Lost World: Discussion, Impressions and Fan Reviews

[JezMM]

Yeah, the 3DS version could be described as stealth since the searchlights don't chase you, they move around each area in a set pattern - and getting caught affects the path rather than killing you, but on Wii U the searchlight could be replaced by a giant insta-kill laser and it wouldn't change the gameplay one bit.

 

Well, apart from giving a few giant owls a burnt bottom.

[Tani Coyote]

I ended up just taking the sissy way out and using the feather to skip that part... I rarely do well with advancing wall of death areas.

My greatest amusement with Zor is the fact he shares a voice actor with Tennessee Kid Cooper from Sly Cooper. The Cooper family were hunted by a giant mechanical owl throughout the generations, and here Zor is making use of a giant mechanical owl as a weapon. Hilarious to me at least! I always loved voice actor connections, especially when they have unfortunate implications like this one.

On the topic of voice impressions, I was also interested that Travis Willingham voiced both Knuckles and Zavok. It was a lot like how Dan Green had voiced both Knux and Mephiles; it's scary how well Willingham seems to be able to replicate Green's roles as both Knuckles and a villain with his voice.

Overall I really love this game's dialogue and soundtrack, even if I think the controls and level layout could be improved. I definitely consider it a step in the right direction and hope the next main title keeps what works and fixes what doesn't.

The overworld probably appeals to me because it feels a bit like a Klonoa game with the way the map is. The presence of an overworld negates the idea of a story select, however, so I really hope they keep the theater around; I always hate when a Sonic game removes cutscenes in some way or form, whether through no theater mode or forcing you to collect them.

[JezMM]

They should have just added a "story toggle" for when you've finished playing, saying you can now disable cut-scenes and voiceovers if you so wish.  Have an Omochao holding a book in the Hidden World and you talk to him to enable/disable stuff (with it enabled, cut-scenes play at the start and ends of levels as if you were playing for the first time - including the intro being on the front of Windy Hill 1).

 

 

It bugs me that the Deadly Six still chat away to you on Act 2 and 4 in each Zone.  Like it'd be fine if they said randomised lines but they say the same stuff every time, it's maddening.  I wouldn't mind too much if the cut-scenes autoplayed still, but the fact that they don't means you just have this tiny portion of story-related content that hangs around after the game is reduced to nothing but "play the levels!"

Edited November 2, 2013 by JezMM

[azoo]

Welp, here I go.

 

Azoo Reviews Sonic Lost World

 

After 22+ years of super fast action-adventure platforming gameplay, the Sonic series has jumped back and forth everywhere in style and execution, yadda yadda yadda you know the drill. After three games straight of boosting quickly across obstacle courses, Sonic Team has attempted to return to the concept of Sonic being primarily a platformer, by introducing parkour elements, and reimplementing the classic Spin Dashing and rolling abilities. 

 

But does it succeed? Well, lets see.

 

Visuals:

+ Insanely crisp, and the framerate runs at a wonderful 60fps. 

+ The amount of color is a feast on the eyes. Just wonderful.

+ Sonic's animations are stellar.

+ Classic badniks, capsules and animals, SA item boxes; etc are really great to see again.

- There's just about no complex shading, although admittedly its not insanely necessary.

- The lack of depth to the art style makes it look a little bit too "generic cartoony" to be "Sonic".

- The 'game-y' look isn't nearly as nice and interesting as organic landscapes of the past recent Sonic games.

 

I like the way a good bit of the game looks, but I generally wish it looked like it used to. If this ensures the 60 frames per second though, then I'm really conflicted on the art style staying or not. If anything though, I do wish to soon see more organic landscapes again since the overly 'game-y' feel is a bit too unnatural compared to what I expect from the series.

 

I do surely hope to see lots of Sonic's animations, badniks and various objects return from this game though. They all look insanely nice.

 

Gameplay:

+Spindashing/rolling and parkour are great ideas and should return for future outings.

+Spindashing and parkour are also very fun to do when mastered.

+Focusing on speed being a reward for skill is IMO a much better concept than just having speed given to you.

+ Capsule popping, red ring hunting, bell ringing, and other various side-things to look for are actually loads of fun.

+ The open areas and ability to choose your path is an incredibly fresh feeling.

+ Rail controls are goooooooooood.

- The game feels like you have to fight everything, including the game's control mechanics, to go fast.

- The lack of slopes and loops in most areas really makes this game feel alienating as a Sonic game.

- The overemphasis on enemy combat, precision platforming and puzzles also is alienating, but wouldn't be if in moderation.

- Automation is still as rampant as ever, and after certain areas, backtracking is impossible.

- Pits, traps and unfair deaths are waaaay too often around, making the game much harder than it should be.

- 100 rings don't equal a 1-up. Why?

- Wisps.

 

I really want to like this game, and it gives me occasional reasons to, but it also will frustrate me to no end for more reasons than why I like it. I've experienced countless, countless game overs and I haven't even completed the game entirely yet (what are you looking at me like that for? I'm at Silent Forest 4, but I know how the game goes, and it doesn't look too bright from here). 

 

Music:

+ Dang good stuff from Tomoya Ohtani.

+ Some of the songs are among the best in the series (see: Tropical Coast 3, Silent Forest 1, Frozen Factory 1).

