Sonic Boom announced (Wii U/3DS)

[Marcello]

There's a Polygon preview and someone on NeoGAF summarized it:

Summary:

-Big Red Button (Wii U) and Sanzaru (3DS) are making the game. The two SKUs are different games in the same universe.

-Sonic Boom Wii U is what the info below pertains to.

-The game runs on CryEngine.

-Big Red Button is lead by Bob Rafei, a Naughty Dog veteran of the Jak & Daxter series and Uncharted 1. A lot of the team members also worked on Jak & Daxter and Ratchet & Clank.

-The Sonic Boom series as a whole is being run out of Sega of America as a fully Westernized version of the franchise, whereas Sonic Team in Japan is managing the Japanese based series. The concept actually started with the TV show (made in France) and then they decided to make games with Western devs to support that.

-While speed is an element in the game, it's not the main focus for the Sonic Boom series.

-Combat and "strong narrative" are major aspects of the game.

-While not an open world, the levels are notably more open to allow for more exploration based gameplay. They describe it as "a series of classic sandbox levels branching out into more levels in a spoke-like system".

-There is a "critical path" and also a lot of side content that you can do if you want to, similar to other open world/sandbox type games.

-The game director notes that his experience on Uncharted was part of their influence in making the game in a more action/adventure direction, and that the team is making a game they would want to play. However, they want to make sure it still feels like a Sonic game instead of just Jak or Ratchet with a Sonic skin.

-Each character has different special abilities which tie into both combat and exploration.

-They made Amy Rose a much bigger character in the game because they wanted there to be more strong female characters and also for the game to appeal to girls more. They also note "If she was to break out and have a game of her own you'd probably get an idea of what that would look like based on this game."

-Their goal is that each of the four characters feel unique gameplay wise and like main characters instead of just Sonic and a bunch of supporting cast.

-The game has 2 to 4 player co-op. I'm having issues finding it right now, but I believe I saw another preview that said the game features 2 player co-op for the whole campaign and some modes that support 4 player, but I could be wrong.

-The new main enemy is "darker and more foreboding than Eggman is."

-Sonic Team will still make games focused on speed that aren't part of the Sonic Boom series. These are being developed in parallel, so (Nirolak's conjecture) expecting annualization is not unreasonable.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=99894353&postcount=1

http://www.polygon.com/2014/2/6/5387184/why-sega-handed-sonic-over-to-western-studios-and-gave-him-a-scarf

Some notable parts:

-There is a "critical path" and also a lot of side content that you can do if you want to, similar to other open world/sandbox type games.

So there is one linear path that you can take, but you're allowed to deviate from it. So it does sound like you can have more of a traditional Sonic experience.

-The game director notes that his experience on Uncharted was part of their influence in making the game in a more action/adventure direction, and that the team is making a game they would want to play. However, they want to make sure it still feels like a Sonic game instead of just Jak or Ratchet with a Sonic skin.

Maybe this will slightly ease the worries of those who think it won't be Sonic-like enough?

-The new main enemy is "darker and more foreboding than Eggman is."

I haven't seen this discussed yet, but there was discussion about non-Eggman villains last night. so what do you guys think?

I really hope that was a joke.

Tell me, what has changed? Silver has barely appeared since '06, so he never even had the chance to get better.

Unless you're saying that's the improvement. I'd agree with that. ;P

[Cyrus]

A GTA-structured Sonic game? Oooh man, pinch me, I must be dreaming.

[Lady Soniko]

I'd say it's more like Skyrim where there's a main quest to follow, but you get thrown off the trail by exploring and doing alternate missions, but you'll eventually get back on track to continuing the story etc.

[SuperLink]

SONIC IS ABOUT JOYOUS MOVEMENT

I feel something warm inside me right now ;-; (get your head out of the gutter SSMB)

[Cyrus]

Like GTA, which is an open world game, like Skyrim.

[Amomynous]

Call it baseless fretting, but what with one of the developers saying they wanted Amy to be more positive and bring more girls into gaming.

I'm a bit concerned she may have the constant shadow of being a credit to her gender over her head. You remember Sally Acorn from satAM? That's what happened to her,  along with many other female characters, she stopped being a round character and started being a 'credit to her gender.' Blegh

[SuperLink]

Yeah that's a worry I have too. Japanese Amy may have been simple, but at least she wasn't one-dimensional.

 

If Boom Amy ends up being the one-dimension "straight edge no nonsense serious" type of strong female I'll be really disappointed :/ but also not surprised. Still, they have Adventure Time and MLP writers on the cartoon at least so that'll probably be fine? I hope they know what they're doing with her in the game is all. She could so easily be such an awesome character if they allowed her to be deeper and have a little agency.

[Amomynous]

Hopefully it wont happen due to her being a secondary portrayal therefore the writers and Sega will try and make sure she doesn't stray too far from Main! Amy.

[Candescence]

Well, there are franchises that have 'branches' that explore different designs and creative decisions and what not, such as what Marvel does with both its regular comics and its 'Ultimate' universe comics, so as long as the end results aren't shitty, I guess I'm not bummed out about Sonic Boom. But if the game turns out to be a generic platformer with generic combat, then we're gonna have problems.

