Concept Art Fridays

[TrueBlue]

It doesn't matter, now what happens...~

Oh well. Cool new badnik in any case.

[TheDanimator]

Alright im gonna drop it.

Let me just state.

I was not talking about everyone.

There have been certain specific posts on here that are essentially saying

"This game is gonna be just another rehash"

Which upsets me because I personally do not feel they have enough evidence to come to such conclusions.

I urge you to go back and read the previous posts again, and the ones on the front page.

Maybe you will see my point a little more.

But yeah, its not worth arguing about.

I already apologized for being too pissed off about it, it was hard to not let it get to me.

i wuz gon say "critiception" bt den i tuk an arw 2 tha knee lmao im funy

Buy anyways, yeah, some of the criticism going around is a bit silly. People are making assumptions at this point, and other people are getting worked up over said assumptions, treating them as if they were fact. Just wait for the next trailer when SEGA releases three seconds of gameplay. THEN you can judge.

... Actually, never mind. Wait for a full trailer or something. Actually, just wait until the game comes ou--... wtf w/e.

Agreed.

[Diogenes]

I am trying really hard not to curse right now because my pissed off meter is off the scale.

Then step away from the computer, go outside, take a walk, and chill.

Honestly I think the concerns are largely legitimate, if a bit excessive. Episode 1 was overhyped and embarrassingly lazy, and they've done little to show they're changing that for episode 2. Still, we know so little about the game that I can't see getting worked up about it as if they've already failed.

[Spooky Mulder]

Wait isn't this a NEW badnik? I certainly don't recognize it...

Episode I didn't have a single original badnik so I'll take it. As far as I'm concerned that's much more significant than a "rehashed" wheel.

[Solkia]

The SEGA Forums are handling this much better than we are XD

http://forums.sega.c...ial-concept-art

I was quite patient with this the first time, but this time I've got to agree with everyone here because the circumstances are different.

Pretty bad when Beat of all people is dissing us...

[Indigo Rush]

Okay, you know what? That's it.

I'm calling this guy the HERMINATOR.

"COME WITH ME IF YOU WANT TO LOSE YOUR RINGS."

[Neon]

What will happen with Episode 2:

*Shit teasers*

"Wait until we get a gameplay trailer!"

*Shit gameplay trailer*

"Wait until we get proper footage!"

*Shit footage*

"Wait until you actually play some of the game!"

*Play demo - shit*

"Play the FULL game"

*Plays full game - shit*

"Well..."

[TheDanimator]

Then step away from the computer, go outside, take a walk, and chill.

Honestly I think the concerns are largely legitimate, if a bit excessive. Episode 1 was overhyped and embarrassingly lazy, and they've done little to show they're changing that for episode 2. Still, we know so little about the game that I can't see getting worked up about it as if they've already failed.

There was no reason to call me out on what I said, I already apologized for it.

I should have said "frusteration level"

I wasnt really "pissed off", more irritated.

"Episode 1 was overhyped and embarrassingly lazy"

I only half agree with this, and I dont feel like this should be stated as fact because in some peoples mind, including my own, episode 1 did allot of things perfectly.

"and they've done little to show they're changing that for episode 2"

So little that people should stop talking about it. Lol, just my opinion.

[Scar]

@ Neon

That's a very extreme stance to take.

I don't judge a game till I have something to judge it on. Yeah we have an arguably rehashed spinny-thing, but a whole new badnik. Doesn't accurately say anything about the game itself.

Just so we're clear though, we are getting mad at the method of revealing the game, rather than the concept art itself. There is nothing wrong with what we've been shown, just the way they're showing it to us.

Edited January 20, 2012 by Scar

[Barry the Nomad]

Well, I'm excited for new concept art each week. Last time it was "oh... that old element, drawn in photoshop..." but now we're getting (presumably) new stuff, something with a little more meat. Like Herman the Hermit Crab for example, hints at a beach/underwater zone. Perhaps future Concept Art Fridays™ will contain new stuff that gives us an idea of what zones to expect, but nothing to the point of spoiling a whole zone.

Honestly, Episode 1's marketing went too far in highlighting every zone. Leave some surprises for episode 2! Back in the Genesis days games were packed with surprises. I don't recall knowing about more than one or two zones before a game like Sonic 2 released.

[Salamander]

While it being the Marble Garden wheel doesn't confirm or deny anything about what kind of zone it will be in, it seems significant that the very first piece of concept art Sega are showing off for the game is a rehashed gimmick; it's almost as if they chose it to cause as much controversy as possible, as opposed to the only conceptually rehashed Badnik. So there are two options: Either Episode 2 is a lot less rehash-heavy in general, and they're getting the rehashes out of the way first before showing off new material to get people feeling more optimistic before the release... or they just plain didn't listen to the criticisms of the first game being a complete rehash at all. Actually, no, that's not true. My sense is that the truth is in-between - that there's no direct rehashing of old zones or badniks, but there is reuse of old gimmicks and the badniks and zones fit squarely into the standard tropes. The first level won't necessarily be called Marble Hill, or look identical to Marble Garden, but the parallels will be there for those with strong memories. Still, it'd be refreshing to see the first zone being Marble Hill, as that would bring in some level features that are never normally seen in a first level. Well, only time will tell!

