Game Reveal New 2D Classic Sonic Platformer Sonic Superstars Announced

[batson]

When I first saw the trailer, I got hyped.

Then when I realized that the game is developed by Sonic Team, my hype died. I at first thought it might be essentially an officially sanctioned fan game like Mania, in which case it would have been impossible to guess anything about it's level of quality untill more had surfaced. But the fact that it's made my Sonic Team tells me that it probably won't be very good. Decent maybe, but I don't see any  reason to expected anything beyond that.

It's sad how finding out that a new installment in a game series is being made by it's primary studio can be something that lowers expectations, but here we are. Sonic Team has lost all the good will I ever had for them. They screw up over and over again, and then suddenly make something kinda good, and then go right back to screwing up over and over again.

Oh well, I guess I'll maybe enjoy the novelty of playing as classic Amy.

[DaBigJ]

Whitehead approves of the physics.

That is a GREAT sign imo

[FReaK]

13 minutes ago, DaBigJ said:

Whitehead approves of the physics.

That is a GREAT sign imo

thanks for posting this! now I'm REALLY excited!

[Jango]

A thumbs up from Christian The Taxman Whitehead.

This from Ian:

 

And this from Tee:

 

Tie-in comic and/or animation? Tee Lopes collab or full OST?

Good times ahead.

 

 

[Sega DogTagz]

2 hours ago, A super No.1 washedupgamer said:

I wouldn't say we're back just yet. For some reason, they didn't show any rolling in the trailer. Not to be a downer tho.

What do you mean for "for some reason". 

 

You know dang well why they didn't show rolling. It would get ripped apart frame by frame with a a level of scrutiny whereas it would be impossible to been seen in a positive light even of it was good (and God help them if it's just par for the course or worse then that). 

I mean, I already see the start of automation trains and boost pad assisted loops... I'm not about to get my hopes up that the physics will be on point.

[Marcello]

Falk is also teasing his involvement:

Quote

 

additionally there was this other dude who tweeted something super cryptic a month ago...

 

edit: Nevermind I Just Got A Phone Call That This Guy Is A Bit Loopy And The Tweet Doesn't Mean Anything

 

https://www.resetera.com/threads/sonic-superstars-announced-releasing-fall-2023-xbox-one-series-ps4-ps5-pc-switch.727677/post-107002563

[DaBigJ]

2 minutes ago, Sega DogTagz said:

What do you mean for "for some reason". 

You know dang well why they didn't show rolling. It would get ripped apart frame by frame with a a level of scrutiny whereas it would be impossible to been seen in a positive light even of it was good (and God help them if it's just par for the course or worse then that). 

I mean, I already see the start of automation trains and boost pad assisted loops... I'm not about to get my hopes up that the physics will be on point.

Did....did you not see this

49 minutes ago, DaBigJ said:

Whitehead approves of the physics.

That is a GREAT sign imo

 

[Shiny Gems]

So, did anyone say anything about subtitles being in the game?

I wouldn’t mind something like that, and I would like to see text being shown to tell the story in particular, like in Sonic 3D Blast, the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive version.

[Sega DogTagz]

5 minutes ago, DaBigJ said:

Did....did you not see this

 

It's nice, and if you would trust anybody's eyeball test you would probably trust his, but has he had hands on with it to say that?

 

Because you could probably dig up a video of from Sonic 4 that syncs up side by side for 2 seconds of gameplay. The crappy engine and scripting Sonic team has been using seems implicitly designed to mimic classic physics when you are doing exactly what you are supposed to be doing. 

 

[Jango]

Well, I'm always on the "what you see is what you get" side of things when it comes to Sonic trailers. People like to say "maybe it's an early build! They'll fix it before release!" and such, but honestly here, for quite some time in this franchise: I don't see many real flaws or red flags so far. There's literally 2 boost pads in this trailer in a place where it's perfectly justifiable to have them.

[Sega DogTagz]

I mean, if Sonic Team really was confident in their physics engine, all they would need to do for a fist look trailer is show off screen footage of Sonic at the top of a hill, and have a guy with a controller in his hand press the down button to display the results. 

