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Sonic CD (Retro Engine) |OT| Where We're Going, We Don't Need Backbone

C

Chinner

Banned
it'll never happen but if they just updated the games to run on the retro engine then that'd be cool. i think it's more likely they'll be released as being remasters of the original.
 
A

Azure Dream

Member
Chinner said:
i doubt sega will even consider it unless there's a decent amount of demand for it.
Click to expand...

Considering how they've been ok with other Backbone releases showing up on PS3, it's interesting Sonic 3 & Knuckles still hasn't made the jump yet. Maybe Sega decided to wait and see how this performed?

Because even above Sonic CD, this engine was built to reproduce Sonic 3 & Knuckles. I mean literally.
 
alf717

alf717

Member
Kulock said:
Considering how they've been ok with other Backbone releases showing up on PS3, it's interesting Sonic 3 & Knuckles still hasn't made the jump yet. Maybe Sega decided to wait and see how this performed?

Because even above Sonic CD, this engine was built to reproduce Sonic 3 & Knuckles. I mean literally.
Click to expand...

What is this backbone thing people are talking about? It is is the title as well.

-PXG- said:
Oh, if you were wondering, the boss theme samples this song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4MC-izHi5w

"Work That Sucker To Death" - Xavier

I miss classic/90's/Genesis Sonic. So much funk and soul to the music and art. Modern Sonic has none of this essense at all.
Click to expand...

Sonic CD's soundtrack is awesome. :)
JP version is much better
Just realized the Past music isn't in D.A. Garden.
 
E

Eric C

Member
alf717 said:
With Sonic already on XBLA how could they do Retro Engine ports without it looking confusing on the marketplace? Would you get a discount if you already own the ports? Or would they just update those games instead? Either way Sega if you read anything here on NeoGAF I would gladly buy each Sonic title 1 - 3 + Knuckles using Taxman's Retro Engine.
Click to expand...

RadarScope1 said:
It's a good question. I wondered this, too. I think the cleanest way would be to de-list the old ones, then put at least some marketing push behind the new ones to make people aware.

But this question is the reason why I don't think we'll see the older games given this treatment.
Click to expand...

They could call them "Sonic HD" "Sonic 2 HD" "Sonic 3 HD" "Sonic & Knuckles HD" or something like that.

Or maybe Sega will wait until the next generation consoles to re-release the Sonic games with the Retro Engine and then de-list the old ones. I don't know, I just really want them all to get the same remake treatment Sonic CD got.
 
A

Azure Dream

Member
alf717 said:
What is this backbone thing people are talking about? It is is the title as well.
Click to expand...

They're a company that specializes in professional emulation of classic games on modern consoles, yet they're kind of infamous for doing a rough job of it, sort of a "good enough" approach. They often have a really nasty habit of throwing ugly filters or terribly-redrawn art on things to "make them HD", they often introduce new glitches or issues, especially with the sound, and in general gamers don't look forward to seeing their name attached to a project. They also developed a couple of mediocre games, like the Death Jr. and the Sonic Rivals games, but they closed that studio down. They've turned in a couple of okay port and emulation efforts, but it doesn't seem to happen without some babysitting by the company they're working for (the Capcom ports, like MvsC2).


Here's the best example of what's wrong: they've been emulating Sonic 1 on consoles since at least 2006 (Digital Eclipse became Backbone when it merged with another company, ImaginEngine). They've included it in at lest half a dozen releases since then, including individual releases for multiple consoles and emulation packages like Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection. It's late 2011, and they handled the emulation of Sonic 1 included in Generations. Why is the sound still screwed up, immediately noticeable to anyone who knows the original game doesn't sound like an ear-screeching mess?

That's kind of symbolic of their efforts. They don't fix what's broken unless they absolutely have to (they sold Gunstar Heroes on PSN with completely non-functional online play), and they generally don't do the original games justice.
 
