2014 is The Year Of Sonic "& Sports tape" *see post 1*

[Tani Coyote]

Aren't most debates pointless, to be frank? In a fandom debates about a franchise are likely as useful as religious or political debates with anyone else.

Anyway, back on topic:

Though I've expressed support of Boom outright replacing the main continuity for marketing purposes, we must give SEGA credit; they actually do keep their fans in mind. Why else would they hire Crush 40 for official events when they ceased being relevant years ago? They know plenty of diehards love them and their nostalgic works.

So presumably, even if Boom became successful, nay, more successful than the original franchise... it doesn't mean the Modern-era games would go away. They would still be maintained to cash in on the nostalgia for them presumably. Basically this would be like when SEGA tried to make Sonic 4 to cash in on Classic nostalgia despite pushing forward with modern games. Hopefully if this is the route SEGA goes they'll have better quality work.

I just hope to God SEGA forces Sonic Team to stick with a single gameplay/art formula and that's it. I'd like to see Sonic Boom be Sonic's party/exploration game and main Sonic be the speed/parkour/platforming game.

[Kuzu]

 I said specifically in my post that you can enjoy it and it looks pretty good. The fact that I can't show dismay in wanting the next main-series Sonic game without being told "HAHA WELL GUESS WHAT THIS IS THE NEXT MAIN SONIC GAME YOU ELITIST" is what's bugging me.

 

 

Like Superlink said, Semantics. You know this isn't a mainline Sonic game, and I'm pretty sure that original post was in jest.

 

 

Like, how did this even turn into an actual debate?

[Danj86]

Jimmies?

 

*ahem*

 

I am intrigued that they call this "the year of Sonic." I'd hope it means we're getting more than what we are hearing at the moment, we got plenty of Luigi based games for his year, after all. It's entirely possible that SegaSonic could still make an appearance in some shape or form, apart from being in Smash Brothers.

[Tani Coyote]

Indeed. While Boom's massive push into media is fairly impressive on its own, if this is not a reboot, I don't think it really fits being a "Year of Sonic" so much as "Year of Sonic Boom."

Where's a set of figures of Classic, Modern and Boom Sonic? Where's the widespread fanfare through conventions and other activities? There's a lot of things I think they could still do for the brand this year, and I'm hopeful they have a lot more in store than just Sonic Boom.

[KrazyBean]

OMG this is hilarious!

 

[Spooky Mulder]

Obviously people fear change, but I think this is a change that we're going to have to accept. If Sonic Boom succeeds, this could be the future of the Sonic franchise and you know what? That's okay with me.

Here's the thing, as much as some of us may protest that this isn't "our Sonic", for somebody it's going to be. If this succeeds, 10 years from now there are going to be kids who look at Boom Sonic and say "that's my Sonic." And as much as I have loved my Sonic since the first time I picked up my friend's GameGear and then rented Sonic Adventure from Blockbuster, I recognize that he's had a rough few years. I've seen my Sonic be bastardized by mediocre games and terrible writing for years. I've seen his world as disjointed and poorly represented as can be for years. As a long-time fan, I've stuck with my Sonic through it all because I love him, but I don't think that what's been done for the last several years is worthy of the franchise, world, and character that was such a part of my childhood.

Frankly, the entire Sonic continuity has been an absolute mess since the days of Sonic Adventure which really strayed a lot more from Sonic's roots than this game appears to. From Sonic Heroes to Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic 06 to Sonic Unleashed, the mood whiplash in the series has been bizarre and incoherent and it's not like many of the games have been that great. I think if you're already a fan as I am, there's been stuff to appreciate—but nothing that would make a new generation fall in love with Sonic in the way I assume most of the people on this site did. Sonic Boom though might be able to do that.

I don't want to say goodbye to the Sonic I grew up with but something in the television clip and the game trailer stirred something in me that I really haven't felt in a long time. I saw something new that was worth loving. If some kid sees this and feels that same thing and becomes the newest Sonic fan, then all of this is worth it. Because even though Boom Sonic will never be the Sonic I grew up with, I think at it's heart it's loyal to it. The character designs are changed. The gameplay might be different. The continuity might be unfamiliar. But the things that really make Sonic Sonic are still there. The speed. The rings. The robots. The blend of cartoonism and realism. The attitude. It's all there.

