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[jhmtehgamr20xx]

Unpredictable controls? I think I've heard it all.

It's a new game, with new mechanics, you're not supposed to be able to predict anything, that's what makes it a new game.

Games are, for the most part, puzzle solving using trial and error. That's what the lives mechanic was made for, ffs. The fact that some games don't even have a game in them is why people reminisce of better days, when games forced you to think and experiment, and there were rules, like lives and continues.

There is nothing unfair about having to die to learn something new. Dying is part of the game design, not a flaw in it. You are supposed to repeat a section, get better, and feel like a badass when you finally pass something.

It's either that, or tutorials and hand-holding. And we all know how the unpredictable controls people would feel about that.

Juvenile reactions to games like this, real games for real gamers, are a symptom of dumbed-down game design being hyped by inflated marketing budgets and myopic corporate committees. If games like this can't find a place in the market, the market is no longer about games.

This game is beautiful, and expertly designed. The levels have so much meat that they make some galaxy levels look like a concept demo. The fact that people "ign"ore the essence of a game and judge it's quality on minor personal niggles is lame, but what can we expect from the "ignorant slut" people.

Preach on bro. I agree. I think there are design cases where the lives and continue system can be discarded, but not for a game like this. Without them, you'd then assume instead of falling down a pit to your death, you'd just land on lower flat terrain with no obstacles in the way as an alternate path to the finish line, which is one method of scalable difficulty, but completely defeats the purpose of a platforming game, to skillfully maneuver platform obstacles. It'd be a scenic walk from Point A to Point B and if that's the case I might as well do something actually engaging.

It's a reason I at times really loathe Western game design and the impact of perceived superiority it's had on gamers today, b/c the memorization/trail-and-error design, even if it began in the U.S, was cultivated in Japan. Neither method is inherently better than the other, but people shouldn't expect a Sonic game to suddenly offer health regeneration or a shop to farm extra lives during the middle of a tough mission. Maybe those things could work if implemented w/ reason, but on the outset it's just not a good idea for games like these. And the constant dumbing-down of games people complain about, that's a product of mainly Western design implementation. It's funny, tho, because before it took over the console scene, that same design was prevalent on PCs and that platform had some of the most complex and difficult games ever right alongside console releases.

So at least we can say it isn't just a Western design influx causing the degamification of games, but that's why it's even more important the market can support games like this, as you've said. Otherwise, well....shit will just get worst.

 

[Fabrik]

Up to World 4. I'm not a Sonic fan but this one looked good. I like it so far, sure it's no Mario, but this is the first time I feel I'm actually controlling something in a 3D Sonic. As usual collecting rings and the power-ups are useless and you can miss entire sections of levels if you hit a bumper without having the ability to go back but that's Sonic for you. Nevertheless, it's the best controls in a 3D Sonic game so far and a good template going forward.

 

[D-e-f-]

@jhmtehgamr20xx's last post:

"reaching the widest audience possible"
= making it so even people who don't care about games of their inherent qualities and only value them as distractions ("time wasters") are theoretically able to play and "enjoy" them.

What always baffles me about this line of thinking is that it assumes that person either just "knows" a game is too demanding of them or has a chance to try it before they make a purchase. How is that a real world scenario?

 

[The_Lump]

Unpredictable controls? I think I've heard it all.

It's a new game, with new mechanics, you're not supposed to be able to predict anything, that's what makes it a new game.

Games are, for the most part, puzzle solving using trial and error. That's what the lives mechanic was made for, ffs. The fact that some games don't even have a game in them is why people reminisce of better days, when games forced you to think and experiment, and there were rules, like lives and continues.

There is nothing unfair about having to die to learn something new. Dying is part of the game design, not a flaw in it. You are supposed to repeat a section, get better, and feel like a badass when you finally pass something.

It's either that, or tutorials and hand-holding. And we all know how the unpredictable controls people would feel about that.

Juvenile reactions to games like this, real games for real gamers, are a symptom of dumbed-down game design being hyped by inflated marketing budgets and myopic corporate committees. If games like this can't find a place in the market, the market is no longer about games.