Sapiens

Sapiens

Member
Kulock said:
They're a company that specializes in professional emulation of classic games on modern consoles, yet they're kind of infamous for doing a rough job of it, sort of a "good enough" approach. They often have a really nasty habit of throwing ugly filters or terribly-redrawn art on things to "make them HD", they often introduce new glitches or issues, especially with the sound, and in general gamers don't look forward to seeing their name attached to a project. They also developed a couple of mediocre games, like the Death Jr. and the Sonic Rivals games, but they closed that studio down. They've turned in a couple of okay port and emulation efforts, but it doesn't seem to happen without some babysitting by the company they're working for (the Capcom ports, like MvsC2).


Here's the best example of what's wrong: they've been emulating Sonic 1 on consoles since at least 2006 (Digital Eclipse became Backbone when it merged with another company, ImaginEngine). They've included it in at lest half a dozen releases since then, including individual releases for multiple consoles and emulation packages like Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection. It's late 2011, and they handled the emulation of Sonic 1 included in Generations. Why is the sound still screwed up, immediately noticeable to anyone who knows the original game doesn't sound like an ear-screeching mess?

That's kind of symbolic of their efforts. They don't fix what's broken unless they absolutely have to (they sold Gunstar Heroes on PSN with completely non-functional online play), and they generally don't do the original games justice.
Click to expand...



They don't like what they do for a living. Their output suggests they are bitter, lazy people.
 
B

BlazeHedgehog

Member
Yeah, basically, Backbone will cut any corner they can in order to put the bare minimum amount of work in to a port they've been tasked with doing.

In their defense they ended up doing pretty good with that X-Men Arcade port, though. I think that was the last thing they've done as far as "emulator+rom+frontend" goes. They let you select between multiple regions, multiple screen styles, etc. It was oddly meticulous for their standards.
 
Q

qq more

Member
Kulock said:
They're a company that specializes in professional emulation of classic games on modern consoles, yet they're kind of infamous for doing a rough job of it, sort of a "good enough" approach. They often have a really nasty habit of throwing ugly filters or terribly-redrawn art on things to "make them HD", they often introduce new glitches or issues, especially with the sound, and in general gamers don't look forward to seeing their name attached to a project. They also developed a couple of mediocre games, like the Death Jr. and the Sonic Rivals games, but they closed that studio down. They've turned in a couple of okay port and emulation efforts, but it doesn't seem to happen without some babysitting by the company they're working for (the Capcom ports, like MvsC2).


Here's the best example of what's wrong: they've been emulating Sonic 1 on consoles since at least 2006 (Digital Eclipse became Backbone when it merged with another company, ImaginEngine). They've included it in at lest half a dozen releases since then, including individual releases for multiple consoles and emulation packages like Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection. It's late 2011, and they handled the emulation of Sonic 1 included in Generations. Why is the sound still screwed up, immediately noticeable to anyone who knows the original game doesn't sound like an ear-screeching mess?

That's kind of symbolic of their efforts. They don't fix what's broken unless they absolutely have to (they sold Gunstar Heroes on PSN with completely non-functional online play), and they generally don't do the original games justice.
Click to expand...

I'm so glad I never support their god awful re-releases. <3 my original cartridges.


EDIT: They had nothing to do with the Genesis collection on Steam, right?
 
ULTROS!

ULTROS!

People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
Not really related to Sonic CD but I saw this "awesome" Sonic figurine/keychain in the Sega Blogs.

4fQuh.jpg
 
Sapiens

Sapiens

Member
I just want to add to the collective sentiment that I would like to have all Genesis Sonic games on Hedgehog Engine.

I would like to finally put away the megadrive (still the best way to enjoy 1-3K)
 
G

grap3fruitman

Banned
Ericsc said:
They could call them "Sonic HD" "Sonic 2 HD" "Sonic 3 HD" "Sonic & Knuckles HD" or something like that.

Or maybe Sega will wait until the next generation consoles to re-release the Sonic games with the Retro Engine and then de-list the old ones. I don't know, I just really want them all to get the same remake treatment Sonic CD got.
Click to expand...
Give me one disc with them all on it and call it "Sonic Retro."
 