Whatever SEGA's long term goal is here, I support it. If it means eventually waving goodbye to so-called "Modern Sonic" then I say bittersweetly, "go for it." I believe in Sonic Boom. I think it deserves a chance.

[Badnik Mechanic]

Telling myself this is the next big, super important Sonic game would be lying to myself. This is a spin-off franchise. A spin-off! Like said, it's very different but seemingly pretty good, but I cannot make myself give a single damn more than that.

 

You're absolutely right.

 

And I have a feeling that come release day a lot of people are going to get a very nasty shock. Sonic Boom... is not a Sonic game.

 

Everything that's been shown so far screams 'this is a new IP but we put Sonic in there in order to sell it.' Yes I'm aware that it's to tie in with the cartoon and brand relaunch. But I ask you, if there were no cartoon, no marketing deal, if this had been announced last year in place of Sonic Lost World. 

 

How many people would be saying that this is a Sonic game? 

 

We have, minimum of two players you control at a time.

 

Co-op being heavily important if not vital.

 

Sonic uses a whip to get around the levels and attack enemies. 

 

Tails only uses ranged weapons (though SA 2 he was in a tank so....)

 

Fights and we're not talking boss battles, normal enemies, take place in what appears to be closed arenas, even in that behind the scenes photo on dailyamerica.com it was a closed arena. 

 

When we do see Sonic's sections, they're completely Barron, no enemies of any kind, further supporting the closed arena claim.

 

 

It feels like what Bioshock Infinite did, rip out everything you associate with Bioshock, forcefully leave in a few elements which make utterly no sense to the world it's created an then slap the word Bioshock on the cover and hope some people will think it's a Bioshock game.

 

Same thing for Command and Conquer 4.

 

Man 1: But wait! What if Boom is really good?

 

Super, but that still doesn't change the fact what's been shown so far isn't a Sonic game.

[Junko]

The comparisons people have been making to Ratchet and Clank/Jak and Daxter aren't at all unjustified, there are still those speed sections, but this game seems definitely more oriented to exploration, puzzles and combat, and some people need to realise that pretty soon.

[Briraka]

I had a terrifying thought yesterday...

 

... What if SEGA itself has more input on this than we realize? Say, if Boom wanted to have their own interpretation of Shadow, could SEGA turn them down on the basis of Shadow being presumably unpopular?

 

I ask this because outside of the new look, it's still just the classic-era characters Sonic, Tails, Amy, Knuckles, and Eggman.

[ImPantsAtThis]

I agree, Mulder. If Boom is an opportunity for a fresh start, a chance for Sonic Team to start again, but do it right, then I'm all for it.

 

For too long the Sonic series has lacked focus, thematically, canonically and tonally. Since Adventure -- ST's first real attempt to build a world for Sonic to live in -- suffered from a bunch of sequels the that played with and confused what it had established, with the sudden appearance of an alien army and metropolises light years ahead of already-known cities, along with weapons of mass destruction and moons that can... heal themselves?

 

It's no surprise that, after '06, ST gave up on trying to have any modicum of continuity in the stories.

 

So, if ST use this opportunity wisely, by making an unspoken soft-reboot (a la Unleashed) to have a more consistent universe with actual continuity and consistently, then I couldn't care less about the re-designs*.

 

 

But I also think Hogfather is spot-on. This is a spin-off series, and Modern Sonic may be here to stay; unless Boom's TV show and game sell spectacularly, SEGA wouldn't trade Sonic's current level of iconicity to satiate kids watching the show and playing a completely different type of game to the ones they are making (otherwise, they'd have to permanently contract Big Red Button).

 

 

*(If you were wondering, I don't mind them either way.)

[Nepenthe]

I had a terrifying thought yesterday...

 

... What if SEGA itself has more input on this than we realize? Say, if Boom wanted to have their own interpretation of Shadow, could SEGA turn them down on the basis of Shadow being presumably unpopular?

 

I ask this because outside of the new look, it's still just the classic-era characters Sonic, Tails, Amy, Knuckles, and Eggman.

