57 replies to this topic

[PerfectChaos]

After finally getting my hands on Colours, I have to say, I'm very impressed. To my surprise, the 2D platforming is excellent, something I never thought possible with modern Sonic gameplay. Even the 3D platforming was quite good. The team that designed this game somehow integrated both Boost and Homing Attack into the gameplay really well, and the platforimng doesn't feel out of place with the high speed nature of Sonic games. The team also cleverly made the game longer with the many 2D areas and by splitting stages into 6 acts and with Sonic Simulator stages. Wisps added a lot of replay value, as did the well-hidden red rings. Clever techniques like this help to lengthen the game, and circumvent time/money issues. Generations was amazing, but it's not the future of Sonic games. It was short, and felt like it cost an absolute fortune to make, which must make it all the more annoying for Sonic Team when people complain that it was super-short. Generations was not the type of game to create new Sonic fans, but Colours was. I recall one youtube comment stating ‘this is my first Sonic game, and I love it!’.

Who made Colours? I know it's meant to be Sonic Team, but it doesn't feel very Sonic Team. Sonic Team's always been able to make thrilling levels with great music, but they've always lacked a certain amount of genius, which Colours does not. The developers of Colours clearly knew exactly what they were doing, and I love the nice touches, such as how you can get lives by attacking your score after a level, and how bosses shoot rings everywhere when they die. Camera angles were also clever, one example being that act of Asteroid Coaster where the camera fails to keep up with Sonic as he runs into the distance, but catches up with him as the 2D platforming begins. It's COMPLETELY unnecessary, but awesome. Oh, and the graphics were amazing, definitely among the best seen on Wii. Forget Skyward Sword’s visuals.
There were a few minor issues though - the 2D bosses were surprisingly underwhelming, and due to the game’s lack of crappy filler/pad-out content, it’s incredibly short. Also, it came off as trying too hard to be funny, and failed miserably. Some scenes were moderately amusing though – the one where Sonic says
‘‘well, he is pretty gassy, maybe the smell would knock ‘em out? . I dunno, something doesn’t seem right with that’’
was funny simply because of how he said it, and how they didn’t put too much emphasis on him saying it.

Sonic Team was mainly working on Generations, right? The leftover people that made Colours are very capable, and I hope we see more games from them similar to Colours. Anyone else agree Colours’ formula is the way forward?
Oh, and one more thing: I loved how Sonic called Eggman ‘The Eggster’ – that’s a brilliant nickname and should be used more often.

[JezMM]

Even the 3D platforming was quite good.

What 3D platforming?

[Semi-colon e]

The six act structure is actually one of my least favourite parts of Colours. I'd have rather had more zones with fewer acts. I mean take Aquarium Park for example, I loved Acts 1, 4, and 6. Act 3 was a fairly okay gimmick level, but Acts 2 and 5 were just pants overall and added nothing. Starlight Carnival is the worst offender, with almost all the acts being gimmicky. Don't get me wrong, I really like Colours, but the six act thing felt really superficial and blatant in it's padding (except for the rare occasions that different wisps really changed how it played out). We only got 7 zones, one of which was like 1/3 the size of a normal zone and essentially go forward - and is, ironically, the only level with no 2D sections AT ALL. I prefer the 9 we got in Generations, even if Green Hill was essentially tutorial and Planet Wisp was a bit of a dud.

I highly disagree that it's the way forward (especially in the realms of 3D), but I still really like it as a game.

Edited by Semi-colon e, 10 June 2012 - 03:11 PM.

[Pawn]

^ To add to Jez's comment on the 3D, the 2D segments are blocky and uninteresting. There are too few curves, rarely any interesting stage-specific gimmicks (although I suppose the Wisps take their place), very little in the level design to make it feel unique to Sonic.

Edited by Lungo, 10 June 2012 - 03:57 PM.

[Agent York]

I am a big fan of Colors personally, and there are some things from that game I would love to see in the future of the series (imaginative locales, while a lot of the game is 2.5D some of the stages are very cleverly designed, the Wisp were an actual good and enjoyable innovation to the formula, etc). However with that said, I feel that Generations is the way the series should move forward. They fixed some of the issues I had with Colors. In my own opinion, Generations>Colors>Unleashed. I felt that each game was a step-up from the last which built on the overall foundation.

Edited by Agent York, 10 June 2012 - 03:48 PM.

[Vertekins]

Yes, Sonic Team did make Colours.

To me, Colours is a game that hits balls out of the park but falls flat in a few areas.

It's absolutely teeming with imagination, clever design, a truly wonderful soundtrack and is a lovely starter before the main course (Generations). It's like a lovely little gift of a game to Wii owners who couldn't have the true Unleashed experience on 360/PS3 and it has undeniable effort and love invested in it especially when you consider that it's as if Sonic Team didn't seem to really care about providing Wii owners with an exclusive and particularly compelling gameplay-wise Sonic game before.

However, it's creativity didn't stretch to it's bosses and missions are over too fast. It's lack of scope feels like Sonic Team were too afraid to push the boat out and invest the amount of development in it's worlds that Unleashed was teeming with. The story also left quite a bit to be desired with story aspects that screamed for development and had big potential but got shafted and seriously hit-and-miss characterization of Sonic and Tails individually (The Bromance however was WIN).

Edited by Verte, 10 June 2012 - 03:21 PM.

[Diogenes]

What 3D platforming?

Seriously. You could remove all the 3D from Colors and it really wouldn't lose anything.

Colors most certainly is not a way forward, it's just an interesting little diversion. It doesn't accomplish anything for 3D Sonic and it's far inferior to Genesis Sonic gameplay for 2D.

