Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed...!

[Detective Shadzter]

> Implying I just meant you both and not others who have complained about this before in the thread

Well, I apologise for that. But as we were the latest two to complain and your post read like a heat of the moment rant, I assumed you were mainly referring to us. Apologies again. 

 

Difficulty isn't my only problem, though. The tracks are just plain boring for the most part and don't offer much excitement for the new planes and boats. There aren't as many obstacles as in the previous game either, just long boring open roads. The weapons are boring compared to the last game and mostly useless. Lack of music variety is very disappointing. I loved the optional music feature of the last game. Another issue for me is that drifting feels weird and the boost you charge takes too long to happen when you stop drifting. 

[Lady Soniko]

Well, I apologise for that. But as we were the latest two to complain and your post read like a heat of the moment rant, I assumed you were mainly referring to us. Apologies again. 

 

Difficulty isn't my only problem, though. The tracks are just plain boring for the most part and don't offer much excitement for the new planes and boats. There aren't as many obstacles as in the previous game either, just long boring open roads. The weapons are boring compared to the last game and mostly useless. Lack of music variety is very disappointing. I loved the optional music feature of the last game. Another issue for me is that drifting feels weird and the boost you charge takes too long to happen when you stop drifting. 

The weapons sucked, the A.I simply spam them at you, and i'm honestly sick to fucking death of being hit by Snowballs and Remote drones, but I heavily disagree with the level comment, the levels in the game are the main reason I keep coming back I just wish they had scrapped the returning tracks from SASASR and replaced them with 4 new tracks from yet more IP's, however the transform gimmick felt forced into the actual game as each segment rarely lasted over a few minutes just as you were getting used to the boat controls, you transform back into a car and have to adjust again, the lack of involvement the transformation gimmick gets in World Tour's other challenge modes doesn't exactly help either, where was the water ring challenges to help us hone our boat handling skills?

 

I mean I love the game, but the lack of content or finesse the game has (and lack of options, duke box, extras, online options etc.) make it feel like a down step from the previous game sometimes. 

[Linkabel]

Well from some reason when I turned on the game today I got the Spin Dash achievement even though I did the requirements ages ago. Maybe the laser ghost achievement will unlock itself too in the future. =/

 

I like that the A.I. is aggressive because at least to me it offers more a challenge and they act somewhat more like real people too. But I can see how some people might be turned off by the difficulty of the game and the not so stellar weapon system.

[DaN]

My 11 yo cousin can handle hard mode quite well, and a couple of days ago he reached the 5th position the first time he tried and expert race in Adder's Lair. I'm not saying anything else -.-

[MegasonicZX]

Well, I apologise for that. But as we were the latest two to complain and your post read like a heat of the moment rant, I assumed you were mainly referring to us. Apologies again. 

 

Difficulty isn't my only problem, though. The tracks are just plain boring for the most part and don't offer much excitement for the new planes and boats. There aren't as many obstacles as in the previous game either, just long boring open roads. The weapons are boring compared to the last game and mostly useless. Lack of music variety is very disappointing. I loved the optional music feature of the last game. Another issue for me is that drifting feels weird and the boost you charge takes too long to happen when you stop drifting. 

I actually thought that while the weapons themselves were kind of boring in terms of design, I felt as though they worked better and do more in terms of actually hitting people, but I do have to agree, I don't find the tracks themselves boring but I do feel as though there could have been more hazards. Also, there is nothing wrong with the drift, it just takes practice to get used to it since we all could just drift anywhere in the last one but I won't waste my breath on it so i'll just leave it at that.

Edited December 28, 2012 by megadude001

[Solly]

As much as I don't think the game's too hard, the characters and stuff shouldn't be so hard to unlock. Two of the major groups that are going to by this are

• Children, who are naturally going to have a harder time with it, BlueHedgehog's cousin being exempt.

• People who want to start it up and immediately start racing their friends.

I get that you can play the World Tour missions in multiplayer, which is a lot of fun- don't get me wrong. And I think the game's got really impressive and robust single-player content, but a lot of people are gonna be disappointed that they can't just pop the game in and play with the characters they wanted. Smash Bros Brawl has a similar problem, but at the very least there's more than one condition to unlock every character.

With that said, I appreciate the game's difficulty, and I find it refreshing. Even though traffic attack is horrible and not fun.

