Sonic Superstars

[DisturbedSwan]

Sonic Origins reviews:

 

Metacritic (PS5 Version)

 

OpenCritic

 

 

[DANGERMAN]

it'd be worrying if it scored badly, they just need to not fuck up the ports. I wish they'd thrown in the Master System / Game Gear games though, really make it complete from the 16-bit days (or 8-bit I suppose)

[mfnick]

8 minutes ago, DANGERMAN said:

they just need to not fuck up the ports.

That’s been happening far too often lately so definitely relieved to see the positive score. 
 

It absolutely should have had far more games in though. Things like the PS2 Gems collection had loads of GG and MS additions. I’m sure they could have easily lumped in the 2 Adventure titles too since they’re already on XBL and PSN. Why not just throw Sonic R and Fighters on there too? 

 

Disgustingly stingy package for the money, 

[Maf]

A few things

 

Sounds like some people are experiencing major bugs and things with Origins, and the developers have spoken out saying they didn’t get to do what they want to do - and it’s also Sega’s fault.

 

The second bit I guess is the developer in question is the Sonic Mania developers?! At least some of them. I thought the Mania devs and Sega had a big falling out and that’s why no Mania 2. Looks like they didn’t cut ties with all the devs

 

Until now because this guy is coming out here and saying stuff that really should not be said in public - on launch day

 

https://www.eurogamer.net/sonic-origins-developer-very-unhappy-with-sega-about-state-of-the-game

 

Even if you’re unhappy with the condition of your game and Sega broke it even further, it’s very unprofessional to be like “Well yeah it’s not as good as we want it to be but most of that’s Sega’s fault”

 

Just feels like bad business. And makes the little chance there might have been for Sonic Mania 2 even more unlikely now.

[mfnick]

Fuck them. SEGA. Should be called out on their bullshit. Especially when it’s the developers who are going to catch most of the heat for those bugs. 
 

Sick of companies treating their classics like shit and just using them for a quick buck. So many don’t get the care they deserve. Sonic Jam is by all means still the best nostalgia trip Sonic game and that came out in 1997. Why are they doing a worse job now. & having the gall to charge over £30 for it. 

Siunds like they were made to crunch on it too. Mental.
 

Again, fuck them. 

[AndyKurosaki]

I’ve not seen any glitches yet, but for them to be present in a collection like this, well that’s a bit bollocks really.

[Maf]

I was thinking this is looking really great. Yeah there are weird bugs and shortcomings, and for the price it’s fair to call-out these things, but I think they’re mostly nitpicking and not stuff that really harms the game

 

Also has the inclusion of wide screen and has increasing the FoV ever benefitted a game more than Sonic? Being able to see what Sonic is speeding in to instead of having to remember where to jump and things looks like it makes the world of difference

 

For every little bug or blemish there looks like there’s some really nice fixes and additions too. So overall I thought this compilation was looking really excellent. Still overpriced, shame about the tiny issues, but some really good new things in here that actually make playing the games better

 

However then they got to the Sonic 3 bit and talked about the music holy shit. You don’t have the Ice Cap Zone theme? THE song of the game? One of the best songs in all of Sonic and they don’t have it and replaced it with some garbage prototype nonsense? Wow wow wow no. Should have paid someone to compose new music to sound close to the old version. 
 

No Launch Base Theme either!?!?
 

If unfamiliar with the games this probably doesn’t mean shit but boy, you fucked up. It’s pretty much a deal breaker for me. I don’t care how wide the screen is. You don’t have the music you don’t have the magic 

 

They didn’t say in the video but if it doesn’t have the Hydro City theme in it the game is done. Act 2 is of the best songs ever committed to video games you don’t have it I dunno what to tell you

 

By default it almost makes the PC version the version to get so they can mod the songs back in. But I don’t want to play Sonic in PC this is a tv and pad game 

 

No music no sale I think 

[HandsomeDead]

I've not played this but Hydrocity was in Mania and I'm pretty sure it wasn't one of Jackson's compositions so I'd guess it's here too.

 

But I was surprised that Ice Cap isn't here.  It also wasn't Jackson but a collaborator who coasts on being the composer of that piece so, you know, I don't think it would have taken too many dollars to okay it.

[radiofloyd]

I thought Frontiers looked decent in the Nintendo Direct. I could see it being a big sales hit anyway. It’s Sonic. It’s open world. Fuck all else is coming out this Christmas.

[DANGERMAN]

I thought it looked really rough, to the point maybe they should skip the Switch version. But that's got to be the biggest platform for Sonic you'd have thought, so they can't

[mmmark]

I thought it looked better than it had gameplay wise at least but still a large area with some assets thrown around to interactive with in a very minimal way. 
 

Looks like a pie with a nice crust and no filling. 

[Maf]

Story trailer

 

 

The small action shown from the levels looks better, and overall it’s a well put together trailer. Shame we already knows what the bulk of this game looks like otherwise I would have said this was promising.

 

Although, on the single player levels, they fucked that up in Sonic Forces too so even that’s not a guarantee to be good at this point either. 

