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Post by madhair60 on May 19, 2012 22:44:50 GMT
Haha, that's funny because I raced through the walrus bit first time. DIFF'RENT STROKES etc
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Post by Baxter on May 20, 2012 10:06:49 GMT
For once I'm grateful that Secret Rings exists, otherwise I'd have to declare this thing the worst-ever Sonic soundtrack. Sky Fortress is the only time besides the #DINO! JUNGLE! IT'S A JUNGLE! WIKI-WOW-WOW!# debacle I've had to mute a Sonic game.
Yeah, I'm distinctly underwhelmed. There could be a brilliant game here, somewhere; but if it exists, it's lost beneath a couch of frustration, awkward design and Dimps-isms (I'm the last to engage in puritanical whinging over speed-boosters, but that one segment in Sky Fortress with, like, five hundred of the things consecutively had me pissing with laughter). And for all the circle-jerks over some ORIGINAL SETTINGZ!1~, all they do is show up how uninspired and devoid of any sense of pacing the level design actually is. As such, this is the first Sonic in years I feel no incentive to replay -- a criticism that didn't apply even to Episode 1.
My gut sentiment remains unchanged: Sega ought to grow a brass, axe Dimps whilst they still have some dignity, stop desperately attempting to recreate the Vanilla Ice years, tell the Sonic Retro nutters to shut the [censored] up and just concentrate on advancing their Colours-Generations momentum. Sonic in recent years has matured to the point where it's fine as it is; as such, the habitual nostalgia fixes are as counterproductive as they are groan-inducing. Ditch this [censored].
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Post by madhair60 on May 20, 2012 10:48:34 GMT
I agree with all of that. Though Ep 2 does improve on a replay, simply because your knowledge of the [censored] it might throw at you means you can establish some sort of flow.
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Post by ShayMay on May 20, 2012 10:53:42 GMT
I think that, were a 3D momentum-based Sonic to be done well, it'd be far better than the current Unleashed/Colours/Generations formula. That's part of the reason I have such high tolerance for Sonic Adventure's undeniable bull[censored]: actually making use of momentum to get through parts of the levels at high speed is a brilliant thrill that just holding the Boost button can't match. However, the key words are 'done well'. Sega, with Generations' sloppy (although not bad - just not great) classic controls and Sonic 4, have basically proven that momentum-based platforming is beyond them. And from that perspective, I'm entirely with Baxter. I'd much rather see the inherently less satisfying Unleashed formula done well than a poor estimation of the classic style.
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Post by madhair60 on May 20, 2012 11:01:05 GMT
The infuriating thing is that Sonic Advance's physics were near enough dead-on.
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Post by ShayMay on May 20, 2012 11:57:57 GMT
I might start a thread about it. I like discussing this sort of thing.
I didn't like Sonic Advance 1 for the longest time, and then one day it just clicked with me. Dimps really do seem to have been on a consistently downward spiral, with the exception of the Rush series.
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Post by madhair60 on May 20, 2012 12:02:54 GMT
I like to discuss the Sonic games and their mechanics much more than [censored]ing on about storyline.
I would personally say Dimps' only definitively lacking games are the Episodes and possibly Generations DS which I haven't played. I think all the Advance and Rush titles are brilliant in their own way, and I still consider them good Sonic devs, since they have six excellent games under their belts, one decent one (Episode 1) and two sub-par ones (Generations DS allegedly, Episode 2).
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Post by ShayMay on May 20, 2012 12:11:01 GMT
I like the way that Colours is unanimously filed under the "Rush" banner. I thought that the Advance series did go on a downwards slope. The first one was ace, the second one was great fun but a little too speed-oriented and the Chaos Emeralds were a pain to get (especially if you wanted to unlock Amy) and the third one, while still fun, had the worst level design of the three (hello crushing blocks) and the Chaos Emeralds were still a pain to get (although not as bad as Advance 2). Rush was consistently great. Generations 3DS, while I've not played it, looks like absolute snoozeville (look up the gameplay of Modern Mushroom Hill, it's just a straight line), and Sonic 4 has just been crap. Episode 1 I loved initially, but with each subsequent playthrough (and I've only played through it about three times) I find it more and more execrable. Packed with recycled content and non-level design. Edit: Still not played Episode 2, so I'm leaving that out until I have. But it looks to be the worst of the lot.
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Post by Balls on May 20, 2012 12:42:03 GMT
Just to put your minds at ease with this whole "allegedly" thing, I can confirm that Generations DS is [censored]ing abysmal.
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Post by Matt on May 20, 2012 13:04:09 GMT
Just to put your minds at ease with this whole "allegedly" thing, I can confirm that Generations DS is [censored]ing abysmal. seconded, it's the biggest waste of time ever, and I really had to force myself to finish it.
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Post by Juliett. Bravo. Alfa. on May 20, 2012 13:07:53 GMT
Thirded. If anyone thinks that classic Sonic is better in 3DS just Spin dash for me and then jump after you let go.
Yes. I went there.
Also the level design is really dull.
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Post by Alex on May 20, 2012 21:31:03 GMT
I found the first three levels of Generations 3DS to be entertaining enough, but not even remotely close to the console version. And the rest of the game is awful.
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Post by Shadic? on May 22, 2012 2:09:07 GMT
Here's my 2 cents: It's not a bad game, it's just horrendously boring. They did improve upon some aspects, but overall the whole thing is forgettable and lackluster.
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Post by shodic on May 23, 2012 18:31:33 GMT
after all which is the best: episode 1, 2 or metal sonic?
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Post by RedDevilDazzy on May 23, 2012 18:56:24 GMT
I'll go for Episode 2.