- A lot of the soundtrack also sounds kind of.. un-Sonicy?

- A few tracks are incredibly forgettable.

 

I think this soundtrack could've used more of Sonic Team's musical library of artists; it would've definitely helped nail down that Sonic feel. Most of the OST itself is great, but I think some of it is lacking, since they left the entire soundtrack under control of one musician. Yes, they did that back in Sonic 1/2 with Masato Nakamura, but I don't think either of those games have as many tracks as this one.

 

Story:

+ Script was really funny at times, sometimes a bit embarrassing, but mostly pretty good. A step over the usual.

+ Characterization was pretty alright for the most part, especially on Sonic and the Deadly Six.

- This story wouldn't explain anything about anything ever. And had no climax at all. Geezus.

- No reason as to why Wisps are even here.

- Tails is really.. something in this game.

 

Its a pretty crap story. Can't say I was expecting much better over Colors and Generations, but at least it's over them in some way. Definitely not too good, though.

 

Overall:

 

....

 

I like it pretty alright. 

 

It's a fun platformer and has a good bit of replayability to it. The visuals and music are really good, and its not broken or bad in nearly any way.

 

It just really doesn't feel like a good Sonic game. In that respect, it misses the mark on so many things, sometimes in a hilariously large way, or just a tiny foul-up; and it makes for a pretty disappointing game overall. It doesn't do anything to shock you or make you feel excited, most of its throwbacks are superficial, and the game itself just doesn't flow as well as one would hope.

 

Some general platformer fans may like this game, but for many, it looks like a lot of good ideas done not as well as they could've been.

 

6/10

 

Better luck next time, eh?

Edited November 2, 2013 by Azookara

[Blue Blood]

Thanks for putting my thoughts into words for me, Azoo.

[Narukami07]

I kinda like reviews like that, getting to the point of what's right/wrong without focusing too much on "its shit, burn it forever!". 

Edited November 2, 2013 by Narukami07

[MegasonicZX]

Just finished up the 3ds version and instead of going through a complex review (since I don't really feel like writing one nor do I have the words for it) I will say that I thought it was pretty great, I liked the amount of variety that went into the levels though admittedly some with more usage of the parkour would've been nice. My only real complaints from this are that sonic's jump is like super floaty and if you decide to use <spoilers>super sonic<spoilers> it becomes very hard to control him in the air and it makes precision jumping really hard, same could be said about the asteroid wisp which for some reason, they decided to make it move forward constantly.

 

Also, a minor complaint from me but the special stages probably should've been a bit harder since I had completed them like halfway through and getting the reward for it fairly easy. But besides these though (and the fact that when jumping the parkour activates even without the run button being held) I really liked it and if I had to give a number I would probably say 8 to 8.5 out of 10 for me.

[Chaos Warp]

So, I beat Lost World today. Spoiler-free impressions are here, and spoiler-y impressions will be down below

 

Now, I'd like to start by saying this is not a bad game. Not by any means. It's just divisive, because of certain things about the game. Those certain things (which I will discuss in the Spoiler), will either mildly bug you or bug you a lot or somewhere in between. This is where the divisiveness comes from. It's definitely true that the best levels are in the first half (and these best levels are REALLY damn good) are the game and the quality somewhat drops at roughly the halfway point, but there's still some gems later in the game, and the less inspired level design isn't really bad (well except for some very dickish parts/levels), it's just not as fun or.well..inspired. Story is cool, with the best character interactions ever seen in a Sonic game minus a few immature jokes, but lacks context for certain things or a sense of cohesiveness and tension. I'd say overall...............you should really give this game a chance by renting it. Don't pass it up just because of the mixed reviews, give it a chance! You may like it. This is no 06 by ANY means. 

 

Now, for spoilers!

 

 

-Gameplay

 

-Controls are awkward. They take time to master, and not everyone may be able to get the hang of them. This is one of the reasons I think the game is divisive. If you can't get the hang of the controls, you're not having much fun. But once you master them, they work great. In the next game they should really be made easier to master though.

 

-Windy Hill, Desert Ruins and Tropical Coast are all stellar. These are what the rest of the game should be like. The level design really shines here, and it's so fun to explore and play with the parkour. Minus a few niggles like areas where you have to solve a puzzle to continue in certain areas of Tropical Coast, it's all great. 

 

-Frozen Factory is a mixed bag. I think Zone 1 is great, Zone 2 is cool, Zone 3 is....alright, a very gimmicky level, But Zone 4 is where the "Less inspired" really starts to kick in. It's still a good level, but it's quite a bit more blocky and less smooth then other levels.

 

-Silent Forest is a mixed bag as well. Zone 1 is great, if I'm honest I consider it up there with the game's best, but 2 is kinda frustrating if you don't know what to do for the stealth section. Zone 3 is..........oggggghhhhhhh. The pirouette jump is annoying to being with (Why the fuck would you take away so much aerial control?) but this levels really amplifies that problem. Zone 4 is good, just less inspired. 

