Freedom Planet: coming to a Wii U near you! Indie Assault starring Spade is also a thing!

[Coral]

The fact is they're asking for far too much money for this thing, especially since the majority of the game was already completed and unless I'm mistaking they were not paying anyone back then or asking for money. Yet now it's 'Well guys we need $2000 to finish it...' bull fucking shit you do!  "We need $1000 to add another character in" WHY!? What possible reason do you need that sum for!?

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that Strife has been mostly working on the game by himself this whole time. He has skills at making sprites, but I'm not sure what his skill level is with actual drawing art. The images of the three characters that I posted on the op were given to him as freebies from a fan, and he liked them enough to make them the official artwork of the site. If anything, the only thing he has paid for (to my knowledge) was to commission images based on the characters on the Characters page of the game's main website.

 

That is a lot of work to do by yourself over a course of years. Naturally he'd probably want to hire some help to speed things along at a decent clip. While I don't like the idea of making a webcomic with money going toward a game, I can see a comic as a good way to advertise the game's lore and characters to any curious people that don't know about the game and that would otherwise not browse through game forums to learn about.

Edited January 20, 2013 by Coral

[Tara]

I am willing to admit that this looks like a promising title, but goodness gracious the in-game art is horrendous. One might try to defend this by say that the game's indie and thus not much can be expected, but for Pete's sake I've seen entirely free games that look better.

I honestly thought the artwork was really well done.  Not spectacular, mind you.  Some parts really could go for a better texture, but other than that, it doesn't leave much for me to desire.  It sort of looks like an oil painting, which I love.

[Conando]

*Looks at the Steam greenlight page and sees people calling it gay and a furry piece of shit* Really? This is what we do? This is what gamers do? Freakin'...well, I voted to greenlight it because, the demo was fun enough and I wouldn't mind the creator getting some money for their work.

[Tara]

*Looks at the Steam greenlight page and sees people calling it gay and a furry piece of shit* Really? This is what we do? This is what gamers do? Freakin'...well, I voted to greenlight it because, the demo was fun enough and I wouldn't mind the creator getting some money for their work.

Trolls gonna be trolls.

[Diogenes]

*Looks at the Steam greenlight page and sees people calling it gay and a furry piece of shit* Really? This is what we do? This is what gamers do? 

...are you new to the internet?

[Chris]

I'd like to remind you guys that this game is essentially doing what so many have clamored for on these very forums for as long as I've been a member of staff: going back to exactly what people enjoyed of the Sonic series and attempting to put their own spin on it, so many years after the games themselves had been popular. They're playing on nostalgia and using it as their tool, and you know what?

Fuck, I'd pay for it.

If you're going to look at it and call it a rip off, you're going to have to also look at many other indie games present on Steam and various other consoles. Dead Pixels uses a Mega Man art template as it's basis, shun. Scott Pilgrim took strong references from River City Ransom, shun. Don't even get me started on Retro City Rampage, that's one big 'rip off'.

If SEGA won't pull a Mega Man 9 and embrace the nostalgia then somebody should. End of story.

[KHCast]

I'd like to remind you guys that this game is essentially doing what so many have clamored for on these very forums for as long as I've been a member of staff: going back to exactly what people enjoyed of the Sonic series and attempting to put their own spin on it, so many years after the games themselves had been popular. They're playing on nostalgia and using it as their tool, and you know what?

Fuck, I'd pay for it.

If you're going to look at it and call it a rip off, you're going to have to also look at many other indie games present on Steam and various other consoles. Dead Pixels uses a Mega Man art template as it's basis, shun. Scott Pilgrim took strong references from River City Ransom, shun. Don't even get me started on Retro City Rampage, that's one big 'rip off'.

If SEGA won't pull a Mega Man 9 and embrace the nostalgia then somebody should. End of story.

The problem I think is that Sega have been relying TOO MUCH on nostalgia.

[Chris]

The problem I think is that Sega have been relying TOO MUCH on nostalgia.