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Post by Devo DrakeFox on May 23, 2012 19:28:30 GMT
Having played Episode 2 today, I'm pleased that it has out-performed Episode 1, but it's far from perfect. The physics are still awkward in places and I'm not overly thrilled by the soundtrack. I do like the new Badnik and stage designs, though. And the boss fights were actually fun, I thought. I quite liked how the game misleads players at the first boss. "Pillars!? Oh great, they're rehashing Aquatic Rui-OHMYGOD GIANT-PLANT-THING!!"
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Post by Mambo's Here! Look Busy! on Jul 26, 2012 16:41:39 GMT
I bought both Episode 1 and 2 thanks to acquiring a shiny new lappy during the Steam summer sale! XD (My bank account is still smarting a bit!) Can I just say, and I will probably be flamed, ostricised and generally get the piss ripped out of me for saying so... I don't actually understand the beef against this game... OK so it's nowhere near as good as the old Mega Drive and Master System games, but tbh I don't think any of the modern Sonic games are as good as the old games I grew up with. There's no point in pretending otherwise! Yes, the music is kinda annoying in parts and the physics isn't exactly right but there are some good things about the game too. I actually like the detail in the levels, the animation of Sonic, Tails and Eggman. Some of the expressions are just great. I love the "We failed! This is like the worst thing ever!!" expressions in the Special Stage of Episode 2. I didn't even mind that I missed an emerald by 10 rings because the look on their faces was so funny! I also really like the Indiana Jonesesque gimmick of Lost Labyrinth Act II. I got a bit stuck on the flame torch puzzle in Lost Labyrinth and the first boss of Episode 2 as I wasn't sure what to do - but once I had figured it out it seemed so obvious. This is pretty much what happened to me several times during the old games to ( that gawddamned barrel!) so I don't mind the ultra mean sections all that much. Anyways, I've yet to finish it - maybe I will change my mind by the time I'm done with it!
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Post by Alex on Jul 26, 2012 21:11:40 GMT
Episode I is playable, but just generally not very good. There are moments where it's catastrophically awful (Lost Labrynth puzzle, any time the dodgy physics plays up, trying to do the special stages with motion controls), but taken out of the context of having anything to do with the original Sonic games, it's enjoyable enough.
Episode II is actually a pretty good Sonic game all around, and introduces some pretty good mechanics in the Sonic and Tails stuff that add genuine value to the game. Final boss is crap, though and it's still stupidly short.
The music for both is generally bland and has a horribly tinny aspect to it as if they've deliberately made it crap to make it 'retro', despite the fact that the sound the Megadrive was capable of kicking out was far more pleasant.
In general, I'd say the main consensus is that both are playable enough, the second episode is far better than the first, and if the words 'Sonic 4' were never placed anywhere near this game, it'd actually be a lot easier a pill to swallow.
There's not really any getting away, though, from the fact that as a successor to Sonic 3 and Knuckles, it fails; as an emulation of the gameplay of the first 3.5 Sonic games on the Megadrive, it fails; and as an episodic game, it failed so spectacularly that there won't be any more.
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Post by madhair60 on Jul 26, 2012 21:39:17 GMT
Episode II's the second-worst "traditional" Sonic I've played, behind Sonic Blast. I'll need to replay it, because the fact that everyone isn't agreeing with me completely is baffling. And I don't mean the "haha, exaggerated ego for comic effect", I mean I can't believe anyone would truthfully say otherwise. It was really dreadful. Maybe when I played it I went mental, and missed a load of good stuff?
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Post by Alex on Jul 26, 2012 22:18:54 GMT
Episode II's the second-worst "traditional" Sonic I've played, behind Sonic Blast. If we have the same meaning of 'traditional' Sonic game, then I would happily agree that it doesn't come close to any of the main numbered Sonic games (on the Master System or the Mega Drive). I'd probably argue that it surpasses at least most of the old spin-offs, though. Honestly, I just found it to be a relatively enjoyable 2D platformer, with a good sense of speed and some nice level design (though I think pretty much every level has at least one "what the hell were you thinking? section - but rarely as bad as Episode I's). I enjoyed playing it both times I went through the entire game (the second time with a friend as Tails and a copious amount of beer), and I'd be pretty happy to play through it again. I think that's as much as I could ask from it to consider it, at the very least, good enough.
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Post by ShayMay on Jul 26, 2012 22:26:07 GMT
I just don't like that it's not even trying to be as good as the Mega Drive games. It's like they've resigned themselves to mediocrity.
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Post by Mambo's Here! Look Busy! on Jul 27, 2012 15:23:39 GMT
If we have the same meaning of 'traditional' Sonic game, then I would happily agree that it doesn't come close to any of the main numbered Sonic games (on the Master System or the Mega Drive). I'd probably argue that it surpasses at least most of the old spin-offs, though. Honestly, I just found it to be a relatively enjoyable 2D platformer, with a good sense of speed and some nice level design (though I think pretty much every level has at least one "what the hell were you thinking? section - but rarely as bad as Episode I's). Well, yes - this is pretty much how I feel about it so far. I forgot to mention that I like the combo moves in Episode II. Tails introduction into to the game is actually useful, as opposed to "Hey guys, Sonic has friends! Here's one of 'em!".
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Post by ShayMay on Dec 24, 2012 22:51:53 GMT
Episode 2 was on a Steam sale so I bought it. Guys. This is really [censored]ing bad.
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Post by Mambo's Here! Look Busy! on Dec 24, 2012 22:54:43 GMT
It's an improvement on Ep 1, but yeah... I found better games to tickle the old nostalgia bone.
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Post by ShayMay on Dec 25, 2012 11:03:10 GMT
I honestly thought Episode 1 was much better as it was simply mediocre as opposed to annoying. XD
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