Is the tone of Colors really that bad?

[lounge]

Yes Colors tone is bad because it favors the stereotype that because he's a cartoony character, he needs a cartoony tone.

Any good story needs drama, suspense, characters, and humor. This is what makes a lot of anime for example appealing like DBZ and Naruto. I don't know why people keep saying Unleashed's tone is the right direction as well, nothing in that story was very interesting to me. I never got the feeling of tension or lurking danger anywhere. It felt very similar to Colors tone except without the jokes.

[Jacky]

no

i prefer my sonic games to be gay as fuck

imokaywiththis.jpg

Could you explain a bit more what do you mean here?^^ I'm not sure if I get it. I think Colors' tone was TOO lighthearted with stupid kindergarten jokes. And combining the lame humor and tedious plot I named it one of the worst Sonic games in my previous post. Am I getting it right now?^^

you have an 06 mv in your sig

your opinion is invalid

Edited October 9, 2011 by Doctor Jackstraw

[Kuzu]

Yes Colors tone is bad because it favors the stereotype that because he's a cartoony character, he needs a cartoony tone.

Any good story needs drama, suspense, characters, and humor. This is what makes a lot of anime for example appealing like DBZ and Naruto. I don't know why people keep saying Unleashed's tone is the right direction as well, nothing in that story was very interesting to me. I never got the feeling of tension or lurking danger anywhere. It felt very similar to Colors tone except without the jokes.

[Vertekins]

I have nothing against the tone persay. Sonic games can be serious, light-hearted or in-between and I don't give a damn as long as it's pulled off well. Colours didn't pull-off light-hearted well when it came to Sonic and Tails or the sake of the plot because the tone was forced onto the characters to the point of derailing them to cater to and accomodate it. Light-hearted "jokes" consumed entire cutscenes, kicking-out plot development due to obsession with 'humor'. Sonic's mannerisms were outright ignored, his character morphed to exemplify cheesy humor.

Characters like Cubot, Orbot and Eggman (To an extent) benefited from Colours' tone. The shenanigans Cubot and Orbot got up to were genuinely entertaining and Eggman's PA announcements were by far the most hilarious and cleverly dark things I've ever heard in a Sonic game by a very wide margin. Same couldn't be said for Sonic though I will put the Bromance on the high pedestal where it deserves to be.

Ideally, Sonic games should have an ideal marriage of seriousness and lightheartedness when it comes to tone. Oh wait, the two Storybook games pulled that off perfectly without betraying Sonic's mannerisms to cater exclusively to one side of the coin.

[Soniman]

I thought Sonic Adventure had the perfect blend, it didnt get serious until the plot called for it at the end, then it turned into a inferred apocalypse that never got resolved, lol.

[Kuzu]

I have nothing against the tone persay. Sonic games can be serious, light-hearted or in-between and I don't give a damn as long as it's pulled off well. Colours didn't pull-off light-hearted well when it came to Sonic and Tails or the sake of the plot because the tone was forced onto the characters to the point of derailing them to cater to and accomodate it. Light-hearted "jokes" consumed entire cutscenes, kicking-out plot development due to obsession with 'humor'. Sonic's mannerisms were outright ignored, his character morphed to exemplify cheesy humor.

Edited October 8, 2011 by Shadic93

[Vertekins]

What I mean is, some of Sonic's established traits are portrayed contrary to how they have multiple times before. Such as willingness to distribute credit where credit is due as well as put across the impression that the help of his allies is never at the back of his mind. It's gets confusing when Sonic outright states that he "Couldn't have done it without you (Tails)" after pwning Frigate Skullian to being uncomprehending of Tails' input and contradicting himself as a result. Bad writing? Compare;

Heroes. Sonic is completely open and willing to acknowledge and thank Tails' and Knuckles for their assistance in the venture;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDmkrCX9OI0

SatBK. He also thanks the Knight's for assisting in stopping Merlina's high ancient magic from spreading (i.e They put their swords in barrier stones)

Colours. Sonic outright says that he couldn't have done it without Tails.