This game is beautiful, and expertly designed. The levels have so much meat that they make some galaxy levels look like a concept demo. The fact that people "ign"ore the essence of a game and judge it's quality on minor personal niggles is lame, but what can we expect from the "ignorant slut" people.

Nicely put.

I agree with this guy.

 

[ViewtifulJC]

Ah, the part of the review thread cycle where we circlejerk to REAL games, not fake easy mode hand-holding cinematic Western "games" dumbing everything down, etc. Why things were so much better back in the day, you had two lives and that was it! Games were games back then, what do these baby "ignorant sluts" (lolol get it its IGN lolol) know about that.

Funny how this keeps happening in Wii U threads, first ZombiU people clearly not understanding the game, then Wonderful 101 mixed reviews because of incompetent critics/rushed timetables/baby gamers/etc, now Sonic Lost World.

 

[Dark Schala]

Juvenile reactions to games like this, real games for real gamers, are a symptom of dumbed-down game design being hyped by inflated marketing budgets and myopic corporate committees. If games like this can't find a place in the market, the market is no longer about games.

This game is beautiful, and expertly designed. The levels have so much meat that they make some galaxy levels look like a concept demo. The fact that people "ign"ore the essence of a game and judge it's quality on minor personal niggles is lame, but what can we expect from the "ignorant slut" people.

Juvenile reactions... and then you wrote your last bit in, which completely took the message away from your post altogether.

 

[NotLiquid]

Ah, the part of the review thread cycle where we circlejerk to REAL games, not fake easy mode hand-holding cinematic Western "games" dumbing everything down, etc. Why things were so much better back in the day, you had two lives and that was it! Games were games back then, what do these baby "ignorant sluts" (lolol get it its IGN lolol) know about that.

Funny how this keeps happening in Wii U threads, first ZombiU people clearly not understanding the game, then Wonderful 101 mixed reviews because of incompetent critics/rushed timetables/baby gamers/etc, now Sonic Lost World.

Man everyone knows Wii U is a hardcore console for hardcore gamers, don't be hatin'.

 

[Terrell]

Ah, the part of the review thread cycle where we circlejerk to REAL games, not fake easy mode hand-holding cinematic Western "games" dumbing everything down, etc. Why things were so much better back in the day, you had two lives and that was it! Games were games back then, what do these baby "ignorant sluts" (lolol get it its IGN lolol) know about that.

Funny how this keeps happening in Wii U threads, first ZombiU people clearly not understanding the game, then Wonderful 101 mixed reviews because of incompetent critics/rushed timetables/baby gamers/etc, now Sonic Lost World.

This happens in every thread about a game being reviewed low because of difficulty/play style nuances. That you've opted to single out a subset of GAF isn't being terribly helpful.

 

[Coffee Dog]

Ah, the part of the review thread cycle where we circlejerk to REAL games, not fake easy mode hand-holding cinematic Western "games" dumbing everything down, etc. Why things were so much better back in the day, you had two lives and that was it! Games were games back then, what do these baby "ignorant sluts" (lolol get it its IGN lolol) know about that.

Funny how this keeps happening in Wii U threads, first ZombiU people clearly not understanding the game, then Wonderful 101 mixed reviews because of incompetent critics/rushed timetables/baby gamers/etc, now Sonic Lost World.

Yeah, I'm gonna call you on this. ZombiU and W101 are not traditionally designed games, not by a long shot. If you want to talk W101 I can link you to many reviews stating "unreliable controls" which has been proven false time and time again. It's not a console problem.

 

[princemarth23]

Ah, the part of the review thread cycle where we circlejerk to REAL games, not fake easy mode hand-holding cinematic Western "games" dumbing everything down, etc. Why things were so much better back in the day, you had two lives and that was it! Games were games back then, what do these baby "ignorant sluts" (lolol get it its IGN lolol) know about that.

Funny how this keeps happening in Wii U threads, first ZombiU people clearly not understanding the game, then Wonderful 101 mixed reviews because of incompetent critics/rushed timetables/baby gamers/etc, now Sonic Lost World.