 

-However, Sky Road is where the real BS starts. FUCK. THIS. WORLD. Sky Road Zone 1 is so goddamn infuriating, ESPECIALLY that one Eagle section where you have to fly over a bottomless pit and you barely have enough Eagle refills and Barely enough distance between the refills. Fuck this level. Sky Road 2 is better, but the gimmick can really catch you off guard the first time. Sky Road 3........................oghhhhhhh.........................WHY CAN'T YOU GIVE ME NORMAL FUCKING FLYING CONTROLS SONIC TEAM! I like the idea of curling in the air but..........................god damn the flying controls suck! Sky Road 4 is okay, but the black-and-yellow poles give no indication that they will break, they don't creak, don't vibrate, nothing! Other then that, it's all right, Zavok boss fight is a little confusing in terms of how to finish him though. It was also disappointing in this zone how they started reusing tropes.

 

-Lava Mountain has 2 modes: Boss rush mode and FUCK YOU mode. Lava Mountain 1 is just a boss rush (the bosses are redone though), but LAVA. FUCKING. MOUNTAIN 2! OHHHHHHHHHHHHGGGHHHHHHHHH! That level can FUCK RIGHT OFF, it's SO GODDAMN CHEAP AND FRUSTRATING, it is actually the only levels I have not beaten legit (I used that teleport capture that spawns when you're at 0 lives) because FUCK IT, it's not worth it. EASILY the worst level in the game. Lava Mountain 3 is a mix of Fuck You mode and Boss Rush mode, though the Fuck You parts are not nearly as bad. Lava Mountain 4 is basically just a final battle with Eggman, and..........the final boss is honestly disappointing. It's basically a rehash of Color's final boss with less attacks and it's kind of piss easy and goes down in 3 hits............shame too, since I really like that mech design.

 

-Speaking of bosses, they are all way to easy and simple in this game. It's not that they outright suck, it's just that they are boring because they are way too easy. 

 

-Wisps suck in this game. They are basically everything that was bad about them in Colours, and with none of the good things and then some. The only good one IMO is the drill (thank god it's the only mandatory one), and the rest are just either monotonous with no depth (Rhythm) or just bad (Asteroid). Thankfully, it's not like Colours where you're missing out of the best part of the levels if you don't use them, they are basically 100 percent optional minus a few segments. So I can sort of forgive it because of that but at the same time can't because they still suck. 

 

 

-Overall in terms of gameplay, I think it's more good then bad, but there's a lot of flaws here. 

 

-Plot/Story/Characters

 

-Character interactions are honestly the best the series has seen, minus a few immature jokes. Sonic is much more in character then constant jokes Colours and actually has flaws and fucks up this time around (a key example being him setting the entire D. 6 betrayal in motion and almost causing the destruction of his world, just by acting hastily, rushing in and kicking the control-horn-thing away from Eggman), which makes his character much more believable and interesting. Sarcastic Brat Tails takes some getting used to, and it's not ideal, but it's not awful either. I see it as a natural progression from his sarcasm from Colours. Eggman is awesome in this game as well, he's basically his Colours humor combined with some genuine threatening and truly evil-sounding moments. 

 

-Plot feels a bit.......disconnected at times. I don't know how to put it into words, but it doesn't really feel...................unified. It's hard to put it into words. Also, certain things lack context. Like, in the intro cutscene, Sonic and Tails get shot by Eggman and start going down and suddenly LOST HEX! Let's land there buddy! 

 

-They have tension sometimes, but with the lack of cohesiveness to the story, it's not as effective as it could be. And also it gets pretty dark sometimes, which i actually like! Amy and Knux basically being fucking dead until Sonic and Tails restore life to the planet by reversing the machine is an example of this.

 

-Tails not fully preventing himself from becoming a robot and kicking ass was a great plot twist that I did not expect, but at the same time it kinda ruined the tension and darkness that was building up to that point, and yet another missed opportunity for a Tails V Sonic boss battle.

 

-I like the Deadly Six. They are pretty much shallow stereotypes, but eh, they work well enough. 

 

-Overall I like the plot, but it could use with a more consistent sense of tension, and a more unified feel. Then it would be something pretty great

 

-Music

 

Music is great as expected in any Sonic game, but much of it...............doesn't feel really Sonic-y. Like it feels like it belongs more in a Mario game then a Sonic game. I think that the music is the most Mario thing about LW actually, though there is some obvious Mario influence at some parts of the game. there are some real stand out tracks though, such as Windy Hill 1 and 2, Desert Ruins 1 and 2, Silent Forest 1, Sky Road 2 and 1: 

 

and last but not least, Tropical Coast Zone 3/Lava Mountain Zone 2:  

 

This song in particular I think is absolutely gorgeous and atmospheric and it's my favorite track and I love it <3<3<3<3.

 

So overall, I like the OST but not as much as Colours and Generations overall. 

 

-Other stuff

 

-Animal collecting sucks. It's not as intrusive as medals from Unleashed, but near the end of the game it's still pretty intrusive. It's stupid and should not be there. Thankfully they give you tents to grind but I think it's stupid that they disappear once you use them and can't be used again until you do a level. You should just be able to use them as much as you want.