 

The resulting footage if the physics pan out would probably have a good portion of the fanbase wheelchair bound for being too vigorous in their masterbation to the footage and it would definitely answer question number 1 every Sonic game is inevitably asked at first blush. 

 

The fact that we see no rolling and that the trailer is missing the distinctive "Sega proudly presents" that the games they were confident in had -- to me -- are the biggest red flags here. 

[DaBigJ]

That second one is a bit of a flimsy red flag isn't it? Since when does a company need to specify if they proudly present anything to signify the quality of a product?

[Shiny Gems]

13 minutes ago, Jango said:

Well, I'm always on the "what you see is what you get" side of things when it comes to Sonic trailers. People like to say "maybe it's an early build! They'll fix it before release!" and such, but honestly here, for quite some time in this franchise: I don't see many real flaws or red flags so far. There's literally 2 boost pads in this trailer in a place where it's perfectly justifiable to have them.

Not to mention, there does not seem to be an overuse of boost pads aside from those two you mentioned. For a game like this, that is a good sign.

[Ryannumber1gamer]

I’m inclined to trust Whitehead at his word when he gives his approval of the physics like this. The man came out and criticised SEGA and Sonic Team for their handling of Origins only about a week after release, and seems to be a generally honest person who isn’t just trying to drum hype up because he’s worked with SEGA before.

[A super No.1 washedupgamer]

1 hour ago, DaBigJ said:

Whitehead approves of the physics.

That is a GREAT sign imo

It would've been a smart move if sega had whitehead play test the game.

[ZinogreVolt]

Nothing seems off from the trailer at a glance, and if Whitehead's cursory thoughts are positive then mine definitely are. I'll start worrying once there's cause to worry.

[Sega DogTagz]

30 minutes ago, DaBigJ said:

That second one is a bit of a flimsy red flag isn't it? Since when does a company need to specify if they proudly present anything to signify the quality of a product?

It's about bravado. 

 

They stamped the seal of approval on Mania ahead of the reveal. It was easy to be super confident in the team behind that game because we all knew they would deliver a quality product. We all knew that the end result would be quality in terms of play and physics the second we saw the names who were behind it. 

That confidence cannot be given to Sonic Team. There is no seal of approval ahead of this reveal, either by the trailer or the fans because they have never shown the ability (either via failure or different directions) to construct a classic adjacent playing style. 

If you were confident, you wouldn't avoid showing rolling. You wouldn't dodge the obvious tagline you used when you were Uber confident. 

That's a red flag to me. If you stick out your chest for someone else's work, where is that same flair for your own stuff?

[Shaddy Zaphod]

6 minutes ago, Sega DogTagz said:

If you were confident, you wouldn't avoid showing rolling.

I've got good news for you: they didn't "avoid showing rolling", the same way they didn't "avoid showing" the third checkpoint of stage 4 act 2.

Just because something does not happen to appear in a promotional video does not mean there is a secret conspiracy to hide how broken and shitty it is from you.

[ZinogreVolt]

47 minutes ago, Sega DogTagz said:

I mean, if Sonic Team really was confident in their physics engine, all they would need to do for a fist look trailer is show off screen footage of Sonic at the top of a hill, and have a guy with a controller in his hand press the down button to display the results. 

The resulting footage if the physics pan out would probably have a good portion of the fanbase wheelchair bound for being too vigorous in their masterbation to the footage and it would definitely answer question number 1 every Sonic game is inevitably asked at first blush. 

The fact that we see no rolling and that the trailer is missing the distinctive "Sega proudly presents" that the games they were confident in had -- to me -- are the biggest red flags here. 

I think this neglects the fact that Superstars is aimed at an audience far broader than just Classic fans. It was unveiled at not a dedicated Sonic event, but SGF. It was also quick to focus on the components that made it new, such as the artstyle, co-op, new gimmicks, etc. Mania by comparison was a by-fans-for-fans reveal. It still earned the good graces of casual players by virtue of simply being a good game, but it's clear that Mania and Superstars have different goals in mind even if both are Classic games. Little Timmy won't find Sonic barreling down a hill at the correct speed to be a selling point, but he will like multiplayer and a cool new artstyle. Those are the things that more quickly speak to casual audiences.

