Game Reveal New 2D Classic Sonic Platformer Sonic Superstars Announced

[DaBigJ]

Oh, this HURTS.

1 minute ago, Soniman said:

If Jun is heading this but people like Lopes are involved then at least only some of the music will suck instead of all of it!

That's a possibility. 

[Sega DogTagz]

22 minutes ago, Jango said:

Sonic 4 didn't had 16-bits graphics, and, well, you know...

 

It still ended up in that million+ territory - and that game was a dumpster fire they crapped out in 20 mins.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

Solid reasoning. Getting someone who's been around since the very start, working directly on the game(something Iizuka sadly doesn't get to do these days) is a great means of recapturing the magic of the classic, without needing to just munch off of Mania.

[KHCast]

You know, I will say, the fact Iizuka says the devs wanted to appeal to the “hardcore gamers” and focused first and foremost on the physics and level design, is REALLY funny cause I remember for years in arguments, people stated Sega wouldn’t do that, because the general audience liked the physics as they were, and that in fact, changing said physics at this point, could and would turn away newer audiences that liked the current gameplay.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

Given how Sonic Team likely are set to have a better arrangement of connection with Arzest, as well as Jun, Tee Lopes and whoever else are on the music crew.......

I'm gonna call it. If this game turns out to be a success akin to how Frontiers has been one, the usual pattern will be Sonic Team keeping their focus on the 3D stuff while Arzest either gets bought or frequented licensed to collaboration for future classic-style titles.

Superstars seems to be going for the ideal marriage of classic-style gameplay, with a long-awaited update in aesthetic, so it's probably their ploy for a formula on the 2D games nailed down.

[SticksSuperFan14]

I know people are panicking about Jun, but doesn't being the music director just mean he guides people like Tee Lopes, and not doing the actual music himself?

[Tenko]

Do you all think this takes place after Triple Trouble? Or will they retcon events again and make this Sonic and crews first run in with Fang?

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

21 minutes ago, Tenko said:

Do you all think this takes place after Triple Trouble? Or will they retcon events again and make this Sonic and crews first run in with Fang?

The fact that the game has zone names that are clear references to the Game Gear games does suggest that Triple Trouble did indeed occur at some point.

44 minutes ago, SticksSuperFan14 said:

I know people are panicking about Jun, but doesn't being the music director just mean he guides people like Tee Lopes, and not doing the actual music himself?

And honestly, only Sonic 4 Episode 1 has been his truly BAD soundtrack with 2D Sonic. Other stuff has been relatively fine at worst with him.

[ZinogreVolt]

The Jun/Tee Lopes style worked incredibly well for Team Sonic Racing. That game had plenty of bangers, so I'm not too worried if the music style is closer to that rather than something that's trying too hard to be retro.

[Bobnik]

4 hours ago, DaBigJ said:

Oh, this HURTS.

So that puts a couple points in their place:

- People that were screaming out of their lungs saying how "Sonic Team was jealous, that's why they've never even tried to get them for a Mania 2 and the bridges were burnt between the 2!" are proven to be idiots and that conspiracy can now be completely put to rest (it should've been put to rest when Headcannon returned to work on Origins and Origins Plus, but it hasn't and people were still being dumb about it)

- That being said, it does still suggest that something happened between Taxman & co. and SEGA specifically, and considering how Stealth has been vocal about the contracts and pay back when Mania was still fresh, it may be that SEGA was lowballing them during Mania and for the next project and Whitehead just didn't agree to the terms, so they parted ways. Which kinda proves SEGA are also idiots.

EDIT: before anyone says - that doesn't mean they separated in bad blood I don't think, it's mostly just SEGA not pursuing the talent any further. Otherwise if that was the case, I don't think Headcannon would return for both Origins and Origins Plus (which is after Stealth calling out SEGA for the 2nd time).

Hopefully, with Iizuka now being promoted to the executive officer, that doesn't happen anymore, but that's my very optimistic side saying this.

As for Jun being the sound director - if it was just him making music, I'd be sweating bullets. Hell, even now I'm kinda sweating bullets after seeing multiple people say the music was "eh" when they were playing the game, but since it's gonna have multiple composers, including Tree Popes, I won't be automatically dismissing that part of the game. I'm still real cautious about it, but I can't dismiss music completely just yet.