 

Overall

 

Overall, I think the game is good. Sure there's some really frustrating parts about it, and the level design quality drops in the later parts of the game, but overall I still think it's a good experience worth trying out to see if you like it or hate it. Give it a rent. Again, it's not a bad game or the next 06 by ANY means, it's just divisive. In my opinion, this unique Sonic experience is at least worth a try on your part, and I'd be gutted if they didn't continue with this great parkour gameplay in the next game and refine it into something that's universally liked as opposed to the rough, but really fun incarnation of it here. Generations maxed out the potential of the boost gameplay, but LW is only scratching the damn surface of parkour gameplay! If you like it, this game definitively needs your money so LW gets enough sales for ST to refine the parkour gameplay into something truly incredible. 

 

Before I give the game a number, I'll explain my numbering system and how I interpret scores.

 

10/10. Brilliant. Noting is perfect but this is as close as you're ever gonna get. This game is an absolute must-own.. 

 

9/10 Outstanding. Really awesome game: Definitely buy if if you're either a fan or a non-fan of the genre. 

 

8/10 Great. Hits all the right notes. Buy if if you're either a fan or a non-fan of the genre. 

 

7/10 Good. Is a good game, but leaves some things to be desired. Only buy it if you're a fan of the genre: rent it first if you're not. 

 

6/10 Decent: Good, but leaves a lot to be desired. Give it a rent first before buying it, fan of the genre or non-fan. 

 

5/10 Medicore: Too much to be desired out of the game for it to be good. Only rent if you're a really big fan of the genre. 

 

4/10 Bad: too many things wrong with the game to even be medicore. Avoid it.

 

3/10 Glitchfest: Awful. Avoid. 

 

2/10: Terrible: Incredibly bad game. Avoid at all costs.

 

1/10: Putrid: literally nothing good about it. Don't even think about spending money on it,. even for a laugh. 

 

Overall, I'd give the game a 6.5 out of 10. Good, but leaving quite a bit to be desired and you may dislike it or like it. 

 

 

So that's that! I hope you enjoyed my long and scatterbrained impression/review of the game! I now await the next Sonic game to see what Sonic Team does next..........

Okay, so remember this impressions/review post I did?

 

I forgot to mention something

 

POP-IN!

 

This game has really bad pop-in. I didn't mention it because I figured it was my system or something other then the game since I've had that problem with like 3 games in a row, but turns out it is actually the game this time! I must say, it's really bad. There's no reason for it to happen either! The game's not graphically demanding in any way other then the framerate: the artstyle is simplistic and lacking in detail, the lighting is not advanced, the levels are tube structured and don't have any background scenery to render, not to mention Sonic is also really slow and the levels are super tight and small to make it seem fast...........................the only reason for it to happen is that ST was fucking lazy with optimizing the graphics engine. Knowing that that's the game, that lowers my opinion of the game quite a bit, since while it doesn't effect gameplay except for a few incredibly isolated incidences, it still makes the game visually look really bad and rushed.

 

 

I think that drops my overall score of the game from 6.5 out of 10 to 6 out of 10. Seriously SEGA, get your graphical shit together for the next game: it makes the game look really, really rushed. 

 

[TheOcelot]

Sonic Retro's review of Lost World (Wii U):

 

"I won’t bore you with the usual spiel about Sonic’s state in the past and present. Leave that to any other website trying to pad the word count. Let’s get right into the heart of it: Sonic Lost World is a half-baked game. At its best, it brings a fresh element of fun to the series through the new Parkour System that lets Sonic zip around landmarks, triangle jump up walls, and even cancel his now-signature homing attack to kick enemies around. But the experience tends to get bogged down by odd level design choices or a finicky mechanics.

 

But is the game still salvageable and worth putting into your blossoming Wii U library?

 

It’s a tough call. Sonic’s been slowed down considerably from his Unleashed/Generations days, and this results in the game feeling like a more expansive sequel to Sonic Colors (which it is, in a certain way.) This is actually a pretty good thing, since it allows greater control of Sonic for platforming in both 2D and 3D. Problems arise, however, with a few of the core mechanics. From time to time, the homing attack will decide to slowly register a lock or just drop it entirely. Furthermore, wall running in 3D feels rather unintuitive, a fact I think Sonic Team knows as well since the two key areas in the game where wall running is tested on the player have alternate routes using Wisp powers to skip the segments.

 

The Wisps themselves, while having no real explanation as to why they’re around, lack the same spark of enjoyment most of them had in Colors. Eagle and Underwater Drill feel rather clunky due to requiring the Wii U Pad’s motion and touch controls to function, while Rhythm only requires mindlessly tapping the touch screen to move around. Fortunately, they are usually optional to continue through the stage.

 

Halfway through the game, progression begins to become somewhat of a chore with either cheap object placement that will straight up kill Sonic regardless if he’s holding rings or punish the player through so-called newbie traps that will force the player to memorize a few things while progressing through the stage.

 

One such jarring example was a stealth segment where getting caught was an instant death. It’s only jarring since it’s the only time it occurs within the game, and with little warning. Also featured is a snowball level that feels like a throwback to Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg. Sonic remains in a snowball through most of the stage, and is both a bit hard to control and very easy to get knocked off into a pit. Bring your patience for this one and a later level with tons of instant kill bomb-filled mine carts.

 

Otherwise, Lost World is a very pretty game. It runs at a deliciously crisp 60FPS and the environments are very bright and colorful. The music is no less delightful than usual Sega Sound Team works in the series, and I found some very quick favorites within the soundtrack such as the somber but energetic tune for Tropical Coast Act 3.

