Lost World: Discussion, Impressions and Fan Reviews

[Carbuncle]

This topic is now for general fan impressions for the game. Please use this topic for discussion. - Carbo
 

I own Sonic Lost World and I thought it would be fitting to give my first impressions. After all, there seem to be some worried by the reviews.
 
Firstly, the game's graphics are amazing. I think everyone knew it was great technically, but it really does look stunning. There is definitely a major art style change, a very Mario one too, but the game looks great. It's arguable that it's lost a lot of it's 'Sonicy' look in it's Mario influence, but it looks great.
 
Now, the controls. The controls are a bit weird and fiddley, I won't lie. The Spindash is really weird to use, since you have to press L, then let go (to release it) and hold L again to keep the Spindash going. This is the biggest control gripe I have. There are other annoyances, like accidently homing into an enemy when I meant to double jump, but that's probably on me.
 
I think the gameplay and level design is fantastic, not really sure what the critics are on about. There ARE annoyances and very cheap instakill death pits, but it's hardly rage-inducing as the reviews would let on. 
 
I also like the way there is so much open 3D gameplay. I would say it's more open than Sonic has ever been at times. 
 
Unlike some forum members, I quite like the 2D sections. They certainly aren't on 3AK god level, but they are almost on par with Generation's (I thought) very good 2D sections. 
 
I also like the bosses, although I think they are a tad shallow and easy. Also, whilst it's fun to fight them at the end of a level again, it also does your head in when you die to them and have to replay the whole level again.
 
The music, is just fantastic.
 
So, I'd give it a 7/10 for the average gamer and 8 for the Sonic fan, as the Sonic fan will get more out of it. 
 
It's pretty good, and don't let the reviews put you off. This feels like the most complete 'proper' Sonic 3D game since...Sonic Heroes? It's very fun and for some reason I can't put the controller down! It was annoying to write this text up .
 
However, I would say Generations was much better, so let that be as it is.

Edited October 18, 2013 by Carbo

[SenEDDtor Missile]

Your opinion of the story?

[Carbuncle]

Your opinion of the story?

 

I like that there are so many cutscenes. There's almost one cutscene for every level. A lot of them are fun and enjoyable.

 

However, I do think the dialogue is horrendous. Perhaps it's just me?

 

If it's any encouragement, I think the Deadly Six are great. 

[Carbo]

I'm going to make an edit for this.

I'm noticing, shockingly so, that we don't even have an Impressions Topic to discuss the game. Usually we've had this stuff pop up on a regular basis but instead people are resorting to using the Announcement Thread and Review thread for discussing impressions and opinions/fan reviews.

As such I'd suggest for people to stop fracturing threads or even combining things where they shouldn't be. I'm changing this topic into a General Impressions thread so as to actually have some place to discuss this thing.

[Carbuncle]

I'm going to make an edit for this.

I'm noticing, shockingly so, that we don't even have an Impressions Topic to discuss the game. Usually we've had this stuff pop up on a regular basis but instead people are resorting to using the Announcement Thread and Review thread for discussing impressions and opinions/fan reviews.

As such I'd suggest for people to stop fracturing threads or even combining things where they shouldn't be. I'm changing this topic into a General Impressions thread so as to actually have some place to discuss this thing.

 

Thanks Carbo

[Phos]

Watching that LP of the game, looks, well as a game, unremarkable.  I'd be bored with it a while back.  As a SOnic game, way off the mark.  The parkour as implemented seems to be meant to serve in a similar role to ball physics of the classics but does so in a very methodical way.  Really not sure what they were going for.  To be honest that kind of goes for the whole game, I don't see much of a creative vision to it, just hey guys lets make a Sonic game I guess.  

 

Zeena still reminds me of Beth Oblong.  

[#EndyGate]

Gonna bring this over here by Carbo's request.

 

On that note... I think it would make things a lot easier around here if we focused on what was good about the game more than what is bad. Not to neglect the flaws, but to spend more time giving Sonic Team and ourselves positive reinforcement for going the distance and treading new ground. I feel like this is the sort of Sonic game that Sonic fans will love, and that's fine with me for now.

 

This isn't the end of Sonic, far from it. This is just what we should expect whenever they try something new - sometimes there are missteps... but it's foolish to assume that there can't be any steps forward at the same time.

