Sonic Colors

[Indigo Rush]

I love CD and like Unleashed, but I hate potatoes.

[Ekaje]

I love CD and like Unleashed, but I hate potatoes.

[Soniman]

Recently ive been hearing this complaint a lot and I tilt my head everytime.

I suppose thats what happens when there isnt an unwelcome gameplay style that gets in the way of the actual game.

Its the only complaint anyone can come up with when they need to give a reason on why they dislike the game, since they cant seem to find a substantial reason to dislike the game. (which there are, mind you)

Did anyone else find it "boring" and if so id like to hear you're reasoning.

Or did anyone come across similar complaints on it "boringness"?

[The Weeb with No Name]

It's ok.

But I haven't touched it again after first sitting down to play it.

[ThatGuyJay]

I don't find it boring but I think the replayability is lacking. I mean yeah there's the red rings and Super Sonic but that's not enough for me. Or maybe I'm just greedy. But Sonic Colors certainly isn't boring.

[Blue Blood]

I wouldn't say Colours is boring, just dull. The 3D sections are practically 1D. Wide, open and empty paths with nothing to do. And then in 2D it's blocky and un-Sonicy platforming with wonky jumping behaviour. Not boring, but dull.

[Diogenes]

A little too simple, a little too restricted, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it boring. It's good, but not great.

[TwoTailedFox]

I didn't find it boring... at first. But once you've played all the levels about 13 times and heard all the cutscenes about 20 times (except #4, which I've seen about 50-60 times), yeah, it does get kinda boring.

However, despite all that, I still love Colors! I mean, even if the game does get boring, the graphics never cease to amaze me :3

[Nepenthe]

Colors was the most safe bet they could've taken, and it's that very safeness that emits a lot of very mediocre feelings from me. My normal "I'm playing a newly released game" high slowed down noticeably when I hit Starlight Carnival, and minus a few missions the experience became a blur; it's difficult to remember any standout moments or what my original feelings were upon playing the majority of the game. However, the height of the whole thing is Terminal Velocity because the idea and the hopeless ending are pulled off excellently. You're running down an exploding space elevator towards the Earth, for Pete's sakes. But on a good playthrough it's over in, what, five minutes? The adrenaline drops like a brick.

[T-Min]

"Boring?" Nononononono. It may not have "extreme" level design like Unleashed HD or some other 3-D Sonics, but IMO it's far from "boring".

[Ferno]

I'll have to admit that there were some parts that left me a little bored. The game was just, so...safe and dull. It never seemed to grab me at any point like Unleashed did sorry to say. Even the cutscenes, while well written, seemed to lack a sense of urgency and seemed very plain.

Edited July 28, 2011 by Inferno

[Soniman]

Colors was the most safe bet they could've taken, and it's that very safeness that emits a lot of very mediocre feelings from me. My normal "I'm playing a newly released game" high slowed down noticeably when I hit Starlight Carnival, and minus a few missions the experience became a blur; it's difficult to remember any standout moments or what my original feelings were upon playing the majority of the game. However, the height of the whole thing is Terminal Velocity because the idea and the hopeless ending are pulled off excellently. You're running down an exploding space elevator towards the Earth, for Pete's sakes. But on a good playthrough it's over in, what, five minutes? The adrenaline drops like a brick.

This is probably the reason why quite a few people perfer Unleashed, which fueled by nothing but adrenaline and cheap thrills. The fact that the the Werehog takes up 50% of the game, it leaves the player wanting more.

Basically Unleashed is made to encourage the player to trek through the entire game just to experience the good parts admist the Werehog, hubs, medals, tornado missions, etc. Beacuse the actual Sonic gameplay gives them a rush that they cant get enough of.

Edited July 28, 2011 by Soniman032-

[edge.]

I feel like while Colors isn't boring, it does feel like SEGA was severely playing it safe for that game for the sake of somehow pleasing the fanbase for the most part. It does have its really high points, but it has its lows, which everyone already stated, was the Un-Sonicy feel of the platforming and the 1-dimensional 3D sections.

[The Weeb with No Name]

What was really high about Colors?

The graphics?

[edge.]

What was really high about Colors?

The graphics?

....yeah. That, the music, and Planet Wisp (IMO). Everything else was pretty good or average at most. They were still playing it safe gameplay wise though.

[JezMM]

As a major Unleashed fan, these were the main things that bothered me about Colours:

1. The dull, patronising 3D sections. The only difficult one was Terminal Velocity, but that was an entire on-rails section which in my book isn't BAD but counts as something seperate from "2D" or "3D" gameplay.