I'm sure there are multiple different ways to approach the nostalgia argument, but to name two in particular:

• The Mega Man approach: Mega Man 9 and 10. 'New' 8-bit games made with the intention of recreating the old experience (alternatively, see Castlevania);
• The Sonic the Hedgehog approach: 3D games attempting to be progressive in design while also trying to relive past experiences in the player. Hit or miss depending on how far they stray from the experiences.

This game falls into the first method (which SEGA has yet to actually try). It's not deviating far enough to actually compromise the experience, while it's also not trying to be something it should never have been (see Sonic the Hedgehog 2006).

[Nepenthe]

The nostalgia of this game is meaningless to me because Classic Sonic isn't actually nostalgic. If Sega's not utilizing it as a marketing and aesthetic approach to its current games (Generations), then they're making direct sequels however botched they may be (Sonic 4). If they're not doing that, they're merely re-releasing the classics, and have done this God knows how many times on how many platforms. And the fan community is not much better in this regard. The overwhelming majority of fan games that get any real attention are classically-centric games either thematically or mechanically or both, right down to simply being based off of the original architecture. Classic Sonic isn't nostalgic; that would imply it's actually been gone for awhile. 

I've nothing to say about the game more than that. If they can legally make this game worth monetizing, then they should do it. And if anyone wants to buy it should this endeavor prove successful regardless of any Kickstarter hang-ups, then they should be free to do so. But the nostalgia angle would hardly be enough on its own for me to sink money into it. I'm just not jonesing for more Classic Sonic shit. xP

[Lady Soniko]

I strongly disagree with the Sonic approach, They rely heavily on Nostalgia, ala Sonic 4 and Generations, they keep stepping back rather than picking up where they left off and moving forward, we always need to have some form of "nostalgia" from past iterations of Sonic's games, SEGA play it safe, but they're playing it TOO safe, to the point where I grow tired of the formula they stick to, instead of adapting and trying new things. 

[Sean]

Well if 50 Shades of Grey could get published I don't see what's stopping this from getting on Steam.

I've actually been wanting to play this, if they make the Steam version worth paying for (akin to Cave Story and CS+) then I would certainly give it a try.

[Blacklightning]

Going back to the money issue for a moment, I figured I'd offer a little perspective. I actually commissioned an artist for some concept art a while back for a project of my own I've been keeping really quiet about (he did some clean up art for Skullgirls, just for reference). You know what that costed me? Over five hundred dollars. For about thirteen or so reference poses. In black and white inks. That one would might have to spend several thousand for anything greater than that might seem a bit farfetched as far as outside appearances go, but depending on where you look it can actually set you back quite a lot, particularly if you're looking for something over the long term (such as the aformentioned animation and webcomics). That being said the kickstarter figures seemed reasonable to me - if anything they're actually under-charging in some respects.

 

Also, why are we still comparing to traditional Sonic fangames here? You know, the ones that already steal the majority of their assets from existing games? Of course they're not going to cost anything when they rely on Genesis sprites and stolen, sometimes recoloured tilesets. That goes without saying.

[MegasonicZX]

I strongly disagree with the Sonic approach, They rely heavily on Nostalgia, ala Sonic 4 and Generations, they keep stepping back rather than picking up where they left off and moving forward, we always need to have some form of "nostalgia" from past iterations of Sonic's games, SEGA play it safe, but they're playing it TOO safe, to the point where I grow tired of the formula they stick to, instead of adapting and trying new things. 

Its only two of the games right now so I don't mind but most likely they are going to make something different this year and hopefully it won't be something two heavy on nostalgia (not that I don't like them cause I enjoy the two you mentioned) but yeah if they make a third game based around that factor they are definitely mean they are running out of ideas but a sonic generations 2 would be welcome

[Salamander]

Is it really accurate to refer to mainstream Sonic games as relying on nostalgia when they're widely agreed to not actually imitate the classics very well?

[Blacklightning]

You can evoke nostaliga without blatantly emulating its source right down to the last line of code, you know. All it really takes is usage of the appropriate imagery and theming - case in point being Seaside Hill, which was long held as the closest of the generation 4 games to the classics despite having nothing in common with them beyond its visual cues.

