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Post by Beeth on Nov 24, 2010 11:19:11 GMT
I have fond memories of Sonic Adventure 2 Battle really; it was the first fully 3D Sonic game I played, and one of the first I played on a since getting a home console (Gamecube) for the first time in nearly 3 years. Wasn't too bad at all. Hit and miss I'll say, the level design and gameplay was competent, quite enjoyed the varying gameplay styles of each level. But what ultimately let it down was the utterly hopeless control system and dodgy camera snapping. It was a good benchmark, shame it all went somewhat downhill from there really. Script made worse by voice acting so bad that Deem Bristow actually died because of it. And Steve Broadie. And later Maddie Blaustein, for that matter. But hey, death didn't stop Deem from voicing the Doctor in Riders. Or it's sequel, for that matter. I think it's very disespectful of them, re-using his voice for such a mediocre title like that. they should've at least consulted his darts-playing brother first.
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Post by Balls on Nov 26, 2010 17:21:47 GMT
Playing through this game again (Wii version).
It's amazing. Way too short, but everything I've been wanting from a 3D Sonic game since... forever.
Some of you are bound to disagree but [censored] you.
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Post by Juliett. Bravo. Alfa. on Nov 26, 2010 19:32:46 GMT
What is the game like in terms of level design. Does it punish you for not going fast enough?
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Post by Balls on Nov 26, 2010 23:17:11 GMT
What is the game like in terms of level design. Does it punish you for not going fast enough? Not once. The game is as fast as Unleashed for very short periods (you get nowhere near as much boost in this game, so you don't just run through with B held down for the whole level and then randomly die), but in general consists largely of platforming sections. Primarily the platforming rests in the 2D sections while the 3D sections connect them together with the high-speed thrilling stuff.
And when I say platforming, I mean platforming- not a bit of half-assed homing attack chains and possibly a choice of two ledges like in Unleashed. There's a lot of fairly decent platforming with a million different routes to take, depending on your choice of way or what wisp you might have.
The only way in which it would punish you for not being fast enough is that you might miss a platform and thus have to take a lower route. Generally, you can take the game at any speed. If you go too slowly it'll pretty much just affect your ranking, and if you go too fast you might miss a few things.
The levels are so multi-layered and there are barely any pits of death whatsoever you can really take the game rather comfortably.
And if you DO come accross a pit, there's a handy, obvious "!" on screen with a noise prompt to prepare you. If you ever die, it really is your fault in this game.
I really really do recommend this.
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Post by Shadic? on Nov 27, 2010 5:30:27 GMT
I've finally had some time to put into the game, and it's definitely one of the better Sonic games in recent memory. It's really everything you would of hoped the successor to Sonic Unleashed would of been. The music, pacing, level design, visual style, etc. all work tremendously together to make a very satisfying package. Even the Wisps, which I had my doubts would be the drawback of the game, add their own unique style to each of the levels. This may be the first Sonic game in years that I actually attempt to finish 100 percent, and acquire the soundtrack for.
My only minor complaint is that the bosses aren't up snuff with those of Unleashed and past Sonic games, but other than that I'm really enjoying the game. Still haven't finished it, but I'm hoping the later levels are equally as good as the beginning to middle ones.
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Post by Eleonora B.M on Nov 27, 2010 13:21:29 GMT
what I'm really enjoying are the perfectly fitting soundtracks of each zone! They are great! Now it would have been disappointing if after Unleashed (which did great under this point) they wouldn't have cured this detale
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Post by Baxter on Nov 27, 2010 14:00:20 GMT
Completed the Wii version last week. Good stuff! Probably since it implements almost every suggestion I've made for years, so of course you all have me to thank.
As others have stated, it's an actual platformer, yet a Rush/Unleashed-esque rollercoaster, and they've pulled off the balance admirably well. Granted, that's often facilitated by acts focusing on one or the other (not as if that's anything new for this series -- Marble Zone, anyone?), but the longer "main" acts do tend to blend both.
