What do you legitimately dislike about the Boost Trilogy Gameplay?

[Celestia]

The double jump helped, but after replaying Colours a week or two ago it felt a lot more...awkward than I remember it. Maybe I just fell out of practice, but eh. I like the boost games for what they are, but the actual platforming isn't all that interesting most of the time.

[Eternal EX]

To be honest, the only MAJOR problem I had with it, the lack of levels. Sure Unleashed really pushed everything with DLC. But most of the game was about 9 levels with a few side quests. Then again, this is a problem that every sonic game has had since Unleashed. Colours and Gens being the worst offender. And lost world not helping the cause. Besides that, drifting was a drag until it was fixed in Gens.  I loved the Boost saga. It really pushed my reflexes on certain levels and gave me a massive replay value. Then again speedrunning Unleashed was great. Not so much Colours and Gens. 

 

I think the Boost saga would have possibly worked better in the coming generations (ps4/xbone) than the current. 

[Jack / Joker]

It pretty much just inverted the pros and cons of the Sonic Adventure gameplay rather than improve on it. In the Adventure Era games trying to get Sonic to run in a straight line is hilarious because of how drunk he can look and how easy it is to miss everything. But when you stop running or slow down for more busy sections, it can be a blast.

 

In the Boost Era games if you try to do anything besides run straight and smash through everything, things can potentially get Heroes-level of finicky. It doesn't help that in Unleashed and Generations whenever I hit a rough bit of platforming I'm trying the hell out of my goddamn best not to accidentally hit the X button and explode into a bottomless pit. But when you stop running or slow down for these more busy sections... he feels like a tank. Sluggish and messy.

 

Don't get me wrong, I like the Boost games well, I really hate Unleashed and don't feel very strongly about Colors... though Generations is some good shit but you know, it had it's day. And what a day it was!

 

...right?

Edited November 15, 2013 by Grimlock

[Salamander]

Boosting doesn't really give you a great sense of place because you just rush past everything at top speed.  There's no incentive to slow down and take in the sights because there are no sights because you're intended to just rush past everything.  You can argue that that's not the point of a Sonic game, but I felt that the classics had a significant amount of exploration and choice about them.  The boost doesn't leave you a great deal of choice in how you play or the routes you take through the level because you actually don't have a great deal of controlling while boosting.  And frankly, I'm not personally interested in twitchy or reaction-based gameplay - in gameplay which is all about the inputs rather than what those inputs actually mean in the context of the game universe.  I like to feel as if I have some kind of agency rather than going through obligatory motions on a controller.  You aren't really playing the game - you're just watching it and occasionally have to press a button quite quickly to not rewind and watch the same section again.

[The Egg WAH]

It felt like easy mode, hitting one button to make you run top speed and you can smash through enemies with no effort.

 

Also felt as the lovely level designs were wasted when you spent a lot of time boosting through them.

[Doc]

I think boosting should be reserved for Super Sonic. I also dislike the random switch to 2D, heck 2D all together. I do not hate 2D Sonic, of course, but it doesn't work with modern sonic's style of gameplay in my opinon.

[Jet Prower]

The main thing with this gameplay style is that it makes the levels too short and then there were never enough levels. If you are going to make a gameplay mechanic all about speed, you should add a lot more levels to compensate. If you don't, you run the risk of super short games, which all except unleashed were very short games. Lost World still has the short game syndrome as well, but i don't get the same feeling as the other three games with this onee.

 

Also, lack of platforming. This is why I like Lost World so much is it brought Sonic back to his platforming element. He is actually doing it again. Yes, it slows the gameplay down from the boost versions, but that was the flip side of things. Do you want Sonic to run at full blast all the time, but that's all he does is run run run, or do you want to slow Sonic down and actually have him do some worth while platforming? This is a platformer after all and he should actually jump on platforms. Yes, Sonic could be faster in the newer game compared to what he was like in these games, but it just isn't the same to me.

[Rey Skywalker-Ren]

There's nothing I hate about the boost in the Sonic games. Because it is part of what Sonic is, the fastest thing alive. Also it adds more moves and fun to the gameplay.

Like:

 

http://images.wikia.com/sonic/images/6/6e/Sonic_Generations_RR_Boosting.jpg

http://images.wikia.com/sonic/images/7/77/Ssssa.png

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTJDn4qKR29RgrIUW6VIcxI4IkOEuS-ro1sNfwu4AuXSPAgPoGYOw

http://nintendookie.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/sonic-generations-1.jpg

http://static4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120626115745/sonic/images/4/45/Sonic_Generations_@_Seaside_Hill_Water_Boost.png

 

it is part of why I like 3-d games better than most 2-d games. I think the sonic boost should be added to all the Sonic games. 

[Tara]

There's nothing I hate about the boost in the Sonic games. Because it is part of what Sonic is, the fastest thing alive. Also it adds more moves and fun to the gameplay.

