Sonic Superstars: A New 2D Sonic Game (Fall 2023)

Well I hate how moving left and right in the air mid jump changes his visual direction causing the animation to look off!! I don't want that!

 

Well I liked how Sonic had a unique jump and roll animation in the Advance games!! I want that!

Seriously, I’m a little disappointed in the look of Superstars. Maybe it’ll grow on me, but the classic Sonic games were visually striking off the bat, both technically and in art direction. This game’s look isn’t doing it for me. I think Rush does the 2.5D better (even though that game should have also been straight 2D, but I digress).

Give me cel-shading and “impossible” poses that take advantage of the fixed angle like Arc Sys games. I’d love to see the game look like an anime during gameplay and then turn the camera to have standard 3D cutscenes. Tbh, I’d be happy with just cel-shading.

 

Related to that, I noticed Triple Trouble 16-Bit removed the immediate sprite flip for flying as Tails solo, but simultaneously kept it in for the AI up+jump flight carry. The solo one feels completely unnatural despite it only being a visual change. Not having that frame-1 visual responsiveness to make sure you're inputs are being read on time messes me up good. Keep that instant flip always plz!

Does the larger jump sprite in Advance have a bigger hitbox compared to the smaller roll, or is it placebo? It's been too long since I've touched those games.

 

I think it does… maybe? I play the games decently often because I tend to travel with a DS and 3DS over my Switch, but I never consider this when I play. I imagine it would but I can’t confirm it.

Another thing I like that they do is unroll Sonic as he’s about to land. I think it’s only in 3 (maybe 2 as well but I only play that emulated on Vita) but it’s pretty spiffy. Those games really have a great presentation.

 

At 13:41, Ian briefly talks about Fang the Sniper AKA Nack the Weasel being "Fang the Hunter" in Superstars.
(not only in Superstars but in the new canon)

 

I think Superstars looks good and I am going to have fun playing it

 

Interesting to note that on this tweet from SEGA's official Japanese Twitter account, posted only this morning, a variant of the Superstars character render for Sonic can be seen - the posing etc. is the same as the one we've all seen on the website etc, but Sonic's coloured a much darker blue akin to the Japanese promo art from the '90s.

Could this be an earlier version of the render? If so I'm a little sad they've gone back to the brighter blue seen in Generations/Mania/Forces, as while it's consistent with other recent classic Sonic appearences I have to admit the darker blue looks pretty good on him.

I suppose it could also be a later version of the render, but I have to admit I'd be surprised if they've recoloured him so drastically after having already showcased footage, renders, box art etc.

 

He's still a little darker than in Generations but yeah that shade would be perfect. Though I have a feeling this isn't an earlier render and the image is just miscolored somehow

 

It’s possible that the print out was done in a different color format that unintentionally changed sonic’s colors. To my untrained eyes, Superstars Sonic is a darker shade of blue than he was in Mania/Forces but not as dark as the print out. I’m fine with this but sonic does look good in the print out

 

Yeah, I think it's just a miscolor as well.

 

I think it's just a quirk of printing, but it's remarkable how...vintage it makes the render look, like the renders they were using in the mid-90s for 3D Blast and such like.

 

Looks like an image using RBG colours for digital viewing was printed without being converted to CYMK (and then a photograph was taken of the printed image). This is pretty standard and whilst usually acceptable for every day use, it results in colours that are less accurate than they should be, typically less saturated and appearing darker. For professional use, RGB images will usually be converted to CYMK before printing so that the end result is closer to what it should be. You can tell this is the case for the Sonic render by the apparent lack of shadows across Sonic's fur, the Emerald's glow and Sonic's shoes in the tweet. For example...

Source

So, yeah, I'm sure there's nothing to see here. It's neither an outdated nor an updated render.

 

Wow, I learned something today.

 

Superstars really does remind me of Sonic Fan Remix, which isn’t a bad thing IMO:



I really liked that fan game, it had some intriguing twists on the classic formula and a superb graphics package.

This game looks fun, very much more what I was looking for over Frontiers. Looking forward to it.

 

Only think I really have to add in response to this is that this video is a modded version by Beatz, that adds various things that weren't in the original creators' builds, like the drop dash.

Also, I've said this before and I'll say it again, I fucking hate the drop dash sound effect specifically for that TINK noise at the end, I hate that every fangame uses it unedited, and I hate that Origins gave it to Amy as well. Desperate for them to swap it out for the Frontiers drop dash sound effect or at least take out that awful noise in Superstars but they probably won't.

 

I also don’t think Beatz’s updated build of Fan Remix was ever released for PC. I could be misremembering tho. I honestly hope someone mods Fan Remix’s Emerald Hill into superstar. That’d be an awesome full circle moment for the fandom

 

oh my god THANK you. I cannot use the drop dash at all while playing it docked on my TV because it is like nails on a chalkboard with a surround sound system. Why have they not fixed it?! I thought I was the only one that noticed it.

 

Isn't that tink variant of the Drop Dash sound effect only used in Sonic Mania upon failing to fully execute a Drop Dash? I believe what SEGA did is only take the failed Drop Dash sound effect variant and used it for all Drop Dash initiations in Sonic Origins, regardless of whether the Drop Dash is successfully executed on a surface or not.

 

Personally I thought I was the only one, so I want to curse other people with knowledge so maybe this gets fixed.

Whatever it is, it's not a SEGA-exclusive problem, as shown by Beatz's implementation and the implementation on many other fangames.

 

Sonic Fan Remix looked really nasty so at the very least I can say I'm glad Superstars doesn't look like that completely. Though, the game doesn't exactly look as good as it could, mainly due to the bad lighting on everything. It looks like Balan Wonderworld.

The visual style of the game is also really unimpressive. Other classic Sonic games have worlds that lean way more into colorful pop art and surrealism than this game does, I don't know how they could've taken a look at any of the classics and got something that feels this stock.