S.L.W. Screenshots (P. 54) "Grammar Errors? This game is a sequel to Sonic's Schoolhouse!?"

[SweeCrue]

It looks like some kind of fusion between Caterkillar and Sandworm, but with large pincers.

 

 

 

 

Looks like a whole new badnik!

 

I think they might be Crawltons from Sonic 2.

[Indigo Rush]

I think they might be Crawltons from Sonic 2.

 

By jove, the man's got it!

 

 

But more specifically...!!!

[Chaos Warp]

The new shots look fantastic. Some people may have a problem with Lost World's art style or gameplay mechanics, but damn it I hope we can at least give SEGA some credit for not just playing it safe. This is easily the boldest 3D Sonic game to date

Not to take anything away from this great looking game, but it's still kinda playing it safe. Sonic being the only playable character? What will most likely be another Colours-like story? Using old badniks instead of making up entirely new ones for the entire badnik roster? Yeah.

 

Of course not to take anything away from it but it's still pretty safe. 

[Wraith]

Not to take anything away from this great looking game, but it's still kinda playing it safe. Sonic being the only playable character? What will most likely be another Colours-like story? Using old badniks instead of making up entirely new ones for the entire badnik roster? Yeah.

 

Of course not to take anything away from it but it's still pretty safe. 

 

New gameplay style? New art style? New characters that are also villains? A few new level tropes? Amy and Knuckles actually in the story?

[Lady Soniko]

 

 

I'd also like to point out that SEGA aren't just using the level tropes as pretty backgrounds, but incorporating things you'd expect from casino's into actual pieces of the stage to help you progress, like the stack of Poker Chips behind the Eggpawns acting as a staircase for Sonic to parkour up.

 

Can I also just point out that enemy variety and the actual AMOUNT of enemies in the levels this time around is great? It's balanced perfectly and it honestly makes me feel like all these badnik designs that will be getting used really...I don't know how to explain it, but having more enemies to try and stop Sonic compared to past games where there were either too many annoyingly placed enemies or too little in the level to be of actual threat.

 

I'd ALSO like to point out badnik size variety too, they range from standard motobug's to colossal sand worms, and not just badniks but also non-robotic enemies or hazards like the Crocodiles, Owls, Cacti, ghosts etc. There is literally SO much put into this game, I honestly can't talk about it all because I'm blown away by the overwhelming amount of love and care put into this game thus far.

 

Oh fuck it I'm adding one more thing, I like how the enemies are simplified and I love the fact that the crocodiles are sorta rounded squares...They remind me of something I can't quite put my finger on, but it's definitely a fall back to something from my childhood.

[Celestia]

Aside from the new gameplay, I think the fact they're introducing new characters at all is really risky. It's been made clear in recent years that Sonic Team is aware of the fact reviewers and some fans are kind of bitter about characters that aren't Sonic and Eggman*, so new characters is absolutely shocking. Especially since we know they'll have voices (well, only Zavok is confirmed, but it'd be baffling if the others didn't have voices at this point), something that's also been controversial in the past.

 

*It's sad because I used to be able to say "the classic characters" in this situation, but now I'm not so sure.

[Lady Soniko]

 

 

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWSo9d8BDp4 

 

Now I know why they remind me of my childhood *little love heart above head* 

[Kuzu]

New gameplay style? New art style? New characters that are also villains? A few new level tropes? Amy and Knuckles actually in the story?

 

This has not been confirmed until I see them in game. We were told Knuckles & Shadow were gonna in Unleashed, and we lied to.

 

 

 

I really hope we get the same Egg Pawn/Badnik variety that colors had, each level having its own unique variation.

[azoo]

This game's recent shots are really showing a lot of heart and ambition! As shaky as I am on a few of the level design decisions, this really is the first game since Unleashed that seems to want to try to be something great. I just hope it reflects in the rest of the game too, and not just the first impression.

 

Also the fact that there's those big voxel-esque heads laying around the Desert and the honeycomb level make me really wonder if there's a lot more story to this than they're letting us think..

[sonfan1984]

We still haven't even seen Eggman in the game yet. :\ I also hope that they don't give it the Sonic Colors DS treatment and have other characters only show up for the handheld version.

 

I also don't think this game is playing it safe and trying out new things. Atleast not Generations levels of safe. The new gameplay style and controls can be pretty risky in itself.

Edited July 18, 2013 by sonfan1984

[Chaos Warp]

New gameplay style? New art style? New characters that are also villains? A few new level tropes? Amy and Knuckles actually in the story?

1. I suppose

2. Was done because they wanted to go for 60 FPS on Wii-U

3. Which will never ever appear again outside of this game...............not that I'm complaining since it wouldn't make sense for these guys to appear anywhere else since they are from Lost Hex but still.

4. Where? All I see are Mario level tropes and previous Sonic ones.

5. Will probably just be glorified cameos in like 1 cutsecne.

 

Again, I'm not trying to say these are points against the game, just that it's not really a bold game. The game doesn't have to be bold to be great.

[Celestia]

This has not been confirmed until I see them in game. We were told Knuckles & Shadow were gonna in Unleashed, and we lied to.

I can't remember the circumstances of the claims Knuckles and Shadow would be in Unleashed. Was it just one PR person saying something dumb, or was it mentioned in various articles and stuff? Because in this case, it's information from IGN's article in May and I'm not sure if SEGA would lie to them about that ...

