Sonic Lost World Announced

[Cyrus]

Eeeh. It was cool to finally see them in Marza CG, though.

[Patticus]

Saw this on Retro:

 

 

That's quite a lot of potential level there.  I just wonder how its all connected.  The trailer doesn't really give much of an impression as to how you move from all these pretty different level segments.

 

You drew a penis, mate. Interesting theory though.

 

Is the Wii U capable of running the Hedgehog Engine? After analysing the trailer, I've noticed that the lighting on Sonic changes every so often (he has green tinge of colour on him when running in the grassy section).

 

IIRC the H.E. makes light bounce off surroundings to help Sonic blend in more with the scenery.

 

Of course it is!

[Blue Warrior]

You can Like and Favourite YouTube videos. You racist against forum posts or something?!

 

So what if he is?

[NiGHTS]

Is the Wii U capable of running the Hedgehog Engine? After analysing the trailer, I've noticed that the lighting on Sonic changes every so often (he has green tinge of colour on him when running in the grassy section).

 

IIRC the H.E. makes light bounce off surroundings to help Sonic blend in more with the scenery.

 

 

Well yea... the Wii U if you saw the specs has a better video card, higher ram and cpu then xbox 360 or ps3. Even if those specs don't match xbox one or ps4 (obviously)  it falls in the middle of the two gens and honestly if the engine works on 360? Then yea it will work, probably better on wii u.

[C4k3]

Well yea... the Wii U if you saw the specs has a better video card, higher ram and cpu then xbox 360 or ps3. Even if those specs don't match xbox one or ps4 (obviously)  it falls in the middle of the two gens and honestly if the engine works on 360? Then yea it will work, probably better on wii u.

 

Ah okay, I've never really looked into the Wii U's specs, that's good to hear then!

 

I wonder if the game will run at 60 fps, it would definitely go well with the clean and crisp visuals that we've seen so far.

[Guest]

Well yea... the Wii U if you saw the specs has a better video card, higher ram and cpu then xbox 360 or ps3. Even if those specs don't match xbox one or ps4 (obviously)  it falls in the middle of the two gens and honestly if the engine works on 360? Then yea it will work, probably better on wii u.

Iirc the CPU is actually slightly worse than the Xbox 360 and PS3 CPUs. The specs also aren't such a massive difference, games aren't going to look much better than on 360/PS3.

 

The simplified graphics are probably a stylistic choice. Also they'd make more sense if the game runs at 60fps.

[Blue Blood]

Iirc the CPU is actually slightly worse than the Xbox 360 and PS3 CPUs. The specs also aren't such a massive difference, games aren't going to look much better than on 360/PS3.

 

The simplified graphics are probably a stylistic choice. Also they'd make more sense if the game runs at 60fps.

 

I've been saying for a long time that they should simplify the graphics for this very reasion. I do hope it's the case for Lost World. The animation and colours in this game are pure lush, especially as everything is so rich and saturated. Generations was realistically bright, but this is like a world of rainbows. I love it.

Edited May 29, 2013 by Blue Blood

[SilentDoom]

Alrighty so thanks to the higher quality uncompressed video that was put for download, I was able to better disect what we've seen in the trailer and pinpoint even more details.  As a result I'm going to do a detailed analysis that not only highlights these details but also helps to elaborate on why I personally am very hyped for this game and the possibilities that could come from this game.

 

PART 1

 

1)

 

Starting off with the one main 2D shot of the trailer we notice straight away that Sonic isn't obeying conventional gravity, and is being attracted to the nearest 'horizontal' surface ala Super Mario Galaxy.  What I found interesting though is the fact that the logs are moving down with the conventional flow of the waterfall.  However Sonic is then upside when he hits the spring meaning they're then flowing up and Sonic can stand on what's obviously a set of rising platforms.  But where would it lead him if he instead went forward instead of riding the platforms 'up' and even more of a question what would happen if he decided to drop and fall back down (i.e. go back to the old 'up').  There's no bottomless pit signs as there were in previous games so I'm curious as to where it could lead

 

2)

 

The angle at which Sonic jumps is perpendicular to the angle of the slope he's on.  So basically they got slope physics right to put it simply.  The half pipe structure hasn't actually been used much before in 3D games rather alarmingly, but it will be neat to see how you'll be able to move around through this half pipe whilst trying to avoid that spikey vine and avoid/defeat the badniks.

