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[NotLiquid]

I pretty much had the same opinion (bar difficulty) about Sonic Colours, so take my opinion for what you will.

I do have my fair share of issues with Colors really. My only critical complaint about that game though, aside from the later half of the game having some really shallow 2D sections, was the lack of variety in acts and how short the game was despite constant recycling, and Lost World seems to have gotten that fixed.

If the 3D segments are up to snuff though (something which Colors also lacked severely) I think it'll at least be a good enough improvement in my eyes.

 

[Dark Schala]

Seven Force played the 3DS demo that was put on the JP eShop last week, I know that. He's been busy lately, so he probably hasn't had time to post in the thread. But his impressions from elsewhere:

Quick 3DS version impressions:

- The game seems to use the same story cutscenes that the Wii U version has. Only problem is that they're really heavily compressed. Artifacting everywhere.

- Sonic controls far better than I anticipated, even when he's kicked up to his highest speed.

- Playing the game kind of reminds me of Mario 3D Land in the same way that Lost World Wii U takes cues from the Galaxy games.

- There were a few too many bits where you have to bounce on clouds over to a set of dash rings over a bottomless pit. Should be interesting to see how Dimps usual level design translates to 3D. (They did the daytime stages in Unleashed Wii though, didn't they?)

- The parkour bit is actually pretty interesting, specifically the wall running/jumping bits, since that's all about building and maintaining momentum in order to stay on the wall.

- Didn't know the Power Sneakers theme was switched to Reach for the Stars now.

- The transitions between sections of the level are a little less jarring now.

There's not really a lot for me to judge, since it's only a tutorial level and the first act of Windy Hill, but so far, it actually seems pretty okay. Not amazing, but decent. Provided the rest of the game doesn't go off of a cliff in quality, it could be a pretty solid game.

 

[Mistle]

If this is as good as Colors or Generations then I'll be happy with it. All the videos I've watched have been great, and I enjoyed the 3DS version at PAX, so I feel I'm going to like the Wii U one even more.

I have Pokemon and Wind Waker going currently and I'm wondering if I should add Sonic to the mix, or wait until I finish one

 

[I Wanna Be The Guy]

That's Mario, not Sonic. It's ok to bring in some variety, but only if both styles are of the same or better quality, like in Galaxy. The 2D gameplay here just doesn't look as good. The movement system looks really awkward in 2D. That's why I'm against it.

The auto running sections I don't like because the gameplay is just too different. It seems like a complete step back from what they are trying to do with the other 3D levels. I'm ok with the rolling level because it's not as different from other 3D stages.

Lets be honest here. The 2D gameplay in Galaxy wasn't half as good as the 3D gameplay. Or half as good as the 2D gameplay in the main 2D Mario games. But that was ok. The 2D just did a nice job of spicing things up a bit with a change of gameplay compared to the 3D gamplay that dominated most of the game. I think if Lost World does the same then I'm cool with it.

 

[TimmiT]

I do have my fair share of issues with Colors really. My only critical complaint about that game though, aside from the later half of the game having some really shallow 2D sections, was the lack of variety in acts and how short the game was despite constant recycling, and Lost World seems to have gotten that fixed.

Sonic Lost World doesn't seem to be much longer than Sonic Colours actually.

 

[Peff]

Holy shit, 3-2 is literally Sonic Galaxy. The "similarities" are everywhere, and it's a rather decent rip-off too.

 

[Dusk Golem]

Sonic Lost World doesn't seem to be much longer than Sonic Colours actually.

I'm kind of interested to learn length, not as much for if I will be picking up but out of curiosity how it compares, and how much content there is story versus extra content (as it seems they have spent a lot of time putting a lot of unlockables and extra stages in the game).

My impressions from what I've played and seen is that the length may be about the Sonic Colors / Generations fair, though on repetitiveness it seems they have tried to make each level different, so repetitiveness in design shouldn't be an issue, unless it is a surprise flaw.

 

[Peff]

Spoiler

INVERSE ROCKET BARREL LEVEL

WHY.

 

[TimmiT]

Something I forgot to mention: the bosses are crap. The boss music is great though. :V

 

[Dr. Buni]

- The transitions between sections of the level are a little less jarring now.

That is really comforting to read.

 

[GotchaForce]

I wonder if there's anything on the OST nearly as good as Aquatic Zone or Planet Wisp from the Colors OST.

 

[Fandangox]

Couple of questions, does this has Off-tv play? How good is it compared to Colors? Never played colors, but I kept hearing it was pretty good.

