Jump to content
Awoo.

How does Transformed compare to past All-Stars/Superstars titles in terms of franchises represented?


Barry the Nomad

Recommended Posts

We've put a lot of attention on the racers and tracks, but I thought it would be interesting to see how Transformed stacks up (there's that term again, SSMB) against other titles in the All-Stars/Superstars series. Which franchises have been represented the most? Which the least? What franchises did Transformed lose in comparison to the last game? To answer these nerdy, unnecessary, questions I put together a spread sheet. How cool am I?

Update: Since we know so much, I've updated the list to include SPOILERS. As such, it is hidden in a spoilerization tag:

FDvZC.png
Edited by Barry the Nomad
  • Thumbs Up 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Franchises that have appeared in every game:

House of the Dead, NiGHTS into Dreams, Samba de Amigo, Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Monkey Ball

Franchises that have only appeared in one game:

Bonanza Bros., Fantasy Zone, Panzer Dragoon, Ristar, Shenmue, Skies of Arcadia, Shinobi, Virtua Cop, Virtua Striker

Edited by Barry the Nomad
  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you for this chart Barry. If it's any indication, the nostalgia will be packing.

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Outrun flagman will be a spectator, he might be waving something but he won't be usurping Ristar from what I've read.

I just noticed that I failed to note Ristar as a cameo for All-Stars Racing, so I'll make that change now.

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Those remaining unknown characters are going to have to be something incredibly impressive if it's going to contend with the amount of characters that were included to satiate fans in the last one.

Had Vyse and NiGHTS (not car) been playable characters in the previous one, it'd have pretty much had the perfect roster. Transformed had to ditch a few of those really obscure but widely encompassing characters thanks to preset rules and out of the ones that could have made the cut, Ryo seems to be MIA, so from a roster fanservice perspective it'd have to take a lot to out-do the previous game which it doesn't seem like it's going to manage.

The track representation is easily a huge improvement though. Not nearly as many rehashed tropes and multiple versions of tracks.

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My fingers are crossed for racers from the last game all appearing as spectators or NPCs at the very least. I mean, the models exist and I don't think it would be a bad idea to have the Virtua Fighter characters having a little brawl off to the side of the track, or Ryo patiently punching a tree in the Shinobi track.

Hopefully we have a lot of cool franchises repped in the final track, and I'm hoping that the achievement "Unlocked Superstar Showdown in World Tour" points towards a track named Superstar Showdown that gives us all the missing franchises from past titles. Also, there is that final racer that is said to represent multiple IPs.

Then we have Steve's sneaky hints about more to come down the road. Timed unlocks? DLC?

Less than five days to go!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting topic as ways, Barry.

Yeah, putting together every Sega All-Stars game, there are just a few not represented franchises, two of them I really want Transformed to revert! Comix Zone and Streets of Rage. Seriously, this games deserves.

Edited by Jango
  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm sorry, but i still can't get over the fact that almost none of the titles after the Dreamcast era are rapresented in any kind of way. They are parts of SEGA history, and the fact that are excluded mostly because "they have too much humanoid characters" or "they are not so much kid-friendly" is an excuse to cover the waste of such potential.

Let's face it with this upcoming game: the only modern era rapresentation is made by Super Monkey Ball (kinda 50/50, as Barry said once), Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg and indirectly, Sonic Colors. That's it.

I'm sorry for S0L and the rest of the Sumo team; maybe this is even a decision done by SEGA hq, so they have no guilt, but the more i think about all of the possibilities that can come up...

  • Thumbs Up 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

To be honest though, what iconic games has SEGA made in recent years that aren't Sonic? Well, they own Bayonetta and that's about it. SEGA's all stars are all dead.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just to name a few:

-Yakuza series

-Valkyria Chronicles series

-Total War series

-Platinum Games line (with the most obscure being Infinite Space)

-Resonance of Fate

The most forgettable that can be imagined are Alpha Protocol and maybe Binary Domain. But aside from that, the others are games that tend to acceptable to great (well, with the exception maybe 1 or 2 Total War titles). And to me, they have the necessary qualities.

