[Dark Sonic]

Someone, I believe Ritz, once said how we should have a poll to see if people actually LIKE the modern Sonic gameplay, and I felt like acting on that. So I present a simple poll, do you like it, do you think it needs work, or do you want to see it as gone as Mighty and Ray. Now in order to make this topic worthwhile try and explain why you like it without resorting to classic superiority dick waving and trolling every single opinion. I like classic Sonic too, in fact Sonic 3 and Knuckles is my favorite game of all time, but I still like the modern gameplay.

Now. like I said above, I really like Modern Sonic gameplay. It's fast and fun, and while a bit different from Sonic Adventure, it does more with variety in Sonic stages than the Adventure series ever did. Linear Adventure 2 kinda shows this. And even looking at modern GHZ you can see there is some variety, mostly in the 2D parts, but they're getting better over time while working with this formula. I like the 3D boosting segments with the 2D mixed in, it's a fun combination IMO. That's not to say the Sonic Adventure formula wasn't bad, I think that Tails could work great with Sonic's Sonic Adventure stages (Knuckles could too), but I think that this is a good evolution for Sonic. However I will say this, I don't see why Sonic slides when the fucker can roll... But besides that little quirk I'm pretty much entirely supportive on Modern Sonic gameplay.

What are your thoughts?

This post has been edited by Dark Sonic: 06 July 2011 - 10:01 AM

[True Dude]

There should be an extra option between 2 and 3. It seems whenever someone makes one of these polls that they assume that if the person dislikes it they hate it's guts. I'd go more for "It was fun while it lasted, but I don't want to see it again."

[Dark Sonic]

There should be an extra option between 2 and 3. It seems whenever someone makes one of these polls that they assume that if the person dislikes it they hate it's guts. I'd go more for "It was fun while it lasted, but I don't want to see it again."

Good point, added a fourth option which is the kind of in between one.

[RGamer2009]

I definitely think this is the way to go, but it needs some work.

I want the SA2 way where you build up speed to reach maximum velocity. I want this to reach Sonic Boost speed, but without the invincibility.

The monitors should return. Invincibility should become a monitor like it always was, and all the power-ups from the classics should return as well. Shields, Speed Shoes, and other important monitors should return.

Now I know what your thinking, with the speed you can go, how will you even SEE the monitors? Well with that being said, I think there should be SA2-styled areas that require more platforming along with SPEEDY linear areas where Sonic can achieve Sonic Boost speed.

Notice I said achieve. The Boost Button would not EXIST. Thats what I hate the most about the boost, is its instant gratification. You shouldn't be able to go that fast with the push of a BUTTON. You need to go "straight" enough that Sonic would gradually hit that speed if it was kept for an extended period of time. The turning would become less and less prominent the faster you go, but you wouldn't need to slow down to make turns at that speed, as that's what Drifting would allow. There would be areas that would require slower movement, and they would warn Sonic that they are coming up, so he could slow down.

Rolling needs to be re-implemented into Modern's gameplay. I want a button dedicated to rolling. Replace the slide if necessary. Rolling and the effects that go with it are part of Sonic's gameplay. This means the Spin Dash as well. I want a modern casino level with pinball machines!

These are just a few things that if corrected would make the game FAR more satisfying.

[Blue Blood]

I've got to get ready for work, so I don't really have time to write up an proper post, but I do enjoy the modern gameplay. Thing is, I don't think it's very sustainable on it's own. It plays like a racer with platforming elements occasionally wound into it. Colours and Unleashed Wii did this especially badly, where the 3D areas were nothing more than straight roads between very blocky and primitive platforming segments in 2D. I'd like to see them adapt the gameplay so that there's reason to stop, explore and go in different directions at different speeds.

[DalekSam]

You have to decide what 'Modern' is in context. Today, 'Modern' is Unleashed/Colours/Generations. I'm not a fan of the boosting and hold up to win formula myself but in the end I still enjoy myself when playing them.