Colours. Then Sonic contradicts himself and needs reminding and convincing about Tails' input in the mission as if it didn't even vaguely occur to him beforehand.

That's just one example of inconsistency in Colours.

Edited October 8, 2011 by Verte

[Komodin]

Colours. Then Sonic contradicts himself and needs reminding and convincing about Tails' input in the mission as if it didn't even vaguely occur to him beforehand.

That's just one example of inconsistency in Colours.

[Diogenes]

They are joking around, you nitwit.

The writing isn't inconsistent, you just insist on being too thick-headed to understand it.

[Kuzu]

Colours. Then Sonic contradicts himself and needs reminding and convincing about Tails' input in the mission as if it didn't even vaguely occur to him beforehand.

That's just one example of inconsistency in Colours.

Edited October 8, 2011 by Shadic93

[Soniman]

They are joking around, you nitwit.

The writing isn't inconsistent, you just insist on being too thick-headed to understand it.

[Agent York]

I want to clarify, I enjoyed Colors plot and people need to recognize the game was meant to not have much of a plot. Out of simple Sonic plots, I thought it was definitely the best. However, with all that said, I liked the plot of Unleashed more. I thought Colors had good characterization, and the cheese was entertaining to me, but I think getting a balance between silliness, seriousness, and good characterization is best. I think part of what made many fans not like Colors so much was the fact the plot was very small scale. It was meant to be, but when epic plot twists were about to be played, they were always downplayed, The game took place in an amusement park and featured Sonic and Tails travelling through the park to destroy generators and stop Eggman, who was stealing Wisp energy. I think if the stakes were larger, the situations and twists played to greater effect, and put more into something larger than themselves, it would be more pleasing for more fans, and mixing the silly scenes with more serious ones with the same great characterization.

If Colors is what a simple plot is with the current writers (their goal was to make a simpler plot), I am interested how a bigger plot will be handled by then.

[Kuzu]

Maybe you should tone it down >.>

[Scar]

What I mean is, some of Sonic's established traits are portrayed contrary to how they have multiple times before. Such as willingness to distribute credit where credit is due as well as put across the impression that the help of his allies is never at the back of his mind. It's gets confusing when Sonic outright states that he "Couldn't have done it without you (Tails)" after pwning Frigate Skullian to being uncomprehending of Tails' input and contradicting himself as a result. Bad writing? Compare;

Heroes. Sonic is completely open and willing to acknowledge and thank Tails' and Knuckles for their assistance in the venture;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDmkrCX9OI0

SatBK. He also thanks the Knight's for assisting in stopping Merlina's high ancient magic from spreading (i.e They put their swords in barrier stones)

Colours. Sonic outright says that he couldn't have done it without Tails.

Colours. Then Sonic contradicts himself and needs reminding and convincing about Tails' input in the mission as if it didn't even vaguely occur to him beforehand.

That's just one example of inconsistency in Colours.

To quote Stephen K. Amos:

"Its a Joke"

Can't you tell from the way he delivers the line? He doesn't say it because he actually believes that Tails' role was negligable, he said it as a joke. A harmless prod at Tails. You know, things that friends do.

Edited October 8, 2011 by Scar

[Nepenthe]

It might have something to do with we've explained this to her before, and she still doesn't understand.

Repetition is no reason to be a dick.

[Kuzu]

Repetition is no reason to be a dick.

Well I'm not the one who said it.

[Ivo the Egghog]

Sonic Colors is what it is, a fun and charming gaming experience. IIzuka even said before the game came out that it was going to be lighthearted and I absolutely loved it.

Let's just get this straight... I play Sonic games because I enjoy PLAYING them. Not once have I bought a Sonic game because I thought, "Y'know, this game is going to have a deep storyline." I don't really have any gripes with making it more like a cartoon because that's exactly what it is to me. Colors puts gameplay first and neatly ties the experience together with cute and quirky little cutscenes. Interestingly enough in those cute and quirky cutscenes, Sonic and Tails' relationship was more dynamic than any game with a more "serious" storyline.

