A Sonic mutiplayer game?

[Shoot em up Capbusta]

With the success of games such as NSMBW, Rayman Orgins, and Kirby Return to Dreamland I was wondering could this work for sonic. A game that featured a 4 multiplayer type game like the games I mentioned earlier. It would be a nice way to incorporate in multiple characters in the the modern games.

I was thinking maybe a colors type game you know more dedicated to platforming, maybe some speed oriented sections. Also I was thinking it could be kind of a race or co-op experience if if you chose to. Like your friend could be tails and your sonic and while he is flying to an upper path you can jump on him, then fuck him over so you get to the finish first. Now I would't want to combine moves or anything going into advance 3 route because it may make things too complex, I'd rather keep it simple for something like this.

I really don't normally make gameplay ideas so know my idea maybe shit and not completely thought out but I was just wondering. What do you think could sonic benefit from this type of gameplay? would you even want a game in this fashion?

[Salamander]

I would be interested in seeing how they'd handle this; giving different characters new routes and advantages tailored to their abilities so they can compete with Sonic despite his speed, with the fastest speedruns requiring co-operation between characters with different abilities. Maybe some way to kind of tack yourself onto another character so everyone can zip along with Sonic for a while or fly over a pit with Tails. I honestly think they should try it, as a way of showing off other characters' abilities whilst still making them optional.

[upg]

would be awsome. Sonic needs some multiplayer online playability !

[Nintendoga]

Personally, a two player game would be cool, (Sonic4 Ep.2?) but 4 players would be too messy and clunky for a fast paced platformer like Sonic.

[krazystitch]

This sounds like it would be a pretty interesting concept, but..one that would be pretty darn difficult to execute correctly. The recent Sonic games that have been pleasing the critics lately are the ones that are built on speed and boosting, it would be pretty difficult to try to incorporate some cooperative play into something like that, especially if you're expecting someone like Amy or even Knuckles to keep up with that. But..then again, those games have been 3D and every example you mentioned in the OP was a 2D platformer.

If they were to make the game that has cooperative a 2D game, then yes, I honestly do believe that with a bit of tweaking here and there, it could work well like it did for NSMBW or Rayman Origins. They'd just have to adjust it so that it fits the level design and speed of the Sonic games.

[Shoot em up Capbusta]

Personally, a two player game would be cool, (Sonic4 Ep.2?) but 4 players would be too messy and clunky for a fast paced platformer like Sonic.

I see what you mean that is why I brought up the colors type gameplay. Its a little slower and not as boost heavy as some modern games and is less likely for other players to get lost imo.

[Big Boss (legendsneverdie)]

If you bring Sonic down to Colours speed, limit the boost and add alternate routes or paths that only certain characters can go through, then I can see something like this work.

[krazystitch]

I see what you mean that is why I brought up the colors type gameplay. Its a little slower and not as boost heavy as some modern games and is less likely for other players to get lost imo.

In that case, I'd honestly have to say yes. Like I said in my other post, if they tweak over a few things to make it work comfortably for everyone, then I think I would be fine with a multiplayer option in a Sonic game.

Although, I think that, if anything, they should just try it out first. Make it a part of the game that's optional to play, kind of like in Sonic Colors, but for the main levels and not just side ones designed specifically for the multiplayer. Obviously, they should still focus on the single player, but they should see the feedback they get from the multiplayer and then decide if they should either improve on the idea or just scrap it. But..I think it should be worth a shot.

[Solly]

Personally, a two player game would be cool, (Sonic4 Ep.2?) but 4 players would be too messy and clunky for a fast paced platformer like Sonic.

Well I think Rayman Origins has showed you can have a large number of people playing together in fast-paced stages. The Tricky Treasure stages, for example, are ones where you basically have to time your jumps and aim your character correctly without ever slowing down. True, Sonic is faster by quite a bit, but if you can do two people you can do four. The key is to make it so that failure in those situations doesn't have a real penalty, like how you in Rayman you can be brought back without losing lives.

Rayman has also taught me it's fun to play cooperatively in a platformer no matter what, even if actual cooperation is impossible because you're busy fighting and punching eachother into pits and death traps.

But if a Sonic game did this, I don't think it could really be the GOTTA GO FAST, boosting gameplay we've seen from other games lately. It would have to be reasonably slowed down or made so that other players could catch back up. Speaking of which, there's also the matter of who the other players are. If they all had significantly different abilities that might make things hard to keep balanced and make sure players stick together.

[Chaos Warp]

I think that Sonic is to fast for Co-Op, but I'd love to have 4-person and online multiplayer games! If they could think up some interesting game modes to compliment the straight race mode, then it would be great!

[Tyranno128]

I've thought about it before and it seems like a no brainer with all the characters there are. However when you take into the account of all the hectic and crazy nature of NSMBW in 4 player mode, imagine what it would be like in a Sonic game with all the characters? It'd be pretty much a race to stay on the screen. If you ever played co-op in Sonic 2 with Tails you'd know what I mean. Half the time your not even controlling him cuz you have to wait for the COM to catch up to whoever is playing as Sonic.

[Diogenes]

I don't think co-op works with Sonic. Large levels with multiple routes traveled at high speeds means people are going to be separated almost immediately. Even if you take steps to minimize it, I don't think you can come close to eliminating it, and once you're separated it pretty much ceases to be co-op in any significant way.

Competitive multiplayer can work okay, as long as they put some thought into it.

[Tyranno128]

Now a Chaotix beat'em up game would work out perfectly. Its even a perfect chance to bring back Mighty, or have Knuckles regain leadership. But mostly Mighty cuz his return would just be so kickass.

