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Everything posted by Clewis

  1. If you weren't telling it to him in particular, then I don't understand why you would even bother bringing it back up in the first place. It doesn't really contribute to the first part of your post, so it just comes across as a confusing, needless addition. But whatever. Now I'm making this into a bigger deal than it needs to be. Whoops.
  2. When was it implied that certain parts of Angel Island fly around separately from each other? The Ice Cap from both S3&K and SA1 is still a part of the same island that falls during different periods of SA1. You can even see it in the cg cutscenes: I always figured that the inclusion of houses and hot air balloons was a mistake on the designers' part, and was just another example of them not taking the series' continuity too seriously.
  3. No, the best thing they can do at at this point is make good games on a consistent basis. In reality, most people don't really care about the franchise's weak sense of continuity. The general public doesn't pick up Sonic games for "the story of Sonic the Hedgehog", they pick them up if they look fun to play. Rebooting the franchise just so they can establish stronger narrative elements isn't going to fix much of anything in Sonic's case.
  4. It's dumb, but inoffensive. Kinda like the "& Knuckles" meme that was included in the most recent Deus Ex game: That being said I really hope this isn't a preview of Sonic's marketing team deciding to take a more "meme-happy" approach with future titles. Sanic is still a dumb, overused reference at the end of the day, and its implementation in Forces isn't anymore clever than someone going "Hey look guys! It's that meme you all know from the internet! We're self-aware now, so please stop laughing at us!" Want to implement memes in a less shallow way, Sega? Look at Mania's "& Knuckles" mode for inspiration. That was amusing more so because of the absurdity behind it, not just because it was a basic reference.
  5. Recently played through SA1 for first time in almost a decade with all of the Dreamcast conversion stuff (which is a godsend, btw). At its best, the game is really only okay. I think "janky" would be the best way to describe my thoughts on it with a single word.

    Despite this, I actually enjoyed the game a lot more than I was expecting to, and I feel like it carries this unintentional sense of charm that I don't see Sega ever managing to replicate (even SA2 lacks it, imo). Overall, the game was a decent experience, but it's not the type of Sonic game I'd like to see a modern sequel to (personally prefer Sonic games to be a bit more arcade-styled in structure). I would, however, like to see a legitimate return to Sonic's SA1 style of gameplay. He's pretty fun to mess around with in this game.

  6. Because it was developed by people who have more passion for the franchise than those who actually own the IP. I would honestly be very interested in seeing what a new spinoff game headed by modern Traveler's Tales would be like. Keep your "It would just be another Lego clone" jokes to yourself. The Boom branch should have been handed to them, game-wise, at least.
  7. Did anyone actually enjoy how the homing attack worked in Lost World?

    What were they thinking? Were they thinking? Help.

    1. Pelvic WOO! engine

      Pelvic WOO! engine

      I thought it was pretty neat. It gave it more variety and a strategic use I'll give it that. I wouldn't mind seeing it return.

    2. Fletch


      I thought it was nice to lock on multiple targets. I don't have a problem with Lost World homing attack, but just personally would take manually hitting all enemies since I'm more used to that.

    3. mayday2592


      Honestly I never found the homing attack fun, it always seemed to kill all your momentum when you used it. I was hoping lost world would fix it with the homing chain, but it still wasn't any fun.

    4. Clewis


      Each to their own, I guess. I found it very pace-breaking to have to constantly hang in the air so that I could lock on to a group of enemies. And whenever you didn't wait around to destroy them all at once, choosing to attack them individually would take up even more time.

      It's such an odd change to a mechanic that (for the most part) already worked in the first place. I actually found it satisfying to use during the auto-run segments where the lock-on would occur automatically, why wasn't it implemented like that in the rest of the game? 

    5. Shiguy


      I'll be the one that yes, but like many a concept in LW it's execution was shakey and wasn't handle quite right. it's the same with the kick attack in the Wii U version.

      The homing attack in LW worked like a glorified Light Speed attack chaining multiple enemies in succession. The problem was that it has a weird "stale time" with the charging aspect towards it. You would often find yourself halting a few brief moments against an enemy type that took more then one hit with it to  which while I found this to be fine for boss battles, it was a pace breaker for the main levels when the game demanded you need to use it.