Also, this game should probably come out soon because I feel some tension on this board.

[Neon]

Sonic Colors is what it is, a fun and charming gaming experience. IIzuka even said before the game came out that it was going to be lighthearted and I absolutely loved it.

Let's just get this straight... I play Sonic games because I enjoy PLAYING them. Not once have I bought a Sonic game because I thought, "Y'know, this game is going to have a deep storyline." I don't really have any gripes with making it more like a cartoon because that's exactly what it is to me. Colors puts gameplay first and neatly ties the experience together with cute and quirky little cutscenes. Interestingly enough in those cute and quirky cutscenes, Sonic and Tails' relationship was more dynamic than any game with a more "serious" storyline.

Also, this game should probably come out soon because I feel some tension on this board.

What the heck does the story have to do with gameplay? You don't put "gameplay first", since they're two completely different things. There's no reason for them to not go hand in hand.

Edited October 8, 2011 by Neon

[Kuzu]

What the heck does the story have to do with gameplay? You don't put "gameplay first", since they're two completely different things. There's no reason for them to not go hand in hand.

Because its a Video Game, and not a novel, meaning it shouldn't be trying to tell the best story ever.

[Scar]

Colours' plot may not have been wonderfully developed, but the characters and their relationships were developed far more than the entirity of the Sonic canon in a single game. No other game has managed to develop Sonic and Tails' relationship as being brotherly to such an extent and so effectively. Yeah, the dialogue was a bit iffy at times, but the characters whilst not entirely consistant to previous games, were closer to what they were intended to be than ever before.

Yes we never saw Sonic's serious side and a breakdown of his moral code and general beliefs like we did in Black Knight, but that's because we didn't need to in Colours. The plot didn't present a situation where his ideals were challenged.

Honestly, when shit isn't hitting the fan, this is how I imagine Sonic and Tails interact. Other interpretations of Sonic and Tails' relationship were so painfully wooden and unconvincing.

I really want to see how Pontac and Graff develop other relationships. Of course Generations is going to be lighthearted with a lot of jokes, because its Sonic's birthday party. Shenanigans are bound to happen. People who say they don't want too many jokes are out of their minds, because I've never seen a birthday party where jokes aren't made. Oh sure, it should be serious when the situation calls for it, but other than that, there is no reason for it to always be semi-serious business.

Because its a Video Game, and not a novel, meaning it shouldn't be trying to tell the best story ever.

Yeah, no.

That's the Mario excuse. There is no reason why a video game story cannot be on a par with Top-notch movies and literature. Striving for excellence in not only gameplay, but story as well is not a bad thing. Using "its a video game, it doesn't need a good story" as an excuse is bullshit. Sure they story itself doesn't need to always be melodramatic, but the quality of the writing, characterisation and dialogue must reach a standard.

"Its a game" simply doesn't cut it. Sonic the Hedgehog, Mario or otherwise.

Edited October 8, 2011 by Scar

[Ivo the Egghog]

Neon, on 08 October 2011 - 01:16 PM, said:

What the heck does the story have to do with gameplay? They're two completely different things. There's no reason for them to not go hand in hand.

I guess I'm not clear enough on my point so I'll rephrase. I'm saying that I play Sonic games to play them, not because I'm expecting a grand story. It's Sonic the Hedgehog for crying out loud! If I want a game to play with a great story I'll be playing Assassin's Creed or Mass Effect or something like that. What I'm getting at is that I liked that Colors had a short, lighthearted story that made that game flow nicely, as opposed to the shitty melodrama the series gets a bad rep for.

Yeah, no.

That's the Mario excuse. There is no reason why a video game story cannot be on a par with Top-notch movies and literature. Striving for excellence in not only gameplay, but story as well is not a bad thing. Using "its a video game, it doesn't need a good story" as an excuse is bullshit.

