Your Staples Wishlist

[JezMM]

Eh, tbh the ring thing depends on the game IMO.  For a slow-paced game like Sonic Lost World, the classic ring system is fine.

 

If Unleashed had the classic ring system, it would have -killed- the pace.

 

 

Well, ish anyway.  I think all damage should have done the tripping forward thing that happens in forced-running areas.

[Splash the Otter]

Rings scatter farther and farther each time you get hit, making it progressively harder to recover rings. More rings means you have a greater chance of recovering at least one.

That doesn't matter. I'm tired of collecting a huge number of rings, only to lose everything just because I didn't see an enemy in time. If I only lost, let's say 20 or even 100 rings, it would be more forgiving while still having an impact.

[Diogenes]

But like you said, all those rings are basically useless anyway.

[JezMM]

I guess they're important in some games.  Unleashed has souvineers and food to buy/collect (I forget how pricey they were though).  I know it's all just replayability-boosting busywork but it's still a thing that is there to do, no matter how shallow.

[Splash the Otter]

But like you said, all those rings are basically useless anyway.

Don't they, I don't know, keep you alive? And having a lot of rings is only pointless if one hit makes you lose all of them.

[Diogenes]

The first ring keeps you alive. The next 30 or so are moderately useful as you can pick them up after you get hit. Past that they're not really useful except for maybe a 1-up, so it's not really a problem if you lose them.

And if getting hit only made you drop some rings, that doesn't really make more rings any more valuable, since you probably only get hit 2-3 times per level, and in the classic system you can just regrab a few and be just as well protected.

[JezMM]

I think it's something where one could take the Nintendo train of thought of "does balance always matter if it's fun?"  In this case I think it's a good feeling to get to the end of the level with a lot of rings, and mediocre players should be able to get that feeling at least a little too.

 

I like Unleashed's system of halving your rings until you get to a certain number, since it still means there's a big difference between a perfect player and a "pretty good" player at the end of a level, but the pretty good player can still be like "cool I only got hit a couple of times look at all my rings".

 

 

I dunno.  Really at the end of the day it 100% depends on whether there's anything outside of the levels that rings count towards (including ranks).

[Rally the Cheetah]

That doesn't matter. I'm tired of collecting a huge number of rings, only to lose everything just because I didn't see an enemy in time. If I only lost, let's say 20 or even 100 rings, it would be more forgiving while still having an impact.

The feature of only losing a few rings vs all of them I feel goes hand in hand with the 100 rings = 1 life feature others have mentioned they want back. If say 100 rings = 1 life then it would be easy to abuse the losing a few rings feature and obtain max lives in the first few lvls. All the player would have to do is get 100 rings then get hurt by something and pick the rings up again. Every time they reach 100 rings, boom, an extra life.

As for collecting a max number of rings I'm not sure why one would want to. There's really no point since 100 rings don't equal a life anymore. Aside from the missions that request that you collect a certain number all rings really do is give you points and in some games allow you to speed boost longer. I suppose if you're speed running the game then the one hit loose all your rings would really cost you the run but then that's what mad skills are for  . I feel it's far more impressive to see someone speed through a level and not get hit rather than speeding just as fast through it and running into obstacles.  

Still I can see your point ElecroKyurem, seeing as rings don't equal lives in most of the recent games why loose all your rings with one hit? 

[Lady Soniko]

^ Actually you can only score 1, extra life for getting a hundred rings, say you get 110 rings, you get an extra life, but you get hit and lose them, then you re-collect an additional 100 rings again, you won't be treated to an extra life because you've already gotten one previously for 100 rings, now say you picked up ANOTHER 100 rings and you have a total of 200 rings, then that should count towards another free life, because you've collected the next 100 tier up without losing them.

 

At least you can't abuse the lives system in a Sonic game, unlike in 3D Mario's with Koopa shells.

[JezMM]

Yeah I'm pretty sure no Sonic game has overlooked the potential for that exploit.  Until you die or enter a new act, you can only obtain a life the first time you break 100 rings on that session.

[Spin Attaxx]

Actually doesn't it go "100 = Life, 200 = Life, 300+ = What, d'you think I'm MADE of Lives?!" and not just after you get 100?

[Lady Soniko]

No, in Unleashed and Generations it only rewards you with a 1 UP when you gain 100 rings, 200,300,400,500+ doesn't give you anything.

[Spin Attaxx]

Oh, I was thinking about the Mega Drive games :U

[BonkersTheAutomaton]

Personally I don't see why they don't just say "every 100 rings you get gives you a life".  I think tell only got rid of it in Lost World was to make the game more challenging and as an excuse to make people buy that pathetic pre order bonus with the extra.  Which may I inform everyone that that was the most disgusting thing I have ever heard a company do.  Forget EA's online pass or Microsoft ban used games system.  Having to buy extra lives for a game that you have already bought is evil.  anyway I now just ranting.  Sorry.

