View Full Version : GG VS The Sonic demo
GG Hendrix
29-09-06, 20:16
Here be swearing.
Well, I just spent a relaxing 40 minutes with a demo of the new Sonic game and here are my thoughts.
I needn't elaborate on the graphics of this game, but rest assured, playing this game LOOKS fantastic.
I'll go for the complaints section first, so I can focus more on what I like about this game.
First of all the camera. Picture an old aged pensioner driving on the motorway. Slow as fuck, absent-mindedly wandering between lanes, and surrounded by vultures waiting for the old sod to perish.
The camera leaves a lot to be desired, in the sense that it needs some Red Bull. The camera is ridiculously slow. Which seems an odd thing to have when
A) You're moving fast as hell
B) You're surrounded by robots with frigging machine guns, cannons, etc
The controls- In their defense, there is an incredibly simple scheme
Analogue- move
L trigger/R trigger- Camera
A- Jump
B- Attack
Start- Pause
Everything else- Nothing
Bingo, that's everything you should have, however with the exception of the pause button, there is something wrong with every action you're going to do.
My biggest single complaint regarding this is the number of times I died because of
A) Pressing the jump button a fraction of a second too late.
B) Some prick throwing bombs I couldn't bloody see because of a camera with the movement of a wheelchair bound drunkard.
C) Moments where if you dont act IMMEDIATELY as though on instinct, you're heading for a world of falling to death.
I RAN OUT OF LIVES ON A SONIC GAME. I FEEL INSULTED.
Although in the defence of these flaws- It sure as hell keeps you on your frigging toes.
Bah
What's right with it
- OMG GRAPHICS
- Fast as hell
- Large amount of possible paths to choose in level
- Once you get used to playing it, you'll be whizzing through the level, destroying robots, actually enjoying it, and not dying like a girl.
What's wrong with it
- Going off of the two songs I have heard from the soundtrack- DO NOT WAAAAAAAAANT. (Though this point is invalid. Custom soundtrack remember :D)
- A camera that moves like how old people fuck
- When you're on a tiny little platform covered with enemies, you're not going to be surprised if you fall to your horrible death. Thanks controls :g-twitch:
- "What's that? ARGH TOO LATE I'M FALLING TO MY DEATH BECAUSE I SHOULD HAVE AIMED OVER THERE COCKFLUTE ARSETWAT AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
Bah.
In short- Aside from camera and control issues (both of which become bearable very quickly) I thoroughly enjoyed playing this demo.
And if I didn't have Kingdom Hearts 2, I'd be playing the shit out of Sonic till my 360 dies.
To close on a "FUCKING METAL" note.
Four Emerald Skullchalices out of Five.
Now for November when the actual game comes out.
Doesn't look like I'll be buying a 360 anytime soon, then.
Yeah tried it at my mates house the other day (or rather the day it came out) picture it as Sonic Adventure 2 on steroids, but the improvements including multiple paths, no omochao, faster and great graphics (of course the lasy one shouldn't be a selling point, since SA2 had great graphics too)
The camara, tapping L twice positions it right behind, although trying to go for a full 360 turn on Sonic with it takes about 5 seconds so bad thing there, control are sensitive yeah pretty much (which is a funny thing, TGS 06 Sonic Next had been reviewed by many to have less sensitive and more responsive then before) and where did those mech speed part of the stage go? rushed demo? hmmmmm and sound, Kingdom Valley is "No Goood" and Sonic exclaiming "YAHOO" really is horrible =E
Still be getting it for either the Xbox360 or PS3 (surprasingly I have money for all three consoles saved up, strange eh?)
EDIT: And I give the demo 7/10 no master piece but not so bad.
GG Hendrix
30-09-06, 07:44
I had an interesting glitch yesterday where everything was in slow motion.
Rather than restart the demo, I played through the level in slow motion.
It was actually pretty cool, hahaha.
Mainly for destroying stuff and watching it all fly around.