I can't speak on Lost World and Zombi U because I haven't played them, but TW101 is truly a hardcore game. This is a game that takes real practice as the game demands execution from the player, and rewards you for the effort. It isn't flawless, but to say the game's controls are poorly implemented is an absolute lie.

 

[Spinluck]

Hey. At least we can ALL agree that Sonic is off to a much better start this gen!!!!

Never forget!

 

[ViewtifulJC]

Wasn't meant as an indictment of the system, just a recurring pattern I've noticed.

I'm just so goddamn embarrassed by posts and attitudes like that. The generalizations, the snobby elitist attitude, the sneering superiority, and everybody high-fiving each other, clearly we're all better than those casual/baby/bad gamers that don't like weird, unique game mechanics like us.

I loved the Wonderful 101. Its one of the best action games I've ever played. Its got a very weird aesthetic and game mechanics that are a lot of people(most people) aren't gonna jive with, and that's totally ok. I don't shit on those people's opinions for not being as good at the game as I am, I don't wax poetically about the days gone by of hardcore action games before paid-off reviewers/media bias/western game handholding/homogenization/etc, I don't go into LTTP threads and tell people how they played the game wrong.

I celebrate the game. I can talk in length about its merits and its mechanics. If others don't like it, hey, that's fine. At the end of the day, I'm enjoying it. Shouldn't that be enough? Do you have to whine about Metacritics and gamers not playing your favorite game right and straight up shitting on dudes for it not clicking with them? The sour grapes in these threads is so tiring to read. Just enjoy your fucking game, dude.

 

[Dark Schala]

Even if he didn't put it completely nicely, I agree with JC when he said that we should just celebrate the game on its own merits when and if we've played it. Just enjoy the game.

Who gives a shit that it's critically reviewed well or poorly unless you're financially linked to a higher MC score? There are games that I dislike that reviewed super-highly like Ni no Kuni, and there are games that didn't review so well that I love like Arc Rise Fantasia. Just play the game yourself and make judgements on your own without trying to take into account what reviewers have to say or trying to "stick it" to them. Games aren't always going to be something everyone will easily pick up, especially if they've got mechanics or control schemes that might take a bit of exploration to completely get. It's not worth it, or mature even, to call them babies or children or ignorant because it just diminishes the point that you're trying to make, as you're being childish and juvenile by namecalling.

If they don't like it and you do, that's perfectly acceptable. Not everyone is going to have the same affinity or taste or love for a game. Acting like you're "better" than someone who just doesn't like the game based on their playstyle or taste doesn't really put you in the right. It works on the flipside too. Acting like you're better than someone who likes a game that isn't necessarily well-liked is just as bad.

 

[Courage]

Good post Schala.

But I will still buy it on Black Friday.

 

[BHZ Mayor]

I don't go into LTTP threads and tell people how they played the game wrong.

Good God this. Every fucking TLOU thread. "Durr If you don't play on Hard with listen mode off, you're playing it wrong durrr."

 

[NTom64]

Final boss theme for those of you who haven't heard it yet. Ripped it from the soundtest of the 3DS version, not sure if it's my software or the game itself which made it a little scratchy.

A lot of the music in the OST is kinda bland and forgettable (much like the game itself), but when it's good it's great. I love the new Wisp themes in particular.

 

[Dr. Buni]

Final boss theme for those of you who haven't heard it yet. Ripped it from the soundtest of the 3DS version, not sure if it's my software or the game itself which made it a little scratchy.

A lot of the music in the OST is kinda bland and forgettable (much like the game itself), but when it's good it's great. I love the new Wisp themes in particular.

It sounds awesome to me.

 

[Spinluck]

Final boss theme for those of you who haven't heard it yet. Ripped it from the soundtest of the 3DS version, not sure if it's my software or the game itself which made it a little scratchy.

A lot of the music in the OST is kinda bland and forgettable (much like the game itself), but when it's good it's great. I love the new Wisp themes in particular.

The only songs I've heard so far that I've liked were Windy Hill, and The Main Theme. I haven't really watched much footage of the later levels. This boss theme is ok.

