Sonic: Lost World

[RedDevilDazzy]

Eurogamer 4/10. What the crap?

[ShayMay]

I am honestly a bit baffled at the reviews. I've been looking at a lot of them and, control issues aside, a lot of complaints seem to stem from the fact that it's not trying to just be a typical Sonic 'race to the goal' game. One of the complaints was legitimately that there was exploration in the game. The videos didn't do much to boost my confidence in the reviewer either. I mean, I haven't played it - the jump could genuinely be borked up the ding-ding but there is one spot where I am almost certain he had to have deliberately overshot. It wasn't a near thing, he had to have either aimed for the gap or lacks basic motor skills. There was also one of those sections where you have to run in a straight line while the blocks fall behind you, and he failed at that. At running in a straight line.

I mean, I get it, it's not likely to be good after all of those scores from different reviewers. But I've not really seen a continuity to them.
The thing that really hacks me off though is that there was not an inkling of any of these issues from any critic before the final game came out. Nobody played the demo and raised that concern (well, except Mike at SoS). None of the previews said "hey, might wanna sort this control out". It was getting really quite a lot of hype and momentum behind it! What changed so suddenly?

[Badly-Drawn Manchild]

I read GameCentral's review about it, and it really did confuse me, and they (like so many other fans and critics) are operating under the false assumption that the early games were only ever "about" the speed, or at least were a case of "hold right/up to win". The only classic games where I find that actually rings true are Sonic Advance 2 and parts of Sonic 2; almost every other game kills you if you try to do that. Also, I'd agree that the reviews are a bizarre contrast to the glowing previews the game received; I'd say it was different writers responsible, but it's still really weird.

I know it took me some getting used to when I tried it at SoS, but I couldn't imagine it being as bad as the reviewers seem to claim it is.

[Feniiku]

I've got it, I'm playing it, and I'm really enjoying it. (Wii U version)

I like the exploration, it adds a nice little extra bit to the levels and you're never wandering too far off the path for red rings etc.

The controls take a little getting used to, but once you get the hang of them they really aren't that bad. I would've preferred walking to be the toggle button and running the default speed, but it isn't much to fuss about.

Story's not overly complex so far, but a fair bit more enjoyable than previous entries. I love the interactions between Sonic and Tails.

The homing attack can be a little fiddly, but when wasn't it? Sometimes if you stand still for a second longer, it'll let you get more hits in on Badniks (yes, they're called Badniks again) or bosses.

I dare not read reviews, I'm sure they'll just make me angry to be honest.

It's not perfect, but it's charming, and my biggest gripe is Amy Rose's voice so I don't see what the problem is.

Oh, right, grown adults with broken nostalgia goggles. That'd do it.

[quakehollow]

I'm very tempted to get this game, but id need to purchase a Wii U first, any advise on if the game is worth getting?
The reviews seem to be all over the place, as shown here:
www.vg247.com/2013/10/18/sonic-lost-world-reviews-are-go-get-all-the-scores-here/
I guess what I'm asking is, is it worth getting a Wii U (providing I find one cheap) for Sonic lost world?
I really hope Sega just stick to the wii U for sonic games, it annoyed me quite a lot this generation that to play all the TV console series you needed to get a wii AND a ps3 or 360 or high end PC.

[Juliett. Bravo. Alfa.]

I can really only comment on the 3DS version and I dont think its broken nostalgia. Yet.

On the 5th level now, and every level seems to have a gimmick which is either boring or they dont explain whats going on. On the 4th level I was followed by a snowman head and buggered if I knew what to do in such a situation.

The levels quickly go from encouraging you to explore to "Oh you wanna explore do you? you better be careful above this bottomless pit!" And even with the two different speeds the camera doesn't seem to know what you want to do and will be a bit too far away for you to properly judge.

I wanted parkour to be in Sonic, but this is a bit too fiddly.

[censored] the gyro controls. Especially in the special stages.

Music is white noise.

Overall I think a lot of reviewers saw the aesthetics in the game and saw SUPER MARIO GALAXY with Sonic graphics. And its not. It doesn't feel like any previous Sonic game in any way (Good or Bad) and just feels like an unpolished Mario game. Not enjoying it as much as I want but its not the worst Sonic ever. Just a miss step. And I cant help thinking that Nintendo asked for the game to be like this. Only better of course. Not saying that Sega sabotaged their 1 of 4 flagship games this year because of a blood fued in the 90's.

I do like the story/cutscenes. They are quite enjoyable to watch and hopefully an indication of the future. But knowing Sega they might go into DELETE [censored]ING EVERYTHING mode after the reviews for this.

[modochi]

Oct 18, 2013 10:02:20 GMT Juliett. Bravo. Alfa. said:

Playing the 3DS version at the moment.

Currently being chased by a snowman head that freezes you when it touches you. [censored] this game and everything to do with this game.

Jim Sterling seems to be the only one liking it so far.

