Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric (Wii U)

[PickleBrows]

There's one thing Stephen said that is making me hold off until we get more gameplay of other stages. He said that the demo we're seeing was particularly meant to showcase the differences of Boom to the regular series.  So we have an adventure stage that has particular emphasis on combat because that is part of the new focus. Perhaps the Sonic and Amy level would be particularly platform heavy but still lack full on speed.

 

We could end up seeing more things that make it identifiable as a Sonic game as new footage gets shown. He did say there would be means to travel faster, just not something like a conventional run button. There's also the potential of upgrades to speed and combat to further help things forward.

 

I'm not trying to say what we've seen so far isn't a cause for concern but I figured I'd have a go at putting a positive outlook on it, at least for the time being.

[Willsy]

I'm....going to remain cautiously optimistic on this. On one hand, the speed levels look fun, it has a hub, the characterisation is a massive step up from what we've seen in Mainstream Sonic recently, and the combat doesn't look bad. But on the other hand, like Hero Of Legend, the technical aspect has me very worried. The graphics don't look great at all, but the word of framerate drops doesn't sound good to me.

So I think I'll reside with a few other members that feel the same way on the Moderate-Hype Handcar

[Gabz Girl]

Sheesh Nix how mature. How do you think Frost is gonna react when he comes into this topic and sees your gif? =/

[Milo]

Here's a new video for you guys to suck on(knew there was a reason I had thousands of subscriptions).

Mostly jusst what we have already seen but you can hear all the games audio.

Still too slow.

 

0:32 Sonic: "It's like these tracks were built for me!"

0:36 *player controlling Sonic hits pillar*

 

 

And yeah, opinions haven't changed. It doesn't look technically awful and I actually do like some of the lines by the characters (also echoing that Amy's VA isn't godawful for the first time in years), but otherwise everything ranges from mediocre to shit.

 

Gameplay's either stale on-rails or generic PS2 platformer-era combat, and it overall looks subpar.

Music is offensively unoriginal-which for a series that has consistently good music, practically makes it undeniably shit.

Level design has nothing creative to it whatsoever.

Graphics look unpolished at times and artstyle is mostly uninspired.

Writing got a few chuckles out of me, but otherwise isn't anything great and judging it's presence in the game will become old hat fast.

 

There's is effectively nothing to look forward to here for me and it doesn't look like anything's going to change that, unfortunately. I think Diogenes is completely on the money when he says that nobody knows what to do with this franchise.

[Willsy]

On the subject of Stephen Frost, I think it might be a good idea to give Stephen a break for the next few days. He's got a lot going on at E3, and that alone must be strenuous for him. Any questions we have will probably be answered at E3 anyway, so I think it's best that you leave any questions (that aren't answered at E3) until this weekend. I'm sure he'd really appreciate it.

*insert a gif of loads of dogs jumping up at a guy for food*

Overall, I'm liking Shattered Crystal more so far, it looks like a very solid and polished platformer. Better yet, I can play it anywhere. Rise Of Lyric, as I said, I'll stay cautiously optimistic for, simply because we haven't seen a full level yet. It might look better in context for me.

[SilentDoom]

Believe in Pollock :>  He will guide us.  Show us the way to a better path.

 

[Willsy]

Buy this game or The Eggman will hunt you down and destroy you. Oohohohohohoho!

What one does he mean specifically though? If I don't like the Wii U one, can I just buy the 3DS one and live? I don't want to die....well...not like this. ;_;

[The Tenth Doctor]

I like Mike alot but he's been doing various variations of Haters gonna hate on his Facebook for the last week. He's kinda becoming a broken record.

[Willsy]

Well, he can't really say anything bad about the game or he could lose his job. Then again, he could just remain silent but a lot of fans are constantly asking him questions.

[Detective Shadzter]

Just caught up on the video that doesn't have commentary over it. Wow... even the music is shit. Music is usually one of the best things about the Sonic series, so to hear such generic music in this game is very sad indeed. The dialogue is just plain awful, too. 

