let's stop using autistic as a synonym for stupid or similar wording, yeah? Yeah.
That's fair. I would have rather have just had them refine the Sonic gameplay instead though. Or just add Tails/Knuckles/anyone that isn't a fan character. Also I thought the music sounded terrible.
We're ashamed of our own fanbase and what it's known for. Same reason furries hate their own fanbase.
Been seeing this a lot today. It's a pretty apples to oranges comparison in the long run, like saying "WHY IS CHECKING SOMEONE INTO A WALL OKAY IN HOCKEY BUT NOT BASEBALL?? THEY'RE BOTH SPORTS!" Couple things to keep in mind: 1) These games are intended for a younger audience and this is probably something they'll eat up. For all the hell Sonic OCs get for being dumb (which they are,) most folks that have 'em are younger kids. Having a platform to make that character "real" would be pretty exciting (even if it's limited.) 2) This is a goofy and dumb. I know it. You know it. Everyone knows it. The sooner you can accept that fact and see it as dumb and goofy, the easier it'll be for you to enjoy. It's rare a game can actually circle back around and pull a "so bad, it's good," but this seems like it could be it. Plus the gameplay looks kinda fun in all honesty (sans Classic of course, but that's another topic.) And lastly, to those saying "THIS IS IT, I QUIT." Take a breather, head outside, have a change of pace. Then, we'll see you next game.
Honestly, the whole entire thing likely can mostly be boiled down to most people getting uncomfy with the OC maker because we all remember the furry and DA part of the fandom and get upset at the idea of such becoming a big thing in a main Sonic title. We all know such exists lads, no need to keep beating a ded horse. When even Deviantart themselves is now taking the piss about this, I think it's safe to say that It's alright to relax and have some dumb fun with it. :v:
It will be interesting to see. In my opinion Forces felt like it lost its identity a long time ago. I would hear people compare Forces to other modern titles. So The custom character will be the thing that makes it unique in the series. I like the gadget thing it has going but I do not think its enough to keep my attention. I was surprised the custom character received a lot of negative feedback though. Like ancara said with the stigma of deviant art and memes about original characters is probably doing a lot to it. I would like to see how fast the hype for this custom character last before it dies down. I am also curious if this will become the norm for Sonic games. I also hope they do dlc stuff for it but who knows. There is definitely a lot they can do with it.
The problem is exactly that: This create-a-character (CaC) thing may become successful within a certain demographic (deviantart; tumblr; what have you; etc) and make the franchise steer into a different direction for the next decade. And part of the problem resides in the fact that Sonic, as franchise, still needs to properly perfect its 3D formula - We still haven't had our own "Sonic 64", and as things are, it probably won't happen soon. Also, this CaC thing isn't necessarily a first in videogames: It has already happened before with franchises like Soul Calibur, and in the case of this particular franchise, introducing CaC resulted in having 3 games in a row where developers wasted time and resources in adding costumes, accessories, and needless cosmetic garbage to the games - Resources which could very well had been spent in fine tuning the combat system even further, or introducing new intricate martial arts systems. This is just an example out of the top of my head; there are more. Most of the issue boils down to aesthetics. If you like it, good for you. If you don't, then by all means, voice your distaste with the whole thing. It's futile to try and project an "enraged nerd" imagery for the people expressing distaste with this Sonic Forces CaC shenanigans. This is an online forum, not a circlej*rk - people are here to discuss and exchange ideas about the topics at hand - and it takes literally 5 or so minutes to come up with a comment such as this one, and well, that's the reason why online forums like this one exist: To exchange ideas and opinions. And more often than not, when an opinion becomes the norm - or a meme - it will affect, in one way or the other, the future of a franchise. It has happened before in literature, movies and videogames. And it will keep on happening. Consider the recent example with Star Wars, where the loudest voices expressed such a distaste with the prequels, that it lead to Disney packing a load of "retro" references to The Force Awakens. These are just a bunch of examples, and much more could be said and dissected about how franchises evolve, and how the Internet is shaping communication and feedback between developers and the audience. But I'll leave it at this.
