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[ckohler]

I just spent five minutes entering random numbers and significant dates in Sonic history into the hidden Statue Room. No luck.

 

[AbsoluteZero]

Lovin' this game. Finished up the "main game" about an hour ago, took me maybe 3 and a half hours overall.

Now for some challenge acts and red ring hunts.

 

[Phonomezer]

I can't believe people are finishing the game already, is it really that short? wow...

I'm about to drop $89 on it tomorrow, hope it lasts a bit longer!

 

[luka]

Beyond the classics, modern games are obviously filled with filler, but I maintain that the Sonic/Shadow stages in SA1/SA2 were either almost completely auto-pilot and overly reliant on stage elements (and homing) or filled with a lot of empty space (that must be navigated with an unwieldy camera) with the only purpose of making your destination unclear (which I guess eventually serves little point after you figured out a critical path for every subsequent run). In any case, I'd say the modern Sonic game stage representation in Generations is pretty faithful. Watching SA1's Speed Highway shows that things are pretty much the same; there's more 2d platforming in Generations, and a few awkward sections (like the tunnel) are either removed or turned into something less fiddly.

As for how Modern Sonic controls, it seems fine to me. Maybe it just takes some getting used to? As with other games in the series, it seems like you'll only really encounter problems when you're screwing up. Or if you're trying to rely on the homing targeting too much, like in

Spoiler

that musical note reflecting challenge with Vector.

I think it's probably the 2d parts with Modern Sonic that are throwing Adventure fans off. Generations is similar to Colors but without all the wisps. There's still enough wiggle room to try lots of different approaches and to execute them to varying degrees of success. If anything I'd complain that the most densely designed stages in Generations (the main story acts) can sometimes be filled with too much or take too long to complete, bloating them a bit.

Oh yeah, I have no illusions that the SA action stages were any less 'on rails' than the newer stuff, although I do feel that they were counterbalanced by the adventure field in SA1 and the hunting stages in SA2 (I didn't hate those, honest. The level design kind of sucked most of the time but the way it injected some explorative platforming was appreciated. Like a lot of things in SA series it just needed polish and refinement.) The real problem that makes the new games feel so off is the controls. Yes, they are a problem and it's entirely due to the huge focus they've put on insane speed since Sonic 06. It only feels right when you're going at top speed and shouldn't become such a problem when you suddenly hit a wall or miss a jump and find yourself wrestling with Sonic to line him up again. SA1 and 2 didnt have much actual platforming, but what was there was tolerable and even fun because the jumping height and movement rates were manageable. In a 3D platformer, minute control is everything. It's literally THE most important thing. It's why Mario has been consistently fun in 3D from 64 to Galaxy: they nailed the physics and responsiveness and simply running and jumping around in the world is immensely satisfying. It should be the same with Sonic and where their major focus should have been this whole time.

Another thing that kind of bothers me, and I honestly have no idea if I'm the only one, but the last few Sonic games have been so...dry...after handing over the writing duties to Americans. I loved the sheer Japanese insanity on display in the Adventure games. It was so random and stupid, but at the same time incredibly amusing how there was so little coherence to the whole thing and how stuff just happened because why the hell not. As of Colors, the series just feels like a by-the-numbers Saturday morning cartoon. It's really not witty or amusing, it's just boring. The older ones weren't good stories by any measure, but they were at least fun.

I know I talk about the Adventure games a lot but I'm really not a die hard Adventure fan at all. I grew up with the originals and actually didn't get a chance to play the Dreamcast games until well after the system was dead. I'm ragging on Generations but I really do think it's a really well made game and I'm trying to pin down exactly why I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to.

 

[Box of Bunnies]

I can't believe people are finishing the game already, is it really that short? wow...

I'm about to drop $89 on it tomorrow, hope it lasts a bit longer!

I'm sure there's plenty of werehog and compulsory hub quests/medal collection Sega could put back in the game if you prefer. Maybe some emerald hunting, shooting and fishing if that's more your kind of thing.

 

[Shadowlink]

Really liking the game so far! Last thing I did was defeat

Spoiler

Perfect Chaos.

Would be awesome if they continue the Classic Sonic route in the next game.

 

[Seik]

Holy shit, guys, this game is just too fucking good.

There's no word to describe how mindblown I am at this moment. I just finished Seaside Hills.