 

Sega has ultimate control over their own properties, so yes they could say "no" to literally anything the team asked of them not necessary to getting the game done. Whether they will is a different matter, and considering they're being allowed to create all new characters, I don't see why established ones will be off the table.

[Sami]

 

You're absolutely right.

 

And I have a feeling that come release day a lot of people are going to get a very nasty shock. Sonic Boom... is not a Sonic game.

 

Everything that's been shown so far screams 'this is a new IP but we put Sonic in there in order to sell it.' Yes I'm aware that it's to tie in with the cartoon and brand relaunch. But I ask you, if there were no cartoon, no marketing deal, if this had been announced last year in place of Sonic Lost World. 

 

How many people would be saying that this is a Sonic game? 

 

We have, minimum of two players you control at a time.

 

Co-op being heavily important if not vital.

 

Sonic uses a whip to get around the levels and attack enemies. 

 

Tails only uses ranged weapons (though SA 2 he was in a tank so....)

 

Fights and we're not talking boss battles, normal enemies, take place in what appears to be closed arenas, even in that behind the scenes photo on dailyamerica.com it was a closed arena. 

 

When we do see Sonic's sections, they're completely Barron, no enemies of any kind, further supporting the closed arena claim.

 

 

It feels like what Bioshock Infinite did, rip out everything you associate with Bioshock, forcefully leave in a few elements which make utterly no sense to the world it's created an then slap the word Bioshock on the cover and hope some people will think it's a Bioshock game.

 

Same thing for Command and Conquer 4.

 

Man 1: But wait! What if Boom is really good?

 

Super, but that still doesn't change the fact what's been shown so far isn't a Sonic game.

 

Right! And taking it even further, that reminds me - 

 

 

God! Would you look at what these clowns did to Mario!? I mean god I bet if they didn't forcefully put in all those mushrooms and characters and shit nobody would've even guessed it was a Mario game! I bet they ripped out everything people associate with Mario and forced in a few elements that make no sense just for the money! Awful! >:C

 

never mind the fact that it's a completely unrelated spin-off and is thus allowed to do these things, of course. No, no, let's all just get mad at the spin-off looking like a spin-off.

[Briraka]

Sega has ultimate control over their own properties, so yes they could say "no" to literally anything the team asked of them not necessary to getting the game done. Whether they will is a different matter, and considering they're being allowed to create all new characters, I don't see why established ones will be off the table.

I know it's their IP, they could have a game in which Sonic flies a car through space for all I know. I'm just wondering if they would do that, considering the ass backwards way of handling characters before, for example:

 

"X character wasn't well received, so instead of improving it, we just scrap X character instead and never use them outside of party games."

[Kuzu]

Reading all of these "Its not a Sonic game" comments really makes me hope they announce Sonic Team's game soon so people can move onto that. 

 

 

We know its not a "real" Sonic game, why do people feel the need to keep telling us this, its like stating the obvious. :\

[Soniman]

Im still kinda shocked people are gauging the entire game off of VERY quick gameplay segments in that trailer? Sonic's areas looked barren? Well i guess, all I saw was barely even 5 seconds total and Sonic wash in areas where no enemies could generally appear from a logical standpoint, like when Sonic was swinging though the air or racing across the water.….

 

I know the game doesn't display some Sonic aspects so far, but I think people are really reaching based on what we seen.

[Briraka]

Or you know, they could using springs and dash panels...

 

...IN MODERATION?!

[Kuzu]

Im still kinda shocked people are gauging the entire game off of VERY quick gameplay segments in that trailer? Sonic's areas looked barren? Well i guess, all I saw was barely even 5 seconds total and Sonic wash in areas where no enemies could generally appear from a logical standpoint, like when Sonic was swinging though the air or racing across the water.….

 

I know the game doesn't display some Sonic aspects so far, but I think people are really reaching based on what we seen.

 

 

Are you really surprised by this? We are notorious for jumping to conclusions and assuming the worst with very little evidence, we've been trained to expect the worse, so we react accordingly.

 

 

Never forget, four years ago around this time were going through the same thing.

