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

I don't mean it's a literal 1:1 but the movements physics and mechanics seem to be largely based on Forces with minor adjustments.


The game itself doesn't look "bad". Rather it looks like a huge wasted opportunity to exploit Sonic in a large, open 3D space. I've been waiting more than 20 years to see this style of gameplay for Sonic, I really can't help but feel deflated about the fact that they missed out on Sonics most distinct gameplay trait. This was the one case where a game like that could actually be made, even with scripting.


If the bulk of the game is running around doing little puzzles here and there with really no depth in the traversal of the environment, they could have used any other character to accomplish this, Sonic was not needed. In other words, there is nothing uniquely Sonic here. That matters when you're selling the Sonic brand to me. I'm not talking about the art style either, just the gameplay.

To be clear, I don't have a problem with any of the combat stuff I've seen, Sonic having a fight moveset is totally fine. But they should have added that onto some basic, fluid physics so that the player actually enjoys moving around from baddie to baddie, heading to the next puzzle or objective.

 

what's super interesting about that too is that in terms of stuff like the Autodemo, we have proof that they were making huge, huge changes down to the wire. I'd almost say that's a kind of fluke, the kind that does not fly in the modern AAA space now that things are both less experimental in the 3D space and wildly more expensive.

...I actually wouldn't mind just raw SA1 physics in Frontiers. I think of the 3D games I've played (SA1, SA2:B, Heroes, Generations), he still controls the best in SA1, a nice mix of controllability and speed, but on the other hand he looks downright slow compared to the modern Generations levels. In a way Frontiers is trying very hard to deliver on the initial SA1 Windy Valley Beta/PRACTICE levels promises that they had to drop because it was impossible with that tech, but it's still so, so jank.

But like, even then there was a whole PRACTICE level dedicated to scripting. Windy Valley Beta had areas that would only work through scripting, like the invisible wind paths. At some point it was deemed within Sonic Team that this was the primary way to get the levels to work in practice.

I haaard disagree. I think a lot of people think that Because Some Guy Over 20 Years Can Do It that they can just readily ignore the realities of game development, scope, and limitations. And some of those limitations were present back when The Greats at Sonic Team were trying to solve even the basic problems of "how does Sonic in 3D work", and if they couldn't solve it...

Consider: how is it that there are existing, working, released 2D Sonic clones out there, like Freedom Planet, but despite Adventure's large bank of nostalgia, there are basically no finished, working Adventure clones? Why would that be so? Why is it that all we have are tech demos even among the "better than Sega" scene?

 

We're getting a Hands-On Preview tomorrow for the next update on IGN.



Not sure what exactly it will entail, so I wouldn't get your hopes up too high. Personally, I think we will get a story trailer for this Summer Game Fest on Thursday.

 

Thank GOD. I actually love that he says "finally", it's as if he's been waiting to give these impressions the entire past week. Something tells me they're not going to "tell it like it is", but either way I hope we see a lot more than these tiny slivers they've been showing off. If SEGA limits them to just talking about tiny, specific parts of the game then this could be extremely disappointing.

Not gonna be a debbie downer tho, let's see it first

Edit: Wait, is it wrong to assume this is going to be a video hands-on? Or could it just be an article / roundtable type of thing?

 

Spark the electric jester 2 is a complete adventure style game. Sonic GT is only 5 levels but the game is complete and offers a lot of replay value in it’s missions. Honestly Sonic GT with slightly bigger levels, slightly simpler controls and the “mission mode” incorporated into the main campaign would be how I’d modernize the adventure formula while adding open world elements

that poor folks at IGN have been blamed by Sonic fans all last week for Sega’s poor trailers. No wonder he’s relieved to finally give his opinion

 

https://twitter.com/JurassicRabbit/status/1533925642797887488



lol

 

I FUCKING KNEW IT

I should be mad but for some reason I'm not?

Could you imagine if Mitchell shows nothing but praise towards Frontiers, and that is juxtaposed with... you know...

