Sonic Lost World - Previews

[Narukami07]

Hogfather, I played the game extensively at Sonic Boom and while I agree that the cyan wisp needs adjusting, I found most of your control complaints to be completely over-blown.  The game felt very nice in my hands and holding the r button to run felt fluid and natural.  The "mach speed" sequence also felt great.  I don't know what kind of games you are into or which games from this very franchise are your favorites but I can't help but suspect you went into the event with. . . well, a bad attitude.  

 

I did see some people at Sonic Boom get frustrated but when you're standing in a line of people itching to play the game and they're watching you foul things up, there's a lot of pressure to just give up.  It doesn't help that the members of this community (and possibly modern gamers in general) are EXTREMELY judgmental of how you play a game.  I actually heard the girl in front of me laugh and whisper to her friend when she watched the person playing die.   

 

The game is very different from any Sonic game thus released.  Don't you remember how steep Sonic Unleashed's learning curve was?

This, i still think we're getting over our heads in writing off the game as something that will meet "poor reviews" before release.

I doubt LW would turn into another Sticker Star fiasco where most hated it's full unveiling since 2012, compared to LW itself where it at least had a couple of positivity around it.

[MegasonicZX]

This, i still think we're getting over our heads in writing off the game as something that will meet "poor reviews" before release.

I doubt LW would turn into another Sticker Star fiasco where most hated it's full unveiling since 2012, compared to LW itself where it at least had a couple of positivity around it.

I think it would take a lot for something to get as much hate as sticker star did (but thats for another time). Anyway, a little bit worried about that IGN preview honestly mostly because of the points that they say make the game good like the exclusive to a nintendo platform thing, I know they don't represent all reviewers but it could still be taken to heart by sega but then again im probably just looking too into it.

[Bouldergeist]

What happened that made sticker star suck so much?

[Jolt_TH]

I'm calling it now, they are gonna get complaints about the touch screen controls and lack of pro controller, so they will do a pro controller support update like NSMBU

[Badnik Mechanic]

I can't help but suspect you went into the event with. . . well, a bad attitude.  

 

I have been looking forward to Summer of Sonic for the best part of 6 months, I went down to the event on the friday to help set up, on the way to the venue I bumped into Rory who I've not seen for over a year, he greeted me and told me where everybody was and that we'd talk later. I then turn a corner and I'm greeted by some of my best friends who I've also not seen for the best part of a year. I go into the venue and again I'm greeted by friends who I've not seen for over a year.

 

During this time more of my friends who I've not seen for over a year turn up and we're all really over the moon to see each other again....

 

At what point am I supposed to be in a bad mood?

 

Now the claim thats been made both on here and in the TSS comments that maybe I didn't like it because I waited a long time to play it, or because I was under pressure since there was a long line of people waitint?

 

I played Lost World on the Friday, not the Saturday, I only waited a few min to play the game, nobody else was waiting behind me for a turn, out of the 3 of us who were offered a chance to play on it, I was the last guy to get a go.

 

Now in that article you have 2 previews from two different TSS staff, one is an avid Wii U owner, the other (me) hasn't used one before, you also have my observations and conversation with a non Wii U owner who is interested in Sonic, but hasn't played the games for a while.  

 

Quite a range there of abilities and expereinces both with the Sonic series and the hardware that the newest product is running on. Some people, who I don't particually agree with, have said that they'll consider getting the system for this game, or that they are getting the system just for this game.

 

Like I said in my preview, as the game stands right now, the learning curve is so high I just can't enjoy the game, especially since in it's current state the game offers you no help at all, theres nothing. Even something so basic as one of those help bubble things to tell me how to use the homing attack or for people who are not aware of the trigger speed systems how that works would help the game tramendously. Right now? Theres nothing, you are completely on your own. 

 

The preview is there, everything I've said is correct based on what I played and felt, and whilst Doctor MK's is different to mine I have no doubt his experience is true to what he felt. You might have noticed neither of us have said that the other is wrong and that we agree on a number of issues, even before the preview went up, in this topic we were agreeing on a lot of points as well as disagreeing.

 

But theres a lot of stuff that both of us have said, even the stuff that we disagree on which has been brought up in other previews on other places, both fan and 'professional' review websites. Some people have said 'well you'll get better with time' or 'the Sega reps can play ut well! So it's possible!' Yeah I should fucking hope it is possible to get better with time, it still doesn't excuse the fact that right now it's not an easy game to just pick up and play, especially with the lack of assistance from within the game itself. Best advice I can give, right now, with the game as it currently is, unless we get a future build or footage appears with what appears to be help hints or some kind of tutorial, this game is not an easy game to figure out and for a lot of people theres going to be frustration, certainly, do not buy the console just for the game alone, try this one before you buy it.

[Radrappy]

I have been looking forward to Summer of Sonic for the best part of 6 months, I went down to the event on the friday to help set up, on the way to the venue I bumped into Rory who I've not seen for over a year, he greeted me and told me where everybody was and that we'd talk later. I then turn a corner and I'm greeted by some of my best friends who I've also not seen for the best part of a year. I go into the venue and again I'm greeted by friends who I've not seen for over a year.

