Lost World: Discussion, Impressions and Fan Reviews

[Chooch]

This game would be better if every stupid cloud hopping section was removed entirely. They totally fucking kill the pacing and I can't stand them.

Edited November 4, 2013 by Chooch

[Narukami07]

Oh god, Mechano, your Avatar! O.O

Edited November 4, 2013 by Narukami07

[MegasonicZX]

This game would be better if every stupid cloud hopping section was removed entirely. They totally fucking kill the pacing and I can't stand them.

I personally don't mind them (from what I played in the demo) but just going by the name alone I think they should've just been stuck to sky road since it would actually make sense there (even though the whole game takes place in the sky).

Oh god, Mechano, your Avatar! O.O

Also, this.

[Autosaver]

This game would be better if every stupid cloud hopping section was removed entirely. They totally fucking kill the pacing and I can't stand them.

...Am I the only one that actually enjoyed these sections? That was probably the last thing I would complain about.

[PC the Hedgehog]

...Am I the only one that actually enjoyed these sections? That was probably the last thing I would complain about.

 

After the relatively silky-smooth, quick cloudhopping in Generations (and by extension, Sonic and Knuckles), I was hoping for something significantly less slow and clunky.

[Autosaver]

I only played the Wii U version, so I have no idea about the 3DS version. They barely showed up throughout the game and weren't that long. It was fun trying to jump from one cloud to the next and collect the goodies. If you skip the goodies, the sections were over pretty quickly.

[Nix]

So, um, impressions time.

 

Sonic Lost World is different. Very much so. From its aesthetics to its gameplay, it's a widely different experience from what I was used to in Sonic. When I started up the game, the controls took a bit getting used to, I expected it and I honestly had a bit of trouble with them. In fact I hated my first run through of Windy Hill because I was so goddamn awful at everything. By the time Desert Ruins Zone-1 rolled around, something clicked in my head and I started having a blast. So much so, that I revisited Windy Hill to see how it fares when I actually know what I'm doing and I found it ridiculously fun. Sonic Lost World offered me something I've been longing for in a Sonic game for a long time and that's being able to interact with the environments in a more meaningful way. Wall running is no longer limited to those barely interactive set-pieces I've come to know and hate and I like taking out a bunch of time seeing what I can do with Sonic's parkour. Now, are there some things I hate? Yeah, sure, the charged up Homing Attack is fucking stupid (looks cool when it actually works though, and I appreciate how quick it is when it does) and the Wisps are rather worthless most of the time (the Drill is still awesome). I see a lot of complaints about how the game becomes bullshit in terms of difficulty, and honestly after dealing with Unleashed's stupid bullshit level design I could understand... but Lost World doesn't even come near to Unleashed's stupid bullshit level design; the closest it ever came to that for me is a few poorly placed bomb carts later on in the game, but other than that I can't think of anything. Also, before I forget, collecting an asininely large amount of what would otherwise be optional collectibles to unlock story stages is stupid and will always be stupid; stop padding the game with pointless bullshit.

 

I do love the way the game looks, and I can tell that the developers wanted to make the game look as great as possible in motion. Sonic's animations in particular look a lot more lively to me than they ever did. From his figure-8 running animation to the squash and stretch that happens when he curls into a ball when jumping/spindashing, he's just bright and lively. The environments are very clean while still having a sufficient amount of detail put into them. Enemies and objects are easily discernible from the environmental objects and foliage (something I had a bit of trouble with in Generations, especially with Classic Sonic's stages). And that gloriously smooth framerate just seals the deal for me (though, I did somehow manage to get the game to shit itself in the framerate department in Tropical Coast Zone-1).

 

Lost World's story set-up is pretty standard fare as far as Sonic games go. Interesting beginning, sort of dips in the middle for a bit with a whole lotta nothing going on, and then picks up just in time for the ending. The only difference here is that the characters here are actually interesting like they were in Colors; they're flawed and easy to relate to. Sonic and Tails sort of go through their own little character arcs about trusting each other and stuff, which is cute. The Deadly Six are a lively bunch, though I wish we could've gotten more scenes with them actually interacting with each other; it's mostly Zavok dishing out orders to the rest of them (other than Zik, and I rather enjoyed the more casual conversations between him and Zavok). The only thing that I absolutely hate is that the world in which the story takes place (Lost Hex I think?) is practically nonexistent. Oh, look a floating planet in the sky!... and that's it.

 

All in all, fun stuff.  I'm not going to give it a score, because that's stupid. So thumbs-up.

Edited November 4, 2013 by Nix

[Narukami07]

^

 

Stellar short review.  

