Sonic Boom announced (Wii U/3DS)

[JaidynReiman]

Under the pretense that this is separate from the "modern Sonic" we've come to expect there isn't actually that much wrong with the game playing different.

Agreed. I've been wanting to see spinoff Sonic games anyway. In fact, I was fully anticipating that the third Wii U Sonic game would be a spinoff game with other playable characters. EXACTLY what I anticipated... except for the fact that I did not expect it to be based on Sonic Boom.

 

Anyway, looking forward to seeing what Shadow's new look is and I hope he's an antagonist. (But seriously, I'm POSITIVE that voice was Shadow.)

[Conando]

You know, it's really going to suck when the next mainline Sonic game features only Sonic as playable again.

[The Kid]

Wow, I actually love that concept art...

I may start getting hyped for this game.

[Soniman]

You know, it's really going to suck when the next mainline Sonic game features only Sonic as playable again.

 

Expect a split in the fanbase for those who prefer the main continuity or the Boom continuity

[PSI Wind]

Actually guys, the Demo Reel isn't the first time the game was teased.

http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/20/crytek-ceo-cryengine-3-wii-u-game-coming-from-a-respected-deve/

June of 2012.

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

Ok... I'm cautiously optimistic. It looks fun, graphics are neat, and all of them except Knuckles look pretty cool. Amy looks like a TOTAL badass.

 

Also, in the trailer, anyone hear the line "This is paradise"? It was SHADOW! Well, it was at least Shadow's voice actor, anyway.

Hmmm, shadow as an antagonist?! this could be even more interesting

Also, last time something of this scale happened(as in a full title that was not a rpg) was Sonic 3D Blast by travelers tales, and while that was not perffect by any means, it wasnt bad either

I would laugh so hard if this game ends up getting super high acclaim and helps save the wii-U, I'm buying it, I want to play as the others again XD

[RK64]

I'm not worried about it not being Sonic Team, that's honestly the best news I've heard regarding Sonic in years.

 

I'm just worried it's, like others have said, going to forget what Sonic is and just make a regular platformer with some random disjointed speed bits. Chooch is also right though.

 

See? This game is tearing me apart lisa

 

It looks to be a mix between Ratchet and Clank, Crash and Sonic, so while it may not be exactly like normal Sonic games, it will still stay true to the series. Rings are still present and the characters still have their classic traits, so it can't be a compelelty different from past games.

[VGamer]

You know, it's really going to suck when the next mainline Sonic game features only Sonic as playable again.

 

If anything, I hope that's the one thing Sonic Team retains from this whole thing. Knowing them, I don't think it will happen though.

[Mr. Taxi]

Under the pretense that this is separate from the "modern Sonic" we've come to expect there isn't actually that much wrong with the game playing different.

 

Seeing as we've had games "playing different" from each other all the time, it might as well have been a mainline Sonic game. "But WAIT it's a spin-off" is, like, the last thing with hopes to take away that impression.

[Diogenes]

It looks to be a mix between Ratchet and Clank, Crash and Sonic, so while it may not be exactly like normal Sonic games, it will still stay true to the series. Rings are still present and the characters still have their classic traits, so it can't be a compelelty different from past games.

Ohhh yes it can.

[Mr. Taxi]

It looks to be a mix between Ratchet and Clank, Crash and Sonic, so while it may not be exactly like normal Sonic games, it will still stay true to the series. Rings are still present and the characters still have their classic traits, so it can't be a compelelty different from past games.

 

hahaha

[Drunk Michael Myers]

Good luck with that.

[Solly]

Don't worry about the game not being made by Sonic Team

This is the last thing anyone should be worrying about.

[Narukami07]

Well fuck me in the keyhole.

 

Only thing i pray for is this.

 

SEGA. DON'T LET FUCKING DIMPS TOUCH THE 3DS VERSION WITH EVERY FIBER OF IT'S BEING.

[Zaysho]

Ok... I'm cautiously optimistic. It looks fun, graphics are neat, and all of them except Knuckles look pretty cool. Amy looks like a TOTAL badass.