 

[TheCongressman1]

Lets be honest here. The 2D gameplay in Galaxy wasn't half as good as the 3D gameplay. Or half as good as the 2D gameplay in the main 2D Mario games. But that was ok.

I completely agree, it wasn't really as good, but the gameplay wasn't as wonky in 2D as it seem in Lost World. That's the whole thing I'm talking about here. Mario's 3D mechanics worked fine in 2D, but the physics they are trying to make work in 2D just don't seem to play well here. I would have been fine if they had tweaked it to better work there, but they didn't.

But ideally, I wish they would have went straight 3D gameplay. I don't really see why it needs 'variety', and especially that of 2D gameplay. I've never liked mixing these two styles.

If they want to add variety, they should start by building a strong core, and then build off of that. What they have here are a bunch of styles that don't really build on each other. This wouldn't be such a bad thing if they were only special stages, but it seems like there will be a 2D level, an autorun level, ect in every Zone. That's a third of the game that will be spent doing these things. The old special stages took up a very small portion of the game but added something fresh. That's what I think they should be doing.

 

[Peff]

Couple of questions, does this has Off-tv play?

Yep

How good is it compared to Colors? Never played colors, but I kept hearing it was pretty good.

Can't say for sure yet, but I like it better so far

EDIT: ^Luckily, not so! Again, I can't speak for the rest of the game, but World 3 is

Spoiler

Large 3D linear stage, Sonic Galaxy stage, a whole stage of rail grinding ala Donkey Kong, part Sonic Galaxy, part 2D level (but a fair bit more interesting this time) for the boss level and the "rocket barrel" level

.

 

[Sciz]

But ideally, I wish they would have went straight 3D gameplay. I don't really see why it needs 'variety', and especially that of 2D gameplay. I've never liked mixing these two styles.

The answer is always cost.

 

[Zalman]

I hope reviewers aren't too harsh on this game. Colors and Generations deserve better Metascores than they currently have.

 

[SporeCrawler]

Mine already has...fuck yeah!

Gotta love fnac. Second time i bought from them so far.

 

[Fandangox]

Yep



Can't say for sure yet, but I like it better so far

EDIT: ^Luckily, not so! Again, I can't speak for the rest of the game, but World 3 is

Spoiler

Large 3D linear stage, Sonic Galaxy stage, a whole stage of rail grinding ala Donkey Kong, part Sonic Galaxy, part 2D level (but a fair bit more interesting this time) for the boss level and the "rocket barrel" level

.

Good, having OFF-TV play means there will probably be conventional controls for the wisp powers, and that I will be able to play the game most of the time.

 

[Dark Schala]

I hope reviewers aren't too harsh on this game. Colors and Generations deserve better Metascores than they currently have.

I hope people begin realizing that the content that reviewers typically spend hours typing up is more relevant and more crucial for critical reception than an arbitrary and subjective number.

There's a reason why the "AniHawk scale" has been a running joke on GAF for years.

 

[TimmiT]

I hope reviewers aren't too harsh on this game. Colors and Generations deserve better Metascores than they currently have.

I hope people begin to realize that a 7 isn't a bad score.

That being said, so far, Sonic Lost World is a 7.5. (having finished six worlds)

edit: Actually, a 7 because it has a world that mostly just re-uses assets and because so far all of the bosses have been crap.

 

[Dark Schala]

I hope people begin to realize that a 7 isn't a bad score.

It's most certainly not a bad score. It's reasonable.

I think if I were pressed, I would've given Generations a 7.5 or 8. It's been suggested to me to start using the 5-point scale or letter grades since I don't typically score stuff, but eh.

Edit: Is that world that reuses assets the world I think it is?

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

I hope reviewers aren't too harsh on this game. Colors and Generations deserve better Metascores than they currently have.

Metascores are garbage anyway

If Colours was as good as its metascore suggested, I probably would have finished it

 

[Timeaisis]

Great OP. I love the GIF at the end!

Anyway, this game has been creeping up on my radar as of late. Dunno if I'll get it at launch, but it definitely has that Mario Galaxy kind of feel...with classic sonic of course. Man, it's been a while since I've played a Sonic game.

 

[TimmiT]

Edit: Is that world that reuses assets the world I think it is?

Spoiler

It's Sky Road. Aside from one zone, it's two Windy Hill-themed stages (one with a couple of crappy mini-bosses) and one Desert Ruins-themed stage.

 

[Dark Schala]

I knew it.

(Also, fix your spoiler tags. )

 

[ShockingAlberto]

It's most certainly not a bad score. It's reasonable.