Like:

 

http://images.wikia.com/sonic/images/6/6e/Sonic_Generations_RR_Boosting.jpg

http://images.wikia.com/sonic/images/7/77/Ssssa.png

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTJDn4qKR29RgrIUW6VIcxI4IkOEuS-ro1sNfwu4AuXSPAgPoGYOw

http://nintendookie.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/sonic-generations-1.jpg

http://static4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120626115745/sonic/images/4/45/Sonic_Generations_@_Seaside_Hill_Water_Boost.png

 

it is part of why I like 3-d games better than most 2-d games. I think the sonic boost should be added to all the Sonic games. 

One of your screenshots is from Sonic Adventure, which was not part of the boost trilogy.  Granted, that particular part of the game relied heavily on boost pads, but still. @3@

[Rey Skywalker-Ren]

One of your screenshots is from Sonic Adventure, which was not part of the boost trilogy.  Granted, that particular part of the game relied heavily on boost pads, but still. @3@

I didn't notice that. I typed "sonic the hedgehog boost" and grabbed any picture i could. (and I never played Adventure series)

[Dr. Mechano]

I dislike boost-based gameplay for a couple of major reasons.

 

The first of which is that Sonic is, and always has been, just as much about platforming as it is about speed. I don't play Sonic games just to run fast, I play them to run fast skillfully, navigating through well-placed enemies, obstacles, platforms, and jumps. The ability to simply boost through most of these obstacles absolutely kills the experience for me, particularly when stages are designed around this mechanic. Speed is good, but speed to the detriment of platforming isn't. The tired old mantra of "Sonic is all about speed" isn't really accurate, and it takes more than making Sonic faster to make him better.

 

Second, I feel that the boost overpowers Sonic so much that Super Sonic is scarcely a reward. What does Super Sonic do? He runs much faster, jumps much farther, and effortlessly plows through enemies - while using up rings as a sort of balance. The boost does the same thing, essentially. You run much faster, jump much farther, and effortlessly plow through enemies - except instead of using up rings, you're using up the boost meter. In this way, Super Sonic almost feels superfluous, and feels a lot less like a super special bonus feature when it's scarcely different from Sonic's normal gameplay.

 

I enjoyed both the Adventure and Lost World styles of gameplay far more, because I feel that slowing Sonic down a little bit and designing levels around solid platforming that takes advantage of his speed results in a far more satisfying gameplay experience.

[Unidus]

    My bone to pick with the boost games? Well, I'd say it would be a lack of challenge. I personally found Colors to be, a very bland, 'hand-the-win-to-me' sort of game. It is literally the one sonic game that I got bored while I was playing it. It was just too easy and, not to mention, short! And, I think even the hardcore colors would agree with that statement.

 

    Generations suffers from the same thing, however on a veritably smaller scale. It was awesome to see all the throwbacks to classic games in the franchise, but where was the nailbitingly hard challenge? I dont think that I died once while playing Generations! And, I beat it in 6 hours!! No. That is not what I would expect from a mainstream, Sonic game. And, the longevity itself would not weigh so much on my scale if the game was not so forgiving. Honestly, a good formula for any good should be: If it is short, then it should be difficult. If it is fairly easy, then it should be longer. Sonic Generations was easy and short. And, I know, they put all the challenge/bonus games and such, but I would've much preferred a more polished, rewarding overall experience. 

 

    Sonic Unleashed on the other hand just wipes out the competition when compared to Colors and Generations in both categories, in my opinion. Maybe I'm just invalid, but it took me a pretty damn long time to complete Unleashed. The challenge level in that game is just perfect. Never once in that game did I get the feeling like "Oh, I don't have to even try" because it just wasn't like that for me. Eggmanland was just a masterpiece of difficulty! It took me so many tries to beat it the first time, and even then my first goal time was close to an hour! Just for that level! Not even counting all the times I did not complete the level. THIS is what I expect when I hear of a "Boost" genre Sonic Game. And, I know; I know. "DA WEREHOG PARTZ ARE STOOPID!!" Well.. though that opinion is widely accepted, I'm one of the idiots that believes otherwise. I admit it wasn't perfect and kinda... well really out of place in a Sonic game, but I found the Werehog levels to be quite fun. Kinda felt like a badass being Sonic on steroids and smashing enemies with combos. I also applaud Sonic Team's bold effort of innovation with the werehog levels. 

 

    To sum it up: (To me) Colors is easy and boring, Generations exciting but too easy, and Unleashed takes the cake.

[Rey Skywalker-Ren]

to add, Sonic wouldn't be Sonic without it same with his homing attack

[MegasonicZX]

I wouldn't exactly say that the boost makes sonic who he is but it is something that seems completely natural for him.

[Rey Skywalker-Ren]

that to! to me, it makes Sonic Sonic because Sonic is a character that loves to run and with the boost, I can see why such a character loves to run

[Iggy]

Boost was fun at first, but it got tiring as time went on. As others on here have said, it looked good but didn't feel good. It was just randomly tossed to you at any given time. If we're going to be given speed like that, needs to feel like we're elevating. Make it feel like we were running uphill before, and we're running downhill now. I'm not against the boost idea entirely. I think that if it was tinkered with some and only usable at stages where it would really come in handy or enhance the experience, it would be much more enjoyable.

