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Sonic and the Secret Rings official thread

gutter_trash said:
when you think about it, a 3/10 is a serious statement for giving a game such a low score

this is nothing like the Zelda fans complaining about the Gamespot 8.6 score.

this is a freakin' low 3

games that get 3s are bad, bad, bad games that are unplayable, unfinihsed, unenjoyable


it's not a question of OPINION, everyone has opinions.. but as professionals they can't review things with a personal dislike, they must be objective

you see, I don't play Madden, I don't understand the rules of Pro Football. Would you have me review a Madden game? case point, I'm unable to review a Madden game 'cause I'm unqualified

like this IGN guy that gave God Hand a 3 while 1up and GS gave it 8s. a 8 and a 3,, there is a big difference between those two numbers and you must justify why those numbers are insanely different
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Read the reviewer's (Chris Roper) blog post for everything you :
I'm an Asshole Because God Hand Sucks
So there's been a fair bit of talk about my God Hand review since it went up last night. While a couple of other major gaming sites have scored the game an 8/10, I gave it a full five points less than that.

The fact is that I think the game is a piece of shit, and nearly everyone in the office agrees with me. Mark Ryan happens to like the game a fair bit, and on some level I can see why. It's certainly a love it or hate it type of game, and I don't think anyone can argue with that. Well, if they've actually played it that is, which most of the people bitching about the scores almost certainly haven't.

It's rather amazing how easy it is to predict how well-received most any review will be based on the score. That is, if I'd given the game a 6.0 with the exact same text (even though that wouldn't have matched the score), there would be a lot less bitching. Some people feel personally insulted if a game that they've been looking forward to or like receives a bad score. It's incredibly sad, actually. Remember people, it's an opinion, and if you take it as a personal offense that someone else doesn't like something that you do, you're an idiot.
 
gutter_trash said:
I have lost faith in humanity when they praise a $10 demo disk more then a full fledge real game.

I have Wii Play, I unlock the mini-games, then I never played it ever again, I just went back into play Tekken 5 DR instead.
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They didn't exactly praise WiiPlay, they said that Tanks is awesome (which is true) and ould be worth 10 bucks if it was released on the VC.
Gaming podcasts are usually pretty bad, I wish they would just cut out all the "listen to us we're cool" stuff and just concentrate on the important stuff.
 
gutter_trash said:
when you think about it, a 3/10 is a serious statement for giving a game such a low score

this is nothing like the Zelda fans complaining about the Gamespot 8.6 score.

this is a freakin' low 3

games that get 3s are bad, bad, bad games that are unplayable, unfinihsed, unenjoyable


it's not a question of OPINION, everyone has opinions.. but as professionals they can't review things with a personal dislike, they must be objective

you see, I don't play Madden, I don't understand the rules of Pro Football. Would you have me review a Madden game? case point, I'm unable to review a Madden game 'cause I'm unqualified

like this IGN guy that gave God Hand a 3 while 1up and GS gave it 8s. a 8 and a 3,, there is a big difference between those two numbers and you must justify why those numbers are insanely different
Click to expand...
He did justify his numbers
But that's about as far as the fun of combat goes. Beyond this, it's an extremely tedious brawler where you'll generally mash a button or two until an enemy is dead. There are a few tactics of sorts mixed in, like choosing the best times to use a slower but more powerful move, but in large part you'll be mashing buttons until everyone is finished. It's kind of funny the first time you're able to stomp on someone's head with your leg moving at mach 3, but this gets old quickly.
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One of the major problems with the combat, and God Hand on the whole in fact, is that the camera is stuck directly behind your character and you're unable to freely control it. Where you walk is exactly where it points, so enemies will often come up (or even appear) behind you, and this can be extremely annoying in a crowded room. On many occasions we finished off a handful of enemies only to have new foes appear directly behind us and take us out. The right analog stick acts as a dodge button, so since you don't have a block of any sort you'll be using this often, but because of the poor camera you'll often perform backflips into nearby walls.
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The most annoying aspect about this is that you'll often have to fight demon spirits that arise from fallen enemies. They take a while to kill and simply act as roadblocks to slow down your progression. After fighting them for the 3rd time you'll become bored, and by the 50th you'll be throwing your controller across the room.
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Since I haven't played it I can not verify if this is true or not.
There is another take of a guy who liked it a bit (seems to see a "trashy" appeal:
God Hand is an obviously bad game. There's no hiding the abysmal voice acting, and no missing the oddly disappearing walls that seem to blink out of existence when the camera swings too near. The dialog hardly makes sense and, combined with the unquestionably strange scenarios of the game, elicits roars of mocking chuckles. It's too bad to be real, right? And it's from Clover Studios?

