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[Hot Coldman]

If it walks like a duck...

then YOU'RE THE FAKE DUCK AROUND HERE

 

[Sciz]

Black Knight's plot was pretty stupid, wasn't it? I'll admit I didn't play it, so I dunno.

You'd be surprised. It's kind of cartoony, but in terms of overall themes and character motivations, it's the only entry in the series that attempts to have a significant degree of gravitas across the board and succeeds. Probably because the plot complexity sits somewhere between S3&K's minimalism and SA1's straightforward (albeit multi-POV) storytelling.

And the final cutscene is brilliant.

Just sit down and give it a watch on Youtube.

@Sciz- I'll be reading the latest Sonic issue within the next few days, but I wish you wrote what your reason for liking it was at least XD.

I figured it was obvious.


Sonic Universe #41:

Spoiler

-I never liked the Rivals' series boxart before and I still don't, but at least it has a little personality here. The outfits are still silly, though.

-Yardley's back (yaaaaaay). Not that Jamal Peppers didn't do a bang up job with Scrambled.

-On one hand, it feels like there's already been more than enough setup for this group. On the other hand, being thrown straight into the action still feels kind of jarring, especially since two of the characters in this issue haven't been seen in ages.

-Shard takes exactly one panel to make me love him. Good design, great expression, and an unashamedly cheesy line. Most of these boxes are probably going to be me gushing over him.

-Larry being back is another real blast from the past; not quite as old as Al & Cal (issue #2), but #12 is still in ye olde slapstick era, and I'm not sure he's shown up since... Sonic Live, of all things.

-Codenaming the king "King" seems unwise.

-True to form, Silver's given up on searching for the traitor himself and is letting someone competent do it for him. At least this'll give us a break from having him pointing fingers in every appearance.

-Windy Valley? Well now. This isn't actually relevant to the plot in any way, but it's a nice touch.

-On a similar note, the moon has a chunk missing, which makes this what may be the one and only piece of Sonic media to acknowledge that bit of SA2 canon.

-But that's just the window dressing to how great Shard is on this page (and every page). Yardley has a wonderful grasp on expressions, and Ian was apparently born to write funny robots. Where Omega is gleefully destructive, Orbot is pure dry wit, and Cubot is misguidedly cheerful, Shard is basically Sonic with the smartass cranked all the way up to 11. It usually takes me a while to find the right mental voice for new characters. Shard had his after his first line.

-More history: He's another old one, too, from a plot back in #86-87, and interesting for a couple reasons that have nothing to do with this issue. For one, he's actually the original Metal Sonic from the Sonic CD and Knuckles' Chaotix adaptions. And secondly, he wasn't actually redesigned much from his last appearance. Literally speaking, in terms of his look and shapeshifting abilities, and figuratively speaking with regards to how much of a highly-expressive wise guy he was. He's also unique in the sense that he's a robot Sonic who really was better in every way. It was an unusual bright spot for the series at the time, and it's a shame they couldn't have kept Danny Fingeroth around longer. Ian's spoken out against giving the familiar Metal Sonic a personality before, but I guess he couldn't resist having a go with this particular one.

-He also plays well against trying-too-hard Silver.

-"Why would you build a death trap that leads into a death trap?" I also like this new Larry.

-Oh look, Uncle Chuck is helping the SFF. What a surprise.

-Have I mentioned how great Shard is? Shard is great.

-Larry striding directly into danger is another throwback. That said, this is the worst stealth team ever. I wonder if that's the point.

-Mogul's gonna have some explaining to do if Silver ever gets back. Though unless the zone cops show up to take him back to his own timeline, he may not be able to go back. Guess we'll find out how Ian handles time travel at the end of this.

-Silver finally does something cool. Only took him three and a half years.

-I like the mix of abilities arrayed against each other here. Geoffry's got experience, a little magic, and all the gear of James Bond and Green Arrow. The other side is a bunch of high-power novices who don't have quite enough guile to keep up in a fight. Hopefully there's more of this coming.

-Ian's going to have to explain how Shard survived sooner or later. Quips about being buried alive are all well and good, but he's glossing over the fact that it was actually buried under several tons of lava from an erupting volcano.

-Explaining what exactly power gems are would also be nice. They're another artifact of a past time, and it stands out a lot more in this new world of unified Chaos Emeralds and nanites.

-In fairness to the Rivals costumes, at least they aren't leotards.

-And... Naugus is in full-blown elemental lord mode against the boring half of the team. I'm not sure who to root for here.

-Oh hey, Universe managed to outlast Sonic X. Well deserved, too.

-Is that Bivalve fan art? Oh lawdy

-Overall, fun issue. Reminds me a bit of Treasure Team Tango with slightly more plot, and that's a good thing. Having this particular Metal Sonic back again is a Good Thing even if his reappearance is never explained, and I can't wait to see him and Sonic on the same page.