[Kamicciolo]

For some series staples I'd like to see, a more standard set of Badniks in the series wouldn't go amiss for starters. I mean it wouldn't hurt to make enemies like Moto Bugs, Buzz Bombers and Egg Pawns part of a reoccurring set of Badniks that normally appear in each game, alongside whatever new enemies they come up with for a new game. 

 

Also keep Orbot and Cubot in the series as side characters. Those two are fun characters to have around with some nice comedy moments (and a bit of untapped potential if you ask me). Not to mention they do wonders for Eggman himself by giving him oppurtunities to interact in a more friendly manner to people on his own side rather than before where it was usually just confrontation with the various heroes.

 

I'd also like if we got a few reoccurring theme tunes in the series, for the series in general and for the characters. It'd be nice to have a few recognisable tunes associated with the series, like a leitmotif kinda like Mario's 1-1 and Kirby's Green Greens. I kinda wanted them to start that from Generations with the old Sonic theme (the one i the title screen) but they didn't which is a pity.

 

I also like when characters have a good theme song associated with them, that typically gets redone a bit each game and plays either as a boss theme or during a cutscene when they do something significant or whatever. We already kinda have that I guess, like with Stardust Speedway Bad Future for Metal Sonic, E.G.G.M.A.N.

Believe in Myself for Tails, going by Lost World

, but it'd be nice to see it both played up more, and done a bit more for these characters and others.

 

And finally, get the Chaos Emerald back to being used for when you get a Chaos Emerald dangnabbit! I liked it alot better as that than as the jingle for an extra life! >8V

[Autosaver]

 

I think final bosses should be a test of the abilities and skills you've mastered in the game thus far, not a completely new gameplay genre that only exists for the final boss fight.

 

There was so much potential for some sort of wacky parkour level in Sonic Lost World to defeat the boss. Too bad it didn't happen.

[Chaos Incarnate]

• Alternate routes: It's a predictable staple, but I prefer having several choices on how to progress and complete a level instead of setting down a linear path.
• The Spin Dash: Now that the boost is out, I want a bit of a hybrid of these two staples: have it speed Sonic up tremendously, but destroy enemies on impact, like the Classics.
• Vocal themes: This is admittedly a bit more biased, as music is subjective, but I love Vocal themes in Sonic games. They add more meaning to the game and sum it up perfectly, while being really fun to sing along to and get stuck in your head. Crush 40, Tony Harnell, Cash Cash, whatever... I don't care who does it, as long as it turns out great.
• Playable Characters: More like how Sonic 3 & K approached it instead of the Adventure games. Have every character focus on platforming, and don't shift genres that makes the game feel inconsistent. Give playable characters unique abilities to add variety and replay value, instead of reskins.

[Kuzu]

Zor: What's the point when we're all gonna die.

 

 

Anyway, I'm kinda bored of listing the things I always want from a Sonic game, so I'll try to mix it up:

 

 

- I really would like the more organic, photo-realistic style to return. Lost World looks nice and all, but it has nothing on the environments from Unleashed/Generations. There's something about Sonic traveling all around a world similar to ours that just the series feel more "alive"

 

- Quick Step. Although its context sensitive whenever its used, it does help keep the momentum going when you're moving forward, and for those speed running fanatics.

 

- Better Voice Direction pls. There's no reason why Amy should sound like Minnie Mouse and Knuckles to sound like Dan Green when I've heard both actors do far better in other roles. Plus...Knuckles having Roy Mustang's deep, booming would make me cream myself...oh yea.

 

- No more 2D. I'm kinda sick of it at this point, especially since its obvious its only used for nostalgia instead of anything substantial in gameplay, and they're getting progressively worse.

[Dr. Mechano]

- No more 2D. I'm kinda sick of it at this point, especially since its obvious its only used for nostalgia instead of anything substantial in gameplay, and they're getting progressively worse.

Ehh... As someone who genuinely likes 2D platforming, I really contest the "only for nostalgia" justification.

 

There are problems with Sonic's 2D gameplay (and 3D gameplay too, naturally), but I think the solution is fixing it, not nixing it. Sonic's roots are in 2D platforming, and the series has done it well both in the classic and modern eras, so I think abandoning it altogether would be a crying shame.

 

Though I do prefer games that are wholly 3D or 2D, rather than having to constantly switch between the two throughout. 

[Kuzu]

Ehh... As someone who genuinely likes 2D platforming, I really contest the "only for nostalgia" justification.

