Sonic Boom announced (Wii U/3DS)

[PickleBrows]

I think they mean two characters will be required. They've said you can switch between characters if you play single player so they're aren't forcing multiplayer on you.

[Tani Coyote]

I really hope that's what they mean. Two players with no online connection would be, well, just completely idiotic.

 

Given the logistical issues of finding another person, after all, given Sonic's trashed reputation.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

Not to worry. Multiplayer is NOT required, considering the fact that they mentioned in one-player mode, you can switch between the two during levels as you please.

Skype calls make that easy to do with online MP, though.

.

Sucks for someone like me who doesn't' know how to work Skype though. =P Perhaps a communication device built into the system.

[Tani Coyote]

Well thank God there. Here I was throwing a hissy fit over nothing...

 

My apologies. Now I know how it felt to be afraid this was a reboot. Communication really is key...

 

Time to step off the rage train and back on the hype train. The more I hear about the game, the more I'm lovin' it!

 

Amazing how much news is coming out in such quick succession, though!

[Marcello]

I'm alone most of the time. So now I have to wait for my friend to drive over in order to play? That's bullshit, pure and simple.

 

You do remember the target audience, right? 6-11 year olds? I'm thinking they won't have this problem

 

Online probably just didn't seem worth the cost of setting everything up well.

 

 

 

And yeah, obviously there's no required multiplayer in this game.

 

 

Guess it mustn't have been highlighted until now, I guess.

It's a huge bummer though with the "two players required in most parts" thing. Translation: if you can't find someone to play it with you, you're SOL.

 

What's Steve Lycett have to do with anything?

[Tani Coyote]

You do remember the target audience, right? 6-11 year olds? I'm thinking they won't have this problem

Indeed. I guess my misconception was a way of making me eat humble pie after I so blatantly said that if they reboot the franchise older fans just would simply have to roll with it.

 

And yeah, obviously there's no required multiplayer in this game.

 

I grossly misread.

 

What's Steve Lycett have to do with anything?

Well played.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

 

 

Amazing how much news is coming out in such quick succession, though!

I know! Perhaps by the end of this month, we'll have had more info on the plot at least; interestingly the news medias are doing quite the good job of providing such. Which is a shock; it's been practically a decade since Sonic got this much media coverage. Although, from the sounds of the marketing plans, it looks like SEGA's gearing up for a blast from the past, taking Sonic back up there to the top,

[Tani Coyote]

The main downer is this all looks to have been from inside the venue.

I think they probably squeezed all the info they could out of the guys on the floor, and some staff were just taking a few days to upload the footage, likely due to editing procedures.

What amazes me is how casually everyone on the floor is dressed. Here I was expecting lots of suits and dresses but... no, it looks like perfectly ordinary people who just so happen to have press passes.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

I'm guessing that they wanted the interviews to go without a hitch and have them be the supplementing information 'till a later date when they can reveal more. That would explain why they were so uptight about only the press coming to this event live. It gives a sense of organization and also avoids the potential disarraying chaos that might have mucked things up had fans been given clearance.

 

It seems that SEGA's really aiming to restore Sonic to his glory days.

[Tani Coyote]

I get the feeling they still have plenty to show regarding the game. There's not only E3, but they're most likely going to show something at Summer of Sonic/Sonic Boom as well.

I'm really interested to see how they're going to space things out. It's a safe assumption they'll drop information sometime between now and E3 as well.

I'm hoping any future trailers focus on a single character's gameplay, gradually being released in the lead up to release date.

[TearForFear]

I think they mean two characters will be required. They've said you can switch between characters if you play single player so they're aren't forcing multiplayer on you.

 

This reminds me of the boss levels in Bugs Bunny & Taz Time Busters, where you are forced to switch and not allowed to summon the other character at will

 

 

Wonder if Boom will use a similar gimmick

[Tani Coyote]

Grand Theft Auto's use of forced, locked character switches makes me optimistic this mechanic can be pulled off right. It's only four playstyles, so it shouldn't be anywhere near as messy as 06's character switches.

[TrueBlue]

I think it'd be nice that, when you press the button to switch characters, they literally switch to the place where the previous character was standing. Outside of context-sensitive situations, I feel this would limit the possible frustration.

[Blue Blood]

Didn't necessarily notice this before, but we can now say that based on the footage the canyon-like area is probably a hub, because we see three characters there at once (and Knuckles presumably off-screen). The sewer-like area is more than likely a standard level applying that same logic.

[Tani Coyote]

I think it'd be nice that, when you press the button to switch characters, they literally switch to the place where the previous character was standing. Outside of context-sensitive situations, I feel this would limit the possible frustration.

Grand Theft Auto V had characters' prior locations remain exact within reason, so I presume since this wouldn't be quite as open world as GTA V they'd be able to pull that off here as well.

I mean, it'd be kind of annoying otherwise... though I see no reason characters would wander off.