There are a few posts I wanted to respond to directly, but they're buried under the last ~250 posts of Bubsy reactions and I can't be bothered doing so. Thus, here are my thoughts on Forces so far. I don't have a problem with the *idea* of customisable characters, but the execution seems a bit dodgy. The 'original characters' in the trailer really don't look very good in my opinion, but maybe that perception will change once we have a proper idea of how the system will work. It might just be that the customisation allows for very 'busy' designs, whereas I feel Sonic's always worked best with simple and streamlined characters. What genuinely bugs me about this decision is how much wasted potential there is from a 'story' perspective. I saw a theory the other week that the third character was a badass future Tails, and that really appealed to me. I think he would've been a perfect choice as this third gameplay style, and could allow for an arc about him having an independent skill set to Sonic and fighting alongside him rather than in his shadow. (I love Tails, if that wasn't apparent). I've seen a few people say something along the lines of "you classic purists have Mania to look forward to, stop throwing a tantrum because Forces isn't designed to appeal to you". I think that can be dismissed instantly due to the presence of Classic Sonic in the game - they clearly DO want to appeal to classic fans, though not exclusively to them. More importantly, I think even those of us that are excited beyond belief for Mania want the 3D/'Modern' Sonic formula to evolve in a positive direction and to respond to valid criticism in this way is just ridiculous. Generations was a lot of fun, but it shouldn't be accepted as the standard for how Sonic games 'feel' to play. There's still lots of room for improvement and refinement, and that's what a lot of us were hoping to see from Forces. Instead, the Green Hill footage doesn't suggest that the physics have been refined at all, and the level design actually looks markedly worse than Generations. There's also no visible improvement in how Modern Sonic handles or how his levels are designed (I know it's the first level, but I still think it looks boring when compared to Windmill Isle, Tropical Resort and Generations' Green Hill). My favourite 3D Sonic game is Colours by a mile, and part of the reason is because on top of having relatively good level design, it also has a very clear identity. A few brief and relatively non-intrusive gimmicks aside, the entire game focuses on one play-style that is fundamentally enjoyable, though far from perfect (looooots of level design problems throughout). It seemed like it should be the template for 3D Sonic games going forward, but instead we've had disastrous spin-offs and a fractured main series. While not nearly as bad as the Adventure or '06 days, this isn't the direction I want the series to go. Additional player characters (e.g. Tails, Knuckles and Blaze) are a fine idea, but the focus for now really should be on making Sonic feel 'right' in 3D - allowing for more expansive, less scripted levels and more momentum-driven gameplay. I know none of what I'm saying is at all revolutionary, but it's worth mentioning because Forces is not visibly doing any of this. All they've shown us is "It's Generations + 50% self-insert with a grappling hook". This isn't good enough when both existing playstyles are flawed and in need of work. I don't want a Generations 2 that doesn't fix the original's flaws. I want a 3D Sonic game that can compete with 3D Mario for once.Is that too much to ask?
I think by this point, it's clear that it's always been too much to ask. That's why I've resigned to Sonic's fate as something best left in 2D. It makes watching this continual train wreck more fun than anything else. :v:
Of course we aren't. The point is to attack the deviantart aesthetics, which look horrible IMO. Look, I know that when it comes to looks and aesthetics, the bottom line is personal preference, and some people are very, very displeased with this. Especially considering it's been 4 years, and resources that could have been used to correct aspects related with physics and level design weren't put to good use. And I'd be willing to bet that this game's longevity will be about 4 or so hours, like Generations and Unleashed, which will pale in comparison to Mario Odissey, as an example. Not worth the full price in 2017. Since this is part of the 25th anniversary commemoration, many people were indeed expecting a revamp, in both gameplay and core-philosophy, and as you'll undestand, it's a huge letdown to see the final product become something as uninspired and convoluted as this - Not to mention the total lack of confidence in the game and it's direction: I mean, two sonics again!? And DonutSteal the Hedgehog? Why not add a giant pizza monster in a psychological horror themed level, since we're going the "INCLUDE EVERYTHING!" route? Or a hedgehog dating simulator, with inter-species erotica with echidnas?? Since we're going the "relax, it's all relative and dumb fun!" route, might just as well tackle it head on. For me, and many other people, it seems like Sonic Team is making the franchise into a horrible parody of itself. The very least that could be asked of SEGA was for them to - at least - have the same amount of respect that Nintendo has for their own IPs.