-Not that this series needed even more characters with relevant stories to tell, though. Can we get a third running book?

tl;dr Universe is still a ton of fun, robots are great

 

[bangai-o]

i asked Professor Beef if i could join, he said yes.

here is a thread i posted in the past.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=454527

 

[Hot Coldman]

All hail Shadow Super Sonic.

 

[bangai-o]

once the 3ds large edition comes out, i plan on getting it and Generations.

 

[Dark Schala]

Huh? Anyone's welcome to the community thread, so no need to ask permission. :O

@Sciz, Tizoc: I haven't picked up 237 yet, but I do have SU #41 and MM #14 on me. I'll read those later.

Hashimoto said in an interview that Sonic World Adventure was originally going to be called Sonic Adventure 3. Then they decided against it due to various reasons. So that kills any speculation that Sonic 06 is Sonic Adventure 3. A game isn't Sonic Adventure 3 unless it's led by Iizuka-san.

Ahahaha, yeah, I guess Iizuka would want to have his own way.

I would love to have another Sonic World Adventure, though. That was such a wonderful experience.

 

[JonCha]

Look like I'm not going to Summer of Sonic tomorrow because I can only spend two hours there between 1-4 which means all my interview opportunities are going to be missed. Trying to sort some kind of deal out, though.

 

[OMG Aero]

Let's Play 20 Years of Sonic Pt.137 - Sonic Colors (5/7)
Featuring the best water level since Hydrocity.

 

[SpikedGunner]

You'd be surprised. It's kind of cartoony, but in terms of overall themes and character motivations, it's the only entry in the series that attempts to have a significant degree of gravitas across the board and succeeds. Probably because the plot complexity sits somewhere between S3&K's minimalism and SA1's straightforward (albeit multi-POV) storytelling.

And the final cutscene is brilliant.

Just sit down and give it a watch on Youtube.

for as much as I disliked Black Knight's gameplay(though I did enjoy Knuckles' portion), I will agree the story was rather decent.

Also, SEGA announces/previews the US version for the History of Sonic book:

http://blogs.sega.com/2012/07/06/us...ory-of-sonic-the-hedgehog-book-at-amazon-com/

 

[CrunchinJelly]

Look like I'm not going to Summer of Sonic tomorrow because I can only spend two hours there between 1-4 which means all my interview opportunities are going to be missed. Trying to sort some kind of deal out, though.

What's the deal with SoS, any way? They hire a venue that only holds a few hundred so they sell out in seconds. Seems silly turning people away.

 

[JonCha]

What's the deal with SoS, any way? They hire a venue that only holds a few hundred so they sell out in seconds. Seems silly turning people away.

It's pretty good to be honest. The tickets sell out because its insanely popular, it seems.

I can only assume they've turned people away because they're full, though people aren't sitting so I assume they could squeeze a few more in. I was going as press, but ultimately I can only spend a couple of hours max there and miss all my interview so there's no real value going.

 

[Shadow Hog]

Gotta say, even though we've seen like three videos of this, "Pickle Unleashed" never gets old. (Apotos now. LMAO at who he chose for chief of police in his story.)

 

[Dragoon En Regalia]

Pretty sure Adventure 2 was the game where the moon had a molten core. They make that pretty explicit.

I agree that context is essential—it gives a lot more motivation to play the game, usually. But over-wrought plot-lines are a big no-no for Sonic's fair, and I'm hoping that Iizuka can stick to humorous and/or, at the least, well-executed simple stuff that complements the game inside.

 

[TheOGB]

Now, though, I just think Iizuka needs to get away from Sonic, because his style of overloading players with detail-ridden stories and the occasional plot-hole only worked in Sonic Adventure 1. He neglects other important parts of the game's design and overall execution to focus on things that Sonic games usually don't benefit from. Not a good idea, sparky.

I thought it was known (or inferred) that many people at Sega/Sonic Team would have liked to do something other than Sonic at many points in time, Iizuka being one of them. Isn't that kindasorta how we got Shadow?

In fact, didn't someone who had a part in 3&K say they were almost a little bummed about having to do minimalistic cutscenes and wished they had the tech to do (basically) Sonic Adventure?

Spoiler

Heh, this sounds like if Naughty Dog was stuck with Crash Bandicoot

To be honest, I actually think Black Knight has the best writing of any 3D Sonic game. I think it's morseo the concept of the game (HURRDUURSONICWITHASWORD) than the actual story of the game. The thing I like about Black Knight's story is the fact the SEGA actually did their research on the mythos of King Arthur and paid respect to it, not to mention that Black Knight is one of the only 3D games that I think not only captures the essence of Sonic's character perfectly, but also adds some depths to it, unlike in Colours where his cockiness felt completely one-sided and he wouldn't shut the hell up. It also helps that he was given someone to talk to in the form of Caliburn, who was actually a well-written character, unlike in Colors where he's talkin to inanimate objects like an idiot.



