While I do agree with this assessment, the press releases also claim that this game has been in development since Forces was released in 2017. That means that about 4 out of the 5 years this will be in development, they've been working on the base mechanics and engine. This could mean both good and bad things so take that as you will, but the fact that 4 years in they haven't shown us much beyond the environments is questionable at best. We know Sonic Team hasn't always been the best when it comes to time management. I'm intrigued by what I've been seeing so far. Open-world Sonic does have potential in my opinion, but it does remain to be seen how well executed it will be in a year's time. Honestly, I would say that it's far too early to say one way or another how it's going to turn out.
Have you ever read any of Flynn's stuff? Because its kind of obvious where his preferences are in terms of storytelling.
I hope to God that this open world isn't just a nondescript mass of scenery that you can't actually navigate without a map. That's what turns me off most open-worlds; you never know where you are or where you're going, you're just going from way-point to way-point. There's no actual exploration. I've just played both Spiderman games PS4/PS5 back to back. They're set in the same map and despite playing both games from start to finish and going through a sizeable amount of the side content in each, I have no idea how to navigate the games at all. All I did all of the time was follow the map. It was dull after a while. BotW breaks that mould wonderfully. You never need the map, you can always tell exactly where your are and where you want to go. From the brief look we got at Frontiers in the trailer, it looks like it actually might have more in common with BotW's map than most other open worlds and I'm all about that. It wasn't a dense mass of scenery, but instead looked like something you could reasonably navigate. It'll be interesting to see how it pans out when we get actual gameplay footage.
I want to circle back to this, we saw no traditional Sonic objects in this footage aside from the end of a rail in one shot. There was a similar thing done for this Forces video, the Sonic staples being removed for environmental pans, so it may be the same case here. (If so, it does further highlight how this environmental layout really doesn't seem to be suited toward Sonic's recent moveset at all...)
Y'know, given how sore they STILL are about it more than five years later, it seems like "Classic Sonic showing up in the Forces debut trailer" really was the equivalent of "Modern Sonic showing up in the Sonic 4 debut trailer" for some proportion of the younger set. I can kind of understand why, because the circumstances weren't that different: The 25th anniversary event went on and on about, "Don't worry Modern Sonic fans, we have something for you, too," (which was already an unhealthy approach to "listening to your fans"), the first 30 seconds of the trailer seemed catered to those srs bzns Adventure-esque tastes, and then, there he was. Like with Sonic 4, it's Sonic Team promoting something that'll appeal to fans in their early 20s who grew up with (what feels to them like) a different Sonic than the one we have now, and then completely missing the point of what they wanted. (And just like with Sonic 4, it's really depressing seeing people hold so much vitriol over a version of Sonic they don't like as much as another version of Sonic.) Spoiler That said, if I see one more post celebrating the absence of Classic Sonic, when the only new stuff Classic fans seem to be getting for the 30th anniversary is a comic book and a cameo in Monkey Ball, I'm going to throw you all into the sun. I didn't think this is where we'd end up after Mania, but what can ya do? If there's one thing fans from the 90s should know by now, it's that the only thing that's for sure about Sonic is that nothing's for sure, haha. More to the point, though! It's funny, and maybe a bit concerning, how the way I feel now is almost EXACTLY how I felt at the equivalent points in Lost World and Forces' promotional cycle, despite all three games going for very different things. That is, I'm hoping for the best, but I'm already seeing too many potential red flags to be as unhingedly hyped about it as I was for Generations or Mania. I think my biggest worry is that the open world focus will mean Frontiers will fail to evoke much of what *I* like about the series (a focus on replay value, varied and distinct zones, twitchy action platforming that gets more spectacular as YOUR skill improves), but will be at least somewhat successful anyway, and thus set a new precedent that means Sonic will CONTINUE to not be what I want. A friend of mine had always adored 3D Zelda games, but felt alienated by Breath of the Wild, then felt even MORE alienated by how successful it was. And I loved Breath of the Wild, too, but I'm afraid I may soon relate to him better. It is, of course way, WAY too early to be casting judgments like that. But I don't know, that's a vibe I'm getting. My first impression is that it really wants to evoke a modern AAA video game, and that's pretty much the last thing I want Sonic to be.
