DryEyeRelief
Member
Giving Sonic a talking sword or turning him into a werewolf or making a game with Shadow as the star is totally trying to appeal to nostalgia.
Why Sonic Boom's new style is the way to go.
- Thread starter MikeXXIeaf
- Start date
Giving Sonic a talking sword or turning him into a werewolf or making a game with Shadow as the star is totally trying to appeal to nostalgia.
It's not a design that is supposed to appeal to the taste of people who're fans of Sonic since the Genesis days, but to the taste of today's kids. Looking at Skylander's, they certainly like ugly-ass designs. And, honestly, that's not a bad thing. Sonic is nowhere near as popular as twenty years ago and the brand is in danger of being forgotten by the younger generations, it's good to take actions that might help to prevent that.
Kids at the age they are aiming at think classical music is for old relics, 80 and 90's styled music (like the song you are referencing) is super uncool etc. The Sonic boom song is way outdated for its demo. Let's be honest kids probably think Skrillex and whatnot sounds better. We old now.
Dimitri LH
Member
The way modern Sonic developed this/last generation was fine.
Not as good as the originals, but good enough. The new designs are pretty much fanfiction level.
Exactly. I like the Modern Sonic's. Only thing great about Sonic boom Designs is maybe Eggman and Sonic.
Raging Spaniard
If they are Dutch, upright and breathing they are more racist than your favorite player
Nah man, under that pretense every videogame character should have athletic tape. Plus, making it white makes it look like bandages, it would be better to have a color to go with it.
The Tails stuff is unnecessary because that character is well known as an inventor already, you dont need to make the user aware now. Simplicity worked better in that case.
FrostuTheNinja
Member
And a series toys, lunch boxes, tshirts, binders, cock rings...
The bandages thing actually has precedent in real life. In my opinion, that puts it a million steps ahead of Final Fantasy's belt fetish.
Swole Knucks is a bit of a shock, but it looks a lot better in the screenshots.
I think people will warm up to these designs over time once they're no longer new or shocking. Especially if the game actually ends up good.
Im kinda surprised people are taken back by the tape... They run really fast and fight, gotta tape up those wrists and ankles! when i saw Sonic was spatted (taping ankles over shoes) i got a good laugh
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
Yes. Xtreme Sonic isn't smug, he's just overly convinced of his coolness. He just got done grinding a rail in outer fucking space, so he's kind of earned it.
Hipster Sonic looks like he's proud that he reduced his carbon footprint by biking to work twice a week. He's a loser.
Edit: Alright, so different variations of smug. But you get the idea.
Bob Dobalina
Member
This design encapsulates everything that is wrong with modern sonic games. I am for any change that moves sonic's fanbase from its current group back to children.There is only one good Sonic design.
MikeXXIeaf
Banned
Less bland. Sonic Team's designs in the 3D era just copy and pasted a Sonic body layout onto Knuckles' head. It didn't say anything except "yep, this is the red one who punches stuff".
These designs look like the characters may actually bare some personality.
cheststrongwell
my cake, fuck off
Knuckles looks fucking ridiculous, but the others look okay. Honestly, the series has fallen so far that it really doesn't matter what they do with its rotting corpse.
I actually like the designs on the concept art but the execution was terrible. While I like Knuckles silhouette/figure I think it was unnecessary to have the tough guy be big, especially not an established one.
Amy is a big eh, but I never cared for her design anyway. I always thought she would look better if she wasn't the only one with clothes. They should've gave her just a skirt retro Minnie Mouse style.
Amy is a big eh, but I never cared for her design anyway. I always thought she would look better if she wasn't the only one with clothes. They should've gave her just a skirt retro Minnie Mouse style.
I don't think you know what 'smug' means. Because what you just described is the very definition of a smug person.
MagnaderAlpha
Member
I really hated that kind of shit. ESPECIALLY back then(which I was an actual teenager, senior in high school, no less). I guess I grew contempt for all that "Yo yo yo, look how hip and phat weez can BE!" because it was all in my face. It's the reason I never got into Jet Set Radio, and the reason I hate the phat urban look of The World Ends With You(and probably why I'll never bring myself to play it despite hearing good things about it). When stuff changes to appeal to a specific demographic(by way of trend), it just feels phony to me. It's the equivalent of The Simpson's Poochie.No amount of try-hard badass posturing will ever be able to match the level of the Adventure era.
I still believe, if a character's good, he's good despite trend. Universal appeal and timelessness outlasts dated trends. Sonic, even when he first showed up, looked like some old timey cartoon character. Like someone who could've existed alongside Felix the Cat, the old Disney toons or Fleischer cartoons. But that was the appeal, IMO. No where was it trendy or relevant in the late 80s/early 90s(especially considering that cartoony look was mostly relevant in the 20s and 30s), that's for sure. That didn't matter, though. Sonic was still accepted regardless of that look, by a generation of children who probably never watched or were heavily familiar with those style of cartoons(well, some of us were, since I was a kid and I was a big Popeye fan, was familiar with Felix and such). Though, to say it predates us is an understatement. Those toons originally came out when our GRANDPARENTS were kids, yet despite generations later, we, the youngins, weren't as shallow as people thought we were.
