Is Boom Really That Bad?

[Hiki]

[removed]

[Tara]

10 minutes ago, SonicEkkusu said:

Information of the show was revealed first by Dave Polsky, the co-creator of South Park and My Little Pony, in 2013. 

Okay but Dave Polsky didn't co-create either of those shows. XD - He is a recurring writer on the latter, not sure what his relation is with the former.

Anyway, Sonic Boom itself isn't horrible as long as we're talking about the franchise as a whole.  The TV show is all right, though I got bored of it after awhile.  Shattered Crystal is boring but not terrible, and Rise of Lyric is totally terrible but I still don't find it as frustrating as Sonic '06.

The problem, imo, isn't that the sub-series is bad.  It's that it's the only thing Sega have been making lately.  And because the products haven't exactly been fantastic, many of us have just grown lethargic of it.  I don't hate it, but it does leave a sour taste in my mouth.  Especially since I made the mistake of pre-ordering both games.

[ShadowSJG]

I personally don't like Sonic Boom as MetalSkulkBane once told me, they are just walking stereotypical characters with Sonic faces pasted on them. I find the humor to be forced and unfunny and I dislike what they did to Knuckles and Shadow, who are the worst examples of these stereotypes.  The action is pretty lame too in my opinion. 

[Hiki]

On 4/12/2016 at 11:46 PM, Tara said:

 

[removed]

[Tara]

Ehh, I don't really care about how well it represents the age demographic. I  don't think it's immature for a series aimed at 6 to 12 year olds.  The difference between Boom and SatAM is mostly that one focuses more on (Sega's words, not mine) character-driven comedy while the other focuses more on action.  Some people like comedies, some people like action, some people like both, etc.  My point is that I don't really consider it mature or immature and since I watch a lot of kid's shows anyway, I really don't watch the show in hopes of finding maturity in it.  I don't think pandering to adults is any better than pandering to children, so I don't mind it being noticeably aligned with its age demographic.

57 minutes ago, ShadowSJG said:

I personally don't like Sonic Boom as MetalSkulkBane once told me, they are just walking stereotypical characters with Sonic faces pasted on them. I find the humor to be forced and unfunny and I dislike what they did to Knuckles and Shadow, who are the worst examples of these stereotypes.  The action is pretty lame too in my opinion. 

I agree with this mostly in reference to Rise of Lyric.  Like, as I've mentioned on countless occasions I'm sure, Rise of Lyric's dialogue is so horrible because it feels like every line of dialogue serves to remind you of what they're supposed to be.  Like, the way that Tails is constantly shouting "GENIUS!" or critiquing the engineering of the robotic enemies, Knuckles is constantly saying something dumb, etc. with no break in between.  It's pretty annoying.  Not to say that the show doesn't have this problem as well, but to a much less annoying degree, in my opinion.

[MetalSkulkBane]

"It's for kids" is not an excuse to for poor quality. If they didn't know Sonic fan's were going to pick RoL, they proved their incompetence. It's like publishing "Mario teaches typing"

And the reason I hate RoL is because Sega should learn by this point. Every franchise can stumble from time to time, but after your first 06, you shouldn't be making second 06. And at least after that game Sega start changing stuff, showing they want to fix things (like removing serious narrative...ech). Now they made terrible Boom game and keep pushing Boom in our faces, with no sight of modern Sonic. I guess it's too early to tell, maybe Fire & Ice will be really good.

But I don't hate the cartoon. It's alright. I won't cry when it ends, but I watch it.

[sonicDX]

I mostly agree with you, SonicEkkusu!

I think everything's true in your description, and the poor quality and simple designs/story could logically be made for younger and/or new Sonic fans. But I think that is not a right thing. Remember, all those who have grown up on Sonic, have grown up on the Sonic we currently know, and not on a quite stupid and simple conception. The Sonic games were enjoyable for both new and/or young, and for older fans.