      And like many variations of the HA it sent Sonic in an set upward arc rather then carrying any given inertia that Sonic had when hitting a target even while homing in to it. In "theory" i'd say you could make it work better by adding more "flexiblity" to it, allowing Sonic to cancel out the action of targeting enemy while still keeping control and gaining momentum with more succesive uses of it. Being able to seamlessly keep the flow up by controlling that variable would complement the given design behind it.

      But that's just in theory, a̶ ̶g̶a̶m̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶o̶r̶y̶ so I digress.

    6. Milo


      I'm not a fan of it either although it's more for a different reason.

      The homing attack already makes platforming in Sonic games trivially easy since you can just hit almost anything (enemies, monitors, springs, you name it) from a yard's distance just by spamming the attack button, and heavily automating the game (don't get me started on HA chains). Yet someone thought that's not easy enough and decided the move should now allow Sonic to eat through entire groups/rows of enemies. It even removes the one playful element you could do with it (chaining enemies) since by locking onto multiple enemies, it does that for you already.

      Though really, I just can't stand the HA move at this point, especially so with how it helped overwrite 2D Sonic gameplay. Absolutely glad it was nowhere near Mania (Megamix is a perfect example of how even with proper classic Sonic physics/gameplay, the HA can completely change the game focus) but I still hope to see a 3D attempt with Sonic that completely kicks the move to the curb. Absolutely sick of the notion that it's somehow necessary to even make a 3D Sonic platforming game in the first place. Go play the first Adventure without using it, the game shockingly doesn't fall apart.

    7. Celestia


      My take is that the light speed attack-ish maneveur was neat, and I think making it so you have to aim a bit beforehand is a fair compromise considering it's pretty OP otherwise. Basically I would've gone a step further and made it harder to pull off, maybe have you need to charge it up like...well, again, the light speed attack. (I do agree the homing attack is slow when only targeting one enemy though, not sure why that was a thing.)

      On the other hand, the "charge up the targets on a single enemy / boss just so you can deal damage at all" thing wasn't necessary at all.

    8. MegasonicZX


      I didn't like it much either if only just because of how automated it was, I always preferred pressing each HA in succession rather than just doing it once and then having the whole chain done for me. I will say I did like the kick attack as a secondary option to it though I feel like the execution was never there to make it work well in conjunction (among other things in the game).

    9. The Deleter

      The Deleter

      I had high hopes for it when I saw how the attack seemed to arc off of the enemy afterwards, almost as if it kept some form of momentum to it

      At the end of the day it's just a massive tease that ticks me off though, tbh. Barely travels a foot forward in the first place...

  8. I don't think the "two worlds" thing is a concept that will ever be addressed in-game, so I don't feel like it really matters. To me, the whole "this game takes place on Earth, and this one on Sonic's World" is just an internal mentality the development team decides upon when starting each project, so that elements being designed for the game itself (e.g. environments, npcs, etc.) are more consistent with each other. Games like SA2, 06, and Unleashed take place on Earth, so the environments featured are more realistic and may also be inhabited by humans. In contrast, games like Heroes, Colors, and Lost World take place on/near "Sonic's World", so their environments are more abstract and feature "weirder" elements like cute aliens or the little animals from Sonic 1. That's it.
  9. I'll echo previous sentiments about not wanting to give any support to Sega regarding Forces. Nothing in the final product reflects what I want to see in the franchise going forward. Not the soundtrack (none of the styles used for each character really click with me), not the style of presentation (I still can't believe how ugly the game's UI is), not the attempted narrative, not the largely lackluster level design, not the overuse of shallow cinematics to make up for how uninteresting the previously mentioned level design is, not the inclusion of boring nostalgia bait (please stop embarrassing yourself with classic Sonic's inclusion, Sonic Team), and definitely not the boost gameplay, which I feel Forces features the worst iteration of so far. Even the OC, which could have been somewhat entertaining in its own right, utilizes clunky, barely-thought-out gameplay, and suffers from both general movement issues and the inclusion of trivial combat scenarios (I thought we moved past this after Heroes?). Also the enemy placement just comes across as incredibly lazy. From what I can tell, all amusement involved with the OC mechanic is limited to the character creation screen and watching your avatar act like a mime during cutscenes. Earlier in this thread I stated that I was actually willing to give this game a try if I were to find it on a large discount, but after giving the game a closer look, I've honestly lost all interest in giving any proper attention to it whatsoever. Forces looks like nothing more than an uninspired, mediocre mess, and there are much better games out right now that I'd rather spend my time and money on. Better luck next time, Sega. Maybe make another Puyo Puyo game, greenlight a Mania sequel, or bring more of your older, console-based library to pc if you want my money.
  10. That's not how Rotten Tomatoes works. The approval rating for Justice League is around 40%, but that only means around 40% of reviewers who watched the movie liked/recommend it. Its average rating, like Forces, sits around 5/10.
  11. At this point, I feel like if the only way we can get a Taxman port of S3&K is to include the pc collection compositions (or have new compositions altogether), then I'd take it. I can't imagine modding the game to include the original tracks would be very hard.