Yeah, Unleashed was essentially a modernization of Sonic Adventure's plot; It was a simple Monster-of-the-week plot, but unlike Adventure, instead of focusing on the different stories of different characters, some of which have weren't really necessary (Big, Amy, and, to a lesser extent, Gamma), it focused solely on Sonic and Chip, not to mention actually giving Eggman some actual screentime, and making him a decent comedic vilain, which is practically the only strength that Colours had in terms of writing.

It was simple and straightforward, but everything that was there was there for a purpose; With Colours, it felt like it was being simple just for simplicity's sake. I liked that Chip got a meaningful albeit rather small and packed-in arc that contributed to the plot, unlike in Colours, where Yacker dissapears halfway through the game and they never explain where the hell he went, and that Chi[ serves his purpose and is a one-time only character.

Unleashed also had much better humor than Colours, which mostly derived from subtle quips, badly-placed cartoonish sound effects and blink-and-you'll-miss-it onscreen moments, whereas with Colours I felt they tried waaaay too hard to be like the cartoons and it was just painful to watch. I also wasn't a big fan of what they did to Ergo Orbot in Colours: he's far more sarcastic and snarky in Unleashed when it was just him and Eggman, whereas with Colours they introduced Cubot and tried to bring the whole Scratch and Grounder thing into play, and I was never a fan of those two to begin with.

Another thing that I though Unleashed did really well at that Sonic 2006 failed at doing was have a well-developed world ala the unique NPCs, which also had there own arcs and stuff, such as one of the tribe girls from Mazuri going to Spagonia trying to find her true love (I think the first Adventure had something like this, but I don't remember), going and getting souvenirs for Professor Pickle (BRING HIM BACK DAMMIT, along with the ghosts from Night of the Werehog), or helping that chick from Empire City become. The only real downside to Unleashed was that Sonic himself can be seen as a little bland and out-of-character, but I always thought that that was becuase he was mostly interested in helpin Chip find his memories and being a good friend and stuff.

It's not about having a great plot, but it's abou having a competent one, at least in terms of Sonic, and by far, Unleashed's story and world have the most personality of all the 3D games, and that's what I like about it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this post.

 

[Aaron Strife]

Def Big, Wentos, Professor Pickle, and Don Fachio should all be in Sonic Adventure 3, if that is even really a thing.

 

[Dark Schala]

Dammit, guys, I just finished two versions of Unleashed this year.

You're making me want to pick one of them up again. I love the music and presentation in that game so gosh darn much, as I've written in the first few pages of this thread, actually. Even if Unleashed has a ton of flaws, it doesn't stop me from liking it a lot and having a lot of fun with it.

I've seen a few mention that Unleashed's daytime gameplay takes more skill than Colours and Generations? I'm not sure. Perhaps that might be the case considering how much time I had to put into doing Eggmanland with as little flaws as possible.

 

[Aaron Strife]

Dammit, guys, I just finished two versions of Unleashed this year.

You're making me want to pick one of them up again. I love the music and presentation in that game so gosh darn much, as I've written in the first few pages of this thread, actually. Even if Unleashed has a ton of flaws, it doesn't stop me from liking it a lot and having a lot of fun with it.

I've seen a few mention that Unleashed's daytime gameplay takes more skill than Colours and Generations? I'm not sure. Perhaps that might be the case considering how much time I had to put into doing Eggmanland with as little flaws as possible.

Unleashed was such a damn fun experience. Probably the first time I invested myself in a Sonic game since SA2.

I think Colors and Generations are technically the better games, but nothing has come close to Unleashed's universe.

 

[TheOGB]

Three things about this video:
- Unleashed stage
- Shadow looking pretty good, run animation is finally rightish
- buttery smooth video?


Huh, I didn't even know Pyramid Cave was a thing

 

[BlazeHedgehog]

I've seen a few mention that Unleashed's daytime gameplay takes more skill than Colours and Generations? I'm not sure. Perhaps that might be the case considering how much time I had to put into doing Eggmanland with as little flaws as possible.

I'd say Unleashed takes more skill, definitely. Sonic Generations and especially Sonic Colors always make sure the player is "safe". All three games have twitch reaction elements to them, but they more frequently kill you for failing a twitch reaction in Unleashed.

For example, Arid Sands. The two part quick step wall run bit near the end - if you fail that, you're dead. Period.