I also agree with that Boom is just a spin-off, and it's existence doesn't mean things like some others think, such as 'Sonic will fade', and 'This is the end of the Sonic franchise'. Just because a part of the franchise is bad, that doesn't mean it will sweap away 25 years of work and (mostly) success. The thing I rather don't like is that SEGA is dealing with Boom too much in my opinion. In the recent years, they were only dealing with Boom, and no other really good Sonic games were made. I also disagree with that what's going on in the Sonic social media. They are posting memes about Boom, saying how bad the Sonic franchise is. They behave like they dislike Sonic. I mean they are posting pictures of Knuckles, where you can see that he became an idiot during Sonic Boom.

Also, don't forget that Boom wasn't developed by SEGA or Sonic Team. So obviously other companies can't bring us the usual Sonic experience, which is a natural fact in my opinion.

But fortunately, the 25th Anniversary celebrations and news show that SEGA and Sonic Team are ready to make Sonic cool again, and I really trust them! I know they are the most creative and skilled people in the world, so I am sure the next years will be awesome for Sonic. Everyone has mistakes and bad steps. I think Boom was just a bad step of the developers, and they can get through it. I wish the bests for the developers of Sonic, they brought us so many great adventures in the past 25 years!

[Angie]

I don't mind Sonic Boom, but part of me wishes that it had not been a reimagining of Sonic, but an entirely new IP by Sega. Although Sonic's name plays a big part in the success of the series, it does not feel like Sonic to me in my heart. ^.^;

[Speeps]

I don't mind the TV show at all. It's a spinoff show aimed primarily for kids half my age. Considering that when I belonged that age group myself, I was busy being a fan of Johnny Test, I'd say it's doing pretty well. The only major issue I've had with it is with characterisation - particulary Amy and Knuckles, but it's hard after 50 episodes to not consider them almost completely separate characters to the ones in the main series (and I did kind of warm up to Boom Knuckles after awhile.). Basically, as long as it doesn't start to seep into the main series, It can do what it wants.

Personally, I'd like Boom to be the part of Sonic catering to that younger audience that games like Lost World tried to. Boom shouldn't have the risks that come along with a main sonic title these days. I mean, recovering from RoL came across much easier than recovering from 06 did and I doubt they'd let a game as bad as RoL happen again considering their apparent new focus on quality. Sonic Boom would be a good place in the franchise for the more experimental stuff that people keep bugging the main games about if you ask me. (Although, I'm not trying to come across as "Let's dump all the stuff I don't like about Sonic on Boom" here, so I apologise if I did)

If somebody handled it in the right way I bet Boom could be a great way to start working on that broken fanbase.

[Rey Skywalker-Ren]

I have a love-hate relationship with Sonic Boom. 

One one hand - most of the TV show episodes are really funny. I also like how it focuses on the friendships between the characters and they actually have the balls to do something with the main characters rather than them be heroes in an outsider's arc. Also, I do like the fact that everyone is equal in regards to their relationship to Sonic (I hated when writers treated Tails as if he was Sonic's more important and only friend).

On the other hand - There are many problems I have with the Boom universe. For one, they hardly stick to the character profiles that are written for them by the creators of Sonic Boom. I mean, in the games they do but in the TV show, they don't. Knuckles for example is supposed to be the strongman and loves nature right? However, the TV show doesn't really show that side. In fact, there are only a handful of times in 52 episodes where Knuckles actually shows his strength. And only a handful of times where he liked nature. With Amy, they said she was a history buff. They do show that in the games yes, but in the TV show, there was only once where she was talking anything history. The rest of her stay is spent PMsing.

When it comes to the personalities of the characters, I tend to lean toward the games than the TV show. The games, yes they told stupid jokes, however they seemed a bit less memey than in the TV show. Sonic was actually the quick thinker, Tails was the resourceful one. Amy was the history buff and the girl, Knuckles was the strong guy who can be a ditz, Sticks actually seemed she came from nature and was pretty interesting, and Eggman was well.... Eggman. Shadow was... Shadow. Case in point? The games stuck more to what the characters were supposed to be when written into Boom. The interactions were great as well.