I think if I were pressed, I would've given Generations a 7.5 or 8. It's been suggested to me to start using the 5-point scale or letter grades since I don't typically score stuff, but eh.

Edit: Is that world that reuses assets the world I think it is?

First three worlds of generations are a 9 to me, then everything after starts slowly descending to less.

At the end I'd probably give it a low 7 (when averaging out with the really great beginning).

 

[mrmickfran]

I wonder if there's anything on the OST nearly as good as Aquatic Zone or Planet Wisp from the Colors OST.

I need to know this.

 

[H6rdc0re]

First three worlds of generations are a 9 to me, then everything after starts slowly descending to less.

At the end I'd probably give it a low 7 (when averaging out with the really great beginning).

No way man. Sonic Generations is a 8,5 easy. I'm sure like every other SEGA game out there Lost World will be underrated. No deep pockets I guess.

 

[I Wanna Be The Guy]

First three worlds of generations are a 9 to me, then everything after starts slowly descending to less.

At the end I'd probably give it a low 7 (when averaging out with the really great beginning).

Green Hill and Chemical Plant were anything but great. Easily the worst levels of the game imo. Green Hill modern in particular was attrocious.

 

[Dark Schala]

First three worlds of generations are a 9 to me, then everything after starts slowly descending to less.

At the end I'd probably give it a low 7 (when averaging out with the really great beginning).

Yeah, I remember that we'd agreed that the last portion of the game just felt rushed or they ran out of time and did whatever, culminating in a final boss that was a complete audio/visual mess. The game overall didn't feel as cohesive as its predecessor, which is a bit of a shame.

I'd boost the score a little for replayability, Red Ring additions, the music/presentation, but... alas, this is why I don't really score games I write impressions for.

No way man. Sonic Generations is a 8,5 easy. I'm sure like every other SEGA game out there Lost World will be underrated. No deep pockets I guess.

Different opinions and subjectivity with respect to numbers exists, hence why I said what I did earlier, haha.

 

[Dusk Golem]

If anyone doesn't care about major spoilers, there is a guy streaming the game right now. He's in Silent Forest at the time of this post, Japanese voices with English subtitles: http://www.twitch.tv/gurdill63

 

[DICKS AHOY]

First three worlds of generations are a 9 to me, then everything after starts slowly descending to less.

At the end I'd probably give it a low 7 (when averaging out with the really great beginning).

Eh, Green Hill in Generations is pretty linear and boring for both characters. I'd say Speed Highway and Rooftop Run were better designed.

Planet Wisp was awful though, and while the level itself was alright, I don't know why Crisis City was even featured in Generations in the first place (beyond already having HD assets I guess).

 

[Regiruler]

I wonder if there's anything on the OST nearly as good as Aquatic Zone or Planet Wisp from the Colors OST.

Bah, Starlight Carnival = Tropical Resort >>>>>>>> Planet Wisp

Eh, Green Hill in Generations is pretty linear and boring for both characters. I'd say Speed Highway and Rooftop Run were better designed.

Planet Wisp was awful though, and while the level itself was alright, I don't know why Crisis City was even featured in Generations in the first place (beyond already having HD assets I guess).

Because it was a major Sonic entry? Just because the game was horrid doesn't mean they'll forget it ever existed.

 

[ShockingAlberto]

Eh, Green Hill in Generations is pretty linear and boring for both characters. I'd say Speed Highway and Rooftop Run were better designed.

Planet Wisp was awful though, and while the level itself was alright, I don't know why Crisis City was even featured in Generations in the first place (beyond already having HD assets I guess).

I don't know that it's strictly the level design that made me dislike the back half of the game, I just know I wasn't really enjoying it toward the end.

 

[Tuck]

Eh, Green Hill in Generations is pretty linear and boring for both characters. I'd say Speed Highway and Rooftop Run were better designed.

Planet Wisp was awful though, and while the level itself was alright, I don't know why Crisis City was even featured in Generations in the first place (beyond already having HD assets I guess).

Crisis City was fun though. Lot of platforming.

The ocean-palace and sky sanctuary levels were incredible.

 

[Dark Schala]

I don't know why Crisis City was even featured in Generations in the first place (beyond already having HD assets I guess).

Level trope + it was one of the few levels in Sonic 06 that wasn't completely ass/integrated with some sort of exploratory gimmick.

And by the end of it, Crisis City ended up being one of the better levels to go through on replays/once you've gotten much better at speedrunning.

 

[I Wanna Be The Guy]

I don't know that it's strictly the level design that made me dislike the back half of the game, I just know I wasn't really enjoying it toward the end.