    Of course that also means Sega would need to have plans of bringing Taxman's ports to pc, which to that I really have to wonder just what the hell they're waiting on.

    1. Blacklightning


      Fuck it, just put all the Taxman remasters into a bundle and release them together ala Gems Collection, then throw S3&K on top of it. For how long we've been waiting for non-mobile ports it'd be a hell of a lot better than releasing them separately at this rate.

  12. Probably as a way to help introduce the Boom branch to more people (or at least more of the eastern audience) before said branch partially collapsed on itself. I mean classic Sonic's appearance in Forces is nothing more than a glorified commercial for Mania, after all.
  13. It's likely the project started off as something more Avatar-focused a few years ago, then when the western branches of Sega showed how much they disliked the idea, Sonic Team went back and redesigned the project so that it would be more like Generations, resulting in proper development for Forces only starting around sometime last year. So Forces itself wasn't in development for four years, but Sonic Team likely did spend the last four years developing something, even if some of that something never came to fruition.
  14. I really hope the "in-level dialogue" stuff is dropped for future games. It wasn't enjoyable in Lost World largely because the Deadly Six were boring, unfunny cliches, and it isn't enjoyable in Forces because everyone either spouts empty dialogue at each other, states the obvious by describing what is happening on screen, or needlessly reminds you of what your objective is supposed to be (even though SA2 already did this more efficiently by providing a short blurb on each level's title card screen). Colors is the only one of Kishimoto's games where I feel like the in-level dialogue actually works because Eggman's announcements actually feel like they're a part of the environment (the fact that you can typically run past each announcement before they've even finished adds to this).

    At least they give you an option to turn it off.

    1. JezMM


      I really like it in concept, for a game that's going for what Forces was going for but... it didn't amount to anything.  It should be coupled with actual visible stuff for additional storytelling that can happen in-gameplay, but it's just used to imply a story bigger than what you're doing on the cheap.  Because none of it ever relates to you, it's completely forgettable.

      An example of how it could've been done better - you go to Space Port to investigate what Eggman's up to at that particular area, very basic pre-level talk.  You shortly get a vista view of a ton of spaceships in the background, as the radio chatter comments upon this discovery, and instructs you to continue searching the base.  Shortly after is a crackled transmission that sounds like Sonic, which HQ determines to be from outer space.  Shortly after this, Vector announces a change of plan, we're taking one of those rockets while the going is good.  You stop going the way you were headed and leap onto a path that's heading into the background, towards those shuttles you saw earlier, and the rest is history.  Obviously this all occurs at pre-determined points still, but it's just... more involved.

      As is, all the "in-level narratives" just talk about what the other characters are doing, and most issues they have are solved just before the end of the stage, which usually comes off as very jarring considering the stages are 2 minutes long lol.