[Indigo Rush]

Sonic and co-op doesn't really work due to the fast-paced nature of the gameplay. I mean, as interesting as being P2 with Tails was, it didn't really do much aside from give Sonic an extra lift. The second player is almost always left in the dust.

For Sonic, multi-player is better as a racing sort of deal. That's where Sonic Rivals had a good thing going on: it was primed for competitive racing. I mean, you could try something else, but for Sonic I don't think anything other than racing would work, I'm afraid.

[C.J]

Honestly I don't think co-op works with Sonic, Multiplayer seems better like in SA2 I like how they have different types of multi-player game modes suited for each character- competitive racing and battles mainly in SA2, Heroes, SASASR and Rivals1/2 worked well IMO. If this was to happen again perhaps they could have an option of using all characters for different types of gameplay in MP mode, also different routes and each character could have an advantage and special feature which they have in thr SEGA superstar series. I also wouldn't mind if party games were included in multi-player I thought they were fun in SATSR (most of them) I'd also love a 4 person and online MP.

[Strickerx5]

If Sonic 4 ep 2 does its job right then we should see something like this with Tails.

[LoseR]

I think it'd be cool, but it certainly would require split screen.

Heroes would've be cool if it was co-op, and a game like this would be the best way to handle co-op for Sonic I think...

[Luigi]

Personally, a two player game would be cool, (Sonic4 Ep.2?) but 4 players would be too messy and clunky for a fast paced platformer like Sonic.

That Super Sonic cut-out looks really well done and professional. I also like the white edges around Classic Sonic, I wonder if that will be a new power-up in the game.

[Nintendoga]

That Super Sonic cut-out looks really well done and professional. I also like the white edges around Classic Sonic, I wonder if that will be a new power-up in the game?

I don't know why you're asking me rather then the person who made that, but okay.

[mikeblastdude]

I'd be open to the idea (who knows, maybe they could pull off something really awesome), but in general I don't think it would work out too well. New Super Mario Bros. Wii is already frustrating enough for me to play with 3 or 4 people, and that's moving at a pretty slow pace.

But like I said, I'm definitely not saying "no" to this idea. It could work, it would just be very difficult to make it work.

[Dwapook]

Eh.. Maybe.. If there were overlapping backgrounds, foregrounds, downwards/upwards spaces for the players to run around in, and mechanics to allow them to interact with each other within these seperate spaces..

I see potential, but it would take some thoughtful design and prototyping for me to really see how well it'd work..

[LATER BUDDY]

If there was a Sonic multiplayer game, I don't think I'd want a type where everyone is basically speed racing each other in the sense of playing exactly like Sonic. If it were to happen, I'd still want it to be Act and race oriented of course, but I'd want a level of design to the stages that have an insane amount of alternate paths, with some only being accessible to certain characters of certain properties. I'd like to point out here I don't want the boring "Speed/Power/Flight" thing, but literally every character being unique and having their own ups and downs.

Let Knuckles drill and climb and bash through walls, but is pretty slow or maybe can't jump as great. Tails could fly for limits and have greater effects when it comes to item monitors due to his technical skills. Let Sonic keep his boost, as being the more straight forward character everyone can use with little strategy. Even "clones" in other forms of racing, like Shadow can completely ditch boosting and such for emerald power, like a recharging system. I'd even love to see some obscurity like Omega gunning everyone LOL.

What I'm trying to say that if there's multiplayer, don't just play it safe to Sonic for such a game. Realize the potential of ever character's personality and traits and expose them to the limits strategically. It's almost like a balanced fighter game, but with racing and platforming instead.

[Meow]

Personally I'd love a good co-op adventure.

Really, when I look back on it, eventhoughitwasn'tthatgoodanywaybutshutupIdon'twannahearABOUTITTT, Sonic 06 had the neat idea to allow co-op gameplay into the fold. Sure itwassuperbadshutupItoldyoualready... buuuuuuttttt the idea itself is a fine one. Why -does- every multiplayer component have to be about racing the other person? Just because the game is about speeding through to the end of the level that doesn't necessarily mean that the game has to include strictly a multiplayer race mode, or a battle mode of some kind. For all the talking of the super power of teamwork and other various facepalm worthy things that all the cast like to rally around, there sure isn't a whole lot of love and co-operation going around Sonic's little circle now is there. The thing is the games are also platformers too, or at least are supposed to be...or at least I am not actually sure anymore since Sonic plays out more like a racing game more than anything these days. Not that I have a problem with that and I'm not about to elaborate or go into that deeper, its just how I consider it.

Anyway, the game is also supposed to be a platformer too, so why not modify the levels a bit to include co-op gameplay? Surely a bit of fast paced co-op handiwork can't be out of the question. Or hell, they could even pull a "hey lets go through this game together like you could in Sonic 2 and 3 but this time lets not make it suck" because that would be really cool too.

So basically, less racing, more beating the crap out of levels with INSANE BRO POWER^tm

[redhellc]

A co-op game doesn't mean you need to be in the same place to work.

If it was a two player game, each player could start in different parts of the level and each action performed by each player would influence the other character path.

Think when tails closes the gate in sonic 06 so the whale could not pass. So the players would need to work together so they could advance, that way you didn't need to worry so much about keeping with the other player.

And sometimes the paths of both players could join together for some team action and them separate again.

Of course I think a racing multiplayer would work much more easily, but with some work I think a co-op game could work.

[#EndyGate]

A game based specifically on speedy characters wouldn't work too welldue to the sheer fact that if they get left behind it could screw everyone up, though i feel that a co-op similar to Color's game world robots would be fine. Two to Four player races shouldn't be completely out of the question, though.

Though a slower paced, Chaotix based, beat em-up/mystery game could have a lot of potential as a 4 player co-op game, or simply a platformer that focuses on characters other than Sonic, like Amy.