 

The story exists to just move things along, though this is easily the best Dr. Eggman has been in a long while, essentially stealing the show. The Zeti, on the other hand, are rather unmemorable and exist purely as a generic underling unit. I could not tell you the names of any of them, just vague descriptions of them. For example, my favorite of the ensemble is the Emo One. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them fade into the same abyss that holds the likes of Marine the Raccoon or Jonathan Jones (remember them?)

 

Much like their characterizations, the boss battles also remain a little uninspired. That is to say, they’re there, you smack them two or three times and then move on. It’s a bit unfortunate since this would have enabled the bosses to stand out a little more as “The Deadly Six”, rather than “Collectively bop us six times to beat us.” Progression is also walled by “Flicky Gates”, though the occasional circus mini games that pop up should make clearing these a trivial matter.

 

So what’s the verdict?

 

In the long run, Sonic Lost World was an enjoyable ride, but unlike Colors or Generations, I don’t have any particular desire to go back to it for a second playthrough. The right ingredients are there for an ever better Sonic title, but much like how Sonic Unleashed felt like a half-baked endeavor that later inspired Colors and Generations, I feel Lost World is setting the table for some more interesting experiences in future titles. Definitely give it a spin, but hold steady on simply adding it to your library."

Edited November 2, 2013 by -Bender-

[Your Vest Friend]

Jonathan Jones is a Super Mario RPG character. 

[Conando]

If I must score it, I'd give the Wii U version a 7 or a 7.5, hard to pinpoint exactly right now because I'm still riding high, but it's good enough for me to say that it at least gets a 7 (good) score. The 3DS version gets a 3 at most, though.

[Jet Prower]

I know I've complained a bit about some of the comments others have placed around here regarding the game, but I know everyone has their own opinions. I think one reason why I still really like the game, despite some of its flaws is that it still feels like a good platforming game at heart and that is often what I'm into this series to get as well. I'm mainly a platformer and rpg player and this feels like a solid platformer. Yes, I'll agree that there are improvements that need to be made in some areas, but overall, it still feels like the kind of game it should be at the heart of it all, a platformer. You do just that. You jump around and try and get to the goal. While the way you get there is a bit different than how you did in the last two or three games, it is still essentially the same. Yes, Sonic is a lot slower in this game, but it seems they put more emphasis on making a platformer than a run as fast as you can Sonic related platformer. Yes, I know we all want to run fast as we can as Sonic and the boost system gave that, but a lot of the boost system games were becoming quite linear to give those long running sections. This version while slower, brings make multiple ways to get to the same area in several levels, and the biggest things I enjoy are the story and the variety of the levels. There doesn't appear to that be sameness factor in these levels that the last games had in them. They tried many different things. I commend them for giving some gameplay variety. Honestly, that's a very good thing to do.

 

The big thing about what just said is you can see what worked, and what didnt work and make that improvement the next time. This game still seems like it is the mix of classic gameplay with modern gameplay that is needed in the series, but just some tweeks need to be placed in a few areas. I will agree that Sonic isn't as fast as he used to be, but I did enjoy the platforming that was there. It just seemed more like a platforming game than some of the others have felt where it was almost all about the speed and less about the platforming from what it has seemed for awhile.

 

I would still rate the game like an 8 or 8.5 if I had to give it a score. That's sort of the same rating I give Unleashed where I give it like an 8.5 or so as well. There hasnt been any perfect games in awhile, but I do think some people are a bit harsh on the WiiU version that I'm talking about here than it deserves. Is it Wonderful!? No. Is it trash, absolutely not. Its What I would rate around average to above average. The scores of mediocre that I see from some places, I just see as too low in my opinion. Well, there is a more detailed thought to what I feel about this game than what I gave last time.

[Narukami07]

 

Well, there is a more detailed thought to what I feel about this game than what I gave last time.

 

Would you like to share? I'm up for it.

[Jet Prower]

Would you like to share? I'm up for it.

 

Well I meant that I had already posted something a page or two ago about the game, but more of it was me honestly not being too happy about the way people were just putting the game down was all. I tend to be more positive looking at games, while others look more at the negatives. That's what I had been going on about before was all ^^;

[Pearl98]

Sorry if this isn't the right thread to post this or someone's already said this, but to any Aussies (I don't know if it's aired in any other countries) that don't know yet, Good Game: SP's reviewing SLW in their next episode. I'll put the review up here when the episodes up on their website on Friday.

 

I think they'll give it an average review since their Sonic fans and they've given every other Sonic games they've reviewed an average score (From what I remember, they gave Generations an 8.5/10) i'll also post my own review once I've finished the Wii U version (yeah, it's taken me more than 2 weeks)

[Gregzilla]

Just beat Lost World (Wii U) yesterday.  Here goes.

 

VISUALS:

Very nice.  Extremely vibrant and colorful, good enemy designs (better than I expected from trailers and screenshots) and overall just plain fun to look at.  That, and the incredibly solid 60fps is fantastic to see in a Sonic game.  Though I will say that the environments seem a bit too....trope-y at times.  Like they don't go too far beyond "beach world" and "lava world."  But then there are other moments that get more creative.  All around very good.

