Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood

Lostgame · Feb 25, 2008

Chimpo said:

Astleys
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YES.

Mark Jurich · Feb 28, 2008

I'm kidda wondering how it will be myself. Mass Effect is great and I hope for the best. Are their any new screens.

Adamis · Feb 28, 2008

From an article:

There's a hint of madness to Bioware's Sonic outing. Just how can an RPG - the most patient genre this side of Microsoft Hedge Simulator - capture the jittery, tarmac-shredding ways of Sega's blue blur?

Sonic's the Sunny Delight of gaming mascots; RPGs are the stomping grounds for mugs of Bovril. The only grinding he's heard of involves skateboarding, and XP is merely an emoticon for showing disgust. Spend time with Chronicles, however, and disgust is the last thing on your mind.

Sonic's coming home

Entering Chronicles for the first time you're struck by two things: stunning hand-drawn backgrounds and an overwhelming sense of Sonic-ness. It may not be labelled as such, but this is Green Hill Zone.

The chequered rock, the palm trees, the giant loop-the-loop rising from the ground like a bendy Ayers Rock. It's as if someone booted up the original Mega Drive Sonics and saw not 'levels' to be played, but 'locations' that the characters would be happily living in if they weren't fighting off Robotnik every bleedin' hour of the day.

And they're not just aesthetic nods to Sonic's roots; movement within them is retro-flavoured, too. Not control-wise, mind. This is a thoroughly modern stylus-only job: point and Sonic follows. No, the hint of old seeps from context-sensitive level furniture.

See a platform? Tap the icon that appears and Sonic hops up. See a spring? Another tap sends you flying with a 'ba-doing' noise with 1991 written all over it. Tap the icon next to the loop-the-loop and, yes, Sonic speeds round it like the last 17 years haven't happened.

While it's easy to imagine the constant tap-tap-tap as counter-intuitive to the movement flow it attempts to inject, it works surprisingly well. We've certainly not seen an RPG with such physicality before.

These real-time actions also contribute some nice brain-teasing moments. Each character has unique abilities so swapping between them is necessary to activate the context-sensitive icons around the map.

At set points the party divides into its individual members to go to work on a conundrum as a team. Faced with a broken pipe network, you can send Amy and Tails to channel power into a nearby crane, and move Rouge to hook the pipe before Sonic activates the machine.

Hardly taxing, but impressive to see some thought going into aspects that RPGs usually overlook in favour of battling.

Fights begin when you wander into on-screen foes (random battles have been consigned to the RPG cliché bin) and switch to a 3D view not dissimilar to the DS's Final Fantasy III. The scrapping itself, however, has more in common with the Mario & Luigi RPGs.

Although each round begins with a dry menu selection, the action is augmented with timing minigames and reaction tests. Our battle guide below will show you just how well Bioware have busied up the combat to suit Sonic and co.

A tale of Tails

It's great how Bioware have streamlined the RPG aspects to keep up with our nippy hero without harming the depth we demand from the genre.

There's still a big focus on levelling up stats - speed is particularly useful as it grants extra actions during each battle turn - and item equipment is present in a range of natty trainers for Sonic to wear down into rubber pancakes. And a stint chopping wood shows side quests play a part, earning you rings, the in-game currency.

Perhaps most impressive is how Bioware have tackled the major Sonic hurdle - narrative. Usually comprised of inane skater speak that makes Hollyoaks look like Shakespeare, stories and character work haven't been Sonic's strongpoint.

Bioware promise to address this with a tale that begins as a simple 'oh no, Knuckles has disappeared' but grows into something much darker, with a promised twist that splits the game into two different acts. Possible hint: Tails dies?

If you've played Mass Effect or Knights Of The Old Republic, you'll understand Bioware's dedication to building exciting mythologies (indeed, KOTOR's Star Wars offering is better written than the films) and we expect them to work wonders with Sonic's cast.

Just 15 minutes of play saw Sonic consider leaving Knuckles to rot - a choice on the conversation tree that can't, sadly, be acted out - and a bizarrely adult moment in which prim Amy says to mammalian slattern Rouge the Bat, "You're a tramp!".

Late 2008 can't come soon enough for us. If only to hear what Amy has to say about Vector the crocodile...
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Amy says to mammalian slattern Rouge the Bat, "You're a tramp!".
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GreigKM · Mar 1, 2008

I am truly looking forward to this game :shocked: , this is the first time sens Sonic Adventure 2 that I think there is hope for the series (Yes, I like Sonic Adventure 2, and Chao)

GHNeko · Mar 1, 2008

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Adamis @ Feb 28 2008, 05:24 PM)

[/quote]

Internet has been won.

Ayla · Mar 6, 2008

I might buy a ds for this even though I hate the idea of using a stylus for anything whatsoever. Damn you Bioware for making cool games =(

Sazpaimon · Mar 23, 2008

I got these from someone who didn't want to be named, are these new to you guys? I havent seen them after a little searching and if these are indeed new I'm going to make a news post with them.

Sonic Warrior TJ · Mar 23, 2008

Those are new, yeah. And pretty.

superstarCSB · Mar 23, 2008

Those look pretty cool. The little head icons in the top left look like they're from Sonic Advance.

Zycor · Mar 23, 2008

I see what they did there... lazy people they are...

Also, why the abundance of Sonic X art?

JcFerggy · Mar 23, 2008

Zycor said:

Also, why the abundance of Sonic X art?
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Well if that what it takes to get a good Sonic game, then I'll let it slide, but if the game sucks, then its just another thing to pick at.

JoseTB · Mar 23, 2008

That icon can just be a placeholder. The game isn't finished yet and that stuff.

Zycor · Mar 24, 2008

JoseTB said:

That icon can just be a placeholder. The game isn't finished yet and that stuff.
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We won't know till it comes out, the only thing I'm curious about is why they haven't done a new icon for Sonic, yet have done a new icon for everyone else.

Liliam · Mar 24, 2008

You didn't notice the other icons are just badly cropped Sonic X art? Those are even lazier than Sonic's.

GreigKM · Mar 24, 2008

I think they are placeholders. The look very pixelated, can't be the final art or BioWare has stopped trying.

Vaiz · Apr 4, 2008

EGM scan, just got it today. Nothing particularly noteworthy, new, or really informative at all save for this:

"Although we're told the core story has a single outcome, trying out different dialogue options will unlock various side quests - not to mention a romance subplot, another BioWare staple."
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not to mention a romance subplot, another BioWare staple.
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romance subplot
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Wut. Oh god no.

EDIT: Scan fix'd.

GHNeko · Apr 4, 2008

SONICxROUGE 4 EVA

KNUCKLESxAMY 4 EVA

SHADOWxTAILS 4 EVA

But yea. If there is a romance subplot, its just gonna be extremely predictable and everyone will see it coming and who its gonna be, etc etc. So no thanks.

Vaiz · Apr 4, 2008

I'm praying to whatever higher deity there may be out there that it's not shadow and rouge. That would cause a massive uproar of blind 13 year old fanboy/girlism the likes of which we are not familiar with.

Oh wait, romance in a sonic game in general would do that.

Dark Sonic · Apr 4, 2008

GHNeko said:

SONICxROUGE 4 EVA

KNUCKLESxAMY 4 EVA

SHADOWxTAILS 4 EVA
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MMM KNUCKLESXCREAMXSONICXCHAR 4EVA

muteKi · Apr 4, 2008

I will be sorely disappointed if SonicXBig isn't an option.

Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood

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