2. The fact that even had they been good, the 3D sections only took up about 20% of the game.

3. A distinct lack of extra content in comparison to Unleashed's numerous missions, side-quests and collectables.

And here's, controversially, the biggest one for me:

4. The Wisps intrude on traditional Sonic gameplay. Now the Wisps are most definitely platforming and they are most definitely fun - but they trade off traditional Sonic gameplay. And worst of all, unlike Werehogs, Shooting and Treasure Hunting - they interrupt the gameplay mid-level. I like my alternate playstyles seperate, because at least I can enjoy them when I'm in the mood for them or just play normal Sonic platforming when I'm not.

With Wisps, you HAVE to use them every time you play for an enriching experience. You could ignore them or play Super Sonic but that makes some shorter acts utterly pointless to play, or on the larger ones limits you to the most bland route through the level.

Edited July 28, 2011 by JezMM

[Nepenthe]

This is probably the reason why quite a few people perfer Unleashed, which fueled by nothing but adrenaline and cheap thrills. The fact that the the Werehog takes up 50% of the game, it leaves the player wanting more.

Basically Unleashed is made to encourage the player to trek through the entire game just to experience the good parts admist the Werehog, hubs, medals, tornado missions, etc. Beacuse the actual Sonic gameplay gives them a rush that they cant get enough of.

[Nattala]

When I first read this topic's title, the music for Aquatic Park immediately popped into my head, so I had to go look it up on youtube and listen to all of it before I could read the thread. Thinking back to when I played Colours, Aquatic Park was probably my favourite level, being spurred on by that music. But that's just music, as for other aspects. Well while I do admit there is a bit of a lull in the middle while playing the game I don't think its boring. IMO the Wisps make it interesting s they give you various different ways to get through the level. I almost never play a level the same way. Plus speedrunning the levels to get S ranks is fun. I haven't even gotten all the red rings yet and I'm still trying to focus on getting better ranks. Plus you know the environments make the game interesting too. I mean while running through them, you're just like WOW.

While Colours really is a 2D game, not 3D, I'll have to disagree that all the 3D sections are dull and straightfirward. Don't get me wrong, some are. Tropical Resort probably has the most 3D sections but it's the first level so yeah it's pretty straightforward and easy. Then there are some that are practically on rails with you just quick stepping, using Hover or even that long running section in Starlight Carnival. But then there are other sections like in Sweet Mountain where there's giant missiles being launched at you and you have to move forward while dodging the moving platforms and springs. What is a missile doing in a candy land anyway? I thought maybe they were giant bags of popcorn but I don't think so.....

Or in Aquatic Park where you're going up a waterfall, attacking Crabmeats, and moving through these buildings, and there's a room where you have to take out all the robots, and then there's a building with a Hover wisp but you can jump through a hole in the wall to the side and find a faster route. Actually quite a lot of the 3D sections have alternate oaths like that.

[Djawed]

I really like the game still but it's nothing extraordinary. I think the metacritic score is the exact score i'd give it (which is a 7.8)

[Spooky Mulder]

4. The Wisps intrude on traditional Sonic gameplay. Now the Wisps are most definitely platforming and they are most definitely fun - but they trade off traditional Sonic gameplay. And worst of all, unlike Werehogs, Shooting and Treasure Hunting - they interrupt the gameplay mid-level. I like my alternate playstyles seperate, because at least I can enjoy them when I'm in the mood for them or just play normal Sonic platforming when I'm not.

With Wisps, you HAVE to use them every time you play for an enriching experience. You could ignore them or play Super Sonic but that makes some shorter acts utterly pointless to play, or on the larger ones limits you to the most bland route through the level.

They're power ups and most levels in the game do not FORCE you to use the Wisps. There is the occasional point you can't pass w/o them, but those are very rare. Even some of the levels designed entirely around Wisp abilities can be completed without using them.

Never once, in my playthroughs of Sonic Colors did I feel that the Wisps were intruding on traditional gameplay any more than the elemental shields "intruded" on traditional Sonic gameplay in Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

[Sami]

I still love it. :l

[Dr Jackstraw]

sonic colors is so.........just here this video pretty much describes the feeling of playing colors.

THE COLORS FEEL SO RIGHT

[Blue Blood]

4. The Wisps intrude on traditional Sonic gameplay. Now the Wisps are most definitely platforming and they are most definitely fun - but they trade off traditional Sonic gameplay. And worst of all, unlike Werehogs, Shooting and Treasure Hunting - they interrupt the gameplay mid-level. I like my alternate playstyles seperate, because at least I can enjoy them when I'm in the mood for them or just play normal Sonic platforming when I'm not.