Yeah, no.

While I agree that that using "it's a video game, it doesn't need a good story" is indeed bullshit, Sonic is severely limited on how compelling the story can get. He's a talking blue, anthropomorphic hedgehog that runs at the speed of sound. I definitely think the Colors route is best considering the attempts at more serious outings were pathetic. Also, lighthearted /=/ not good.

Edit: Scar, that wasn't an attack on you or anything, I realize that came on kinda brash. I know you don't think lighthearted = not good, I'm just sayin in general.

Edited October 8, 2011 by Ivo the Egghog

[Nepenthe]

Well I'm not the one who said it.

I wasn't accusing you. I just explained why Soniman had a point. I'm getting fed up with people being assholes over the most insignificant points and topics in the world. It's ruining the atmosphere here and I and others don't have to tolerate it.

Sonic Colors is what it is, a fun and charming gaming experience. IIzuka even said before the game came out that it was going to be lighthearted and I absolutely loved it.

Let's just get this straight... I play Sonic games because I enjoy PLAYING them. Not once have I bought a Sonic game because I thought, "Y'know, this game is going to have a deep storyline." I don't really have any gripes with making it more like a cartoon because that's exactly what it is to me. Colors puts gameplay first and neatly ties the experience together with cute and quirky little cutscenes. Interestingly enough in those cute and quirky cutscenes, Sonic and Tails' relationship was more dynamic than any game with a more "serious" storyline.

Not every cartoon is a wacky series of mishaps and jokes, although there's admittedly nothing wrong with that. Some cartoons have a proper three-act structure and tension yet are nonetheless lighthearted anyway. Just look at the Disney Renaissance movies; they don't suffer any from being more properly written or asking the audience to suspend some disbelief to engage emotionally in the more serious elements that are, at the end of the day, being presented and acted by cartoon animals, human caricatures, and disposable sidekicks. I think a lot of the more rational people here don't necessarily dislike Colors' tone as they do the actual writing, pacing, or some combination thereof, and tone isn't mutually exclusive from any of these. You would be hard-pressed to call Unleashed as serious as 06 just because they both have apocalyptic themes.

[Exploder]

Yeah, no.

While I agree that that using "it's a video game, it doesn't need a good story" is indeed bullshit, Sonic is severely limited on how compelling the story can get. He's a talking blue, anthropomorphic hedgehog that runs at the speed of sound.

So?

I definitely think the Colors route is best considering the attempts at more serious outings were pathetic. Also, lighthearted /=/ not good.

And dark =/= not good. Wow, the 'all serious Sonic plots we've seen so far are bad, therefore they will always be bad' argument again? What kind of double standard is this?

Edited October 8, 2011 by Exploder

[Scar]

Yeah, no.

While I agree that that using "it's a video game, it doesn't need a good story" is indeed bullshit, Sonic is severely limited on how compelling the story can get. He's a talking blue, anthropomorphic hedgehog that runs at the speed of sound. I definitely think the Colors route is best considering the attempts at more serious outings were pathetic. Also, lighthearted /=/ not good.

Toy Story is a film series about talking toys that live in a miniature integrated society within a boy or girls bedroom, when said children are not looking. Didn't stop it from having a powerful and compelling story dealing with many complex emotional issues. Heck no.3 brought a tear to the eye of many adults, whilst being harmless fun to the children who watched it.

Just because Sonic is a talking blue hedgehog that rolls around at the speed of sound, doesn't mean the series cannot produce a compelling, emotionally engaging story that is simultaneously fun and lively enough for kids of all ages.

Edited October 8, 2011 by Scar

[Soniman]

And dark =/= not good. Wow, the 'all serious Sonic plots we've seen so far are bad, therefore they will always be bad' argument again? What kind of double standard is this?

I don't think he ever said that.

And it is, for the most part, true. The only exception I can give is SA2

Edited October 8, 2011 by Soniman032-