Thoughts on Forces?

[Seyonix]

So what are everyone's thoughts on Sonic Forces, and as a result, the Custom Character? 

[UpCDownCLeftCRightC]

Not to be rude but I think there have been a TON of threads on this already.

In short, opinions are mixed. In fact, I'd say "Mixed feelings" is the consensus, if any.

When the game releases, the reviews are likely to bear this out.

 

 

[Dr. Mechano]

I'll make this concise:

The Good:

- The classic Sonic gameplay looks comparable to Generations. That is to say, less good than the actual classic games or Mania, but still pretty good. I imagine that if I played the game, I'd actually enjoy that third of it.

- What little I've seen of Eggman seems fine. He's written well, and has some funny lines in the clips we've seen.

 

The Bad

- Not a fan of the boost formula at all to begin with.

- The level design we've seen so far looks really uninspired and bland.

- Putting Sonic OCs in an official game is a terrible idea.

- Infinite looks like a typical by-the-numbers edgelord villain with no real personality.

 

So mostly negative feelings on my end.

[blueblur98]

WAIT! DON'T SAY THE 'F' WORD!

[Cyalume]

Long version:

 

Many of my issues with the game have already been stated by others:

-Physics for Classic Sonic seem similar to Generations, and Generations' physics for him had some issues.
-GHZ1 looks barren/not well designed.
-Cautious about the possibility of a large amount of scripted events, such as the double boost mechanic.
-From what we can make out of from the story so far, it seems not so great ("Why is Shadow a bad guy?", etc).
-Not thrilled that Mania is associated with this game, as it means that I'll need to be looking into it to get a definitive conclusion to that game's story involving (first spoiler tag at the bottom).
-Initial impressions of the custom character's gameplay appear to be mixed to poor.
-With the game split in so many different directions, theres a possibility that pure Modern Sonic gameplay will be scarce, which is the part of the game I'm actually interested in.
-Obligatory "Why are wisps here?".
-The UI leaves something to be desired.
-Not sure if I like Fist Bump or not... leaning towards "no". Actually, I liked the (second spoiler tag at the bottom) better.
-I'm not thrilled to see GHZ, or more Metal Sonic boss fights.


Personal gripes that I'm assuming relatively few people share:
-Want Chao Garden... but basically giving up hope at this point. At least Chao Resort Island exists!
-Generations Sonic's controls felt very slippery to me. I hope that they've improved upon them.
-Why is the game $40? There must be a reason. This worries me somewhat.
-Preorder DLC. No thanks. If paid DLC costumes for the custom hero become a thing, I'll be sad.
-I was a fan of the multiple playstyles in Sonic Adventure 2, but the other two styles on display here don't interest me.
 

 

The phantom ruby, why Sonic was flung into another timeline, how Infinite relates to said Ruby and if he is in fact the ruby itself, etc

 

 

version of it that appears in Egg Reverie (Sonic Mania)

 

Short Version:

 

[James Cloud]

Loving this game every reveal and love the custom character! 

[Cornelius Fudge]

There are plenty of threads out there and I think it's pretty clear that there's plenty of animosity towards Forces. Nonetheless, I will also be concise or at least try to be:

Pros:

1. It's sticking to what works instead of being too experimental as was the case with Sonic Boom and Lost World. The boost formula still has potential to provide enjoyment to many fans depending on execution and what they reveal in the upcoming footage even if the boost formula will be somewhat mindless.

2. Inclusion of an ensemble of characters that we know and love at least in terms of story. I love how they constantly interact with each other and the player while playing through zones.

3. Infinite. His pretense elicited a lot of positive responses from the community in addition to curiosity and excitement because he is mysterious and people want to understand who he is. This interest has spurred plenty of theories and possibilities of who Infinite is as a person and it's the fact that Sega has plenty of routes that they can take with Infinite that can actually shape him to be a good villain for the series.

4. Continuity. Contrary to popular belief, I'm actually interested that Sonic Mania explains how Classic Sonic ended up in Forces as well as how the Phantom Ruby ended up in Forces as well and this gives many possibilities as to who Infinite could be.

Cons:

1. Linear and barren level design. Modern Sonic's stages merely involve running, jumping, and completing enemy chains confined in small corridors. Classic Sonic thus far has barely shown any detailed platforming and has far too many springs when that shouldn't be the case. The Avatar's gameplay is relatively similar to Modern Sonic's except with much more blocky platforming.