But the obviously bad covers up a game that's actually not awful. Under the rough exterior is a brawler with deep combat that, much like the qualities of the voice acting (which is brilliant, in a Snakes on a Plane sort of way), isn't instantly appreciable.
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So in the end they had their reasons to score it that low. Wether or not you agree with said score in the end is a different story. I think it depends on how you value the flaws of a game.
 
Hey lets talk more about Sonic and the Secret Rings, right? The video-review was awesome and the levels looked like an absolute blast.
 
God Hand is an obviously bad game. There's no hiding the abysmal voice acting, and no missing the oddly disappearing walls that seem to blink out of existence when the camera swings too near. The dialog hardly makes sense and, combined with the unquestionably strange scenarios of the game, elicits roars of mocking chuckles. It's too bad to be real, right? And it's from Clover Studios?
Click to expand...
1. The voice acting is great. How can you not like Elvis?
2. The walls vanish when you're too close so they're not in your way. It was not only a design choice, but a good one.
3. The dialogue makes perfect sense in its context, especially when you realize most of the taunts are lifted from Mike Tyson.
4. This guy needs to think out of the box he's been living in.

Sorry, back to Sonic...
 
I'm personally pretty excited for this game. Tough replay value is a huge plus for me, personally. I don't own a Wii, but my best friend and girlfriend's parents do, so I'm going to buy the game anyways and hope I can get enough playtime in to squelch my thirst for a decent Sonic game.
 
****ing Keven Smith, Godhand & Zelda. This thread is close to falling off the tracks.

Anyway, yeah Shane had fun with alot of the game, and Greg liked the bread & butter gameplay, just hated the 'end with no rings, break 5 pots' mission variants. Boss battles do look great. 480p vids at IGN are awesome. Watch those folks.
 
MaddenNFL64 said:
****ing Keven Smith, Godhand & Zelda. This thread is close to falling off the tracks.

Anyway, yeah Shane had fun with alot of the game, and Greg liked the bread & butter gameplay, just hated the 'end with no rings, break 5 pots' mission variants. Boss battles do look great. 480p vids at IGN are awesome. Watch those folks.
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QFT!!! Wow, and awesome draw distance. Probably first proper Wii game.
 
anyway, Shane is always the most reasonable voice of reading regarding game impressions and info. He rarely lets me down.

I may not get the chance to play it allot until next week-end because of work and Virtua Fighter 5 (same day), but as soon as the week-end hits I will put a good 10 hours into SoTR guaranteed
 
Can't wait! Day one purchase for me. I like the fact that you have missions to complete before you can move on to the next level. It gives you a since of accomplishment, if you can complete multiple missions in a given area.
 
Sonic PS360 got reviewed early (having the 360 version come out 2 months before the PS3 version really must of completed destroyed the sales of the PS3 ver. due to the reviews being so not awesome)

the embargo is good for two reasons:
-so reviewers can "actually" play the game more then 30 minutes and finish the single player mode to actually review it (i doubt IGN would would play until the end, they can't even get passed Hades in God OF War)
- Sega fears early reviews and we understand why because of the implosion of Sonic PS360
 
I just don't understand the whole Sonic 06 thing. I mean, there was actually some decent work in there, but it felt like a pieced together alpha or something. They should have delayed the game for another 6-12 months and finished it properly. In addition to potentially releasing something solid, they would have had a larger audience to sell it to. It was incredibly stupid to push the game out the door as they did. The majority of its issues COULD be corrected and we would have had Sonic Adventure 3 had they been. There had to have been little to no serious testing done.
 
dark10x said:
I just don't understand the whole Sonic 06 thing. I mean, there was actually some decent work in there, but it felt like a pieced together alpha or something. They should have delayed the game for another 6-12 months and finished it properly. In addition to potentially releasing something solid, they would have had a larger audience to sell it to. It was incredibly stupid to push the game out the door as they did. The majority of its issues COULD be corrected and we would have had Sonic Adventure 3 had they been. There had to have been little to no serious testing done.
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My friend......

Every single bad 3D Sonic game out there?

They all could have been good. But they're not. Why?

For the very reason you just mentioned. They needed to spend MORE time developing and testing them.

But...they, the good people over there at Sega, have this thinking process that...they have to release at least 1 new Sonic action title every year, no questions asked. I'm sure the guys over there at Sega who were working on Sonic 360 would have LOVED to have been given more time to complete it. But somebody, I don't know if it's the big boss over there at Sega, if it's Sammy, I don't know who. But they felt the need to release it in it's unfinished form before the holiday season.

As Marlon Brando once almost said, "It coulda been a contenda."
 
SonicMegaDrive said:
My friend......

Every single bad 3D Sonic game out there?

They all could have been good. But they're not. Why?

For the very reason you just mentioned. They needed to spend MORE time developing and testing them.

