Sonic Forces Thread

So if you jump at the right time at the end of the Double Boost in Stage 24, you miss the rail you're supposed to end up on and fly for eternity :v: Decided to record it in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKU8QmhUMHQ

 

Well, I just finished it. I admit, I have been surprised by the characterization and the general tone - it has been handled quite well. But holy fuck - what is going on with the controls and the physics? It is absolute dog shit. I could list the other problems this game has, but for me they are the biggest issues this game has.

I guess at the end of the day, it's just so mundane, so painfully average to play.

 

Who would have thought in a million years IGN would be the one to score on the high end of a mediocre Sonic game. I've read some fair reviews from this woman, she's a decent reviewer. Just glad it wasn't Hilary Fucking Goldstein.

Seriously though, most of us already know this but when it comes to Sonic games, I'd prefer a review from a down to earth Sonic veteran rather than these uninformed "professional" game critics. And what do you know? Here's just that:

SomeCallMeJohhny: Johnny VS: Sonic Forces

I'd love to see you post some more on these forums, man. Your input is always much appreciated!

 

Am I the only one pissed off with the lack of Chaos? It was one of the few things I was interested in seeing, since he hasn't been in a mainline Sonic title since 1998, and well, he's basically not in.

Just watched a playthrough of the game (because I'm not buying it). The game doesn't actually look bad, just very underwhelming and basic. The levels are absolutely tiny, and when it looks like something interesting is going to happen, like in Modern's Death Egg, the level is over.

I think the plot also feels really rushed and underproduced. Like they are moving it along far too quickly. Sonic's in prison, gets tortured, and there's no payoff for that. He's out of prison before we know it. Same for other elements, like Sonic becoming powerful enough to fight Infinite, that happens really quickly considering he got annihilated by him just before. The game's tonally deaf too. Sonic doesn't act like he's been tortured, Tails doesn't act like he's lost it because of Sonic's disappearance etc. The plot just clashes so much with the game's dialogue and characters.

And the thing is, I actually do like some of the stuff the game's going for. Like most people, I like the idea of taking land back from a victorious Eggman (but the whole military theme is baffling and out of place). But I also like the idea of Infinite. Someone who's not particularly powerful but uses illusions to fuck with people's minds. And while a lot of people (justifiably) laugh at his origins in Episode Shadow, I think it would have been really interesting if it was done properly. He's the only Sonic villain they've tried to give a backstory for, and a minor villain who gets defeated badly by Sonic/Shadow wanting revenge is a pretty decent origin story, especially with the tragedy of him selling his soul for his revenge. But it's done in a really ham-fisted way in Episode Shadow, and it's basically never brought up in Forces.

 

Knuckles pls start operation *momentum-based-gameplay is not overrated* Kudos to the the english voice cast whose lines seem to have benefited from being at the events, saying hi to the fans, etc. Apropos, the character-dialogue is either genius or really fucking stupid.

 

And the main reason isn't usually the plot, why would you say that? By the way, Greg's quite right; I think Sonic Team doesn't get the difference between canon and cannon, because they're always bombing their franchise but not making a coherent plot through it.

Well, all in all, Super Emeralds and Hyper forms were some kind of a bonus difficult to repeat or scalate in other games, specially in the 3D ones. It's easier to say they're still Chaos Emeralds, and leave the bonus they give on its basic level, so, plot-wise, they regained their true form and that stuff, but, game-wise, they won't do nothing special they didn't do before.

 

Sonic 4 has better controls than this game

 

That's actually true. I can admit that and I actually like this game.

Yet I still think this game is more fun than Sonic 4. Idk why.

 

Honeymoon period. Give the game half a year and see how you feel about it then.

 

Ironically this game seems much more visually detailed and interesting to me than Sonic 4. Maybe that adds to the 'fun' experience? I don't think I'll ever play Forces, but the sense of spectacle within each level seems to give a bit more life to things (which sadly makes the reportedly bland gameplay stick out even worse).

 

That's definitely part of it. Maybe the variety too. But I'm not sure, I think this game is around Lost World quality and I found that game more fun than Sonic 4 too. Even after all this time.

Sonic 4 controlled a smidge better but I think it's more boring at the end of the day.

Anyway, I've S ranked everything outside 1 Shadow level and I've collected all the red rings. Still having fun.

I'm surprised too :v:

 

I have played sonic 4 earlier this year so it's still pretty fresh for me and no, it doesn't play better than this game. Sonic 4 feels like sludge, but this game feels like wet floor.

 

Just poking fun.
Also I'm one of those weirdos who pays attention to the story and overall continuity.
I cannot wait for the IDW comic so Ian Flynn can deliver his usual magic to the community.
Until then, all I have is the games.

 

I'm too lazy to type up this analogy, so let me upload a conversation that I had with a friend on FB about it, last night.




Pretty much how I feel. You know you have a problem when Sonic Colors and Generations have longer levels than you.

