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Welcome Center => News and Updates => Topic started by: Rolken on February 23, 2009, 05:25:37 pm

Title: What's new in Sonic
Post by: Rolken on February 23, 2009, 05:25:37 pm
Gametap did a video retrospective (http://kotaku.com/5156043/gametap-remembers-sonic-the-hedgehogs-better-days) on the original Sonic games that includes a lot of interviews with people of Sonic's past. It's around 20 minutes long but it's got some interesting stuff in it.

Sonic 1 Megamix (http://www.soniccenter.org/forum/index.php?topic=2257.142) is back in development and, apparently, has always been. Yeah, they said they cancelled it, but they didn't. Here's the Retro topic/drama (http://forums.sonicretro.org/index.php?showtopic=14121) with some videos.

Sonic and the Black Knight still has a couple weeks to go, but Nintendo Power has already reviewed it and given it 8.0. For comparison, some past NP scores: SADX - 7.4, SA2B - 8.4, Sonic Heroes - 8.4, Shadow - 8.0, Secret Rings - 8.5, Unleashed - 8.0. So, uh, I guess that score doesn't tell you much.
Title: Re: What's new in Sonic
Post by: Aitamen on February 23, 2009, 07:01:23 pm
Sonic and the Black Knight still has a couple weeks to go, but Nintendo Power has already reviewed it and given it 8.0. For comparison, some past NP scores: SADX - 7.4, SA2B - 8.4, Sonic Heroes - 8.4, Shadow - 8.0, Secret Rings - 8.5, Unleashed - 8.0. So, uh, I guess that score doesn't tell you much.

It means that it's pretty...  or somethin'...

Yeah, NP's not much help, especially whenever we don't consider the parts of the game that are put there on purpose
Title: Re: What's new in Sonic
Post by: EngiNerd on February 23, 2009, 08:22:05 pm
I'll take on par with Unleashed.  Sounds good to me.
Title: Re: What's new in Sonic
Post by: Luxray on February 24, 2009, 02:51:31 am
So if i'm correct....

It is going to be a lame as Unleashed but better than Secret Rings?

...good enough for me...
Title: Re: What's new in Sonic
Post by: Cream147 on February 24, 2009, 03:08:28 am
Erk, Nintendo Power need to get more taste, saying that SADX is the worst Sonic game to come out on a Nintendo console...
Title: Re: What's new in Sonic
Post by: EngiNerd on February 24, 2009, 09:33:28 am
From what I've played, it IS the worst on the Nintendo side (not counting the handhelds).  Seriously, go back and play it again.  Poor graphics (particularly AFTER SA2B), mildly broken gameplay (seriously, Tails is WAY too easy, and Amy and Big are horrid), really dull adventure fields (why on EARTH Sega decided to continue using them is beyond me), poor upgrade system (only ONCE is one of the upgrades useful on a past level, it's the light shoes in Windy Valley, and it actually takes LONGER) ... While I enjoy playing it (a game with Sky Deck is automatically a good one), the others are far better.  True, I haven't played Shadow yet, but it's on my todo list.
Title: Re: What's new in Sonic
Post by: Rolken on February 24, 2009, 09:38:24 pm
Heh, well, Nintendo Power actually gave SADX its second-best review (http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/cube/sonicadventuredx?q=sonic), so it wasn't just them. It had the worst metacritic reviews of any "main" Sonic game until Sonic06 (both Riders games got slightly worse). Bear in mind that it did pretty well on the Dreamcast; its terrible scores on Gamecube were in part punishment for not fixing any of the problems with the original release.
Title: Re: What's new in Sonic
Post by: Aitamen on February 24, 2009, 11:45:37 pm
Heh, well, Nintendo Power actually gave SADX its second-best review (http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/cube/sonicadventuredx?q=sonic), so it wasn't just them. It had the worst metacritic reviews of any "main" Sonic game until Sonic06 (both Riders games got slightly worse). Bear in mind that it did pretty well on the Dreamcast; its terrible scores on Gamecube were in part punishment for not fixing any of the problems with the original release.


I would like to note that I, personally, would be torn between down-ranking a game and upranking a game based on updates... it really depends on how they're implemented, and if they nerfed anything...