Dragon Road is an early spike in difficulty, with all of the running on water and the rotating plate platforms. Sonic Generations has the plate platforms in Sky Sanctuary, but rarely does falling off one of those kill you, and most of those platforms are twice as big as they were in Unleashed.

Or the drifting part at the beginning of Skyscraper Scamper. If you fail that drift, you go sailing to your death. The closest thing you get to that in Sonic Colors is a moment in Planet Wisp where it looks like if you drift too tight around a corner you can fall to your death - but I am pretty sure there's an invisible wall there to make sure that DOESN'T happen.

And so on. The worst you have to worry about in Colors are a couple of tough hover/cube puzzles. Sonic Generations sits somewhere between the two.

 

[PeakPointMatrix]

We talked about this a while ago, and I'm still at a loss as to what exactly an open world Sonic environment is supposed to look or play like. It's the complete antithesis of the straightforward arcade gameplay the series is still built around twenty years later.

The 3D Sonic we have now is the complete antithesis of Sonic gameplay. Going from zero to 1 million mph does not make sense, takes away control, has little consequence, easy to earn boost, and promotes twitch memorization of level design. Also, the arcade games were not straightforward at all. There were always multiple paths depending on your skill level, with the addition of depth added by the the lock-on tech. Yes, modern Sonic has multiple paths too, but it's only used most in the 2D sections, which at the end of the day still isn't technically a 3D environment. It's falling back on the 2D mold, and isn't evidence of "3D Sonic done right". In 3D, Sonic feels like he's on a racetrack at the moment. I want to feel like I'm playing a Sonic game, not a Burnout racer.

Edit: THIS is what I'm talking about. Janky animation and sparseness aside, this is really impressive to me. I feel like this is the direction 3D Sonic should take. It feels like a playground waiting for you to discover hidden paths, items, shortcuts and just fucking around. Even boost is acceptable here. I can only imagine what they could do with an actual budget with this kind of direction.

Boosting is just a more convenient, direct spindash. It's not 1:1, but they accomplish a lot of the same game design ideas.

Honestly, after Sonic Unleashed's daytime levels, I would be fine if they turned the Sonic franchise in to a more time-trial centric racing game. For as fun as they are, Sonic Colors and to a lesser extent Sonic Generations are missing something that Sonic Unleashed got right, and I think it might be the bits where they slow you down and have you do platforming. There's not enough

"I'm going too fast oh shit oh fuck oh shit oh fuck OH SHIT OH FUCK WAIT I MADE IT"

Those moments are fueled by relying on the boost as a primary mechanic, and as somebody who championed the way the Genesis games did things for the longest time, I think I'd prefer it if they kept going down the path set by Sonic Unleashed.

I need more white knuckle cold sweat gameplay.

I guess we differ in what we want in a 3D Sonic. The Boost for me added a great sense of thrill and spectacle early on with Unleashed. However, once you realize how many deaths you've suffered from the lack of perfect memorization, lack of control, and overall unforgiving level design, the frustration really sets in, at least for me.

It's certainly jaw-dropping to watch someone blaze through an Unleashed stage without breaking a sweat, probably some of the most impressive show of skill I've seen this gen. But aspiring to that is not for me. I wanna play the game and have fun, explore, and yeah refine my run through the stage to an extent. The Unleashed/Colors/Generations trio of this style have been impressive and polished, but not the direction or appropriate transition of a real 3D Sonic.

I'm actually really looking forward to see what new gameplay style Sonic Team is cooking up for next gen Sonic, since I for one am ready for something new.

 

[BlazeHedgehog]

I guess we differ in what we want in a 3D Sonic. The Boost for me added a great sense of thrill and spectacle early on with Unleashed. However, once you realize how many deaths you've suffered from the lack of perfect memorization, lack of control, and overall unforgiving level design, the frustration really sets in, at least for me.

It's certainly jaw-dropping to watch someone blaze through an Unleashed stage without breaking a sweat, probably some of the most impressive show of skill I've seen this gen. But aspiring to that is not for me. I wanna play the game and have fun, explore, and yeah refine my run through the stage to an extent. The Unleashed/Colors/Generations trio of this style have been impressive and polished, but not the direction or appropriate transition of a real 3D Sonic.

I'm actually really looking forward to see what new gameplay style Sonic Team is cooking up for next gen Sonic, since I for one am ready for something new.

To be good at any game requires a bit of memorization. And for games primarily focused on speed (Trackmania, Sonic, F-Zero GX), memorization plays a pretty significant role. It's not always a dirty word.

Yeah, more than half the deaths I suffered in Sonic Unleashed were probably because something caught me off guard unexpectedly; but I learned, I overcame, and the next time around, I ended up getting a little farther. And a little farther again. And again. And every time I'd get a little further, I'd be blown away by the spectacle of just how fast I was going.

