Sonic and the Black Knight Reviews

[ovarloard]

With Sonic games, it's gotten to the point where some (including me) don't know what to expect from critics anymore. Some people say that the critics have hit the nail in the head with reviews of recent Sonic games. Other people say that the reviews are a bunch of garbage, just because it's Sonic that they're reviewing.

I just want to see what the general reception for SatBK is. Are the critics right about it being trash/another stupid gimmick? Or is Sonic Team doing it right?

I felt it was a very well-made game. It definitely wasn't perfect, but it was a step in the right direction, at least in my opinion. But I can't trust my opinion, because I have liked every game I have ever bought. I guess being on a limited budget forces me to want to like my games. Still think the critics were spouting garbage, though. Just because it's a pointless gimmick that they don't like.

So, what are your opinions regarding SatBK?

Edited May 26, 2009 by OvErLoRd

[Blacklightning]

I wrote a parody of IGN's review, if that counts.

[Shiny Gems]

I have five words to say: I loved the freaking game!

[Pelly <3's U]

I have five words to say: I loved the freaking game!

I have 5 words to say too: Don't spam the topic please.

[Tombi]

I wasn't really paying much attention to be honest, I seen a few good ones and a few bad ones - but luckily most of the complaints were, of course, for the concept itself rather than the execution. I had no problem with that either, aside from taking a while to get used to the control and make proper use of it; it is very well done.

With SATBK it's just a case of "what you see is what you get". You can see right on the boxart what the game is about; Sonic in another storybook set in medieval times this time with a bloody huge sword. (Gimmicks and such.) If you can accept that much without gagging then you'll probably like the game.

One strange thing I have noticed being cited is the controls being a 'waggle-fest' though, and it really couldn't be further from the truth - if you actually try any of that insane waggling the game tends to throw it back in your face (figuratively, luckily) until you actually use the remote with tact in mind.

But yeah, I thought it was a very well made game in all fronts. Not perfect of course, but a bit improvement over Secret Rings in overall playability for me.

[DarkDefeater]

Agreed, often if you just mindlessly wiggle the wii-mote, you will be blocked. Then you will be pummeled by knights who perform jumping slashes.

You will be hit by archers as well.

[Thirsty Pocket]

This is the first Sonic game I didn't buy day one... I still haven't played it... all because of the reviews... I haven't really read many of them. I just looked at the titles and the scores of them ( I had enough Sonic Trashing... It hurts to see people kicking my favorite series while it's down so I don't read what's inside )

...I am still going to wait for the price drop for once, but is it really worth getting? As a Sonic fan?

[redmenace]

SBK is fine for what it is, storybook Sonic spin-off but not for the main series. It got good reviews because it wasn't an interation of the main franchise and it's an acceptable spin-off. Quite frankly, Unleashed got a lot of crap when it didn't deserve not even half of it though. It's trendy to badmouth Sonic and cry for his glory retro times, even if you've only played 1/10 of the game.

[Gamenerd]

Presentaton-wise, it is a pretty high-end title. It looks great, has inventive menus and unique songs, and even if you don't like the overall theme of the game, you can still appreciate the way the game is presented.

I think the reviews got it just about spot on in terms of gameplay though. Perhaps IGN was a little harsh, but it doesn't really deserve anything higher than 6.5/10, because you can't get by on presentation and waggle alone. If the game was less like a generic brawler with generic platforming elements and more like Sonic Adventure but with a sword that allows you to run and fight simultaneously, reviewers probably would've appreciated it more. Also, the tone and atmosphere was a bit humdrum for a Sonic Team title.

[Phos]

When dealing with a crappy game, one that everyone knows isn't going to be worth the aluminum it's pressed on, the reviewers have to give people a reason to actually read it, so they make it funny. Sonic and the Black Knight is a remarkably short game that varies between dull and frustrating. It's reviews should come as no surprise. It's not been selling very well, I hope that along with the reviews brings Sega to their senses.

Edited May 26, 2009 by Phos

[Tyranno]

When dealing with a crappy game, one that everyone knows isn't going to be worth the aluminum it's pressed on, the reviewers have to give people a reason to actually read it, so they make it funny.

I...

I didn't see a lick of intentional humor in IGN's review. At all. Just poorly written whinging.

[Phos]

I...

I didn't see a lick of intentional humor in IGN's review. At all. Just poorly written whinging.

I didn't say IGN.

I know of one review on the entire internet that didn't at least attempt humor.

[Tyranno]

Okay then, which reviews?

[FlameStream]

Swinging the pendulum to the other side.

I'll truthfully admit that I enjoyed it. ^^; While I tend to just read other people's opinion and discard it afterwards, I can't figure out how "generic" the game felt mentioned in Gamenerd's response. I thought it's a nice original twist.

I enjoyed the character boss fights the most. It's kinda unfortunate that there were only four encounters of the kind.

Having played the game, I can confirm that it's more than mindless waggling. However, I can understand that most people won't stand down and study the game before really playing it. It's also fairly easy and short unless you aim for 5 stars.

[Phos]

Because I'm fascinated with creative ways that content creators (in general, not just Sonic or even video games) can screw stuff up, perhaps I find reviews funny where you do not.

But the Gametrailers review was pretty amusing.

[Tyranno]

Regardless, I don't go to people who are supposed to be professionals to get the kind of wit I can get from a visit to 4chan or an episode of The Simpsons featuring Comic Book Guy.

[speedfreak]

I just hated the gameplay. The graphics were good, sound was good, little cut scene things were nice, but the thing that truly matter to me (the gameplay) was just flat out terrible. I can honestly say I enjoyed Sonic06 more.