That said, if 'Modern' accounts for Sonic Adventure then yes -- I do like it. SA1 and SA2 I felt transferred the greatness of the classic games into 3D, Heroes as well to an extent.

EDIT: oh I see the sub-title WELL THAT HELPS

In which case I don't like it much kthx

This post has been edited by DalekSam: 06 July 2011 - 10:17 AM

[muteKi]

I always thought the speedier stages in Sonic Adventure used 3D just a little bit better than the daytime levels in Unleashed. In the latter there really wasn't much of anything there. Most 3D sections were really simple and pretty flat. Windy Valley wasn't hardcore platforming (and that third section in it is probably the weakest bit in all of Sonic Adventure, though fun to skip over as Tails) but at least it went places.

It's surprising that they can't do 3D segments or platforming really well with Sonic because most of the night stages in Unleashed, while not the most brilliant examples of slow platforming ever, were quite decent and much more fun to play than many of the day stages. (It's astounding by how much Jungle Joyride's night stage outclasses the day stage in terms of just about every criteria applicable to evaluating a game's quality.)

I've not touched Colors yet but am apprehensive about it. Watching Starlight Carnival does not fill me with confidence about the kind of enjoyment I'll get out of it. However, I do like that there's a lot of underground content to explore in the first couple levels; seems a real shame the yellow wisps are not unlocked by default to my knowledge. However, given that the last few levels in Unleashed soured me on the idea a good deal I'm hesitant to look more deeply into it, especially as I'd be getting a Wii pretty much just for it and maybe a few other games.

The current guys seem to be pretty good at making 2D segments though. I loved most of the shorter daytime stages (the kind that are usually 2D-exclusive and generally involve, say, 3 laps around a small track or something similar). I'd love to see a game full of stuff like those.

[Azukara]

From what I've seen, they're taking open movement and platforming elements from the SA games and putting it in the incredibly polished gameplay Unleashed/Colors had to offer, plus the removal of QTEs and the addition of more alternate paths. I can't say I wouldn't want them to continue improving this, because I already thought Unleashed played great; and this is just proving to be a great direction for the games to take from now on.

So my opinion is inbetween 1 and 2. I love it and it's a great direction for the series, but I still feel it could be with some improvements. If Gens' City Escape is anything to go by, then it's already fixing the few problems I had with the gameplay.

[ICEknight]

The interactive rollercoaster gameplay from the recent Sonics is something that's bound to automatically wow the player due to the constant stuff that gets thrown at him at high speeds, but even the developers know how restrictive and linear that gameplay is, hence why they switch the game to 2D every now and then. After all, it's derived from Sonic 2's Special Stage, the following Sonic 2 commercials and the Sonic Ride, showing how it's something pretty cool in short bursts.

With that said, I do like the new 3D segments they're making, now with multiple paths as seen in Sonic Generations' Green Hill (specifically, the bridge you can break through), but they still feel limited to a series of QTEs rather than testing the actual platforming skills from the player. Something like a high speed Dragon's Lair or, if you prefer, Road Avenger.

I just think there's too many of those segments. I'd be fine if they just replaced the scripted events, but having much more 3D than 2D segments could ruin the game for the gamer who actually wants to play a platformer. That's why I wouldn't want a Sonic game with only these high-speed corridor levels, but I'll be fine with them as long as they don't take more than 25% of the game.



What I'd love to see is a full 2D Classic Sonic game, with seven short 3D modern-style levels as the Special Stages. I think that would be the perfect balance, and so did SEGA back in the old days.

This post has been edited by ICEknight: 06 July 2011 - 10:55 AM

[TheKazeblade]

I like the moves introduced in the modern gameplay, the drift and quick-step (and boost to a lesser degree) but I want them to re-tool it to a more Adventure-style design philosophy and gameplay style.

[Cyrus Parker]

I prefer the Sonic Adventure style gameplay, but it seems with '06, they forgot how to do it. With that said, the modern style gameplay is still fun, and I would absolutely take it over another '06.

