Game Reveal New 2D Classic Sonic Platformer Sonic Superstars Announced

[Blue Blood]

Arzest does not have a good track record. Hey Pikmin, Yoshi's New Island and Balan Wonderworld are some of their most prolific games and they're all different kinds of bad. 

And Naka had this to say about them:

But damn. Sonic Superstars is one hell of a comeback. Naka must be seething right now.

[pppp]

Eeh, not really impressed with this level design. The bosses and special stages look neat, but there's alot more automation here than I would want.

[Salamander]

28 minutes ago, Blue Blood said:

Arzest does not have a good track record. Hey Pikmin, Yoshi's New Island and Balan Wonderworld are some of their most prolific games and they're all different kinds of bad.

I thought I'd heard that Hey! Pikmin was surprisingly good?  I can personally confirm that Yoshi's New Island is very poor, though.  Fortunately, it's not like Arzest are the sole developers, and there's an awful lot to be said for strong oversight and guidance.

[ZinogreVolt]

Takashi Iizuka interview contains some bits of info and a look into what Iizuka wanted for this game:

- Sonic 1 Bonus Stages give you medals a la Sonic Mania's Bonus Stages

- 3D Special Stages are the Emerald Special Stages

- There are some Special Stages/Bonus Stages made especially for co-op play

- 4-player co-op gameplay was something they wanted for a long time, but it never worked right before now

- Knuckles is Iizuka's favorite character to play, partly 'cause he worked on Sonic 3

- Iizuka wanted to fill each stage with some moment of surprise, a la the famous stage set pieces from Sonic Adventure. The giant robotic sea creature seen in the trailer is one example of that.

- Fang was employed by Eggman to help him do his bidding, there's a new character joining them as well (the robot-looking thing in the intro)

- Iizuka and the dev team are pleased that fan reaction has been positive, and are relieved that the game did not leak

[DaBigJ]

28 minutes ago, pppp said:

Eeh, not really impressed with this level design. The bosses and special stages look neat, but there's alot more automation here than I would want.

I dunno, I don't think the automation here is that big of a deal personally? I guess maybe I'm just used to it at this point lol

[pppp]

Just now, DaBigJ said:

I dunno, I don't think the automation here is that big of a deal personally? I guess maybe I'm just used to it at this point lol

If you can't replicate the level design that is so important to Classic Sonic then might as well not even do a Classic game imo.

Mania raised the bar, and this is not really close to it.

I think Sonic Team should have just made a Sonic Rush style game, that would most likely cater to their strenghts better.

[SupahBerry]

Sonic appears in the background behind Amy before the boss. That seems to indicate they're making it so every hero can still be shown helping to thwart Eggman, even when you're not in multiplayer. 

 

If you're playing Sonic, who will be in that scene instead? Or maybe Sonic is actually showing a secret alternative root you can take (implying different roots for different characters), and that is where to to paths intersect?

 

 

PS: It's Tails when you play Sonic

[DaBigJ]

4 minutes ago, pppp said:

If you can't replicate the level design that is so important to Classic Sonic then might as well not even do a Classic game imo.

Mania raised the bar, and this is not really close to it.

I think Sonic Team should have just made a Sonic Rush style game, that would most likely cater to their strenghts better.

I think you're forgetting that automation has been in Sonic since literally the first game with those tunnel things. Sonic 2 even had boost pads in a lot of areas in Chemical Plant.

Sonic always had automation. Even in Sonic Mania. What matters is how they use it and seeing it in a few wide loops isn't a big deal for me. 

[pppp]

2 minutes ago, DaBigJ said:

I think you're forgetting that automation has been in Sonic since literally the first game with those tunnel things. Sonic 2 even had boost pads in a lot of areas in Chemical Plant.

Sonic always had automation. Even in Sonic Mania. What matters is how they use it and seeing it in a few wide loops isn't a big deal for me. 

Point me to one level in 1/2/3/Mania that has as much automation as all those white arch things one after the other in the video I linked.

I get that Sonic always had automation, but 1/2/3/Mania kept it to a minimum and encouraged you to use the physics alot more.

[Graystripe2000]

First impressions. 

 

[DaBigJ]

3 minutes ago, pppp said:

Point me to one level in 1/2/3/Mania that has as much automation as all those white arch things one after the other in the video I linked.

????

That's literally the stage gimmick. Something that, based on the footage, is literally optional for optional routes for the most part?

Have we legit reached the point of lumping in stage gimmicks with automation? Come on bro....

 

On a more positive note

 

[MGA_Gamer]

11 minutes ago, DaBigJ said:

On a more positive note

Good! I think everybody is sick of Green Hill at this point, so to hear that it's not in Superstars is another plus!

[Sega DogTagz]

there is a line you can draw between automation and gimmicks, but too much of the latter leads to the former.

 

The running physics seems miles better than anything Sonic Team have ever put out. It passes the eyeball test with flying colors. But I can't be the only one who notices the HEAVY automation and scripting with all the rolling interactive set pieces. Almost every gimmick that is designed to be interacted with via rolling throws physics to the wind and goes right back to the speed caps and launching mechanisms we see in Gens and Forces.

 

They are prioritizing snappy game-play and fluidity over the earning your own speed when it comes to those rolling set pieces. Its most likely a business decision more-so then a coding shortfall  - but its this kind of thing that made me wary of the lack of rolling in the initial reveal.

