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Sonic Boom (BRB/Sanzaru, WiiU/3DS) gameplay preview/info, screenshots, and trailer

J

Jagsrock

Banned
At this point the only obvious thing bringing this game down is character design. overall I like the mix of characters as they each seem to have unique play styles and visually it looks pretty nice. Can't wait to see more gameplay. I can get past the design if the gameplay turns out good. That said it's still mind boggling that they actually went through with these character models.
 
R

RagnarokX

Member
LAUGHTREY said:
Uh thats support wrap like boxers wear.

Actually not that bad looking I think. I like the worn down stranded look they got going on.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's the kind of image they were going for, but that kind of wrap doesn't make sense around shoes. It looks really really stupid.
 
S

Sciz

Member
Outtrigger888 said:
Western developers? Thats what i meant. I thought i read that this is the first Sonic game made by a western studio.
Click to expand...

STI was a cobbled together mix of Japanese and American staff. The project leads were all Japanese, but then you've got guys like Mark Cerny doing some of the programming.
 
T

The M.O.B

Member
I played Sonic Generation and hated most of it due to it either being nonsense of "BOOST BOOST BOOST OMG FAST FAST" or in the 2D sections "YEAH MUCH FASTTTTT OH SPIKES OUT OF NOWHERE BECAUSE I CANT SEE WHATS COMING UP AT ALL".

So naturally I don't care that they are changing it up, it needs change.

I didn't play Lost Worlds yet, but it sounds like that didn't work either.
 
C

Currygan

at last, for christ's sake
that character design is truly horrendous, but it's Sonic and his shit friends so not really surprising

game does actually look sort of decent, which is extremely surprising
 
M

Maedhros

Member
The M.O.B said:
I played Sonic Generation and hated most of it due to it either being nonsense of "BOOST BOOST BOOST OMG FAST FAST" or in the 2D sections "YEAH MUCH FASTTTTT OH SPIKES OUT OF NOWHERE BECAUSE I CANT SEE WHATS COMING UP AT ALL".

So naturally I don't care that they are changing it up, it needs change.

I didn't play Lost Worlds yet, but it sounds like that didn't work either.
Click to expand...

You're lying.
 
R

RagnarokX

Member
MaverickHunterAsh said:
Nah, Sonic looks fine to me. The only thing that's bugging me now that I notice it is the fact that his arms are blue, which looks even weirder since Amy's arms are skin-colored like hers and Sonic's have always been. Can't unsee that now.

But nah, I'm cool with his overall design. I like OG modern Sonic more, but that series is continuing too so I have no issues.
Click to expand...

I'm not saying that out of fear of an old design being replaced. His lankiness is truly disturbing and he has too much cloth wrapped around him. He looks especially bad in that scene where he's squatting. It's a bad design regardless. Unlike his modern design where you can argue he looks more athletic, this design just looks gangly and awkward. Like a teen going through a growth spurt where his limbs don't match his torso. It might be disturbing because proportionally he's more humanoid than he's ever been before.
 
T

Tenki

Member
The new design, specially for Knuckles, is pure garbage, but the game could be interesting if it's like Jak or Ratchet.
 
A

ambientmystic

Member
Currygan said:
that character design is truly horrendous, but it's Sonic and his shit friends so not really surprising

game does actually look sort of decent, which is extremely surprising
Click to expand...

That's CryEngine3 for you.

I've always wondered what a game based on cartoony characters would look like using an engine that was traditionally used for gritty, realistic looking first person shooters and not much else (probably that Monhun F2P game for the PC?). Now I know.

There's quite an incoherency between the comparatively well textured and realistic looking environments and the rather simple looking characters as a result. Merging those two aesthetics is usually not a good fit. In some of the screenshots, the ground textures and water textures look pretty rough also.

Performance would also be a concern. I doubt they'd be able to achieve 60 FPS in the game even at 720p without having to pare something back, other last gen consoles which had games made for them using this engine had to settle for 720p30 in every instance.
 
H

Hyperactivity

Banned
Knuckles is BAD.
Sonic is decent, minus ingame forehead and legs, which are a little better
I'm a fan of the new Tails and Amy.

Current Opinion: Cautiously Optimistic.
 