 

MUSIC:

Hit or miss.  There are some great songs, like Tropical Coast 3 and the first two Desert Ruins songs, but then there are some incredibly lame and generic songs that fail to impress, like Tropical Coast 1 and Desert Ruins 3.  Though there are some standouts, overall I would have to call this soundtrack a bit weak compared to previous entries.

 

STORY:

Shallow.  I'm sorry, but I just do not see a big improvement here.  Most of the Deadly Six are incredibly one-dimensional cartoon stereotypes, there are a bunch of scenes that don't go anywhere, the writing has its ups and downs, and there just isn't a whole lot that got me invested.  It's a shame, because there are plenty of scenes that had the POTENTIAL to be good, but end up falling flat because the whole thing feels rushed.  After Colors and Generations, it doesn't seem like the story writers learned anything.  I don't know how many people agree with me on this, but personally, I think the writing team needs new blood.  It's their third try, and I see no signs that they have gotten better.

 

GAMEPLAY:

The very definition of a mixed bag.  First off, Sonic's controls are just decent.  Running around feels alright when he's not pitted against complicated obstacles.  Spindashing is fun, and jumping generally feels good.  But once the complicated level design sets in, things get ugly.  It is next to impossible to get Sonic to keep his momentum going once speed has been achieved.  If he's not stopped by an obstacle, he's stopped by the complete halt in momentum when he parkours up a wall.  He even slows down when he's making a sharp turn of any kind.  There are a few moments when a sense of flow is apparent - mainly involving the wall run and challenging yourself to skip large sections with the spindash - but these are unfortunately buried beneath frustrating level design and the game's insistence on keeping Sonic at a clunky stop-and-go pace.

 

Bosses are hit or miss, much like the levels.  They are definitely more interesting than Colors'.  Though the controls can make some of them frustrating, and others are over too quickly, they were, for the most part, fun.

 

The Wisps, for the most part, aren't as horrible as people have mentioned.  I had fun with the Eagle and the Drill, and the others just felt pointless.  Hover didn't need to be here, Laser didn't need to be here, Asteroid is boring, and Rhythm is pretty much the most pointless power-up ever.  None of them destroy the experience, but they just feel unnecessary.

 

MISCELLANEOUS SPOILER STUFF:

- Zavok's transformation at the end was downright

shamefully similar to Bowser.

- The final boss is almost identical to the final boss from Colors.  That really sucks.  Good music though.

- Seeing Tails in his robot form was cool, but it was one of the many scenes that felt painfully underdeveloped.  Why couldn't they have expanded upon that?  Have him use that to his advantage for something more than a 20-second scene?  Nope, he goes right back to normal after he scares the baddies away.  There's too much of that in the story.  Too much wasted potential.

- The Hidden World is weird, man.  But for the most part, weird in an enjoyable way.  I was happy to hear the Believe in Myself remix.

 

THE FINAL VERDICT:

This game has a very promising core experience unfortunately marred by frustrating level design and a disappointing lack of flow.  It is not a horrible game, but I'd be lying if I said I thought it was way above average.  It takes one step forward and.......about nine steps back.  It tries to be more varied and complex than Colors and Generations, and as a result ends up being a much more inconsistent experience than either of those titles - and, sadly, less fun.  

 

If you love Sonic, then I'd say it's worth checking out, but just barely.  There is fun in there, but it just doesn't maintain high enjoyment levels throughout, and as whole, is just underwhelming.

 

6/10

Edited November 3, 2013 by Gregzilla

[Soniman]

I remember everyone making a stink about how the general ratings for Lost World were in the  60% range..

 

And yet the 6 range is the most consistent score in terms of fan reviews on the whole, ironic really.

[azoo]

Well, to be honest, the reviewers weren't far off the mark.

 

Some of them (read: Gamespot, IGN) were justified a bit more after experiencing the game myself, but they were still pretty awful. Jim Sterling's review is right on the money, though, as well as a few others.

Edited November 3, 2013 by Azookara

[Gregzilla]

I admit that I have to agree with a lot of the bad things those reviews were saying.  Which sucks, since, as stated, most of us made a big stink about it.

 

After experiencing the game for myself, I don't think I can really fault those reviews, sad as it is.  I, for one, somewhat regret simply shunning them before I played it.

[Jet Prower]

And as I said before, I still think some of them are a bit harsh honestly. I know that is my opinion, but I still don't think the game is as bad as so many are trying to say. It more seems like people are just not getting what they expected honestly, but it is still a good platformer game to me.

[Celestia]

I don't blame anyone for hating the game, but I still think some of the scores were a bit much. The 4s, anyway.

 

I don't like giving scores but if I had to it'd be a 6 or 7 overall, even if in terms of personal enjoyment it's one of my favs in the series. Unfortunately, that makes the stuff I don't like more of a bummer, haha.

 

It's sad how you fight Zavok in three separate levels AND his final appearance has two phases, while the actual final boss goes down in one phase and in (by holding yourself back as much as possible, mind you!) FOUR hits at the MOST.