Doesn't that include STC by extension seeing as main character of the game and the comic is the same?

[Juliett. Bravo. Alfa.]

It especially includes STC. >=(

Thats how bad the special stages are. Worse than Kinect.

[Feniiku]

Gyro controls on the 3DS? christ I cant even get the walking to work right on it :Z

The Wii U version only uses the gyro for about half of the wispsrest of the time it's good old thumbstick. Thank goodness x.o No special stages, but there are bonus stages which are like those old breakout/alleyway games or see saw things, since you need x amount of small animals to get through to some levels. Thankfully it's not much of a grind.

Haven't played the 3DS version yet.

[Juliett. Bravo. Alfa.]

The special stages in the game are a 3D arena. You are behind Sonic and you fly to pick up combos of red/yella/blu orbs. You press L to stop and adjust and R to boost. But, to me, at least you have to turn your entire body to move Sonic left and right.

Thankfully still has that Dimps glitch where you can just Restart it when you screw up.

[ShayMay]

Quick impressions: fun, but heavily flawed. There's an irritating lack of finesse to everything.
However, it's commendable that they're trying to make Sonic something other than just racing to the finish. I hope they give this formula another shot, but tighten the controls right up and ditch the Galaxy level design. Then I think it would be something to get dead excited about. As it stands... not so much, but it's not a bad game by any means.

[Matt]

finding the wii u version fun...
done the first 6 or so levels quickly, it feels much better than it did at sos

[Hevs]

Got the Wii U version, really enjoying it, though I am noticing an annoying spike in level difficulty as I progress. I think they're onto something with the gameplay, It may not be perfect, but the ability to actually move laterally and explore is something that has been missing from Sonic games for too long and I'd hate to see it go. This game is not just about holding the boost button and moving forward.

I do think however that there should be more 3D levels in it, given the possibility of exploration. I'd also prefer not to see this Art Style make a return, I'm not denying the game is gorgeous, it really is. Frozen Factory is absolutely beautiful (YAY SNOW LEVEL OMG), as is its music (Which I'll probably listen to all the time in the run up to christmas), but while I love the bright colours, I'm not a huge fan of the simplified shapes and textures. I'm not saying the style doesn't work, it does, it's just something that belongs more in a Mario game and not a Sonic game IMO. Really is beautiful though, just in a different way than usual. The story is also generous with cutscenes, which is welcome considering the Story seems a fair bit better than Generations'.

I think the game has some flaws, I constantly game over and the difficulty can make things maddening towards the end (But this happens in a Mario Game too and nobody bats an eyelid). I do not, however, think it deserves some of the reviews its gotten, the IGN review seems to blame the faults mostly on a slower gameplay style, a mere month after they published a preview titled "Sonic: Lost World: Why Slowing Down is a Good Thing". Clearly the gameplay speed is a subjective matter. I'm glad the game now requires my input, as Generations pretty much played itself aside from me holding down the Boost button.

[Feniiku]

I have to admit I'm curious now: How would folks rate their respective versions of the game, personally?

I think I'd have to go with 7/10 myself for the WiiU version.

Pros: story is entertaining and there's a lot of it (a pleasant change after Generations), music is wonderful, I like the level design and style, and the various speed levels make controlling Sonic easier for different sections. BADNIKS.

Cons: sometimes the parkour system is not as responsive as it could be (which has resulted in my losing lives more than once), some of the wisps can be a bit unecessary (bomb has not yet had a use for me, for example) or they can be difficult to control, Amy's voice hasn't really improved, and some of the later levels can be very unforgiving (personally I like that, but I can see why it can be an issue)

I like the game, I find it enjoyable, but it isn't perfect. There's some nice little bits in the story that I particularly liked, I quite like the Zeti for the most part, but the gameplay (especially the parkour system) needs tweaking a bit more still. Good game, but needs a little more tuning.

[ShayMay]

I agree with both of you. I am genuinely worried that the (ridiculously harsh) scores will put Sega right off trying something like this again: for the first time in ages I am in control of Sonic almost all of the time, doing something other than just whizzing to the goal as quickly as possible. Generations had loads of routes, sure, but once you'd worked out the fastest one there was no reason to use any of the other ones.

[Michael]

Hmm, I'm gonna hold off on buying a WiiU for this I think. First time for everything! (bought a Dreamcast for Adventure, GameCube for Heroes, 360 for 2006, already had a Wii before Colours at least)

I'll just steal my nephew's, he'll probably have it by now.

Glad to see some positive comments here though! The reviews really worried me. IGN's in particular shocked me as their hands on with two/three levels last month was very positive so to see such a bad review come from the final version wasn't expected.

In all honesty I'd rather have just had Sonic Generations 2. They finally got the controls right after so long (and the camera!) and then they ditch it all for another experiment, such a shame.

At least Arkham Origins is out this week, so I'm not completely new game deprived.

Any stand out sections/levels/bosses/things so far?