[Tenko]

While I'm gutted to hear a potential follow-up to Mania was in a concept and planning stage and then dropped, it is heartening that Naoto Ohshima has been given the reigns for this project.

Surely he of all people should know what makes a classic Sonic title work. Then again Naka lost the plot over time, and Iizuka has been hit and miss over the years even tho he worked on one of, if not my favorite title Sonic 3K.

I am really looking forward to this new classic era character tho, I mean he designed Sonic, and helped refine manga Amy into the game version we know.

I'm happy to see the classic series expanded on and I'm sure IDW will be all over the new character if they do another classic one shot or a mini series too. Can't wait to see more Fang too, so glad he's back. Can't say that enough haha!

[Red Hot Jack]

It's a shame they wouldn't work with Taxman again to be honest, yeah negotiations failed but they also said they declined various offers, so I think this is more on SEGA's side.

Sprite graphics though... I won't miss them, I've been waiting for this style even in a classic game. Mania was acclaimed but maybe it wasn't that much successful, I still think it did well because of the low price too, but if with Mania they had to try to squeeze sales with Plus edition (like with Origins although Origins lacks that quality and is overpriced), and it didn't sell that much, maybe that is why they changed style with 3D graphics.

Mania was acclaimed because it was a quality game but graphics also alienated a slice of players, maybe this is why they continued the formula but with 3D graphics (probably also to justify full price), but I hope these new graphics don't alienate old school players though...

[Tenko]

1 hour ago, Red Hot Jack said:

Mania was acclaimed because it was a quality game but graphics also alienated a slice of players, maybe this is why they continued the formula but with 3D graphics (probably also to justify full price), but I hope these new graphics don't alienate old school players though...

I'm the definition of an old school player, and while it doesn't look bad, I'm not as excited for this as I was for Mania. It's personal preference for sure, and likely due to the gaming era I grew up in, but I have a hard time thinking of many 3D 2D games that work well or look fantastic outside the likes of Kirby's Dreamland titles and the recent Metroid Dread. DK was nice to look at too, but I still prefer the SNES DK titles more visually.

I've seen far better looking remakes or 2D titles that are still using sprites, high resolution for sure, and some hand drawn too, but still sprites. The models in Superstars look nice, and the trailer and in game cutscenes show some nice animation and character emotes etc but the backgrounds and what not look a lot less polished. I'll probably get shot for saying this but, Sonic 4 Ep II had nicer looking backdrops and the set pieces looked a lot more refined too.

It's hard to describe, Sonic Superstars feels blocky or chunky. Sonic 4 Ep II looks..smoother? Perhaps it's just a difference in art direction.

[Tornado]

Whie this looks a bit too much like Sonic Generations to be comfortable in this admittedly-early state the game is in, that there was backlash at games that were almost certainly better received than this will be and more expensive than this was to make (Dread being the obvious example) I suspect made the thought of the game looking anything like Mania unpalatable to Sega. When the announcement video of this went up people were already up in arms that it was 2D but cost $60 just like they were with Dread; and Dread was made by Nintendo and not Sonic Team collaborating with the people behind Balan Wonderland.

 

Yeah it's kinda shit that there is likely a hard ceiling on how financially viable things with sprite artwork can be (KoF XII and XIII were extremely expensive to make and nearly bankrupted SNK), or that things aren't any better than they were in 1997 when SCEA tried to block Konami from releasing Symphony of the Night in the US; but there have been far far too many SNESque Metroidvanias flooding the indie space for $10-20 since the mid 2000s for Sega to probably feel comfortable throwing a non-indie budget with expected $60 MSRP at something with spritework in it.

[Blue Blood]

12 minutes ago, Tornado said:

Whie this looks a bit too much like Sonic Generations to be comfortable in this admittedly-early state the game is in, that there was backlash at games that were almost certainly better received than this will be and more expensive than this was to make (Dread being the obvious example) I suspect made the thought of the game looking anything like Mania unpalatable to Sega. When the announcement video of this went up people were already up in arms that it was 2D but cost $60.