Edited November 4, 2013 by Narukami07

[-Mark-]

Oh god, I can't believe I neglected to mention the Wisps in my review. Almost tempted to dock the game a point because of them now I think about it. 

 

The Wisps are completely non-contextual and take away much more than they add. They feel cheaply and ridiculously shoehorned in, but if that wasn't bad enough, the vast majority of them use even more ridiculous and unnecessary touch and/ or motion controls that more often than not work very, very badly. 

 

In some of the Tropical Coast stages that relied heavily on the Rocket Wisp, I got outright stuck because of how broken the motion controls became. I understand that you have to hold the GamePad in a standard 'default' position when starting to set the neutral position, however the game gives you no indication of what this is. Without knowing how I was supposed to hold the GamePad, the gyro aiming controls just flat out would not work- randomly inverting axis combined with the aiming locking outside of where I actually needed to aim actually made these sections borderline unplayable. And the most sickening part of this is that for pretty much every single Wisp power in the game, not only would they be entirely possible to control with the analogue stick, but they'd control better as well.

 

The Wisps were already cumbersome in Colours, but this time they're outright offensive. You're basically given them at specific sections and almost forced to use them in those sections alone. They're not so much an optional power-up as they are a compulsory pain in the arse. 

 

 

EDIT: While I'm here again, I figured I should rip the story a new one some more, now I think about it.

 

What the hell is the Lost Hex? Why is it there? Where did it come from and what is it doing? Why do the main cast seemingly know about it already despite it never having been mentioned previously in the series? And the Deadly Six. Where did they come from? When and how did Eggman meet them?

 

You might argue that these things 'don't matter' as they don't affect the gameplay, but it just makes it feel like they've thrown all semblance of world-building to the wind. Hell, as far back as Sonic CD and Sonic 3, we were given the lore and mythos behind the Little Planet and Angel Island respectively. A little bit of their history and backstory. At least in Colours we got the brief concept of "Eggman built a theme park". What about the Lost Hex? Why the hell is there a random candyland and all these other crazy-ass setpieces just floating around in the middle of nowhere just because?

Edited November 4, 2013 by -Mark-

[Briraka]

NEVERMIND, I WAS BEING A BUTT.

Edited November 4, 2013 by Briraka

[azoo]

I feel some of the complaints about Lost World's story are just a miserable pile of nitpicks. Lost Hex doesn't have a backstory? So? Can't some things just exist without the need to have a big exposition about it?

Yeah they could, as shown. But it doesn't make it fun.

 

Tails knows about Lost Hex? Well, how does Sonic know of Little Planet?

Passed around by folk and citizens about how the Little Planet is a mysterious, unknown orb that floats around South Island's Never Lake once a year.

 

Or how about Eggman knowing about all these powerful artifacts?

SA1 explained about these artifacts as the game went on. Unleashed did too, albeit much quicker and more to the point.

 

What's the backstory to the Deadly Six? I dunno, what's Sonic's?

Really? We're pulling this?

 

Or where did characters like Fang the Sniper come from?

He was explained in the instruction manuals to be a bounty hunter that wanted to get some quick cash by searching for gems and doing in hedgehogs. This kind of thing is so different from aliens on another planet that I don't know what to say to this, really.

 

Seriously, I think you lot are just following some check list of personal wants rather than judging the story for what it is.

Yes, actually. I wanted this story to give you reasons as to why you were doing things, and why characters in the games had motives. It doesn't hurt anything to have all of this, but it does to go without.

Edited November 4, 2013 by Azookara

[Djawed]

I think the explenations were always pretty stupid anyway. S3k with not much story, no VA still did it best. Screw emphasis on stories. Just give me good presentation and i'm down.

[Briraka]

NEVER MIND, I WAS BEING A BUTT.

Edited November 4, 2013 by Briraka

[Sami]

but as the discussions move on it's like it's turned into a "you are wrong for liking this and you should feel ashamed for it" thing.

 

Nobody has ever said this, or anything of the sort.

 

I will seriously never understand this stigma around all negative impressions of Sonic games on here - who cares if I don't like what you like? Why do you take it so personally?

 

Unless there's some big flashing "OH BTW IF YOU DISAGREE WITH ME YOU'RE A STUPID BUTT" flashing in my signature without me noticing, I don't have a clue where the idea is coming from, because neither I nor anyone else has ever suggested someone could be wrong and/or stupid for liking a game we don't.

 

I don't mean to be confrontational, but this has gotten on my nerves. Stop taking things so damn personally. If I'm pointing out flaws in the game, then I'm doing just that - not calling you stupid or whatever else.

