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Sonic Lost World Announced


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You guys realize the main theme to Generations was a remix of the Sonic 1 theme right :U. Just because it's not 3-4 minutes, lacks vox, doesn't get an orchestrated end version, and spammed everywhere else doesn't mean it's not a theme song.

 

Anyways, I do hope this gets a vocal theme song this go around. Sonic 06's was the only one I really didn't catch on with, but the rest I've loved to death at some point or another, so I'm sure another (especially seeing how the music direction is going) would be fantastic. My only wish is that the lyrics don't involve the words "speed of sound," talk about Sonic looking backward or forward, or something of that caliber XD.

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Another impression, and yes they do a better job at reminding us of Sonic's rough period. 

 

The Sonic the Hedgehog franchise appears to be in a transitional phase of sorts. After over a decade of sub-par performance by the majority of both main and spin-off releases, 2010′s Wii-exclusive Sonic Colors snapped the series out of its cold streak, as it was one of the most critically acclaimed releases since the 2D glory days of the franchise. That momentum carried over into 2011′s anniversary celebration, Sonic Generations, as well as 2012′s arcade kart racing romp, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. Now, with Sonic Lost World, Sega and Sonic Team look to continue that positive upswing for the series 

Part of what has many fans perplexed, however, is that despite Sonic Generations‘ success across PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, Sonic Lost World will be housed on the struggling Wii U (there will be an adaptation for the thriving 3DS featuring an all-new set of levels, as well). “[Nintendo exclusivity] made a lot of sense on multiple fronts,” Aaron Webber, Associate Brand Manager for Sega, explains. “Sonic games, historically, always do really well on Nintendo platforms, whether it’s Sonic and the Secret Rings, Sonic and the Black Knight, or Sonic Colors, which did amazingly well on Wii. Of course it made a lot of sense for us on the angle of many other decisions too, as Nintendo and Sonic now sort of have a really good history together. […] That Nintendo crowd loves Sonic and it works out really well for us.”

In addition to the title being Nintendo exclusive, many have noted that Sonic Lost World looks and feels a lot like a tip of the hat to the supremely successful Super Mario Galaxy series on the Wii. “Some people have [compared Sonic Lost World to Super Mario Galaxy], some have compared it to Sonic X-treme, an unreleased game on the Sega Saturn, which was the first game to feature a 3D spherical world or galaxy,” Webber says. “In reality, it’s neither of those games – it’s not supposed to be Galaxy, it’s not supposed to be Sonic X-treme — it’s a brand new game, but you will see some inspiration and some references to those games here.”

Our time with Sonic Lost World allowed us to play through three acts across three different worlds. The worlds were colorful and varied, and provided some insight into the level design of the game. From a Green Hill Zone-esque forest-y level to a wild world full of donuts in the background, we felt like we got to see the full spectrum of what was on the horizon. While instant-death pitfalls were present at certain times, unlike the seemingly random spattering found in the Sonic the Hedgehog 4 digital releases, the gaps in Sonic Lost World seem purposeful and thought-out.

The oddest addition, however, is that players must hold down the left trigger to run. This marks the first time that a Sonic game has had a run modifier. “[The run button] was a very cautious design decision. In previous Sonic games, it was sort of the natural thing to run because Sonic is fast, but in this game, we wanted to give the control back to the player because a lot of people were saying that in 3D, Sonic is very difficult to control,” says Webber. “This was our solution. Some people can handle [the speed], but some people can’t. Can we find a good way to make the game easily enjoyable and playable for everybody? The solution was that you let them choose how fast they want to go. If you want to take your time going through a level, you can do that, or if you’re a pro and you just want to run really fast all the way through, you can do that too”

While the run button felt weird at first, it didn’t feel too out of place by the end of our time with the game. There were times that releasing the run button actually helped, however, as some of the 3D-centric worlds made it difficult to tell depth perception due to the cylindrical level design. Fortunately, we were able to cruise on through most of the levels without any issue.

While we were playing, we couldn’t help but notice that the gameplay felt very much like Sonic Generations. “From the perspective of the Sonic gameplay evolution, it does take a lot of things from Generations and brings them in here,” says Webber. “A lot of levels you’ll be sort of running straight forward, which is a lot like Generations, which was kind of like Unleashed. Certain elements of gameplay have evolved and stuck with Sonic as he goes through the many games. We also have some new [gameplay mechanics], like the wall-run and the parkour moves, where he can go up and over obstacles. […] From a gameplay and story perspective, it offers a really unique look at the Sonic world.”

