The "What the HECK Is A 2016 Sonic" Prophecy Thread (two topics from the pre-server wipe in one!)

[Doctor MK]

I'm sort of on the fence with these rumours - in an ideal world, no, I wouldn't want them, but I don't necessarily think it'd be a total disaster if they did happen to be true.

 

Sonic's 25th anniversary is arguably far more significant than his 20th, quarter of a century an' all that, so if I'm honest I wouldn't be surprised to see them play it completely safe and do another "level pack" game. I suppose you could argue that Sonic practically is SEGA these days, so it's not really out of the realms of possibility that they'd celebrate the entire company's output as opposed to just Sonic, who already got the anniversary treatment five years ago. Heck, let's face it, the rate SEGA is going at the moment, they may not get another chance to revel in their own successes.

 

Of course, I'd like there to be an actual coherent story to connect all of these SEGA worlds together (ha! who am I kidding, it'll be the Time Eater's long lost cousin twice removed on his mother's side, the Space Gobbler) and some genuine consequence to the whole thing (this is the point where I fall off my chair in hysterics)... but that's all just a pipe dream, clearly. At most there'll be a barebones plot, corny one-liners and in-jokes, and absolutely no bearing on the Sonic franchise as a whole. And this is coming from someone who generally likes the Colours/Generations/Lost World writing style.

 

However, despite all that... if it meant we'd get a title focused on solid gameplay first and foremost... yeah, I'd dig it. There's no denying Sonic needs a serious rocket up his backside right now, but what he truly needs plain and simply is a good game. Especially for what is considered a fairly momentous anniversary. It took four years for them to properly recover from the absolute low point of Sonic '06, finally giving us Sonic Colours - the first genuinely critically acclaimed entry in a long time - and it's a pattern that threatens to repeat itself now, with nothing but questionable titles ever since Generations launched. I know we say it every single time, but Sonic's really pushing his luck at this point - the next game really needs to at least be decent, if only to restore some faith in an otherwise frustrated fanbase. It might not be the ideal way to go about it, but as has become clear, Sonic Team only seem to make improvements in baby steps - not until Generations did they really "perfect" the Unleashed formula, and even when their games are considered good they seem to encompass a "two steps forward, one step back" philosophy. I'll take that extra step forward, whatever form it takes, because we sure as hell can't afford to go any further backwards right now.

 

As for Generations on Wii U... all of my meh. I think Generations is a swell game, for sure, but do I want to see it re-released - nay, ported - five years after its original release with basically the same graphics and content? No ta. That's pretty much SEGA just admitting that they haven't made anything above average since 2011 and just rehashing the one shining beacon of hope that this franchise has clung onto in recent times. Anyone who really gives a damn about Generations has likely already played it on another console by now, or their interest will have just fizzled out. And if it does somehow happen, and there's a new 25th anniversary game too, and that bombs... do you know how goddam depressing it will be to know that the definitive celebratory game released in 2016 is the exact same one that got released in 2011? Ugh. I'd honestly rather they just didn't bother at all.

 

Just give me one good Sonic game, SEGA. I don't care what it is or how you do it, just please, make it happen. I know that's a big ask but I think I speak for everyone when I say we're getting real tired of this shit.

[Tenko]

Regardless of the fact that the older classic games seem to be available on everything under the sun, I wouldn't have minded a new classic collection as a side project release next to the main game if it was the Stealth/Tax versions being released on console and handheld to coincide with the 25th anniversary. Especially if Sonic 3K ended up in the set.

Or a new Sonic Jam with updated materials, bonuses and a new larger game list finally re-releasing Sega Sonic Arcade and Knuckles Chaotix, Saturn Sonic 3D Blast etc all the way up to the Dreamcast games if not a few beyond that, and a handheld collection for all the Gamegear, GBA and DS games etc...but that's a pipe dream and a half >.<

[Nepenthe]

A compilation of games like the GBA games, Chaotix, and Dreamcast stuff is something I could get behind, because that content is a harder to access and not all that discussed or talked about. If anything, I'd like to see if Sonic Shuffle is as cheating as I remember it being.

[Celestia]

I'd really love to see a SA1 + SA2 rerelease on consoles (most likely digital only). Ideally I would want them to make a few minor changes, particularly if they take the Gamecube ports but fix a lot of the issues + negative changes from the Dreamcast versions, but that's probably not gonna happen. I'd be fine with the games as they are if it comes down to that, so yeah.

