Unpopular opinion (maybe I should save it for the thread of the same name ): I didn't like the 2D sections in Gens. Yes, they were more organic and didn't feel as tacked on as in Colours/Forces, but in most cases they still completely killed the flow of the level and simply weren't necessary. Classic Sonic is here for a reason! Unleashed is the only one that got them right, but that was like 13 years ago at this point so I don't have much hope they'll take any lessons from that game. Man, if only. I think we can realistically hope the overwold will be fully 3D (how would 2D even work here?), and most cyberspace stages will be the 30% 3D/70% 2D romp we're used to at this point. That being said...the previews mentioned some stages being fully 3D, rigth? Forces had a couple of fully 3D stages, and they were by far the best ones in the game. Here's hoping Frontiers features a bunch of them!
Has always felt like padding, or a crutch, to me. Like they can't figure out how to make Sonic work in 3D well enough to actually have a game be fully 3D anymore. If concessions have to made in Sonic's gameplay in order to make it work in 3D, fine, sure. If I'm playing a 2D Sonic game, though, the excuse vanishes. 2D Sonic gameplay has been solved, and they have no excuse to not deliver actual 2D Sonic gameplay. Instead, they're giving a 2D Sonic game that plays like a 3D game, with all of the design concessions "needed" to make it work with a Z axis. Only, without the Z axis. Its own existence is rendered pointless. Real "we have 2D Sonic at home" vibes. This isn't to rain on the parade of anyone who enjoys the 2.5D gameplay that Unleashed introduced, don't let me take that away from you with my dislike of it. At least the Starfall Islands are fully 3D. So far.
IGN's Q&A was mostly things we've read or heard elsewhere, but two things that stood out to me: --After upping your ring total to 400 rings, you can unlock what sounds like Ye Olde Booste from the previous games --No Spin Dash (so far?), but you can unlock the Drop Dash at some point
The Drop Dash being confirmed is phenomenal news, but it's kinda weird there's apparently no rolling or spindash to go along with it. I wonder how it'll work button wise? Can't be the same as Mania/Forces since the jump button is mapped to the homing attack. (or is it? I've heard some conflicting report the homing attack was unleashed-styled in frontiers actually) Also great to see confirmation that some stages are fully 3D. I really hope the majority of cyberspace stages will be like this, but this IS Sonic Team we're talking about, so...wait and see.
I didn’t literally mean that Frontiers map is based off of SMB3 gameplay. I said, or at least I tried to communicate, that Frontiers is inspired by SMB3’s World Map specifically. Kishimoto himself is citing the open zone gameplay as an evolution of the world map which 1st appeared in SMB3: Kishimoto: “Here’s the definition of Open Zone in a nutshell. It’s a World Map as you see in other level based platformers. Only we made it playable. SMB3 was released in Japan in 1988. I believe this was the first game to introduce a world map. The system has been used by countless platformers since, even to this day. the field of Sonic Frontiers is an evolution of the world map; making it fully playable.” I am also stating that Frontiers open zone gameplay may be an evolution of Sonic Colors (who’s map was also inspired/evolved from SMB3) where the boost levels are broken up into multiple levels on a world map… except in Frontiers that “map” is fully playable. I raised this possibility due to Kishimoto involvement in both titles. I also made clear that I was solely raising this as a possibility as the next sentence of my post (which you cut off in your quote) was “At the end of the day though I need more gameplay before I can really make a judgement.” “Jump Dash Keeps Momentum” is a new code in hedgemod manager. Bounce attack: https://gamebanana.com/mods/376676 I also use a double jump mod: https://gamebanana.com/mods/50766
So the embargo seems to be finally gone. Other than IGN, how many people talked about their experience on SGF?
He explains how the drop dash works in Frontiers https://twitter.com/JurassicRabbit/status/1542550129663545346
I just find it funny the drop dash was so loved Sega has included it in pretty much every game since Mania (and that includes remakes of the classics). After all these years of wanting the spin dash back they meet us half way and give us more drop dash. Might not even really fit moderns moveset but hey, fuck it, drop dash In 10 years Sonic will consist of only drop dashing in and around Green Hill Zone and Chemical Plant. That's it that's the game
I'd quite like to know who came up with the concept in Sonic 3 before it was axed. It almost feels like it was Takashi Iizuka, and now it's his personal mission to include it in everything.
I guess implementing the drop dash is easier for them than adding a crouch button for grounded rolling.
I mean to be fair it is an extremely useful move in Mania and Origins. We can't be sure how well it'll work in 3D but it sounds like it'll be pretty useful. Plus, there's no reason to complain about having more moves, sure it could be completely useless ala the SA2 somersault or the Unleashed sweepkick, but I'd rather have it than not.
Don't get me wrong I think the drop dash is great, it's more just surprise. It's not everyday a concept becomes an integral part of Sonic's moveset. Hey I'm glad they got a winner with that move.
Some good news, then. You know, between this and the cyberspace stages confirmed to be the real part of the game with the overworld as (still annoying and by the sound of it far too long) filler, maybe this game won't turn out to be as bad as it initially looked.
I'm actually annoyed. I don't find the open world stuff great with what they showed off, but if Boost is the real meat of the game after all the advertising focused on the open world, then I have no reason to trust that they fixed anything from Forces besides glimpsing another route to run through. Every time someone sees a positive in the narrative shift I might be seeing the negatives as a bit of a cynic, but Sonic Team don't just magically earn my trust back because something sounds good on paper. And leading with what feels like false advertising for what the game is really about doesn't help the matter if that ends up being the case.
Never had a problem with 2D in these games, just how its been implemented. Hopefully it doesn't take up like 80% of the game and is slow and monotonous as fuck.
A bit disappointed that the IGN video didn't show a Cyberstage level in full or any new footage at all. I feel like I need to see at least 1 level to judge if the level design will be more like Unleashed/Generations than Forces. From what little we've seen I think I'm leaning towards Forces level design.