[Shiny Gems]

Yeah, it so happens that this is going to be for more than just classic fans. Otherwise, they would make it more like the classics if anything. This is clearly no Mania, and there is nothing wrong with appealing to more than just classic fans with a game like this. So far, in terms of trying to appeal to both a general audience and classic fans with this game, Sega has done a good job, or maybe almost a good job?

[knuckles20]

14 hours ago, Strickerx5 said:

Though with all that being said... yeah, still wouldn't call myself a classic style fan so the game overall isn't really hyping me up or anything. It's more of a "looks good for what it is" in my mind. I've ranted about my gripes with the classic style multiple times so I won't bring down the mood here with it lol. I'm happy for the people who are celebrating this.

Yeah I’m in a similar boat here. The game looks alright but I don’t see myself buying it.

[Ryannumber1gamer]

44 minutes ago, Sega DogTagz said:

It's about bravado. 

They stamped the seal of approval on Mania ahead of the reveal. It was easy to be super confident in the team behind that game because we all knew they would deliver a quality product. We all knew that the end result would be quality in terms of play and physics the second we saw the names who were behind it. 

That confidence cannot be given to Sonic Team. There is no seal of approval ahead of this reveal, either by the trailer or the fans because they have never shown the ability (either via failure or different directions) to construct a classic adjacent playing style. 

If you were confident, you wouldn't avoid showing rolling. You wouldn't dodge the obvious tagline you used when you were Uber confident. 

That's a red flag to me. If you stick out your chest for someone else's work, where is that same flair for your own stuff?

If our gauge for good games was that the company making them had to put some kind of “we’re proud to present” tagline on it, there wouldn’t be many playable games in this day and age. Hi-Fi Rush didn’t need some big plastered “MICROSOFT PROUDLY PRESENTS” on it to be good, or have confidence in it, nor does Spider-Man 2, Tears of the Kingdom, or pretty much every game.

If SEGA genuinely thought this ‘proudly presents’ tagline was selling copies, it’d be plastered on every single announcement they do, regardless of they’re proud or not because they think it sells more and that’s what they ultimately want.

Meanwhile, the reason it was on Mania is because it was a very unique case where fan creators were getting to work in tandem with the actual devs to create Mania. A game by the Mania, for the Mania - it made sense to push that as a marketing term for Mania, because they were proud fan creators were so dedicated and passionate to the franchise that they made games this high quality on their own. It makes sense for them to be proud of it there, because they’re pushing the for the fans by the fans mantra and how much attention and love Sonic as a franchise and character attracted. It doesn’t mean they need to do it for every single game they make. 

[Jango]

I'd say they were confident enough. You know about the "show, don't tell"? To reveal the game out of the blue on SGF, which is basically E3 at this point, with a trailer that shows gameplay, not just CGI cutscenes, mechanics, playable characters, and even teases the return of a beloved rival?... Superstars actually gave us more shit than the first Mania trailer. I really don't need the "proudly presents" marketing tagline to get me excited. Sure, at that point made sense to put Whitehead's and Headcannon's logos front and center, the game was revealed at an event for hardcore Sonic fans, plus Christian-Stealth were basically the Lennon-McCartney of Sonic.

And who knows, maybe they are involved someway somehow. People have been saying "but it's only Sonic Team's logo on the website", well, yeah, in Origins' website too. So....

[Sega DogTagz]

The tagline of the game is "new thrills, classic feels". 

 

Even if the game is aiming for a more inclusive market, the quality and historically fondly remembered gameplay of the classics is an obvious selling point here. 

 

If your going to evoke the classics in the main tagline to the game, then I personally find it more than a little bit curious that no rolling would be featured in the trailer when everyone on the face of the earth knows that the first question lobbed at this game during QandA is going to start with pinball and end with physics. 

 

That's all I'm saying. It's not a secret. 

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

They honestly showed a good amount. Yes, even enough of the slopes for a direct comparison to Mania to be made, and Whitehead himself apparently even approving of it.

Highly doubt there was some big reason they didn't show rolling, as if that's some big broken thing.