Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric (Wii U)

[Nepenthe]

Boom Knuckles's design is annoying due to both his proportions and what those proportions ultimately mean for the character and audience. A bigger head and shorter and thicker legs might make him more appealing in a Vector/Storm/Werehog kind of deal. But as it stands, he looks like someone balanced an upside-down pear on toothpicks. And the thing is, having a small head and huge pecs was done not only to emphasize his strength but also his flanderization into an absolute idiot which I don't think anyone- particularly diehard Knuckles fans- was actually asking for.

 

The twisting of the knife is that his previous design always stood for strength anyway due to his bigger chest area and the oversized boxing gloves (which are extremely iconic of the character beyond the spiked knuckles- which in turn were also de-emphasized for some dumbass reason- but whatever). And when compared to the relative lack of changed physiology of the other three heroes which makes him inconsistent on top of everything else, it makes me think either the designers just didn't know where to go with him, or that someone along the line thought kids were stupid enough to not understand the character behind the original design, like we didn't have a generation of children beforehand who did.

I'm serious. Boom Knuckles' design is literally everything wrong with this subfranchise condensed into a single meatheaded echidna. It's inconsistent, it's too obvious, and it serves only as a detriment to the character's personality.

[Sami]

Sonic Boom is pretty much the first time in the history of the franchise that even die-hard fans who had to that point blindly thrown money at whatever Sega shat out were actively avoiding it and/ or had no interest in it. I know from these forums alone that I'm far from an isolated case.

Even Sonic 06 didn't do that. Even a game widely cited as the lowest point of the franchise didn't manage to offend the most dedicated fans to the point where they stopped caring. Yet Sonic Boom did, and then some. If that doesn't count as a colossal fuckup then I don't know what does.

I know, us twentysomethings and up aren't the target audience for the Sonic series, but it'd be interesting to see what percentage of the overall sales we make up. I remember seeing a report not too long ago saying that the bulk of Pokémon game sales these days actually come from people in their twenties who grew up with the older games, and it wouldn't surprise me at all if that were also the case with Sonic. I just can't imagine Sonic resonating particularly well with kids these days, especially in his current state.

My issue with Boom is more its universe as a whole, rather than the games themselves. I've been a Sonic fan since 1994, quite frankly, if shit games were enough to put me off, I don't think I'd have stuck around much beyond Shadow the Hedgehog. Again, I'm certain I'm not alone in this, either.

Considering the whole initiative of redesigns/ new canon/ etc was meant to grab a new audience, it just makes me wonder how big that audience actually is. It seems like a risky move to make something that has so violently alienated many of their biggest fans, when said fans could well make up a considerable amount of their potential sales.

 

This wasn't a fun fanbase to be in after the unholy trifecta of Heroes, Shadow, and 06 either.

[Vertekins]

I agree with 'Penthe. Boom!Knuckles' design is basically Knuckles' flanderization taken to was is very likely to be it's most extreme conclusion.

 

One factor that always appealed to me regarding Main!Knuckles' design is that even though he was small and compact, he's extremely physically strong i.e He's a great example of a pintsized powerhouse.

 

Boom's character designers seem to either be completely oblivious to this or saw fit for no good reason given on their end to mess with a design that was good enough the way it was. And given that Boom!Knuckles' abides by dumb muscle down to the wire ...which really isn't a good thing for his character BTW since it takes prominence above everything else including his temper and his subtle inhospitality towards Sonic, the character has been defined by one trait above any others, making him very one-dimensional.

 

"Dumb muscle big guy" is an overdone character archetype and I think it's a disservice to Knuckles as a character.

[Diamond Sonic]

I have to say that it always impresses me how the Sonic fanbase keeps uncovering stuff like this. The Sonic fanbase is fucking awesome!

