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Sonic Frontiers Thread - PS4, PS5, Xbox, Switch, PC

Discussion in 'General Sonic Discussion' started by MykonosFan, May 27, 2021.

  1. raphael_fc

    raphael_fc

    Overthinking Sonic timelines. Member
    The trailer had 0,1% of gameplay, that thing on the rock surely is for Sonic to run on with a certain skill.
    upload_2021-12-10_3-15-42.png
     
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  2. Ritz

    Ritz

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    I've said before that all I really want from a Sonic game are saturated colors and geometric shapes, so this game is already disqualified, but that was clear from the teaser anyway so I can't pretend I'm upset. Really ugly asset store game. Forces looked better and that was 70% recycled assets from previous games.

    It's the most interesting trailer for a Sonic game there's ever been. We can see a lot of functional set design in the world here. There's a lot of verticality, which is GOOD, but it doesn't jibe with any of the control schemes we've seen before. I actually can't imagine how this thing plays. Will we actually be able to run up the spiral walkways floating around those towers, or are those 2.5D paths? The extended environment clip shows a ramp that's clearly meant to be used, but it doesn't lead anywhere unless you actually can use speed to launch yourself around. Dare I dream?

    I'm not excited, but this is cool. There's potential here. It's something new and inscrutable in a video game and that shit just doesn't happen in AAA development anymore.
     
    Last edited: Dec 10, 2021
  3. Miles Wolf

    Miles Wolf

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    Am I the only one who sees a notorious drop of framerate when the trailer shows in-game/in-engine graphics?

    I know it's not important at this moment, but I think if you are going to make a world reveal trailer in an event like The Game Awards, make sure it runs 100% fluid... =_=U
     
  4. Shaddy the guy

    Shaddy the guy

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    For what it's worth, the extended flyover from the JP website doesn't have so much of that.
     
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  5. Azookara

    Azookara

    yup Member
    I feel concern from not really seeing any strong slopes in sight.

    Not a loop, not a huge ramp, not a distinctly strong downhill curve, none of it. It all feels indistinguishable from other open world games so far, unfortunately. Maybe later shots will change my worries on that, but showing no gameplay footage, combined with the knowledge that this is another Kishimoto affair, and his last few games (LW and Forces) controlled terribly, it's pretty alarming when you're not allowed to see how it moves yet. Compile that with the leaks mentioning combat and skill trees and... yeah...

    I'm not necessarily super pessimistic, in fact I'm hopeful this pays off. But I can't shake off some pretty deep worries here. Very happy for Ian Flynn, however. Great to see him in the position he deserves to be in.
     
  6. Ayu Tsukimiya

    Ayu Tsukimiya

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    Quick update on the Amy thing. Junichi Kanemaru tweeted that it was her, but deleted it shortly afterwards. The Xbox version of the trailer also lists the voice as Amy in the subtitles.
    I'm sure her role in this will turn out to be minor, but god damn I'd kill to see her be Tails/Knuckles/Shadow-tier important for once.

    [​IMG] [​IMG]
     
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  7. shilz

    shilz

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    I think we got a pretty meaty trailer considering where we are from the game's release. They totally could've just made Sonic run into a generic CG version of the environment that didn't reflect the in-engine environment, so that's already a plus.

    I feel like it's a missed opportunity for them to finally bring the Mario and Sonic model over to the main games. It's already intended to be used in a more artistically neutral environment, so it would fit in a whole lot better than the model that was made to be used in the games that the model's been used in, while also being close enough to the design since then that mostly nothing would change. That's my take, at least.

    Those cryengine shots are still some of the only thoughts I really have about Rise of Lyric, so yeah, that's the vibe I got from that.
     
  8. Showed my 10 year old brother the trailer, and not only does he think it's the absolute shit (he's never played an open world game before, unless you count minecraft lol), but also the very first thing he asked me was if the circular ruins littered around were levels you could enter a la Sonic 06.

    Sounds like it could actually be a strong possibility if a kid is picking up on it with no context.
     
  9. Forte

    Forte

    I speak better after three beers Member
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    Well, I'm impressed. Not because the trailer is so good, but because it did not disappoint me as others did.

    Getting a lot of Unleashed Vibes here, but it's also so similar to breath of the wild, it kinda hurts. I want Sonic to have his own identity like the classics or Adventure era games (I think Generations nailed it perfectly fusing Heroes aesthetics with Adventure tones [Colours was a bit too Mario-like]) did.

    Overall? I have faith in this game, something I did not have for a long time in this franchise. Oh, and Ian writing it is a guarantee that Sonic will act like Sonic again. I hope he gets to do his menacing Eggman.
     
  10. Hamzawesome

    Hamzawesome

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    Sonic Frontiers would've been a good opportunity to finally update Sonic's model, cause currently, Sonic sticks out like a sore thumb in these realistic environments. Like even Mario has significant differences between his 3D World and Odyssey models.
     
  11. raphael_fc

    raphael_fc

    Overthinking Sonic timelines. Member
    I'm totally fine if this becomes a truly good game being a BotW rip-off with less Sonic-y vibes. It would build confidence for a sequel.
     
  12. Linkabel

    Linkabel

    Member
    When Unleashed was revealed/came out it was compared a lot to Twilight Princess because Sonic transformed into a wolf like Link did.