[Lady Soniko]

As someone who was optimistic for this game from the start and enjoyed my time with it, the more I look into the "what ifs" and "buts" the more I start to wear down and my original opinion on this game is incredibly jaded, for everything lost world does right, it does several things wrong and I'm pretty sick of it.

 

I don't know why I bother to be passionate about a series like Sonic, it's clear SEGA aren't bothered about extending Sonic's verse and portrayal beyond what we have now, they'll continue to throw kiddy grade stories and games at us because that's all Sonic will ever amount to, a kid's franchise. And as much as I want to see a game with substantial content and improvements, character and story wise, it honestly feels like I'm past that stage of caring now that I admit defeat, even after putting up with the mediocre and terrible games since 2000, I don't know I think I've finally hit that threshold where I honestly don't want to keep up with the series any more as it continues to follow this super kiddy safe path SEGA are gouging into the series.

 

I mean I love that they're continuing to explore new gameplay styles and adventures, but man I just want another good story that isn't afraid to get a little serious, and rounds everything off nicely with a GOOD ending and leaves no frustrating loose ties and doesn't end with shit like "HO BOY, I WANT TO SLEEP ON SOME NICE GREEN GRASS"

 

I don't know, I'm in a mixed boat with SLW, my complaints don't necessarily lie with how slow or frustrating it is, it's how abruptly everything is hashed together, the story is all over, ranging from great at times to down right poor upon closing so abruptly with no explanation on pretty much anything, despite having a cast of characters, the game still only really follows Sonic.

 

To the questionable design choices of the game, removing 100 ring lives, making parkour slow and restrictive (wall climbs I'm talking about) to pointless spamming of circus mini games, to no cutscene viewer, to no soundtrack viewer.

 

The game feels incomplete on so many levels, and that's what bug me about SEGA, their Sonic titles are always these sort of "the glass is half full" scenarios, and you just see Mario honestly doing the same thing since well... Forever, but they keep it exciting, fun and high quality.

 

Sorry if I'm just rambling but I can't really get my thoughts down into a proper post, I'm just disappointed, frustrated and utterly hopeless at SEGA's efforts to deliver any more.

[Tani Coyote]

Just discovered you can only have one save. So if you wanted to play through the story with friends, you're shit out of luck unless you're okay with deleting all your progress.

I really like this game's experimentation with gameplay and story, but they dropped the ball with the smaller touches. Only one save allowed, no theater, and a control scheme that can take some getting used to if you're new to the Wii U and are used to being spoiled with tutorials.

[-Mark-]

So, I just finished playing through the game a second time yesterday, and I’m glad I held off posting my thoughts here until now (even if I had been spewing vitriol at the game in status updates/ facebook/ twitter).

 

I’d say my opinion of the game has changed from a 4/10 to a 7. 

 

It’s still by no means perfect and flawed in a number of ways, but I’ve certainly had fun with it second time around. But therein of course lies much of the problem- the fact that it took a second playthrough for me to feel something other than frustrated, disappointed hatred for this game. 

 

I’ll happily echo the most common criticism so far in that the game simply does not explain itself to you well enough. Considering this game basically throws the existing Sonic formulae out the window and brings in a number of (often complex) new and reworked mechanics that are wildly different from anything that’s come before, the game certainly doesn’t go out of its way to explain them to you clearly. Indeed, not only is it possible (and easy) to miss essential hints or instructions entirely, the hint system is implemented in such a cackhanded manner that it almost actively discourages you from using them. 

 

Touching a hint marker will bring an icon down onto the GamePad, which you then have to tap. Doing so freezes the action completely whilst you read the (often vague or inadequate) explanation on the gamepad before closing it to continue normal play. Whilst people make fun of Omochao for being annoying and holding your hand just a little too much in places, he was inobtrusive in that he didn’t outright stop you in your tracks to explain things. On one occasion I got completely and hopelessly stuck at a boss because it required a specific mechanic to finish it off, one which was explained very early on in the game - and one that I’d happened to miss. If you’re going to make a new move (that’s awkward and specific enough that the player isn’t likely to figure it out by chance) compulsory to beat a boss, you better make damn well sure that they know how to do it. In this case, not only did I not know how to use said mechanic, but I wasn’t even aware it existed until eventually running to Twitter for advice in hopeless frustration. 

 

This might not be an issue if the difficulty hadn’t been ramped up a fair bit -in some places, admittedly, for the wrong reasons. In addition to his new moves (and even ignoring the new run button mechanic), Sonic handles very differently from any previous 3D game. The physics are very different- ironically near-identical to the much-lambasted physics of Sonic 4 Episode 1. There’s basically no sense of momentum physics whatsoever; even if you’re running or rolling at full speed, letting go of the stick or jumping will more or less stop you dead in your tracks. Before you run for the hills screaming, do be aware that, unlike Sonic 4, Lost World isn’t really designed around momentum, so these physics don’t actually make much of a difference and aren’t all that noticeable. However, combining these slightly awkward new physics with the drastically different control scheme certainly takes a lot of getting used to, and even basic platforming segments can become frustratingly difficult due to this - even moreso for Sonic veterans who’ve spent the last five years honing their skills in the likes of Unleashed, Colours and Generations. 