With the TV show, they actually became walking-talking memes. I am a big fan of Pontaff's writing in Lost World however this was....yeah. It's like i'm looking at a TV how about life on 4-chan but with Sonic characters. Worse case was Shadow when he only appeared to be Ow the Edge. Imagine what they would do to Silver or Rouge... or even Blaze. The memes can be funny but then overplayed, it becomes annoying. It is like it's is reminding us that we are watching a TV show. With the games it is the same way, it spends a lot of time reminding us that we are playing a game, let alone a Sonic game with Sonic having an orgasm over rings. 

It is actually pretty sad that Big's Big Fishing Adventure 3 had better characterization and better use of jokes and memes than Boom's franchise had.

[FriendBot]

Hmm, you know I felt kind of hesitant to post my thoughts. Not like I was intimidated or anything but I kinda felt insecure on what I would type. But I guess I need to suck it up and just say how I feel.

Personally, I didn't really found the Boom games to be hot trash. I mean, sure Rise of Lyric doesn't try to be a Sonic game, even if it is a game for an alternate series, but outside of that one big sin (well I guess being incomplete and unfinished counts as a second sin), it's actually a pretty decent game. Nothing "OMG BEST GAME IN YEARS!!!!!11!111" but I enjoyed it, I guess Rise of Lyric kind of falls into the category of mediocre to bad licensed games based on cartoons and stuff. Shattered Crystal was a more enjoyable game but again, nothing spectacular. Some small fixes with the gameplay and making it more of a flair would help make the game more interesting, which is why I'm hopeful Fire & Ice would greatly improve from Shattered Crystal.

I think I made it clear here that I absolutely loved the Boom cartoon!

Spoiler

but I guess that's just because my standards for comedy are so low that I could probably laugh at a paint drying on a wall. hooray for self-ridicule.....

But it really is my favorite Sonic cartoon yet and this is me saying after watching all the Sonic cartoons. 

Some of the reasons why I like the cartoon is actually how clever the comedy can be. While I can see that Boom is primarily aimed for young kids, Freiberger and crew don't talk down to them. Whenever they do an episode that satirizes or make social commentary on, they do it pretty well and the jokes they make are simple enough to understand but nothing really brain-dead obvious and does have depth to them. Since I went into Boom knowing that these are not the same characters I've seen from the main series, I guess getting relearning who Sonic, Eggman, Tails and the others in this series was pretty easy for me to pick up. 

Which is what I feel the dialogue in Rise of Lyric can be really great at times, I mean sure when they say the more standard battle/environmental dialogue, it can be boring (or annoying when they repeat the same thing over and over) but when the characters actually interact with one another, it feels more natural and I can definitely get how these characters are good friends even if they get into arguments sometimes (a healthy relationship does need some arguments after all). And I get that same down-to-earth casual interaction in the show as well (I guess it helps that Freiberger and some of the writers for the show added some dialogue to Rise of Lyric). 

And that's what I feel is Boom's strength is (well, it could be a great weakness to some people so I guess it's not entirely factual), it's down-to-earth.

I mean, I still love the main series but from an outsider's POV, it's really strange. Like talking swords, werewolves, going through storybooks, demons, government conspiracies, extinctions of races and Super Saiyan hedgehogs! I mean, we've grown used to that stuff since that's what we know is Sonic but to other people, it can be really strange and they might feel it's very unfitting when it comes to a cartoon blue hedgehog that goes fast. I mean, that is not say that it's bad. Whether people like it or not, it's pretty much what makes Sonic Sonic. 

So I guess, to make Boom more casual, outsider-friendly with a simple action/adventure story for the games like RoL/SC and a simple but pretty clever comedy show. Could help make people get more comfortable with Sonic and become fans that way but of course, it didn't entirely worked out that way. The games are not that great and pretty much bombed. 

And I do get that the main series games Colors - onwards are also going for that simplicity feel so when Boom is shown to be going for the same thing, I guess it makes sense for people to question why bother making a separate series if it's more-or-less the same thing. 

