Sonic Boom announced (Wii U/3DS)

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

Well let's not get too hasty, now. I'm actually excited to get this game myself now and that would be lovely, but I think that's a rather lofty expectation to have.

 

 

 

Dude, 3 days ago, a Sonic game of Boom's apparent caliber was a lofty expectation. Without ST holding it back or playing it safe this time, I'm rather confident.

[Sami]

You do make a good point....we don't know if the tech guys from Naughty Dog are at BRB, so it being 60FPS may not happen. But the game's animations look very stretchy and cartoon-ish like the Jak games, so we at least know that the game will run great even if it doesn't run at 60FPS (fully locked 30FPS is great, just look at AC IV on PS4 to see how smooth it could be ).

 

Oh, I'm fine with 30fps. 60 is fantastic and preferable whenever possible, but depending on the game I'd rather have fidelity and detail.

 

 

Dude, 3 days ago, a Sonic game of Boom's apparent caliber was a lofty expectation. Without ST holding it back or playing it safe this time, I'm rather confident.

 

Just don't be too bummed out when it doesn't happen.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

 

Just don't be too bummed out when it doesn't happen.

Meh, I'll be fine with a crisp 30 fps as well I guess. I'm just not as afraid of being deprived of 60fps as I would be if Sonic Team were in charge of this one.

[Dizcrybe]

We do have 2D sections in the game and the 3D exploration is all about that.

 

Hah, even in the Boom continuity there's STILL 2D sections.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

It might be "2D" like the "2D" levels in Crash Bandicoot which still technically functioned as 3D levels.

[RK64]

Hah, even in the Boom continuity there's STILL 2D sections.

 

Well, considering the developer behind this, expect this:

 

Rather than this:

 

To be the main influences for the potential 2d levels. They were always fun in the Crash games, so I'm sure that they will be fun here . Maybe they will even have momentum physics from the classic games here

[Zavok the SpinningSilver]

...I'm still salivating at the thought of this beauty at 1080p and 60FPS. It already looks so gorgeous and silky smooth, and yet it can get even better?!

 

Oh, right! The 2D discussion. Yeah, I'm not worried. I specifically recall the second Crash game as experience, and those were pretty fun when they showed up.

[BonkersTheAutomaton]

Hah, even in the Boom continuity there's STILL 2D sections.

 

where exactly did you get this information from may I ask?

 

Also the whole 1080p and 60fps thing.  I can only hope the game is like that.  For a game that is bound to a least have some speed in it, it would be nice.

[Willsy]

I really hope this comes out this year. Well, it probably will to tie in with the show. They said they're revealing more soon? Nintendo Direct?

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

Kellie of SEGA Forums said they'd definitely be revealing more at E3. When is that this year anyway?

[Conando]

It's June 10th-12th. A bit of a ways off, but not as late as E3 used to be.

[RK64]

Between the show launch this year (and this supposedly being a prequel to it) and the Wii U desprete need of software, I really think this will launch sooner than we all think . This game has already been in development for 2 years already (I think it started after Generations was finished....), so it's probably in it's final stages of development. I really think this will be the showcase game for Nintendo's E3 this year; the game that shows off how powerful the Wii U is along the "big" example of 3rd party support for Wii U (think about it; former Naughty Dog guys working with a Japanese IP exclusively on a Nintendo platform....talk about ironic man ).

 

I think it will be out well before October; a July/August launch makes a lot of since (people will have time to learn the new shows back story and fill in the large gap in Wii U software)

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

Y'know, it'll be gracious if they end up delaying the game so as to see it out to its full potential and NOT rush it for a holiday release.

[RK64]

Y'know, it'll be gracious if they end up delaying the game so as to see it out to its full potential and NOT rush it for a holiday release.

 

But its not like it just started development this year; its been in the oven for some time. And its not like its from a developer who is struggling with HD hardware, this is from a Western studio who must know alot about modern tech (they are using one of the most impressive tech engines out their, so they must know what they are doing ) and are fimilar with deadlines (Jak 2 only took 2 years to make, along with Jak 3 taking one year to make; plus the Ratchet guys on the team are fimilar with making games yearly with all the Ratchet games taking 1-2 years to make), so it is realistic to expect the game to arrive this year .

 

I don't want it to be rushed either, but its been in development for a while and I would imagine Sega and Sanzaru are helping out as well (they can't just be making the 3ds version, they probably have some staff helping out BRB making the Wii U version).

 

I think it will be fine .