[Milo]

I know that everyone has their own opinion of what should be and shouldn't, but as the discussions move on it's like it's turned into a "you are wrong for liking this and you should feel ashamed for it" thing.

 

If these posts of this forum are what you consider exceedingly critical, you haven't scratched the surface of the internet.

 

Or spent a day at Sega Forums.

Edited November 4, 2013 by Glad Tidings Gabriel

[Chooch]

...Am I the only one that actually enjoyed these sections? That was probably the last thing I would complain about.

It's not a major issue but it's just one of several minor problems (such as the exceedingly stupid kick move) that put a hamper on the overall experience.

 

I only played the Wii U version, so I have no idea about the 3DS version. They barely showed up throughout the game and weren't that long. It was fun trying to jump from one cloud to the next and collect the goodies. If you skip the goodies, the sections were over pretty quickly.

It's not about the length of each section or how many there are, it's the idea that they kill the pace of the game and don't really add anything worthwhile to the levels they're in. The cloud hopping sections in other Sonic games are much shorter, much faster and don't feel as painfully slow or clunky in an already generally slower game.

 

This game is just full of Shit Done For Absolutely No Reason. Wisps, the kick attack, cloud hopping, motion controls, removal of the the 100 ring extra life bonus, Mario clock, animal collecting, etc.

 

Lost World suffers greatly from an identity crisis thanks to its muddled and generally blurry sense of direction. It's almost like the developers were lost* thinking of ideas for the game and just threw in everything they could think of to make it stand out. Some ideas are keepers, but the vast majority of things need to be thrown out and never seen again.

 

*i'm hilarious

Edited November 4, 2013 by Chooch

[Milo]

At first, I was pretty sure the next game would go back to and stay on Sonic's planet, and the artstyle would revert to the Generations/Unleashed style.

 

But if according to Iizuka the Wisps will now be a gameplay mainstay, that would probably mean that Sonic would be doing a lot more traveling away from planet home. Considering that Colors is arguably the first of a string of such Sonic games that revolve around Sonic's adventures on other worlds (arguably Generations counts too, as they technically are in that white nostalgia portal void)...I guess we won't be seeing a game firmly set on Sonic's planet for a while, unless Iizuka would really go as far to just throw the Wisps on Sonic's planet. And if the planet's constantly changing, who's not to say the artstyle won't? *sigh*

 

Lost World suffers greatly from an identity crisis thanks to its muddled and generally blurry sense of direction. It's almost like the developers were lost*

 

*i'm hilarious

 

Damnit Chooch xD

[nintega137]

 

It feels like I want to discuss all the cool thing about the game, but a few very vocal people here wants to pick it apart and thrash it over some parts I didn't think were that big of a deal. I know that everyone has their own opinion of what should be and shouldn't, but as the discussions move on it's like it's turned into a "you are wrong for liking this and you should feel ashamed for it" thing.

 

By god I feel stupid for not even having played the damn thing, and you all have the right to heckle me for this.

Actually I'm going to have to respectfully disagree here. That's one of the reasons that this is the only forum I'm on. I may disagree with other but unlike on other forum people don't take it way to seriously. They are opinions, but that just it, opinions. No reason to get too defensive on either side. I actually feel that people here are very respectful when they talk to each other here. It's a nice breath a fresh air really. Especially in comparison to sega forums, or gamefaqs. 

[Cyrus]

I'm almost done with the 3DS version of the game Here are my impressions.

 

Graphics

This version's textures don't look very good on videos and screenshots, but in it's true resolution, it's pretty pleasing to my eyes. The game is crisp and colorful, and it animates okay. The framerate drops rarely in single player, but frequently in multiplayer if there are more than two players, and when it does, it's either passable or TERRIBLE.

Music

Marvelous, needless to say. Why am I even covering this category...?

Gameplay

Let me start with the controls. Sonic is very responsive and I really feel like I'm in control when making him run, unlike in the console version where moving Sonic takes getting used to because of the clunky turning and awkward jumps.

Parkour is a bit wishy-washy. Sometimes jumping towards a wall from the ground to run along said wall works, other times is doesn't. This is bad for bottomless pit sections and levels like Sky Road Act 1, where wall running is necessary to progress. I do like that wall running is momentum-based, though.

The automated homing attack... Ugh. It's cool for taking down hoards of enemies, but there are moments where I'm trying to double jump towards a platform only to attack to a badnik that's slightly behind me. This happened to me in Silent Forest Act 2 where there was an electric Buzzer near a platform that leads to a Red Star Ring over a bottomless pit. Lives where lost.