[FriendBot]

I can agee that dumbing down Knuckles is a disservice to the original idea of the character but since this is a entirely new universe, seperate from the main series, I can open up to a dumber Knux and surprisngly Boom is probably some of the most enjoyable moments with the character. I mean, outside of Eggman of course, Knux is the funniest character in Boom and I know for a fact that I am no alone on this. So if dumbing down Knux makes him more enjoyable, I can be fine with that.

 

I mean when I really think about it, Boom Knux sometimes shows his stupidity. Like the infamous scene in Shattered Crystal but afterwards in that game, Knux doesn't really say something that would degade him. He's just a simple guy that loves punch things. And speaking of punching things, RoL has some more moments of Knux being dumb but it makes up for how adorkable he is as well. In the comics, he started off as dumb but later became more sweet and simple-minded.

 

I would like to consider Boom Knux as a more self-aware Big. Not saying that Big's dumb either but he's very simple-minded like Boom Knux for the most part but he says a lot of silly things but also some heart-warming things as well.

 

Uhhhh, where was I going with this.

 

Oh I know, the writers didn't downplay Knux despite the given assumption of his appearance so I don't still don't understand this "disgust" some people have with him. Boom Knux is the most fun I've seen him in a long time outside of Archie Knux of course.

[Nepenthe]

The funniest Knuckles was to me was in that episode where he was trying to get rid of his bad luck, and that relied less on his sheer inability to tell left from right (*sigh*), particularly since it never really strayed from other luck-based episodes of cartoons where the protagonists are at least of average intelligence, than it did on the actual slapstick involved. Frankly, I don't think Knuckles needed to be downgraded to a one-year old to be funny. To me, he's funny in the show spite of that.

 

And that's the thing; Knuckles isn't just simple-minded. He is literally stupid. Even if we want to go with the whole "a new universe means they can do whatever they want," angle, I still feel it goes against both the spirit of the character, undermines the intelligence of the audience to understand his role in a less blatant way, and on top of that is a gut-punch to the Knuckles fans who've been waiting awhile to see their favorite character done justice again. Indeed, with the universe open, Knuckles could have literally been anything else. Anything else. A cool-ass shaman. A nature-loving geek. A brave explorer. A trickster.

But they went with the idiotic meathead route because that's easy.

[Autosaver]

 

In the final game, I'm pretty sure you take an airplane to this place and not a speed section.

 

Kind of interesting to note, in the concept art/reveal trailers/first screenshots, all the speed sections were literally speed sections. There wasn't anything to dodge, other routes, or obstacles. I feel like these routes were originally all about speed. Now someone might complain that there's no input from the player here but that wasn't the purpose. The purpose was probably to speed through connecting environments in a smooth framerate and see the amazing detail of the Sonic Boom world. In the final game, not only is the framerate shitty but the draw distance is very low so you can barely see anything.

 

For a full level that nearly any other studio would give you months to complete, we had a fraction of that. Really had to get it "right" on the first try, not really any time for iteration and polish.

Damn, I feel bad for this guy. Not only did he imply they were rushed and overworked, but most of their designs were used without rework and touch ups.

[Blue Blood]

Kind of interesting to note, in the concept art/reveal trailers/first screenshots, all the speed sections were literally speed sections. There wasn't anything to dodge, other routes, or obstacles. I feel like these routes were originally all about speed. Now someone might complain that there's no input from the player here but that wasn't the purpose. The purpose was probably to speed through connecting environments in a smooth framerate and see the amazing detail of the Sonic Boom world. In the final game, not only is the framerate shitty but the draw distance is very low so you can barely see anything.

 

I don't think that's quite the right idea. Someone else suggested that the speed sections all seem to have to added in relatively late in development. None of the speed sections in the initial trailer are in the final game at all. That suggests to me that they were either totally reworked or, more likely, they'd hardly begun development by that point.

 

It's interesting that amongst everything in this latest batch are so many things cuts from the final game. Here's the sheep we saw in this original screenshot. 

 

 

[Autosaver]

I don't think that's quite the right idea. That suggests to me that they were either totally reworked or, more likely, they'd hardly begun development by that point.

