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Sonic Forces - Story Trailer

It's such a shame that we have gone downhill since the visuals from Unleashed, one of the best looking 3D sonic engines with it's shadows and shading.
 

LordKasual

Banned
I say Forces' NPC design is actually worse than the Boom spin-offs, they at least had different anatomy, outfits and facial features like a beard to stick out from each other.

These are the custom character with slight modifications and nothing else

Edit: Even Sonic Unleashed's human designs don't look all that modular, places like Holoska and Mazuri might have had similar looking outfit designs for the characters, but they all stood out from each other

sonic-unleashed-20081120013206360-000.jpg
tumblr_inline_obcbtgnURO1tb7s4q_500.gif


Pretty much

Unleashed was an extremely thorough game. Likely the most effort Sonic Team has ever put into a single title, and that is absolutely including the werehog stages.
 

NeonZ

Member
I didn't think the story would be this... prominent.

They were simply fine in Colors and Lost World. I had hoped this would die down into window dressing again...


That's not a why, that's a how.

Classic Sonic was an awful idea. 3D sonics are already full of 2d sections, the balance didn't need to be offset even further.

The 2d sections are basically their new werehog. A way to extend the game that would be very short if they stuck with the 3d running bits.
 

Sami+

Member
Unleashed was an extremely thorough game. Likely the most effort Sonic Team has ever put into a single title, and that is absolutely including the werehog stages.

I still think an Unleashed remaster that got rid of sun and moon medals and tweaked the balancing for the Werehog levels would be a fantastic game.
 
Unleashed was an extremely thorough game. Likely the most effort Sonic Team has ever put into a single title, and that is absolutely including the werehog stages.

For all of its faults, I do think one thing that's admirable about Sonic Unleashed in retrospect was how it was the only modern Sonic game that feels like it had its own vision behind it, whereas it actually felt like Sonic Team tried to do their own thing and stand out rather than caving in to some fanbase.

Let's face it, every single mainline Sonic game that's come out since then has been designed to please/appeal/pander to some group or audience.

  • Sonic Colors, as ST admitted themselves, was engineered to appeal to the Mario crowd on the Wii
  • Sonic 4 was a (bad) attempt at pleasing classic Sonic fans
  • Sonic Generations was a callback to all Sonic games
  • Sonic Lost World was yet another attempt at the "Make Sonic for the Mario crowd" intuitive first seen with Colors
  • Sonic Forces is yet another callback to all Sonic games

Unleashed remains the only post-Sonic 06 game that actually tried to be its own thing, rather than trying to chase after other people's dreams like every Sonic game afterwards.
 

Burbeting

Banned
This trailer just reminds me painfully of all of the edgy-sonic phase games from like... 1999 until 2008. Does anyone actually want this...?
 

TrueBlue

Member
I still think an Unleashed remaster that got rid of sun and moon medals and tweaked the balancing for the Werehog levels would be a fantastic game.

The Werehog levels were never more than okay though. They hold back Unleashed in the same vein Claasic Sonic and the Avatar will likely hold back Forces.

EDIT: Honestly, apart from Infinite I don't think there's much edge here. The tone in the trailer seems more enthusiastic/light-hearted in a Saturday morning cartoon way. ShTH and Sonic 06 this ain't.
 

Camjo-Z

Member
I didn't think the story would be this... prominent.

They were simply fine in Colors and Lost World. I had hoped this would die down into window dressing again...

Thank god it didn't, Colors/Generations/Lost World's stories were some of the worst aspects of those games.

Classic Sonic was an awful idea. 3D sonics are already full of 2d sections, the balance didn't need to be offset even further.

Sonic and Avatar are 2D/3D, Classic Sonic is 2D only, Tag Team levels are 3D only. Balance restored.
 

Not

Banned
Seriously, completely reboot Sonic. Redesign the art from scratch. Just try to make it cool again for a new era. Boom didn't work.

Maybe take a cue from the fluidity of Tyson Hesse's work on Mania.
 

Village

Member
Seriously, completely reboot Sonic. Redesign the art from scratch. Just try to make it cool again for a new era. Boom didn't work.

Maybe take a cue from the fluidity of Tyson Hesse's work on Mania.

The issue is for every time suggests that

Reboot for whom?

Who is this reboot for?
 

Camjo-Z

Member
The issue is for every time suggests that

Reboot for whom?

Who is this reboot for?