  15. The cycle really hasn't been relevant for years, and I'm not seeing how it's relevant to Forces either. There's more to it than just "Sonic game is announced -> It turns out bleh". I just don't see any reason for it to be brought up at this point, honestly. It's been made obsolete because the more "modern" batch of Sonic games have their own consistent set of problems. Sorry! Please don't tell on me. :x
  16. I mean honestly, Infinite himself doesn't really contribute much to the plot outside of being the new, edgy badguy in town for people to draw fanart of. He doesn't have an interesting background tied to the Phantom Ruby (like we initially thought he might), he doesn't have any meaningful ties to the game's OC (like we initially thought he might), and he isn't even a goofy, unintentionally over-the-top character that can be liked ironically (imo). He's just another boring, dark-colored meanie who floats around with an intentionally vague set of abilities that we've seen countless times already. The game could have worked perfectly fine if Eggman just placed the Phantom Ruby in a personal weapon (like a cannon or Metal Sonic or something), instead of fusing it with a character we essentially know nothing about and spouts generic "I'm evil and more powerful than you!"-tier dialogue. At least at that point the game would have been more about Eggman and how he managed to conquer everything, instead of the game's current plot where it feels like he's just sitting in the back seat most of the time during what should have been one of his greatest accomplishments in the franchise. Oh well.
  17. Sorry. Just felt like you were taking a dumb one-liner a bit too seriously otherwise. Again, never said they didn't. I'll just reiterate my point that in the US, most "big deal" releases are done on Friday, and since Forces isn't being released at the end of the week over here, yadda yadda, you can see where I went with this. Doesn't mean I'm not aware that major releases can occur on Tuesday along with lots of other, smaller-scale games, it was just easy material to work with. Yes, I'm sure sales-wise Sega probably considers this game a big title for the year, but they're certainly not treating it like one in every other area. Also I don't think the general gaming market really views anything Sonic-related as that major of a release, at least not along the same lines as most heavy hitting, AAA titles that are also/have been released during the year. As far as I can tell, most just see Forces as another 3D Sonic game. That's it.
  18. Well, it's the opposite here in the US (as far as I can remember). Most games get released on Tuesday, whereas big AAA titles get released on Fridays. Man, it was just a dumb joke relating to how Sega's western branches have been handling this game, maketing-wise. They've barely shown off much of Forces, so obviously even they're not too hot on what the game has to offer, keeping it from being viewed as a "major" release internally, and more of a "Just release it so we can rake up whatever sales it makes and move on to something else" kind of release among some of the higher ups. Now an unfunny joke is even less funny because I had to explain it.
  19. I'm not saying major releases never occur on Tuesdays, I was just making a cheap joke at Forces' expense.
  20. Can we get a Rocky Road Ice-cream reaction?




  21. I believe it was said that it wouldn't be uploaded until around the game's release.
  22. That was a hundred times more charming than anything found in the actual game. I feel bad for the marketing team. They're doing the best they can with scraps, essentially.
  23. Would Sega be okay with this? I know they usually let the modding community do whatever they want, but I can't imagine they'd be alright with people experiencing Forces' content without actually having to purchase the game itself. I always figured Generations' Unleashed project was alright since you can't purchase Unleashed on pc, meaning the mod's existence doesn't actually detract from any potential sales within that market.
  24. I'm fine with putting the life system on the chopping block. Their current inclusion in most modern platformers comes across as pointless, as there's typically no real punishment for game overs anyway (besides having to jump through a couple menus). On top of this, games like the Mario Galaxy or Donkey Kong Country Returns duologies are so generous with handing out lives to the player that the system might as well not be included in the first place. And I get that some people find that act of collecting lives "satisfying", but I can't really agree when games like Sonic Generations or the ones I just previously mentioned reward me with another life to add to the twenty-something I already have. At that point there's no sense in cherishing them, as it doesn't feel any different than when I collect rings or bananas. For Sonic games in particular, I've always thought it would be best if they just scrapped the life system and placed more focus on the ranking system instead. You would still be ranked by the score you achieved in the level itself (regarding your time, badniks destroyed, rings collected, etc.), but your final score would feature a set deduction based on the number of "retries" that were needed to pass the level, therefore influencing your final rank. This way more casual players can play through the game with no annoying punishments setting them back (e.g. Mania), and more skilled players or completionists can freely challenge themselves to achieve higher ranks so that their experience doesn't feel like a total cake walk. You could also tie extras like concept art or something to achieving S or A ranks to give people more of an incentive to challenge themselves so the act of chasing higher ranks doesn't feel so meaningless outside of bragging rights. I think Forces does something similar to this regarding the "retry" system, but I haven't really looked into how ranking works in that game. Either way, lives are an archaic mechanic that doesn't serve much purpose in modern games, and I'm not going to miss them.
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