I love how they made so many paths to these levels, each level designs are brilliant.
I love how they remixed so many songs, listening to each themes is just nostalgia cocaine, giving me chills down my spine and hype stages after stages.
I love how it feels good being a Sonic fan all those years after playing this.

SO MANY COLLECTIBLES!

This game is just so fulfilled of success, its ridiculously unbearable. I feel like Egoraptor talking about MMX, but man, IT IS GOOD. Hah, the best in all of this is that I have many other levels to discover! DD

You did it good SEGA this time, you made it fucking good to play Sonic. This is my GOTY!

Only downside: I'm playing the PS3 version, and these slowdowns and freezing are kinda annoying, but these happens only at specific times. hope SEGA will patch this up, Bayonetta style!

 

[Phonomezer]

I'm sure there's plenty of werehog and compulsory hub quests/medal collection Sega could put back in the game if you prefer. Maybe some emerald hunting, shooting and fishing if that's more your kind of thing.

Awesome! Elise-only mode too, please.

 

[Azure Dream]

Phonomezer: Just like Maria in Shadow The Hedgehog!

I'm sure there's plenty of werehog and compulsory hub quests/medal collection Sega could put back in the game if you prefer. Maybe some emerald hunting, shooting and fishing if that's more your kind of thing.

Here's the weird thing: they used the missions to put things into the game that aren't normally in the levels. A bunch of the missions are callbacks to old elements or mechanics, but contained pretty much in that single mission. Like there's a mission with Knuckles with the treasure hunting mechanic, and there's another mission with the Egg Prisons with Flickies inside, but they're each only in that single mission. It's an interesting way of handling callbacks while still letting players ignore them if they so choose.

 

[branny]

snip

I can understand where you're coming from. Hopefully you won't continue to wrestle with the controls. It took me a while to get used to Colors, but after it clicked everything seemed to work much better than I expected. Going slow or coming to an abrupt stop with Modern Sonic does shake things up but with enough familiarity and practice it'll happen a lot less. The Adventure games are a little different than this one but maybe there's room for you to like both eventually. =\

 

[SuperAngelo64]

Steam released was pushed forward a day and no sign of my Razer Onza in the mail... shit sucks.

So is there a list of all the alternate/unremixed tracks yet? I just want to hear Windmill Isle in the Spagonia stage... because if they can squeeze a little bossa nova in with all of this other incredible stuff I'll be in ecstacy.

 

[LAUGHTREY]

I didn't get the last boss battle. I beat it, but all I did was hold x and sometimes press A? I don't even know what pressing A does. I couldn't see any rings either, I just stayed in the center of the screen and hoped for the best.

The game was alright, but I've played longer XBLArcade games than this. The boss battles downright sucked.

 

[luka]

I can understand where you're coming from. Hopefully you won't continue to wrestle with the controls. It took me a while to get used to Colors, but after it clicked everything seemed to work much better than I expected. Going slow or coming to an abrupt stop with Modern Sonic does shake things up but with enough familiarity and practice it'll happen a lot less. The Adventure games are a little different than this one but maybe there's room for you to like both eventually. =\

Don't get me wrong, I have no problems playing the game. Like I said earlier I finished it in about 4 hours with almost no problems, also finished Colors and World Adventure (Unleashed). I'm as attuned to the ins and outs of the mechanics as you can get.

Yeah, you can get around the problems by just...learning the stages in and out so you can just effortlessly rocket through them... which is fun and all but it doesn't change the fact that the controls are fundamentally poor. I'm talking about the intrinsic enjoyment from simply controlling a character in a virtual space that all great platformers nail with weight and response, like mario, nights, and the original Sonic. The new games are just wrong, it feels like there is no friction and you're sliding around just above the ground, and a magnetic field keeps pushing you down when you jump. Things just don't behave the way they should - not based on Sonic's old physics model, but based on good video game design principles.

It sounds like nitpicking but it's really essential, fundamental stuff for any platformer.

 

[ThatObviousUser]

how is one user wrong so often

I ask myself this whenever I see your avatar.

But you probably misinterpreted my post, unless you actually liked Soleana.

 

[thirty]

Been playing this all day and holy shit they nailed it. If they don't follow this formula for at least the next 2 sonic games they fail. I cannot believe the graphics. These machines are 2d power houses. (I know it's 3d) not trashing Nintendo but this is what new super Mario should have been. The music, the level design, the graphics, the GRAPHICS I still can't believe how awesome they've remade these levels. Detail all over the place. It's ridiculously good.