Gotta love this idea that Sonic needs to reinvent himself as though he's no longer relevant. Colors sold over 1.85 million while being a Wii exclusive and Generations sold over 1.63 million without the help of Sonic's sizeable Nintendo fanbase. Now they're coming out with a game that follows the same formula as those games, is releasing on every platform, and is $20 cheaper than a normal game. But yeah, I'm sure it's totally going to flop!
 

Village

Member
Gotta love this idea that Sonic needs to reinvent himself as though he's no longer relevant. Colors sold over 1.85 million while being a Wii exclusive and Generations sold over 1.63 million without the help of Sonic's sizeable Nintendo fanbase. Now they're coming out with a game that follows the same formula as those games, is releasing on every platform, and is $20 cheaper than a normal game. But yeah, I'm sure it's totally going to flop!

I don't think you are quite getting what your saying. You are listing sales figures which are nice, but someone can argue they are on a decline. I'm not even talking about " who is it for people already like sonic"

I mean who exactly is it for?
Is it for classic fans? They already have mania, they can get new 2d sonic games now the way they want them

Is it for Adventure fans, Adventure fans, while I would like that personality. Iizuka and co has said over the years that they arent doing it for various reasons that are generally cover ups for " we don't have the cash and ambition for projects like that anymore"

Is it for modern fans? Those games are so disjointed in continuity and in tone, you could just make a new good one and just solve that issue.

People like different aspects of sonic, a reboot implies some sort of singular direction. That's the opposite of what sonic needs, the reason why forces looks the way it does is because its trying to fit everything in a singular direction. Sonic needs to separate its games and characters, expand their brand, make more money stop trying to have a singular brand identity and trying to consolidate everything in a game. Because some aspects of sonic don't fit with each other.

So I my question who is it for is literally asking who is the reboot for, the only branch that would need it is adventure, but they just said they aren't doing it anytime soon so... .who would this reboot... because modern and classic sonic can just keep making the games they are making, or in modern case just make better games.

Maybe boom? Boom could use a reboot. Maybe that's what they meant
 
If Sonic has full intimate relations with a human this time, I'm in.
Double Down on this.
japanese dub is better
Double down on this too.
No they don't, these games don't need story .
Story alone sold me Heroes, Shadow, and 06.
I'm sorry but the actual 90s saturday morning cartoons with Sonic were all better than this
No they weren't.
This trailer just reminds me painfully of all of the edgy-sonic phase games from like... 1999 until 2008. Does anyone actually want this...?
People like edgy stuff. Edgy shit is interesting. This is why Shadow's the best Sonic Character that isn't Sonic.
Seriously, completely reboot Sonic. Redesign the art from scratch. Just try to make it cool again for a new era. Boom didn't work.

Maybe take a cue from the fluidity of Tyson Hesse's work on Mania.
No.
I don't think you are quite getting what your saying. You are listing sales figures which are nice, but someone can argue they are on a decline. I'm not even talking about " who is it for people already like sonic"

I mean who exactly is it for?
Is it for classic fans? They already have mania, they can get new 2d sonic games now the way they want them

Is it for Adventure fans, Adventure fans, while I would like that personality. Iizuka and co has said over the years that they arent doing it for various reasons that are generally cover ups for " we don't have the cash and ambition for projects like that anymore"

Is it for modern fans? Those games are so disjointed in continuity and in tone, you could just make a new good one and just solve that issue.

People like different aspects of sonic, a reboot implies some sort of singular direction. That's the opposite of what sonic needs, the reason why forces looks the way it does is because its trying to fit everything in a singular direction. Sonic needs to separate its games and characters, expand their brand, make more money stop trying to have a singular brand identity and trying to consolidate everything in a game. Because some aspects of sonic don't fit with each other.

So I my question who is it for is literally asking who is the reboot for, the only branch that would need it is adventure, but they just said they aren't doing it anytime soon so... .who would this reboot... because modern and classic sonic can just keep making the games they are making, or in modern case just make better games.

Maybe boom? Boom could use a reboot. Maybe that's what they meant

He was cosigning your argument.
 

Vidiot

Member
For all of its faults, I do think one thing that's admirable about Sonic Unleashed in retrospect was how it was the only modern Sonic game that feels like it had its own vision behind it, whereas it actually felt like Sonic Team tried to do their own thing and stand out rather than caving in to some fanbase.