[8ther]

I don't mind the gameplay style(i enjoyed Heroes and SLW so the slow pace and focus on combat doesn't bother me) the dealbreaker to me however is the music, i was hoping for a more Jak-ish soundtrack but the music seems to be styled more after the bland orchestra of the newer Ratchet & Clank games that killed my interest in the series hopfully the 3DS version's music will be better.

[Lady Soniko]

I think we're counting our chickens before they're hatched in some cases here, but I also feel that having showing off the things completely different to what we're used to from Sonic and focusing on going "hey guys, look THIS is different!!" We know it's different, you don't need to go out of your way to show us it's different by picking some of the more ugly looking stages. I'm kinda seeing your complaints but I'm kind of not because Jak 2 and 3 weren't exactly bright, beautiful games. They were quite desolate and grungy to meet the tone of the games story which was evidently set in a prison like future similar to Judge Dreadd's story.

 

I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt and I think it'll be a decent game if they smooth everything out and make it pretty rather than generic, the locales need some distinction and atmosphere. If they're going to use muddy colours they really need to set the atmosphere a lot better in these section with better lighting, shaders and textures to boot. You know because games like Metroid Prime aren't always eye candy, honestly the mining facility in Boom reminds me of Jak's Eco mines and Prime's Phazon mines, dull, desolate places devoid of life. If there's one thing I have faith in BRB for it's characterization and handling a story, if it's anything like past Jak games I can almost guarantee that Lyric is going to be one scary fucker even if his concept art looks dumb, because holy shit Errol from Jak 2/3 was a cunt and a half. 

[Willsy]

I don't mind the gameplay style(i enjoyed Heroes and SLW so the slow pace and focus on combat doesn't bother me) the dealbreaker to me however is the music, i was hoping for a more Jak-ish soundtrack but the music seems to be styled more after the bland orchestra of the newer Ratchet & Clank games that killed my interest in the series hopfully the 3DS version's music will be better.

3DS music has been confirmed to be by a veteran Sonic composer in Japan (JUN SENOUE JUN SENOUE JUN SENOUE.....pls), so that's good news at least.

[Ratcicle King]

So hey guys, I just want to add something to this, for those who think everyone is hating the game, thinking that because it's too different it sucks... That's not the case... I said it better on a comment at a status update, so excuse me for being lazy and pasting it here:

-It's less about outright ''hating'' and more about not feeling too much confident on it... You know, unknown developer, a new gameplay style completely different from everything we've seen, new designs, new story, rebooting everything... It just kind of too far away from the comfort zone for some of us, it's hard to have faith on it or to be too much optimistic.

So yeah, I think I speak for some of us when I say that this isn't about hating, it's about worrying, this is not just a game, this is a whole new piece of the Sonic franchise, this is how Sonic is supposed to be known in the future around here, it's how a new fanbase will be introduced to this franchise, that's a big deal, this is quite the turn on the history of this franchise, and we want it to work, maybe with a different plot, with different designs, with a different game, but I'm sure that most of us, some of us want it to work, we all want to see the franchise grow, we might not agree this is the right way to do it, but it is the way they're doing it and we can do nothing but worry about it... These complains, these nitpicks, the criticism, it's not about hating or expecting it to suck, we want it to succeed, but we can't help but feel a good ammount of doubt, express a bit of negativity, think of all the possibilities, the good and the bad ones.

I'm just saying that because I am sure we'll have more stuff revealed, specially with E3, that's starting today, so I just want to ask people to not worry, think that we're hating the game and that we think it's ruined forever, it's just that some are a bit more worried than others about the weight that this game, this show, this very decision of creating a new canon, will have on the entire franchise, and the future of Sonic.

[Doctor MK]

Watched the footage and... ehhhhh I still can't tell what I think. Everything just seems so polarising. On the one hand I like that they're playing up the characterisation and the banter between team members - and at points, such as in the Eggman fight, there's some genuinely good writing there - but I can tell already that if it's not handled properly it will become grating quickly, which is a shame because there's some great vocal talents working on the franchise now and I don't want to end up becoming annoyed by their work.