A

Azure Dream

Member
Sapiens said:
I just want to add to the collective sentiment that I would like to have all Genesis Sonic games on Hedgehog Engine.

I would like to finally put away the megadrive (still the best way to enjoy 1-3K)
Click to expand...

Hedgehog Engine is what Unleashed and Generations used, not the same thing as the Retro Engine.
 
T

Teknoman

Member
Sapiens said:
I just want to add to the collective sentiment that I would like to have all Genesis Sonic games on Hedgehog Engine.

I would like to finally put away the megadrive (still the best way to enjoy 1-3K)
Click to expand...

Yeah, not to mention i'd be able to sell my Sonic Mega Collection. Gotta hold onto Gems for Fighters, Sonic R, and GG games though.

Sweeper17 said:
I think sega should just do this to all Sonic games


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mI0DKYdaxLs&feature=related
Click to expand...

So basically Sonic Mega Collection 3DS?

Thats how the classic zones felt in the 3DS version of Generations, so I could see that happening at some point. Or even Sega 3D classics.
 
P

-PXG-

Member
People here are so quick to say how good Colors is. But look what you're comparing it to...Unleashed and the abomination that is '06. You can't really get much worse than those, especially the latter. Colors isn't a good game and shouldn't ever be considered good or be any sort of barometer for quality when it comes to Sonic games. It's sad that the best Sonic games nowadays are remakes, powered by fan-made software. Sega truly doesn't give a shit. Even worse is how so much quality artwork and some decent music is undermined by awful designers and inept management.

Anyway, I ended up buying Sonic CD on XBLA earlier today. Like everyone else, I am thoroughly pleased with the game's performance and presentation. This is exactly how a remake/rom port should be done. There's really nothing much else they could have done with this game. It's pretty much flawless.
 
B

BlazeHedgehog

Member
Ericsc said:
They could call them "Sonic HD" "Sonic 2 HD" "Sonic 3 HD" "Sonic & Knuckles HD" or something like that.

Or maybe Sega will wait until the next generation consoles to re-release the Sonic games with the Retro Engine and then de-list the old ones. I don't know, I just really want them all to get the same remake treatment Sonic CD got.
Click to expand...

I just realized this does raise a salient point.

Retro Engine + This = Yes.

But I don't think Sega could get away with selling us the Genesis Sonic games at third time on the same platform (Genesis Collection, XBLA, and then whatever Retro Engine shenanigans we're imagining).
 
D

DimmuBurgerKing

Member
I don't compare Colors to anything. I measure a game - any game, regardless of branding - by how much fun I have playing it. I had fun playing Sonic Colors. Would I like to see another great side-scrolling Sonic? Hell yes! And here's hoping the Retro Engine results in good things in that regard.
 
L

Lijik

Member
People are quick to say Colors is good probably because they had a great time playing it.
This whole "You're comparing it to shit so of course you'll say its good!" logic just doesn't hold up.
Try saying something like "People are quick to call Mario Galaxy 2 good, but its only because you're comparing it to the terrible 3rd party 3d platformers on the wii!" No one will take you seriously.
 
T

Teknoman

Member
-PXG- said:
People here are so quick to say how good Colors is. But look what you're comparing it to...Unleashed and the abomination that is '06. You can't really get much worse than those, especially the latter. Colors isn't a good game and shouldn't ever be considered good or be any sort of barometer for quality when it comes to Sonic games. It's sad that the best Sonic games nowadays are remakes, powered by fan-made software. Sega truly doesn't give a shit. Even worse is how so much quality artwork and some decent music is undermined by awful designers and inept management.

Anyway, I ended up buying Sonic CD on XBLA earlier today. Like everyone else, I am thoroughly pleased with the game's performance and presentation. This is exactly how a remake/rom port should be done. There's really nothing much else they could have done with this game. It's pretty much flawless.
Click to expand...

Well really I was talking about the soundtrack, but Colors is still a fun game on its own.
 