 

3/4/5)

 

Now here's something a little curious.  When looking at the trailer it seemed as though when Sonic initiated his Homing Attack he quickly rose up a little before dealing the attack.  The same happens later on when he's attacking the line of Motobugs in quick succession.  It's very quick and difficult to notice, but I wonder if that's just a mechanic mishap or they've just decided to program the HA to function like that now.  It doesn't seem the same as the conventional HA.

 

Here's a clearer comparison:

 

 

...

PART 2

 

6)

 

Ah the windmill of Wind Hill.  This shot I thought was incredible.  The filled red dot is where I'm assuming he'll land and all the red arrows dictate possible movement options based on what we've seen of the mechanics.  Thanks to the parkour system as well as the tubular design, it looks like there could potentially be greater degrees of 3D movement and control than ever before.  Alternate routes and ways to tackle a situation are laid out like 1, 2, 3 but instead you potentially have the freedom to sculpt your own route to a destination.

 

The areas I find most interesting are the "blades" of the windmill.  There's definitely a specific platform arrangement going on there that it looks like Sonic could very well jump across to reach the top of the blades.  

 

Additionally although it's hard to see in this shot there is a spring at the end of the structure.  This will make even more sense and will be properly justified in another shot.

 

7)

 

Sonic doing a backflip here.  But the question is how and why?  The terrain doesn't seem at all irregular.  It doesn't seem like he could vault off anything to do the backflip.  Is it part of a new move?  Possibly something akin to the flip he did when you jumped after a somersault in SA2.  Only time will tell.  Very unclear at the moment.

 

8)

 

Just pointing out a couple of springs you may have missed.  The spring closer to us on the left is probably to propel Sonic further down the platform to the side if he's already running down it.  The harder to see spring further to the back is a more curious case however.  Not quite sure where it puts you.

 

9)

 

This picture links back to 6)  The spring highlighted is the same one at the end of 6)'s structure (not to mention the entire structure is the same) and as a result implies that the 6) leads into 9) via that spring.  However as you can see on the far right there's a path that leads up that's nowhere near the suggested position the springs puts you in.  This may just be a case of the spring putting you slightly below that section however.

 

10)

 

Crumbling floor coupled with speed boosters probably suggests a more automated section.  Having 3 speed boosters there could suggest return of the Quick Step, though I think it may just be a fail safe to make 100% sure the player doesn't fall off here.  Not really too much here, but worth nothing nonetheless.

 

...

[Dr. Crusher]

Exquisite analysis, chap.

[SilentDoom]

But wait, there's more!

 

------------------------------

 

PART 3

 

11)

 

Another set of windmill blades though much smaller this time round.  Sonic is propelled onto that grassy platform and again there's a spring at the tip of the windmill.  However this one doesn't look like it leads you directly to the checkpoint and the bell and instead you actually have to platform to that checkpoint.  Of course this leads onto another "where does the spring take me" question.

 

12)

 

We pretty much analysed this shot before.  We've seen the Cyan Wisp but what I'm wondering about is the purple hemispherical thing in the distance.  Certainly doesn't look like a conventional spring.  Possibly something relevant to the Cyan Wisp?

 

13)

 

Enemies are organised in very orderly lines which is quite unusual.  Not even Homing Attack chains are organised like this.  Maybe they're more for a Wisp power up or a special ability to take care of?  Or even just there for rolling into.  Seems plausible considering that again we have a half pipe structure which Sonic could in essence roll back and fourth from to defeat the enemies (or he could just roll in a straight line).

 

14)

 

Running on the wall again.  As you can see there's a spring and speed booster on top of the wall, indicating that you can obviously run on it.  What I'm quite curious about are the ways to get up that wall to where the spring is for example.  Of course there's the wall run but maybe there's another way?

 

15)

 

Just another quick example of the broad movement and route possibilities.  Nothing too spectacularly different from last time but nonetheless it still looks like there's a wonderful amount of breathing room.  Also totem pole :3

 

... 