To a certain extent, even I don't really get it. My first time through Sonic Rush, I genuinely hated that game. The difficulty felt super cheap and super frustrating but I pushed myself through it (in part because it was only one of the three DS games I had when I first bought it) and as I came back to it and got a feel for the levels it started to become more and more fun.

Sonic Unleashed wasn't like that, for whatever reason. My first time through a new level was a little frustrating, sure, but it was also this intensely awesome rollercoaster that, at least in one case, left my hands shaking a little bit afterwards. Colors nor Generations have managed to reach that level of frantic almost-out-of-control insanity.

I will agree that the controls could be a lot better, though. Outside of the first Sonic Adventure, I really don't think any 3D Sonic game has controlled particularly well and I really have to wonder why. Sonic's always too twitchy or too sluggish and they never can seem to decide how much of which element is enough.

 

[Tizoc]

snip

Great rundown mate, might check out that story from the classi Sonic comics too.
...and I didn't care much about Silver, I like him in the comics though =P

 

[Rlan]

Sooo.... that Summer of Sonic thing is on.

http://www.twitch.tv/thesonicshow

 

[Kokonoe]

Iizuka was asked about the Chao Gardens in future Sonic games, and the audience pretty much cheered for it to happen. He said he liked that people like it. Maybe that's a sign?
(He said "I like that" at the cheering)

He was also asked about other characters in Sonic games, and he said that he liked Tails and Knuckles and they are important to the franchise, but most of the fans wanted more action based around Sonic himself lately. So for now, he's focusing on Sonic.

For other characters there are Sega Racing Transformed and Mario & Sonic to let you have a chance at playing with them.

*EDIT*

He also confirmed Super Tails wasn't in Episode 2 because it was for Sonic 3 only. No more Super Tails.

 

[BlackJace]

I wish I could experience Summer of Sonic one day.

 

[qq more]

Iizuka was asked about the Chao Gardens in future Sonic games, and the audience pretty much cheered for it to happen. He said he liked that people like it. Maybe that's a sign?

He was also asked about other characters in Sonic games, and he said that he liked Tails and Knuckles, but most of the fans wanted more action based around Sonic himself lately. So for now, he's focusing on Sonic.

For other characters there are Sega Racing Transformed and Mario & Sonic to let you have a chance at playing with them..

Thank. God.

I don't seriously trust Iizuka (or Sega for that matter) when it comes to implementing any other character. Even though I'd still like Tails and Knuckles to come back as playable... it's probably for the best. Also, yesss Chao Garden w/ online multiplayer please.

 

[Psxphile]

Suddenly CHACRON...

 

[Hot Coldman]

Chacarron?

 

[Azure Dream]

*EDIT*

He also confirmed Super Tails wasn't in Episode 2 because it was for Sonic 3 only. No more Super Tails.

"SONIC HEROES DIDN'T HAPPEN. EVERYONE FORGET ABOUT IT." (Although you could make some argument that it was more like going... assist super than directly super. But still, that's dumb.)

And if you want to get really picky, I don't think Tails could go Super without the Hyper Emeralds, so it was more of a Sonic & Knuckles thing...

 

[Sciz]

Great rundown mate, might check out that story from the classi Sonic comics too.

It's a weird one (which is lampshaded by the end of it), but it's all the more memorable for it.

Also, the arcade games were not straightforward at all. There were always multiple paths depending on your skill level, with the addition of depth added by the the lock-on tech.

They're straightforward in the sense that there is a starting point, an ending point, some finite number of carefully constructed routes between them, and your one and only goal is to reach the end. Open worlds approximate that with mission-based gameplay, but it's still not the same experience (until you've run over the terrain multiple times throughout the game, at which point it gets to be a samey experience).

Yes, modern Sonic has multiple paths too, but it's only used most in the 2D sections, which at the end of the day still isn't technically a 3D environment.

I keep championing Modern Seaside Hill as the best level in Generations specifically because it branches like crazy in 3D. It's something they've finally figured out how to do, and will presumably keep doing going forward. It and Sky Sanctuary are pretty light on boost usage, to boot.

Edit: THIS is what I'm talking about. Janky animation and sparseness aside, this is really impressive to me. I feel like this is the direction 3D Sonic should take. It feels like a playground waiting for you to discover hidden paths, items, shortcuts and just fucking around. Even boost is acceptable here. I can only imagine what they could do with an actual budget with this kind of direction.

Yeah, that level got posted last time we had this argument too. It's an interesting concept, but it's also virtually devoid of both hazard and potential hazard. There's no failure state, which in turn makes the progression from start to goal pretty dull. I also don't think the concept translates well to environments that aren't naturally rolling green hills.