A

also

Banned
My gut says DO-NOT-WANT but I will wait on impressions and reviews before condemning it entirely. There better not be any of the shitty music from the trailer (dubstep?) in the full game, though.
 
S

Solid Samus

Banned
the game that I'm looking at looks kinda bad in terms of visuals, animations, and I can't make heads or tails of the gameplay. The game that's being described intrigues me though and I'd like to see where this goes. the decision to split Sonic off into distinct western and eastern developed franchises is an interesting one and hopefully it pays off for them and helps to show certain other Japanese companies how to further utilize their IPs...
 
H

Hero of Legend

Member
Did you notice; the song used in the CryEngine footage, and the beginning of the Boom trailer, is the SAME song? o_O

Listen to the strings and how they play, particularly in the Boom trailer when the camera pans around Sonic and Co. for the first time.

Coincidence? Or maybe the song is by BRB and they let CryTek use it in the demo and will be in the game? The percussion is VERY Jak & Daxter... you don't think it's the same composer... do you?

Edit: To avoid searching:

CryEngine video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8T3pe9G4Pc

Game trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0a7-1wdDuw
 
T

TheCongressman1

Member
RagnarokX said:
I'm not saying that out of fear of an old design being replaced. His lankiness is truly disturbing and he has too much cloth wrapped around him. He looks especially bad in that scene where he's squatting. It's a bad design regardless. Unlike his modern design where you can argue he looks more athletic, this design just looks gangly and awkward. Like a teen going through a growth spurt where his limbs don't match his torso. It might be disturbing because proportionally he's more humanoid than he's ever been before.
Click to expand...

Yes, good explanation. Making him shorter would be a great start. His hands are also way too small compared to his feet and head. Makes him look unbalanced.
 
H

heyf00L

Member
Was Sonic Lost World on Hedgehog engine? It didn't look like it. This looks more like the Hedgehog engine, and it looks nice.

As for gameplay, not enough to go on.
 
R

Regiruler

Member
UncleSporky said:
You know what! You know what.

I think I know what I find so off-putting about the character designs in-game.

They have no eyebrows!

h96YvfI.jpg


It's the Brad Dourif in LOTR effect.
Click to expand...

It has nothing to do with the eyebrows. The mouthpiece just looks weird.
Although a more pronounced edge there would help, I agree.
 
T

Trevelyan9999

Banned
ambientmystic said:
That's CryEngine3 for you.

I've always wondered what a game based on cartoony characters would look like using an engine that was traditionally used for gritty, realistic looking first person shooters and not much else (probably that Monhun F2P game for the PC?). Now I know.

There's quite an incoherency between the comparatively well textured and realistic looking environments and the rather simple looking characters as a result. Merging those two aesthetics is usually not a good fit. In some of the screenshots, the ground textures and water textures look pretty rough also.

Performance would also be a concern. I doubt they'd be able to achieve 60 FPS in the game even at 720p without having to pare something back, other last gen consoles which had games made for them using this engine had to settle for 720p30 in every instance.
Click to expand...

The trailer did warn that this was a work in progress, but yeah most of it had a very "this is complete" look to it.
 
C

C.Olimar788

Member
As much as I wish they hadn't bothered redesigning the characters (especially poor, poor Knuckles), I'm casually optimistic about this new spinoff thing. One thing I really missed from the Adventure games was a focus on narrative and storytelling, and since Sega seems to be (reasonably) afraid of approaching that again after Sonic 06, this could be a very neat thing. Plus, FINALLY another Sonic game with multiple characters!

Why did they have to redesign them, though. Ugh. At best they look like a teenager's fanart and at worst they look like Knuckles.
 
H

heyf00L

Member
Mr-Joker said:
Sonic Lost Worlds was on the Hedgehog engine.



Pffttwahahaahahaah, you might want you get your eyes tested.
Click to expand...

I don't get this. What do you mean? The defining feature of the Hedgehog engine on PS360 was the (baked) global illumination. That's why they created the engine. Then Lost Worlds didn't have it. That's why I wasn't sure. Why use the Hedgehog engine if you're not going to use its defining feature?

This game clearly has global illumination going on. And these days all games should have it because it's the greatest leap forward in lighting since smooth shading.