PART 4

 

16/17)

 

Ah the kicking move.  Lots of questions raised here.  How is it done?  When can it be done?  Well those can't really be answered yet but what we can get a small idea about is how the momentum acts with it and the answer is rather strangely.  It may just be the way the camera shifts, but it looks like not only does Sonic's bounce trajectory is slightly off (although really he should be shifted slightly to the opposite direction that he kick his foe due to conservation of momentum) but so is the enemy trajectory.  Quite a strange case, will definitely have to look deeper into it in the future.

 

18)

 

HYES!! *clears throat* Anyways main attraction here is the gold cannon pointed out before.  Supposedly takes Sonic to alternate areas which is super cool.  However, alternate areas could imply a couple of things.  It could be the more immediate thought of it taking you to another part of the level, or it could be kind of like Mario cannons taking you to levels you can't normally access.

 

19)

 

As we noticed before here is a different running animation from the figure 8 one we saw all throughout the trailer before.  In addition there's a sort of white trail behind him as he attracts rings towards him.  It doesn't seem fast enough to be a boost, I think it's just some kind of ring magnet power-up.  Temporary or a skill or even could have some involvement with the "gadgets" that they mentioned in co-op play?  We'll wait and see.

 

20)

 

Much like image 6) there's a lot to see here.  Very similar structure though not exactly the same.  Cyan Wisp laser crystals, 1-up in the tree, various ways to move about the structure, the works.  Additionally this makes it clear that running on the wall to the top right would be a pretty good idea since there's rings as an incentive.  Always a nice element to have to compliment Sonic exploration.

 

21)

 

Another note about the Homing Attack.  This was the rapid succession one (kinda reminded me a bit of Sonic Adventure HA on crack).  The most interesting thing to note however is that Sonic arcs upon hitting a foe instead of bouncing straight up.  Could this mean a more momentum based, natural feeling Homing Attack?  I think we would all be happy if this was the case

 

22)

 

Final image.  This would've been hard to spot due to the fact it's only really noticeable during a fade in but there's another path leading into the where Sonic is going.  This of course poses the question of how does one get there in the first place?  What originally lead you to get onto one route over another?  Is the top route that Sonic took the faster, higher route?

 

 

I acknowledge the fact that I could be completely wrong and this is all extremely subjective, but the fact that I've felt the need to delve this deep into the design of this one (probably) first level I think is a testament to a potentially excellently designed game.  This is why I'm very excited.  It's full of the kind of design that caused me personally to fall in love with the series in the first place.  And to see it all expand into the 3D world so blissfully whilst keeping that modern parkour edge kind of make me feel like a little kid again. 

[Diogenes]

2)

 

The angle at which Sonic jumps is perpendicular to the angle of the slope he's on.  So basically they got slope physics right to put it simply.

This might be indicative of proper physics if this weren't a game with Galaxy-style gravity shenanigans. Assuming that's still in effect here, then "perpendicular to the surface" and "up" are the same thing.

 

10)

 

Crumbling floor coupled with speed boosters probably suggests a more automated section.  Having 3 speed boosters there could suggest return of the Quick Step, though I think it may just be a fail safe to make 100% sure the player doesn't fall off here.  Not really too much here, but worth nothing nonetheless.

I don't think this has anything to do with the quick step, I think it's just a way to have some variation in where you run, and to cover the full width of the path and still have it so you only hit one booster.

[tenchibr]

The one thing I "miss" from Sonic '06 the most, which never even made into the final game, was the day/night system.

 

With a lost world like that, I wish they would split acts based on times of the day. I am so sick of colorful and bright Green Hill Zone, give me one late at night with the sounds of crickets and clouds of fireflies in the air, followed with a smooth jazz remix of the GHZ theme and I will be happy as a cow from Chick-Fil-A.

[Conando]

Iirc the CPU is actually slightly worse than the Xbox 360 and PS3 CPUs. The specs also aren't such a massive difference, games aren't going to look much better than on 360/PS3.

 

The simplified graphics are probably a stylistic choice. Also they'd make more sense if the game runs at 60fps.