If the guy behind it would put some serious effort into figuring out how to make badniks and traps halfway threatening in 3D (which Sega still hasn't figured out), I'd be more convinced.

 

[BHZ Mayor]

"SONIC HEROES DIDN'T HAPPEN. EVERYONE FORGET ABOUT IT." (Although you could make some argument that it was more like going... assist super than directly super. But still, that's dumb.)

And if you want to get really picky, I don't think Tails could go Super without the Hyper Emeralds, so it was more of a Sonic & Knuckles thing...

Or getting even pickier, it was a Sonic 3 & Knuckles thing.

 

[Dragoon En Regalia]

My personal wish for any future Chao Garden games is that they not be connected to another mainline Sonic game in a way that might compromise people's opinions of the Chao game itself. Remember SA2 and how annoying it was to do the Chao Garden stuff, just to get those last emblems? Sonic Team needs to simply avoid that for good. That's really the only necessity for a new Chao Garden system anyway. I don't care if it's part of a new mainline game, or even separate (though, in a mainline game, it'd be much easier to collect Chaos Drives and animals!). No need to get emblems from a whole different portion of the game, please!

And, actually, I'd rather have a separate team inside the developer work on a content-rich, more advanced version of the A-LIFE system and use that for a standalone Chao Garden game, one that could be played on digital platforms in particular. Online multiplayer and content transmission, more events for your Chao to participate in, more customization of the Gardens, and simply more variables involves in raising Chao. There's a lot that could be done.

 

[ShadiWulf]

just got done watching the iizuka-san interview, as expected, he said some crazy things! <3

He was asked if there was a level he wished would of made it into Generations, and he said Rail Canyon from Sonic Heroes. For those who don't remember.. this level: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwJ5VN1I1Dk i hate that level

he laughed when asked about Sonic 4 Ep 2 deathegg saying it could possibly come back

iizuka: "do you want chao garden"
"WHOOO!!!"
iizuka: good good, i like it.

says for now they are concentrating on Sonic gameplay, but might bring alternate character gameplay back in the future

regarding a rumor about shadow missing an eye and limbs
"when designing shadow there was many concept designs, possibly one without an eye, and maybe thats where the rumor came from"

when asked about the negative games, he said its because he was in america and wasnt in charge, and they were developed in Japan, and that's why they sucked. Said he came back in charge in 2010, said that those people had different visions, but now hes back in control to make good Sonic games, matches up with what he said in a older interview about how hes in control.

Tails will be a big part of all Sonic games from now on

says he has big surprises in store and that the new Sonic games will start a new history

OVERALL, a typical Iizuka-san interview. I have left satisfied. Looking forward to his Sonic Boom interview. Remember to take stuff he says about future games with a grain of salt, he always seems to contradict himself in interviews, which makes no sense, considering hes the one in charge =) lol

 

[Sciz]

He was asked if there was a level he wished would of made it into Generations, and he said Rail Canyon from Sonic Heroes. For those who don't remember.. this level: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwJ5VN1I1Dk i hate that level

no no no no god no never again

when asked about the negative games, he said its because he was in america and wasnt in charge, and they were developed in Japan, and that's why they sucked. Said he came back in charge in 2010, said that those people had different visions, but now hes back in control to make good Sonic games, matches up with what he said in a older interview about how hes in control.

He can't be real.

 

[PeakPointMatrix]

I keep championing Modern Seaside Hill as the best level in Generations specifically because it branches like crazy in 3D. It's something they've finally figured out how to do, and will presumably keep doing going forward. It and Sky Sanctuary are pretty light on boost usage, to boot.

I was also thinking of Modern Seaside hill as the best representation of a branching 3D stage. I was actually pleasantly surprised with how open it got at times (despite those moments being shortlived). The problem with how this is set up however is that Sonic's current control scheme isn't suited for this kind of gameplay. Despite three attempts, controlling this Sonic in an open space remains rather clumsy and slippery. Something about his acceleration and turning radius leaves a lot to be desired. I much preferred his movement in SA. Not that it wasn't without its faults either, but controlled better for sure.

Yeah, that level got posted last time we had this argument too. It's an interesting concept, but it's also virtually devoid of both hazard and potential hazard. There's no failure state, which in turn makes the progression from start to goal pretty dull. I also don't think the concept translates well to environments that aren't naturally rolling green hills.

If the guy behind it would put some serious effort into figuring out how to make badniks and traps halfway threatening in 3D (which Sega still hasn't figured out), I'd be more convinced.

I agree it's far from something entertaining, (after all it's just a fan game) but its direction is something a lot more exciting and appropriate to me for the Sonic franchise in 3D. I imagine an attempt by Sonic Team today (who are simply way less incompetent than they were before) with actual budget would fix the issues of sparseness and lack of challenge.