Insight to how easily amused me and my chums get-
*speaking in slow motion* "AHHHHMMM GOOOONNNNNNAAAAA FOOOOOOOOOOKEN BATTER YOUUUUUU KNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOB!"
Sonic's voice doesn't bother me anymore. The levels he was on in Shadow desensitized me :p
Whether or not this is because I realized that his voice shouldn't detract from the gameplay, or because there's nothing left of my soul to perish, I dont know.
Hope you all know, the demo was the E3 build, the TGS one is far superior with smoother controls, better camera and far less glitches.
No one's actually confirmed that.If anything, the TGS onewasprobably not much different to the E3 one. I heard reports from TGS of the camera being too slow etc. Also, the hud has been changed since the E3 one. Was you at TGS to compare?
The fact that IGN, Gamespot and Kikizo has said that this game was shaping up nicely and then...this demo that didn't exactly met alot of people's expectations and even some reviewers saying that the controls have become less sensitives has stupified, mystefied and confusifed (as well as any other you want to put there) as to what drugs these people were taking when reviewing the TGS 06 version.
No one's actually confirmed that.If anything, the TGS onewasprobably not much different to the E3 one. I heard reports from TGS of the camera being too slow etc. Also, the hud has been changed since the E3 one. Was you at TGS to compare?
The PS3 version was apparently the one with all the control problems, camera fuck-ups and glitches, however, there was about ONE Xbox 360 in a lonely corner somewhere that played like a dream. And no, I was not at E3 or TGS, however, I have a Sonic mad cousin in Japan and a friend over in America who went to E3 this year, sent me the Kojima Productions press pack, but anyway, according to my American mate the demo played alright but needed quite a deal of improvement in places, and my cousin over in Japanland told me it plays like a shit on PS3 but works lovely on the 360.
Well we'll just have to wait and see, but I would't be surprised at all if the final game turned out to be just like this demo. Sonic Team are not excatly known for ironing out problems at the last minute (cases in point: Heroes, Billy Hatcher).
At the most this will be on par with SA2, which came out 5 years ago now.
In an un-related matter to this demo, new feature present in sonic Next, the ability to chat up little young boys!
http://segadirect.jp/Catalog/CustomPages/images/sonicthehedgehog_ps3_game11.jpg
GG Hendrix
01-10-06, 16:44
In an un-related matter to this demo, new feature present in sonic Next, the ability to chat up little young boys!
http://segadirect.jp/Catalog/CustomPages/images/sonicthehedgehog_ps3_game11.jpg
YES.
I'm looking forward to the town stages, they look so nice and vibrant.
Sonic Adventure 1.5: HD!
=P
GG Hendrix
01-10-06, 19:36
I'm opting to call it Sonic Adventure 2.
Seeing as aside from Sonic/Shadow's levels, I FUCKING HATE Sonic Adventure 2 :p
I'm calling it Sonic Next, because that is what it is, not Sonic Adventure 1 or 2, Sonic Next-gen, new ideas, new gameplay, new approach.
GG Hendrix
01-10-06, 20:09
new ideas, new gameplay, new approach.
*Laughs ATyou*
I bed to differ;
New ideas:
. Lower down camera.
. RPG elements.
. Instead of having gameplay that is almost exactly the same for each character, each one has their own style.
. Multiple ways to get through a level.
. Using a proper environmental physics engine.
. A day to night system.
New Gameplay:
Instead of the other characters being Sonic clones, they're all different, Sonic's gameplay is focused on speed, Shadow's on combat and Silver's on using the environment around you. Adding upgradable moves and abilities is new and there are rumours of being able to equip stuff.
New approach:
'What if Sonic was real?' is the new approach, and an interesting one at that.
"RPG Elements"
If you mean by the walking around towns talking to people stuff: Sonic Adventure 1.
"Instead of having gameplay that is almost exactly the same for each character, each one has their own style."
So wait, the different styles of gameplay in Sonic Adventure 2 didn't count?
"Using a proper environmental physics engine."
No one's even going to notice.
"'What if Sonic was real?' is the new approach, and an interesting one at that."
