Concept Art Fridays

[Pawn]

It would be cool if the fans could vote for the badniks' names each week. At the very least it would make the build-up more interesting.

[Blue Blood]

It would be cool if the fans could vote for the badniks' names each week. At the very least it would make the build-up more interesting.

[Balding Spider]

If that really is Spikes from the originals, then that's one Hell of a design overhaul. I gues Robotnik is serious when saying that he is upgrading his very best badniks.

But I wouldn't be surprised if that's just an original Badnik with wrong name given! XP

Edited January 25, 2012 by Balding Spider

[Dantemustdie00]

Heh, that isn't the only redesign of Spikes.

People fail to to notice that the Interceptor in Sonic Colors greatly resembles the Spikes Badnik, just way more deadly. Call it Spikes Senior

[Marcello]

Just because they're both hermit crabs doesn't make them greatly resemble each other. Though, it's at least more than Shellspike (New name :V)

[Scar]

The name of the badnik is so ridiculously irrelevant that I find it hard to care that it has the same name as an S1 badnik.

[speedfreak]

The name of the badnik is so ridiculously irrelevant that I find it hard to care that it has the same name as an S1 badnik.

[Diogenes]

It's not about the name itself, but of Sega pulling the same shit they did in episode 1. When E1 got bashed as hard as it did for being a rehash, and they decide a good teaser for E2, and so far one of the only scraps of information we have on it, is to show even more rehashing, what reason do I have to believe they're fixing anything?

[Marcello]

New-Spikes isn't a rehash, though.

[Scar]

It's not about the name itself, but of Sega pulling the same shit they did in episode 1. When E1 got bashed as hard as it did for being a rehash, and they decide a good teaser for E2, and so far one of the only scraps of information we have on it, is to show even more rehashing, what reason do I have to believe they're fixing anything?

Edited January 25, 2012 by Scar

[Diogenes]

New-Spikes isn't a rehash, though.

[Marcello]

I don't think is is Sonic 1 Spikes 2.0. It looks way to different to be an upgrade of it. To me it's a new Badnik.

[Scar]

The problem I have, is why it is named what it is. And as far as I can tell, given the history of Sonic 4, the reasons are some combination of laziness, pandering, and rehashing.

[Barry the Nomad]

Queen Elizabeth II is hardly a "rehash" of Queen Elizabeth I. If it bugs you that much (which it really shouldn't), just consider it as Spikes II.

I couldn't really give a fuck if that badnik was called Bernard, John, Victoria or even Cpt. Pokeball Face. It looks different to any other badnik in the franchise and that's what matters, because in the game you will only see it.

[Diogenes]

As far as I'm concerned either Mr. Balough made a mistake, which he could have, or Dimps didn't realise there was an existing badnik of the same name.

[Scar]

I think your pattern recognition skills are poor.

[speedfreak]

I can understand being worried about ep2 being another rehash, but I just don't care to much about the logo and while completely new badniks would be nice it isn't that big of a deal to me. If we get a bunch of rehashed zones and boss fights I'll be right there with you though.

[Winston]

True, but what if we get a cutscene in which Sonic says "Spikes, long time no see!"

[Hyper-Shan]

The new Badnik is as much "re-hash" as Masher is to Chopper:

http://info.sonicretro.org/images/a/a6/Chopper.png

Chopper

http://info.sonicretro.org/images/2/27/Masher.png

Masher

[Blue Blood]

There are lots of Badniks that function the same/similarly to each other with looks to boot, but look at it this way. Episode 1 consisted of very little original content. Everything in the game was a rehash of something from the Classics. Episode 2 comes around and the first things they show us are a rehashed level gimmick and a Badnik that looks somewhat similar to an existing one with the same name to boot. It certainly doesn't look like things are boding well at the moment. It could just be a simple mistake. Like Dio said, it's why it's called Spikes, not that it's called Spikes.

Edited January 25, 2012 by Blue Blood

[Salamander]

Sonic is setting off to explore new areas, so why not throw the fans a bone and say "Sonic 4 takes place on East Island!" or North Island or any island with a name. Hopefully Episode 2 remedies this, or somebody ask Iizuka at SoS to give the island a name.

Is this something that actually matters to people? It's not like these location names ever come up in the actual game or have any kind of a role. Ditto badnik names, at that.

With that said, I can see how this contributes to the sense that Sonic 4's lack of any real context renders it an uninspiring "generic Sonic adventure" (that's adventure without a capital A). Coming off the original trilogy which were - to various extents, but most particularly in S3&K - willing to sacrifice game structure to include cutscenes and an apparent plot, it's not exactly impressive for Sonic 4 just to be a series of identical events. And the nominal plot of Eggman remaking all of his past inventions is, like a hypothetical setting name, something that isn't indicated in the game at all, and, frankly, probably wasn't something the developers themselves actually proposed.

Still, it's insightful of Ken to realise that the Sonic fandom can't hold off for a whole week without something new to scrap about. He sure knows the community he's managing.

[Djawed]

There are lots of Badniks that function the same/similarly to each other with looks to boot, but look at it this way. Episode 1 consisted of very little original content. Everything in the game was a rehash of something from the Classics. Episode 2 comes around and the first things they show us are a rehashed level gimmick and a Badnik that looks somewhat similar to an existing one with the same name to boot. It certainly doesn't look like things are boding well at the moment. It could just be a simple mistake. Like Dio said, it's why it's called Spikes, not that it's called Spikes.

Yeah this.

Surely if they had new ideas they would have showed that first, right? I mean they are aware of the complaints, and Ken Balough has made this aware so from a marketing pov this makes little sense as well

Edited January 25, 2012 by Djawed

[PC the Hedgehog]

The new Badnik is as much "re-hash" as Masher is to Chopper:

http://info.sonicret.../a6/Chopper.png

Chopper

http://info.sonicret...2/27/Masher.png

Masher

And Buzzer to Buzzbomber.

And Emerald Hill Zone to Green Hill Zone.

There are lots of Badniks that function the same/similarly to each other with looks to boot, but look at it this way. Episode 1 consisted of very little original content. Everything in the game was a rehash of something from the Classics.

Except for the swinging on vines.

And spinning through cards to get extra lives and rings.

And jumping from one card to another.

And running along card pathways.

And running on boulders along a pathway.

And jumping around in mine carts.

And carrying a torch through a dark labyrinth.

And lighting fuses to blow up blockcades.

And lighting torches to make platforms appear.

And tilting the screen left and right to escape a watery death trap.

And riding vents of steam to go upwards.

And running on gears to get from one point to another.

And tilting platforms left and right to send Sonic going either direction.

And speeding away from a forward-moving wall while pieces of level rise and fall around you.

Sonic 4 shamelessly copies a lot from the classics, but saying EVERYTHING is a rehash of the classics is just plain wrong.

[OlenJimi]

Sonic 4 didn't rehash everything, but it rehashed way more than a sequel is supposed to.

[upg]

I've got some faith in Ep.2, after the backlash from the first episode they've been saying a lot about change and improvement.

We'll ultimately need to wait to see what happens with the game, but my bet is they'll treat us better this time around. **crosses fingers for Classic Sonic**

After all, Episode 1 did go beyond their expectations, and it seams to have been a test for the online market (Project Needlemouse)

With a bigger budget this time around and a good track record for online titles (Sonic 4 Ep.1 & Sonic CD) I'm betting we will see some better things happening this time around.