He was asked if there was a level he wished would of made it into Generations, and he said Rail Canyon from Sonic Heroes. For those who don't remember.. this level: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwJ5VN1I1Dk i hate that level

Jeez, how much more unmemorable of a stage could you pick?

 

[BlackJace]

I loved Rail Canyon.....

 

[Azure Dream]

Or getting even pickier, it was a Sonic 3 & Knuckles thing.

Welllllll, I think you were able to technically play as Tails with Sonic & Knuckles only, using a Game Genie. Most of his art was missing because that was borrowed from the Sonic 3 cart, but I think you were still able to use him.

Although now that I think about it, I wonder if he could go Super, under those conditions, in Sonic & Knuckles alone. Somebody experienced with hacking the games might be able to answer that.

when asked about the negative games, he said its because he was in america and wasnt in charge, and they were developed in Japan, and that's why they sucked. Said he came back in charge in 2010, said that those people had different visions, but now hes back in control to make good Sonic games, matches up with what he said in a older interview about how hes in control.

It's amazing how long he "wasn't in charge," when he was billed as the head of Sonic Team quite clearly at that point. I guess he wasn't... doing anything?

I guess he might have been distracted with his work on NiGHTS JoD, which got hamstringed when it switched platforms. Still, I'm really hesitant to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Jeez, how much more unmemorable of a stage could you pick?

Rail Canyon was also one of the first stages demoed for Sonic Heroes, beside Seaside Hill. Kind of fits with my theory about the level choices in Generations.

 

[ShadiWulf]

Welllllll, I think you were able to technically play as Tails with Sonic & Knuckles only, using a Game Genie. Most of his art was missing because that was borrowed from the Sonic 3 cart, but I think you were still able to use him.

Although now that I think about it, I wonder if he could go Super, under those conditions, in Sonic & Knuckles alone. Somebody experienced with hacking the games might be able to answer that.




It's amazing how long he "wasn't in charge," when he was billed as the head of Sonic Team quite clearly at that point. I guess he wasn't... doing anything?

He was head of Sonic Team USA, up to 2008 or so, their last game released was Journey of Dreams. He had nothing to do with the games made in Japan. Then he was like on a quiet period for 2 years, and then randomly came back out of nowhere with the announcement of Sonic 4 Ep 1.

 

[Azure Dream]

He was head of Sonic Team USA, up to 2008 or so, their last game released was Journey of Dreams. He had nothing to do with the games made in Japan. Then he was like on a quiet period for 2 years, and then randomly came back out of nowhere with the announcement of Sonic 4 Ep 1.

I amended my post already about Journey of Dreams, but I still feel like he already had a lot of control over the franchise by that point. I can't imagine him having literally nothing to do with the major Sonic games made in Japan.

 

[PeakPointMatrix]

Rail Canyon was also one of the first stages demoed for Sonic Heroes, beside Seaside Hill. Kind of fits with my theory about the level choices in Generations.

It was just padded with too much filler and overstayed it's welcome. By the time I got to Act 2, I was already sick of the zone theme. On top of being a Sky Rail retread.

I was much more impressed by stages like Sky Fleet and Bingo Highway.

when asked about the negative games, he said its because he was in america and wasnt in charge, and they were developed in Japan, and that's why they sucked. Said he came back in charge in 2010, said that those people had different visions, but now hes back in control to make good Sonic games, matches up with what he said in a older interview about how hes in control.

Am I the only one who would love some article or documentary made about the '06 era at Sonic Team? The politics and problems that lead to trainwrecks like that really fascinate me.

 

[ShadiWulf]

yeah.. who knows. xD but he wasnt director or producer of any of the games made in Japan, only special thanks.

lol i remember when this picture popped up

Sonic Retro was like "they are showing off Project Needlemouse, it's gonna suck, oh look it's Iizuka! now it's really gonna suck!"

 

[Dark Schala]

iizuka: "do you want chao garden"
"WHOOO!!!"
iizuka: good good, i like it.

Professor Beef will not be pleased.

says for now they are concentrating on Sonic gameplay, but might bring alternate character gameplay back in the future

when asked about the negative games, he said its because he was in america and wasnt in charge, and they were developed in Japan, and that's why they sucked. Said he came back in charge in 2010, said that those people had different visions, but now hes back in control to make good Sonic games, matches up with what he said in a older interview about how hes in control.

says he has big surprises in store and that the new Sonic games will start a new history

Well, at least they're starting off slow, and are working up to alternate characters. Like, I'd rather them perfect the Sonic gameplay and then work on other characters than stick them all into one thing with unrefined and unpolished techniques and skills. The Adventure games and Sonic 2006 suffered from that.