But...they, the good people over there at Sega, have this thinking process that...they have to release at least 1 new Sonic action title every year, no questions asked. I'm sure the guys over there at Sega who were working on Sonic 360 would have LOVED to have been given more time to complete it. But somebody, I don't know if it's the big boss over there at Sega, if it's Sammy, I don't know who. But they felt the need to release it in it's unfinished form before the holiday season.

As Marlon Brando once almost said, "It coulda been a contenda."
Click to expand...

SA1 was unpolished, but it was a great 3D platformer, certainly in 1998. You didn't even have to play with Sonic's shitty friends. It wasn't exactly classic 2D Sonic in the third dimension, but hey, neither was SM64 compared to SMB.

SA2 was a big mixed bag and the forced structure was a definite turn-off. But once the game had been completed (or if you cheated with someone else's save file), you could concentrate replaying the 1/3 of the game that actually ruled.

As for the rest and from what I've played, I don't really any kind words except that it was nice that Sonic Heroes stuck to 60 fps on NGC and Xbox. Nostalgia, heh.
 
Instigator said:
SA1 was unpolished, but it was a great 3D platformer, certainly in 1998. You didn't even have to play with Sonic's shitty friends. It wasn't exactly classic 2D Sonic in the third dimension, but hey, neither was SM64 compared to SMB.

SA2 was a big mixed bag and the forced structure was a definite turn-off. But once the game had been completed (or if you cheated with someone else's save file), you could concentrate replaying the 1/3 of the game that actually ruled.

As for the rest and from what I've played, I don't really any kind words except that it was nice that Sonic Heroes stuck to 60 fps on NGC and Xbox. Nostalgia, heh.
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That 'good 1/3' of Sonic Adventure 2 is probably the most fun I've ever had with Sonic in the third dimension.

All I ever asked for was a full game with levels just like those.

I could live happily with a game like that.
 
Running and exploring a 3D world to collect stars is not like running through a level in one direction to reach the end. Mario 64 really isn't anything like a Mario game, accept for the characters, settings and feeling of control you had. Not that it's not a great game, I don't know if SMB in 3D would be as good as SM64 anyway.

The secret levels in SMS is probably the closest we've got to SMB. God, I want a game based on those levels so badly.
 
not that it necessarily means anything, but sonic adventure (and even sonic adventure 2, for that matter) scored fairly well from most outlets. it hasn't aged so well, but it's odd to see everyone almost universally slam it as if it's a given that the game was garbage.
 
beelzebozo said:
not that it necessarily means anything, but sonic adventure (and even sonic adventure 2, for that matter) scored fairly well from most outlets. it hasn't aged so well, but it's odd to see everyone almost universally slam it as if it's a given that the game was garbage.
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Retrospect will do that. I'm convinced people at the time were forgiving because, at least from what I remember, the game looked pretty good graphically, and it was seen as competition to a great game like Mario 64. You go back and play it, it's pretty much a 7 at best, although sadly it's clearly the best 3D Sonic game.
 
Sonic Adventure scored well because...well, c'mon, it WAS the very first '128-bit generation' game. And it was pretty fun...the first time through.

We all expected the follow-ups to be better.



:)
 
i think an interesting question (albeit one that is unanswerable and ultimately useless beyond personal consideration) is this: if sonic wii and sonic adventure had been released on the same day, which would have been reviewed more favorably?
 
beelzebozo said:
i think an interesting question (albeit one that is unanswerable and ultimately useless beyond personal consideration) is this: if sonic wii and sonic adventure had been released on the same day, which would have been reviewed more favorably?
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Well, first thing's first, we gotta find out if Sonic Wii is actually any good. :lol

But if it IS...well, let's put it this way: In 1998, we all thought the "mario 64" way of 3D platforming was good. That is, full, unrestricted freedom of movement.

However, after many misfires, it has become apparent that, for Sonic the Hedgehog, it just ain't working.

So, if the gameplay in Sonic Wii is good? I'd think that would score higher. At the very least, it would show people just how much more fun a platform game is if you take away all the unneeded crap like fishing stages, emerald searching, bi-plane-shooting stages, hub-worlds, and cart racing stages.
 
yeah, i guess i should have qualified the question by saying i was basing it on the notion stated by a few journalists that it's "the best 3d sonic"
 
So, according to the NW store's site, there's going to be a giveaway tomorrow for people between 11am and 4pm. Can anyone in the area investigate what exactly they're doing (Mejilan, I'm looking in your direction.)? I'd like to go but I would have to go during my lunch time, and there's no way I'd be able to stay for a tournament. I hope it's a gift with purchase of the game.
 
beelzebozo said:
not that it necessarily means anything, but sonic adventure (and even sonic adventure 2, for that matter) scored fairly well from most outlets. it hasn't aged so well, but it's odd to see everyone almost universally slam it as if it's a given that the game was garbage.
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I don't think I've ever gotten more hatemail from readers than when I gave the import version of Sonic Adventure an 8/10. Hundreds and hundreds each day for a couple of weeks, when I was lucky to normally get ten per day about any given subject.