I read your post hoping to compare and contrast why it was okay for Xenoverse to do it, because I also hate the comparison and was disappointed you did no such thing.
Yeah I understand where you're coming from. Kinda started to realize how stupid my post was right after I wrote it so eh. I am on the same boat in that I would have greatly preferred to see them refine Classic and Modern more rather than focusing on all of this, but I'd be a broken record at this point as I've said this a few times across the day so far. At this point I just want Mania to come out so we can all actually agree on something for once. :v:
Of all things to reference for helmet options. That's awesome! And seeing as cat is one of the options. I'm probably gonna try and attempt to make a Mobian Felicia. She is inspired by Sonic when you think about it.
I can see some potential for this idea with creating your own character, especially for some Online Ranking/Score*. Especially as some sort of "representation" of player - something like Mii (just far less off-putting than Mii - I personally dislike them), but more oriented to present your "sonic world alter-ego" than presenting "deformed real you" (e.g. Mii). I don't expect something as complex as Spore creature generator though, for obvious reasons. As for Single Player content - I wouldn't expect more than standard solution made for plenty of games with "customizable" character - especially since all those characters will have the same "general" name - it's the same pattern as in, for example, Bound by Flame - in theory you can change character's sex and appearance, even name, but in the end everyone was referring to main character as "Vulcan", there were identical dialogue lines, plot etc. Well, except options for flirting, but that was a minor thing, not especially relevant. I won't be surprized if there'll be the same model. *Which is, as far as I know, not planned for Sonic Forces, or at least it wasn't "revealed" so far.
You people are embarrassing, holy shit. I almost want to permanently leave the community because of this fucking attitude. The gameplay doesn't look too different from what we already have so it's not like they're 'reinventing the wheel' as some of you have tried to imply in order to justify your kneejerk reactions. The rest of the game looks kinda cool so far but we really can't be too positive or negative as we've only seen less than a minute of each character's gameplay, so unless you're diametrically opposed to Boost or Classic gameplay, I don't see much to complain about yet. The character creator... Maybe you're not interested in it as a feature. That's fine. But to throw your fucking toys out the pram and call this a 'dumpster fire'? Come on, you're bigger than that. How does this really affect you? So you have to spend 2 minutes in a create a character mode to play a third gameplay style. Boo-fucking-hoo. If you don't like the look of the game, don't buy it but god damn it don't get so vitriolic in shitting on it. Just play Mania. You know, the game aimed squarely at you? If you remove the context of this being Sonic and the deviantART OCs thing, you really are getting upset over nothing. It's all in your head. Stop thinking of it as 'OCs are canon now' and just think of it as a poxy bloody CAC mode. Like most other games have. Maybe it will have RPG elements. Maybe it won't. We don't fucking know. This is almost as bad as the Sonic 4: Episode 1 thread. Jesus Christ.
Usually with CAC type games the OC that is shown in the trailer is the "canon" look for that said character. In Halo Reach Noble 6 just work the standard Mk. 5 armor in Bungie's trailers and in DB Xenoverse both heroes are wearing some standard of clothing thats selectable, hell the first Xenoverse Time Patroller has figurines made after his trailer look.
@Nova - While I agree with most of your post, I wouldn't put this near the Sonic 4 thread. This game will be polarizing for sure, but look just 2 posts above yours and you'll see someone hyped about making Felica in a Sonic game. There's a good amount of people in this thread who actually want to get their mits on the game.