I think it'll be like that one minigame in Majora's Mask where you kept switching between Link and Kafei to complete that one puzzle. So characters moving from where you last left them shouldn't be an issue.

At least, we can hope.

[-blank-]

No Chaos Emeralds? Huh, I wonder what Knuckles' backstory is going to be like now.

[Salamander]

No Chaos Emeralds?  That strikes me as quite a good thing, actually.  It shows that BRB are really willing to roll everything back and reinvent the canon from scratch, keeping what works for their world and just plain throwing out what doesn't.  That gives them a chance to genuinely rewrite character backstories rather than just brushing over them.

 

(Don't get me wrong, though.  I'm glad the Sonic Team canon is still around - I hate reboots, I think they're disrespectful, but now we essentially have multiple-choice canon and there's still a chance to fix the Sonic Team canon.  Best of both worlds.)

 

Knuckles actually doesn't change much without the Chaos Emeralds.  He can still be the last, or one of the last, of an ancient civilisation that died out, someone who's spent his life in the wilderness and the ruins and who has a strong sense of purpose, legacy, history.  All it really changes is that he can go out sometimes without worrying about the Master Emerald, and the games had pretty much abandoned this element anyway in order to pursue him as a "main character."  So Knuckles as I see him is likely to be more or less the same.

[CallieMacN]

There's going to be a Nintendo Direct tomorrow, so here's hoping we get to see more of the game in action then. It might be a little too soon since the game was just announced, but one can always dream!

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

No Chaos Emeralds? I'm assuming that means no Sol Emeralds too.

 

Wonder how that'll change up characters like Shadow and Blaze?

[Tenko]

No Chaos Emeralds? I'm assuming that means no Sol Emeralds too.

Wonder how that'll change up characters like Shadow and Blaze?

Provided they are even in there in any great capacity or have any driving force in the plot. Granted we have no idea if other characters will have a plot point or not, but they have said in interviews that the story will center around the four main characters and this "ancient evil" and Eggman and his robots.

So if any of the others make it in as side characters or random NPC's that the team happens to know probably means that there likely won't be any need for backstory for them at all.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

Provided they are even in there in any great capacity or have any driving force in the plot. Granted we have no idea if other characters will have a plot point or not, but they have said in interviews that the story will center around the four main characters and this "ancient evil" and Eggman and his robots.

So if any of the others make it in as side characters or random NPC's that the team happens to know probably means that there likely won't be any need for backstory for them at all.

I was also including the cartoon series, since this game is suppose to be a prequel to it. Probably should have made that clear.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

Well here's some tidbits from BleedingCool's media coverage. These are mainly things

 

 

 

The game (the third and final game of SEGA’s 3 game exclusive game deal with Nintendo) will be released later this year, with Big Red Button handling the Nintendo Wii U version, and Sanzaru Games taking care of the Nintendo 3DS port. The game will serve as a prequel to the animated series and tells a tale of Sonic and friends discovering an ancient land. The game posts 4 playable characters, each with their own unique skills and abilities: Sonic’s speed, Tails’ flight, Knuckles’ strength etc; SEGA also states the game will feature new abilities and features for a Sonic game, such as exploration, combat and “a new Enerbeam tether mechanic” that sounds an awful lot like the ‘Chaos Ring’ gimmick fromKnuckles Chaotix. For a first time in a Sonic game, the game will feature semi open-ended sandbox level design, similar to that of Naughty Dog’s Jak and Daxter.

It also marks the first time a Western developer will be making a console Sonic platformer, outside of some racing and RPG spin-off games. 

Marking Sonic’s fifth animated series, Cartoon Network will be premiering Sonic Boom this autumn. Featuring 52 11 minute episodes, this comedic take on the adventures of Sonic and his friends is a joint production between SEGA of America, Inc. and the French animation company OuiDO! Productions.  The game’s current voice cast is returning for both cartoon and game, so fans can rest easy knowing they’ll still hear Roger Craig Smith and Mike Pollock as Sonic and Dr. Eggman.

Full article be here: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2014/02/11/sega-gives-sonic-the-hedgehog-a-much-needed-boom/

 

Sounds like release dates are starting to come into view along with confirmation of the returning videogame cast. Also it appears that speed is quite the key component going off of how much it's getting highlighted/mentioned/talked up.

[Tani Coyote]

Now, the question is, if ex-ND people are involved... will the characters be able to swim?

And if they swim out too far... what's going to come up to get them? Every single one of the Jak games had an enemy that instant killed you if you swam too far out so as to keep you inside the map. Shark in 1, laser in 2, tentacle in 3.

Seems like a minor question but... I was always terrified of water enemies.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

 

Oh goodie. Looks like these two are in on the speculation again!  ENjoy shadow759's latest installment of "Shadow and Silver Watch..."

 

[Willsy]

I knew it would be this year that the game comes out. Wouldn't make sense to release it next year.