Edited July 18, 2013 by ElementofChaos

[Octarine]

I wouldn't rule out the Deadly Six making more appearances if they're popular enough. The Wisps are back in this game, after all, and Colours' ending seemed like it had written them out for good. We barely know anything about what Lost Hex even is at this point; it's not impossible that the Deadly Six could find a way to leave it.

 

Mind you, it would be a bit awkward to try and make them playable in any spinoffs or anything, since they'd probably want to include all six, and I'm not sure how many games could spare six character slots for the bad guys from one game.

Edited July 18, 2013 by Octarine

[Straw Hat]

Well... We don't really know how Amy and Knuckles' roles will affect the plot. All we know is that they are in the game.

[Chaos Warp]

Well... We don't really know how Amy and Knuckles' roles will affect the plot. All we know is that they are in the game.

True but considering Sonic Team's track record I don't have much faith in that regard.

[azoo]

The only thing I can see that's guaranteed to come back in the next game after this is the new gameplay, which given minor tweaks, that sounds fine by me. Still, the very Sonic-CD-ish abstract/geometrical art style, the planetoid stages, the exclusive villains, and the like really do make it a pretty bold title.

[Kuzu]

I can't remember the circumstances of the claims Knuckles and Shadow would be in Unleashed. Was it just one PR person saying something dumb, or was it mentioned in various articles and stuff? Because in this case, it's information from IGN's article in May and I'm not sure if SEGA would lie to them about that ...

 

It was during the demo shortly after the E3 trailer, and all PR said: "tails, Knuckles, Amy, and Shadow will make appearances" 2 out of 4 of those characters never made it in.

[ArtFenix]

So even Egg pawns had to suffer because of this new art style. A shame. Generations and Colors Egg pawns were PERFECT. There was absolutely no need to make them "cute". What kind of stupidity is that anyway? - to make ENEMIES CUTE?!

 

I'm sure as I can be that I dislike the redesign of enemies. S4 and Colors had PERFECT classic badniks design. They looked like upgraded and actually improved badniks. In SLW these look pathetic like...like toys.

Also, what's with the prevalence of classic badniks as enemies for SLW?

 

Also, when talking about Generations' Green Hill people say it's a mess and you can't tell the background and foreground and rings etc. When there is an even worse example of doing the same but to a greater extent, people say its gorgeous and perfect. Wut.

Edited July 18, 2013 by ArtFenix

[Indigo Rush]

What kind of stupidity is that anyway? - to make ENEMIES CUTE?!

 

Never touch a Kirby game.

 

Also...

 

 

LOOK AT THAT DEATH MACHINE

Edited July 18, 2013 by Indigo Rush

[ArtFenix]

Never touch a Kirby game.

What does Kirby has to do with Sonic? Especially since Kirby's enemies design remained pretty much the same from the very beginning as far as I know.

[Spooky Mulder]

1. I suppose 2. Was done because they wanted to go for 60 FPS on Wii-U 3. Which will never ever appear again outside of this game...............not that I'm complaining since it wouldn't make sense for these guys to appear anywhere else since they are from Lost Hex but still. 4. Where? All I see are Mario level tropes and previous Sonic ones. 5. Will probably just be glorified cameos in like 1 cutsecne.   Again, I'm not trying to say these are points against the game, just that it's not really a bold game. The game doesn't have to be bold to be great.

1. You suppose? This is a radical revamp of the gameplay style which meant abandoning a style that had received a ton of praise from critics and arguably brought the Sonic franchise back from the dead. The fact that they'd even consider ditching the boost was surprising, nevermind everything else they've done to change up gameplay 2. This art style clearly is about more than just making the game run at 60 FPS. SEGA is intentionally going for a very classic feel with the style from the bright colors to the look of the plants and the redesigned badniks. The motobugs look like they were ripped straight from Sonic 1 concept art. SEGA has had to make concessions because of hardware limitations before (ex: Colors on the Wii) and they've never gone with a radically different art style to do so. 3. Pure speculation on your part. This time in 2010 people were saying the exact same thing about the Wisps. 4. First of all, there's a lot more to being a bold game than just being "new." Yes, there's plenty of classic level tropes being reexplored here but theyre being presented in a way that is totally fresh. The aesthetics might be inspired by old locations but these levels feel about as new as they can. Desert Ruins doesn't look anything like Sandopolis, Pyramid Cave, Dusty Desert, or Arid Sands. Also, please show me where in the history of Sonic or Mario a single zone has featured either character running through a honeycomb wonderland, a dessert paradise, and an actual desert, and Egyptian ruins. 5. Purely pessimistic speculation on your part. We know essentially nothing about the story yet except that Eggman and Sonic team up to defeat the Deadly Six and the game is rated E10.

[sonfan1984]

The Egg Pawns looks like the same to me like they did in previous games. I don't see what the problem is. :\

[Indigo Rush]

The Egg Pawns looks like the same to me like they did in previous games. I don't see what the problem is. :\

This. I don't see the difference either.

[Kuzu]

I do kinda agree with Artfenix(Le gasp), the badniks are a little too simplified. I don't think they looks bad, but it looks like they got beat with the kawaii stick.

[Wraith]

What does Kirby has to do with Sonic? Especially since Kirby's enemies design remained pretty much the same from the very beginning as far as I know.

 

 

Well, these enemies match the original designs for the badniks, so you can't really say they changed all that much.