 

Gameplay-wise... well, we all said at the time that the Werehog would have made more sense if it was Knuckles instead - and here we have it! And whaddya know, combat as Knuckles (or any other character for that matter) still looks as dull and repetitive as ever. Some of the moves certainly look flashy, that I won't deny, but it's also going to be very button mashy and become more about brawling than it is about anything else.

 

The visuals have definitely been toned down since the initial reveal too, which is a real disappointment because back in February, Boom looked like one of the more graphically impressive Wii U games. Now it just looks like a slightly prettier last-gen title, if I'm honest.

 

I think my main gripe with it all though is how 'separated' all the different gameplay styles seem to be, which is all too reminiscent of the genre roulette days of Adventure through to Unleashed. You've got your "explore the world and beat up baddies" stages and then you've got your "run real fast to remind you you're playing a Sonic game" stages... sound familiar? I'm not saying combat has no place being in a Sonic game whatsoever - in small doses, yeah I can deal with it - but have it all seamlessly fit together. Go from running around to spotting some robots and slowing down to kick their metallic butts, then run off again to your next destination. Having it all in different levels is just making it feel like a game of two halves.

 

I still really really really want to be proven wrong and have Boom turn out to be a great entry in the series, but as it stands I don't want to get too excited for it. It could easily go either way right now.

[Lady Soniko]

I also want to bring to attention that dumb looking characters that look like jokes can still make good villains, recently I watched Wreck-It Ralph with my family and my mom was shocked at how awful King Candy was when he just looked like a silly little man, his personality and selfishness were a terrible monster of where he removed Vanellope's coding for her OWN GAME to take over her world, even though he cracked jokes and was a funny character, he was still an incredibly ruthless character long before you find out he's Turbo. Then he merges with a PsyBug and his design is so goofy and bright and colourful, but holy shit he becomes a MONSTER that literally begrudged children when I went to see it at the cinema, and my mom even said "this is really scary for a kids movie". It's not about how a character is designed, it's about how a character is written into the story that determines their value of being a good villain, this is something that past Jak and Ratchet games do well i.e. Emperor Tachyon from Tools of Destruction was a pint sized bug that was a ruthless leader, he wiped out Ratchet's race by flinging their existence through time and space with the dimensionator. A character that isn't even of knee height to Ratchet, with a high pitched laughable voice, wiped out his entire race leaving him the only Lombax in the galaxy. So don't shit on Lyric because his design looks dumb, because he quite possibly could be one of the best written villains this series has seen besides Eggman.

[Nix]

Sheesh Nix how mature. How do you think Frost is gonna react when he comes into this topic and sees your gif? =/

 

Forgive me for not taking someone's feelings into consideration when determining whether or not I like a video game.  I bet a few folks at Sonic Team feel really bad about Sonic 06 too, but I'm not about to hold back from making jokes at it for being terrible.

[SonicWind]

Sure, the game could use more polish, but I'm still hoping for the best. BRB isn't going to just let everything stay like this. They've put a lot of work into this game, and you can bet they're going to put a lot more in.

[Gabz Girl]

Forgive me for not taking someone's feelings into consideration when determining whether or not I like a video game.  I bet a few folks at Sonic Team feel really bad about Sonic 06 too, but I'm not about to hold back from making jokes at it for being terrible.

 

The difference here being that Sonic Boom isn't even out yet, while Sonic 06 has been around for years. Once we know this game sucks for sure, post your gifs then.

[Ming Ming Hatsune]

Pacman and the Ghostly Adventures game is getting a sequel. Ben 10 had plenty of sequels. I've seen this all before. Obviously the audience for these type of games is there. SEGA wants to get that audience so I don't blame them for going in this type of route. Low budget, great profits. I wouldn't be surprised in future if Sonic Boom is going to have a Disney Infinity, Skylanders-like title with those portal toys.

 

If Boom's going to have low sales, it's most likely because it's an exclusive to the Wii U console. Multiplatform the title then I would certainly guarantee that this game would be a sales success.

 

I wouldn't say Boom so far here is looking like a "bad" game because lol, I've seen worse...way worse, but at the same time it's nothing special. I would say this game is looking like the most generic average game in Sonic's history. Absolutely no new ideas I've seen so far from this game. 4-5/10's at best this game is going to get.