If what we played is a true indication of how the final product will be, Sonic Lost World could indeed be a continuation of the hot streak that the franchise has been on. The biggest issue for the game will come with its Wii U console exclusivity. Luckily for Sega and Sonic Team, the Wii U has an extraordinarily strong lineup over the next 12 months, which should bolster sales and increase the likelihood that players will grab the upcoming Sonic release. Add that to the game’s unique story that sees Sonic and Dr. Eggman teaming up against a new threat, and Sonic Lost World could be a potential hit for both Sega and Nintendo.

 

 

http://videogamewriters.com/hands-preview-sonic-lost-world-64080

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Well, they actually didn't really hammer that point in at all, so I ain't really mad. It acknowledges that the series has improved and that it's changing again. 

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At least the preview didn't say "maybe Sonic Lost World will be the game to break the trend," that's the part that always ticks us off. 

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Ultimately the pessimism over there being a vocal theme is based on Generations. On one hand, it could be that Generations wanted to avoid being a base breaker and so declined to have a vocal theme. On the other, it could have been the start of an inaugural trend of having no vocal theme.

HOWEVER. There's another detail I didn't see anyone mention. When we see that All Stars Racing Transformed didn't have a vocal theme (and all the big spinoffs - Secret Rings, Black Knight, All Stars Racing - had one), it seems to give further credibility to this pessimism.

So now it's ultimately a waiting game, to see if Lost World will kill a decade of tradition or not.

 

At least the preview didn't say "maybe Sonic Lost World will be the game to break the trend," that's the part that always ticks us off.

It's that part of the human brain that refuses to admit its wrong at work.

Heck, I've heard some folks say the reason the new games are well-received isn't because they're good but because expectations are lowered. Most people see what they want to see, not what there really is to see.

Edited by Boss Ogilvie
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Heck, I've heard some folks say the reason the new games are well-received isn't because they're good but because expectations are lowered. Most people see what they want to see, not what there really is to see.

 

Expectations are lowered and the games didn't turn out to be a huge failure like those people thought it will be. That's what I get from reading that.

Edited by sonfan1984
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Heck, I've heard some folks say the reason the new games are well-received isn't because they're good but because expectations are lowered. Most people see what they want to see, not what there really is to see.

Honestly I think that's a reasonable interpretation.
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That's basically what it is; Sonic has fallen so low in the public eye that anything that doesn't completely suck is considered good without really considering the actual content.

 

And that's all I'm saying on the subject, period.

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So now we're saying Colors and Generations are just barely average? Seriously? I think we're underselling them.

Edited by Plasm Wraith
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Not only that, but we those of us that like them only like them because they aren't massive piles of stank.

Edited by Dizcrybe
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So now we're saying Colors and Generations are just barely average? Seriously?

Seriously. They aren't terrible games but they're well behind what Mario's been offering.
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Seriously. They aren't terrible games but they're well behind what Mario's been offering.

 

So? I don't like this belief that a game can't be considered good because "better" games just happen to exist as well....that view always kinda annoyed me.

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Mario's low points are still pretty decent games. Sonic's low points are...

 

nJ4N2Bo.png

 

 

 

 

Mario's low points are also pretty recent in comparison. 

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I thought that Sonic 06 is Sonic's lowest point?

I'm focusing on post-'06 stuff.

Mario's low points are also pretty recent in comparison.

Episode 2, then. Edited by Diogenes
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I'm sort of offended I'm assumed to be lowering my standards for Sonic games just because the games don't happen to be bad.
 What the hell does that imply about people who genuinely like those games?

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What the hell does that imply about people who genuinely like those games?

Is it any worse than if I had straight out said they were bad games?
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I'm sort of offended I'm assumed to be lowering my standards for Sonic games just because the games don't happen to be bad.

 What the hell does that imply about people who genuinely like those games?

 

Nothing. You can like whatever you want, we're just making a point on why Sonic's most recent games are being so praised.

 

If a game like Colors came out before 2006, I'm pretty sure nobody would be giving it the praise its got

 

 

 

 

They're not bad games, they're just overshadowed by much better ones.

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They're not bad games, they're just overshadowed by much better ones.

 

Which goes back to what I was saying about how I don't get it when people say things like this. It's like saying what's the point of playing any platformer when games like Mario Galaxy exists, it's considered the pinnacle of the platforming genre, so why play anything else right?

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