For example, if all they did was graphics-patch the game, it'd be an automatic -3 off of whatever the other score was...

On the other hand, if they patched broken peices of the game (like the capsule in FE... or wherever it is (not my game, sorry...)), I could see as being positive...
Title: Re: What's new in Sonic
Post by: EngiNerd on February 25, 2009, 09:28:20 am
They DID fix some glitches, so that is to their credit.
And Riders is toilet waste.  Haven't tried Zero Gravity but I get the sense that it's actually an improvement (I CANNOT powerslide in Riders 1).
Title: Re: What's new in Sonic
Post by: Firstkirbyever on February 25, 2009, 02:59:35 pm
They DID fix some glitches, so that is to their credit.
And Riders is toilet waste.  Haven't tried Zero Gravity but I get the sense that it's actually an improvement (I CANNOT powerslide in Riders 1).

imo Zero gravity is worse then the first one D:
Title: Re: What's new in Sonic
Post by: Rolken on February 25, 2009, 05:25:27 pm
Zero Gravity is one of those games I forget exists until someone brings it up, like the Rivals pair or Pinball Party.

I would like to note that I, personally, would be torn between down-ranking a game and upranking a game based on updates... it really depends on how they're implemented, and if they nerfed anything...

For example, if all they did was graphics-patch the game, it'd be an automatic -3 off of whatever the other score was...

On the other hand, if they patched broken peices of the game (like the capsule in FE... or wherever it is (not my game, sorry...)), I could see as being positive...
If you would dock a game's score for improving the graphics, then you and I are simply two different people.

But that's not the only effect in play. Scores also tend to naturally degrade over time as more is expected out of a top-tier game. You can protest that N64 games were just as fun as 360 games, but in terms of features and functionality there's no comparison. And Sonic Adventure had a lot of basic problems that were glossed over by hype in the beginning but didn't wear well over time.
Title: Re: What's new in Sonic
Post by: EngiNerd on February 25, 2009, 09:11:45 pm
Except for Super Mario 64.  Because that game should really have waited until the Gamecube at least....
Title: Re: What's new in Sonic
Post by: Cream147 on March 01, 2009, 07:56:34 am
Heh, well, Nintendo Power actually gave SADX its second-best review (http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/cube/sonicadventuredx?q=sonic), so it wasn't just them. It had the worst metacritic reviews of any "main" Sonic game until Sonic06 (both Riders games got slightly worse). Bear in mind that it did pretty well on the Dreamcast; its terrible scores on Gamecube were in part punishment for not fixing any of the problems with the original release.


But in comparison to Shadow? To Sonic Heroes? To Sonic and the Secret Rings? I would rate it better than all of those. Of course, it's just an opinion, and yes, it was an old game which they didn't fix problems with, so I suppose it's the Dreamcast game that should take the credit. Sonic '06 never did come out on a Nintendo console.

EDIT: It also scored better than Shadow the Hedgehog at Metacritic (it should be noted that Nintendo Power gave Shadow the Hedgehog the highest rating) I'm aware that isn't a main Sonic game, but it is one of the games that Nintendo Power gave more than SADX.
Title: Re: What's new in Sonic
Post by: Aitamen on March 01, 2009, 01:42:24 pm
Zero Gravity is one of those games I forget exists until someone brings it up, like the Rivals pair or Pinball Party.

I would like to note that I, personally, would be torn between down-ranking a game and upranking a game based on updates... it really depends on how they're implemented, and if they nerfed anything...

For example, if all they did was graphics-patch the game, it'd be an automatic -3 off of whatever the other score was...

On the other hand, if they patched broken peices of the game (like the capsule in FE... or wherever it is (not my game, sorry...)), I could see as being positive...
If you would dock a game's score for improving the graphics, then you and I are simply two different people.

But that's not the only effect in play. Scores also tend to naturally degrade over time as more is expected out of a top-tier game. You can protest that N64 games were just as fun as 360 games, but in terms of features and functionality there's no comparison. And Sonic Adventure had a lot of basic problems that were glossed over by hype in the beginning but didn't wear well over time.

I was noting that a graphical improvement to a game is just annoying...  I'd rather have them spend that time improving other things...

And yes, Rolken... I hope we're two different people...

I think Flyby would be disturbed otherwise, no?