I remember when I cared about modern Sonic being in Sonic 4. Eventually I realized I was just kinda convinced by angry people to be mad about it because it was the easier target to blame for it all than "the art style and physics are terrible and the game/level design is seriously unimaginative". lol Glad classic Sonic is nowhere to be seen in Frontiers or whatever, because it means we're at least gone from an era of meta-conceptual throwback stuff clogging the drain for ten years straight. Back to original things!.... for better or worse. We'll see how well that goes, or how long that lasts.
Figured I would share this here, it's a mockup by Blue Vivacity on twitter. Gives a pretty good idea of how Sonic will fit into the environment.
Lol that HUD looks ridiculous. I am curious to see how Sonic interacts with the environment, because that model has never touched realistic fantasy environments before. The lighting seems very different from anything Forces did btw. Think this is a Hedgehog Engine 2 game? Maybe they just know how to use it more?
Idk, can you imagine their reaction if Modern Sonic was just not in Forces at all? Because 'Modern Sonic' didn't merely show up in the Sonic 4 debut trailer, that was the only Sonic in the game period.
I think any screenshot like that would've brought a lot of minds at ease, even if for just a moment. haha In a best case scenario where this doesn't feel quite like Forces with PSO2 combat tacked on, I dream of something that plays and flows similar to Defunct. That game has both a 'roll' (compress to the ground to go down terrain fast) and a boost move to get across flat/upward terrain, and it feels great when they're used together.
Never had the vitriolic hatred for Classic Sonic that fans had, but seeing him in Forces certainly deflated some hype. Less because of Classic himself, since I loved Mania, but more that I felt he was redundant and just wondered why.
Classic was and is my favorite part of Forces *as a game*, but even I can admit he was a weird fit for the game they were trying to sell. Forces' debut trailer instantly deflated my hype because this apocalyptic environment with Sonic scowling and broken buildings and explosions instantly made me feel like, "Woah, they really aren't making this one for me, are they?" And really, given Mania was already a thing, I could've gotten over that. Then Classic popped up, and my apathy turned to confusion. I'm never NOT gonna be happy to see him, but this was never what he was about. He looked as out-of-place there as... Well, as Modern Sonic does in Sega Hired This Man Zone. :P Still, Sunset Heights grew on me over time, and hopefully this will, too.
Who here is in favor of the use of the 16-bit Sonic sprite in one way shape or form in Frontiers gameplay? Kinda like how the 8-bit Mario sprite was used in the “flat” sections in Odyssey. I mean sure it would be a blatant rip-off but I’d be interested in seeing something like that implemented.. I doubt it will be done though
Waaaaay back when all we had were the leaks, I spoke about an idea to have cyberspace be super trippy with its backgrounds and stuff, so I think using the original Sonic sprite could work there perhaps.
Thing is, I won’t believe them if they tell me this game started development right after Forces. I remember everyone having misplaced faith in Forces because they thought it began production right after Lost World, and I don’t have any kind of source to back me up, but I’m pretty sure that’s not the case. But who knows, I’d certainly be more optimistic if I knew Frontiers started development in early 2018. Then again, does it really matter? It’s Sonic Team, they can’t even do “closed-world” games right. I know I’m being a real downer about this, but I will say that with this very small sample we have so far, nothing looks outright wrong to me, so there’s that.
No thanks. I actually dislike how you just can't escape 8-bit references in Mario these days. It's not like the odd one- or two-off instances per game anymore. It's everywhere. The 2D sections in Odyssey made me groan. And Sonic has done more than enough of its own LOL REMEMBER THE GOOD OLD DAYS in this past decade. Not necessary, probably wouldn't even be done well. I just want a Sonic game that squarely looks forwards for a change. You can have references to the past without being so overt and cliché.
I'm hoping that the "cyberspace" levels, if there are any, look like early 90s CGI. That would be a neat twist. In the meantime, I'll be patiently awaiting the gameplay trailer whenever it drops.
This makes me wonder how much the pandemic will have affected the development of this game? A lot of Japan studios were hit hard and SEGA was one of them as far as I'm aware.
Yes please, no more nostalgia. I'm sick of it. Keep that to nods in classic Sonic games modern Sonic should be moving forward