The Spin Dash is awesome. Its hold-y-to-essentially-boost very good for speeding around obstacles and past opponents in multiplayer.

Now for level design. The best level design is in the 3D stages. They're fun to speedrun, wall running is more flexible thanks to the side stepping, they're wide open, and they reward you for stopping to look in breakable objects such as rocks and boxes that contain super rings, red rings and elemental shields. The 2D stages are a bit bland, and some are painful.

As for the puzzles, I don't mind them that much. I had fun with apple puzzles in Tropical Coast Zone 2 and replayed that level for fun many times. I think the switch puzzles in Frozen Factory Zone 3 would be more fun if it wasn't for that obnoxious sentient snowball that followed you everywhere.

The wisps are alright as well. I've only had issues with Grey Quake's motion controls. Good thing you can turn it off at will.

Overall, I think it's a good buy. 7.5/10 for me. 

[SuperStingray]

The Super Best Friends take on Lost World.

 

[Endy]

Alright, I've gotten all the Red Rings and have done a majority of the missions this game has to offer. I think its time to write my own mini review

 

Wall of Text:

 

Ill start with the 

Graphics/Presentation

 

This game is pretty, very very pretty. The graphics are crisp, colorful and surprisingly have alot of detail which makes each level have a nice feeling of depth to them. However the crispness is part of the problem I have with them. I didn't notice it watching videos of the game, but actually playing it makes me see how out of place Sonic looks in some of these environments. They went extremely overboard when people said they wanted a more cartoony environment, because this is too extreme. Sonic himself is too detailed and it looks like it was designed around Mario a completely different character. I appreciate that this game didn't try the Unleashed/Colors/Gens approach where they create all this wonderful scenery and you're boxed away from it, but in the next game I hope they somehow find a balance between the two.

 

I think my favourite level graphic wise is Frozen Factory 2, the warm colors of the Aurora Borealis which is on lost hex for some reason clashing against the dark winter colors is wonderful. And the Casino Gimmicks and the neon lighting is beautiful.

 

Story/Writing

 

I've never really been genuinely impressed with a Sonic plot, but this is one of the better ones. The dynamic between Sonic, Tails and Eggman was interesting even though some shit just comes out of nowhere. The Deadly Six were also pretty fun. Even though they pretty much embodied cartoon stereotypes they were fun stereotypes, and some of the stuff they say in the levels s so delightfully twisted I couldn't do anything but laugh. Even though it can get annoying when you're replaying the levels and you can barely hear what they're saying half the time.

 

And now the big one, Gameplay

 

Don't get me wrong here, I really enjoy the gameplay here. But this gameplay has so much shit wrong with it, its getting me to think Sonic Team is intentionally not improving anything and is just changing shit for the hell of it now. This game kicked my ass to hell and back, there isn't one level where I didn't die on my first playthrough of it and its all because I sucked. Even by the end of the game I didn't feel like I developed any skill and I just randomly stumbled through the entire game. The level design doesn't seem like it compliments Sonic at all. There are many points in the game where I was homing attacking an enemy and holding foreword, and after I finished I fell into a pit. Thats bullshit.

 

At this point in Sonic games I really don't have a problem with linearity anymore as long as its replayable. Thankfully this game fixes linearity. I like the tube design here because in the 3D levels it keeps everything streamlined while at the same time being able to have plenty of alternate paths and ways of going about finishing the level. Even though I think they missed the point of what made the Planetoid design of Galaxy work I still think its fun here. The 2D levels however are very linear.

 

The parkour with some improvement could work very well in the future, it took me a while to get it down. Some further explanation on things could have helped alot. The Wisps they fucked up bad in this game too, they aren't that bad when you learn how they actually control, but the Gyroscope on half of them it very broken.

 

In conclusion  give it a 7.5/10....its alright. Once I beat the 3DS version Ill post my thoughts on that too.

[Autosaver]

 

Hearing this song...

 

catchy as hell.

 

I really like it. One of my favorite boss themes in the series.

[jords]

Not sure if anyone notice but the Quake wisp can be found in the multiplayer in the Wii U version. they come from the random item boxes but they don't show up that much. But all it does is stunning the other player if they are on the ground which last about 5-7 seconds I think.

 

2 Player race is actually so fun when both players are good at the game. only if it had 4 players then it would be something.