 

I know rereleases of these games often just end up being lambasted critically because the games have entered "they were never good" territory, but I don't really care. Plus if SEGA minded that, they probably wouldn't have bothered to put the Adventure games on Steam.

[Tenko]

Yeah Nepenthe, I'm also pretty sure that the CPU players cheat on Shuffle, it could have been so much better for a Mario Party clone. The loading times made rounds a lot longer than they should have been, sometimes it was a chore to play, but for completeness sake it would be an interesting on to throw into a new collection.

I know it wouldn't happen in a million years, but it would be pretty interesting for the Sonic community if a pseudo Sonic Jam 2 had things like the Waku Waku games and other hard to come by material as bonuses in a Sonic World 2 type setting. Would make dumping and backing up those old games a lot easier than someone managing to find and buy a working arcade unit. Even something as pointless as Sonic Eraser would be an interesting addition, especially after those old screen grabs showed at one point it was in...Gems Collection was it?

[Penny]

I'd really love to see a SA1 + SA2 rerelease on consoles (most likely digital only). Ideally I would want them to make a few minor changes, particularly if they take the Gamecube ports but fix a lot of the issues + negative changes from the Dreamcast versions, but that's probably not gonna happen. I'd be fine with the games as they are if it comes down to that, so yeah.

 

I know rereleases of these games often just end up being lambasted critically because the games have entered "they were never good" territory, but I don't really care. Plus if SEGA minded that, they probably wouldn't have bothered to put the Adventure games on Steam.

 

Uh, well, they did re-release SA1 and SA2 on consoles. It was on Xbox 360 and PS3, though not the new gen consoles if that's what you're talking about. Funnily enough, the 360 versions were my first times playing the SA games.

[Sami]

Frankly there's no reason not to put literally every single game up to 06 in one huge collection - it'd all fit on a single Blu Ray and none of them are being sold anymore at retail.

[Wraith]

Frankly there's no reason not to put literally every single game up to 06 in one huge collection - it'd all fit on a single Blu Ray and none of them are being sold anymore at retail.

 

I'm pretty sure the reason they aren't being sold is because Sega delisted a lot of them in an attempt to clean up the brand. They don't want people to remember Heroes and Shadow and stuff. 

 

 

I could see Sonic 1 - SA2 being re-released, but nothing beyond that. 

[Penny]

That makes sense. But I don't know, I'd kinda like something like that. I mean, I'd love to play through each game in order. It'd be sort of like a playable version of the Generations credits. They could even do it like the Master Chief Collection did and have a mode that just throws you from game to game after completing each one. Obviously, it'd have to be tweaked a little, due to the vast differences between Halo and Sonic, but something similar would be pretty cool.

[Tenko]

Gosh, imagine Sonic, Sonic CD, Sonic 2 and Sonic 3K all linked together somehow like that. With a cutscene or something between each of them. That would be pretty interesting, flesh it out more and have a more cohesive story using the Japanese manuals or something as a base. Surprised no ones done a huge rom hack like that come to think of it. But yeah there's little in the way of excuses that they can't put almost the entire past library onto a single disc beyond being greedy and splitting it up or that it might hamper individual sales on the ones that have been released separately like the SA and SA2 remasters etc.

Man that was random, was thinking of what was on past collections that filled up disc space, what might stop them being able to realistically include most of the games, like the bonuses and such, and it made me think of the ad for the Sonic OVA on Jam, which then made me think of them including it since it isn't licenced by anyone to my knowledge since ADV Films died, which in turn made me think man, what if they redubbed it with the current voice cast. That would be pretty neat.

[Indigo Rush]

They don't want people to remember Heroes and Shadow and stuff. 

 

Think really hard about what you just said right there.

[Autosaver]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW_Jn405LAc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxFtLvdVUpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K70u6n_IRs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtGFbt3jWKA right

[Tani Coyote]

Also worth noting that they've responded in this manner to the "old" ideas as well. Their reaction to Sonic 4 flopping was to blame the classic Sonic brand for no longer being viable and kill it off, rather than admit that the game they sold was not up to scratch and try again with a better effort. Same goes for the likes of multiple playable characters, and even just having characters outside of Sonic, Tails, and Eggman involved in the story.

[Milo]

Uh, well, they did re-release SA1 and SA2 on consoles. It was on Xbox 360 and PS3, though not the new gen consoles if that's what you're talking about. Funnily enough, the 360 versions were my first times playing the SA games.