Because previous Sonic games haven't had humans in them. Of course! Oh, and Sonic X?
So far, you're probably the only person on the entire internet who is seeing this game as a brand new approach to the series. It's a Sonic Adventure game with prettier graphics. No more, no less.
Sonic, Silver and Shadow have the power to upgrade and change their abilities in the Sonic 2006 as well as the town stages having a few missions scattered about by them (although I haven't played much of SA : DX I believe those missions won't given by the towns people) so there is that difference as well as apparently a few mini games around them but that was in SA1 (only a hedgehog hammer, sand hill and twinkle circuit mind you! I want MOAR this time)
@ Otaku: Gameplay wise your also forgetting the mech speed areas, although if they'll return I don't know
So far, you're probably the only person on the entire internet who is seeing this game as a brand new approach to the series.
I highly doubt that.
"RPG Elements"
If you mean by the walking around towns talking to people stuff: Sonic Adventure 1.
No, stat building, side-quests, equipping stuff, that sort of thing.
"Instead of having game play that is almost exactly the same for each character, each one has their own style."
So wait, the different styles of game play in Sonic Adventure 2 didn't count?
They had three styles of game play for six characters, Sonic Next has different styles for each character.
"Using a proper environmental physics engine."
No one's even going to notice.
You'll be surprised at the amount who will.
"'What if Sonic was real?' is the new approach, and an interesting one at that."
Because previous Sonic games haven't had humans in them. Of course! Oh, and Sonic X?
It's far more than having humans, Robotnik looks more like a real person, Sonic has longer legs that make him look like a runner, the robots look realistic, and more.
So far, you're probably the only person on the entire internet who is seeing this game as a brand new approach to the series. It's a Sonic Adventure game with prettier graphics. No more, no less.
THOU DOST SPEAKETH LIES.
GG Hendrix
01-10-06, 21:52
New ideas:
. Lower down camera.
. RPG elements.
. Using a proper environmental physics engine.
. A day to night system.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v30/xaeiroe/bfd2.gif
. Instead of having gameplay that is almost exactly the same for each character, each one has their own style.
Just like Sonic Adventure 1 and 2?
Multiple ways to get through a level.
Just like Sonic 3?
New approach:
'What if Sonic was real?' is the new approach, and an interesting one at that.
Just like SA1/2, and STH where he was surrounded by humans?
GG, I dont think you can include STH and Sonic 3 into this, they aren't part of the adventure series XD
Damnit Hendrix, I thought you would have been all for defending Sonic Next, guess I was wrong.
No, but they're part of the SONIC series.
"No, stat building, side-quests, equipping stuff, that sort of thing."
Can't say I heard anything about that stuff in the game. Where did you hear that? Mind you, I haven't been excatly keeping track of this game much.
"They had three styles of game play for six characters, Sonic Next has different styles for each character."
It's still 3 styles of gameplay then, seeing as there is 3 playable characters in this. =P
Also, "longer legs" and "lower camera" seem like pretty small and petty "new ideas".
When this game is released, you blow £50 on it and lay it only to see it still has all the flaws of previous 3D Sonic games, with a few bells and wristles attached, then don't say I didn't tell you.
ARGH, fuck it, I'm getting nowhere defending this, I'm not even going to bother anymore.
Well, it would help if have played it, and could give us impressions, like GG did. ^_^
Seriously though, everywhere I've been reading about it, no ones is impressed with the Sonic demo. When your character keeps slipping off a cliff against your will, there is something wrong. This is my major gripe with Heroes, which I've been playing recently. Without all it's glitches it would of been enjoyable, butit turned out to be riddled with cheap deaths. The fact that it takes 20 minutes (taking cheap deaths into account) to get through a level bugs me too, although from what I heard the level in this demo is a lot shorter.
GG Hendrix
01-10-06, 22:43
Damnit Hendrix, I thought you would have been all for defending Sonic Next, guess I was wrong.
I'm all for defending it as an enjoyable game, because I am enjoying the demo a lot now that I dont die on it anymore, but you'd have to be a fucking mong to think it's anything new and fresh.