    We're just going full circle again. :ruby:
     
  13. Starduster

    Starduster

    Can bench press at least two Sonic the Hedgehogs Member
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    upload_2021-12-10_6-46-4.png
    Had to scale the image down to 480p so the forum would let me upload it, but that seems to me to be some platforms and a grind rail to the right of the image.

    upload_2021-12-10_6-47-35.png
    I reckon the odds are good that Sonic will be able to run up the iridescent blue strip in the middle of this tower, so hopefully this game has a successor to Lost World's parkour system, which I think would fit better in these expansive environments.
     
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  14. You know, I've seen so many people in here bitching about Sonic's model, and not a one has actually made any suggestions about what Sonic should look like.

    Frankly, Sonic's current design is basically perfected and matches his artwork to a T. Also, you never hear anyone bitching about Sonic in Adventure 1 or 2 sticking out against the realistic environments (Mystic Ruins, Prison Island, etc etc, especially relevant here), so unfortunately, I can't take these complaints seriously until someone puts their money where their mouth is and actually proposes a fitting Sonic redesign instead of "just gimme better sonc".

    Does anyone actually have a good idea for how Sonic should look here?
     
  15. Starduster

    Starduster

    Can bench press at least two Sonic the Hedgehogs Member
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    I'd just go back to the Unleashed/Generations model personally. Longer quills and a more natural standing position. The Forces model is adapted to that game's heavy use of 2D sections, but that just looks jarring here. As I said alluded to earlier on though, this trailer was probably recorded between July-September so they could've changed this already.
     
  16. CaseyAH_

    CaseyAH_

    human incarnation of Palmtree Panic 'P' Mix Member
    Sonic's model isn't really "perfected". His oversized hands and head are apparently a bit of a nightmare to work with animation-wise, to the point its often one of the things blamed for why all the games starting from Unleashed tend to look so stiff. It isn't just Sonic who is affected by this either, another example that comes to mind is Knuckles hands being longer then his body when they aren't balled up into a fist.
     
  17. Turbohog

    Turbohog

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    I think Sonic's current model is pretty generic. My favorite 3D model is still Sonic Adventure 2. However, I don't think that style would look good here.
     
  18. Beltway

    Beltway

    The most grateful Sonic fan of all time this week Member
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    Gonna be honest, the confirmation that Morio Kishimoto is returning to direct Frontiers virtually overrides anything good or bad I have to say about this unveiling. His entire gameography is mediocre at best; and his latest effort in Forces was an astounding nadir with how straight-up tripe its gameplay and level design turned out to be. As far as I'm concerned, any future Sonic game directed/designed by him is going to be a flaming turd. But I'm willing to ignore that for a moment and talk a little bit. Got a handful of thoughts about this game and its reveal that go well beyond him.

    This debut trailer is lacking three major elements of garbage I can directly assign to Forces. It's not a 30 second gameplay clip of Sonic running/boosting in a straight line. It doesn't look like a junkyard game of recycled assets from older games. And it's not mixing and matching assets of different aesthetics that do not fit with each other. Those are all big positives, and I can add a few more onto that. It's not only sticking to one art direction, it's clearly being done with a sufficient budget to boot. The environments look gorgeous, and even the CG cutscenes feel like they're better than those from the past few games. This actually surpassed my extremely low expectations of what I expected to be shown. Outside of the trailer itself, Ian Flynn finally getting to write (or translate) the story for a Sonic game is a nice surprise. Hats off to him truly. Sachiro Kawamura producing is an interesting curiosity if nothing else. Hopefully things work out well for the both of them.

    It's funny though in that as much I rail on how small and lackluster Forces' gameplay reveal was...that at least did have some, well, gameplay to it, as shallow as it was. It was just enough that you could tell it was another Boost installment with the usual mechanics that go with it (Boost mechanic/Wisps, rings, enemies, dash panels, et. al). Outside of the CG cutscenes, this reveal for Frontiers is pretty much a tech demo reel for the environments...which are very stunning, but also very vacant. There's not even any game objects for the vast majority of them; let alone no gameplay to go off of. Sonic himself only shows up as actually in the locations for one-two shots.

    Can't decide between this being another "let's hide as much of the game as we can" marketing tactic or this is indeed all ST has to show for now, after four years (why do I feel like I've said this before?). And this is presumably out for release within the next twelve months? Breath of the Wild (since that's the clear target this game is channeling) and Super Mario Odyssey showed much more going on with their games when they were nine months to their respective eventual release dates. Again, not even talking gameplay or game mechanics here, their (over)worlds just seemed much more decorated with items and/or people you could interact with.

    The final thing I've got to say here is that with this game, I don't believe a open world platforming title is actually the focus here. The BotW influences and the focus on exploration and combat (as discussed in the playtester leaks) had me thinking for the while that this is a genre shift. That Frontiers will be an action-adventure game in the vein of Zelda and other open-world titles, and that platforming will be a supporting (if not completely minor) player in the gameplay focus. The environments revealed in the trailer I feel confirms that as much, since they're rather naturalistic in their structure (compared to, say, the worlds you see in the sandbox Mario games, Spyro games, or in Banjo-Kazooie).
     
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  19. Fantastic

    Fantastic

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    Lots of complaints about us "bitching" here as if Sonic Team has done anything to prove themselves as a competent studio in the past ~10 years.
     
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