Q

qq more

Member
-PXG- said:
People here are so quick to say how good Colors is. But look what you're comparing it to...Unleashed and the abomination that is '06. You can't really get much worse than those, especially the latter. Colors isn't a good game and shouldn't ever be considered good or be any sort of barometer for quality when it comes to Sonic games.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's EXACTLY the reason why I think Sonic Colors is good. It's totally because I'm comparing it to shit games, instead of actually enjoying the gameplay, level design and cool wisp power ups! Thank you for showing me the light. Boy, was I fooled!
 
B

BlazeHedgehog

Member
qq more said:
Yeah, that's EXACTLY the reason why I think Sonic Colors is good. It's totally because I'm comparing it to shit games, instead of actually enjoying the gameplay, level design and cool wisp power ups! Thank you for showing me the light. Boy, was I fooled!
Click to expand...

Really, I think what's really going on here is you're just comparing your opinion to other, worse opinions, and making a basis on that.
 
alf717

alf717

Member
The dreaded special stage 5. And here I thought I was weird swearing and cursing at this stage the last few day.

At least when the ticker is around 20 or less seconds a bonus time UFO shows up. I love it when your about to jump and destroy a UFO and it just b-lines in the other direction, meanwhile you land in the water.
 
G

Gamecocks625

Member
Like the hat? said:
Got the iOS version

No voice saying "past" or "future" when you hit the signs makes me sad.
Click to expand...

I definitely hear some sort of voice saying future or past. I never played the original so I'm not sure if it was clearer in the original release, but I hear a voice while playing on iPad 2.
 
D

Diablohead

Member
alf717 said:
The dreaded special stage 5. And here I thought I was weird swearing and cursing at this stage the last few day.

At least when the ticker is around 20 or less seconds a bonus time UFO shows up. I love it when your about to jump and destroy a UFO and it just b-lines in the other direction, meanwhile you land in the water.
Click to expand...

all the ufo's follow a path and repeat it, so once you learn where they turn and where they dash too it becomes much easier.
 
C

Combichristoffersen

Combovers don't work when there is no hair
Couldn't be arsed to get the fifth time stone, so I just finished the game, and then started a new game with Tails. Proceeded to get all the time stones and.. no trophy. Didn't get the trophy for finishing a zone in the good future either. Fuck you, game. I wish you had a face so that I could punch it.
 
R

rozay

Banned
Combichristoffersen said:
Couldn't be arsed to get the fifth time stone, so I just finished the game, and then started a new game with Tails. Proceeded to get all the time stones and.. no trophy. Didn't get the trophy for finishing a zone in the good future either. Fuck you, game. I wish you had a face so that I could punch it.
Click to expand...
There should've been a popup telling the player that using Tails disables achievements. :(
 
S

SCULLIBUNDO

Banned
rozay said:
There should've been a popup telling the player that using Tails disables achievements. :(
Click to expand...

What?

You know what else is annoying? In Zones, you can press anywhere on the screen (iOS version) to jump. In the special stages, you have to hit that bottom-right circle. Shits me up the wall.
 
R

rozay

Banned
Scullibundo said:
What?

You know what else is annoying? In Zones, you can press anywhere on the screen (iOS version) to jump. In the special stages, you have to hit that bottom-right circle. Shits me up the wall.
Click to expand...
Playing as Tails disables achievements. There should've been a message when selecting him prior to the game starting to inform players that.
 
H

Hitlersaurus Christ

Banned
-PXG- said:
People here are so quick to say how good Colors is. But look what you're comparing it to...Unleashed and the abomination that is '06. You can't really get much worse than those, especially the latter. Colors isn't a good game and shouldn't ever be considered good or be any sort of barometer for quality when it comes to Sonic games. It's sad that the best Sonic games nowadays are remakes, powered by fan-made software. Sega truly doesn't give a shit. Even worse is how so much quality artwork and some decent music is undermined by awful designers and inept management.
Click to expand...

But... I enjoyed Colors because it was a legitimately fun game?
 
T

Tailzo

Member
I got a friend to try Sonic CD for the first time. He's a fan of the megadrive / genesis games and he had a great time with Sonic CD :) He disliked Wacky Workbench though.
 
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