 

There are problems with Sonic's 2D gameplay (and 3D gameplay too, naturally), but I think the solution is fixing it, not nixing it. Sonic's roots are in 2D platforming, and the series has done it well both in the classic and modern eras, so I think abandoning it altogether would be a crying shame.

 

Well I was speaking mainly in the 3D games. Of course I would never want 2D completely abolished from the series, that'd be a nightmare. But I kinda wish they went back to the old days when they had purely 3D console games and a 2D handheld side series.

[JezMM]

Personally I don't see why they don't just say "every 100 rings you get gives you a life".  I think tell only got rid of it in Lost World was to make the game more challenging and as an excuse to make people buy that pathetic pre order bonus with the extra.  Which may I inform everyone that that was the most disgusting thing I have ever heard a company do.  Forget EA's online pass or Microsoft ban used games system.  Having to buy extra lives for a game that you have already bought is evil.  anyway I now just ranting.  Sorry.

 

Lol the lives thing was dumb but it was nowhere near as bad as those, what the heck.  It's not like they charged you extra for it, it was just a pre-order bonus.  I doubt they took out 100 ring lives for the sake of that.  I mean 20 lives can be gone in minutes if you're hunting red rings towards the end of the game.

 

I'd also like if we got a few reoccurring theme tunes in the series, for the series in general and for the characters. It'd be nice to have a few recognisable tunes associated with the series, like a leitmotif kinda like Mario's 1-1 and Kirby's Green Greens. I kinda wanted them to start that from Generations with the old Sonic theme (the one i the title screen) but they didn't which is a pity.

 

That would have never happened as they have to pay the music guy royalties to use those songs since he owns the copyright for them.  We were very lucky that SEGA was willing to splash out for Sonic Generations, but it's because of royalty paying that the companion "history of the 1st stage" CD started with Angel Island, skipping Green Hill and Emerald Hill.

 

BUT I agree with your point, I'd really like main themes too.  I really dug that they kept Eggman's theme consistent for the first three last-gen games, made me sad that Sonic's cut-scene lemotif was always just the main theme for THAT game (though the rocky main theme of 2006 fit nicely).

 

 

 

 

 

Regarding 2D vs 3D, I agree I'd like them seperated again.  What always bothered me is 2D fans got their 2D games all the time whereas 3D lovers had to share their screentime with 3D and 2D in the main games.  Give us console 3D games and give us handheld 2D games - give us handheld 3D games and console 2D games!  But yeah, just keep em seperate, with the exception of hugely minimal sections where a one-time gimmick just works better in the opposite style (see: the Sonic Rush trilogy's short 3D sections).

[BonkersTheAutomaton]

Yeah.  I guess.   I have only played the 3DS version so maybe I shouldn't be talking about that lives thing since I most likely am talking out of my £$%.

[azoo]

1 ) 'Classic' mechanics. Build up, hold and retain speed in a rewarding sense (double/triple that when rollin'). Only stop on a dime because you want to, not because you let go of the stick. (Even though we have to make this a point, this is almost common sense and shouldn't have to be made a point. :v )

 

2 ) Spin Dash. This speaks for itself; charge and shoot. Satisfying to use, flexible, easy to pull off but hard to master. It's essentially "Ol' Reliable". 

 

3 ) Parkour. I hope so hard that they keep using this idea, it's too good to drop.

 

4 ) Slopes. No slopes, no dice. The previous three pointers mean nothing without them... alright, not 'nothing', but it loses loads of the Sonic flavor without them.

 

5 ) Levels seperate regarding 3D and 2D. SLW did it well by having most stages be either solely 3D or solely 2D, with only few rare exceptions. This is how I'd like it, but only if rule 4 stays in check. And also if they would make most of the stages be 3D, with maybe one 2D act a piece for each zone. That way it'd be cutting it 75/25 instead of dividing the whole game 50/50.

 

6 ) The "Action Stage / Adventure Stage" dynamic. I love hubworlds. I love talking to random folk. I love buying useless shit. I love seeing homier locations more designed like a place someone would live, and I love there being visual connections to the Zones/Acts you're playing. All these things add a lot to the world of the game and the series itself, and I fail to see how it'd hurt anything coming back.. unless you cut Sonic's speed in half and forced him to collect medals, but I could only hope that kind of thought process is long gone.

 

 

7 ) Ease-of-access level select. For when you want your quick fix but don't want to have to go all the way across the hub-map.

 

8 ) Unleashed/Colors/Gen's art style. It's easily the most broad blanketing (and prettiest) style the series has had and it works like a charm. Upping the color volume to SLW levels would be great too but as long as this style is kept, that's all that matters.

 

 

9 ) Sound test and cutscene viewers. The former is a beloved semi-staple, the latter is a great thing that should keep happening.

 

10 ) 100 rings = 1 life. Come on, now.