For the few who think it's a good thing that this game is failing, kindly keep it to yourselves. There's nothing wrong with not liking a product, and there are a number of reasons to not like Sonic Lost World - this is duly noted. But at some point if you begin rejoicing for the failures and neglect to praise the positives, you're effectively cheering for a noose to be wrapped around the blue hedgehog's neck. A limit needs to be drawn with how you react to negativity. 

 

 

So I don't mean to be that guy, but I really can't help but to take issue with the message being presented here. Telling people to keep their negative opinions to themselves and to promote purely positive discussion isn't exactly helpful. I mean who exactly would it help? Sonic Team? We're sort of in this mess right now just from reviewers giving out super positive reviews at E3 time only to turn around and slap their negative opinions all across their reviews now. The forumers? Not really, if discussion was really restricted to just positivity, it would segregate out the faction that didn't like the game, and even then, if we're unable to acknowledge the issues of the game would only lead to fanboyish idealism and all that mess that we already have enough of. It's essentially telling certain people that their opinions aren't welcome here, which is a pretty bad idea on a discussion forum. Plus, criticism is pretty damn great. If you don't get some good criticism every now and then, it'd keep you from seeing the mistakes and issues that you have taken. Plus this forum isn't exactly shy about criticism. If people hadn't criticized the boost we probably wouldn't be seeing Lost World as it is today, or if 06 wasn't criticized, the series probably would've been a lot worse off than it is now. This is just like those situations, some people don't like the direction and they're merely trying to steer it in a manner that they want it, even if that means conflicting with the course that you want Sonic Team to continue onwards on, not that they're just out to sink the entire ship.

 

Really, negativity isn't a /bad/ thing, especially in discussion. If a legitimate issue with the game arises, I see no reason why it should be met so powerfully as though the person had just offended a sizable group here. Hell, even if you wish to argue that complaints on say the artstyle being ugly is petty and unnecessary, would an overly positive claim like Lost World being "the most beautiful Sonic game yet" be okay from the same standpoint? Which kinda brings me along to say that being /overly/ positive about a game can just be as bad as being overly negative, and the issue falls more on how obnoxious or provoking the presentation on its own may be.

 

So couldn't we just settle to accept each other's views on the game, and just avoid being dicks about them instead of trying to stay on one side of the opinion spectrum?

[KHCast]

So I'm gonna put my thoughts on the story here.

 

It's great. I seriously love this and have to say that everything story wise was executed quite well.

 

THE CHARACTERS

 

Sonic, Tails, Eggman and his two henchman are all presented in a believable and dynamic way. The story plays with each character and their strengths and weaknesses. Sonic is still a cocky and humorous guy, but it's more balanced with his serious, hot-tempered and impatient side. His humor actually is funny due to it not just coming off as forceful. It's situational. The best example? His confrontation with Zeena. That scenes humor was seriously the pinnacle for me in the series.

 

Tails is actually acting like a kid who just has smarts. He does well on his own, not really relying on Sonic as much while still keeping the bond between the two. His interaction with all the characters is probably my favorite.

 

Eggman is...well Eggman, but even better. Lost World really shows how angry and at times, dark, the doctor can be.(even surprising Sonic and Tails!) His two bots of course are there for humor, but they come off as charming and likeable. Much better executed than in Colors imo.

 

And then we have the Deadly Six. Wow. These guys mean business. They range in personalities, from Zommon being the big guy that loves food, to Zavock, the dark and menacing leader hellbent on destroying Sonic and his world. They are just so diverse. All of them at times can be pretty creepy and violent. The dialogue between the D6 is just so different compared to what we've heard in the series. (Zommom talking about squishing and eating Eggman, Zazz in general in any scene, Zavocks series and dark nature contrasting with what we've grown to know for the series..yeah)

 

THE PLOT

Without going deep into spoiling I will say this: The story while simple, is executed brilliantly. Everyone's role is really fleshed out and the atmosphere and characters really bring it to life and make it feel engaging. The sense of progression, urgency and actual feeling has this game truly stand out even though we knew how it would turn out. For the Sonic series, this is really good. I really hope they use this as a way to tie it into future games. If the D6 come back, we now have a established set of villains that like Eggman, can pose a large threat. 

 

Oh, and I like the tiny nods and references to past games. (Eggman mentioning how Sonic always destroys his bases)

 

The only thing I can say that disappointed me about the story was the ending, which ended off really abruptly. Sonic defeats Eggman, returns home and that's it. Well minus the Eggman scene soon after. Eggman does imply that the Deadly Six could return so maybe there is more to do with them in the future, but it's hard to know when they kind of just end the game like this.