 

Also, in the trailer, anyone hear the line "This is paradise"? It was SHADOW! Well, it was at least Shadow's voice actor, anyway.

 

I was wondering that too as I rewatched it, it definitely sounds like Kirk Thornton. I wonder if he'll be playing Knuckles for "Sonic Boom" then? I thought all the voice actors were keeping their roles, but either's fine by me.

 

Also, did anybody see that statue Tails pointed out in the beginning? Does that look like an Echidna to anybody else? Think we'll be seeing some kind of Echidna mythology or anything?

 

[Kaabiitorori]

You know what worries me most? No springs, no boosters (for the purpose of what I'm saying, that's a bad thing), no item boxes, no loops, no staples of the series. The gameplay looks good from the trailer, but it's hard to tell if it's going to be very Sonicy or if it will indeed be a generic platformer where you do boring platforming and kill endless swathes of enemies.

 

That's another thing too. Gameplay-wise looks promising with how the main four characters are finally playable in a platforming entry of the series (aside from a Sonic Heroes vibe, sorta), yet it's true many iconic elements from the series haven't been featured in the trailer. I hope they keep in mind these elements in the final version of Sonic Boom, since after all it's what shaped the Sonic series the way it always has been, but so far it's hard to tell from the current trailer.

 

As I said in my previous post, while there are some elements that I am happy to see back in a Sonic platforming game such as the aforementioned return of Sonic's pals as playable characters for example and how SEGA outsourced this game to two external developers (one of them former Naughty Dog staff members, a big bonus indeed), I hope all these come to fruition once the game is released this year. Therefore I am cautiously optimistic, yet I must not hype myself at all.

[Blue Wisp]

Wait. Sonic Boom has been in development since AT LEAST June 2012? Wouldn't that be close to two years in development?

[Gabz Girl]

Well fuck me in the keyhole.

Only thing i pray for is this.

SEGA. DON'T LET FUCKING DIMPS TOUCH THE 3DS VERSION WITH EVERY FIBER OF IT'S BEING.

Then you will be very pleased to know that the 3DS version is made by Sanzaru Games! =D

Seriously this is the best news for me, together with the four playable characters aspect.

[Conando]

Well fuck me in the keyhole.

 

Only thing i pray for is this.

 

SEGA. DON'T LET FUCKING DIMPS TOUCH THE 3DS VERSION WITH EVERY FIBER OF IT'S BEING.

 

It's not Dimps doing the 3DS version, it's Sanzaru Games. The people responsible for the Sly HD Collection and Sly 4.

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

Wait. Sonic Boom has been in development since AT LEAST June 2012? Wouldn't that be close to two years in development?

Well, the enviroment looks complete, so does the gameplay, it is possible they only got the completed character designs more recently however

[Captain Fun]

Lot of mixed thoughts here. I really like the fact that they have multiple playable characters, but I'm mixed on the designs. Since this is a new spin-off I'll give it a chance. SEGA really wants to push this new series I guess. 

 

It actually got me kind of interested in the TV series, which is a bit surprising since I wrote it off really fast. 

[Blue Blood]

Has this been posted? Wall of text, relevant to both the game and TV show:

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The conference room inside Big Red Button Entertainment's offices would look unremarkable if it weren't for the vibrant panoramas of a cartoony, tree-filled world plastered next to portraits of colorful creatures and robots on the walls. At first glance, one of the critters looks like Sonic the Hedgehog — if he donned a brown scarf and sport tape around his appendages.

 

But it's not a blur. Or a shadow. That's indeed the intrepid new look of the iconic video game character, who originally raced into gamers' hearts in 1991 as the star of the fast-paced side-scroller "Sonic the Hedgehog" before becoming the face of game maker Sega. The latest makeover of Sonic isn't simply about accessorizing the 22-year-old character with new gear.

 

It's part of a "Sonic" revolution.