[PC2]

I did a whole post on the SEGA forums a few months back about how Colors separates the speed from the platforming and strips the player of all control every time Sonic is running fast or doing something cool, creating an extremely bland gameplay experience (you always end up using one move at a time instead of using them all together, and the levels never even evolve to that point later on, thanks to the modified restricted control scheme). The thing is, the Adventure games do this too, but not to the same extent and with a more consistent flow. Windy Valley and Lost World are notorious for this kind of stuff, and I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would want more of this. Most of the "exploration" in SA1 involves exploiting the levels and physics in a way that wasn't intended by the designers. A lot of people seem to be making some correlation between speed and "automation". It shouldn't be that way.

Unleashed, however, felt like the first 3D Sonic game where I actually felt in control during all of the wild speed sequences. It's due largely in part to the level design, but also Sonic's new moveset and how much input the levels require in comparison to the more simplified 2-button Adventure-style gameplay. Mixing the speed and the platforming together smoothly with objects that take advantage of all of Sonic's new moves created what I think is quite possibly one of, if not the most immersive Sonic gameplay experience to date.

It feels good knowing that every time Sonic does something fast and cool, I made him do it and not the game. It feels good that it's more than just a fast clone of Mario or a generic platformer with speed elements in it. I don't want to slow down and stop in a Sonic game. Unleashed proved that you can still have lots of exploration (Empire City and Eggmanland rails, shortcuts in every other stage) while going fast, which is what I would personally prefer. What's interesting is that Sonic R used a very similar design philosophy, right down to the racing elements. It had way more exploration than the Adventure games, too.

I'm fine with the modern gameplay as long as they keep adding and experimenting with stuff to it to make it more interesting. Generations seems to be headed in the right direction as far as that half of the game goes. The gameplay style still has a lot of time to be fleshed out, hopefully SEGA will be confident enough to mix things up a little next time.

This post has been edited by PC2: 06 July 2011 - 01:09 PM

[Jen]

The modern style is ok I guess. However, I loved Unleashed the very first time I played it but now it's starting to get really stale. I know there are alternate paths and whatever, but it just feels so linear and shallow. You can basically hold boost and forward and let the game play itself for the most part, which is really boring after a while. I'd rather build up my speed, classic style, than have it handed to me on a plate. In fact, my biggest issue with modern style is that fucking boost button! Boosting's one of the single worst things to ever happen to Sonic IMO. It takes away all the fun and a lot of the challenge. It's all well and good to say "well, don't boost then if you hate it so much" but sometimes you have to do it, if you want to get S ranks and if you simply want to complete the level in some cases (running across water, etc). It can make it hard to see where you're running sometimes because it's so fast and puts that blur effect on the screen, even on a large HD TV I have this problem. What's the point in going THAT fast?

I much preferred the Adventure style and would have loved to see that expanded upon. Yes, it had it's linear moments (some parts of Speed Highway and Windy Valley come to mind) but it somehow felt more open and less like you were being forced down a corrior like in the "modern" games. Plus, it made you slow down at times, which is a good thing. I don't think Sonic should be entirely about constant speed, there should be slower parts of the levels as well. For every speedy Green Hill and Star Light there should be a slower Marble and Labyrinth, to use Sonic 1 as an example. This is one of the reasons why I prefer Colours to Unleashed - the Wisps make the levels feel much more open and encourage exploration, and force the player to slow down from time-to-time. If this is the way the modern games are going (rather than the boost-fest that is Unleashed) I'll be happy to see this style of gameplay stay. If not, then I think it's time to try something a bit different.

This post has been edited by Jen: 06 July 2011 - 03:14 PM

[muteKi]

On the other hand, Unleashed did have slower platforming like in Labyrinth and Marble -- only you weren't playing as Sonic per se.

I dunno, I didn't even mind the combat outside of Eggmanland because of how simple it was -- most enemies could be beaten by going up to them at a run and pressing Y, at least while at full health and with the required moves unlocked. I was just frustrated that very rarely did fighting enemies not cause the battle music to play. I mean, it's not a bad song but it got obnoxious after a while.

[Chimpo]

Its the same game. Just faster and without rolling.