It's just Sonic Adventure with pimped up graphics and an average plot :D
I wasn't attacking Sonic "Next", I was just attacking your blatently incorrect statements. :g-winky:
Im still getting this game on release, because it is
A) Sonic
B) Fucking awesome
C) Not Sonic Heroes
No, but they're part of the SONIC series.
Gaga, thats not what I meant, I am arguing the case if it should be called SA2, if it should then examples from the ADVENTURE series should be taken and only adventure. Now if GG had just said "What about those fucking vomit filled routes on Casionpolis" or "Those painful extra routes on Final Egg, I'd rather stab myself in both eyes and eat dirt then go those extra paths" it would have been a better statement (And please, excuse my poor GG Hendrix impressions)
However when you see playthoughs like this one, you wonder if its a case of skill or if Sonic slows down too slowly? http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-454477353223264623&q=sonic+demo+S&hl=en-GB Although the lightspeed dash froze there, it shows what a good player can do. Some people are impressed, the problem is that their intial reaction was that they were expecting something totally different from Adventure gameplay (which I don't understand, Adventure 2 had some great Sonic action and I'd play more levels if they did an add-on) once they got passed that, it was fun.
@ Hendrix: I thought you'd know by now, its not Sonic Heroes, its SAWNIK HEROWS!!11!!! don't let the cover and subtitles confuse you...
Hmmm also, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Blaze, Rouge and Omega all return as OPTIONAL characters, maybe only for one level though...theres a set of thing going on, you can switch to the other character in a level (story mode) however Sonic will not follow them but they are used if you want to use extra optional pathways to the level.
Man was that music annoying and the game does look really good.
The problem is SA2 was made about 5 years ago, and Sonic Team have haven’t really improved on the game play in that time at all. As great as SA1 and 2 were, they were riddled with annoying bugs, mainly involving the camera and cheap deaths, which even o a next-gen console they haven't been able to fix. That's what disappoints me with this game. I'm sure it'll still be a nice game and all, but it would be nice if they took at least one step into fixing the 3D sonic game flaws.
The Sonic game on the Wii doesn't have any camera problems because it's on rails. Maybe it's this kind of simplifying of the game play that the 3D Sonic games need. We'll just have to wait and see.
The thing about it though, the camara never bugged me at all so I never had a complainment against it, dont get me wrong, I'm sure some people are annoyed at it, but I never find it much of a big deal. As far as cheap death goes, I do remember once having the lightspeed missing up on Crazy Gadgets but other then that, never really had a bug that caused me a ceap death. Maybe I'm lucky and never found any of thse bugs, like the slow mo bug GG Hendrix found, I'm still looking for that on Sonic Next >,>
Hendrix, what exactly did you do before playing the game to cause that glitch?
EDIT: Oh I should mention, the camara used in this could be the one used in Super Mario 64 "input_method_mario64" is something members at the cult found, amuses me so it does.
Man was that music annoying and the game does look really good.
Ya it foesn't and sonic music is always annoying.
I'm starting to really doubt Sega now because of the reason that Gaga mentioned. Otakuguy must be some kind of PR rep for Sega though.
I'm going to go back to playing Sonic 2...
Yeah, I don't see why people have to accept broken gameplay that has't been fixed in 8 years.
GG Hendrix
02-10-06, 12:01
People seem to think I'm against this game.
I fucking love it.
Hendrix, what exactly did you do before playing the game to cause that glitch?
I wish I knew, it was awesome.
Yeah, I don't see why people have to accept broken gameplay that has't been fixed in 8 years.
Hate to ask this gaga, but do you happen to have an idea of sonic gameplay that isn't just the same old sonic? or a new gameplay idea that doesn't end up as stat-building and all the usual stuff to try and make it look new?
If you like a game, its because its good. Sure originality opens new paths and new doors in gaming, but its still ultimately about the game and whether you enjoy it or not.
Ya but the same game over and over again presented as something new gets repetitive and boring.