 

Overall though, this was some of the best I've seen plot wise for a Sonic game. The atmosphere, characters, dialogue, character interaction was all done so well that even though the story was quite simple and predictable, it was able to still be fun and grabbing.

 

I'll give it a 9/10

[Vertekins]

The story is everything Colours and Generations should've been like quality-wise and has aspects that Unleashed was odiously lacking.

I'd go so far as to say that this is one of the best stories we've had and the characterizations and character interactions were excellent. Ken and Warren stepped up to the base and they didn't just knock the ball completely out of the park, they made a full home run as well! Seriously, this is some amazing stuff.

 

Sonic acts gloriously in-character, having absolutely none of the Flanderization that marred him in Colours and which stopped him from showing a plethora of emotions, not being consumed by his wittiness. His impulsiveness, that propensity for acting before thinking not only brought interesting plot points to fruition but served to give Sonic rather emotional realizations. It makes the character more dimensional. His interactions with Eggman also exceeded expectations, being hilariously snarky and yet tinted with elements of tolerance for each other as well despite the fact that they really don't like having to work together. His reaction to Eggman's fall into the lava was intriguing. And once again, Sonic-Tails interactions are marvelous. More on those in a bit. What would make this characterization all the more better? If Sonic actually thinks before he acts more in future game stories. That would afford him some more character development and make what this game accomplished with Sonic's character all the more powerful.

 

Roger really did exemplary voicework in this game, Sonic's multi-faceted portrayal giving him much more emotion to work with. When Sonic is distressed, it's poignantly convincing. When he's snarky and/or sarcastic, it's practically flawless. I just love how he voiced Sonic in the cutscene in which he meets Zeena, the fake concern and small laugh on the final word in his 'apology' was teeming with smartassery. Brilliant stuff.

 

Eggman was amazing. He was getting directly involved in his plan and what a plan it was! Manipulating two opposing sides and taking advantage of the situation as it presents itself even when initially not all was going to plan is a testament to his deviousness and intelligence. This is quite the change from the villain who was primarily behind-the-scenes in Colours and Gens and Eggman is all the more effective in many areas for it. There's also how he saved Tails from Cubot's attack and Sonic from suffering a flame-broiled death even though it could be argued that he had nothing to gain from that. Possibly that's because of his measure of respect for the Hedgehog. I mean, he does say that Tails' capture was 'for the greater good', possibly subtly implying that Sonic's rescue from his impulsive mistake was worth it. Not forgetting how dark his attitude could get when he's pissed-off, swearing revenge on the 'scum' that betrayed him in a manner that even shocked Sonic and Tails.

 

And Tails...it's downright interesting and well done how the personal value he has in being Sonic's right hand and someone to rely on when it comes to tech was explored. He even tried to 'prove' himself by fixing Cubot and that backfiring facilitated some good things out of both Sonic and Eggman - Sonic for acting like any good big brother/parental figure would and Eggman for saving him. And once again, his selfless mannerism showed it's face again when he saved Sonic from the trap capsule. I also really appreciated how he was written to be resourceful, orchestrating his own escape and pretending to have been 'roboticised' in order to not only get one in over the Zeti but also compel them to run. He and Sonic's interactions were believable and immensely charming. The bromance is of an even higher standard than it was before. I really liked how Sonic apologized for his lack of faith in Tails' abilities without pretense of arrogance or reluctance and then Tails brushed it off amiably as if it was all water under the bridge. THAT is how true friends and brothers act like.

 

And the Zeti? Best monsters of the week hands down. Teeming with personality, devious to the extreme and a very cool balance of comedy with evilness. I think Zor in particular stuck out, his lines being hilariously pessimistic but of them were  awesome. Zomom had a fixation with food and whilst he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, he's still comedically sharp, correcting Sonic that "Diet and exercise" are three words not one and managing to smack him in the head with his sandwich XD Zeena was bratty and bitchy and her love of flattery showed her up for the egotistical character that she is. Master Zik...I consider him a cool contrast to the other Zeti, being calm and looking for advantages and providing the group with clever plans. Zazz was funny in his insanity. And Zavok? Got to love this guy's bastardy and dark attitude, fixated on increasing his own strength even if it meant the death of a planet. Even when his plans didn't quite go swimmingly he picked them up effectively.