 

[branny]

I'm talking about the intrinsic enjoyment from simply controlling a character in a virtual space that all great platformers nail with weight and response, like mario, nights, and the original Sonic. The new games are just wrong, it feels like there is no friction and you're sliding around just above the ground, and a magnetic field keeps pushing you down when you jump. Things just don't behave the way they should - not based on Sonic's past physics model, but based on good video game design principles.

It sounds like nitpicking but it's really essential, fundamental stuff for any platformer.

I feel that way about a lot of indie platformers and LittleBigPlanet. It could just be varying levels of sensitivity to certain quirks that are driving some people away and not really bothering others, I guess.

On a side note, is it fair to say this Sonic game has the best music out of all of them? After unlocking half the songs so far, I had no clue past Sonic games had such great music.

 

[luka]

I feel that way about a lot of indie platformers and LittleBigPlanet. It could just be varying levels of sensitivity to certain quirks that are driving some people away and not really bothering others, I guess.

On a side note, is it fair to say this Sonic game has the best music out of all of them? After unlocking half the songs so far, I had no clue past Sonic games had such great music.

Personally I think a lot of indie games and LittleBigPlanet are pretty awful platformers as well.

And yeah, it's got an amazing soundtrack by virtue of the old games having such amazing soundtracks. IMO Jun Senoue was more hit than miss in the SA games, but lately he doesn't seem to be able to put together any really good original stuff. The guys who did 06 and World Adventure did some pretty phenomenal work. Cool Edge and Rooftop run were particularly great.

Honestly though, Masato Nakamura and DCT will always define Sonic's music for me.

 

[BlazeHedgehog]

Don't get me wrong, I have no problems playing the game. Like I said earlier I finished it in about 4 hours with almost no problems, also finished Colors and World Adventure (Unleashed). I'm as attuned to the ins and outs of the mechanics as you can get.

Yeah, you can get around the problems by just...learning the stages in and out so you can just effortlessly rocket through them... which is fun and all but it doesn't change the fact that the controls are fundamentally poor. I'm talking about the intrinsic enjoyment from simply controlling a character in a virtual space that all great platformers nail with weight and response, like mario, nights, and the original Sonic. The new games are just wrong, it feels like there is no friction and you're sliding around just above the ground due to magnetic repulsion, and a the planet's gravity pushing you down when you jump with too much force. Things just don't behave the way they should - not based on Sonic's old physics model, but based on good video game design principles.

It sounds like nitpicking but it's really essential, fundamental stuff for any platformer.

I actually have zero problem with Sonic Generations' controls. I never once wrestled with the controls - and I'll openly admit to having trouble with Sonic Colors at first. There's still a couple of moments where you find yourself ricocheting off walls at high speeds in Generations but it is far and away tighter than the controls in a Sonic game have been since the Genesis days.

In Sonic Unleashed, unlocking a new level was a white-knuckle experience. You always felt like you were constantly on the edge of dying. The last three levels in that (Skyscraper Scamper, Jungle Joyride and Arid Sands) left my nerves fried.

No level in Sonic Generations ever really gave me that feeling - the closest I got was with Speed Highway, but even then I never really felt like I was in danger of dying. Just that I was going a little too fast to make sense of it all sometimes.

 

[LAUGHTREY]

I also didn't get the Shadow fight, and I beat him twice. You just boost and sort of...bounce off him. Pure luck if you get the powerup thingy before him. I'm guessing it's supposed to be like a SA2:B MP fight.

 

[iavi]

The game is great. In the end I do still have a few nagging issues with Modern Sonic's handling, but Classic controls beautifully, and the level design is fucking fantastic. Realizing just how well green hill was designed when going for that under 1min chievo really hit me. Sky Sanctuary also, for both Sonics, is just amazing.

Give me Lava Reef/Hidden palace in a dlc pack and I will be there on day one.

 

[Ozone]

The achievement for clearing Chemical Plant Zone Act 2 without going in the water was a pain in the ass, but finally got it. It's these kinds of things to help me explore just how many different paths there are, not just for Classic but also Modern.

 

[mocolostrocolos]

Finished the game.

Classic Sonic stages were pure love, but modern Sonic... blergh. I rather Sonic Colors than the MS stages on Generations.

Final boss was kind of a joke.

 

[RagnarokX]

Finished the game. Had fun with both Sonics but enjoyed Classic more. Sega needs to make a new Classic Sonic game and fix the rolling physics

 

[Greektown]

this game kills colours in every single way.