[DANGERMAN]

it looked a lot better, but my main worry is that it's all going to be short sections. Still, it's not like there's a load left to come out this year

[DisturbedSwan]

Actually looks pretty decent, I don't think it'll be amazing or anything but at least it's interesting.

[Maf]

It’s a shame Frontiers will probably be bad because there’s bits of artwork out there for the game which look awesome

 

 

I want to play that game

[Maf]

On 23/08/2022 at 21:06, DANGERMAN said:

it looked a lot better, but my main worry is that it's all going to be short sections.

Ho, ho, ho.

 

How about this. Not only short sections, but short sections you’ve played before!

 

 

There’s a few more videos like this on YT. Basically the not open world levels look like they’ve just reused levels from older games

 

I noticed this from the trailers but I didn’t realise it was almost an exact duplicate. I thought it was just bits of stages, or there’s be a reason for it

 

Bit maybe there will be no new levels in this game?

 

They don’t want to make a Sonic game. Get this developer of this series 

[mmmark]

Wow. Did they think no one would notice or is it intentional because they’re adored classic levels given a new lick of paint?

[mfnick]

Why’s the open world still look so bland. If it had the art design of classic Sonic areas it’d make such a huge difference. 
 

 

like this but with modern graphics. or like the ‘stage’ within the game but make the open world look like it. With different areas within the world which look like Casino Zone, Lava Reef etc.

[Maf]

2 hours ago, mmmark said:

Wow. Did they think no one would notice or is it intentional because they’re adored classic levels given a new lick of paint?

Have to hold final verdict until playing the game but as of now this looks ridiculous. The Sonic series gets a lot of mileage of nostalgia and recently been quite backwards facing and celebrating the classics. That’s what Sonic Generations was. Sonic Mania was half that, but then took that shit and outdid the classics. Even the most recent release is another compilation pack.

 

So to see older stuff in there, especially the flashes of it that was shown in the trailer, it was like ok that’s sort of what they do. But just lifting whole levels from 2008, chopping them up and recycling? That’s not homage or celebration it’s just down right not giving a fuck.

 

I mean have to play the game first to see if that’s what it actually is but damn

 

34 minutes ago, mfnick said:

Why’s the open world still look so bland. If it had the art design of classic Sonic areas it’d make such a huge difference.

Because they don’t want to make a Sonic game. For this game they’ve focused on a sort of dodgy FF13 vibe, focused on combat, levelling up RPG type stats. And all the actual Sonic stuff, running and jumping, is exactly the same as it was in 2008. Same animations, same tricks, and now we see pretty much the same levels.
 

I get that they don’t want to make Green Hill Zone over and over or even the same game over and over. And who knows maybe November comes around and I’m eating shit and this the best game ever. But I see all the stuff they’re doing and the stuff they’re not doing and the only conclusion I come to is they don’t want to make a Sonic game.

[Maf]

Eurogamer had a really good preview of Sonic Frontiers

 

https://www.eurogamer.net/sonic-frontiers-wrestles-with-taking-the-series-essence-to-the-open-zone

 

I say good as in it’s a good article, not that they’re positive on the game. 
 

Quote

Depth is a similar issue for the Cyberspace zone I played, which was unlocked after defeating this boss and pinging around another course of air-pinball to a special obelisk. There's been some chatter about these zones "reusing" old Sonic levels, which Iizuka is quite keen to clarify.
 

Cyberspace zones are what he describes as "the digital expression of the worlds in the memories of Sonic the Hedgehog." So when you go into the portal, he says, "it's a world that's created from Sonic's memories, the places that he's been to like Sanctuary, Green Hill, and so on - Cyberspace is creating a world based off of his memories.

"We want to kind of reuse those memories - like the memories we have as well, because we played the games with Sonic - but the team is doing it intentionally, to kind of poke at those little points that some players are gonna pick up on immediately. Like, 'I remember this exactly!' And we are making levels that maybe look different, but feel the same as other things you have experienced. There's going to be a mix of those very intentionally nostalgic or familiar areas, but there will also be some brand new things nobody's ever seen before."

So he’s remembering something he’s never seen before? Anyway. Good to know there will be some new levels, at least. But this still sounds like an excuse to use old material

 

EDIT: A thought just occurred to me that in the interview the developer says that they decided to do an open zone style design because the development team needed a new challenge.

 

Eh?

 

Your last game was Sonic Forces lol. Did they make that game and go, oh, we’ve mastered this. There’s nothing more to say or do here, we’ve conquered this mountain, time for the next challenge. 
 

Sonic Forces is the 3rd worst Sonic game of all time. How did they finish that and think what an astounding success. We should push ourselves harder.

 

It was an irredeemable, unsalvageable failure of a game
 

I’m sure what it actually means is we were bored as fuck with the current Sonic game so we had to do something new. Which is probably why Forces was such a cheap, budget feeling, crappily made game because they had enough. But in the article it sounds like he’s talking about previous works like they already hit the pinnacle of what that type of Sonic game could be. 
 

It’s like dude. What world does Sonic Team live in?