[Indigo Rush]

What game are those levels from?

 

No idea.

[Soniman]

Okay.

 

I know ive been milking this attitude but if its good I probably wont care. Heck if Colors/Generations turns out to be real ill probably actually legit buy it since that sounds like the bees knees (might as well milk that brief period where people liked Sonic again).

 

The nostalgia stuff sounds kinda dumb, but id rather just wait until it's, you know, actually conifrmed before throwing myself into the side of "Sonic has no identiy, Sega ruined Sonic, etc etc"

[Autosaver]

I just have a problem paying $60 for two games I paid $120 for. The price of the games are less than $10 now too.

[Badnik Mechanic]

I'm changing my mind on something.

 

I'm now completely neutral on if this is real or not. Why?

 

Well I got reminded on something. "How did you know Project Needlemouse was Sonic 4 and also episodic" I predicted this before it got announced, along with some other stuff too...

 

Well...

 

I just guessed it. I did think sorta logically about it given what was out and coming out at the time in terms of DLC episodic content.

 

So if I can just guess that, figure this dude can just guess and be right too (with regards to Runners info).

[Hero of Legend]

I just have a problem paying $60 for two games I paid $120 for. The price of the games are less than $10 now too.

Consider this; Colors was on Wii, a Wii U version would surely beef up the graphics, maybe not a full on remake (that'd be awesome though), but also both seemingly would get new content (missions specifically, but missions in current levels? I guess so?).

 

So even for folks who bought both could find it worth the price, also  there'd be Off-TV.

[Solkia]

Yeah seriously. You could pay $10 for the console versions of Generations. $0.50 per frame the system outputs.

 

Wii U can run the game better than PS3/360 ever could. If there's anything to worry about it's Sega's track record with Sonic ports.

[Nepenthe]

As far as Colors is concerned: If one were to keep to established chains, they could pay a minimum of about $106 for a Wii and copy of Colors, or they can pay about $309 for a Wii U and a hypothetical full-price version of the game. With the Wii still being ubiquitous, even more so than the Wii U, there's no sense in porting it even with a potential graphical upgrade (I honestly don't understand paying money for this and literally nothing else).

[Solkia]

Framerate and Resolution isn't a graphical upgrade, it's a functionality upgrade.

 

Play Tales of Symphoina PS3 then play Tales of Symphonia GC and tell me it doesn't make a difference.

[Nepenthe]

Even if it does, why the fuck would I pay $60 for that shit when the original game is still very much functional? It might not be as functional as a 1080p/60fps/16:9 extravaganza, but my personal values are such that I value content that merely works and is accessible over technical specs, because I believe a game is significantly much more than its framerate and resolution. Sonic Colors in 60 fps is still Sonic Colors. It's not going to change the levels, the difficulty, the narrative, the fucking Wisps, the music, or quality of the art design on display, which is what I'm paying for: Gameplay and art content.

 

And this isn't even me saying that I can't admit that an HD Colors would be technically better. It would totally be technically better because HD is better than standard definition. But I don't see how upscaling is going to affect my enjoyment of a game that I don't already care much for anyway so much so to the point that I would literally pay as much for this game as I would a new Call of Duty, a whole $10 more than when the thing first released. I personally just don't understand how giving me 60fps/16:9 is going to make me suddenly go "Wow, Frenzy is actually fun to control; the game is slightly more fun now." No, unless you actually went in and gave Frenzy better control, he'd still be a piece of shit.

 

To me it's like giving me Sedan A over Sedan B, with Sedan A being $5000 and Sedan B being $15000 and the only difference between the models is slightly better gas mileage. Unless that bitch was blessed by Jesus himself to never crash, I wouldn't take the offer.

[Solkia]

Well, there are people who never got to play it because they flat out didn't have the systems to run it on.

 

I'm pretty sure Soniman still hasn't played it.

 

I agree it shouldn't be $60 at least but I don't think a upgraded port hurts anything.

[Blue Blood]

You couldn't just slap Colours on the Wii U with 60fps/1080p and call it an HD edition or new game; it would look like ass.

 

Colours Planet Wisp, 1920x1080

 

Generations Planet Wisp, 1920/x1080

 

Unless it was just released like a Wii game on the eShop, in which case you have to wonder why SEGA would bother to make an extended port of it. And then it's stranger still how Generations would fit into the picture as a single title.