Sonic Lost World (Wii U, 3DS, PC) Megathread

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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEuFgIF_D3g[/youtube]

 

Hello 3DS version.

 

I think I got lost in the conversation so I have to ask: are those "minigame acts" we're discussing here the circus ones? Because those are indeed stupid but are 100% optional, hell they aren't even called "Act #number". I got enough animals to unlock the next world by simply replaying the previous stages to look for the last red ring I missed, and the "real acts" so far are pretty good, different yes but not bad.

If we're going to talk about something truly disappointing, NIGHTMARE takes the cake. Holy shit what a lack of effort.

 

It actually looks like they're throwing the review.

 

So...

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It seems they didn't even finish the animations. Why?

 

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Yeah, that kinda looks like in Generations when you use the regular Sonic's animations over Super Sonic's skeleton. Seems they didn't make much custom animations for him.

 

Something about the Wii U version itself reeks that the game was unfinished or just rushed out the gate.

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I mean, what was really egregious in my mind was the final boss was literally a copy-paste of Colors' final boss only with spikes and cube removed. The 3DS version of it was a lot more engaging.

The later levels are sloppy messes of gimmicks and they implemented without any rhyme or reason. Sort of like they went, "Hey, we need to have this out soon, but we can only get four acts per zone." Overall, you can tell there's a lack of focus and it just drags the game down more.

By the way, I'm not a fan at all that dash ring and spring level transitions are back. It just reminds me of everything that was wrong with Sonic Adventure 2 through Sonic 2006 and even parts of Unleashed. The game's got some ideas right, but they really need to focus on actually making the levels fun. Think Unleashed, Colors, Generations, only with the ability to use the parkour system to change routes and split off to completely different sections of level.

So really, someone needs to rein in Iizuka and whoever else and just focus on refining the entire experience. Not a big fan of these "extra acts" either that are just random mini games. The whole Hidden World was just silly and unnecessary.

 

I agree with you, but this is like all they've been working on since partially after Colors and entirely after Generations. I guess that's what happens when you have to reinvent the wheel.

 

That's why I'm not so keen on just writing off the game as a waste of time and a "wrong direction" for the series. Just like how Unleashed was rather unrefined, now that they have a basic new gameplay system in place, they can work on making it shine in the next game.

Personally, I'm hoping they gear back to "Boost Era" (which I'll define as Unleashed/Colors/Generations trilogy) level design but with the parkour system in place to create branching paths and exciting moments within stages. I'm really not a big fan of the planetoid style for Sonic. Mind you, I'm basically thinking 3D Sonic should be similar to...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYW7-hNXZlM

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q_rcmtzvoY

A Combination of "Boost Era" and this parkour system make this ENTIRELY possible.

 

I support this idea fully.

 

Played and beat the Wii U version. Everything with the main control scheme was immensely fun when it wasn't laced with Nintendo Difficulty, the wisps ranged from mediocre to terrible, and things like the snowball/wind tunnel mandatory minigame acts zones were unmemorable but frustrating. The mach-speed mode was OK, but inappropriately used sometimes. My verdict: Buy if you're considering it, but if you're not even considering it, then it's probably not for you. I'd play another game like this, but I don't want one, if you get what I mean. Anyways, actual spoilerish-review contents ahead.

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Speaking of the Mach Speed mode, the final boss (Brak Eggman! I never thought I'd see anything resembling Brak Eggman in a main title game.) was probably the highlight fight of the game. Every other one was either frustratingly opaque in how their attack pattern related to how they could be attacked, or was way too short. Looking at you, Zazz round 2.

Y'know, reading this topic in advance made me think the story was going to be abysmal... but it was actually refreshingly (comparitively, of course) good. I'd definitely rank it above Unleashed. There were only two points I didn't actually like- Sonic and Eggman's tone changing immediately after Tails is captured (inappropriately quickly- wouldn't Sonic be in shock, instead of straight into regret?) and how Tails manages to change back into a fox of flesh and blood in the span of one level. We never get anything on what happens to the Lost Hex, but the Deadly Six are now the dead six (They exploded, except Zor, who burned to death in lava), so a lack of finality for the planet itself, considering it's just a backdrop, doesn't really bother me too much. The lack of justification for Wisps, meanwhile, is still a bit irritating.

Also, I haven't beaten the hidden world, but so far it's obnoxious and boring. Time spent on that could have been better spent on rounding off the edges of what came before.

 

I've compiled all of the cutscenes into one video for convenience.

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Apologies for the watermark and the resample - as far as I know, this was the most complete playthrough at the time of downloading/editing.
There may have been another, but I was anxious to produce this as soon as possible for people who feel like experiencing the story on its own.

EDIT: Oh, and check out Roller's impressions on the previous page. I kind of bumped it out of sight.

 

I'm not usually this confrontational, but I've gotta say, the people saying that Sonic Lost World's story is even comparable to Sonic 06's sincerely need to reach down and fucking pull their head out of their own ass.

The story is like Colors' - light, humorous, ultimately inconsequential. Now, I understand that that might not be everyone's thing, but I can't fathom putting a simple, frivolous story like this in the same sentence as the melodramatic, convoluted, nonsensical, unintentionally hilarious, beastiality-sporting trainwreck that was the story of Sonic 06.

 

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Yeah, like I said, that was just an utter cop out. I wouldn't have minded it as much if there was one more fight or, at the absolute least, it had an attack pattern similar to its 3DS cousin.

 

I'm steering towards seriously disliking it. The art style and the music are top notch, there is no doubt. The story may be a tad too minimal for my tastes, but it's not bad.

I just can't like the gameplay. The first act of every zone has been rather good, but then it just seems to get worse until the next zone gives you a good act, promptly followed by a bunch of mediocre ones. Some levels have gimmicks that kill you in one hit, or are full of bottomless pits that could easily be replaced by something that doesn't kill you.

The way Sonic moves is just odd to me. Sometimes when you jump while going fast, he continues the momentum and sometimes he just seems to lose it and fall like a sack of spuds. I really don't like the control system.

Also, fuck the grinding level in Tropical Coast. Seriously, fuck that level so much.