Sonic & SEGA All Stars Racing

IGN hands-on: http://wii.ign.com/articles/991/991433p1.html
Their complaints are:
-The graphics could use some work.
-The framerate is reliably sluggish, though they're sure that'll be cleaned up before release.

 

THAT NEVER HAPPENS. THIS IS THE FINAL PRODUCT.

 

Ah good, the character models actually react well to situations in-game. Seeing Amy flail around after hitting a car is hilarious. :v:

It also looks like Big the Cat is back again. Looks like he's driving a motorcycle as well?

 

Ain't it the truth...

 

No it isn't. For instance, Sonic Unleashed was polished up quite a bit between the time of its release and last year's E3 showing.

Sonic '06 seems to be the only relevent example to that statement.

 

I WAS kinda exaggerating hence the caps, but yeah. It kinda is the general idea people have nowadays with many video games and current Sonic. It WAS 06' that really did him in for people.

 

five months later:

"OMG THIS GAME SUX WTF SONIK IN KAR SEGA U RUIN SONK FOERVA"

It like they become optimistic halfway through the release wait just so they can say how ASTOUNDED they are at how "bad" the game is once it's released.

"I HAD HI HOEPS 4 SAWNK TIS TEIM BUT SEGA RUIN IT"

JESUS.

 

That's pretty much how it goes these days, isn't it?

I remember the guy in the developer walkthrough specifically mentioning how early off that build of the game was. And it's not like they're planning on rushing this out before Christmas, so don't worry. And I for one feel Sega's been keeping their shit together since late 2006, even though....well, think about it, Sumo Digital's developing this one. And I can't see them not doing a good job on a racing game after their Outrun experience.

Also, IGN starts off by saying the only version at the show was the PS3 version. Not that that's a bad thing, but the 360 version of anything is usually more solid than its counterpart(s).

It also bothers me how he mentions people asking if it's a PS2 game due to the graphics, which he said included detailed character models and textures. Even watching the shaky cam videos I can tell it's a current gen title. What the fuck is wrong with people?

 

Welcome to mainstream gaming "journalism": Always give games positive previews.

I remember when, two weeks before it hit store shelves, Gamespot.com gave 50 Cent: Bulletproof a glowing preview saying the game was going to be awesome. Then, when they reviewed it? 4.8 out of 10, and "it's crap."

Not to digress any further, but basically, publishers hold all the cards in these situations because if somebody like IGN gives a game a bad preview, the publisher will likely blacklist them and stop sending them free pre-release copies of games to review. When you're talking Activision or Sega or something, that's a lot of games.

 

Your logic makes it sound like game developers don't want criticism so they can't improve their games before release.

Sadly, said logic makes perfect sense.

 

It's actually colorful (and somewhat cartoony), something that cannot be said about almost any PS3 or 360 title that gets any attention.
I also didn't notice a lot of blooming either!

 

I'm sure the developers want criticism to improve their game

But not at the cost of sales, obviously (or anything that extends them beyond their budget, of course). If Gamespot.com prints a story that says "The build of the game we played was garbage, don't buy it." then that's bad news for the developer and the publisher.

If Gamespot.com prints a story that says "The build of the game we played is coming along fine." but tells the developer what they don't like about it off the record (as is usually the case, as I've heard) then that is good news for the developer and the publisher.

 

I think the graphics look great, personally. Lots of character in the animations and quite charming, really.

 

Okay, I've just skimmed the thread, but here's my two cents:

-Yeah, I immediately thought "Mario Kart ripoff" when I saw the title, and by the looks of the videos and screens I've seen, it's pretty much just what I thought it would be. It's obviously an opportunity for Sega to cash in on the mascot kart racing genre. The question is, why hadn't they thought of it sooner? (I'm not counting the pile of garbage known as Riders.)
-I'm not really enjoying how slow the game looks (and no, not just framerate-wise), especially since Unleashed proved just how fast Sonic really can be on his feet. From what it looks like so far, only Super Sonic can attain that high rate of speed, so there's just something wrong with that.
-I'm not too fond of shoving Sonic's name in the title, either. It's like all the non-Sonic characters run second-tier to the Sonic characters. Sega Superstars Tennis didn't do it, so why start now with this game? I'd like it more if it was simply named Sega All-Stars Racing.
-I'm hoping for a lot more non-Sonic characters to end up in the final product. I'm talking Beat (and possibly other JSR characters), Ulala, NiGHTS, and Reala just to name a few. Also, maybe (though not likely) Axel from SoR, or even Toejam & Earl? I'd be willing to sacrifice a few Sonic-related characters (Big, Amy, Shadow) in return for these.
-Sonic's constant showboating in the one video was simply unnecessary. I mean, sure, if you take the lead or make an aggressive pass on someone, you can have a short showboating animation, but constantly hopping up and down every two seconds? It's too much, and needs some major work before release.
-The commentator is reallly bland and emotionless, as if he was literally just reading from a piece of paper and not adding any real emphasis to anything. I'm hoping the final product will have an option to turn the commentary off, as I can see myself getting annoyed with it fairly quickly.
-Obviously I can't comment on the controls, though I hope they end up being nice and tight, and not all over the place like Sonic 2006, and to a lesser extent, Riders.
-I can't complain on the level design. Though there was certainly nothing spectacular from what I've seen, they're not completely horrible. Bright and colorful, though, which I prefer over the super-serious real-life environments from ShadowTH and Sonic 2006.
-FOR CRYING OUT LOUD PLEASE SEGA PUT KNUCKLES IN THE GAME

So yeah, the game really looks to need some improving before release, but I'm sure there's still a buttload of information Sega hasn't tossed our way yet, so we'll see how things continue to develop.

 

And because Sonic's name is in the title, unfortunately the rest of the characters are second-tier.

And for fucks sake if they put Big and Amy in they should put Knuckles in already. Seriously, it's Big. And I don't really care if you random people out there go out and say Big is awesome because how is he awesome? He's a fat cat that's literally retarded. Sure Knuckles isn't great either (Due to Sega making his character suck) but he's a classic.

 

THANK YOU. Beat from JSR would be fantastic. JSR is an amazing game, it it's a real shame the series hasn't been progressed.

And Big sucks.

 

Agent G should be selectable.

 

A Jet Grind Radio stage would be an insta-buy for me.

 

If Sega wants to promote Puyo 7 they should add Arle/Amitie/Andou Ringo/Carbuncle and make Primp Town/wherever the fuck Puyo 7 takes place in one of the stages.