2. Promotion. The Bonus Edition focuses on the Avatar specifically by providing early adopters with special costumes and while nice, leads me to believe that they're too focused on the Avatar instead of focusing on what's actually important for a Sonic game. They should be expanding on the boost formula (if they want to continue using this gameplay style) and improving level design, not being preoccupied on superficial things like costumes.

3. Not enough Modern Sonic. I just want a game with Modern Sonic in levels that are largely open and 3D. I don't want Classic Sonic and the Avatar to steal some of the attention that Modern Sonic actually deserves. We've never gotten a true Boost game at all and it's honestly disappointing. Unleashed had Werehog + Modern Sonic, Colors had Modern Sonic set in a world that largely consisted of 2D platforming and areas that relied on the Wisps as Sonic's main ability, and Generations had Classic and Modern Sonic. I just wanted Modern Sonic only if they were unreceptive to including the other characters into the mix.

4. Overemphasis on 2D. Self-explanatory. I want more 3D, but if they're going to stick to 2D, they need to provide something interesting because as of yet, it's only been blocky platforming and this is going to be a glaring issue when we focus on how Mania was executed in spite of being a 2D Classic Sonic game.

5. Nostalgia pandering. Poorly designed older zones and Classic Sonic who plays nothing like he did in the Classic Sonic games or Generations at the very least. They're bringing back things without considering execution.

[Ming Ming Hatsune]

Funny enough, I think I'll (just about) enjoy Forces more than I did with Mania. But that's because I grew up playing Sonic in 3D (Adventure), not in 2D classic.

I think boost gameplay is great. Sure, no (boost) game since has beaten Unleashed and I don't expect Forces to beat it either unfortunately, but I'll take it. It's just a shame, this is not an Adventure game.

My main issues with Forces is the soundtrack, wisps, 2D, Classic Sonic and the difficulty.

The soundtrack so far sounds so bland and I just don't like it. While I like Forces theme, I don't like the vocals. I prefer just hearing the instrumental. Mania did so well in this area, and by the looks of it Mania will stomp Forces in this area.

Second is Wisps. Seriously f*** the wisps. This is one of the reasons why no boost game has beaten Unleashed 'til this day. Wisps was originally a good idea in Colors, it's something different. Now they have been in every main 3D game since. It's nothing more than a gimmick and sometimes force you to use them. Didn't like them in Gens (spikes urgh!), didn't like them in Lost World and most likely wouldn't like them in Forces either.

Too much 2D. Colors has introduced this 2D view in boost games and I thought they added this because the limitations of the Wii disc. But now it's becoming a habit. It's lazy. Unleashed barely had 2D.

Classic Sonic. When I saw the reveal trailer for the first time and saw him I banged my head on the table. WTF are Sega thinking? Classic was awesome in Gens, but that was suppose to be a one-off, not a perma thing! Classic Sonic has Sonic Mania, why is he now hugging almost half of Modern Sonic's? This move is a huge negative as this means either

1) They'll be less Modern levels to play through 2) The Modern levels will be shorter or 3) both. And I'm sure Classic Sonic's physics won't be 100% like the originals like Mania, so that's another thing Classic fans will compare to and criticise Forces for.

The difficulty. I loved Unleashed for its difficulty in the daytime levels. Not to mention the levels looked beautiful (but that's another story). People criticized the quicktime events, but those people are like me criticizing the terrible Blue Spheres in Mania. Unleashed was wayyyy less linear than its sequels. There were a lot of hidden paths, timing was critical in areas...and I don't feel like I'm handicapped like I did in Generations. People keep on saying "BOOST TO WIN!" but that is an incorrect statement in Unleashed, and I'll fight you for it. Let's see you "BOOST TO WIN" in Eggmanland, Jungle Joyride or even Skyscraper Scamper.

However I'll agree with those who say Boost to Win in Generations for most part (I didn't even need to sidestep Sonic in Rooftop Run, but I had to in Unleashed version), Colors as well and I'm so far it's looking like Forces won't take footsteps from Unleashed, but from Generations. It looks so easy. It looks like a game I'll play for a month and then drop it completely. It looks like a game I'll finish in 2 days.

It's a real shame.