[Badnik Mechanic]

never mind the fact that it's a completely unrelated spin-off and is thus allowed to do these things, of course. No, no, let's all just get mad at the spin-off looking like a spin-off.

 

Who is getting mad over it? If anything the only people getting mad are the ones who are replying to any criticism put towards the game and the concept.

 

I've not even said the game is going to be crap. I'm just pointing out and usually I'm right on the money with this kind of stuff, if you are expecting a Sonic game, you aren't going to get one.

[Kuzu]

Who is getting mad over it? 

 

I've not even said the game is going to be crap. I'm just pointing out and usually I'm right on the money with this kind of stuff, if you are expecting a Sonic game, you aren't going to get one.

 

I don't think anyone here was expecting one tho...

[JaidynReiman]

Who is getting mad over it? If anything the only people getting mad are the ones who are replying to any criticism put towards the game and the concept.

 

I've not even said the game is going to be crap. I'm just pointing out and usually I'm right on the money with this kind of stuff, if you are expecting a Sonic game, you aren't going to get one.

I'm expecting a spinoff game with some Sonic concepts. Its basically the same thing as Hyrule Warriors. Its not a Sonic game, its not a Zelda game. But they look like pretty cool spinoffs with the Sonic and Zelda branding on them, respectively. I don't care if its not a "Sonic" game. Its a new take on Sonic featuring the characters I love.

 

My criticisms stem from the fact that they didn't do this in the main continuity. There was absolutely no reason they HAD to create a new continuity to create a proper Sonic spinoff game.

 

EDIT: And to clarify, that includes the redesigns, too. The spinoff game and cartoon didn't need the redesigns and didn't need its own continuity. If they really wanted, just set it a few years after the main games.

 

The main continuity could really use cleaning up and clarification. I want to know what the world looks like, what Shadow is ACTUALLY doing after Shadow the Hedgehog, clarification on where in the world several major locations like Westside Island, Central City, etc. exist, where the Riders games take place (so far there's no indication that they aren't connected to the main games, so it'd be nice to have those references added) and so on.

 

I don't care if they're ever revisited, but it would be nice to have a number of things set and defined so they can keep running with that. I wouldn't mind the Babylon Rogues or other older characters popping up once in a great while (they don't need to appear in every game). Confirmations on what happened to Eggman Nega, perhaps actually concluding his storyline overall as well.

 

I had a terrifying thought yesterday...

 

... What if SEGA itself has more input on this than we realize? Say, if Boom wanted to have their own interpretation of Shadow, could SEGA turn them down on the basis of Shadow being presumably unpopular?

 

I ask this because outside of the new look, it's still just the classic-era characters Sonic, Tails, Amy, Knuckles, and Eggman.

Shadow had MIXED reactions. He's not unpopular by any means, he's just both loved and hated. The fact that he's still constantly appearing in spinoffs is enough to say that. He recently appeared in Sonic Dash, he's going to appear in Sonic Jump, he's been in every Sonic All-Stars game and every Mario & Sonic game. Shadow never misses a single spinoff (unlike Rouge; well, she has been appearing in the Mario & Sonic games as a Rival at least).

 

Shadow would be a great addition. Sega hasn't been using him very well lately anyway; he should appear as a rival and perhaps even an antagonist here and there. Not a main antagonist, but someone who just gets in Sonic's way. He could work very well along with Rouge (and they don't need to work together all the time despite being friends/partners).

 

 

Plus, they have officially stated that older characters are returning. But either way, I'm content with just the core four right now since none of them have been playable in the latest main games. I'd also love to see Shadow has an occasional recurring character in the cartoon (they don't need to bring his backstory into it at all, just show off that he's Sonic's rival and that's all).

[Sami]

Who is getting mad over it? If anything the only people getting mad are the ones who are replying to any criticism put towards the game and the concept.

 

I've not even said the game is going to be crap. I'm just pointing out and usually I'm right on the money with this kind of stuff, if you are expecting a Sonic game, you aren't going to get one.

 

I thought that was obvious the moment they showed the first trailer, though. I just can't comprehend this constant insistence that it's not an actual Sonic game, or whatever. Since its announcement it was never touted as anything other than a sub-franchise, and nobody tried to argue that it wasn't.

 

What I also take issue with is people getting visibly upset over its existence as a sub-franchise, as if it doesn't have any right to even exist because it's dissimilar to Sonic Team's games.

[azoo]

I thought that was obvious the moment they showed the first trailer, though. I just can't comprehend this constant insistence that it's not an actual Sonic game, or whatever. Since its announcement it was never touted as anything other than a sub-franchise, and nobody tried to argue that it wasn't.

 

What I also take issue with is people getting visibly upset over its existence as a sub-franchise, as if it doesn't have any right to even exist because it's dissimilar to Sonic Team's games.

Getting upset with how it's so different from the normal series was partially just me being grumpy yesterday, I've calmed down since on the subject. I apologize for my grumpiness.

But now that's not even my point at all that I'm trying to make.

Its the idea that just because we have something consistent that people wouldn't mind this to take over the main franchise or be over Sega!Sonic. Its as if we never liked it to begin with, or really didn't care enough about what we had before that we apparently don't mind if it becomes something this different.

And yes, Sonic Team has had trouble delivering for a long time. Does that mean suddenly we don't like anything they've done anymore? The art style? The gameplay? Anything? The idea that if Sonic just became this wouldn't be a bad thing just because it's expanding mythos/story/etc is just.. ugh.

That's my beef.

Otherwise I'm willing to just enjoy Boom for what it is: a spin-off. Seems like it'd be pretty neat to play for what it is and it'd also lead off the launch of what seems to be one of Sonic's better cartoons, but to say that this'll quench my need for a good Sonic thing would be lying to myself, and the fact that others legitimately think this is sort of disheartening.

Sorry for being such a downer.

[Celestia]

Otherwise I'm willing to just enjoy Boom for what it is: a spin-off. Seems like it'd be pretty neat to play for what it is and it'd also lead off the launch of what seems to be one of Sonic's better cartoons, but to say that this'll quench my need for a good Sonic thing would be lying to myself, and the fact that others legitimately think this is sort of disheartening.

Why?

 

Don't get me wrong, I don't want Sonic Team's Sonic to go away, in fact I'm really looking forward to what they have in store for the next mainstream game! I've enjoyed the past few games and even with Lost World's flaws, I'm not all that concerned about the future of the main series.

 

But why is it "disheartening" that people see Sonic Boom as possibly being a "good Sonic thing"? You keep saying stuff like that but also insist that you're okay with people liking it, so I honestly have no idea what you're trying to say.

[Sami]

Getting upset with how it's so different from the normal series was partially being grumpy yesterday, I've calmed down since on the subject. I apologize for my grumpiness.

But now that's not even my point at all that I'm trying to make.

Its the idea that just because we have something consistent that people wouldn't mind this to take over the main franchise or be over Sega!Sonic. Its as if we never liked it to begin with, or really didn't care enough about what we had before that we apparently don't mind if it becomes something this different.

And yes, Sonic Team has had trouble delivering for a long time. Does that mean suddenly we don't like anything they've done anymore? The art style? The gameplay? Anything? The idea that if Sonic just became this wouldn't be a bad thing just because it's expanding mythos/story/etc is just.. ugh.

That's my beef.

Otherwise I'm willing to just enjoy Boom for what it is: a spin-off. Seems like it'd be pretty neat to play for what it is and it'd also lead off the launch of what seems to be one of Sonic's better cartoons, but to say that this'll quench my need for a good Sonic thing would be lying to myself, and the fact that others legitimately think this is sort of disheartening.

Sorry for being such a downer.

 

I don't think any of us suddenly stopped caring about SegaSonic the moment this got announced, though. I still love and prefer the art direction of Unleashed over Boom's, and I'm only hopeful that we'll get as high quality music out of Boom as we're accustomed to with SegaSonic.

 

With that being said, I'm also excited for this because it promises to deliver on aspects I've wanted from Sonic for years now. Quite frankly, while I've always held the main line of games on a higher pedestal than the other incarnations of the universe, I am first and foremost a fan of Sonic, not Sonic Team. When I hear that a new game is going to have multiple playable characters, an emphasis on narrative and exploration, more fleshed out characters, heavy inspiration taken from Sonic Adventure and Sonic Unleashed, levels designed for multiple characters a la Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and an art direction I very much enjoy... I really don't care who's making it so long they're competent enough to deliver on their promises. 