 

On top of the new mechanics and awkward new physics, the level design feels like it’s often adding insult to injury at this point. Since Sonic Adventure 2 way back in 2001, Sonic games have been increasingly criticised for having ‘highway-in-the-sky’ level design - a level simply floating over a vast expanse of nothingess without context and the subsequent abundance of bottomless death pits that this brings with it. This is something that, in Colours and Generations, the series had been improving in drastically. Whilst they were still present in both games, where they were used was a lot more contextual, and even then, there were often lower paths to save you if you fell, rather than a single slip leading to instant death. 

 

Sadly this is no longer the case in Lost World. Along with the visual and design style being lifted more or less directly from the Mario Galaxy games, it’s once again picked up the ‘highway in the sky’ bug. Levels are simply floating in midair, and a single drop will usually end you. This wasn’t such a problem for Mario, because he controlled and handled familiarly, and above all well. In Lost World, however, it just feels like cheap deaths. All of the issues mentioned above cumulate in a game that can be frustrating, even infuriating at times. 

 

As much as the Sonic series has bounced across the quality spectrum in the last decade, one area where it’s almost always consistent is in its soundtracks. Oddly, Lost World is almost the exception here. The soundtrack is by no means bad- it’s still most definitely a good one- but something about it just feels a little lacking in places when compared to most previous efforts. Tracks aren’t quite as catchy or as memorable, often feeling more like incidental pieces to fit the moment rather than being the kind of tune that really sticks in your head. Visually it feels like quite a step back from more recent games too, although this is due to the simpler art style rather than an actual lack of graphical prowess.

 

The plot is about as shallow and throwaway as we’ve come to expect in recent years. Whilst it’s no doubt a step above Generation’s pitiful attempt at a barely-plot, it still falls painfully short of the depth and complexity we got in the Dreamcast era and Storybook games. Whilst that was very much expected, Lost World takes much of the cringeworthy juvenile humour from Colours and injects the odd instance of violently out-of-character moments. Tails is the most notable victim of this, with a sudden snarky, sarcastic mean streak that seems to flare up a few times throughout the game and seems shockingly unfitting. Sonic also seems like more the simpleton than usual.

The Deadly Six are the epitome of shallow and throwaway- most being one-note stereotypes that serve as little more than being the token villain at the end of each stage. Eggman is actually characterised surprisingly well for the majority of the game, although what would have been a very strong moment later on is still inevitably hamstrung by a last-minute twist and by generally being rushed and not touched on as much as the matter perhaps should have been. 

 

In recent years, I’ve taken to likening Sonic games to various vehicular metaphors; Sonic Unleashed was a cocky teen who bought a flashy new sports car and mangled himself in a car wreck because he couldn’t control the thing properly at high speeds. Colours was that same person straight out of rehab- playing it safe, sticking to the speed limit and following the highway code to a T out of fear of getting into another crash. By Generations, he was giving the sports car another try, but was a little older and wiser, chose one with better handling and used the skills he’d developed post-rehab to be in full control of it this time around. 

 

Lost World takes that now-competent driver and throws him into the cockpit of an airplane with little to no instructions other than telling him to fly it. Ignoring the fact he has one life to lose here (hey, we’re talking about videogames here, after all), think about what this means. He screws up a lot, crashes a lot, and curses the people who put him in this situation because he doesn’t feel like it’s his own fault. He’s been thrown into a completely foreign situation and not been given adequate training to handle it. That’s pretty much how Lost World felt to me for the majority of my initial playthrough.

 

Does that mean the game is inherently bad, though? There’s no denying that the game has a number of flaws with it, although most of those are variations and extensions of ‘it’s too hard because it’s too different and doesn’t explain itself clearly’. They’re definitely valid problems, but once you overcome that (admittedly quite huge) cumulative hurdle, there’s definitely fun to be had here, even if it ultimately still feels like something of a step backwards after the likes of Sonic Generations. If you go in expecting it to play like any of the more recent Sonic games and try to play it as such, you’ll hate it. Step back, slow down and take your time to learn the mechanics. Learning to fly a plane might be a long-winded nuisance, but there’s still fun to be had flying around once you've got the hang of it.

[Faseeh]

As someone who was optimistic for this game from the start and enjoyed my time with it, the more I look into the "what ifs" and "buts" the more I start to wear down and my original opinion on this game is incredibly jaded, for everything lost world does right, it does several things wrong and I'm pretty sick of it.

 

This is more of a personal problem but I'll help out with what I want to say.

 

Any discussion that has two sides with enough valid and strong points on each side will end off tearing off the passion of another side. Say you may like 06, but honestly when you get into a discussion about it, what will be new to you is the terrible points of 06. As such, you will tend to focus on them. This will result in you losing some enjoyment and happiness you usually get from the game and ultimately makes it look worse to you. It's pretty normal.

 

Case in point, I've been in Colours debates before and while I originally loved Colours, the debates have kinda made the flaws very outstanding to me. Now I replayed it with a new save two days ago and I can safely say, I'm gonna love Colours forever.

 

So don't take these kinda discussion into your mind or stay out of it really. Some time later, go in with a clean mind and let your love for the game take over.... unless you still really hate it then yeah.

 

Going away from the franchise is a terrible idea now as Lost World is just the first step, a huge expirementation. We never know where they'll go from now.

 

Just had to get it out, hope you feel better.