What are they gonna even announce at this point, I'm genuinely curious

 

Speaking of that b-roll, I saw this on other platforms but thought it was worth clarifying here. The teaser trailer has some effects that the IGN upload doesn't, and the draw distance is different from the exploration video to the combat video. So there are at least things visibly changing.

Oh, and there's a Sonic Central Tomorrow.

EDIT: motherfu-

 

If I were Sonic team I’d be showing off the Cyberspace Levels (assuming they’re legit and still in the game), a full trailer for Sonic Prime and I’d put stealth on camera (or audio) to remind the fans that they’re still working with people from the Mania team.

 

Curious what do they mean by "upcoming projects ", maybe it's just Origins and Frontiers, but also it may imply something else? who knows

 

Or maybe just have Stealth. Nothing but Stealth. Legit, 30 minutes of Stealth staring into your soul.

Stealth Central

 

Could be cameos and guest appearances in Non-Sonic games like the stuff they announced at the 2021 Sonic Central.

 

i would file those under "partnerships"

but i am probably overthinking and they just mean origins and frontiers, they would count, and i can't see them announce something else right now, not even remasters , while they are doing full marketing for Frontiers

we will find anyway in just under 18 hours, so no biggie , hope they actually market Frontiers better this time

 

Are they for real?

This type of impressions article should have gone up at THE SAME TIME AS THE GAMEPLAY VIDEOS, NOT AFTER A WEEK

this is how they always work with other games....like......what are they even thinking

like, i don't even mind that it will not have a new gameplay, but the simple fact that those kind of impressions are meant to give a deeper look and a lot of context, something we have been missing for a whole week

i can't even

 

Honestly, the fact these two videos were slowly rolled out with zero context provided really showcases the ultimate problem here: Sonic Team unironically believes that they've made a game so self-evidently awe-inspiring that they thought that these videos would just blow our minds and satisfy us.

I don't really have any other way to put it: the sheer, staggering tone-deaf arrogance that implies is immense. It is the dunning-kruger effect in action applied to an entire game studio, or at least its head directors.

 

Nah, this is instead fueling my belief that they are marketing it this way on purpose.

Which also leads me to believe that there won't be ANY news regarding Frontiers for tomorrow's Sonic Central (IGN is devoting a month solely about it, after all). At the very least they may reveal "Playable Demo Coming Soon!", but I doubt about it.

Also @MH MD you wrote back in December that you knew someone who knew a journalist who was invited backdoors to personally see Frontiers, and left with positive impressions. Have you heard anything about those two since then?

(Looking back it wasn't really the journalist who was invited backdoors, but you should get what I mean)

 

Look, I was about to be super bummed that the IGN video is using B Roll... but then..... Sonic Central kinda makes up for it LOL.

Last time they did one of these, they showed quite a lot of bits and pieces of miscellaneous things. If they're doing one now, I'd hazard a guess that there will be a bit more substantial information on Frontiers... either that or it's filled with more cameos and mobile app collaborations. I don't think they have any big projects to unveil like the last Sonic Central, so they've gotta have something substantial to show here, at the very least some more Origins gameplay right? I'm doubtful it'll be Sonic Prime because of the upcoming Netflix showcase, but... maybe that too?

They have me curious now... this feels like kind of a strange time to do a Sonic Central. Also weird that it's at the same time as the IGN video, which is literally their own game.

 

Didn't hear anything on that front recently, but it reminded me of Jeff Gerstmann, who shared those positive indirect impressions in the first place , thought it would be interesting to hear what he would say now on the next giant bombcast episode which comes every Tuesday......

..... only for him to quit TODAY, he left Giant Bomb which he co-founded almost 15 years ago, never imagined this day would ever come... crazy

https://twitter.com/jeffgerstmann/status/1533902069953748992?s=20&t=xDQ9pnTPf7CTAUqxFsjbag

Next Giant bombcast would be without him and would address this situation, and i can't picture that he would talk about anything else tomorrow on his twitch - i am assuming he will talk about his resignation there-

 

Oh, COME ON

I also wanted to hear Jeff's thoughts on last week's previous videos; what an untimely coincidence.

+ - The plot thickens...