Colors had the best Final Boss Theme in recent memory for me, or the theme right before the actual Final Boss. I can't remember which it was.

 

[bart64]

Juvenile reactions... and then you wrote your last bit in, which completely took the message away from your post altogether.

Good point. In my defense, The quote refers to an actual t-shirt that IGN sent me when I subscribed way back when to get their E3 coverage. It had a slogan on the back: "you can't spell ignorant slut without IGN." It took me months to unsubscribe, they would pull all kinds of tricks and charge my card even after I cancelled.

I'm not proud of the tone of some of my posts, but what else can I do? I'm 34 and i've been gaming long enough to see the long term trends, to figure out what I like and why I like it, and how that matches up to the messaging from media and fans. This is my favorite board, most people are awesome here, but there is no way to vote posts down, so when people lie and exaggerate and troll, their shitty backwards messages can look like facts to hundred of people. On top of that, mainstream gaming sites are getting more dumbed-down and unified in their bias, but I feel dirty just thinking about posting there.

Misinformationt really pisses me off--in a fox news kind of way. Forum comments do affect the opinion of games and are driving gaming in a direction i personally detest. Gaming in the 90s, western or not, introduced some fantastic ideas, and the lessons we learned should not be forgotten. You can call it tired, or old-fashioned, or extreme, but sometimes you have to fight fire with fire. If I could make my own games I would, but this is the only way I know to have an influence on the conversation. At least the people that agree with me can see that their opinions are represented, and feel assured that classic gaming mechanics still have their fans.

 

[MilkBeard]

While I wouldn't go as far as the last part, I too miss when games were games. When not every game conformed to the exact same control scheme and offered new challenges for the player to overcome without being handheld all the way through the game (see also Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate for an example of a game that is thankfully still a game).

Yeah I kind of miss that. It's like if the gamer has to learn how to use the controls at all, it's most definitely the game's fault. And tutorials have to tell you every single detail.

There are some newer games that give you little nuggets of info in chunks that aren't forced down your throat. Pokemon X/Y is an example. There will be a new feature and the game won't even tell you right away, but eventually you'll probably run into a character that lets you know how to use something. I kind of like that design style over the forced tutorials.

 

[RagnarokX]

Wasn't meant as an indictment of the system, just a recurring pattern I've noticed.

I'm just so goddamn embarrassed by posts and attitudes like that. The generalizations, the snobby elitist attitude, the sneering superiority, and everybody high-fiving each other, clearly we're all better than those casual/baby/bad gamers that don't like weird, unique game mechanics like us.

I loved the Wonderful 101. Its one of the best action games I've ever played. Its got a very weird aesthetic and game mechanics that are a lot of people(most people) aren't gonna jive with, and that's totally ok. I don't shit on those people's opinions for not being as good at the game as I am, I don't wax poetically about the days gone by of hardcore action games before paid-off reviewers/media bias/western game handholding/homogenization/etc, I don't go into LTTP threads and tell people how they played the game wrong.

I celebrate the game. I can talk in length about its merits and its mechanics. If others don't like it, hey, that's fine. At the end of the day, I'm enjoying it. Shouldn't that be enough? Do you have to whine about Metacritics and gamers not playing your favorite game right and straight up shitting on dudes for it not clicking with them? The sour grapes in these threads is so tiring to read. Just enjoy your fucking game, dude.

3D World

But seriously, I do think there is some merit in reacting to review scores. Game reviewers are largely influential in shaping how the game industry progresses. The majority of GAFers may not put much stock in review scores in influencing our purchasing decisions, but I don't think we represent a majority of the gaming public. Bad reviews of good games can lead to poor sales and less of those games while bad games can get good reviews because they've been hyped or follow trends and result in more of those games. It's all feeding into the reduction of variety and dumbing down of games in general. Heck, maybe games are so dumbed down these days mostly so reviewers won't fail and give low scores Basically it seems like the gaming media is dictating the gaming trends we are on. Big names can buck these trends and get away with it because they can use their own information distribution channels or they can rely on their long history of success, but smaller devs and new IPs don't have that luxury. If you don't like the way things are going it certainly doesn't help to not speak up.