Edited December 28, 2012 by Solly

[Crazizzle]

I understand the frustration this game gives people, because a lot of the people who buy mascot racers are not hardcore arcade  racing fans. People buy this game because they love SEGA characters, first and foremost,as non-SEGA fans will likely not seriously view this as a worthy racer. So...this game is being played by people who are great at Sonic games, or great at Panzer Dragoon...or great at Skies of Arcadia. Whatever. And they want to play as their favorite Sega character...but they can't until they get 100-something stars in a mission mode.

 

 And yeah, I understand it's like this in other mascot racers and even fighters. But generally only one or two characters are really grueling to unlock. Mario Kart only has a few tough character unlocks, and Smash Bros. lets you get every character easily...but things like trophies are murder to get.

 

 I have everything unlocked, btw...since I grew up with racing games. I'm better at this than Mario Kart, the arcade style racing plays much like an Outrun with items and attacks. But I do think characters and stages should be mostly attainable for most gamers...and have higher difficulties unlock cool side stuff and extras.

 

Edit: Solly nailed it. I wanted to play this with my brother, but I had to do a million challenges first. And he sucks at the game, so I kind of feel bad. Mind you, he's elite at Mario games and I fail miserably. Difficulty is relative, I wish people would understand that. Someone isn't a bad gamer because something trips them up while you win easily.

Edited December 28, 2012 by Crazizzle

[Frogging101]

From my experience it's kind of rare that PC gamers don't have gamepads.

You can even use an Xbox or PS3 controller to play on your PC.

Considering the Xbox 360 wired controller works with any PC game, and is widely available and quite a nice game pad in its own right, I'm pretty sure most PC gamers have one or a similar controller lying around. You basically need one if you're not playing a shooter, RPG, or strategy game.

Yeah the 360 pad actually works out of the box with most Steam games, especially multi-platform ones. The default controls are configured to be the same as an actual 360. This is the case with most of SEGA's steam games.

 

I use a 360 pad, usually. Unless I'm playing a shooter, in which case the keyboard and mouse set-up is vastly better. 

Ah, okay. I guess I foolishly assumed that most people only have the wireless controllers (I only have wireless Xbox 360 controllers, except for the wired one I bought off eBay specifically to use with my PC). And that wireless receiver for Windows thing has unfortunately been discontinued by Microsoft and it's pretty hard to find a genuine Microsoft one online.

[Crazizzle]

I have a Game Pad for emulation...otherwise, my PC can't even play Sonic Heroes much less S&ASRT.

 

BTW, F'ing Expert Graffiti City...how does it work? That's still the most annoying Expert Ghost to me...by far.

[Autosaver]

...Why are we greentexting on SSMB?

 

Anyways.

 

Fave is probably Graffiti City, of the new batch.

That stage is awful due to the stupid buildings. It is so easy to get stuck and slowly fall down to your death.

[Lange]

Looking for friends to add on the Wii U version of the game, community seems a bit scarce online PM me or post thanks, I play with Blue and Tidal Gamer, and Autosaver so far from SSMB.

 

Great game just got for xmas, I was amazed by it honestly and has been the game to play with others online with Wii U since I don't have anyone locally.  Awsome graphics I know they are the same on all HD consoles but being a Wii guy I appreciate the upgrade. 

 

As far as the negative of the game I only have a few minor complaints. One is even though a lot of people in the Wii U community in the Mii verse and in general seem interested in the game its hard to find many people to play online. The public matchmaking is really scarce for some reason and takes forever even just to find 1 person to play with. Whats up with that? Another thing is with people you've friended you can only play in private lobbies and you can't public play with friends which is sorta a letdown because that could be usefull. And lastly setting up a game with friends is somewhat of a pain because you can't tell what someone is doing very easily. The friend list in the game shows ALL your Wii U friends online not just your friends who are online with Sonic all stars which is kind of strange. Also to even know a lobby is up you have to prearrange with them or just get lucky and happen to join them on the friends list no easy way of telling.

 

Otherwise is a great game to kickoff my Wii U just wish more people really cared about the Wii U version.

[JezMM]

I think my main problem with the game is that I just don't find World Tour very fun.  I just want to race, and it annoyed me that you are forced to play the game the way the developers wanted you to to unlock content.  Hearing tracks can unlock through playing them in matchmaking is good though.