 

I'm honestly wondering what they're gonna do with other characters - Blaze? Shadow? Rouge? The Chaotix? I'm actually interested in what they could do with their designs. While I'm not too keen on overly-buff Knuckles and the game models make me recoil in horror (they just immediately think 'uncanny valley' somehow), the CGI/drawn models are actually pretty good (they could seriously tone down the tape, though, geez), and you could do so, so much worse (such as Michael Bay's Ninja Turtles, urgh), so I really want to see how the creative team does other existing franchise characters. As long as they don't screw up Blaze, I'll be a happy camper.

 

But still, dear God, someone tell Big Red Button to change the game models. They're kinda hideous. Especially Knuckles.

[VO.SUPER]

So, who expects more of this game to show up in the next Nintendo direct? And expect it to be playable in E3.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

 

But still, dear God, someone tell Big Red Button to change the game models. They're kinda hideous. Especially Knuckles.

Keep in mind, the trailer itself says that it's a work in progress, an earlier build that we're viewing. I'm sure. there will be major touch-ups for the final release.

So, who expects more of this game to show up in the next Nintendo direct? And expect it to be playable in E3.

It'd be plumb foolish of both Nintendo and SEGA to not market the hell out of this game (and the show to an extent as well). So I wouldn't be too surprised if more pops up sooner or later. Speaking of which, when is the next Nintendo Direct?

[VO.SUPER]

Aren't most Directs monthly? So shouldn't it be sometime this month?

[Lady Soniko]

I'm kinda hoping with Boom! Being handled by a western studio that they'll actually bother to promote and market their game unlike SEGA.

 

Here's hoping they'll take E3 and Direct by storm, because they've created a fucking huge buzz with their initial reveal, so everyone is watching them now, the pressure will be on them to deliver.

[Cyrus]

I'm kinda hoping with Boom! Being handled by a western studio that they'll actually bother to promote and market their game unlike SEGA.

 

Keep in mind that SEGA is still the publisher and devs have no control over ads.

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

Well, there are franchises that have 'branches' that explore different designs and creative decisions and what not, such as what Marvel does with both its regular comics and its 'Ultimate' universe comics, so as long as the end results aren't shitty, I guess I'm not bummed out about Sonic Boom. But if the game turns out to be a generic platformer with generic combat, then we're gonna have problems.

 

I'm honestly wondering what they're gonna do with other characters - Blaze? Shadow? Rouge? The Chaotix? I'm actually interested in what they could do with their designs. While I'm not too keen on overly-buff Knuckles and the game models make me recoil in horror (they just immediately think 'uncanny valley' somehow), the CGI/drawn models are actually pretty good (they could seriously tone down the tape, though, geez), and you could do so, so much worse (such as Michael Bay's Ninja Turtles, urgh), so I really want to see how the creative team does other existing franchise characters. As long as they don't screw up Blaze, I'll be a happy camper.

 

But still, dear God, someone tell Big Red Button to change the game models. They're kinda hideous. Especially Knuckles.

I am curious as well, for some reason I think Vector could get his walkman and belt back

Still thinking there is an oppurtunity they might bring back forgotten characters as well, all it requires is one person on the team bringing them up, and Chris Senn did work with nack being in sonic extreme previously...

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

Something tells me though that SEGA's willing to give the reigns of advertising to the west, at least SEGA of America on this one, so we'll probably see a whole lot more marketing thanks to the media bomb that Sonic Boom has been in conjunction with advertisements for the show.

[Lady Soniko]

Yeah I know that, but I still hope the West will get control of everything so they can promote their game without SEGA/Sonic Team interfering.

[SonicSpikezz]

Fingers Crossed this game will be good

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

"-The new main enemy is "darker and more foreboding than Eggman is.""

Why do they keep doing this...

*before it turns out to be the Battle Bird Armada

 

Now that would be ironic and amusing

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

"-The new main enemy is "darker and more foreboding than Eggman is.""

Why do they keep doing this...

 

I get the inkling that this "new" main enemy is an enemy from the main continuity but technically new to this universe. Who knows, maybe it's six Zeti that can control machines.

[Lady Soniko]

I doubt it's the Zeti, I'm guessing because of this "ancient world" they keep pushing in the trailer, it's probably some form of people native to the island or some ancient power/machines, kinda like Precursors in Jak and Daxter.

 

I promise I'll stop pulling comparisons, I swear!

[Indigo Rush]

"-The new main enemy is "darker and more foreboding than Eggman is.""

Why do they keep doing this...

 

Right, when was the last time Eggman was the final boss in a Sonic game?

 

 

...

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

So assuming that this "ancient land" could be an expy of the Lost Echidna Tribe or Lost Hex.....

Right, when was the last time Eggman was the final boss in a Sonic game?

 

 

...

Sonic Lost World, just last year.

[Willsy]

So going by the interview, we won't see any news about the game until E3. Oh well, gives them time to focus on finishing off the game.

[Lady Soniko]

I don't think it has any relation to Lost World since Lost Hex is kind of it's own planet of sorts? This more like N.Sanity Island from Crash, just a lush "lost world" and not the Zeti kind lol.

 

I hope so anyway, I want SLW to stay so far away from Boom as humanly possible.