Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric (Wii U)

[kovach]

Oh my god. "Nice scarf, LOSER" made me laugh harder than it really should have.

 

I LOVE how immature Eggman is in this game. He's easily the most hilarious character so far.

[Doctor MK]

Say what you want about the gameplay, but the writing and characterisation in this game is definitely a step up from what we've seen from Sonic Team's game as of late.

 

Sure, a lot of the jokes were hit and miss, but when they do hit they really do hit - and although it's probably going to get very grating after a while having characters talking every few seconds (especially when it's the same old repeated lines), I think I'd still rather that in terms of adding atmosphere to the game as opposed to complete silence and a lack of immersion in Sonic's world. This game is an extension of the cartoon, and on that front it definitely succeeds - on face value alone, it appears like you're playing an interactive feature-length episode of the upcoming show, be it for better or worse.

 

Hopefully there'll be a "voice FX off" option for those who prefer their Sonic characters to remain mute like the good ol' days, but we've got an excellent cast of voice actors working on the series now, it's good to see them finally getting to put their talents to full use. Mike Pollock in particular continues to impress.

 

So yeah, it's not without its problems, but it's certainly a step in the right direction with regards to how the characters should be handled. I just hope I'm not utterly sick of hearing their voices by the end of it.

[Amomynous]

Dialogue sounds exceedingly awkward to me, Cowabunga? Since when do characters in the Sonic series say /that/? Sure there's some corny slang, but eesh.

Also, Eggman's immaturity seems..exaggerated. I guess everyone's supposed to be new to this I suppose.

 

Sonic being kind of an loner or ass I don't immediately object to on principle, but I feel they've taken a bit of a wrong turn by having him break the fourth wall and knowledge that he is in fact the main character. It kind of undermines what they were trying to show in the first place, while also making Sonic a bit too much of an ass.

I'd expect him to deny affiliation, to (or try to) refuse help,but getting along perfectly fine with them and then belittling their abilities out-of-the-blue and refusing to back down strikes me as too far.

 

It doesn't help that the gameplay lines are too frequent and sound repetitive even if they technically aren't.

[Milo]

...I don't care, I like this version of Eggman

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

God I love these animations of Eggman's overreactions, especially the .gif of him pulling his mustache. It reminds me a lot of AoSth's Dr. Robotnik and how Eggman in the games can act really hammy at times.

 

All that's missing is the EggMobile to suddenly fail during his getaway and Eggman to start re-enacting this:

 

[Willsy]

Didn't they say that Eggman will develop over the course of the game, and take notes from Lyric? In the series, his characterisation seems to be more or less exactly the same to his mainline Sonic counterpart.

I do admit though, hitting his Eggmobile out of frustration does seem true to Mainline Sonic. It's just the dialogue for him in that boss fight was really juvenile. I've become used to SEGA/whoever handling Sonic and friends' characterisation the wrong way, but they've always gotten Eggman right. I'm not sure on them suddenly deciding to make him use words like 'cool' or 'awesome', it doesn't really fit the character. But as I said, he could develop over the course of the game to become a more mature and formidable villain.

Eggman is supposed to be very literate and well spoken, with some rare slang.

[Rusty Spy]

I feel like Sonic and Knuckles' relationship is gonna be the highlight of this game. The two really bounce off each other so well.

[Vertekins]

 

Heh heh heh! I friggin' love Boom!Eggman already.

 

But the dialogue...it comes-off to me as feeling really stilted, like the characters are talking simply because they can rather than having them say anything that sounds like it's had thought put into it.

[Diogenes]

I'm not sure on them suddenly deciding to make him an overgrown child mentally.

"Suddenly"?

[Willsy]

"Suddenly"?

I meant in terms of dialogue. Should have put that in there actually.

[KingIgort]

Dialogue sounds exceedingly awkward to me, Cowabunga? Since when do characters in the Sonic series say /that/?

 

Since Sonic Boom.

 

[JAiRO]

Jerkass!Sonic is best Sonic.

I actually laughed when he responded to "Unbelievable" with "Yes, I was". I have never laughed at the dialouge in a Sonic game before.

EDIT: Gameplay still looks too easy. They should make those rings fly a lot farther away when hit and magnetize way less.

[Willsy]

I really think there are going to be some great bonding moments between the crew if the one where Sonic says "We did it" is anything to go by. My main issue is that Sonic might be too much of a jackass at times. That scene just after the Eggman boss was funny, but I couldn't help but feel that Sonic was outright insulting Tails, Amy, and Knuckles. Knuckles I can understand, but I'm pretty sure that Tails is supposed to be his best friend.

