I don't agree Planet Wisp does it well though, that's kinda *my* point. It's two very distinct parts of the level, the nature one is great, the 'industrial' part is... orange walls everywhere. It doesn't really look good nor does it blend well with nature.
This one, while not perfect, actually seems to integrate both well enough for me.
It isn't supposed to blend well between the two areas on Generations, Robotnik isn't trying to preserve the world of the wisps, he is just trying to industrialize it. The point is the merging of them is done more solidly in both Generations and Colors. IT is supposed to be taking over.
Colors Act 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqMevxSKiCQ
You also see active evidence of it being converted, panels that look incomplete, workers in the background, etc.
Here's some screenshots I just took of Generations:
The addition of Casino elements to this level come off as very bland. The entirety of the level appears too flat. If there are ruins being converted, why aren't there more apparent ruins in the background? Why aren't there crumbling parts? The lighting doesn't feel like it is properly illuminating the ruins with its bright neon casino visuals.
I would say this is probably the best looking bit of the stage. Proper illumination, decent mix between the casino implementation of the natural ruins theme. But the rest just doesn't stand up. It doesn't feel like a mix, it just feels like a casino level.
Mirage Saloon, is a good merge of the Saloon/Casino elements and the Desert backdrop. Especially Knuckles' act 1.
Fuck, this looks reallyyy baaaad!
Why can they make
awesome graphics like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8cOWGoAxVw
this had me in stitches.
Hmm, yeah you're probably right. I didn't consider the PC version of Generations being as well optimized as it was. Honestly, shit, I don't know wtf happened then. Worth remembering though that the Hedgehog Engine and whatever proprietary in-house core game engine that use are technically two different things. I want to say Colors and Lost World were made in the latter and it's likely the physics suck because they never bothered coding that in. Classic Sonic's gameplay is just a tweaked modern Sonic when you get down to it, in the same way that the furry dollmaker is.
As I said, Hedgehog engine is a lighting engine, Sonic Generation's physics was Havok. (I decided to actually look it up as well)
http://info.sonicretro.org/Hedgehog_Engine
Lost World uses the Hedgehog engine as well.
Hidden springs in the classic games were placed placed within / inside the platform, so you didn't see them (or could barely see the tops of them). In the footage, the springs are just made invisible objects that spontaneously appear out of thin air when the player comes into contact with them.
Moreover, these invisible springs are being placed at the end of ramps. Rather than the game using the utilizing the character's momentum/physics and level design to make the player fly off the ramps, the designers are instead resorting to using springs to do that for them--and making them hidden until the player touches them is to try and hide the fact that they're even there.
It's visually and functionally sloppy design, and an overall poor use of smoke-and-mirrors to hide how obviously directed/automated those level setpieces are.
The second one isn't actually on a ramp, but the fact sonic auto-boosted through that area made no sense to begin with.
Now here's a personal take after thinking long and hard:
Sonic can be two things. Much like Mario has it's 2D gamestyle and 3D gamestyle, Sonic can have its 2D gamestyle and 3D gamestyle.
However, I've come to the conclusion SEGA has yet to merge the two well, and maybe for all intents and purposes, should avoid merging them.
3D Sonic can have it's 2D parts, that's fine, but they will always inherently play different than pure 2D sonic, and I'm okay with that. Boost gameplay is fun for different reasons than 2D gameplay. We'll have boost pads in 2D segments for 3D Sonic and that will be okay, as long as 3D fans get games they want, and 2D fans get games that they want as well. And I'm not saying every 2D sonic needs to be sprite based. I'm sure the good minds behind Mania can work to make a 3D version of their engine, or rather, a 2.5D. (3D models, only 2D gameplay.)
This doesn't look good, we have to admit it's missing a layer of polish. Am I going to buy it? Probably. Maybe I'll wait for a discount. I don't see myself fully skipping out on this entry in it's entirety unless it somehow proves to be absolute junk like sonic 06.