 

I just wish this one had a shop system so I could EVENTUALLY unlock everything.  Thankfully as mentioned many a time before I am mainly here for the Sonic, I'm not much of a SEGA buff, so having seen everything there is to see Sonic-wise I'm not exactly fussed about unlocking Reala or the final character (I mean I liked NiGHTS on the Wii but I wouldn't play as Reala so yeah).

 

 

I am also a little bitter because I still don't understand why a franchise like Samba Di Amigo gets a character, a new track, and a returning track, and Phantasy Star Online still has had zero representation in the series.  Especially with PSO2 on the horizon.  Like, not even a reference in Race of AGES or the Burning Rangers track or something.

 

No an achievement name or two does not count.

Edited December 28, 2012 by JezMM

[Xenos]

>People complain Sonic games are too easy now-a-days and want challenge that isn't cheaply placed enemies or bottomless pits.

 

>Sumo/SEGA give us a challenging racing title that requires actual skill to beat.

 

>People complain it's too hard.

 

...Yes, because slow tank missions where I have to fire missiles at it and wait an eternity or else I get punished for going fast measures the skills I have in a fucking racing game!

 

Ghost cars of doom and trying to navigate them even though certain cars that are big/long make this borderline impossible shows how good I am at racing a course with normally nothing like that in them.

 

Honestly, I love this game a lot but World Tour can be kind of irritating sometimes. I just can't see the enjoyment in things like Traffic Attack or those tank missions.

 

Battle Race would be fun if the AI wasn't programmed to release every single item it has an instant after it gets hit.

 

And honestly? How helpful are items when racing AI? Half the time they like, barely flinch. I mean, what is seconds of slowdown from being hit by an item for a player is like, a quarter of that for AI, and sometimes you don't even get a lead from it. I've said this before but the tornado is practically useless because of this because the AI won't get messed up, it's fucking AI.

 

I'm not saying this game takes no skill, but a lot of the things in this game you do aren't really something I would say makes you skilled at actually racing.

[JezMM]

I will admit, the thing that drives me most mad in this game is when AI racers just... drive past me.  As if they can just go faster.  And I mean they probably can, but I've noticed no pattern between what other characters can do this and what can't.  And I like to use acceleration mods and yet AI racers will still catch up to and overtake me when I've been driving flawlessly (thus should be at max speed) the entire time.  Sometimes even when I'm boosting!  Like... I know acceleration mods have crappy boost but surely even the highest general speed should be slower than the weakest boost.  D=

[Ming Ming Hatsune]

I am also a little bitter because I still don't understand why a franchise like Samba Di Amigo gets a character, a new track, and a returning track, and Phantasy Star Online still has had zero representation in the series.  Especially with PSO2 on the horizon.  Like, not even a reference in Race of AGES or the Burning Rangers track or something.

 

Hey! Hands off Samba De Amigo! I love its tracks and music! (well except the one they used for Sunshine Tour Transformed) Not to mention I use Amigo for all my Ring Races. D=

Edited December 28, 2012 by Merry Ming Shana

[Thrippa]

That's one of my major frustrations, too.  I know the track I've just come over has no boosters, I've got a boost item I'm using, and MeeMee just cruises past me carrying snowballs - so I know SHE's not boosting or hot-rodding.  And I really don't think she's supposed to be faster than Sonic.  I find the Aircraft Carrier 'shortcut' useless, because if I don't take it, I'm beaten by the AI that does, and if I DO take it, hit nothing and come out boosting - I'm instantly passed by the AI that DIDN'T.  Again, this has happened as Sonic, and Sonic boosting ought to be as fast as any character in the race, I'd think.  And all three characters that beat me (I dropped from 1st to 4th by taking the shortcut perfectly) were carrying items. 

 

 

I also wish two things: one, that there was either an alternate way to unlock the later characters or a way to select which ones you want, like you could buy them in the previous game.  I've made it to Gilius, but I want Reala - I need another 40 stars, will get nothing (except one unlock I'm not interested in) before then, and ALL of them are going to be Hard or Expert tracks - which are by definition, well, hard.  I'd gladly have swapped the last couple of characters for the one I'm interested in, and just acquired Gum and Gili later, as I acquired the stars naturally.  An 'unlock a character of your choice' at set star levels would have been nice, even if the ultimate character was still restricted as a major reward, would have been nice, especially for folks who are not so adept.