 

[branny]

The achievement for clearing Chemical Plant Zone Act 2 without going in the water was a pain in the ass, but finally got it. It's these kinds of things to help me explore just how many different paths there are, not just for Classic but also Modern.

I like how the Red Rings in Sonic Colors tend to do that for each stage. It's like having incentive to get to know every stage intimately. Some platformers do collectibles horribly, but it actually works for stuff like Sonic.

Now that I think about it, I miss the points system in Colors. On one hand Generations emphasizes speedy playthroughs (yay), but, on the other, Colors has its own little way of balancing scoring between time taken and points. You have to be quick (to avoid time up for bonuses) and also a little more creative to get S-Ranks in that game. Going out of your way for red rings, milking wisp forms or quick step, messing with the pity bonuses, etc. is kind of fun.

 

[RagnarokX]

Man, I like how collecting all of the red rings for an act gives you a skill. I just unlocked Twin Spin Attack, which is basically

Spoiler

The insta-shield from Sonic 3. Kinda useless in this game, but nice to see it.

 

[Diablohead]

It's wednesday morning, the game comes out this friday in europe and amazon are still sitting on my LE pre-orders post the damn thing already, fools!)

 

[Diablohead]

Finished the game.

Classic Sonic stages were pure love, but modern Sonic... blergh. I rather Sonic Colors than the MS stages on Generations.

Final boss was kind of a joke.

Watching sega1991's stream last night all the bosses looked damn simple, and what ever happened to boss fights taking 8 hits to defeat, what's this shitty 4 hit metal sonic battle!? I guess it relates to sonic cd a little too closely which had gimped boss fights.

 

[QisTopTier]

Had no way to get it in town today. So just ordered off amazon. On the plus side It's cheaper so wait a bit longer save money. All good to me.

 

[Diablohead]

I can't believe people are finishing the game already, is it really that short? wow...

I'm about to drop $89 on it tomorrow, hope it lasts a bit longer!

unleashed was too long, for bad reasons.

Speed runs will be a highlight of this game for sure if you like that kind of thing.

 

[AniHawk]

this game kills colours in every single way.

well except in presentation and length.

up to the fourth zone (almost halfway through!!) and i like the levels better, but a lot of that is due to classic sonic. and thank god there's no drifting in the modern sonic stages.

 

[BlazeHedgehog]

Generations is short only if you're doing the main "storyline" bit. They try and stretch it out a little bit with having to collect three "boss keys" per era but even with that, it takes maybe 4 hours to see the credits.

The good news is, if you really want to keep playing Sonic Generations after those credits are over, I'd say more than 75% of the game's content is completely optional.

It's like Mario 64 if you only had to get 1 star per stage in order to face final Bowser.

 

[qq more]

It's like Mario 64 if you only had to get 1 star per stage in order to face final Bowser.

You need 60 or 70 stars if I'm not mistaken.

I'm happy with the amount of content regardless though.

Ordered the game for $37.49 from Amazon! Can't wait.

 

[.la1n]

You need 60 or 70 stars if I'm not mistaken.

I'm happy with the amount of content regardless though.

Ordered the game for $37.49 from Amazon! Can't wait.

 

[BlazeHedgehog]

You need 60 or 70 stars if I'm not mistaken.

That was my point, though. Super Mario 64 requires you to get a minimum of 70 stars out of a maximum of 120 - or, 58% of the game's total content has to be finished in order to defeat the final boss.

Sonic Generations asks that you beat 27 stages out of, by my count, 99 total (100 if you count Casino Night's pinball table). That means, bare minimum, you see roughly a quarter of the game's total content if you make a bee-line to the final boss.

 

[qq more]

That was my point, though. Super Mario 64 requires you to get a minimum of 70 stars out of a maximum of 120 - or, 58% of the game's total content has to be finished in order to defeat the final boss.

Sonic Generations asks that you beat 27 stages out of, by my count, 99 total (100 if you count Casino Night's pinball table). That means, bare minimum, you see roughly a quarter of the game's total content if you make a bee-line to the final boss.

Ah, misread you. My bad.

*image*

The image is hotlinked. What is it suppose to be?

 

[Combichristoffersen]

Watching sega1991's stream last night all the bosses looked damn simple, and what ever happened to boss fights taking 8 hits to defeat, what's this shitty 4 hit metal sonic battle!? I guess it relates to sonic cd a little too closely which had gimped boss fights.