[a mystery]

Money or not, what I have the most peeve on at the moment is the Steam Greenlight Trailer.

It looks and sounds... cheesy, and not the good kind of cheese.

Your main character talking (with the voice actor sounding like she was on a bad day [check the voice reel, much of her stuff is better]) about why the game is good - although there was content shown, still - a good game trailer does not make. It's like having to explain why you really need to buy this Oxiclean while showing you its effectiveness. I mean, really?

 

I'm really excited about hearing it going on retail though - it shows that fans don't need to end at fangames, but go one step ahead and make something original, if extremely nostalgic and shout-outy. It's really a big influence for me.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

Honestly, I think I got blinded by the game in action to care about the kickstarter.

 

Air-dashing like that would be an interesting mechanic in a Sonic game, which they seem to be beating to the punch.

 

Hell, I'd pay for this game if given the chance.

[Phos]

I don't get what benefit to the backers is supposed to be implied by the 10,000 stretch goal.  

[Conando]

Ok, so...the 20,000 dollar reward is a Let's Play? Now that is more than a bit stupid.

[Blacklightning]

Wait, seriously guys? This is a problem? By their own admission they don't actually know what to do with all the excessive money being thrown at them, so it was either that or grind an extra ten grand out of backers for no reason at all.

 

Mind you, the original goal was fulfilled about eight thousand dollars ago as of time of posting, so everything beyond that would've been an optional bonus either way. I don't think they even expect your money at this point out of anything other than an act of kindness, and you're perfectly free to keep it if you don't feel the same way.

[Lady Soniko]

It's pretty insane seeing this smash it's original target, looking at what backers get on the side I'm almost tempted to get some exposure with a billboard and NPC in the game... You know, scratching my back if I scratch theirs!

 

Interested in seeing how much this will collect by the end of the kickstarter *bookmarks page*

[iDEATH]

Based in the gameplay video....it looks in places almost like simple recolours and total rehashes of sonic levels, there's not a single point in the video that doesn't scream "SONIC!!"

 

If they do manage to release this properly I couldn't see myself paying for it, it's one thing to make a fan game, it's another thing to try and make money off something that's so blatantly stolen.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

Nevermind that Sonic "stole" mechanics himself when he first started...

 

Or that other genres like First Person Shooters "steal" mechanics from other shooters, or even other genres...

 

Or that other Fighters "stole" mechanics from other fighters...

 

Or hack-and-slash games like DMC, Bayonneta, God of War, and the upcoming Metal Gear Rising.

 

And let's not forget the various Mon-based franchises like Pokemon and Digimon, or card game franchises like Yu-gi-oh and Duel Masters (or even Pokemon, while we're at that). They totally stole from each other to make their own franchises.

 

You'd think that if this was stolen Sega would have sent them a cease-and-desist letter by this point. Even more when they're using a kickstarter for funding. Don'cha think? We might as well not even bothered giving anything a chance since they clearly stole from others to make their work in their particular sphere of media.

Edited January 22, 2013 by ChaosSupremeSonic

[Conando]

Yeah, I don't particularly get the whole "OMG THEY STOLE FROM SONIC" thing when Sonic basically took Mario and made him spin. All games need to start somewhere.

Edited January 22, 2013 by Wreck-It Ralph

[Candescence]

Much of the history of gaming has been a very iterative process. Many, many games have taken concepts from others and built on them in various ways that they could call their own. To say otherwise is to embrace madness.

 

This is a prime example. Freedom Planet iterates on the momentum mechanics of the original Sonic games, but the gameplay structure is a very different beast. It feels much like a mixture of Sonic 1, Mega Man and Castlevania, taking many different ideas from those franchises and twisting them in various ways.

 

A true 'copy' would be to take the mechanics of another game and to do virtually little else with them. Dante's Inferno and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow are prime offenders of this.

Edited January 22, 2013 by Masaru Daimon