Also Steak Forces should be a thing.


(Why can't I use imgur? Had to log into my old photobucket to post that, smh)

 

Johnny is always welcome to swing by if he wants now that he's no longer in Pending Limbo. but he's also very busy so I can understand he doesn't go forum surfing as much. hopefully when SHC comes around we'll see him more.

 

I'm not saying we shouldn't be interested in story, I myself pay attention to it, but it shouldn't be the main thing in a Sonic game, specially when it's almost the last one for its developers. Either way, doesn't seem good enough this time, even if compared with the ones of its kind like SA2 and ShadowTH. Well, maybe better than ShadowTH's plot, but that had some alternate plots to compensate for it.

 

I feel the same way, actually. Which, reviewish rant incoming.

The visuals in this game are everything I ever wanted from a 3D sonic, and the soundtrack, at least for the Adventure Sonic/Avatar levels is fucking amazing. Voice acting, at least in Japanese (yeah I'm a weeb, deal with) was fucking spectacular especially when compared to the earlier Adventure titles. I loved Infinte's voice. The plot reminds me a bit of if SatAM had a conclusion except freedom fighters were replaced by the normal Sonic cast and it wasn't a years long comic series. The banter between Sonic and Infinite is pretty much what I would expect from a Sonic story and was really something I feel was missing from the Sonic titles. Levels are something I've heard a lot of complaints about, but to me they were one of the things I liked. They follow the old formula of having a fast lane and a couple of slow lanes if you fuck up on the fast lane. Some obstacles are even set up so a fast playthrough will be able to pass them in a cool way. Even the 3D/2D transitions weren't as jarring as I felt they were in Generations, but maybe that was just me. I thought I would miss the lives mechanic but they set it up in a way where infinite lives only helps you beat the game, but not do the game's challenges which is something I approve of. Also I am so fucking grateful homing attack is no longer the iwin button.

The main glaring problem this game has is that the controls don't always respond as they should (for instance, not being able to cancel out of a void gun fire or lightning randomly taking you in an opposite direction, or Sonic not always jumping the way I want him to in an "on rails" speed segment. I also really hate where momentum slows down for no apparent reason. I do like that they allow the player to properly lose momentum when not doing things to stay fast, but some places you lose it for no damn reason at all. The thing here is I am used to crap controls from 3D Sonic titles. While you can argue the minutia of what is wrong with them compared to other titles, but the fact is I am fucking used to it from 3D Sonic games. The absence of wonky controls is exactly why Mania is so much better. Playing as Sonic feels right in Mania. Here it is just kind of is just another buggy mess in a slightly different way.

In the end I honestly don't understand the hate this game is getting, and I have gone out of my way to complete everything except episode Shadow's side challenges and the daily quest achievement. I really enjoyed playing this game for all it was worth. I loved making my most reasonable facsimile of Shit Glove the Hedgehog, and afterward a fun array of avatars including a bumper spring themed cat girl. I loved all the aesthetics, with my favorite being the new Metropolis Zone (which is weird because that was my least favorite S2 level). I had a lot of fun raging at the game trying to beat some of the time trials. I just wish the controls were better and the physics were more precise, and hey at least I didn't ever fall through the fucking level for no apparent reason so Sega has at least improved that since early on. Also for whatever reason this game was more engaging to me than Generations. I never felt compelled in Generations to do more than just beat the levels. Maybe it is the aesthetics. Maybe it is the way challenges are set up. Maybe it is collecting customization pieces. I'm not sure, but I loved this game.

If they fixed the controls it would be almost perfect. If only they brought back the Chao garden this would completely be the Sonic 3D game for me.

 

Also, I haven't seen many people mention this, probably because the gameplay is more important to talk about, but I can't help but feel that the lyrical songs for the Avatar levels are just absurdly tonally incoherent with the rest of the game (not that the plot isn't absurdly incoherent tonally on its own). They honestly feel like they were written for an entirely different game, and when placed in context of the plot they are nonsensically melodramatic to the point of being just plain silly. Take Aqua Road for instance:

Moonlight all around (My eyes are shining)
Shadows on the ground (My mind is flying)
Will there ever be an end? (There's no dividing)
Forever running from this lunacy
Moonlight coming down (My hope igniting)
Beaming through the clouds (My thoughts colliding)
Will we never see the end? (Just keep surviving)
Forever searching for my destiny (loop begin)
Battlefield... Illuminated...
What will be when it's over? Can you see?

I mean, hell, I like the song but why on earth is it so melodramatic and melancholy when the actual plot is nowhere near strong enough to support these lyrics? Instead of coming off as cool and provoking, they just come off as comically incongruous with the actual plot of the game.

 

I'm enjoying the game so far, but my main complaint, assuming that I'm right about 'Eggman Empire Fortress' being the last area - far to short. There is only seven "zones", and not a huge variety between the tropes used here.