That said, any arguments against such things should be real arguments. Pointing at the apparent lack of skill of a reviewer possibly resulting in a worse review is fine, but don't turn it into ad hominems or let that excuse other problems that aren't a result of the reviewer's skill. Keep things civil and fact based.

As far as this game is concerned, I've watched a lot of footage and I see a lot I like and a lot I don't like. I'll see how it fares when I play it but I'm not really champing at the bit at the moment to play it with Pokemon currently taking up my time and next month's guaranteed great games.

 

[Enectic]

Disappointing reviews. Was hoping they would hit this one out of the park.

 

[qizah]

After watching the IGN review it really seems like the reviewer didn't realize there's a run button. I mean I don't want to say that reviewers don't know what they're doing, but when it comes to Nintendo related anything - I've had way too many instances where things they had problems with things that were non-issues for me (and most other players).I don't know if this is because of their lack of willingness to learn because of an unfamiliar input method or just ignorance, but it's becoming rather annoying. I haven't played Sonic Lost World and it may just be as bad as those reviews say it is, but then you have other people giving it a 9 and praising it ... so there's a disconnect somewhere.

 

[Spinluck]

*bart64's long response

I agree with most of what you said.

With Sonic threads, no matter where you go, there's a protocol. Especially since Sonic fans are sometimes seen as punching bags among some gaming communities.

-Expect the unfunny Sonic Cycle jokes

-Sonic fans play shit games, meaning they have shit taste

-Sonic has never been good

-The reviewers suck so they are mad at the game and rate it low

-The part where people go over which of the original Genesis games are the best, and why.

-Tired arguments over where the franchise should go, what it's missing, and so on.

-Sonic has to go fast (this is the only thing that I really got caught up in or responded to in this thread lol)

Old notable mentions that aren't brought up that much anymore: Shitty friends, butt rock, Knuckles raps songs (RIP), awesome City Escape references, really shitty unbearable plots

With Sonic games, you really gotta prepare for the worst, and hope for the best when it comes to reviews. Or just ignore them till you play the game yourself like me (although I still read both the good and bad ones). Everyone knows Sonic's reputation in the gaming media, so this shouldn't surprise anyone. One thing Jeff of Giant Bomb said nails it, "Yea, Sonic, especially with the more recent games. Has been one of things where, if you're playing them right, if you're playing them in a very specific way as the levels were designed and all that other stuff. There is a grace to them, because you're never slowing down".

Sounds right to me. Sonic is radically different than your standard platformer. I'm not trying to back up the, "you're not playing it right" argument. But 3D Sonic is still very much an experiment. They are still trying to find a way for Sonic to work for everyone. So when your average player who is great or decent at Mario or (insert good 3D platformer from the past generation). And they aren't accustomed to the homing attack, utilizing the spindash/boost, or the way the games discourage backtracking and continuously push you forward. It can look pretty damn ugly when they play.

 

[mullet2000]

Looks like Jeff Gerstmann is calling you guys (and your .gifs) out:

The person who captures footage like the footage in those .gifs often isn't even the reviewer, guys.

 

[kunonabi]

Looks like Jeff Gerstmann is calling you guys (and your .gifs) out:



The person who captures footage like the footage in those .gifs often isn't even the reviewer, guys.

so what? just means that there is even less evidence of them doing their jobs. regardless, that is the footage they put out to try prove their point.

 

[Spinluck]

Looks like Jeff Gerstmann is calling you guys (and your .gifs) out:

The person who captures footage like the footage in those .gifs often isn't even the reviewer, guys.

If the game is indeed "irredeemable". Then those gifs aren't proof of that, regardless of who recorded it. It's like me making a video review, and complaining about the combat in Bayonetta or God of War, and the moment that I do, footage of me or someone else playing like shit came up. It makes the game look worse than it is, cause it's not clear to the viewer whether or not it's the game/controls or the player. That can't be used to prove a point. That's the last I'll say on the matter.