Well, that depends doesn't it? The GPU really does put the 360 and PS3's to shame (and handles certain things that generally only a CPU can do), so the main difference might be that things look prettier but, there might not be as much going onscreen. It's a trade off, yeah. I'm fairly confident a game on the Hedgehog Engine could look and run better on Wii U regardless, but this stylistic choice and simplification will probably help with us finally getting a HD Sonic game that runs at 60 FPS.

Edited May 30, 2013 by Wreck-It Ralph

[Eternal EX]

*sees extreme in depth look of screens and trailer*

 

After reading and stuff. I think I'm more interested in this game than I expected I would be. If the 1st level is as explorable (sp?) as we are making it out to be, then this game will probably be the same. If not more the rest of the way through. That golden canon has peak my interest the most. Is it a sign that we may be getting special levels in Lost world HD? Or something Chaos emerald related? I know I'm not the only one expecting the emeralds to return in some shape or form. If it's not super sonic in levels, then SS final fight. 

 

uh oh, I'm looking to far ahead......

[chirf]

 

It's not a ring power up. You can see rings follow him in other parts, just like how they do in generations when you run past them quickly. This is most likely an animation change, which they already confirmed. You can unlock and change the animation of Sonics run, such as how you see his run animation from Sonic CD, and this one right here. As well as a few others more than likely.

[Faseeh]

I hope the wallrunning animation gets a huge touch up. I freaking hate full stetched out vertical (wait, is it horizontal now?) arms to the sides when Sonic is running. I didn't like it in SA or 06.

[tenchibr]

I hope the wallrunning animation gets a huge touch up. I freaking hate full stetched out vertical (wait, is it horizontal now?) arms to the sides when Sonic is running. I didn't like it in SA or 06.

 

Sonic needs to run like a man, I mean come on! He's turning 22 and he needs to start acting like it.

[SilentDoom]

  It's not a ring power up. You can see rings follow him in other parts, just like how they do in generations when you run past them quickly. This is most likely an animation change, which they already confirmed. You can unlock and change the animation of Sonics run, such as how you see his run animation from Sonic CD, and this one right here. As well as a few others more than likely.

What? This is definitely the only part of the trailer where the rings are attracted to him. Every other part where he's collecting rings he's running directly into them.

[t0ms0nic]

With a lost world like that, I wish they would split acts based on times of the day.

 

We've kinda already learnt that there's going to be that.

[Blue Blood]

What? This is definitely the only part of the trailer where the rings are attracted to him. Every other part where he's collecting rings he's running directly into them.

 

Nope

 

Japanese site has been updated!

 

What does that banner say? Something's happening on Sonic's birthday, 23rd June.

Edited May 30, 2013 by Blue Blood

[PickleBrows]

I wonder if they'll do a demo again like they did for the 20th anniversary.

[Faseeh]

OOOOH. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH.

 

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.

 

I am hoping we get another trailer that gets another level revealed. Hopefully that isn't all tube-in-the-sky, so that there's variation.

 

And then I think they should keep all the other levels secret.

 

Finish it off at the Ice World I guess. Just 3 will be enough. We want suprises for the final product, yeah.

 

OH AND SPACE QUEENS REFERENCE IN ICE WORLD MUSIC PLEASE. THANKS.

[Junko]

Ah, Google Translate. A bit iffy, but here, you get the gist.

Looks like raffles and some Sonic Lost Worlds stuff.

Edited May 30, 2013 by TripsS3

[SilentDoom]

Nope

 

Japanese site has been updated!

 

What does that banner say? Something's happening on Sonic's birthday, 23rd June.

 

Ah, I don't quite know how I missed that to be honest.  Looks like a rather weak magnet comparative to Unleashed's or even Generations (if you were boosting in those games that line of rings just below Sonic probably would've been attracted as well).  I still think that's quite curious though.

[EuroMIX]

One thing I'm sure someone mentioned already, but I'm going to say it anyway. The new parkour elements feels almost like the kind of platforming that the werehog was aiming for, but done right. Hopefully they can create some levels/puzzles which make Sonic's speed more tactical and fun to overcome obstacles without it being as clumsy as the werehog ended up.