Levels are a joy to speedrun and explore, which is a first for a 3D instalment. Starlight Carnival's amongst my favourite Sonic levels to date (no hyperbole), and its peers mostly range from good to great, too. Similarly deserving of praise is the pacing and structure; I loved being immediately thrown into the first couple of acts, because that's such a rarity in 2010.
Some will decry the special stages as a cop-out, but I'm glad to finally have a set that use the core mechanics. Having a few maps based on Sonic 1 levels is a nice touch, without appearing desperate the way Sonic 4 did.
Bosses are just passable; would be better if half weren't re-used. On the plus, the finale's probably the best 3D Sonic boss to date.
Dig the new aesthetic, which is essentially the lovechild of Sonic CD and NiGHTS - suggestion #93,459 I've raised a million times over - and the script joins Rush Adventure in the rare camp of being appropriate for the series; fingers crossed the naff "rawk" stylings of the Adventure era are dead, cremated and never returning. On that note, the soundtrack isn't the magnum opus some are proclaiming, but still pretty excellent, with lots of variety.
No idea where complaints of arbitrary difficulty are stemming from. I've been through each level - most a few times over - and all I've encountered are instances of "Christ, I suck", rather than "Christ, this sucks". Asteroid Coaster 3 springs to mind.
If I had to list any serious gripes, they'd be the far-sightedness of select 2D platforming segments (Planet Wisp in particular is guilty of this) and the drift mechanic, which is still [censored].
To summarise: the series had its downtime, and I imagine for some nothing can wash that dire taste from their mouths, but Colours is the closest thing. I knew with failed experiment after failed experiment it was just a question of "when" the series would stumble upon a winning formula again, and I'm chuffed it has. First home-console Sonic since 1994 deserving of the name, no questions asked.
I'm a known mizark for the Advance/Rush series, so I'll be picking up the DS version when I can.
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Post by Juliett. Bravo. Alfa. on Nov 27, 2010 14:51:30 GMT
What is the game like in terms of level design. Does it punish you for not going fast enough?
The only way in which it would punish you for not being fast enough is that you might miss a platform and thus have to take a lower route.Insert Bison YESH YESH video here. That is awesome to hear. All I need to find out that there will be a HD version two days after I get a Wii and it. Mostly because I had a good feeling about this game from the beginning. I mean christ its basically Sonic CD minus Time Travel and the flowers give you powers. Just like that Jak 1 game.
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Post by Shadic? on Nov 27, 2010 23:34:38 GMT
Just beat the game, and I have one question: How did the team that created Sonic and The Black Knight follow up that atrocity with this game? Did they finally decide to actually try? Was it all a cruel game that they were playing on us?
SEGA,WHY DO YOU ABUSE ME THEN GIVE ME FLOWERS? IT BOGGLES MY MIND!
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Post by Juliett. Bravo. Alfa. on Nov 28, 2010 19:25:00 GMT
Apparently its a one half Storybook Sonic Series and one half HD Unleashed team.
And HD Unleashed wasn't actually that bad.
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Post by Retro on Nov 29, 2010 0:33:34 GMT
And HD Unleashed wasn't actually that bad. Oh it was... But thankfully, the rather large list of problems with the daytime levels seems to have been the things that got sorted for this one. I tried it at work, had great fun.
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Post by Balls on Nov 29, 2010 4:30:13 GMT
And HD Unleashed wasn't actually that bad. Oh it was... But thankfully, the rather large list of problems with the daytime levels seems to have been the things that got sorted for this one. I tried it at work, had great fun. I really don't see how you can hate Unleashed so much and accept this game as fun. It's admittedly quite obviously better than Unleashed, but not a big enough departure to have two completely opposite opinions.
But then you haven't played it all and I can't exactly call you out on a first impression... plus they're your own opinions in all.