Yeah it's kinda shit that there is likely a hard ceiling on how financially viable things with sprite artwork can be, or that things aren't any better than they were in 1997 when SCEA tried to block Konami from releasing Symphony of the Night in the US; but there have been far far too many SNESque Metroidvanias flooding the indie space for $10-20 since the mid 2000s for Sega to probably feel comfortable throwing a non-indie budget with expected $60 MSRP at something with spritework in it.

I'd wager that it's not just sprite-based games, but 2D in general. The risk is pretty high, and the money and skill required to produce something of high enough quality could be seen as too much. Rayman Origins was a success, but sequel Legends was a flop (Wii U and confusing exclusivity aside). 2D graphics are still seen as old hat and are intently deemed to be worth less, even when you've got cultural smash hits like Cuphead and the Ori series.

[Shiny Gems]

Here is a little bit of impressions here.

EDIT: Here is another one.

 

[TheOcelot]

Name of the new character is "Trip". Is confirmed by Iizuka at 3:45 in this IGN interview (below):

Emeralds powers are inspired by Sonic Colours.

[Blue Blood]

And whay was the first thing we saw Trip do? 

[Shiny Gems]

More impressions here.

 

[Jango]

1 hour ago, Blue Blood said:

And whay was the first thing we saw Trip do? 

Use drugs.

 

Also, just wanna point that this UI puts Colors Ultimate and Origins to shame. It's so lively and well animated, I love it. 

[StaticMania]

Ok...I see, the special stage actually is a lot like the Magnet Ball bonus stage from Sonic 3.

It's done in a way that makes way more sense, both for a 3D take on it and just in general.

[Shiny Gems]

1 hour ago, Jango said:

Use drugs.

Also, just wanna point that this UI puts Colors Ultimate and Origins to shame. It's so lively and well animated, I love it. 

A little note, but at 8:04, the brought back the thing where on the signpost, Sonic's face and hand moves, with the hand shaking left to right and Sonic's eyes blinking. That was from Sonic Mania, and I love how they brought that small detail back.

EDIT: Here are some Tech Radar impressions.

 

[ZinogreVolt]

1 hour ago, Jango said:

Use drugs.

Also, just wanna point that this UI puts Colors Ultimate and Origins to shame. It's so lively and well animated, I love it. 

Colors Ultimate's UI might be most cheap-feeling piece of shit in the entire series. How did they get away with that...

[Tenko]

6 hours ago, Blue Blood said:

I'd wager that it's not just sprite-based games, but 2D in general. The risk is pretty high, and the money and skill required to produce something of high enough quality could be seen as too much. Rayman Origins was a success, but sequel Legends was a flop (Wii U and confusing exclusivity aside). 2D graphics are still seen as old hat and are intently deemed to be worth less, even when you've got cultural smash hits like Cuphead and the Ori series.

It's a real shame the industry, and (I'm taking a wild guess here) newer gamers see 2D and sprite based games as old or not worth it. There's been some fantastic and amazing looking 2D sprite based games in recent years. Besides the ones you mentioned, a lot seem to come from Dotemu/Lizardcube like Wonder Boy : The Dragon's Trap, Streets of Rage 4, and TMNT : Shredder's Revenge, or by Wayforward like the Shantae series, Ducktales and River City Girls.

Would have loved to see a hand drawn or higher end sprite based Sonic game one day but I guess that ain't on the cards no more. I just hope they can refine the backdrops and set pieces a bit more between now and launch so they match the nice character models they have going on. I'm also crossing fingers for another set of pre-launch animations since Ian Flynn had this to say recently. Could be a comic series but he's on the lore team so could be extra storytelling outside the game itself.

 

[Jango]

This game's existence really feels like an alternate reality where this is in fact the Sonic 4 that we never got. New island with brand new zones; 4 playable characters from the go (one more than 3&K); a graphical leap (remember that Sonic 3 was meant to be called Sonic 3D and take full advantage of the technology of the time); new powers (3&K had the elemental shields, while Superstars has the Emerald powers and probably the elemental shields aswell); returning rival (Fang) and a new one (Trip); minibosses; level transitions... All things that even with both episodes Sonic 4 wasn't able to achieve.