As to what I think of the marketing strategy in general... Concept Art Friday leaves me feeling a bit uneasy, as it sort of implies that they envisage a lot of Concept Art Fridays, a couple of months' worth.

[Soniman]

How the hell is reusing familar gameplay gimmicks "rehashing"? Doesn't ANY OTHER platforming series do the same thing?

Hell, they may not even be implemented the same way. Jeez >.>

[TheDanimator]

hahaha, im glad some people are agreeing with me, I was worried there for a second.

[Jetronic]

Okay, you know what? That's it.

I'm calling this guy the HERMINATOR.

Termahermit

Also, I actually quite like this little guy. He wants to kill me, yet I want to hug him and destroy him at the same time.

Edited January 20, 2012 by Jetronic

[Barry the Nomad]

The way I see it, Sonic 3 and Sonic Generations both had the balloon gimmick, but both games had them in very different environments. Same goes for the gondola gimmick and the antigravity tops. I don't recall people complaining about those gimmicks being reused.

The blue wheel thingy is just an alternative to a button that opens a door, so I see no reason why it can't be reused. Honestly, I think they're more creative than the button switches as they take advantage of one of Sonic's skills.

[Blue Blood]

What will happen with Episode 2:

*Shit teasers*

"Wait until we get a gameplay trailer!"

*Shit gameplay trailer*

"Wait until we get proper footage!"

*Shit footage*

"Wait until you actually play some of the game!"

*Play demo - shit*

"Play the FULL game"

*Plays full game - shit*

"Well..."

It's funny, cause then we'll be rehashing everything we said about E1. Now let's say E2 does turn out like a piece of crap, I'm sure some people will take that stance again, saying "wait until we see more, wait until you play the demo, wait until reviews come it, wait until you play the full game, wait until episode 3". Ugh. It could happen. But right now, I'm still hoping for the best at least.

How the hell is reusing familar gameplay gimmicks "rehashing"? Doesn't ANY OTHER platforming series do the same thing?

Hell, they may not even be implemented the same way. Jeez >.>

The Classic games made use of new gimmicks everywhere that it was possible to. Gimmicks were very rarely used twice, so when the first thing we see of E2 is a rehash you should be able to understand the concern. The rage is premature, but the concern is definitely warranted.

Edited January 20, 2012 by Blue Blood

[-Robin-]

You know, assuming the badnik is in the same zone as the wheel, and the wheel functions the same as it did in Marble Garden, the badnik would be pretty good at serving as a decoy for Sonic to run to try to activate it. He tries to activate the wheel on the top, and the spikes instantly protrude out of the shell, causing damage. That would be pretty nifty.

It would be like the Spike decoy in the original Marble Garden, except that the badnik will hurt you no matter what you do to it.

[Chooch]

I never would have even seen this until Shade Vortex told me about it on Skype. One again, nothing substantial. It's kind of amusing that they're doing this again.

Someone call me when there's real information on the game. I'm guessing that won't be for a few months, yeah?

[Komodin]

... Meh.

Call me when they;'re actually showing some gameplay footage. Two years ago, I would've gotten a bit excited over concept art like this; now, I just can't muster up the damns to give about this anymore.

Nice design for the badnik, though...

[Ruby Havoc]

What a nice design. I'm looking forward to seeing more new badniks.

Edit: Wow, there really is a PokeBall there. Hahahacan'tunsee.jpg

Edited January 20, 2012 by Torcano Havoc

[TheDanimator]

Sega has recently proved to me they are no longer stupid and they actually do care about feedback once again so...

I have high confidence there will be only mild rehash "nothing worse than any of the other classics"

a highly improved physics engine

and a better looking "by most peoples standards" graphics engine.

At this point I am most concerned about the storyline.

I will be highly surprised if they make the same mistakes they did with episode 1.

Edited January 20, 2012 by TheDanimator

[Blue Blood]

At this point I am most concerned about the storyline.

I will be highly surprised if they make the same mistakes they did with episode 1.

Like what? E1 had absolutely no story outside of what was (horribly) written on the website. It doesn't really count too much.

EDIT: From IceKnight at Retro, the dates on the files for these pics:

Hermit crab: "2011-05-10T22:47:05+09:00"

Colored wheel: "2011-11-25T14:04:34+09:00"

Edited January 20, 2012 by Blue Blood

[Arcade Racer CC14]

Honestly, that wheel could be for anything, so I'm not going to worry my head off over it. The Badnik, however, is awesome. It's great to see a new one and it confirms that they're being at least a tad more original this time around. He's also quite an adorable little guy. I'm personally going to be looking forward to every Friday just to see if we get some more new Badnik designs. Hopefully, we'll also see some more originality in the concept art beyond just the Badniks so some people can rest a bit easier. As it stands though, I'm liking what I see.

Edited January 20, 2012 by chaoscontrol14

[Emmett L. Brown]

Cool badnik. Neat gimmick.

Nice mole hill - I shan't mistake it for a mountain. I see a conclusion over there but don't feel like leaping to it. I also see that episode 1's "Physics" buzzword has been replaced with "rehash", so I'll keep that in mind. Alright, I'll wait for next friday then.

[Marcello]

If we get concept arts of new Badniks every week, I'm cool with this. Unlike E1 we're getting new things, so I think it's interesting.