I wouldn't mind a fan hack/remake of Sonic R with additional classic-themed tracks, gameplay balancing betweeen the characters and alternate outfits (or cars for Amy) so that everyone can pick the same character if they want. Balancing would be the most important thing to me, though.
Except that so many games, even the Genesis originals, defied this point by making Tails and Knuckles (and sometimes even others such as Amy and Big) practically Sonic's level of speed. Hell, look at Eggman in the games' cutscenes, he OUTRUNS Sonic. It's strange sure, but if all those games did it, I don't think many would be taken aback if a racing game did the same.
You can keep Sonic faster than the other characters without ruining the game. The trick is to give various shortcuts and tricks for the other characters to take advantage of, based on their abilities. Remember the floating rings in Windy Valley? Only Tails can reach 'em. Maybe toss in some breakable walls for Amy and Knuckles, some obstacles that Knux can climb and Tails can fly, etc. It's all about individual abilities and balanced level design.
It is completely possible to make them all similar speeds, Not many people would complain, And if they do so what? As long as the game is fun and has a wide variety of characters. They could even make everyone have a super form just because. Do many people actually care about the canon speed of Sonic? I know it's never effected me, Like Sonic Heroes. They all go the same speed.
Keep in mind speed is ONE factor in racing. Sonic was technically fastest in R but had poorer handling and turning than say, Knuckles or Tails, who could match him in a race. Yeah, it means little when speed is ridiculously amped for characters such as Super Sonic, but it's possible to give other characters their advantages when done properly. Alternatively, put in four other super forms and another metal to replace Super Sonic in their races. Then the three tiers won't intertwine and be as much of a problem.
I think it would be somewhat tough to give certain types of players shortcuts, while still keeping everything balanced, But I guess it could be done right. I just think keep them all similar speed with different stats like Mario Kart, and maybe gliding for Knuckles and some flying for tails that balances out their slightly lower speed with ability to maneuver easily in comparison to Sonic.
Mini bump, I guess. http://youtu.be/TT76-ht4EJk I was bored the other day, so I set up Sanicball to run with a real 3D model. (Mind the animations, I did all of them in about an hour and it shows.) Despite all the "Sanic" meme insanity around it, Sanicball is pretty fun, and the Unity3D source code has been released. It would be pretty easy to mod and mold into something more akin to the classic (compared to engineering something from scratch or modding the original game). I remember people being interested in a Sonic R-Next or whatever. Were folks still interested in that?
I really think a Sonic R sequel would work great as a mobile game. Just add more characters, more courses, and a story mode and it's golden. Of course there's Sonic and Sega All Stars Racing (Transformed) on there too but this would be a Sonic ONLY type of game and a story mode would be PERFECT as well.
I would love to see another Sonic R type game. I liked the original a lot, despite it being too short and the turning physics being pretty bad. The stages have lots of multiple routes and short-cuts to keep it fresh. I've always liked the whole "collect 50 rings to open the door to collect the chaos emerald" idea. A game with Sonic characters racing each other on foot has always seemed more interesting than "Sonic in a car". Of course the All-Stars Racing games are still really good. In an effort to keep that series fresh I'd like Sumo to make a multi-platform game designed like Sonic R, and I would have no issue with characters being equally as fast as each other. If other characters weren't as fast as Sonic, then they would need special abilities/power ups to make it more fair. I'd also like to see the original game ported to consoles like they did with Sonic the Fighters a few years back.
If we're talking about a hypothetical Sonic R-2, I'm going to make a music recommendation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-M1AtrxztU When I first heard this song, I thought it sounded like a perfect 21st century update to the soundtrack from the original game.
But we have to consider the obstacles to making another Sonic R game: there are only so many verbs in the English language that begin with R.
Verbs: Radiated, Raging, Raining, Ramble, Raked, Ranked, Ransacked, Rattling, Raving, Reactivated, Reaping, Reappearing, Rearranged, Reassembled, Rebel... these are just a few examples from this list. Nouns: Radio, Ranch, Rink, Rave, Roost, Road, Ruin, Relic, Rave, ect... It's possible to make more than 4/5 stages, You just have to know how to english & be creative
Sonic R just had objectively bad controls. Some of the best 3D polygonal graphics on the Saturn, a great 2-player mode, but why, why on earth did they make the characters handle so poorly? Did nobody notice this in testing? I have had my friends try it out but honestly, everyone just asks why they keep ramming into walls and we end up playing Sega Rally or Nascar instead. 100% - music, graphics, level design (although the 5 levels is a little limiting...I notice a lot of Saturn games end up very short, anyone else?...NiGHTS is equally guilty)
I keep seeing people complain about the controls, but I've never had a problem with them, so either I must be really good at the game (considring I can get 1st place even on hard), or people are missing the point. Sonic & crew handle like actual cars. If you've ever played "WipeOut", you'll know exactly what I mean. If you use the L & R buttons for steering, it makes life so much easier. Tails has the best handling when it comes to that, leaving Sonic & Metal sonic with the worst (but even then it's all about timing those corners so you don't "run into walls" as often). oh the irony
If you were playing the PC version with a keyboard, controls were bad because the sharp turn buttons were mapped strangely. But as soon as you were playing it with a traditional controller with sharp turn on the triggers, everything was just fine.
Well the difference is that in that game they expect the characters to handle like a car. Sonic's running. It doesn't make any sense to have him control like that.
An interesting thing to note is that according to this month's Retro Gamer feature on Sonic R, it started life as a Formula 1 simulator. All that was built before it was redesigned as a Sonic game however was a McLaren Mercedes and a test track. Given how notoriously difficult the 1995/1996 McLarens were to drive, I think we have the answer as to why everyone handles so poorly
I was surprised you had to say it. Obviously, that's what's fucking *wrong* with the controls - Sonic is not a car. Last time I checked. And he's never handled like a car, either, except maybe in Sonic Labyrinth. It's not that I can't beat it easily myself on hard either, when I compensate for the absolute lack of responsiveness in turning and really strange acceleration/deceleration issues. "[Sonic R] made people feel like they were pushing a cinder block across a rubber floor using a pen cap." Again, though, those visuals, though. Getting like 6 polygonal Sonic characters on the screen at once at a decent FPS on the Saturn was the huge feat there.
So let me see if I get this right... The sonic community justifies Unleashed/Colors/Generation's controls, and not Sonic R's controls because he "is not supposed to be controlled like a car" ......... mkay, let's do the math, shall we? *Sonic R makes your character accell by either holding up, or one of the buttons on the controller *Unleashed/Colors/Generations does the same thing too, only the "other" button is a "boost" button to make sonic go faster... something that racing games with cars don't do... oh wait... except for the Cruis'n games, the previously mentioned WipeOut, and even the MarioKart series (the fact that their power-ups in those games is irrelevant because you can call the Wisp the sonic equivilant of those power-ups too, especially Laser). Not to mention that all games (except the Cruis'n games) have boost pads on the ground to make the car/character move even faster. *Sonic R has you use the L & R buttons to make sharp turns on corners *Unleashed & Generations does the same thing with different buttons (not 100% sure about Colors), and somehow, these mechanics are better, why? Unleashed (daytime), Colors, & Generations are praised as being the best games and having the better engine/mechanics/whatever... even though majority of Modern Sonic is like controlling a car that can jump and slide and attack. So if SEGA did decide to make another Sonic R but not have the characters control like cars, then they would move just like how they moved in Adventure1/2 and Heroes... and last time I checked, those games have either bad or mixed views depending on who you are. Sonic Fan Logic folks :specialed:/>