And "wat?" at those last two parts. :lol

I'd say Unleashed takes more skill, definitely. Sonic Generations and especially Sonic Colors always make sure the player is "safe". All three games have twitch reaction elements to them, but they more frequently kill you for failing a twitch reaction in Unleashed.

For example, Arid Sands. The two part quick step wall run bit near the end - if you fail that, you're dead. Period.

Dragon Road is an early spike in difficulty, with all of the running on water and the rotating plate platforms. Sonic Generations has the plate platforms in Sky Sanctuary, but rarely does falling off one of those kill you, and most of those platforms are twice as big as they were in Unleashed.

Or the drifting part at the beginning of Skyscraper Scamper. If you fail that drift, you go sailing to your death. The closest thing you get to that in Sonic Colors is a moment in Planet Wisp where it looks like if you drift too tight around a corner you can fall to your death - but I am pretty sure there's an invisible wall there to make sure that DOESN'T happen.

And so on. The worst you have to worry about in Colors are a couple of tough hover/cube puzzles. Sonic Generations sits somewhere between the two.

You'd have to wonder that Colours/Generations are easier and have less 'twitchy' sections because people didn't like those parts and felt that they detracted from the experience.

But then you have some cases in the Genesis games where falling off the central or upper paths wouldn't typically lead to your death, so in that way, I kind of think Colours and Generations are consistent with those games in that manner.

On the other hand, playing Unleashed at times felt more fulfilling because sometimes it took multiple tries to get something just right and get to a point where you can do it fast and near-flawlessly.

I guess you have this dichotomy where people just want a game to get through nicely and quickly without much trouble and are playing the game for score attack purposes, and then you have another set who want the challenge. I do think it can be balanced in favour of both audiences, but the clear goal is likely to please people so much that they have a desire to keep playing (which is what I suppose Generations and Colours did).

 

[Professor Beef]

Professor Beef will not be pleased.

Laughing Iizukas, indeed.

 

[nns3d]

Three things about this video:
- Unleashed stage
- Shadow looking pretty good, run animation is finally rightish
- buttery smooth video?


Huh, I didn't even know Pyramid Cave was a thing

I've been watching alot of the Generations level porting stuff, most of it's pretty rough but it's interesting to see how much progress there's been since the game was released. One guy is reinventing Emerald Coast.

There are others which they've ripped straight out of their original game (Metal Harbor, Windy Valley [there's another with the 3rd act])

 

[qq more]

That Windy Valley port really really needs work. Especially Act 1.


Emerald Coast looks promising though.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

Hey guys, long time no see. Any new Sully x Sonic fanfics being written?

Seriously though, I was up in the attic a few days ago looking for my dad's old porn rags helping my dad out with painting the house (I had to be inside the attic to hold the paint bucket while he was painting the uppermost part of the outside wall), and I found some of my old Sonic stuff there.

Can't remember how old I was when I got this plushie, but I think I was about 9 or 10. Something like that.

A cushion I made in primary school, probably when I was about 8-10.

And finally my old Sonic pogs! And the Tiger version of Sonic 3, which was the first version of Sonic 3 I ever played.

I think there's a cardboard box somewhere at my mum's house with all my old Sonic drawings. I should look for it some day..

 

[TheOGB]

Holy nostalgia.

In other news, my TeeFury shirt came in the mail today!

I've been watching alot of the Generations level porting stuff, most of it's pretty rough but it's interesting to see how much progress there's been since the game was released. One guy is reinventing Emerald Coast.

There are others which they've ripped straight out of their original game (Metal Harbor, Windy Valley [there's another with the 3rd act])

That Emerald Coast looks pretty good, but there's something about that run animation that just looks awward to me, heh

 

[BlazeHedgehog]

Any of you know of this "Mariotehplumber" guy on Youtube? I feel like I've seen him mentioned in here before, maybe.

He left me a comment on one of my videos and I don't know how or if I should even react.

 

[Kokonoe]

Any of you know of this "Mariotehplumber" guy on Youtube? I feel like I've seen him mentioned in here before, maybe.

He left me a comment on one of my videos and I don't know how or if I should even react.

1. He's serious.
2. There's no winning.

 

[BlazeHedgehog]

1. He's serious.
2. There's no winning.

Mmmm. That's a shame. But at least I won't feel too terrible blocking him. I just don't want to take a chance blocking a troll and having it come back on me somehow.

The comment for the curious, was on this video, where I posted a download for those Super Mario Sunshine/Galaxy maps somebody ported in to BlitzSonic:

mariotehplumber has made a comment on Sonic Returns to Mario's World - With A Download:
>uses hentai modern model instead

wow lame where is the classic model modern moran how about u give a link with a classic model playable instead of hentai