Once upon a time Sega used to be really innovative, remember Samba De Amigo? Sega sadly lost it's creativity when the Dreamcast failed.
Ya their games have slowly gotten worse and by releasing more repetitive sonic games they are getting even worse.
Ya but the same game over and over again presented as something new gets repetitive and boring.
Kinda like half the Mario games? Megaman games? and the first three Mega Drive Sonic games? same thing gets boring yes, but if its not broken, don't fix. Add new things yes which the first three Sonic games did, but don't change the game completely, or Sonic will start to fill like Alex Kidd. And those who dislike the Sonic CD and Sonic Rush OST need better taste in game music kthx bye.
Also a factor to Sonic's downfall is the fact he is no longer meant to sell a console, the very thing he was created for! now all his meant to do is sell himself, which explains why SEGA don't bother as they would have if they were still in the console market.
But hey, for those who think Sonic Team/SEGA can't make brilliant 3D games should go play PSU!
Kinda like half the Mario games? Megaman games? and the first three Mega Drive Sonic games?
Yes exactly like those.
Hate to ask this gaga, but do you happen to have an idea of sonic gameplay that isn't just the same old sonic? or a new gameplay idea that doesn't end up as stat-building and all the usual stuff to try and make it look new?
If you like a game, its because its good. Sure originality opens new paths and new doors in gaming, but its still ultimately about the game and whether you enjoy it or not.
It's not so much the originality as it is the fact they simplily can't be bothered to fix any of the problems they faced with bringing Sonic into 3D. One of them for me would be how they move the camera whenever you go through a loop to show the whole loop. Because of this you lose the sense of flying through a loop like you got in...say, Sonic CD.
The soic games don't need to do anything new, they just need to improve on all the problems the 3D series has, and so far they haven't. The problem with the 3D games is simple: They are not as enjoyable as the 2D ones at all. Why is this? Because the messy glitchces, the bottomless pits, and the camera.
Sonic Rush is an example of where they have added elements to the traditional gameplay that actually improve on it. Rememer how you would be blasting through one of the Mega Drive titles, and you would fly into a badnik you couldn't avoid? Well, the boost in onic Rush eliminates this problem.
The pits n the 3D games are lot more evident than in the 2D ones. If anything levels in the 3D ones are like you are in Jetsons world: everything is suspeded miles abobe the ground. When I saw the first Sonic-Next footage ages ago, it looked as though they had finally set the game on ground level, like most of the 2D levels, but now they've proved me wrong.
Also a factor to Sonic's downfall is the fact he is no longer meant to sell a console, the very thing he was created for! now all his meant to do is sell himself, which explains why SEGA don't bother as they would have if they were still in the console market.
But hey, for those who think Sonic Team/SEGA can't make brilliant 3D games should go play PSU!
You hit the nail on the head there! That is exactly why sonic has been declining. If that's the case though, why do we still enjoy him as a character?
Sega can still make good games when they want to. It's just their batting average is declining.
You hit the nail on the head there! That is exactly why sonic has been declining. If that's the case though, why do we still enjoy him as a character?
Sega can still make good games when they want to. It's just their batting average is declining.
Because we're all secretly rabid Sonic fanboys in disguise? think of it like this, you support a football team that never wins, but you've always been a life long supporter, so you'll continue to support them. Bad example maybe but we'll probaley have some faith in Sonic no matter how bad (or good) his next instalments are.
The thing with SEGA is that they know if they slap anything that is partially related to Sonic the Hedgehog nowdays they know they would have sold miliions of copies in under a years time so they see little point in improving or changing the gameplay. Shame really, if only Sonic was still a console mascot, this game would have been vastly different and more then likely superior.
Still looking forward to it with glitches and all! (don't expect me to fork out 50 quids mind you, only crazy people buy video games at full pirce!)
Most of the recent sonic games I've only bought when they got as stupidly cheap as possible. I only eventally got Sonic Heroes because I found it for £3! I'll do the same with Shadow.
vBulletin v3.5.4, Copyright ©2000-2012, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.