 

The story balances it's tones very well. The humor was excellent, leagues ahead of Colours. I actually laughed out loud at the 'Bonehead' bit in one cutscene which I think is probably the downright funniest thing in a Sonic game and what I really appreciate was the subtlety behind character's body language. Instances such as Tails sarcastically 'saluting' Zor when he comes bearing bad news his fellow Zeti already know about, Orbot waving goodbye to Eggman after his jetpack fails courtesy of Sonic....oh I could keep going on.

 

I suppose the only drawback is the somewhat unsatisfying conclusion and lack of elaboration on what happened to the Zeti. They were characters who were too awesome to simply brush-off like that. I guess it can be inferred that they lived another day considering Eggman swears to make use of their power again?

 

Nevertheless, that was a solid, very well-told story with excellent characterization, thoroughly endearing villains and some stellar character interactions. Simply excellent.

[ArtFenix]

Here's my opinion.

We made a 4 hour stream (and will continue today) and the player was absolutely mad at controls. They're terrible just like the level design and cheap difficulty! The game constantly makes you slow down tremendously with floors slowing you, enemies, incredibly stupid and unfitting gimmicks etc.

 

As for the story, it sucks just like in Colors. It's Baldy McNosehair and jokes about food all over again. Literally. The story tries to develop but then falls apart like a pile of rubbish it is. What's the horn Eggman used? Where did he get it from? Where did he learn about it, about the lost hex and deadly six? Why are Sonic and Tails such jerks towards Eggman? They worked together in previous games and while being arch enemies they always had some sort of respect for each other. Here it's so friggin' bad, Tails almost had a fight with Eggman and Sonic just ignored the doc and said he'd take a shower once their partnership is gone. What the fuck, Sonic?! Why are you such a jerk?

Half of cutscenes have no story value and don't contribute anything to the story at all. It's either some unneeded trash-talking, Baldy Mcnosehair joke/food joke or showing a member of DS just to let the player know they're the bosses of this or that zone.

 

That's not all. There is absolutely no tension before the final boss (which, by the way, is a carbon copy of Nega Wisp!!!). The whole story just stops caring about itself completely. What happened with deadly six? What kind of shitty ending that was in the game?! Screw that there wasn't a CGi ending like there usually is, it's just the ending itself is absolutely terrible!

 

This game is bad and the likes of IGN only did it justice, giving it low score. Good, job, IGN!

Edited October 19, 2013 by ArtFenix

[SenEDDtor Missile]

Here's my opinion.

We made a 4 hour stream (and will continue today) and the player was absolutely mad at controls. They're terrible just like the level design and cheap difficulty! The game constantly makes you slow down tremendously with floors slowing you, enemies, incredibly stupid and unfitting gimmicks etc.

 

As for the story, it sucks just like in Colors. It's Baldy McNosehair and jokes about food all over again. Literally. The story tries to develop but then falls apart like a pile of rubbish it is. What's the horn Eggman used? Where did he get it from? Where did he learn about it, about the lost hex and deadly six? Why are Sonic and Tails such jerks towards Eggman? They worked together in previous games and while being arch enemies they always had some sort of respect for each other. Here it's so friggin' bad, Tails almost had a fight with Eggman and Sonic just ignored the doc and said he'd take a shower once their partnership is gone. What the fuck, Sonic?! Why are you such a jerk?

Half of cutscenes have no story value and don't contribute anything to the story at all. It's either some unneeded trash-talking, Baldy Mcnosehair joke/food joke or showing a member of DS just to let the player know they're the bosses of this or that zone.

 

That's not all. There is absolutely no tension before the final boss (which, by the way, is a carbon copy of Nega Wisp!!!). The whole story just stops caring about itself completely. What happened with deadly six? What kind of shitty ending that was in the game?! Screw that there wasn't a CGi ending like there usually is, it's just the ending itself is absolutely terrible!

 

This game is bad and the likes of IGN only did it justice, giving it low score. Good, job, IGN!

Sheesh, you make me when I was ranting against Colors and people for being snide and condescending about opinions about Unleashed look mild-mannered.

[ArtFenix]

Hey, those were my honest thoughs about this game. You may disagree with it, that's your right.

I'm not expecting lots of people to share my thoughts on this forum but that doesn't change my opinion on this game.