Let's face it, every single mainline Sonic game that's come out since then has been designed to please/appeal/pander to some group or audience.

  • Sonic Colors, as ST admitted themselves, was engineered to appeal to the Mario crowd on the Wii
  • Sonic 4 was a (bad) attempt at pleasing classic Sonic fans
  • Sonic Generations was a callback to all Sonic games
  • Sonic Lost World was yet another attempt at the "Make Sonic for the Mario crowd" intuitive first seen with Colors
  • Sonic Forces is yet another callback to all Sonic games

Unleashed remains the only post-Sonic 06 game that actually tried to be its own thing, rather than trying to chase after other people's dreams like every Sonic game afterwards.

You could say that about the Sonic stages but I thought it was pretty clear the Werehog was inspired by God of War. Not really is own thing imo.
 

WillyFive

Member
Everything about this game looks low budget and poorly done; the animations are stifled and buggy, the visuals are a downgrade from Generations, and the gameplay seems almost entirely in 2D.

Also, it's time for the voice actors to go. Get some new better ones.
 
Everything about this game looks low budget and poorly done; the animations are stifled and buggy, the visuals are a downgrade from Generations, and the gameplay seems almost entirely in 2D.

Also, it's time for the voice actors to go. Get some new better ones.

But Eggman's voice is incredible
 

Not

Banned
Gotta love this idea that Sonic needs to reinvent himself as though he's no longer relevant. Colors sold over 1.85 million while being a Wii exclusive and Generations sold over 1.63 million without the help of Sonic's sizeable Nintendo fanbase. Now they're coming out with a game that follows the same formula as those games, is releasing on every platform, and is $20 cheaper than a normal game. But yeah, I'm sure it's totally going to flop!

It might not flop, it just looks stupid!

Why does no one care about making Sonic cool anymore
 

Guess Who

Banned
Everything about this game looks low budget and poorly done; the animations are stifled and buggy, the visuals are a downgrade from Generations, and the gameplay seems almost entirely in 2D.

Also, it's time for the voice actors to go. Get some new better ones.

sitfled animation? whatever do you mean

ApCZ1D5.gif
 

RagnarokX

Member
The issue is for every time suggests that

Reboot for whom?

Who is this reboot for?

Hell, Sonic's biggest problem is Sega won't stop rebooting Sonic. Things were going great with the Genesis games. REBOOT! Hmmm, fans want to play as every character in the same levels... REBOOT! Sonic Heroes was a steaming pile of shit... REBOOT AND GIVE SHADOW A GUN! Okay okay okay. REBOOT let's have Sonic bang a human girl! REBOOT okay we played Twilight Princess... REBOOT and Mario Galaxy! REBOOT! Hey, we finally made a good one... REBOOT!

It's nice and all that they listened to fans who asked them to go back to Sonic Generations style, but while the premise is similar it doesn't look like any of the level designers who made that game great are working on this based on what we've seen which defeats the purpose.
 
Yeah they really ought to bring him back.

I can't see any particular reason why they changed him out in the first place.

I feel like Sonic Team is sacrificing their appeal to focus on demographics.

Like when I think of IPs/Brands like Super Mario or Sonic The Hedgehog I always so those games as for "Everyone", which allowed them some wiggle room when it comes to their appeal.

But nowadays when it comes to Sonic I'd assume they're just actively aiming at the child market, instead of keeping the appeal universally accessible (I know some tryhards like to front on this board, but believe it or not, people (both children and adults) sincerely like The Sonic The Hedgehog Brand.)

But you can see the manufactured child pandering in games like Colors, Lost World, and Boom (outside of the TV Show's over the head jokes).

Maybe it also comes with some people being out of touch with what Sega made Sonic about Sega finally caved into allowing outside material (comics, memes, and Saturday Morning cartoons) dictate for the fans what Sonic is. Even though in a sense, Sonic was technically a cultural phenomenon.

I'd argue at this point Sonic just stopped evolving, and just started being used like most cynical Japanese devs started doing to their brand. (Capcom comes to mind.)
 
I get it to an extent. But with Pollock I can't help but to hear "Eggman's Shenanigans"

vs.

Bristow's "Eggman's Intent"

Like he had a really sinister sound to his voice.

Audio mixing was struggle back then though.

I really like Shadow's new actor tho.
Okay can we pause and talk about just how awesome Eggman's theme was in SA2? Man it's so cool!

We need to bring back those kinds of themes and stuff!
 
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