With Wisps, you HAVE to use them every time you play for an enriching experience. You could ignore them or play Super Sonic but that makes some shorter acts utterly pointless to play, or on the larger ones limits you to the most bland route through the level.

I really can't get on board with this criticism entirely. Wisp power ups don't intrude on the gameplay at all- they're short lived and blend with the gameplay quite nicely. The main problem is the level design. Like you said, you have to use them for an enriching experience. That's no fault of the power-ups existing, it's the level design.

[Voyant]

*Uses a much older post for said opinion on subject*

******

Now that my Hype mind is gone I can start talking about things in colors I dislike.

1. The handling has improved, but the excitement from playing the 3D areas are not there like it was in UnleashedHD. Drift is kinda slow and sluggish mostly shown at Sweet Mountain Act 2.

I liked being able to boost with drifting as well because it made that section go by quicker for those who could control it and it should be an option. Also I don't like the Quick Step and Drifting controls to not be in my arsenal at all times, it makes the game seem even more separated from its 3D/2D moments. If there is 1 thing Unleashed did right is flow (even though it was linear in some levels). Colors might be a better game overall, but Unleashed has superior flow then Colors since it can feel "blocky' at times in game.

2. In the old games blocky levels and flowed levels were completely separated while in Colors they combine it inside of the game and can come off as a bit jarring.

Colors also comes off as more of a 2D game with 3D sections than an actually 3D game. Next installment definitely needs more balance and should be 50/50 without braking in game flow. Meaning 1 Act should have blokish level design while the other act is more of a speed fest with platforming like Emerald Hill Zone or Chemical Plant in Sonic 2.

Doing this will please both sides of the unleashed formula fan base "Because it gives them acts to choose from and replay again later". Similar to unleashed DLC content and how some levels operated.

It should play more like this, but with all the good aspects in colors platforming, alternate paths and better controls, but to be honest I think the reason the excitement of the Unleashed cannot be replicated in Colors is simply because of the WII just being a weaker system and it can't generate the "sensation" you get in Unleashed HD.

Any way here my examples in the Unleashed system.

This video shows the platforming capabilities in unleashed is there, but harder to do do to Sonic's Slippery controls...which I think ST at the time understood so they based more stages...or the main stages on just Sonic doing more running than platforming. This vid also shows how platforming can still be exciting and "thrilling" while still giving the sense of actual platforming without the "boost boost boost" concept.

This level with a bit more variety and not going just "up", with a tad toned down difficulty, alternate paths, with control aspect of colors, and your cooking with fire baby.

This Vid all 2D and while its pretty straight forward shows again how to keep the platforming abilities without sacrificing thrill. of course if this was designed like colors with more "flow" than blockish platforming section/ Rush Like gameplay it be vastly superior to this. There nothing wrong with blockish platforming (its in the classics)...nor is there anything typically wrong with colors premise. I just trying to find a medium were both sides can be happy.

I play Colors for different reason than I do unleashed...but I will say that if I ever want to get my blood boiling I'll play Sonic unleashed/2. The reason why Colors doesn't top Sonic 2 for me is because Sonic 2 was able to maintain my excitement the entire time while still delivering platforming. Colors doesn't deliver this excitement, but has better platforming. Even the boost in colors feels more like a an "effect" than an actual game mechanic at times. While in unleashed you KNOW boost is working at all times to improve your speed.

I very interested to see an HD version of Colors since this will prove whether the WII just lacks the ability to provide that excitement.

Its all a toss up really, but there no doubt that as a overall game Colors is superior...because all the good stuff from UnleasgedHD is just like 30% while the rest of the bad stuff actually take up most of the game. If i wanted to show off Sonic to some friends without showing the abomination that's in UnleasgedHD I pick it over colors though, but recommend a Sonic game to a friend? I pick Colors.

Seems my wish came true with Generations!

Edited July 28, 2011 by Voyant

[Kuzu]

Eh, I'm not gonna say boring, its just lacking in a lot of content. The lack of replayability is disheartening, the very limited cast leaves something to be desired and it makes the game feel empty, story is too childish for my taste(Though it is well written), and it lacks the thrill Unleashed had personally.

Like other people have said Colors was the safe way out, it lacked all of the stuff that most of the recent games have been slammed for("Shitty Friends", Gameplay Roulette, "bad" stories, etc.) I mean yeah it got praised for it, but I feel it got praised for all the wrong reasons. The game just feels....shallow.

Its a good game, just not a great one. It doesn't have the "ZOMG NEW SONIC GAME AWESOME" feel I had with most of the previous games.