[Scar]

As for the story, it sucks just like in Colors. It's Baldy McNosehair and jokes about food all over again.

This is factually incorrect. Have you actually paid attention to the story?

The story tries to develop but then falls apart like a pile of rubbish it is. What's the horn Eggman used? Where did he get it from? Where did he learn about it, about the lost hex and deadly six?

I could ask similar questions about previous games. Where did Eggman learn about Chaos? How did he find out about it? Where did he get his grandfather's diary? It can't have just been lying around, else Eggman would have awoken Shadow much earlier in the canon. How did Eggman find out that Elise was the vessel for Iblis, when nobody by Elise's father could have possibly known that Iblis was sealed in her. Where did Eggman get the Gaia Manuscripts and how did he learn of them.

What happened to the deadly six, and other stuff about Lost Hex itself, I concede. There should at least have given a little more attention to Lost Hex itself.

Why are Sonic and Tails such jerks towards Eggman? They worked together in previous games and while being arch enemies they always had some sort of respect for each other. Here it's so friggin' bad, Tails almost had a fight with Eggman and Sonic just ignored the doc and said he'd take a shower once their partnership is gone. What the fuck, Sonic?! Why are you such a jerk?

Why should they treat him with respect? Has Eggman treated them with respect? Not at all. In fact Eggman has made it plenty clear that he wants to straight up murder Sonic (and probably Tails too). In fact, before they even need to work together as a team, Eggman has the purple dude (can't remember his name) try and kill him. Sonic and Tails have no reason to respect Eggman.

[Mogtaki]

Here's my opinion.

We made a 4 hour stream (and will continue today) and the player was absolutely mad at controls. They're terrible just like the level design and cheap difficulty! The game constantly makes you slow down tremendously with floors slowing you, enemies, incredibly stupid and unfitting gimmicks etc.

 

As for the story, it sucks just like in Colors. It's Baldy McNosehair and jokes about food all over again. Literally. The story tries to develop but then falls apart like a pile of rubbish it is. What's the horn Eggman used? Where did he get it from? Where did he learn about it, about the lost hex and deadly six? Why are Sonic and Tails such jerks towards Eggman? They worked together in previous games and while being arch enemies they always had some sort of respect for each other. Here it's so friggin' bad, Tails almost had a fight with Eggman and Sonic just ignored the doc and said he'd take a shower once their partnership is gone. What the fuck, Sonic?! Why are you such a jerk?

Half of cutscenes have no story value and don't contribute anything to the story at all. It's either some unneeded trash-talking, Baldy Mcnosehair joke/food joke or showing a member of DS just to let the player know they're the bosses of this or that zone.

 

That's not all. There is absolutely no tension before the final boss (which, by the way, is a carbon copy of Nega Wisp!!!). The whole story just stops caring about itself completely. What happened with deadly six? What kind of shitty ending that was in the game?! Screw that there wasn't a CGi ending like there usually is, it's just the ending itself is absolutely terrible!

 

This game is bad and the likes of IGN only did it justice, giving it low score. Good, job, IGN!

 

Maybe you were just not that good at the game?

 

Are you one of those people who worship the boost?

 

Did you not see the character development?

 

Did you pay attention to the story and dialogue at all? I only recall one 'Baldy McNosehair' joke and it immediately went serious in how Sonic's brash attitude was essentially his bane and tensions rising and falling, there was even some wild Eggman character development that you probably missed since you had 'Baldy McNosehair' on your mind.

 

I don't think there will be people sharing your thoughts completely since a lot of those thoughts seem to be created from nothing, because apparently Eggman showing his dark side and Tails showing he's capable of being cynical was apparently 'a joke'. The fact that Sonic stopped Eggman and Tails from fighting with each other because they thought they needed Eggman to shut down the machine that was killing his friends down below (yeah, Knuckles and Amy were dying, but apparently that was a joke cutscene).

 

You'd have to not look at the game with a scowl all the time. The story was a nice outing and the Deadly Six could still be out there, Eggman even mentioned his will to find another conch to take control of the Zeti again after they vanished.

[HEYMATHAFUKA]

Maybe you were just not that good at the game?

In THIS game? Lol. It's not hard, only STUPID physic sometimes causes problems. And snowball...

 

Are you one of those people who worship the boost?

Boost? Lol it's "Press X to win", how someone can like it?