 

During this time more of my friends who I've not seen for over a year turn up and we're all really over the moon to see each other again....

 

At what point am I supposed to be in a bad mood?

 

 

I don't mean the event itself put you in a bad mood but rather that you might have formulated a negative disposition towards the game based on previous footage released and the controversial decision to make this a wiiu exclusive.  That, or the very idea of the game might offend you.  For example, a lot of people just can't handle the fact that Sonic is slower in this game as it's a serious attack on their preferred vision for the franchise.  For me, it results in the most playable sonic game since S3&K.  

 

Forgive me if this is all sounding condescending or rude, I'm just a little shocked at how completely negative your preview was.  You essentially tore the game to bits.  On the other hand, myself, many fans, and most of the gaming press seem to have nothing but great things to say.  

 

Is there a learning curve?  Yes definitely.  More than the megadrive games?  Again, yes probably.  More than the unleashed style of games?  Ehhhhhh. . . no.  

[Narukami07]

Not that i think Hogfather is 100% invalid with his opinion (because hey he actually played it, and the cyan Wisp issue could be rather annoying), but it just seemed like he was never aware of the reported difference in controls and how it impacts the level design so much that going in without notice must have been a total pain in the rear end. That's not to say that Sega isn't blameless if they haven't provided enough tutorial for the control schemes to make things easier for a casual gamer, however when all things are said and done, i'll reserve my judgement for the game upon post-release to see to it on my own of how it resonates with myself. 

 

This has not changed my view point and i'm still going purchase the game once i get the console for it (since i have other games BESIDES SLW to choose from <3).

[Badnik Mechanic]

Forgive me if this is all sounding condescending or rude, I'm just a little shocked at how completely negative your preview was.  You essentially tore the game to bits.  On the other hand, myself, many fans, and most of the gaming press seem to have nothing but great things to say.

 

Yeah I keep hearing this a lot, then I actually go to a few places and I find that whilst nobody has gone all out like I have, I have seen others say that the controls are hard to get used to, this was at one point a common topic in the main Lost World topic here in SSMB. It has been brought up a number of times, it's not like I'm the first and only person to talk about this.

 

I've seen other people bring up that even when running Sonic doesn't seem to move that fast. Parkour becomes frustrating when you do get going and you suddenly end up going up a random tree or a wall since Sonic sticks to objects like glue. On the subject of Parkour mode, for years people have been yelling for momentum based gameplay, yet suddenly we now have a mode which allows you to walk up walls from a dead stop and nobody wants to bring that up or thats now not a big deal? Other people have also brought up the issue of why a run button and not a walk button?

 

And everybody is more or less in 100% agreement that the Wisp function is abysmal.

 

The fact that we're now going down the road of 'oh well maybe you were in a bad mood when you played the game' or came to the game with preconceptions or some other 'excuse' as to why I don't like it is starting to get ridiculous and I'm starting to see the point that various commentators have said recently about peoples reactions when a game they like is criticised by someone.

 

 

 

gaming press seem to have nothing but great things to say.

 

Sorry but this is just completely wrong. I remember after E3 a lot of people, both press sites and 'random youtube reviewer who somehow got in; were saying the the learning curve was high and that the controls were hard to get used to. It's not been nothing but praise at all, there has been criticism put to this game.

 

And then when the major press sites do actually go into detail on it, yesterday when MK and I had our 'the wisp activation is terrible' I was shocked at how our information on this seemed completely new to people, yet it's been there since the E3 demo and nobody in the press has even mentioned it. Yet yesterday IGN gave us 5 reasons why Lost World is great, whats reason 1? It goes back to it's roots and has a Casino level.

 

 

 

 

but it just seemed like he was never aware of the reported difference in controls and how it impacts the level design so much that going in without notice must have been a total pain in the rear end.

 

Actually, I was aware that the controls were different from previous games. But I had no idea what they were. They're so different that that I couldn't figure out how I was doing what I was doing. You can see this quite evidently when you read up on my homing attack problems.

 

Thats part of the reason why I mention the girl who went ahead of me, if I came to this game with nothing but generations and colours experience, then yes I would expect there to be issues with getting used to the new control scheme, but someone who hasn't touched a Sonic game since heroes having problems? Something is up when thats happened.

 

Just something as simple as a hint bubble would fix this problem or at least give the player some indication of 'how they're doing it.'

 

One point people are not commenting on. I mentioned how in the 'Tube' stages the homing attack feels different to how you trigger it in the 'mach speed' stages, and when you do trigger it in the mach speed sections, you take out tons of badniks in one go, yet it feels so automated you have the 'am I playing this?' syndrome for a large part of the stage. The first time you pull this off, it feels awesome, the second time you say 'oh it's automated' and any good feeling you had is gone.