Hell, I still believe people give kids a bad rap. I don't think kids are as narrow minded as adults think they are, especially PR people. Most kids will watch anything as long as it interests them, and will play any game as long as it's fun. If hip, cutting edge graphics and awesome trends were the only concern, things like Minecraft would've NEVER become popular with kids. Really, I think it's the adults who have lost touch with reality. Kids know what they like and are really forgiving regarding this. Adults THINK they know, and sometimes(sometimes) they get it right, but a lot of times they get it wrong too. Maybe it's something that happens to us when we get older, become more set in our ways and loose touch of the actual reality of it all.
Has anyone stopped to think about the artists?
New 3D game, new 3D TV series, I sure as shit wouldn't want to be animating old big shoes, no neck, spaghetti-legs.
For what they want to do with the character, these designs are way better than they used to be. Also the further away they get from "classic Sonic" the better. Sega deserves a new identity.
New 3D game, new 3D TV series, I sure as shit wouldn't want to be animating old big shoes, no neck, spaghetti-legs.
For what they want to do with the character, these designs are way better than they used to be. Also the further away they get from "classic Sonic" the better. Sega deserves a new identity.
I know it's unpopular, but I like that they changed the size of one of the characters. Before, aside from Tails, they were all the same size and proportions, and nearly the same shape. Enlarging Knuckles makes the whole ensemble have more variety.
But I realize it's easy for me to say this. I was never a Sonic fan. It's not MY childhood being pooped on.
But I realize it's easy for me to say this. I was never a Sonic fan. It's not MY childhood being pooped on.
MikeXXIeaf
Banned
I think of Tails as a sidekick before I think of him as an inventor/genius.
goldenpp72
Member
Yeah I much prefer for people to define their personality based on their body size and how they dress than to have to get to know them. Goth kids are the best for example.
Muchi Muchi Pink
Member
The head of Sonic looks so weird. More like Sonic the Egghead.
MikeXXIeaf
Banned
Well did we ever get to know the Sonic characters? They're all as bland as their designs were.
Yeah no, Sonic design was fine the way it was and didn't need a redesign to "appeal" to western market. The new is style is stupid and I honestly can't believe that Sega thought it was good.
I doubt it, I currently hate them and I still will now that I know that the original game and design still exist.
Somehow I doubt that.
Well it was designed by a French studio.
I doubt it, I currently hate them and I still will now that I know that the original game and design still exist.
Somehow I doubt that.
Well it was designed by a French studio.
So you don't like 'urban culture.' More power to you. But I can assure you that Sonic's been 'urban' since his inception.
It worked for Namco.
By the way; it's not the 90s anymore. French Animation studios have gotten considerably better at CG animation and cartoons in general. Ever heard of Wakfu?
The World Ends with You and Jet Set Radio were built from the ground up with a cohesive design in everything from music to art to gameplay. That's not a cynical edgy redesign to cash in on current trends. Not to mention your examples aren't thematically similar at all.
DryEyeRelief
Member
It made sense for Knuckles to be the same size as Sonic because he was originally the lancer of the series. But he's been demoted to being the big guy instead
Man, I love tv tropes.
goldenpp72
Member
We got to know them enough that we knew their personalities. They didn't have sit downs around a camp fire and if that happens it will piss people off. No one wants 10 hours of cutscenes in a Sonic game. As for the cartoon, if you count the cartoon as 'defining personalities' then you have 4 prior Sonic cartoons to pluck from to see personalities. Most noteworthy would be Sonic X in terms of Sega trying to 'define' their characters.
Sounds like to me you are just trying to find ways to justify a faulty opinion, no one was confused about the personality of these characters prior. Sonic is a heroic snarky hedgehog with a 'tude, Knuckles the more silent, gullible 'tough guy', tails a childish but brilliant inventor/little brother kind of character, and Amy was an obsessive romantic with a bubbly/girly personality.
I didn't have to watch a cartoon or read fanfiction to come up with that, playing through Sonic Adventure 1 or 2 would get you that far.
OverturePT
Member
Are you really mixing reality here? Ever seen cartoons? Damn, even some movies for adults have characters with design aspects that give away some sort of trace of their personality.
Knuckles has always been 'the big guy', whereas Tails was the 'Lancer' of the trio.
That's Tails in a nutshell. Conversely, think Vector (The Idiot.) and Espio (The Stoic one.) This quote in general describes Knuckles, especially in the Comic series.
You have no idea how character design works, do you.
Sonic Team's character design fell off with Sonic Adventure. We have Sonic go from a more cartoony version of a genuine hedgehog:
To this lanky, anthropomorphic mess:
The transition was terrible. I'm sure most people would have been okay with him remaining somewhat "cute". Instead the character design shifted into this awkward teenage Sonic with a more exaggerate personality. "THIS Sonic is mature. Look at his girlfriend!" Sure a certain demographic bought into it but was the change worth it? Once you've grown into adulthood the blind interest in the "alpha male" should stop. You don't watch a Bruce Willis film and still think "damn, this guy is cool" anymore do you? SEGA alienates adults and young children alike with such poor presentation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTP-JbDBSCw&feature=youtu.be
The characters seem a lot better presented here. The dialogue exchange isn't so goofy you can't stand it and the Sonic/Robotnik exchange felt sincere for the first time since the original cartoon. Knuckles actually looks like a tough guy and you can just look at Tails once and understand that he's the "smart one". Amy still look...eh.