 

Sonic and his three pals — tinkering fox Tails, brutish echidna Knuckles and hammer-wielding hedgehog Amy — are starring together in a new Nintendo 3DS and Wii U game, as well as a Cartoon Network series set for release later this year, called "Sonic Boom." The games and TV series will share the new style, voice actors, locales, storylines and more. The collaborative take on "Sonic" will extend to merchandising, too.

 

"We're looking at this more than just a video game," said Marcella Churchill, senior marketing director of Sega of America. "Yes, Sega is primarily a video game company, but Sonic is a very viable character for us. We're always looking for new ways to expand the franchise, and we knew we wanted to grow the appeal of Sonic and reach many different touch points."

 

Churchill expects innovations on both the game and TV show formats to draw new fans, not only gamers nostalgic for the ring-hording hedgehog. For example, the TV series will forgo old-school cartoon cheesiness to instead blend action and comedy together, while the game will feature more open-world exploration than in Sonic's previous interactive escapades.

 

With split-screen, four-player functionality, the game — the third in Sega's deal to exclusively release "Sonic" titles on Nintendo platforms — serves as a prequel to the cartoon, the first "Sonic" series to be computer animated. Both the game and the TV series, which is being created by OuiDO Productions, will deeper emphasize the characters' personalities and teamwork.

 

The focus on Sonic's crew inspired the developers, animators and everyone else working on "Sonic Boom" to make each hero distinct, in both form and function. In the case of Knuckles, that meant putting the once Sonic-sized sidekick through puberty — not steroids — in an effort to make the burly red echidna stand out from the pack, as well as pack a punch.

 

However, the creators are quick to note that the sportier, teenaged rendition of Sonic and his team doesn't erase the depictions from four previous TV series and more than 70 games. "Sonic Boom" is merely a new branch of the "Sonic" universe with sensibilities they hope will appeal to modern youngsters who expect their entertainment to cohesively cross screens.

 

"When you have a franchise with the depth and fan base of this one, you can have more than one incarnation existing side by side," said Evan Bailey, executive producer of the TV show. "Look at Batman or Mickey Mouse. There are many iconic characters with more than one rendition and none is the definitive take, so hopefully fans don't firebomb our houses."

 

Unintentionally, "Sonic Boom" has become the franchise's biggest multicultural effort to date, with game developers and executives in California working in tandem with TV executives based out of New York, as well as animators in France, on a new iteration of a blue hedgehog born in Japan. Initially, however, the biggest barrier in crafting this Sonic wasn't language.

 

"Before we first met, we're thinking, 'Oh, boy. TV people," said Bob Rafei, CEO of Big Red Button. "They're gonna want to change everything. They're not going to understand games. To my surprise, Evan actually plays more games than I do. I don't know where he finds the time, but he understands the fundamental differences of mechanics and fiction."

 

Rafei, who previously worked on such landmark game franchises as "Crash Bandicoot" and "Jak and Daxter" at Naughty Dog, noted the most challenging aspect of taking on a "Sonic" game was illustrating the character's signature speed without sacrificing new gameplay elements. The other major issue? Figuring out just what the heck Sonic is allowed to wear.

 

"The clothing argument was a big one," said Rafei, leaning back in his chair in Big Red Button's conference room. "The most surreal moment in my life occurred when I was conveying with passion through a translator to the 'Sonic' team in Japan why Sonic needed to wear pants. Looking back at it, I'm glad they didn't go for it. Sonic wouldn't really be Sonic with pants on."

[Pawn]

Sonic and his three pals — tinkering fox Tails, brutish echidna Knuckles and hammer-wielding hedgehog Amy — are starring together in a new Nintendo 3DS and Wii U game, as well as a Cartoon Network series set for release later this year, called "Sonic Boom."

 

That doesn't sound too good. =P

[K.T.E]

...brutish echidna Knuckles...

I hate you so much Sega for what you did to my favourite character.

[Diogenes]

What we really need is a Knuckles who engages in polite debates with his enemies, and not one who punches them in the face.