So it's CryEngine 3. That's fine with me. But why ditch the Hedgehog engine now? Is this like the Saturn days when Sega Japan wouldn't share its engines with Western Sega developers?
 
R

Ridley327

Member
heyf00L said:
I don't get this. What do you mean? The defining feature of the Hedgehog engine on PS360 was the (baked) global illumination. That's why they created the engine. Then Lost Worlds didn't have it. That's why I wasn't sure. Why use the Hedgehog engine if you're not going to use its defining feature?

This game clearly has global illumination going on. And these days all games should have it because it's the greatest leap forward in lighting since smooth shading.

So it's CryEngine 3. That's fine with me. But why ditch the Hedgehog engine now? Is this like the Saturn days when Sega Japan wouldn't share its engines with Western Sega developers?
Click to expand...

I'd be shocked if the Hedgehog Engine has any English documentation available for it.

Besides, it's Sonic Team's own engine, so it will show up again in their next game.
 
S

Sciz

Member
heyf00L said:
So it's CryEngine 3. That's fine with me. But why ditch the Hedgehog engine now? Is this like the Saturn days when Sega Japan wouldn't share its engines with Western Sega developers?
Click to expand...

The documentation's probably all in Japanese and god knows what the tools look like. Wouldn't be worth the trouble.
 
A

Agent Unknown

Member
So I hear there's a new studio called Big Red Button making a video game that's a visual tribute to Poochie from the Simpsons featuring character designs appropriately described as "terrible" and "pointless"?
 
M

MaverickHunterAsh

Member
RagnarokX said:
I'm not saying that out of fear of an old design being replaced. His lankiness is truly disturbing and he has too much cloth wrapped around him. He looks especially bad in that scene where he's squatting. It's a bad design regardless. Unlike his modern design where you can argue he looks more athletic, this design just looks gangly and awkward. Like a teen going through a growth spurt where his limbs don't match his torso. It might be disturbing because proportionally he's more humanoid than he's ever been before.
Click to expand...

I dunno, he doesn't look gangly or awkward to me. I'm not totally in love with his design, but I'm cool with it and I think it works. :p

Now Knuckles on the other hand... he's the only one I really take issue with.
 
S

SykoTech

Member
Nirolak said:
-They made Amy Rose a much bigger character in the game because they wanted there to be more strong female characters and also for the game to appeal to girls more.
Click to expand...

Could have just used Blaze. She's already a really strong female lead (even has a super form) and, unlike most of Sonic's friends, she's actually a good character. I guess it would have been weird to randomly have her running around with Sonic's crew though.

I'm all for finally making Amy Rose a worthwhile character though I guess. But they really need to do something about her voice. Minnie Mouse just doesn't work, and it especially won't work with her new look.

As for the game, cautiously optimistic. Very cautious. Having talent from the excellent Ratchet & Clank games and the Jak & Daxter games from the PS2 days sounds great, but that doesn't always translate to a good game.
 
Z

ZenTzen

Member
guys seriously they need to fix that leg issue on knuckles
sonic-boom-video-gamet0djb.jpg
Click to expand...

its like Sonics continuous leg growth was prophesized
7Z1Wh88.jpg
Click to expand...

And i'm not a fan of the ble arms, its so jarring, but besides knuckles and Sonics designs the game could really shape up to be something great and i really want to see what they are gonna do with the characters and world
 
M

Morfeo

The Chuck Norris of Peace
I am always up for more awesome Sonic! The character design is terrible though, but the game itself looks pretty rad.
 
E

Epcott

Member
Strange, I have more faith in Sonic Boom than whatever Sonic Team is working on. IMO, Sonic Team needs to take a break by revisiting Burning Rangers or PSO2, and come back to Sonic.
 
X

XenodudeX

Junior Member
Is it weird that this is the first Sonic game I'm interested in playing since SA2? I'm serious getting a 3D platformer (like Banjo-Kazooie and DK 64) vibe from this. I can't wait to see more.
 
T

The_Joker1721

Member
Been waiting to voice my displeasure of the game but after reading that info. Yeah I'm actually pretty hyped now. I like Amy's and Tails redesign, Knuckles looks like he's gonna grow on me. Although I don't get why they redesigned him and I'm indifferent to sonics look. Though I am digging the scarf.
 
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