An 8! That was a good score. And in retrospect, it might even have been more of a 7.5. Sometimes if you don't preach to the choir, you face the flame. And Sonic, especially at that time, had a pretty large choir, including a few reviewers, no doubt.
 
Segata Sanshiro said:
I don't think I've ever gotten more hatemail from readers than when I gave the import version of Sonic Adventure an 8/10. Hundreds and hundreds each day for a couple of weeks, when I was lucky to normally get ten per day about any given subject.

An 8! That was a good score. And in retrospect, it might even have been more of a 7.5. Sometimes if you don't preach to the choir, you face the flame. And Sonic, especially at that time, had a pretty large choir, including a few reviewers, no doubt.
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Indeed. At that time, the thought of Sega making a bad...or even average Sonic.....no.......the new Sonic had to be good. It had to be mindblowing! It was gonna revolutionize the way we think about platformers! A lot of people were just excited over it. It was the first 'real' Sonic title in five years. So what if it has some problems? It's SONIC! He's BACK!

In retrospect...it just isn't that great a title anymore. A few people recognized that at the time, but I think a majority of the people who gave it high scores were just feeding off the hype.
 
SonicMegaDrive said:
Indeed. At that time, the thought of Sega making a bad...or even average Sonic.....no.......the new Sonic had to be good. It had to be mindblowing! It was gonna revolutionize the way we think about platformers! A lot of people were just excited over it. It was the first 'real' Sonic title in five years. So what if it has some problems? It's SONIC! He's BACK!

In retrospect...it just isn't that great a title anymore. A few people recognized that at the time, but I think a majority of the people who gave it high scores were just feeding off the hype.
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I think coming after Sonic 3 & Knuckles, it was hard to equal that same epic feeling (even though I do prefer Sonic 2).

The one thing I really liked about SA1 was the diversity in the game. Lots of ideas, side quests and mini games in this one. It wasn't presented in a very coherent package, but Sonic fans could get out a lot out of the game.

The parts with Amy and Big were definitely guilty pleasures and I secretly wished there could be more. :D
 
I played about every 3D sonic game and this is what I have to say:


I loved Sonic Adventure. You could blast through the whole game as Sonic and there were a ton of levels. Plus, with a second controller someone could be tales. The level variety was great and it had a pretty cool ending that still let you go back as Tales and Knuckles and whoever and play.


I hated SA2. I played it on Gamecube for the first time, and although the Sonic and Shadow levels were cool, why the **** did they force me to play the Tales, Kuckles, and whoever the hell else stuff? It was just boring, tedius, fetch-quests, and when all was said and done there were a lot less of Sonic's levels than in SA1, plus it didn't have the overworld (which I didn't mind).

Sonic Heroes I got pretty far in a rent but didn't enjoy it. Controlling three characters at once really wasn't that cool when the only good one was Sonic. I hated all of the enemy levels, and the levels themselves lacked any sort of real excitement.


Sonic SOTR looks pretty awesome. I think the number one complaint will be the missions. It only really has 9 or 10 real levels, and replaying them to complete mundane challenges....well, it isn't the MOST fun gameplay idea in the world. With that said, I'll get it, as the RPG elements, multiple paths, unlockables, and cheap excuse of a multiplayer will keep me coming back for more ON TOP of a satisfying and long 100 mission single player....which I plan on beating.
 
Im sure none of you do, but does anyone miss the Chao system from the sonic games?
They just kinda started to phase them out once Sonic Heroes hit.

I found that to be one of the most entertaining parts of both the adventure games, it was surprisingly deep. I would love to see more of it.

Any chance of seeing a comeback/anyone else a fan?
 
Lavpa Jasai said:
Im sure none of you do, but does anyone miss the Chao system from the sonic games?
They just kinda started to phase them out once Sonic Heroes hit.

I found that to be one of the most entertaining parts of both the adventure games, it was surprisingly deep. I would love to see more of it.

Any chance of seeing a comeback/anyone else a fan?
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I loved Chao raising in the first two Adventure games, easily spent more time there than the main games.

Shame Sonic Team never thought to develop a game based entirely around Chao raising, it'd be a great title for the Wii I'm sure. :(
 
i agree with TheGreatDave regarding M64

allot of N fans will say it`s real Mario, but personnaly I think it isn`t

i love stage based platformers and I was turned off by the collectathon style of M64
 
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