I think what I'm trying to say is I really liked HD Unleashed's daytime levels...
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Post by Retro on Nov 29, 2010 19:33:01 GMT
I kept a notepad nearby to my playing of Unleashed and copy down the things I spotted out for good or bad (to have for my STCO review). I'll have to try and dig it out to copy in or something, it's got the precise reasons.
But it was mostly the sheer number of cheap deaths, artificial difficulty, lack of depth and some moronic level layout alongside smaller little niggles like the QTE springs and lack of proper control.
Colours I found has much more depth and exploration, a better difficulty setting to make the player feel like they failed, not an arbitrary death and in general had a stronger and more varied layout. The visuals make up a lot of nice eye candy too, something Unleashed lacked with it's bland levels, even if they were rendered nicely.
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Post by Badly-Drawn Manchild on Nov 29, 2010 19:39:08 GMT
I keep coming back to this looking for the red rings. I'm actually surprised that, for the first time in a long while, this is a Sonic game that I sincerely enjoy playing. It's a huge improvement over what's come before.
Anyway, got all the red rings on Asteroid Coaster. I dunno whether it's just me not looking hard enough, but I can't figure out where half these things are...
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Post by Juliett. Bravo. Alfa. on Nov 29, 2010 20:11:36 GMT
In my mind HD Unleashed is 5 or 6/10.
Its certainly not perfect. Everything is a sticking plaster over everything that was bad in Sonic Games from Adventure onwards (Daytime anyway). Werehog was a perfectly acceptable God Of War clone really though.
Colours does seem to be awesome though.
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Post by Baron Canier on Nov 30, 2010 8:36:49 GMT
Is Colours playable with a GC controller?
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Post by Badly-Drawn Manchild on Nov 30, 2010 11:32:09 GMT
Is Colours playable with a GC controller? Indeed it is.
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Post by Alex on Nov 30, 2010 14:56:58 GMT
Is Colours playable with a GC controller? Also playable with a Classic Controller (though you have to use the analog stick - D-pad does bugger all, sadly), Wiimote alone and a Wiimote/Nunchuck combo. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a way to control it with your arse on the Wii Fit board either.
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Post by Beeth on Nov 30, 2010 15:03:45 GMT
Haha, I just love the idea of using your arse to control a video games character. ;D
I can just see it now; the Guiness World Record for the first person to arse Sonic to an S Rank.
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Post by Balls on Dec 2, 2010 11:32:32 GMT
Is Colours playable with a GC controller? Yeah, not that you'll need it. There's only one motion control bit- and that's a controller shake to activate a wisp. On the GC controller this shake is swapped with a press of the Z button. That's genuinely literally it.
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Post by Arch_one_zero_one on Dec 2, 2010 12:54:25 GMT
I wish we could do away with the Egg Pawns already - it reeks of design laziness. My only criticism of this game thus far.
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Post by Ringo (2015 Edition) on Dec 3, 2010 16:06:25 GMT
I wish we could do away with the Egg Pawns already - it reeks of design laziness. My only criticism of this game thus far. Is this comment about design laziness from the Wii version?
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Post by Badly-Drawn Manchild on Dec 3, 2010 16:10:05 GMT
I wish we could do away with the Egg Pawns already - it reeks of design laziness. My only criticism of this game thus far. I dunno, I quite liked how they at least tried to give 'em more personality this time around, what with the themed costumes and gestures. I was really pleased to see so many classic Badnik designs return though; they look great in 3D.
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Post by Tom J on Dec 3, 2010 16:10:14 GMT
Is this comment about design laziness from the Wii version? Well the Egg Pawns are in the Wii version, so...
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Post by Arch_one_zero_one on Dec 3, 2010 16:18:43 GMT
Yeah, I meant the Wii version. I admit, the few non-pawn robots are pretty cool, but the Egg Pawns aren't exactly a good design anyway, and they just keep using them.
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