Edited by Teoskaven
  • Thumbs Up 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

To be honest though, what iconic games has SEGA made in recent years that aren't Sonic? Well, they own Bayonetta and that's about it. SEGA's all stars are all dead.

They could at least use some "obscure" ones that aren't Genesis/Master System old. Even Project X Zone had a more variated cast, even if most of them where human characters.

Valkyria Chronicles, Sakura Wars, Shining Force, Fighting Vipers, Yakuza, Virtual On, Alien Storm, etc. Many franchises could have been selected, but they decided to go with the likes of Reala, Meemee and Gum.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just to name a few:

-Yakuza series

-Valkyria Chronicles series

-Total War series

-Platinum Games line (with the most obscure being Infinite Space)

-Resonance of Fate

The most forgettable that can be imagined are Alpha Protocol and maybe Binary Domain. But aside from that, the others are games that tend to acceptable to great (well, with the exception maybe 1 or 2 Total War titles). And to me, they have the necessary qualities.

Do they have necessary qualities of being family friendly, popular in general and, above all else, having recognisable characters that would also fit in such a game? I would hesitate to say so.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

While I would love to see some Valkyria Chronicles (Marketplace people can attest to my love of the "not-WWII" game) stuff in there, 3 didn't even get out of Japan and 2 flopped disastrously. It's a real shame because the first is still one of my favourite games this gen (I won't say the best this gen by any stretch but it's up there).

Appreciate the list, Barry. smile.png

Edited by Andrew Albacia
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do they have necessary qualities of being family friendly, popular in general and, above all else, having recognisable characters that would also fit in such a game? I would hesitate to say so.

They're not much different from Joe Musashi or Gillius Thunderhead in terms of popularity and family friendly: the only difference is that almost all of them use guns instead of melee weapons, that's all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I won't update the main post until the info is official and appears in a trailer or the game releases but, add the following to Transformed's list:

Burning Rangers. Also, the Race of Ages track is sure to feature a load of references. As of know we know Shenmue and Virtua Fighter have representation as track decoration.

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So we now know that the following franchises are represented in the game:

Shenmue, Bonanza Bros., Virtua Fighter and Chu Chu Rocket make cameos in the Race of Ages track. The music is also Space Harrier, though that is not so much a visual representation, unless there are Space Harrier models found in the stage.

I'm going to wager that Alex Kidd, Opa Opa and maybe even Puyo Pop also appear in the Race of Ages track. Nearly all SEGA consoles and some arcade machines are seen in the stage as well.

As such, ASRT has the potential to have more franchises represented than any All-Stars/Superstars game before, and they might even reference every franchise ever seen in the series.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They could at least use some "obscure" ones that aren't Genesis/Master System old. Even Project X Zone had a more variated cast, even if most of them where human characters.

Valkyria Chronicles, Sakura Wars, Shining Force, Fighting Vipers, Yakuza, Virtual On, Alien Storm, etc. Many franchises could have been selected, but they decided to go with the likes of Reala, Meemee and Gum.

Just for the record we have a model we built of a "Virtual On" character, but we were (absolutely) unable to use it due ownership issues. (And trust me, I'm a MASSIVE fan of that game. I tried. ...My GOD I tried!)

Unfortunately, there are many, many criteria that have to be satisfied, and you really don't want to know how difficult it can be to get the permission of all the IP holders to use their characters in our game. Its amazing that we are blessed with so many really.

Plus, with the All_Stars title, we need to keep some back for future games and/or possible DLC. It's all about rotating characters. Some go, some old ones come back, and some new ones appear. That's the way it works.

The trouble with getting EVERYTHING you could ever want is that there is nothing left to look forward to!

  • Thumbs Up 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

At SEGA, doesn't it work like SEGA owns the IPs (obviously) but then there are those within SEGA who control the IP (often the game creators) so that they can give their input on any possible use in crossovers and the like?

And if a SEGA employee who has the say on an IP leaves, they pass it off to somebody else?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

You must read and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy to continue using this website. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.