 

[Sinoox]

Honestly after colors and generations it's completely obvious that gaming press is unreasonably hard with Sonic games. It's like it can do no good no matter what Sega does. The past games were definitely shoddy, but things have changed. I would say the approach of this game was very unlike Sonic, I think they got their forumla with Colors and Generations perfectly, so why alter it into a Super Mario Galaxy clone? It still looks like a decent platformer at the least.

 

[Stephen Stills]

Looks like Jeff Gerstmann is calling you guys (and your .gifs) out:



The person who captures footage like the footage in those .gifs often isn't even the reviewer, guys.

Does somebody else record the footage for their videos as well? Because looking at their quick looks, they clearly don't know how to play 99% of videogames well either.

 

[MANGOD]

First sonic game since I had my dreamcast many moons ago!! Only up to the second world but im enjoying it so far. Anybody on the fence should watch the gamersyde vids!

 

[Funchameleon]

Does somebody else record the footage for their videos as well? Because looking at their quick looks, they clearly don't know how to play 99% of videogames well either.

Hahahaha

 

[plufim]

I'm enjoying the game, but damn there are some rough spots. Especially parkour sections where you need to change directions on a wall - using the jump to sort of hop to the left or right. That is never explained in the game.

Specifically, there's a red ring hidden in the tunnel level of the forest, and the parkour required to get it never fucking works.

Half the wisp stuff isn't great either.


It's not helping that I got a UK import so the DLC won't work on the Australian e-shop.

 

[D-e-f-]

I'm enjoying the game, but damn there are some rough spots. Especially parkour sections where you need to change directions on a wall - using the jump to sort of hop to the left or right. That is never explained in the game.

Specifically, there's a red ring hidden in the tunnel level of the forest, and the parkour required to get it never fucking works.

Half the wisp stuff isn't great either.


It's not helping that I got a UK import so the DLC won't work on the Australian e-shop.

You can change your region/country (within your general region [PAL]) and then change back after you downloaded the DLC. Fiddle around with the settings. Not sure where the option is on WiiU.

 

[jhmtehgamr20xx]

@jhmtehgamr20xx's last post:

"reaching the widest audience possible"
= making it so even people who don't care about games of their inherent qualities and only value them as distractions ("time wasters") are theoretically able to play and "enjoy" them.

What always baffles me about this line of thinking is that it assumes that person either just "knows" a game is too demanding of them or has a chance to try it before they make a purchase. How is that a real world scenario?

Your guess is as good as mine. It's like saying "we have to make this game a not-game to get people who not-game to play this not-game game."

It's befuddling...

Hey. At least we can ALL agree that Sonic is off to a much better start this gen!!!!

Never forget!

Lol. If Sonic wasn't there I'd of mistaken this for a Final Fantasy screencap.

 

[jhmtehgamr20xx]

I'm enjoying the game, but damn there are some rough spots. Especially parkour sections where you need to change directions on a wall - using the jump to sort of hop to the left or right.

Again, I've yet to play the game, but wouldn't this just come about as common sense? There are two walls and you're using the analog stick to run on the surface already. It'd be intuitive to press jump to get to the other wall right?

No matter; easily the most obtuse wall jumping belongs to Hagane and/or Super Metroid. Shinobi 3 is also up there. They were all ridiculous for obtuse wall jumping.

 

[MrSaturn99]

The scores are disappointing, but it's not like Colors and Generations didn't have their share of iffy reviews and I adored both. I'll probably still bite.

 

[Mendoza]

5 Stages of Grief: The Thread

The amount of bargaining in this thread right now for a game they have yet to play is astounding.

 

[bennyc12]

The YouTube comments on some of the review videos are quite entertaining.

 

[Fabrik]

The bosses are so easy it's funny.

 

[Morfeo]

Even if he didn't put it completely nicely, I agree with JC when he said that we should just celebrate the game on its own merits when and if we've played it. Just enjoy the game.