The new Sonic looks terrible. He's even lankier than Modern Sonic. He looks like a teen going through an awkward growth spurt where his limbs are too long. Proportionally, he looks more human than ever before and it's a bit creepy. His head looks like it got mangled in a bowling ball shiner.
Also he's overdesigned to hell. The bandages and scarf are very unnecessary. They're trying to convey that he's adventurous and athletic but that don't need that stuff to do that.
This is the image that initially made me dislike Modern Sonic. The overlong lanky limbs, the sharp toothy grin, the long quills, the overly hip pose. It just wasn't very Sonic. He looks like a rabid crazy Sonic.There is only one good Sonic design.
I've warmed to Modern Sonic a bit since Colors and Generations were finally good games and in game he doesn't look as bad as the artwork, but I still think he misses the original concept of Sonic. Mostly his design looks less ball-friendly and I think that has been at least a small part of why the developers have been so unwilling to properly implement rolling in his games or the result of their shift of gameplay focus.
This is the best Sonic has looked in a long time, though I feel they tried way too hard to make him act younger than he should have been. Just because he's smaller and cuter doesn't mean he's a baby.
goldenpp72
Member
I do, and I also know that you don't need to lose all sense of subtlety to get a point across, even to 5 year olds. Knuckles didn't have to go roid out in order to convey the point he is the 'strong one', no kid was confused about that before this. You can make a person dark/brooding without putting a black cloak over them while they brood about, but apparently that's too difficult.
In the freak chance the cartoon/game somehow sold a ton, i'd not be too sure. This very much reminds of me Nintendo and the DS being a third pillar. The wording right now is that it won't replace and is just a side experiment, but if the experiment is a success I could see infighting to try and make this the new permanent design. I myself am conflicted by this because I think the game looks fun and want to play it, but also don't want to send the message that these new designs are the way to go.
Part of their new powers.
Too bad Sonic Team will keep reinventing on how a Sonic game is designed instead of sticking with what works gameplay wise.
The thing is that these characters do fall into the things you say they didn't have to do, while knuckles didn't have to 'roid out' or whatever it's obvious that in the classic design and the modern design that Knuckles was intended to be the big dude that breaks buildings. See again in his Sonic 3 art, and the general fact that his gloves and shoes are spiked and rigged, making the implication that he was as tough and durable as 'nails.' So clothing (even though it's minimal) is a huge part of characterization.
MikeXXIeaf
Banned
We've played those games so yeah we get it, but this game isn't going after the old fans.
The bandages are unnecessary BECAUSE he's wearing shoes and gloves.
goldenpp72
Member
Sonic as a series sold most when the games were great and creative, the series will never grow bigger than it was on the Genesis. Notice how Mario still can sell 10+ million copies despite being his cute colorful self. Sega trying to cater to dumb children that don't give a damn about Sonic in the first place is not going to work. Kids are less interested in these kinds of games then they once were, the games that have survived did so based on legacy and quality alone, not because they added a scarf and long limbs to a character. I seriously doubt this redesign will be the reason new fans enter the series at large, but if it's a great game, it might sell well based on that merit alone.
Yaphett Kotto
Member
Why are people trying to justify the bandages by saying its sports tape and it makes sense?
It doesn't excuse how silly they are and how terrible it looks.
It doesn't excuse how silly they are and how terrible it looks.
Yeah, the big boxing gloves with spikes and his sharp eyes are enough to communicate that he's the tough one. The Sonic Boom version is overdesigned.
SonicMegaDrive
Member
They're not horrible. They're just radically different from what most of us are used to.
I personally think they look better than those horrible Sonic Adventure models. I never did like that style.
I personally think they look better than those horrible Sonic Adventure models. I never did like that style.
TheCongressman1
Member
Exactly. Just because some athletes do it doesn't mean wrapping up all the characters looks good.
Might as well give Knuckles an athletic cup too, because he is a fighter after all.
Those kinds of details are not needed.
Anticitizen One
Banned
Do 5-12 year old boys even listen to Skrillex though? Banarang is like a 4 year old song at this point.
This. I actually like the art a whole lot. The trailer on the other hand was absolutely garbage.
And wtf at OP calling the Sonic Adventure era a lanky, anthropomorphic mess, that was the best Sonic game.
Oh boy.
This has long been a problem with Sonic Team. You know we almost didn't even get Sonic 3. Yuji Naka thought 2 similar Sonic games was enough and they should radically change things up. He originally wanted to make it a 3D isometric game. The only reason we got another 2D Platformer out of them was because the technology wouldn't have been ready in time for the release date Sega wanted and they shut it down. Eventually we got Sonic 3D Blast and boy was that awful.