 

Did you not see the character development?

You can't see character development in SLW coz it haven't this one.

 

Did you pay attention to the story and dialogue at all? I only recall one 'Baldy McNosehair' joke and it immediately went serious in how Sonic's brash attitude was essentially his bane and tensions rising and falling, there was even some wild Eggman character development that you probably missed since you had 'Baldy McNosehair' on your mind.

Story? Dialogs? U mean that stupid jokes and senseless illogical nonsense? OK.

 

I don't think there will be people sharing your thoughts completely since a lot of those thoughts seem to be created from nothing, 

Not from nothing, from SLW of course.

 

Are you so blind and can't see how this game is bad or you just another fanboy of modern Sonic games? Controls sucks. Music sounds like a shit. Graphics sucks. This stupid squares...

Sonic was the the antipode of Mario. ANd what now? Sonic licks Mario's ass.

[Shaddix Leto Croft]

*Forget it*

Edited October 19, 2013 by Sir Croft

[ArtFenix]

I don't think there will be people sharing your thoughts completely since a lot of those thoughts seem to be created from nothing

Or maybe this board has different mentality than other community forum. You'd be surprised to se just how many people share my thoughts on Sonic CIS. Being in the minority doesn't make my thoughts any more baseless or biased than yours are.

[Scar]

Or maybe this board has different mentality than other community forum. You'd be surprised to se just how many people share my thoughts on Sonic CIS. Being in the minority doesn't make my thoughts any more baseless or biased than yours are.

This is true, but you're just saying stuff.

You don't like this, you don't like that...It is pretty clear that you don't want to like the game. Even if there was something genuinely good about it, I'm almost certain you wouldn't admit it, and you'd find some arbitrary reason to turn it into a flaw.

[Carbuncle]

The more I play the game, the more I like it and yet the more the, at times, cheap level design pisses me off.

 

Still, it's such an intriguing game.

 

I seriously urge every Sonic fan to at least play the game, simply because of how experimental it is.

 

Also, what did everyone think of the Deadly Six? I wasn't a big fan of most of them since they were so cliched. I was looking forward to Zeena, because I like her design, but she was just a stereotypical pretty girl. I don't know, I was a tad disappointed. The same goes for Zazz and the Old Master guy: just huge cliches.

 

However, I love the emo one (forgotten his name). He has, by far, the best dialogue, and his voice acting is brilliant. Every time I heard his lines it cracked me up. Also, despite being cliched, I liked the fat one (also forgotten his name)! He was also incredibly cliched, but he also had interesting dialogue because he was upset at Sonic taking the piss out of his weight. It made you realise how Sonic can be a complete twat.

 

In fact, Sonic is like a moron in this game. His arrogance is pretty interesting here.

Edited October 19, 2013 by Carbuncle

[The_Disney_Dork]

Can anyone tell me how Amy and Knuckles were in the game? Just no huge spoilers please.

[Robuttnik]

I think the game shows a lot of potential and the controls in 3D are absolutely fantasic. The 3D gameplay can actually be really good and there's a bunch of great ideas here. It's also really refreshing to have enemies actually being enemies now. They actually serve a purpose and are there to hurt you. Gone are the days of enemies being nothing but homing attack bridges. But the 2D gameplay on the other hand just feels really weak. I think Colours and Generations both had better 2D gameplay and level design. The thing is that with those games the 2D was a crutch for how....straight forward the 3D gameplay was. That really isn't needed any more. There's a great 3D formula here that has potential for great 3D platforming and isn't too reliant on boost level speed. It's very frustrating that so much of the game is spent in weak 2D stages when 3D is clearly where the strengths of the game lie.

 

The wisps forcing gamepad bullshit on you is absolutely awful. The wisps were amazing in Colours and really fun to use. In Lost World they just hurt the game because of the way touch and motion controls are forced. The game also has serious problems with the difficulty curve late on. The stages can get pretty brutal and the lives system just doesn't match up with that. Dying just a few times on a level means you have to start from the beginning, and it's frustrating. There are plenty of cheap deaths too. Those alone wouldn't be such an issue, but when combined with the lives system it's just an exercise in frustration. A lives system itself isn't necessarily bad, but it's bad in this game because the game gives out so few lives and just doesn't match up with the amount of times most players are going to die in the later stages. I mean a game like Donkey Kong Country Returns can get fairly challenging can't it? But it's not a big deal because the game practically vomits lives at you throughout and in the end it doesn't feel frustrating or unfair. Even getting 100 rings in this game doesn't give you an extra life. I asked for a difficulty bump over Colours and Generations. But the way they've gone about it is not good at all. There's a difference between offering a good challenge and just being frustrating in a bad way.