Who gives a shit that it's critically reviewed well or poorly unless you're financially linked to a higher MC score? There are games that I dislike that reviewed super-highly like Ni no Kuni, and there are games that didn't review so well that I love like Arc Rise Fantasia. Just play the game yourself and make judgements on your own without trying to take into account what reviewers have to say or trying to "stick it" to them. Games aren't always going to be something everyone will easily pick up, especially if they've got mechanics or control schemes that might take a bit of exploration to completely get. It's not worth it, or mature even, to call them babies or children or ignorant because it just diminishes the point that you're trying to make, as you're being childish and juvenile by namecalling.

If they don't like it and you do, that's perfectly acceptable. Not everyone is going to have the same affinity or taste or love for a game. Acting like you're "better" than someone who just doesn't like the game based on their playstyle or taste doesn't really put you in the right. It works on the flipside too. Acting like you're better than someone who likes a game that isn't necessarily well-liked is just as bad.

Got curious about this, is Arc Rise Fantasia another good game on the WIi that didnt really get a chance? What did u like about it?

 

[Zafir]

Got curious about this, is Arc Rise Fantasia another good game on the WIi that didnt really get a chance? What did u like about it?

Depends on how much you can tolerate a bad dub. The dub is absolutely awful, see this video for examples. If you can get over that, it's a rather enjoyable game really, and the story isn't bad.

 

[thesolidshark]

5 Stages of Grief: The Thread

The amount of bargaining in this thread right now for a game they have yet to play is astounding.

Well, to be fair, the people who have played it, both versions, lean mostly toward positive. A lot less polarizing than the publicated ones. Anyone would want a game to be good, no matter how it got received. It'd be much worse if reviewers mostly loved it, and most of us thought it sucked when we played it.

 

[Dark Schala]

Got curious about this, is Arc Rise Fantasia another good game on the WIi that didnt really get a chance? What did u like about it?

I loved Arc Rise Fantasia. ARF and Tales of Graces f were the two RPGs that brought me back to the genre in 2010 after I got kind of scared off of the genre by a game I'd imported at the end of 2009.

I posted a rather lengthy post about its gameplay systems here.

And a post from the last RTTP thread:

Boss fights just show you how critical it is to get rid of Raystones and spread yourselves out to avoid AoE attacks / line attacks / column attacks, etc. In that case, it isn't absolutely necessary to be at a certain level to take a boss down. It's more essential to have correct Arm Forces equipped, keep an eye on the turn order in order to sync magic / Excel Acts well, get rid of anything like Raystones to put the boss at a disadvantage (or keep certain Raystones around to make you deal more damage), and customizing your weapon or using the more appropriate weapon to maximize your damage output. And even equipping the right Rogress to maximize damage output or minimize damage to you mattered.

That's the sort of thing I really liked about it. The game didn't bs you around. It was up to you as to whether or not you wanted to customize your characters and micro/macromanage in order to have an easier time with a boss or not. I also liked that the game gave you small choices as to which Rogresses you wanted to pursue or not, or winning/losing a boss battle to let you have a chance of gaining skills or not. Yet again, it doesn't force the player to grind. If you wanted to grind for an easier time, great. But if you didn't want to, you had many customization tools at hand in order to make your experience easier, whether that's via weapons (ie: with the tetris blocks, and the hidden skills that the weapons hold), magic, or equipment. Or using Raystones and character placement to your advantage.

It's just the sort of game I like. Sure it had some fluff here and there, but overall, I really liked how some of the systems worked well with each other.

Sure, the dub's pretty garbage, but when you get past that, the game's really freaking good with some depth. I streamed a bit of it for some people a month or so ago and they seemed to like it.

Sorry for derailing the thread a bit. Carry on with Sonic.

 

[MilkBeard]

Looks like Jeff Gerstmann is calling you guys (and your .gifs) out:

The person who captures footage like the footage in those .gifs often isn't even the reviewer, guys.

I think that is kind of a bullshit response. He's basically saying, "yeah, those guys are mentally disturbed, their opinions don't matter."

Yeah buddy. We know that you game critics have the microphone. That's why we have to speak up and make sure they are giving games fair play. I can recall a number of times when reviewers definitely phone it in for their reviews, and they can get away with it pretty easily.