I sort of get that. After a certain amount of playing it really did start to hit me that the game was a disappointment. Definitely didn't have the magic of Colours. And as for Planet Wisp, I too agree that the colours did not feel right.

 

[VanWinkle]

I hope so bad this game is good. I want it to be about platforming and not about speed like practically every other 3D Sonic. Sometimes it feels like it is all about the platforming, and other times...I don't know.

 

[Seven Force]

Yeah, Generations sort of dipped in quality for me past the Genesis era. Dreamcast era would be far and away the weakest, if not for Seaside Hill Act 2. (Seriously, that and Sky Sanctuary Act 2 are probably the most well designed 3D Sonic levels to date.) Though I prefer Colors overall because of it's consistency in those regards, Generations is still damned good fun.

Seven Force played the 3DS demo that was put on the JP eShop last week, I know that. He's been busy lately, so he probably hasn't had time to post in the thread. But his impressions from elsewhere:

Ah, thanks for taking care of that for me.

 

[branny]

The music cuts out when you use that red flying Wisp?

 

[Dusk Golem]

The music cuts out when you use that red flying Wisp?

The music plays from the gamepad when you use Wisps, but only for Wisp powers.

(and stream is still going, having some difficulties, but he's on Sky Road Act 1 right now: http://www.twitch.tv/gurdill63 )

 

[branny]

Thanks, was watching the stream and just wondering, lol.

edit: Okay, that's enough for me. Game looks (and sounds) good, and it's probably going to piss off reviewers just as much as TW101.

 

[Dr. Buni]

If anyone doesn't care about major spoilers, there is a guy streaming the game right now. He's in Silent Forest at the time of this post, Japanese voices with English subtitles: http://www.twitch.tv/gurdill63

The music appears to be very similar to Sonic Unleashed's soundtrack <3

 

[mf luder]

I hope people begin to realize that a 7 isn't a bad score.

That being said, so far, Sonic Lost World is a 7.5. (having finished six worlds)

edit: Actually, a 7 because it has a world that mostly just re-uses assets and because so far all of the bosses have been crap.

The boss battles that I've seen look ridiculously easy, do sonic games usually have a new game + option? Or different difficulty levels?

 

[DICKS AHOY]

Bah, Starlight Carnival = Tropical Resort >>>>>>>> Planet Wisp

Because it was a major Sonic entry? Just because the game was horrid doesn't mean they'll forget it ever existed.

Didn't SEGA say around the time Colors released that they were going to slowly recall any Sonic games that reviewed particularly poorly? Seems weird outside of the aforementioend reuse of HD-assets to feature a level from a game they otherwise always brush under the rug, especially when part of the point behind Generation's levels was choosing people's favorites. Something from Sonic CD, Sonic 3 or even another Adventure or Adventure 2 level would've gone down far better, and they still ignored the classic casino and space tropes in the HD version of Generations.

Lava Reef or Red Mountain are memorable enough places without being tied to an infamously awful game Sonic Team otherwise tends to pretend didn't happen.

Crisis City was fun though. Lot of platforming.

The ocean-palace and sky sanctuary levels were incredible.

Eh, the classic version is fun enough (and I actually really like the end-panel trick they pull, though there's a few other classic zones like Windy Hill which would've worked just as well), but I find the modern version fustrating to replay. Namely due to having to constantly stop and start to slam down on platforms during the 2D segments.

Bar some bad reviews coming out tomorrow, I'll probably pick Lost World up during the weekend to celebrate nearly being done with this semester.

 

[Peff]

I got all the red rings in World 2 and unlocked

Spoiler

a Chaos Emerald, so I guess Super Sonic returns for all stages in this game too, but given how the game is structured I wonder if he'll have some new abilities. Infinite parkour, maybe?

.

 

[Rlan]

It's funny watching Lost World and seeing just a stupidly large amount of enemies in the game with different abilities and different styles, when back on Sonic Heroes they actively cheaped their way out of it by having 3 basic types - EggMinions, Flying Egg Minions, and a Turtle.

Clearly the animators had some fun with these guys.

 

[Azure Dream]

Room full of people, and no one can figure out how to beat this otherwise very straightforward and slow boss. And I'm not mocking the room, the streamer's tried most of the obvious things.

 

[Demon Lizardman]

Room full of people, and no one can figure out how to beat this otherwise very straightforward and slow boss. And I'm not mocking the room, the streamer's tried most of the obvious things.

Maybe he should pound the ground?

 

[The Technomancer]

Is the stream terrible for anyone else? I'm watching a goddamn slideshow