Well yes, the designed speed sections were added late in development. I was the one who posted Chris's profile which showed when the speed sections were added. I know that.

 

The speed sections were probably always going to be in the game though. I could definitely see the appeal of the "Ancient World" being connected by long vasts of lands that let you see the world. It probably would've been stunning. The Temple Run shit is just lazy

 

[Blue Blood]

What I'm saying is, I assume they were always intended to be on-rails "Temple Run shit". 

[Autosaver]

I made an account on that one forum and it says you have to be approved first. Hoping to get approved soon.

 

I'm going to ask the guy to see if we can squeeze a little detail on why the very first hub world is missing in the final product. That would be pretty cool if we could get some explanation. That was the very first hub world created. I'm not sure why they would scrap that amazing piece of art and not bother to use it in the final game.

[Dejimon11]

I know I sound like a broken record for asking this but what was the point of the Boom brand to begin with? The TV show still would of been a big success without drastically redesigning the characters. My problem is that Boom is meant to be an alternate continuity but it doesn't do anything to differentiate itself from the main series. Nothing is really explained or established in this game, shattered crystal and the TV.

[Autosaver]

I know I sound like a broken record for asking this but what was the point of the Boom brand to begin with? The TV show still would of been a big success without drastically redesigning the characters. My problem is that Boom is meant to be an alternate continuity but it doesn't do anything to differentiate itself from the main series. Nothing is really explained or established in this game, shattered crystal and the TV.

Boom is managed by Americans while SegaSonic is managed by Japanese. I'm guessing each side wants to do their own thing. Sonic Boom is going in a completely different direction. With the redesigned characters and completely different gameplay, it's not really comparable to something like Generations or Lost World. There's also brand new characters and a "home town" setting that will most likely never be featured in the SegaSonic universe.

[Detective Shadzter]

Found more Boom concepts from Onur Cayli:

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/sonic-boom-e8412634-1ae7-4ae9-9b21-a6e6e6df60f4

 

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/eggman

 

Creepy Shadow

[CottonCandy]

Whats he is doing? Trying to conjure up a spell or something? 

[Badnik Mechanic]

Shadow has entered a Spiderman look alike contest it seems.

[Detective Shadzter]

Found Onur Cayli's Squarespace with A LOT more renders.

http://onurcayli.squarespace.com/interstate-1/

 

http://onurcayli.squarespace.com/interstate-1-1-1/

 

http://onurcayli.squarespace.com/interstate-1-1-1-2/

 

http://onurcayli.squarespace.com/interstate-1-1-1-1/

 

http://onurcayli.squarespace.com/interstate-1-1-1-2-1/

 

http://onurcayli.squarespace.com/interstate-1-1-1-2-1-2/

 

http://onurcayli.squarespace.com/interstate-1-1-1-2-1-2-1/

 

http://onurcayli.squarespace.com/interstate-1-1-1-2-1-2-1-2-3-1-2/

[goku262002]

You gonna send those to Andrea via Twitter Shadz?

[Detective Shadzter]

*Looks at Twitter* I think it'd be best if one or more of us downloaded the pics and made a new log rather than keep pestering her.

[Detective Shadzter]

Some test footage clips in Tuan Nguyen's demo reel.

http://www.ilovekeyframes.com/animation-reel

[Blue Blood]

What happened? What in the actual fuck happened?!

[Detective Shadzter]

Couple more test footage clips from Devon Roderick.

[Gabz Girl]

omfg it's the original Hub! It's the Hub that was fucking abandoned!! O__O Also, I don't think I recognise that scene with Knuckles and Sonic passing a giant Quartz stone to each other.

 

Bloody hell Shadtzer how did you even find these? XD

[Ducktor Naldush]

What happened? What in the actual fuck happened?!

[Your Vest Friend]

Wait, pause that demo reel from Tuan.

 

Look at the big robot that Eggman pilots in the final game.

 

Is that QNC piloting it?