Sonic CD had some of the saddest boss fights I've ever seen in any Sonic game. I think the first boss took a whopping three hits to defeat. The Quartz Quadrant boss didn't even require you to hit it, all you had to do was run on the threadmill shit beneath him and avoid his bombs, and he would essentially self-destruct.

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

Generations is short only if you're doing the main "storyline" bit. They try and stretch it out a little bit with having to collect three "boss keys" per era but even with that, it takes maybe 4 hours to see the credits.

The good news is, if you really want to keep playing Sonic Generations after those credits are over, I'd say more than 75% of the game's content is completely optional.

It's like Mario 64 if you only had to get 1 star per stage in order to face final Bowser.

By content are we talking new levels/level routes or just stupid fetch/time quests with additonal obstacles in the way?

 

[BlazeHedgehog]

By content are we talking new levels/level routes or just stupid fetch/time quests with additonal obstacles in the way?

A little bit of both.

 

[NTom64]

Still waiting for Amazon to dispatch my Collector's Edition.

This is gonna be a long couple of days lol

 

[Nocturnowl]

Game arrived this morning, for some reason I really loved Speed Highway for Classic Sonic, wasn't expecting that stage to impress me as much as it did. Up to Seaside Hill now, while it's clear the game isn't very long I'm too busy having fun to really be too bothered.
As for boss battles, well sonic bosses always tended to annoy me more than any other platformer, can't say i'm devastated if they all pop their clogs in half the amount of hits as before.

 

[MIMIC]

I love this game! The 3D version of Chemical Plant is so much fun ^_^

 

[TheOGB]

I just listened to Diamonds in the Sky and started crying

Spoiler

though that was only partially related; fucking allergies xP

Is this song in Generations? I'd wait to find out when it unlocks on Steam tomorrow, but I just remembered I won't be hearing shit until I get a new sound card. >.<


That's another thing: should I go the route of Portal 2 and hold off on the playthrough until I can hear it in all its glory?

 

[Volcynika]

Wasn't at Target when I went by yesterday, they couldn't find it in the system. Damnable southeast!

Will maybe try over lunch today or just wait till after work.

 

[gutter_trash]

okay, I don't get it, how do I progress to the next Zone after Sky Sanctuary?

 

[BlazeHedgehog]

okay, I don't get it, how do I progress to the next Zone after Sky Sanctuary?

Beat the boss. To beat the boss, you need three boss keys. To get a boss key, just beat one "challenge act" from each level as either Sonic and then find the key (not terribly hard, it's usually some place obvious). Challenge acts are those weird golden arch portal things that are strewn about the hub.

 

[Android18a]

I can't wait for my copy of this to arrive Although, I can, because I'm hoping to finish Uncharted 3 before it turns up!

 

[gutter_trash]

Beat the boss. To beat the boss, you need three boss keys. To get a boss key, just beat one "challenge act" from each level as either Sonic and then find the key (not terribly hard, it's usually some place obvious). Challenge acts are those weird golden arch portal things that are strewn about the hub.

fuck! that wasn't clear

fuck post Mario 64 Hubs and requirements

 

[dark10x]

Absolutely loving the game thus far. I was a bit disappointed by some severe performance dips in Speed Highway (when running down the side of the building). It dropped to what felt like 15 fps during that entire section before returning to normal. I also noticed that motion blur is disabled in that specific stage.

Still, this is very good stuff. Absolutely love it!

I still feel like SA1 and 2 were more enjoyable from a pure gameplay perspective. Controlling Sonic from a standstill is still way too touchy.

Really? Sonic Adventure 1? I honestly don't see how anyone could feel that way. The game is a broken, buggy mess with so many design problems. I loved it back when it was new, but returning to the game reveals that it simply wasn't very good.

As for SA2, I loved the Sonic portions of the game and didn't mind the Tails/Eggman levels either, but the controls are extremely twitchy and there is too much filler.

Sonic Generations, for me, absolutely crushes both of these games. The level design is almost 100% great and the controls are the best in 3D Sonic history. I'm completely surprised by the reactions from some people.

 

[Mistle]

So in Australia, steam says I have to pay $50 USD for this... that makes no sense ._.

Anywhere I can get it cheaper in Australia? And perhaps boxed, preferably, as downloading 11GB doesn't sound too pleasing. I mean, I can and will do it if I have to lol, but that means I probably wont get to play until Sunday instead of Friday D: