Sonic Boom announced (Wii U/3DS)

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

Well if Boom proves successful, it might give Sonic Team the incentive to actually fucking try this time.

"Oh! New competition". -Sonic from Sonic Riders

 

 

Seriously though, Sonic Team and Japanese Sonic better watch their backs, especially if Sonic Boom knocks it out of the park with its games series, tv show, upcoming comics, toys and all that.

Multiple optional pathways throughout the levels depending on which characters you're playing as are confirmed, does that help at all?

My god, that actually sounds like Sonic 3 & Knuckles! Where has this been all these years!?

[SuperLink]

Nope, Knuckles says the first line. Dunno who says the second one, possibly an original character for the game,

Naw man the first line is DEFINITELY Roger, second is Knuckles.

 

 

I don't think she was so much "trashing" other games, but rather venting her frustration on how Sonic Team can make a good game, her example being Unleashed, but rather they just refuse to do so. I think Nepenthe knows very well how divisive Unleashed was, but her ultimate problem is that they didn't even bother to improve it in a significant way to appease the ones that hated it.

 

 

Basically, its less "Fuck Sonic Boom for doing what I want" and more "Sonic Team why the fuck can't you do what I want".

Oh then in that case I understand, but for me Unleashed is still example of Sonic Team getting it wrong. I don't think the Unleashed-present Sonic Team is capable, no. Being good at technical feats like visuals and other amazing technical stuff, (because I won't lie Unleashed is still one of 7th gen's most beautiful games to me) doesn't mean they can design a game.

[Spooky Mulder]

Honestly this game looks really good to me. I'm really digging the overall direction even if I think the character models need some work. The game is giving me some real Unleashed/Heroes vibes which isn't really a bad thing. Those were both fun games with some serious flaws that detracted from the overal experience, but there's no reason why they can't work now. I think this game could turn out to be a lot better than anything we've seen recently.

Of course I could be completely wrong, but I think SEGA knows how crucial it is for this game to succeed if they want to use Sonic Boom to rebuild the Sonic franchise. This is probably going to be a lot of young kids first Sonic game after they beg their parents to buy it when they get into Sonic Boom the tv series. 10 years from now, fans might look back on this game the way some of us look back on the Classics or the Adventure games.

I'm willing to give it a chance.

[w00tkins]

Nope, Knuckles says the first line. Dunno who says the second one, possibly an original character for the game,

 

This is what I was thinking. The second voice sounds like Shadow to me.

[Marcello]

Nope, Knuckles says the first line. Dunno who says the second one, possibly an original character for the game,

The first voice is clearly Roger Craig Smith, who voices Sonic.

[Indigo Rush]

The first voice was Sonic, the second voice is likely to be Knuckles. It could be somebody else, but why are people speculating it to be Shadow? There hasn't been a peep about him being in the Sonic Boom franchise since... ever.

[BonkersTheAutomaton]

Ok guys I think the hype may have calmed down a bit now (at least I think it has) so I'm just going to ask this.  Where do you think speed is going to be involved in this.  I know we saw those scenes in the trailer where all 4 of them are running down a pathway but how do you guys see speed being implemented in the gameplay?

[Kuzu]

Oh then in that case I understand, but for me Unleashed is still example of Sonic Team getting it wrong. I don't think the Unleashed-present Sonic Team is capable, no. Being good at technical feats like visuals and other amazing technical stuff, (because I won't lie Unleashed is still one of 7th gen's most beautiful games to me) doesn't mean they can design a game.

 

Unleashed is a decent enough game and I understand why people like it, because I like those things too: The detailed environments, the amount of world building, and an extremely exhilarating game style, and a simple yet effective plot to go with it. But yea, I agree that its flaws just bring it down to about average for me. I just kinda wish they would just be consistent and actually fucking try to improve.

 

I have that sneaking suspicion that even if Sonic Team try next game, its still gonna have its fair share of problems that will never get addressed. The disconnect between the fans and developers is so fucking large; Japan doesn't care enough about Sonic to tell them anything, and our voices will forever be unheard because of a language barrier.

[SuperLink]

Ok guys I think the hype may have calmed down a bit now (at least I think it has) so I'm just going to ask this.  Where do you think speed is going to be involved in this.  I know we saw those scenes in the trailer where all 4 of them are running down a pathway but how do you guys see speed being implemented in the gameplay?

That's actually my main worry at the moment, it seems like the running might just be automated sections between each major area :/

 

If that's true then I'm not gonna get my hopes up for this game.

 

EDIT: SEGA's barriers are becoming a huge problem for the Sonic franchise too :c

[azoo]

I still don't get why that's even the case.

 

I know it's a spinoff, I know it's not interfering with the main series, and I know we've only seen a short trailer, but is it really that hard to see? I've already explained how in multiple ways, and considering we've had SoJ-produced Sonic for such a long time (over 20 years!) I don't know how it's hard to tell the differences. 

 

 

A bit late, but I'm not sure if the development team for Sonic Unleashed- the last game I was in love with- has changed so drastically within the past five years to warrant labeling current Sonic Team "in name only" in regards to that era. That kind of reshuffling in that amount of time would've probably had far bigger consequences and more news on it than the output of just blander games. If it's true that it's more than likely the same team, that's just even more frustration because we're dealing with a team that is the most technically competent they've been in years. This situation reeks just as much of "let's test these 'potentially PR nightmarish' concepts on a spin-off first" as it does on "Sonic Team is incapable of doing the same thing." 

 

And the icing on the cake to top it off is that all of the things people have been saying you need to introduce back in and rework at a speed a glacier could outrun- characters and an interesting use of them, co-op, story and lore- are being pretty well-received right off the bat, and I knew it. The positive reception to things I've been saying are not inherently toxic goes into what I've been screaming for years. All you have to do to make people warm up to these ideas is to just do a good job on developing and presenting them. To me, this isn't rocket science.

 

Absolutely on-point with this as well. 

 

If the reception to this should teach Sega anything, its not that western Sonic is suited for the west and they just keep doing what they're doing; but that characters and story and 'world-expanding' elements are welcomed by all when done well.

 

Unleashed wasn't perfect by any means, but the successes and triumphs of what it pulled off, put together with Sega understanding what elements made Colors/Gens well-liked (not adding unnecessary things players don't want), further developing the gameplay base they built from Lost World COULD make a great game. That's what I want to look forward to, but I guess that's just unrealistic. :\

 

Basically, its less "Fuck Sonic Boom for doing what I want" and more "Sonic Team why the fuck can't you do what I want".

 

Pretty much!

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

I wonder if the Enerbeams are what give the other three the ability to keep up with Sonic going high speed.

[Junko]

That's actually my main worry at the moment, it seems like the running might just be automated sections between each major area :/

 

If that's true then I'm not gonna get my hopes up for this game.

One of the review sites (maybe Kotaku) said something like straight lines for speed and wide-open plateaus for exploration. Eh.

[Marcello]

What in the world are Enerbeams?

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

I know it's a spinoff, I know it's not interfering with the main series, and I know we've only seen a short trailer, but is it really that hard to see? I've already explained how in multiple ways, and considering we've had SoJ-produced Sonic for such a long time (over 20 years!) I don't know how it's hard to tell the differences. 

 

Yeah it really is hard to see. Unless you're referring to frustration of the fact that Sonic Boom might actually nail Sonic on its first videogame try while Sonic Team and Dimps, the "professionals" have been stumbling around in the dark for some time.

[Diogenes]

One of the review sites (maybe Kotaku) said something like straight lines for speed and wide-open plateaus for exploration. Eh.

Barf. Another game that can't actually integrate the two.

[Mauro Fonseca]

What in the world are Enerbeams?

 

The toy gimmick ugly gadgets they have on their arms that appear to work like the rings in Chaotix. See them at work in the cartoon preview and in some of the screenshots.

[Junko]

What in the world are Enerbeams?

 

 

 

The videogame will also introduce exploration, combat and a new Enerbeam tether mechanic that will allow the Sonic Boom world to be discovered in totally unique ways.

 

 

Sonic Boom will introduce a new "Enerbeam" mechanic that will allow players to explore the game's world in unique ways.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

What in the world are Enerbeams?

They're the "keyblades" of the Sonic Boom game. A notably mentioned mechanic that is to debut in the videogame and be seen and used by the cast the in the show too.

[Chooch]

I'm pretty sure it's gonna be used like the swingshot / tether from Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One.

[Marcello]

^Thanks for the answers.

 

Yeah it really is hard to see. Unless you're referring to frustration of the fact that Sonic Boom might actually nail Sonic on its first videogame try while Sonic Team and Dimps, the "professionals" have been stumbling around in the dark for some time.

 

Dimps? They had a pretty strong start with Sonic Pocket Adventure and Sonic Advance. They just kept getting worse.

[Komodin]

I just really don't see the appeal of the Deadly Six at all. They purposefully lack depth, their designs are hit and miss and just about everything they say and do makes me cringe. That's really saying something given the unbelievable amounts of cheese the series has subjected me to.

 

Can we just.. have Eggman and only Eggman? All these other villains are crap.

Speaking as a huge Eggman fan? Sorry, Chooch, but I just can't level with that jazz.

Besides my big hangup with the whole "addition by subtraction" nonsense that we've been suffering from for the past few years, having only one character as the antagonist would get hella boring, hella FAST. I mean, really, even SpongeBob Squarepants had multiple antagonists for its (light) conflicts. Instead of just lazily tossing them to the wayside, I'd rather have the Deadly Six developed so that they're NOT "cringeworthy and lame" as you claim they are.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

The disconnect between the fans and developers is so fucking large; Japan doesn't care enough about Sonic to tell them anything, and our voices will forever be unheard because of a language barrier.

This makes me wonder if we'll get a whole new Forums site akin to SEGA Forums for the western-handled Sonic games, shows, books and whatnot to mingle with the fans. Except this time they'll actually do a better job of communicating and listening to us. Perhaps I should make a thread about this.

Speaking as a huge Eggman fan? Sorry, Chooch, but I just can't level with that jazz.

Besides my big hangup with the whole "addition by subtraction" nonsense that we've been suffering from for the past few years, having only one character as the antagonist would get hella boring, hella FAST. I mean, really, even SpongeBob Squarepants had multiple antagonists for its (light) conflicts. Instead of just lazily tossing them to the wayside, I'd rather have the Deadly Six developed so that they're NOT "cringeworthy and lame" as you claim they are.

Absolutely! Scrapping the Deadly Six would be a horrible waste at this point.

[SuperLink]

One of the main reasons I want Fang back (or for the Deadly Six to be better developed) is because as good a villain as Eggman is, having only one villain can get boring, and that isn't because Eggman's bad, it's because we don't want to ruin one of the strongest characters the series has by overplaying them.

 

Other villains with other kinds of motives could really shake things up, especially if they're well done.

[Marcello]

I'd rather they just forget the Deadly Six. I just don't see anything worth saving or that would be a pity to toss away.

 

I'd still like some non-Eggman villains, though. The Battle Bird Armada in the Archie comics were a great (re)addition.

[Kuzu]

The sad part is, I understand where the likes of Azoo and Nepenthe are coming from, I'd be frustrated too if something I liked wasn't going a direction I preferred, meanwhile something else is off to a decent start doing what should done. But while I do understand and sympathize, I can't bring myself to agree.
 
 
 
The one thing I have wanted out of Sonic for a long time, not for the plot to be better, or characters, that's just the icing on the cake, but for developers who probably can communicate with the fanbase; do you realize what having a Western developer means, it means our voices might actually be fucking heard for a change, as in, if Sonic Boom doesn't do as good as we hope, that means that there will be some way to contact the developers and have them address the problems in the sequels, leading to....better games, but without too much change and  FUCKING CONSISTENCY. 

 

 

Forget playable characters, forget plot, forget slops and shit; this is my ultimate beef with the series, the lack of consistency and any attempt at being so. If Boom manages to be consistent and actually continuously improve, then I can't really bring myself to be sad about this.