 

Two, it would be nice to be able to scroll the map rather than seeing only the immediate surroundings and having to track up and down the paths.  Trying to figure out what I need or where I can go (or where the last thing that I unlocked was, this map or the last one - or maybe two back?) is difficult.

[Detective Shadzter]

Wow... I just went back to the Tricky Traffic Traffic Attack mission in the Frozen Valley part of World Tour and I beat it first time on Hard difficulty O_O I decided to try the handling mod on MeeMee this time and I tried it without drifting at every opportunity, and it was much easier and kinda fun. I didn't even hit a single car. I doubt I'll get that lucky again with the later Traffic Attack missions. 

[buba]

I will admit, the thing that drives me most mad in this game is when AI racers just... drive past me.  As if they can just go faster.  And I mean they probably can, but I've noticed no pattern between what other characters can do this and what can't.  And I like to use acceleration mods and yet AI racers will still catch up to and overtake me when I've been driving flawlessly (thus should be at max speed) the entire time.  Sometimes even when I'm boosting!  Like... I know acceleration mods have crappy boost but surely even the highest general speed should be slower than the weakest boost.  D=

 

Some days ago I was driving flawlessly in the Sonic Colours stage with no opponent in sight and then I notice that Ralph out of nowhere was starting to catch up for some damn reason, I get a boost item and use it to avoid him, but the bastard not using boost was able to reach me and push me off the edge while he screamed "I'M GONNA WRECK IT!". I already disliked that fucker, but now...

[JezMM]

Hey! Hands off Samba De Amigo! I love its tracks and music! (well except the one they used for Sunshine Tour Transformed) Not to mention I use Amigo for all my Ring Races. D=

 

It had two games and an enhanced re-release.  The Phantasy Star series has had over ten games.  The Phantasy Star Online continuity alone has six of them.  Just... I don't understand guuuh.

 

 

I still feel like when I REALLY look at this game's track selection it seems a lot of choices were made for budgeting reasons.  They did a fantastic job with all of them but let's face it, at least 50% of them reused existing assets from one thing or another.  Still really sad that not a single Sonic track was one we haven't already seen on current-gen hardware.

Edited December 28, 2012 by JezMM

[Autosaver]

Anyone else annoyed with the token system?

 

You collect them too slowly in normal races, and the maximum number you can hold is too small. Also, in multiplayer, a group of people can blow off the entire collection of tokens in seconds. I wish everyone had their own counter (25x for everyone for example) so you actually had some for yourself.

[JezMM]

To be honest the token system kinda bothers me in general.  It feels really "off" to have a risk vs reward system in which putting effort in on this race may make a later completely different race very slightly easier... maybe.

[FourCartridge]

To be honest the token system kinda bothers me in general.  It feels really "off" to have a risk vs reward system in which putting effort in on this race may make a later completely different race very slightly easier... maybe.

 

Do what I do and just save some tokens for later. Better to have a very good chance for something good in a few hours than maybe get it right now. XD

[Burnt Ash]

Wow... I just went back to the Tricky Traffic Traffic Attack mission in the Frozen Valley part of World Tour and I beat it first time on Hard difficulty O_O I decided to try the handling mod on MeeMee this time and I tried it without drifting at every opportunity, and it was much easier and kinda fun. I didn't even hit a single car. I doubt I'll get that lucky again with the later Traffic Attack missions. 

 

Is this Panzer Dragoon? Personally, I found the Panzer Dragoon Traffic Attack to be the hardest of the bunch.

[BlueTidalGamer]

The later Traffic Attack missions tend to get easier the further you progress. The last one especially.

[FourCartridge]

The later Traffic Attack missions tend to get easier the further you progress. The last one especially.

 

If only cause they give you items(it's so cathartic to shoot the cars that gave you so much trouble). Once you do complete one, the rest become kind of easy. I heard of the game's difficulty being like a "bell curve", and I agree; after you do the hardest thing, everything starts to get easier to the point where you start wishing there was another difficulty, cause how could THAT be hard, right? =P

 

And yes I know I sound like d-bag, but I had to let it out.