Edited November 5, 2013 by jordine

[VO.SUPER]

So I guess since this is also a discussion thread (really, I don't know where to put a lot of things on this board. XD)

 

More info on Sonic's depressing Japanese sales:

 

http://nintendoeverything.com/sonic-lost-world-off-to-a-very-rough-start-in-japan/

 

 

Media Create’s latest data revealed that the 3DS version of Sonic Lost World sold 4,919 copies in its first few days of availability in Japan. The Wii U version, however, was nowhere to be seen.

 

Dengeki has come through with sales of its own courtesy of ASCII Media Works. Despite the fact that Sonic Lost World was the best-selling Wii U game in Japan last week, it managed to sell just 2,076 copies

 

SEGA should just make Sonic an all digital title over there, it'd save them money in packaging and all those other physical retail money sinks.

Edited November 5, 2013 by VisionaryBlur

[Zaysho]

Got my copy of Lost World (Wii-U) in the mail today. While I'm well aware of the game's mixed reviews, I still only really skimmed a lot of those so I could go in as fresh as possible.

 

As far as my initial impressions go, I'm somewhat mixed. While I think the presentation is great, and the soundtrack is awesome (Desert Ruins Act 1 and 2 are my current favorites, as well as the Deadly Six's theme and the NiGHTS remixes for the bonus material), there are some things about the gameplay that are hard to ignore.

 

The controls however are a mixed bag and take a lot of getting used to. Basic running, jumping and spin-dashing were easy to grasp and are a lot of fun to use. I love having full control of Sonic again. After a bunch of games that focused solely on moving forward, it's nice to see a return to a more proper platforming style that does feel distinctly Sonic. Parkour is a nice addition, but it's kind of difficult to use in some sections. I died in a section of Windy Hill Act 3 waaaaay too many times trying to figure out how to use the parkour moves in one section late in the level (which ends up on a path to the fourth Red Ring). You're thown into the deep end before you can even swim. I'm not asking for constant handholding, but I would like to have a general sense of how the moves work and how to move from wall to wall.

 

Then there are the Wisps. Oh boy, these little guys. While I like the Wisps in concept, I can see why people have complained about them. Like the Parkour system, there's no real guidance in helping you understand just how they work. There's a basic control scheme outlined, but it doesn't clear up the confusion very much. I tilted my Gamepad all the way up, and the Asteroid Wisp just wasn't floating up. Annoying.

 

I also have a problem with them appearing just because. I think SEGA has taken praise of the Wisps in Colors a little too literally, so now they'll be shoehorned in everywhere. Gee, makes you miss that 2003 to 2006 period when Sonic's friends appeared all the time, doesn't it? I feel like the point of the Wisps in Colors was to complement Sonic's core mechanic. And they did an excellent job of that. Sure, most of them (such as Hover and Spike) gave Sonic moves he already knew in previous games (like the Light Dash or the Spindash), but they were still useful. Better yet, they were, mostly, optional. SEGA learned the right lesson once, but basically forgot it. Taking what worked in the past and applying it to new games doesn't mean slapping those ideas wholesale into a brand new engine where they probably won't behave the way in which they were designed (they were specifically designed for the Unleashed/Colors style). The Wisps just feel tacked on.

 

I think there's potential and all, I just don't think this was the way to go. Focusing more on Sonic's primary moveset in this game, and finding new ways to complement it would've been better (either through power-ups, upgrades, whatever). We finally have full control of Sonic again, there's so much more that can be done now that we don't need the Wisps. But for all my ragging on the Wisps, it's really just the lousy, tacked on controls (though the context thing is another issue) that could've stood to be refined.

 

The system isn't broken, but I certainly hope SEGA continues in this style of gameplay, but with some additional tweaks so we can better understand of how it all works. And maybe not forcing the Gamepad style on us. Not everything needs touchscreen and gyroscope controls. It can be cool in the right game, but Lost World just isn't that game.

 

I will say I really like the level design from what I've played so far. It's well done and the levels are fun to play through thanks in part to how Sonic controls in general. I will say the aesthetics of Tropical Coast really feel out of place for a Sonic game though. Windy Hill had a Sonic flare to it, Desert Ruins had a Sandopolis vibe (Dessert Ruins is just bizarre but strangely fun). Tropical Coast? It reminds me of Isle Delfino a little too much. Granted, I love Mario Sunshine, but the level doesn't scream "Sonic" to me right now. The second act in particular has that Mario vibe, especially when you're leading fruit to blenders so you can ride the juice to the next section. Cool, yeah, but it just doesn't feel like Sonic.

 

That's it so far. I'm enjoying the game, but I kind of get why people have been complaining too.

Edited November 5, 2013 by Zaysho