[Hevs]

Oct 20, 2013 15:02:07 GMT Michael said:

Glad to see some positive comments here though! The reviews really worried me. IGN's in particular shocked me as their hands on with two/three levels last month was very positive so to see such a bad review come from the final version wasn't expected.

Any stand out sections/levels/bosses/things so far?

I think that's the thing that bugs me the most about the review, the scale of the contrast between it and the preview. It just goes to show that the changes made to the gameplay are going to either appeal or not appeal to people on a subjective basis, clearly the reviewer didn't get the memo that Boost2Win was getting old and depriving gamers of gameplay. Bugs me a bit more that EVERYONE goes to IGN or Gamespot more or less for gaming stuff, they're more widely known, so everyone's going to see the lower score and not look up any other reviews D:

Things that stand out? Hmm, The Snow Stage, Frozen Factory, really stands out for me cos it's so bright and the music is fantastic, but that might just be because I have a thing for snowy environments. Each World has it's own nice touches though, I played through a stage today that had the foreground (and Sonic) in silhouette while the scene was backlight by a colourful, torchlit temple.

[Hades]

I've heard good things from friends.

[Alex]

Had a bit of a play with it now. My general impressions are that it's not so much Super Sonic Galaxy as New Sonic Bros - with the relative drop in quality levels that go with those comparisons.

It's not that it's not playable, it's just that it lacks any charm or engagement in terms of level design. There are bits where you've just got 2D platforming and that actually goes pretty well - but so far there's few and far between moments of the game feeling like anything but a by-the-numbers generithon. There's almost nothing about the levels that makes it feel like a Sonic game - there's no sense of speed, there's little to no canny platforming, there's no character to the designs.

It's a poor showing of level design after both Colours and Generations. It's much more like DIMPS' Advance designs than what Sonic Team usually come out with (which is deeply concerning as DIMPS' influences seem to creep into the rest of the game a fair amount too - even on the Wii U).

The thing is, though, it's not an inherently bad game. There's nothing Sonic 2006 about it - it's just a bit lifeless. Really, it's the same charmless feeling I get from playing modern Mario games - making the comparisons even more appropriate. I wouldn't want them to go in an entirely different direction - but I would like to see them bring back more of the life and charm of Colours and Generations instead.

The story, meanwhile, is the best part of the game. Why we can't have this as a legit cartoon instead of whatever the hell Sonic [censored] Boom ends up being, I just can't fathom.

[ShayMay]

Really? I thought the game was full of lovely little moments: the atmosphere reminds me so much of Sonic 3D in such a good way.

SPOILER: Click to show

Although speaking of NSMB, the level structure: grass world, desert world, beach world, ice world, forest world, sky world, fire world. IT IS EXACTLY THE SAME.
TOP TIP for you Red Star Ring collectors: in Frozen Factory Zone 2, the final Red Star Ring is in the second billiards bit. You have to get all the balls in the holes, which is a pain in the [censored] arse. But if you keep tapping the left analogue stick left and right quickly, you will get them all in.
Well, it worked for me at least.

[ShayMay]

Just finished it.
Only thing I'll comment on for the moment: Tails is pretty much established to be smarter than Eggman throughout, thus making Eggman an even BIGGER joke than he already was. Not sure I like that.

[Juliett. Bravo. Alfa.]

Holy [censored]. Just got 5 within finishing special stage 5. Screw Dimps Glitch.

Overall its a 6/10.

There is probably a good game to be made with this engine BUT this isn't it.

[Hevs]

Finished the Wii U Version, I'd give it a 7.5/10, while the first half of the game is an extremely enjoyable experience, the second half is punishingly difficult at times. For the most difficult Sonic Game in years, they really shouldn't have simultaneously scrapped the 100-ring 1-up system. The game is still fantastic though, also, DAT FINAL BOSS MUSIC. Not liking that a cutscene viewer or sound test are nowhere to be seen , It's such a small afterthought that would have cost them nothing to include.

Mainly what I'm deducting points for here though is just the general direction, it's undeniably a good game, a beautiful game, but while the gameplay works fantastically now I still feel that we're never given enough time in a 3D plane to play with it. A lot of the game is still in 2D. Sonic Adventure, while now dated, allowed full-on running around in 3D with 6 characters and that was over 10 years ago, it's time to progress. I also want the artstyle to never come back, I think the game is pretty. I also think Super Mario Galaxy was pretty. I don't buy Sonic for the same reasons I buy Mario. The huge pull for me has been the attention to detail and stunning-looking environments and I'll be really unhappy if they don't come back.

So yeah, I guess how I'd sum this game up is:
Technically a very very good game, but might not be to everyone's taste or preference. Only technical thing I'd fault is the difficulty towards the end of the game, which hits Eggmanland out of the park.

[RedDevilDazzy]

The final boss music is really awesome, just listened to it on YouTube.

[Fools in Miru]

I got it for my B-day.