 

I haven't stopped caring about SegaSonic because I still love Sonic just as much as I always have - in fact, I'm still extremely hopeful (maybe more than I should be, even) that the 2015 game may be the game I've been waiting for from Sonic Team since Unleashed. 

 

And I'm sorry if this bothers you, but I honestly do believe that since 1996 there has not been a single point in time that Naughty Dog was not a more capable, more talented, and more ambitious developer than Sonic Team. Sonic was completely absent during the fifth generation, and Jak & Daxter is a more refined, more focused, better game than anything Sonic Team made from SA1 to Unleashed, and that's to say nothing of its sequels. I have more faith in BigRedButton than I do in a developer that has consistently been one of the most incompetent in the industry for years, and I say that as someone who genuinely loved Generations and Colors.

[azoo]

Why?

 

Don't get me wrong, I don't want Sonic Team's Sonic to go away, in fact I'm really looking forward to what they have in store for the next mainstream game! I've enjoyed the past few games and even with Lost World's flaws, I'm not all that concerned about the future of the main series.

 

But why is it "disheartening" that people see Sonic Boom as possibly being a "good Sonic thing"? You keep saying stuff like that but also insist that you're okay with people liking it, so I honestly have no idea what you're trying to say.

Because there's a difference in liking and acting like it's the hottest shit on the planet and that we don't really need Sonic Team or the traditional Sonic style anymore. I get not everyone is like that and that it all sort of varies, but the idea just bothers me a bit.

I guess it's just me misjudging the fanbase in how I thought we were all into this series for relatively the same reasons (even with our minor differences). Guess that's not really the case. :\

I don't think any of us suddenly stopped caring about SegaSonic the moment this got announced, though. I still love and prefer the art direction of Unleashed over Boom's, and I'm only hopeful that we'll get as high quality music out of Boom as we're accustomed to with SegaSonic.

 

With that being said, I'm also excited for this because it promises to deliver on aspects I've wanted from Sonic for years now. Quite frankly, while I've always held the main line of games on a higher pedestal than the other incarnations of the universe, I am first and foremost a fan of Sonic, not Sonic Team. When I hear that a new game is going to have multiple playable characters, an emphasis on narrative and exploration, more fleshed out characters, heavy inspiration taken from Sonic Adventure and Sonic Unleashed, levels designed for multiple characters a la Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and an art direction I very much enjoy... I really don't care who's making it so long they're competent enough to deliver on their promises.

But it's something I just can't jive with. It bothers me to an extreme extent because while it features all of these things and competent developers, it just doesn't look like it's shaping up to be like Sonic in any way. And that's not bad for it as a spin-off, but bad in the sense that I thought people wouldn't be so willing to give up what made Sonic Sonic just to have these other things, and then say it'd be alright if we just kept having it this way because of that.

 

And I'm sorry if this bothers you, but I honestly do believe that since 1996 there has not been a single point in time that Naughty Dog was not a more capable, more talented, and more ambitious developer than Sonic Team. Sonic was completely absent during the fifth generation, and Jak & Daxter is a more refined, more focused, better game than anything Sonic Team made from SA1 to Unleashed, and that's to say nothing of its sequels. I have more faith in BigRedButton than I do in a developer that has consistently been one of the most incompetent in the industry for years, and I say that as someone who genuinely loved Generations and Colors.

And frankly I do not give a single damn if they're more competent or better developers. Sonic is in a completely different league than Jak & Daxter in art style, gameplay, and everything. If this were a main series title then it'd be no closer to what Sonic really is than what SatAM was to being a Sonic show; which is why I express such heavy distaste in the series becoming Boom whilst being okay with it for what it is, basically.

I haven't stopped caring about SegaSonic because I still love Sonic just as much as I always have - in fact, I'm still extremely hopeful (maybe more than I should be, even) that the 2015 game may be the game I've been waiting for from Sonic Team since Unleashed.

I'm hopeful that the 2015 game will be the Sonic I've been waiting on, period. I just thought others felt the same way..