[Space☆Tomoki]

I for one think Hogfather's opinion is legit. Not everyone's gonna like how the game plays and it might take some folks a while to get used to the new control setup; some people just won't have the patience to figure out how to play properly, especially when the game apparently doesn't give the player proper instructions for controls and mechanics they need. The fact the Laser Wisp seems to control like crap on the Wii U gamepad isn't going to help matters. I believe that's main point he's trying to make. I for one, think the game looks lovely, if not a bit rough around the edges, but I think it might be a nice stepping stone for Sonic Team and the series as a whole, once they figure out what kinks need ironing out in the future after the game is released.

[WhoWhatMan]

Just something as simple as a hint bubble would fix this problem or at least give the player some indication of 'how they're doing it.'

 

Actually, from the footages I saw of the Wii U version, while Sonic was running through the stage, there was a Hint bubble on the top of the screen, but you have to read it on the gamepad though.

[Diogenes]

On the subject of Parkour mode, for years people have been yelling for momentum based gameplay, yet suddenly we now have a mode which allows you to walk up walls from a dead stop and nobody wants to bring that up or thats now not a big deal?

As much as I would like a game with momentum gameplay (ideally with some parkour mixed in), I appreciate this game for moving away from the boost gameplay's lack of meaningful interaction. So while this sure as hell isn't my ideal game I expect it'll be a definite improvement, and I can wait to worry about the physics until after this game.

Other people have also brought up the issue of why a run button and not a walk button?

I think asking the player to actively choose to walk in a Sonic game is even more counterintuitive than requiring a button to run. Unless a game has a very clear reason why you should choose to walk rather than default run (like quieting your footsteps in a stealth game or something), it'd be hard to teach the player that there's a reason to walk. But if you make walking the default and running a level above, I think it's easier for the player to reason that they should "go back to normal" in a tricky area.

[Narukami07]

Actually, I was aware that the controls were different from previous games. But I had no idea what they were. They're so different that that I couldn't figure out how I was doing what I was doing. You can see this quite evidently when you read up on my homing attack problems.

 

Thats part of the reason why I mention the girl who went ahead of me, if I came to this game with nothing but generations and colours experience, then yes I would expect there to be issues with getting used to the new control scheme, but someone who hasn't touched a Sonic game since heroes having problems? Something is up when thats happened.

 

Oh, you actually weren't aware of the control scheme then?

 

W-where have you been??? O.o

[Tails spin]

Oh, you actually weren't aware of the control scheme then?

 

W-where have you been??? O.o

not hogfather. It was this girl he meet at the event that hasn't played since heroes.

[Narukami07]

Oops, never mind then. >.<

[Celestia]

Seems like a fair preview to me. I'm just looking forward to trying the game myself to see what I think of it, gameplay-wise.

 

One thing though: I'm not sure how the control scheme isn't just as new to people whose last game is Generations as it is for people who last played Heroes? I mean, isn't it pretty much brand new for everyone?

[MegasonicZX]

What happened that made sticker star suck so much?

Well, for one the game didn't have a story, which is a major complaint from almost everybody who played it and the battle system was pretty bare too with a lot of trial and error being required for boss fights where the only way to know there weakness is to either die or run away from them and if you don't use there weakness, the battles will be either too difficult or too easy if you do use them, also the sticker system isn't very good for the most part and puzzles requiring thing stickers can be very misleading when out of 64 things only one or two will work on them which leads you to large amounts of back tracking unless your using a guide. But once again this isn't the topic for this so we probably shouldn't sidetrack it.

[Narukami07]

^I like your signature referenced from Persona 3 btw. :3

 

(Off-topic post, srry).

[Bouldergeist]

Well, for one the game didn't have a story, which is a major complaint from almost everybody who played it and the battle system was pretty bare too with a lot of trial and error being required for boss fights where the only way to know there weakness is to either die or run away from them and if you don't use there weakness, the battles will be either too difficult or too easy if you do use them, also the sticker system isn't very good for the most part and puzzles requiring thing stickers can be very misleading when out of 64 things only one or two will work on them which leads you to large amounts of back tracking unless your using a guide. But once again this isn't the topic for this so we probably shouldn't sidetrack it.

So it's basically Sonic 06 in Mario form

[Diogenes]

No, it wasn't nearly as bad as '06.

[Bouldergeist]

There's one thing I hated in 06 was the superman 64 influence

[MegasonicZX]

There's one thing I hated in 06 was the superman 64 influence

i actually didn't mind those that much actually.

[PSI Wind]

Hog still said the game was good at the end of his preview.

[Scar]

There have been mixed opinions about how the controls feel. Now I haven't played it, but I suspected it was a little clunky just by looking at it. The way Sonic turns, the way he momentarily stops or jolts, before running up a vertical surface. It just seems like running and accidentally colliding with a wall or something will be highly annoying, as you'll auto-climb it even if you don't want to.

Given how sensitive the controls look, this could happen more often than you may think.

[Narukami07]

Sonic's controls looked to be less twitchy-like from the SoS build compared to the E3 one, so i personally doubt that they'll still be there in the final build.

 

But what do i know, i haven't played it yet Haha.

Edited August 13, 2013 by Narukami07

[Detective Shadzter]

New Wii U preview from Edge:

http://www.edge-online.com/features/sonic-lost-world-sonic-team-finally-catches-up-in-the-space-race/