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

Well, you can never be too careful. From what I've heard Lost World had a similar amount of time but still ended up rushed.

But its not like it just started development this year; its been in the oven for some time. And its not like its from a developer who is struggling with HD hardware, this is from a Western studio who must know alot about modern tech (they are using one of the most impressive tech engines out their, so they must know what they are doing ) and are fimilar with deadlines (Jak 2 only took 2 years to make, along with Jak 3 taking one year to make; plus the Ratchet guys on the team are fimilar with making games yearly with all the Ratchet games taking 1-2 years to make), so it is realistic to expect the game to arrive this year .

 

Now that tidbit does reassure me.

[Carbo]

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/feb/06/sonic-boom-gamings-he

The emphasis of the game will be on how the characters collaborate through each level. Sonic has speed (duh), but Knuckles has strength, Tails has his gadgets, and Amy wields her usual gigantic hammer. On top of this, the studio has added a new mechanic, the ‘ener-beam’ a sort of elastic force that links the two player characters together. This is clearly a way of preventing players from straying too far apart on screen, but it can also be exploited in useful various ways – for example, stretching the link to its limit in order to catapult one character over a chasm or into an enemy. It’s a weird concept, it sounds sort of awkward, but at least it is new.

Rafei insists he was determined to avoid some of the cliches of cooperative play. “It was one of our biggest challenges,” he says. “We constantly had to remind ourselves not to fall into the trap of creating babysitting, escort or protection style scenarios where one player is gated by the other simply for the sake of co-op. What we don’t want is forced co-op play resulting in excessive interruption to gameplay momentum. Through extensive play-testing we settled on the right balance of opportunistic moments in combat and co-op environmental puzzles placed at key moments that are meaningful to the player.”

So what sort of game is it really? A 3D platformer? An open-world adventure? Rafei, who once worked at world renowned studio Naughty Dog on titles like Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter, says the team was most heavily inspired by Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and the later Sega Dreamcast game, Sonic Adventure, which shifted the feel of the series from platforming to 3D action and exploration. “Sonic 2 had a ‘team’ vibe between Sonic and Tails and we wanted to recapture that plus kick things up a notch by adding Amy and Knuckles to the equation,” he explains. “In Sonic Adventure, the game’s structure offered exploration and discovery that opened up more as the player progressed. We believe this is a great approach and modelled Sonic Boom after it. We also love what Sonic Team did with Sonic Generations, giving the player 2D and 3D variations of the same level. Our take was to integrate 2D and 3D seamlessly within the level in a way that made sense, keeping things fresh for the player.”

More at the link. Good read, lot of info.

[SilentDoom]

Brainscratch impressions.

 

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

 

Note in advance, they're actually pretty positive.

[Soniman]

okay, now this game is starting to sound like a spiritual successor to Knuckles Chaotix.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

Hmm, it sounds like Sonic 2 + Sonic Adventure + Sonic & Knuckles + Knuckles Chaotix + Sonic Heroes = Sonic Boom. Sounds sweet!

[SuperLink]

From the stuff Carbo posted they actually sound pretty dedicated to making it good above all else. "Extensive playtesting"?

 

I can't not like the sound of that. Sigh.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

Oh and "Catapulting to Win!"

[Conando]

Why WOULDN'T they want to make the game good? Big Red Button is comprised of people from teams that were directly inspired by Sonic games. Anyway, I'm actually digging the whole Knuckles Chaotix enerbeam gimmick. It certainly handles the 2-player co-op thing without constant warping.

[Celestia]

I wonder if the co-op flinging thing can be used to screw the other player(s) over. I mean, we all know it isn't really co-op in a game if you can't be a jerk to your friends. ;P

[SuperLink]

Why WOULDN'T they want to make the game good? Big Red Button is comprised of people from teams that were directly inspired by Sonic games.

I know it should be obvious, but like, if you told me that some Sonic Team games did things like this;

 

Through extensive play-testing we settled on the right balance of opportunistic moments in combat and co-op environmental puzzles placed at key moments that are meaningful to the player.

I would probably have a li'l chuckle.

 

Of course, this could very easily still be PR spouting, but I want to believe. Extensive playtesting to make sure something works or is good is.. nice. And probably not as common as it should be.

[VGamer]

Well, you can never be too careful. From what I've heard Lost World had a similar amount of time but still ended up rushed.

Now that tidbit does reassure me.

 

I don't know where you heard that, but that's not true. The game was practically complete by E3, the only changes they made afterwards were minor ones like camera angle changes, red ring locations, and so on.