Not only that, but it's also like a situation when a game gets some shitty reviews, but a bunch of gamers realize that the game has some great qualities, even if it is rough (ZombiU is a great example. Just look at that Gamespot review. Yuck. )

That being said. Gamers should keep reviewers on their toes a little bit. That's my opinion anyway.

EDIT: That being said, I don't have anything against Giantbomb per say. I've watched their 'first look' video of Lost World and it's pretty entertaining, and I like that footage of the game.

 

[Zalman]

Honestly after colors and generations it's completely obvious that gaming press is unreasonably hard with Sonic games. It's like it can do no good no matter what Sega does. The past games were definitely shoddy, but things have changed. I would say the approach of this game was very unlike Sonic, I think they got their forumla with Colors and Generations perfectly, so why alter it into a Super Mario Galaxy clone? It still looks like a decent platformer at the least.

I admire them for trying a different playstyle. I must say I prefered the boost gameplay from Colors and Generations as well, but this game is still really fun to play. I wonder where they'll go from here though. I don't think we'll see another Sonic game for about two years now, but we'll see.

Anyway, I was skeptical after seeing the reviews for Lost World, but I'm glad I played it regardless. Definitely deserves to stay on my shelf.

 

[Foffy]

The scores are disappointing, but it's not like Colors and Generations didn't have their share of iffy reviews and I adored both. I'll probably still bite.

Oh no, he's being posted here..?

 

[MilkBeard]

I admire them for trying a different playstyle. I must say I prefered the boost gameplay from Colors and Generations as well, but this game is still really fun to play. I wonder where they'll go from here though. I don't think we'll see another Sonic game for about two years now, but we'll see.

Anyway, I was skeptical after seeing the reviews for Lost World, but I'm glad I played it regardless. Definitely deserves to stay on my shelf.

It's weird but, the more I see of the game and it's gameplay, the more it looks like something I'm gonna like. I loved the Sonic bits of Adventure 1 & 2 when they came out, but I've played a bit of Colors and Generations recently and they didn't really stick for me. I'm excited to try this new take on Sonic though. I like that there are slower/platform oriented bits.

 

[Arc Christelle]

The scores are disappointing, but it's not like Colors and Generations didn't have their share of iffy reviews and I adored both. I'll probably still bite.

Love that kid. lol

 

[SporeCrawler]

Wasn't meant as an indictment of the system, just a recurring pattern I've noticed.

I'm just so goddamn embarrassed by posts and attitudes like that. The generalizations, the snobby elitist attitude, the sneering superiority, and everybody high-fiving each other, clearly we're all better than those casual/baby/bad gamers that don't like weird, unique game mechanics like us.

I loved the Wonderful 101. Its one of the best action games I've ever played. Its got a very weird aesthetic and game mechanics that are a lot of people(most people) aren't gonna jive with, and that's totally ok. I don't shit on those people's opinions for not being as good at the game as I am, I don't wax poetically about the days gone by of hardcore action games before paid-off reviewers/media bias/western game handholding/homogenization/etc, I don't go into LTTP threads and tell people how they played the game wrong.

I celebrate the game. I can talk in length about its merits and its mechanics. If others don't like it, hey, that's fine. At the end of the day, I'm enjoying it. Shouldn't that be enough? Do you have to whine about Metacritics and gamers not playing your favorite game right and straight up shitting on dudes for it not clicking with them? The sour grapes in these threads is so tiring to read. Just enjoy your fucking game, dude.

i think the point is that people would like to have gaming reviews as a reliable source of information and opinion before endconsumers are able to buy the games. Thats kind of the role a game journalist should fulfill. Nowadays it seems like word of mouth plays a much bigger role than gaming journalists (for example posts of praise in forums like you are talking about), which seems like a testament to the lacking quality of game reviews .

 

[MrSaturn99]

Oh no, he's being posted here..?

LOL I think there was a whole topic on him once. Apparently he's already hard at work on a rant video regarding the scores...I fear the worst for his bedroom furniture.

The gif was mainly directed at the thread reactions, though.