[VEDJ-F]

As much as I don't hate Colours Wii, there must be something about it if it's the only Sonic game aside from Secret Rings that I haven't replayed.

I guess the level design was just that...stagnant that I had no interest in playing through them again, despite the fact that the locales are supposed to be amongst the most vibrant. The six-act structure was also way too tedious.

That said, I still pick up Generations to play over and over, so it's not like Colours can't be a basis at all.

[Carbo]

Colors and Generations, especially the latter, are dead ends. Good enough to carry their own selves but not enough to build an entire franchise upon. There is a fantastically small amount of formula to even build around and settling for one that's merely good at best is hampering their potential. Those two games have pretty much tired me out with what Sonic has become.

[Soniman]

Though I hate to be on the side not praising Colors for being a great game that's super fun to me even today...

Yep, I disagree.

Colors on it's own, is a fine game. But having more games like it would be just tiring especially since it does nothing for expanding 3D gameplay which is what Sonic needs to focus on right now

Bring the Wisps back though, because they were cool.

Edited by The Groosenator, 10 June 2012 - 03:41 PM.

[Boostitude]

At best, Colors was just evidence that a 3D Sonic game that's void of ununderstandable filler from start to finish could exist.

[Diogenes]

At best, Colors was just evidence that a 3D Sonic game that's void of ununderstandable filler from start to finish could exist.

Colors has so little 3D that...it really doesn't.

[Scar]

Colours excells in only one area really. That is sheer undiluted creativity in its design. Everything looks fantastically stylised - basically what you'd expect a modernised Megadrive game to look like. There were also a few interesting ideas in the level design, structure and general game design with the Wisps and such, but ultimately, like its bigger brother Generations, it plays things a little too safely.

Its a great game to use as a creative base. Fun wacky visuals and neat little ideas for powerups and such, but not bold enough.

tl;dr
Colours is a game that takes the best of what other platformers have to offer, adds a splash of Sonic and calls it a day. Its a fun game no doubt, but it lacks any identity of its own when you look beyond the pretty graphics.

[Stritix]

-snip-

Edited by Stritix, 05 February 2013 - 09:31 PM.

[Speedy]

First of all, I liked Colors. As others before said already, the design of the stages is beautiful and creative, full of little details and stuff to look at (by Wii standards, it was also a real graphics juwel). I liked the story, too, I found the cutscenes funny, they had a nice touch of wit here and there. In general there's a lot about Colors that's amusing and can bring a smile to your face (Eggman's comments about the zones in the menu for example... 'Enjoying our candy paradise is the perfect way to celebrate your next brithday... or to avoid reaching it.) There are many thing I find very well done in Colors.

Gameplay-wise... Well, it certainly hardly deserves being called a 3D game. The 3D parts are rare and totally not challenging and most of the time you're stuck in a 2D platforming section. Colors had a problem I never once found Unleashed had (and that Generations has just rarely): the 2D and 3D parts don't really go together well. In Unleashed, they work in the same pace, sometimes you hardly notice the transitions between them because you can just keep going. Also, the two gameplay varients feel well-balanced, you spend about the same time in each of them and one section of a level is never really long enough to get annoying.
Colors has serveral stages where you start running trough a 3D section, then a transition comes and you have to stop and wait for floaty platforms to move in the right positions in a 2D area. I often found the 2D parts break the flow. It's not that the platforming in itself was bad, the balance felt off to me, the way 2D and 3D parts were put together in a level. Sometimes while playing it I thought they would have done better doing what Generations did lateron (somewhat) and seperate 2D and 3D. Or at least balance them like Unleashed did.

It was a good game, okay. Way forward? Uh... as an actual fan of 3D Sonic games I'd rather not call it that.

[King Sombrero]

I have no doubt that if Colors had been the AAA high budget game then it would have had more interesting level design that would've been much less blocky. Even though I really do like Colors there's no doubt that most of its level design did feel really blocky and not organic like it should have. Although a few parts in 3D do stand out like Starlight Carnival's act 5 and aquarium Park's act...5 I think it was. I think the real secret behind Colors' charm is its fantastical environments, I only wish that they had been in full HD and more like Generations' design. As far as moving forward, I think Colors is the way to go in terms of environments, I always liked fantastical more than realistic, not that there's anything wrong with realistic.

[-Mark-]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.

Unleashed HD was a guy trying out a flashy new sports car and seeing how fast they could make it go.

Colours was the guy after rehab from being mangled in a crash; following all the rules, staying within the speed limit and generally doing things by the book and playing it safe. In other words, whilst it was a good game, it just felt so unbelievably pedestrian for the most part.

EDIT: Oh, and Generations is the same guy having actually learned how to use the sports car properly without crashing and mangling himself half to death.

Edited by -Mark-, 11 June 2012 - 07:47 PM.

[Steve]

Going through the motions, blocky 2D platforming, annoying childish jokes, bad voice acting, and all around bland.

Colors was as typical as they come.

[sonfan1984]

I love Colors and I love Generations. Both of them are fun games. But I think they'r way too simple for me. Personally I don't want the series to keep going in that direction.

bad voice acting

The voice acting is one of the best parts of the game.

Edited by sonfan1984, 11 June 2012 - 06:21 PM.

[Blue Blood]

Colors and Generations, especially the latter, are dead ends. Good enough to carry their own selves but not enough to build an entire franchise upon. There is a fantastically small amount of formula to even build around and settling for one that's merely good at best is hampering their potential. Those two games have pretty much tired me out with what Sonic has become.

I've never seen a better summary of Generations and Colours, and it's why I truly hope for a new direction come Sonic 2013. Colours is not the way forward. It's everything Unleashed was... and less.