 

Now I'm sorta glad that Boom is an alternate universe that doesn't replace the main series. Because boy, that would really hit it home.

[Nix]

The difference here being that Sonic Boom isn't even out yet, while Sonic 06 has been around for years. Once we know this game sucks for sure, post your gifs then.

 

It's just a teaser you can't judge it!

 

It's just a trailer you can't judge it!

 

You haven't played it you can't judge it!

 

You didn't 100% it you can't judge it!

 

Well why did you keep playing a game that you didn't like? Obviously you're just trolling and actually like it.

 

If the game looks terrible, then I'm going to treat it like it is.  If the game turns out to be good, then I'll gladly eat crow, but I'm not going to pretend like it looks good now just to spare someone's feelings.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

I like Mike alot but he's been doing various variations of Haters gonna hate on his Facebook for the last week. He's kinda becoming a broken record.

To be fair, I guess he can't help but become a broken record when said fans that he responds to are broken records themselves, oi vey.

[ElectricAngel]

Hmm so I watched the video and well, my thoughts remain quite the same. Sonic still looks to run at a Ratchet and Clank-y type of speed, which isn't necessarily bad. The gameplay still looks a bit generic in the sense of most PS2 era games. As for the soundtrack, it also sound okay. It's not bad, it's just there, you know? I dunno I'm kinda in the middle of all this. I don't think I'll be really able to judge unless I play the final product myself or when the game gets released and I see playthroughs on YouTube. Sorry folks, but I really can't lean towards a "i like it" or "i don't like it" side. I just seriously can't say much on the game other than what I've already said.

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

Pacman and the Ghostly Adventures game is getting a sequel. Ben 10 had plenty of sequels. I've seen this all before. Obviously the audience for these type of games is there. SEGA wants to get that audience so I don't blame them for going in this type of route. Low budget, great profits. I wouldn't be surprised in future if Sonic Boom is going to have a Disney Infinity, Skylanders-like title with those portal toys.

 

If Boom's going to have low sales, it's most likely because it's an exclusive to the Wii U console. Multiplatform the title then I would certainly guarantee that this game would be a sales success.

 

I wouldn't say Boom so far here is looking like a "bad" game because lol, I've seen worse...way worse, but at the same time it's nothing special. I would say this game is looking like the most generic average game in Sonic's history. Absolutely no new ideas I've seen so far from this game. 4-5/10's at best this game is going to get.

 

Now I'm sorta glad that Boom is an alternate universe that doesn't replace the main series. Because boy, that would really hit it home.

They don't even need a portal if it stays wii-u and 3DS exclusive, as the wii-u has one built in, and the 3DS is getting one from Nintendo next year 

[Mauro Fonseca]

Sheesh Nix how mature. How do you think Frost is gonna react when he comes into this topic and sees your gif? =/

 

Stepping on eggs on a fan forum because the developers may be around is idiotic. Fan forums are the space for fans to opinate. If the professionals want to dive in too, they either do it consciously knowing they risk a lashing, or are idiots who don't know how to socialize. I'm betting the former and that while it might pain Frost to see the game being bashed, he completely admits no-one forced him to come here and see what's going on.

 

So much of this post. Many people forget that a lot of the least original Sonic games are the best ones. Name one thing that Generations did different from the dark-age Sonic games other than "not suck" and that game is fantastic!

 

Good visual style. Great remixes of the music. Refined gameplay. Improved everything the "dark age" did. Boom isn't even improving anything platformers did unless we want to pretend the last 3d platformer that existed was Bubsy 3D.

 

My point was only addressing the complaints of it being generic, and not even that generic was good, it was that it determines nothing, nothing about the game.

 

It determines the game is generic. It determines the experience the game is building, which is made not just of gameplay but story, visuals, music, is unappealing. If you find this irrelevant, I invite you to go back to playing Pong, where none of it mattered. Everything after it has depended on "non-gameplay" instruments to build the whole thing.

 

oi vey.

 

It's Oy vey. Two 'y's. Pretty sure your repeated use of "moi" has also broken grammar often.