 

The game does a lot right and there's a lot of fun to be had here. Exploring the stages is fun, parkour is a need idea and the addition of a run button is fantasic. It controls almost perfectly in 3D. I look forward to future games to take the good ideas and improving upon this formula in a more consistent, fun and cohesive experience. I think they should just do away with 2D. They clearly don't need it anymore and quite frankly it doesn't seem to fit within this style of gameplay. Maybe have one or two 2D levels for the sake of variety, but that's it. It feels like Sonic Team just had a bunch of ideas and tried them all to see what would happen, and in the end we got an overall package that has good things going for it but with a lot of flaws. I'm hopeful for the future of the franchise with refinement of this style of 3D gameplay. I'd probably give it a 7/10 as it is, but that's as a Sonic fan and I appreciate all the various references and classic badniks returning and whatnot. I think people's enjoyment of this game will depend on how tolerant they are of the flaws.

 

Oh and as for the story, I think it's really well done. Much better than Colours and Generations.

[Stritix]

I'm playing the WIi U version. I'm near the end. I might as well share my thoughts on the game now that I've gotten further.

 

I can understand the reviewers. I don't believe it deserves a 5/10, but I can see where the critics are coming from. Hear me out. The game has its issues. Certain stages do feel out of place and too slow. Tropical Coast Zone 2 comes to mind. You go from planetoid to planetoid solving puzzles. That stage in particular felt like I was playing a faster paced Mario Galaxy. There's a lot of variety, but some of it just feels like it doesn't belong in a Sonic game. At times the game in general seemed as though the developers were too focused on taking cues from Mario rather than doing their own thing. The wisps also do not work well at all. I've had numerous issues getting them to work. The game would have benefited from having the wisps removed. They feel shoehorned in. I must also mention that a wisp pops up that lets you skip to the next checkpoint if you die a few times. It's placed badly in a few stages. For example: during Frozen Factory Zone 4 the skip wisp was placed right on the only platform available so that I either had to hit it and skip to the next check point and miss out on a couple of red rings, or fall into a death pit. I find it odd that the game has a cheat mode. It would have been more appropriate to have included several difficulty modes instead. These are just a few issues I have with the game.

 

Don't get me wrong. The gameplay at its core has a lot of potential. Far more potential than the boost gameplay ever had. Windy Hill Zone 1 & 3, and Desert Runs Zone 1 were fantastic. I would love to see the parkour gameplay get fixed up with some renovations and return for the next game. There's more good here than there is bad. Ditching the parkour gameplay would be a terrible move.

Edited October 19, 2013 by Stritix

[Detective Shadzter]

Sonic Lost World Wii U has to be the biggest cock tease ever.

 

The first few levels in = Fantastic.Good controls, beautiful graphics, brilliant music, good level design and fun story.

 

Later levels in: WTF is this shit? Huge difficulty spikes, terrible and frustrating level design, useless Wisps and too much automation.

 

I'm at Lava Mountain Zone 2 right now and this is more frustrating than Frozen Factory Zone 2 was. Some of the enemy and obstacle placement is just terrible, but the biggest problem is fighting the air inertia. 

[TrueBlue]

Sonic Lost World Wii U has to be the biggest cock tease ever.

 

The first few levels in = Fantastic.Good controls, beautiful graphics, brilliant music and good level design and fun story.

 

Later levels in: WTF is this shit? Huge difficulty spikes, terrible and frustrating level design, useless Wisps and too much automation.

 

I'm at Lava Mountain Zone 2 right now and this is more frustrating that Frozen Factory Zone 2 was. Some of the enemy and obstacle placement is just terrible, but the biggest problem is fighting the air inertia. 

 

Argh. This seems to be pervading theme: They're getting so close with succeeding with this game, but there always seems to be something that bogs the whole experience down.

[Carbuncle]

Can anyone tell me how Amy and Knuckles were in the game? Just no huge spoilers please.

Without spoiling it.

 

Amy has SOMEWHAT of a role.

 

This is the worst role I have ever seen Knuckles in. He's basically an extra.