To me SBK was too short, way too liner, had awful boss fights, and was just plain boring. Those missions where you give the Ewoks rings are one of the most boring, shitty, not fun missions I've played in a video game for years.

I thought Sonic Unleashed was a step in the right direction for 3D Sonic. It took ideas that started in SATSR and evolved them into a much funner style of gameplay. While the only thing SBK did was remove tilting and add a sword, both of which made the gameplay even worse then the already "meh" SATSR.

If the storybook series continues down the super liner path paved by SATSR when SU has shown there are MUCH better ways to handle 3D Sonic, well then I'm honestly finished with the storybook series.

Oh, and the swordplay was just really poorly implemented.

[Candescence]

It seems to be that history repeated itself in a slightly different fashion. Once upon a time, 06 came out, and sucked spectacularlly. People had high hopes for it. Me? I put my hype into SatSR, and I had a terrible feeling about 06. Turns out I was right.

And now? I found Unleashed to be a bad game in general (yes, even the daytime sections, and with both versions, I actually found the Wii version was the better game overall), and I enjoyed Black Knight way more. Sure, the motion controls weren't perfect, but they were adequete. I enjoyed the story, the visuals, and the gameplay. Now I hope for more storybook titles in the future, and the possibilities they bring to the table.

[JezMM]

For the first time in ages I found the reviews fair. I'm annoyingly positive when it comes to the Sonic series, but even I agree 2006 was better than Black Knight. I play Sonic for platforming. Black Knight is essentially a whole game of the Sonic Heroes sections designed for the Power formation. Even Secret Rings felt like a platformer despite the unique control style. Black Knight was just... frustratingly dull.

I enjoyed playing it because the presentation was so good. Amazing script, cut-scenes, music and graphics, but Unleashed, despite DLC had me simply replaying levels for months, the disc hardly ever leaving the 360, but Black Knight's disc only managed a combo of staying in the Wii for about 3-5 days after purchase.

If Sonic isn't going to give me platforming, it needs to give me thrills. This is why I enjoyed Sonic Riders, because it's a thrilling edge of your seat race. Black Knight was not thrilling edge-of-my-seat sword fighting.

The most offensive thing was that the legacy stages were crap and the intro movie shows Sonic easily taking care of the enemies without a sword. D=

Hmm... I think this post was a bit all over the place, my apologies.

[Daisoku]

It seems to be that history repeated itself in a slightly different fashion. Once upon a time, 06 came out, and sucked spectacularlly. People had high hopes for it. Me? I put my hype into SatSR, and I had a terrible feeling about 06. Turns out I was right.

And now? I found Unleashed to be a bad game in general (yes, even the daytime sections, and with both versions, I actually found the Wii version was the better game overall), and I enjoyed Black Knight way more. Sure, the motion controls weren't perfect, but they were adequete. I enjoyed the story, the visuals, and the gameplay. Now I hope for more storybook titles in the future, and the possibilities they bring to the table.

...

I did exactly the same.

I LOVE SatBK, and I like SU, but a LOT less...

[PSI Wind]

S&TBK is one of the best Sonic games to date.

Gameplay is not a waggle fest! You jump, homing attack, and flick the remote, but theres more to it. Grinding, avoiding obstacles and more. Also, Calvier Style is something you should lvl up to the max. Then tell me Sonic is slow in this game.

[Solly]

I thought the game was absolutely abysmal. Never in a modern game have I ever seen such horrible design choices. It's almost as bad as Sonic 06, which is slightly less enjoyable than food poisoning. It's really just disheartening to see the game on shelves in the condition it's in.

I agree with the reviewers, and I'm glad that they slammed it- even though they didn't cover all of the issues.

EDIT: This is coming from someone who enjoyed Secret Rings.

Edited May 26, 2009 by Venom

[-Mark-]

I'm gonna have to side with the 'highly controversial' camp and say that I enjoyed SatBK more than Unleashed, because I did. D=

Although in fairness, I doubt I'd be saying that had I played the 360 version, but I haven't. I've only played the Wii version of Unleashed, which I have to say has been the only 3D Sonic game ever to leave me feeling slightly cheated, disappointed and as though I hadn't got my money's worth.

I'll admit that SatBK isn't perhaps as fun to go back and replay, but in terms of first-playthrough enjoyment, I got a hell of a lot more out of SatBK than I did Wii Unleashed.

[Shiny Gems]

I just thought I'd add more to my two cents here.

Like I said before, I love the game! It's one of the best Sonic games yet. It isn't that good as Sonic Unleashed IMO, but it sure is a fun game to play! It's not really a waggle fest as some people here call it, and while the controls may take some getting used to; some people, but not everyone may end up liking the game in the long run (key word here: Some). Like I said, I personally enjoyed the game, and I have to disagree with the reviews on this one.

[lounge]

I honestly haven't played it. But I've seen an entire playthru of it on YouTube.

Gameplay looks a lot more polished than the Secret Rings game. But I honestly can't judge it yet, since I don't know how sensitive it'll feel with the wiimote. Like everyone else has said, the script, cutscenes, graphics, and music are of the highest quality.

But after watching the playthrough's, I will say I'm dissapointed with the level design. All the levels are so damn short. And they aren't as creative as past games.

But if I got it, I'd most likely make the most out of it. Like Overlord said. I don't really get too many games at all. So I'm very appreciative when I get a new, popular one. Still saving money for college.

Edited May 26, 2009 by lounge