 

 

11 ) Moments where random songs from throughout the series return for certain stages or occasions. The 'Green Grove', 'Panic Puppet', and 'You Can Do Anything' nods in Sonic Adventure were sublime, the 'Twinkle Park' poke in Sonic 4 E2 was wonderful, stuff like that. Sonic's musical legacy is too strong to go without self-reference.

 

12 ) Tails following Sonic. Pretty pretty please? Alright I could go without this one tbh but it was so nice in the games it was in. D:

 

And that's about all I can put my finger on. 

 

I don't want a towering list of every possible thing I'd want to be in every Sonic (regarding story and characters and ultra-specifics), that'd make it boring. Taking all these things and doing something fresh every time would have be thrilled for every new game, for real.

[Mr. Taxi]

1. Level/Concept Progression

 

I'm tired of games being a jam session of levels. I want a concert of levels, each interfering with the perception of the next and making the game as a whole a comprehensible experience... not some shitty mishmash of concepts that make each one seem even more bland and making you question why you are playing these levels in this order. I'm looking specifically at Sonic Generations here.

 

2. Competition Multiplayer Modes

 

Leaderboards are lame. Very, very lame. Sonic 2 had the best multiplayer mode Sonic has ever had, requiring strategy as well as quick thought - it considers not being hit as well as being fast. Why wouldn't they bring it back? All we have is some hacking class nowadays.

 

3. Make lives matter

 

I don't want the game to be forgiving. Such thill and bliss of reaching the level with 600 rings has diminishing returns. Being rewarded for understanding and mastering the game's mechanics doesn't. Dying is a part of the game. Not being able to finish the game is a part of the experience. The life system shouldn't feel sorry for you. Make it count.

[Kiah]

I honestly thought this topic was about the supply store...anyway, now that I know that isn't the case, let me see if I can come up with some things that hasn't been mentioned yet, especially since I agree with most of the things suggested in this topic so far.

 

Although I will repeat the desire that others have mentioned to have a cutscene viewer and a sound test in the games. The cutscenes is one of my favorite parts of Sonic games, as they provide details to the plot and story, as well as giving us characterization of Sonic, Tails, Dr. Eggman, and whoever else is among the main cast of the game, something that I am personally very big on. I honestly don't see how this is benefit to anyone (either the player or Sega) by not having a cutscene viewer in the game. I honestly feel that I shouldn't have to go on YouTube to see them.

 

As for not having a sound test, I see why they wouldn't be in a game, as that provides the opportunity Sega to generate some additional income by having a separate OST for each game. But that doesn't mean that I am okay with that. The last thing I want to do is pay $30 or more for a soundtrack of a game that I just spent $50 on which includes the same exact game music that is in the $30 soundtrack.

 

Speaking of shelling out $50 on a Sonic game, it should be a staple that I am getting my money's worth from each Sonic game. Issues like questionable controls and physics, and the short length of games shouldn't exist. There should be plenty to do in the games-things that are enjoyable at that and not just filler that irritates the player. The last Sonic game I feel I didn't get cheated out due to having so much to do and well as a ton of effort and dedication involved was Sonic Unleashed. And even then I want to skip playing like half the game (à la night stages).

 

I honestly don't feel that I should ever be sitting there thinking whether or not it was worth spending money to buy the game as well as feeling dissatisfied. Having dedication and complete genuine effort providing an exciting and excellent experience for the player should be standard. I think these things even needing to be mentioned as they aren't standard in Sonic game is ridiculous to be honest.

 

 

12 ) Tails following Sonic. Pretty pretty please? Alright I could go without this one tbh but it was so nice in the games it was in. D:

 

 

You know, I would really love to see this again. Sure Tails was obnoxious and got in the way more times than none in those games, but it was nice to see Sonic and his best friend Tails embarking on the journey against Dr. Eggman together. It was even better when you saw things like this during the gameplay:

 

Sonic in the process of giving Tails a "thumbs-up" due to them reaching the goal of the checkpoint in the Special stage in Sonic 4 Episode 2. Speaking of Special stages, I know we got them in Sonic Lost World, but can we continue to get those too in the future games?

 

If anything, seeing that Sonic and Tails pretty much have been in nearly every Sonic game together, I hope that we will continue to see some kind of gesture or interaction between them showing that they are best friends in at least the cutscenes. If I can't get my wish to see Sonic's other friends utilized in at least a decent manner, at least let this excellent friendship and brotherly bond between Sonic and Tails continue to shine through:

 

I think it is little gestures like this between Sonic and Tails that leave a big impression on me. I only hope to continue to see this to at least a minimal degree in future Sonic games, as I think the best friends should always be perceived as such, even with something as simple as a wink, or even a brofist.