 

[ZinogreVolt]

25 minutes ago, pppp said:

Point me to one level in 1/2/3/Mania that has as much automation as all those white arch things one after the other in the video I linked.

I get that Sonic always had automation, but 1/2/3/Mania kept it to a minimum and encouraged you to use the physics alot more.

 

Your fears aren't unfounded or even necessarily misplaced, but this isn't really new for Sonic. There's plenty of instances where the game takes control away from the player to guide them from one area to the next. This oftentimes has the element of choice insofar that the player can pick which routes to take, but what Superstars does is no different in that sense. Nothing so far really strikes me as being egregious.

[Shiny Gems]

Okay, not to criticize or pick on anyone, which is why I am not quoting anyone, but while I do have a strong feeling Sonic Superstars won't be like the classics in every way myself, it is odd how good it looks, and many seem to like it, and yet others still find even the smallest things to not like (which in itself is okay) and complain about, the latter which is likely about things that are minor and probably not going to ruin the fun in this game.

I am not trying to cause a fight or pick on anyone, for I respect all opinions, I just couldn't help but notice, if that is okay.

[DaBigJ]

7 minutes ago, Sega DogTagz said:

there is a line you can draw between automation and gimmicks, but too much of the latter leads to the former.

The running physics seems miles better than anything Sonic Team have ever put out. It passes the eyeball test with flying colors. But I can't be the only one who notices the HEAVY automation and scripting with all the rolling interactive set pieces. Almost every gimmick that is designed to be interacted with via rolling throws physics to the wind and goes right back to the speed caps and launching mechanisms we see in Gens and Forces.

They are prioritizing snappy game-play and fluidity over the earning your own speed when it comes to those rolling set pieces. Its most likely a business decision more-so then a coding shortfall  - but its this kind of thing that made me wary of the lack of rolling in the initial reveal.

If it makes you feel any better

There's rolling physics that are good

[Shiny Gems]

1 hour ago, Blue Blood said:

Arzest does not have a good track record. Hey Pikmin, Yoshi's New Island and Balan Wonderworld are some of their most prolific games and they're all different kinds of bad. 

And Naka had this to say about them:

But damn. Sonic Superstars is one hell of a comeback. Naka must be seething right now.

So, is Arzest involved with Sonic Superstars, let alone making it?

[Graystripe2000]

They’re credited for Oshima’s contribution at the very least. 

[Sega DogTagz]

9 minutes ago, ShinyGems said:

I am not trying to cause a fight or pick on anyone, for I respect all opinions, I just couldn't help but notice, if that is okay.

 

People by nature are harder on the things the love the most. Save for the most cynical amongst us, all the criticism comes from a good place. I luv me some Sonic so I demand perfection. Nothing is perfect, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be nudging them toward that direction.

 

I already said I was sold on this sucker the second CoOp popped up. Now its just matter of scrutinizing the footage and put the intel out there in an effort to make this the best possible version of itself.

 

7 minutes ago, DaBigJ said:

If it makes you feel any better

There's rolling physics that are good

Slightly better.... but if the rolling physics can handle the S-Curve (which the didn't trust the physics in Forces and Gens to do, so we are officially a step up) its odd that they went to the scripting for the Casino Night styled pinball tubes...

*shrug* Guess I'll just have to keep a running tab on scripted vs non scripted. At least we are moving in the right direction.

[Shilvanic]

I don't want it, I need it, I love how it looks, I'll definitely buy it xD

[Shiny Gems]

1 minute ago, Sega DogTagz said:

People by nature are harder on the things the love the most. Save for the most cynical amongst us, all the criticism comes from a good place. I luv me some Sonic so I demand perfection. Nothing is perfect, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be nudging them toward that direction.

I already said I was sold on this sucker the second CoOp popped up. Now its just matter of scrutinizing the footage and put the intel out there in an effort to make this the best possible version of itself.

Slightly better.... but if the rolling physics can handle the S-Curve (which the didn't trust the physics in Forces and Gens to do, so we are officially a step up) its odd that they went to the scripting for the Casino Night styled pinball tubes...

*shrug* Guess I'll just have to keep a running tab on scripted vs non scripted. At least we are moving in the right direction.

I dunno, while I am not planning to argue with you or anyone, I do not think complaining over the smallest things like this is mentally healthy, no offense. I mean, complaining is fine, especially if it is constructive, but remember that unlike Sonic Mania and as said before, this is aimed at a broader audience, unlike Sonic Mania. It is only natural that they make the game with some differences from the classics.

I don't think Sonic Team wanted to make this game exactly like the classics, so I do not think it is fair to point out anything as flaws that they never aimed to change.

Hopefully, this is the only thing I'll say on the matter.

[Graystripe2000]

10-minutes of the jungle zone. 

 

[ZinogreVolt]

1 minute ago, Graystripe2000 said:

10-minutes of the jungle zone. 

'Kay, so they're embargoing the music like with Frontiers presumably. Did they really have to edit in Sonic 4 music, though? I feel like I'm being mocked.

[Tornado]

This is some truly shitty Dimps-ass level design I'm seeing in this gameplay footage. People on Twitter are trying to dunk on people questioning whether the physics are good when the first level has multiple sections of those fucking tube things lifted straight from Stardust Speedway, which have all of the gameplay immersion of quicktime events?

 

Get the fuck out of here. The fuck difference does it make if Sonic can roll down slopes if a third of the level is springs into boosters into automated tubes?

[DaBigJ]

Fat fuck