If one of my besties spoke to me like that, I'd feel pretty pissed off with them. Honestly I feel that it would have been better if he just said that to Knuckles, it would have fit much better. I feel sorry for Tails and Amy though. ;_;

[Vertekins]

Y'see people, this is where Sonic being somewhat jerkish in this manner is actually justified - It's a different continuity with a stated different reasoning for Sonic's behavior; His independence, his "I work alone" mindset. I don't mind this as long as it's still true to Sonic's other traits and doesn't go overboard.

[Diogenes]

Remember that this is not the main continuity and these characters' relationships are not necessarily the same, especially not at the start of the story.

[MegasonicZX]

I really think there are going to be some great bonding moments between the crew if the one where Sonic says "We did it" is anything to go by. My main issue is that Sonic might be too much of a jackass at times. That scene just after the Eggman boss was funny, but I couldn't help but feel that Sonic was outright insulting Tails, Amy, and Knuckles. Knuckles I can understand, but I'm pretty sure that Tails is supposed to be his best friend.

If one of my besties spoke to me like that, I'd feel pretty pissed off with them. Honestly I feel that it would have been better if he just said that to Knuckles, it would have fit much better. I feel sorry for Tails and Amy though. ;_;

I think the reason he said it to everybody is probably because of the fact that by this point in the game they have all probably just met so naturally sonic isn't really too friendly with them at all yet.

[Kuzu]

I honestly like Sonic like this more than his main series counterpart, he never asked for his friends and wants to keep them at a distance until he learns to like them. Ya know, like real friends.

[Willsy]

I can understand the new continuity thing, but I can also understand why Knuckles wants to knock Sonic out though. I don't think Sonic's characterisation is completely a problem, it's just that it seems his ego is way to big. I'm hoping that somebody knocks him down a few levels and makes him realise how ignorant and arrogant he's being. Though I think this is a given looking at the TV show.

If this is all part of the character development, which I think is confirmed, then I'm fine with it. I just don't want Sonic acting like a douche throughout the whole game as it'll begin to get annoying. Save it for the moments where the timing is just right, and don't overuse it. I know they want to make other characters more appealing but I don't want them to make Sonic repulsive to do that. I'm hoping they don't go that route anyway.

However, I really like RCS' line delivery in this, it's much better than the main series, and Sonic does have some really well timed dialogue in the Eggman boss fight.

[sonfan1984]

Stephen Frost said that Sonic has that loner attitude and really doesn't work as a team yet until he got his friends in danger because of it. The game follows his journey that his friends are important to him and he's stronger with them as a team.

[Salamander]

I grew up with Fleetway Sonic, so I honestly can't bat an eyelid at Sonic being arrogant and belittling his friends.

[Johnny Boy]

Stephen Frost said that Sonic has that loner attitude and really doesn't work as a team yet until he got his friends in danger because of it. The game follows his journey that his friends are important to him and he's stronger with them as a team.

So I'm guessing that they are all meeting for the first time in this continuity?

[LovieHats]

Stephen Frost said that Sonic has that loner attitude and really doesn't work as a team yet until he got his friends in danger because of it. The game follows his journey that his friends are important to him and he's stronger with them as a team.

i wonder if it's the robot worm that puts them in danger....

[KingIgort]

So I'm guessing that they are all meeting for the first time in this continuity?

 

From what I'm seeing it's not the first time they've met but it is the first time they've gone on an adventure together.

[Gabz Girl]

Sonic being a jerkass is awesome because it makes sense! At the start of Sonic Boom, he's a loner and doesn't get along with others. As the story progresses he learns about teamwork and all that jazz.

+ The range on everyone (except Knuckles) is a lot better than the Sega games. Hearing RCS's Sonic do more than the "dudebro" voice is a bit refreshing.

Huh what? I think Travis is doing a great job with Knuckles this time around. o_o He doesn't sound like he's trying way too hard to mimic Dan Green, which is a positive in my book!

Have to agree about them talking too much though, especially if that ends up getting repetitive. It's going to be like Sonic Heroes and ShtH all over again, bleh.

[SlickEvan]

My biggest plus for Boom is that it isn't too obvious. I mean it's like "Maybe if we throw that there we can damage him" but at least it's less "Press the A button to fly with me and I'll use the thunder shoot when you press B, If I'm alone then I wont be able to throw Sonic and Tails Knuckles" 

 

As long as we don't stoop to those levels then it's okay with, even though it's not a major improvement. 

[Willsy]

Gameplay however has really grown on me. I think I'll drag my sister over on release day to play it with me if she's not in work. It looks like a really fun multiplayer experience though.

Oh, and it turns out you can slow down in the speed levels going by that extended gameplay footage.