[Tara]

that to! to me, it makes Sonic Sonic because Sonic is a character that loves to run and with the boost, I can see why such a character loves to run

I disagree.  While I don't hate the boost, it's only really been used for three games.  Spin Dash is a much more iconic move and the primary selling move when he was first introduced in 1991.  Homing Attack isn't exactly iconic either, as only the 3D games and some of the 2D games from Colors and onward really make use of them and even they don't acknowledge them as traits to his personality as much as gameplay elements.

[azoo]

@ ナクちん

 

Boost does help give the image of Sonic being really fast ( I find it pretty fun to use myself), but I personally don't think it's very flexible. Sonic is very capable of doing a lot of crazy wall running and jumping moves, can roll around in a ball with the Spin Dash, and much more. Boosting seems to push those things aside and make it seem like running fast is all he can do.

 

I hope you get to play the Adventure games at some point, or even some of the Mega Drive titles if you haven't done that already. I can tell you're pretty new to the fandom, which is cool, because I think you'll like those games a lot. :J

[Nepenthe]

I personally have less problem with the Boost games as actual concepts and more problems with them in terms of execution of those concepts-- things like control and level design niggles, which I don't necessarily considered endemic to the ideas. For example, I like platforming as much as the next person and the games could've certainly used more of it, but I see little to commend in sacrificing the speed (e.g., the fun) in order to balance it with platforming that is simply mediocre or just not that well-integrated into the gameplay, because at that point you have a game that is both significantly less of an adrenaline rush and a slog anyway, and that's no good.

[Willsy]

Never really had a problem with it, its just stages were too narrow and could have been expanded in width a little. A bit like Modern Seaside Hill from Generations.

[azoo]

I've gone in and out of wanting it before, but I think now more than ever I want to see the Advance 2/3 boost in the 3D games. 

 

Super Mario 3D World's running boost you get is really satisfying, and I'd love to see something like that in the next Sonic game, especially if we're gonna keep going with something like Lost World's gameplay.

 

Like you're running forward, building up your speed with the animations you have in Unleashed, and after a little while you transition into the wheel-o-feet with the small trail of after-images.. oh man, that'd be awesome.

[Chaos Incarnate]

I know I've gone on record many times stating I'm glad the boost was dropped, but I did enjoy it in the time it was around. It certainly fits a series about speedy platforming, but my main problem with it was that it didn't encourage exploration and made the games a tad bit too easy, hence the term "boost to win." Sonic Colors fixed that a little bit by gimping the meter and focusing more on the Wisps over boosting, while Generations opened the door to alternate routes and pathways, but it honestly felt played out after Generations.

[Candescence]

As much as the first game in the three gave me a really bad taste in my mouth (awful level design coupled with the medal collecting, BLECH), the next two were actually somewhat better, but really, I have to echo many of the criticisms spoken here - the boost gameplay is overspecialized and incredibly inflexible, suited to literally only one thing and one thing only. As a result, it's essentially a dead end in game design. Seriously, anything after Generations is gonna either feel like the same or incredibly gimmicky, the only way to move forward would've been to do something completely different, which is what Lost World did, and while that game had its flaws, the direction it's taking Sonic is much more worthwhile and flexible.

 

Honestly, I'm glad that they've gotten rid of the formula. The less linear corridor level design we get in Sonic games, the better.

[Kamicciolo]

Y'know what I didn't like about the Boost games, which isn't necessarily tied to the boost itself though might have not really been helped? Level Gimmicks. It felt like a majority of the stages lacked any sort of meaningful element that you could interact with that helped define it as it's own unique stage. For most of them it felt a little bit like if you were to break them down to their basic layout and geometry you wouldn't be able to tell them apart. They're not completely devoid of them though, since there's stuff like Chun-Nan's spinning top things, but they're far more scarce than in the levels of the 2D games.

 

Which gets to another thing that bugs me. 2D sections. I just don't see the point in most of them really. They stick them in the middle of the stage and usually have them be slower and more platform based, but I never understand why exactly they need the perspective shift in the first place? Why not just leave it in 3D and have the player tackle it like that? It always seemed weird to me, especially considering the 3D sections already didn't have the greatest amount of platforming to begin with. Why separate that off than intergrate it a bit more completely?

[SenEDDtor Missile]

Which gets to another thing that bugs me. 2D sections. I just don't see the point in most of them really. They stick them in the middle of the stage and usually have them be slower and more platform based, but I never understand why exactly they need the perspective shift in the first place? Why not just leave it in 3D and have the player tackle it like that? It always seemed weird to me, especially considering the 3D sections already didn't have the greatest amount of platforming to begin with. Why separate that off than intergrate it a bit more completely?

 

Because they probably got the impression from overly rabid fans who think that 2D = True Sonic. It isn't like there isn't a shortage of "Sonic should only be in 2D" blogs, posts, rants, and stuff on the net. It also doesn't help that most of the people who do act like this seem to have no idea as to what exactly made 2D Sonic what it was, so they oversimplified it to 2D=right, 3D=wrong.