This might just be me spouting random nonsense (as if anything I said here makes any sense) but I have a personal belief that Boom is probably where all the down-to-earth, simple comedy Sonic content is going to be while the main series can go more a more action-packed and amazingly strange style it was more known for. But who knows, if this is what SEGA is really going for. Maybe the next main series game is going to another Colors type of game but I would like to see something that blew my mind like Unleashed or the Adventures.

But to answer the question: No, I don't think Sonic Boom is bad but I guess the timing and execution was all wrong but I feel that the series can still be a pretty big part for the overall brand.

And well I guess that's enough for my nonsensical garbage.

[Dejimon11]

Ok to be honest the only bad thing with Boom is Rise Of Lyric. I think I’ve already gone on long enough with everything wrong with that game to the point where even I’m getting annoyed by it. 

 

As for the show it’s ok nothing special or nothing bad. Not my cup of tea but it’s doing well ratings wise and I know a lot of people like it so it must be doing something right.

 

The main problem with Boom is that there really isn’t anything different about it compared to the main series. It’s a brand new spin with so much potential but they really haven’t been taking advantage of it and I don’t think it knows what it wants to be at the moment(sounds like the main series in a way) I know the whole point of it was to get people into the franchise and all but at the end of the day it’s pretty much the same way the main series is being treated.  I’ve said this before but we haven’t really seen the effects of what both series are gong to do with the franchise moving forward. I recall SEGA saying that Boom was going to be for the younger demographic/newer fans while Modern is going be for the older fans. But until we see the full effects of that I’m chalking it up to PR talk.

 

Also for goodness sakes Soni enough with the "My opinions are garbage" talk already that's getting old.

[CottonCandy]

Eh, I don't mind it existing but I don't think I would care if it ended. I can't say much about the games. I haven't played them before and I don't even the systems for those games. I don't think I'll ever get a wiiu or a 3ds so I'll never get a chance to form my opinion on them. 

I do enjoy watching the cartoon though. I'm not saying it's a masterpiece but it harmless and funny enough to keep me entertain. As the for the rest, um, I haven't read much of the comics and I don't care for the merchandise.  

 

[Monkey Destruction Switch]

Sonic Boom basically consists of an unremarkable but pretty okay TV show (I enjoyed it for a little while but lost interest 20 episodes in), a couple of very poor video games (from what I've heard; I've never played them and let's face it, I don't have any desire to), and a completely useless "reboot"/spin-off/re-imagining. I personally see no point whatsoever in making it a new "branch" on the series. The only concrete things it really changed are the redesigns, a few characters' personalities (but none except Amy and Knuckles are really dramatic or impactive), anthro bystanders, and a core location. In the grand scheme of things, there's nothing different enough to justify a side-series. I completely don't see any connection between the minor changes and additions they made and "increased kid appeal". There's simply no reason I can see to separate anything "Boom" from the main universe. There's no reason they couldn't just make a TV show called "Sonic Boom" that wasn't 100% accurate to the games (like all adaptions, especially in this series...) but which didn't have any special separation either. (In practice, this would probably mean ditching the redesigns or making them way more minor and being able to include more content from and references to the main series games, both of which I personally think would be improvements though they wouldn't be game-changing.)

My final assessment of Boom is that, in terms of everything except Rise of Lyric (note that I'm just going with the general consensus when it comes to the games since I have nothing else to go on!), I feel Sonic Boom is quite harmless but mostly useless. Well...maybe that's a little harsh, the TV show doesn't do a lot for me but I certainly don't mind it existing and I can see why others would enjoy it.

(And yeah, I forgot the comics or the merch...but I don't know what I'd say about them anyway, I have no firsthand experience with them.)

[Stardust]

Sonic Boom = powerpuff girls/spongebob kind of cartoon. Full of cheap jokes, an egocentric (main) character who thinks everything he does is awesome, a paranoid character full of crazy theories, a giant stupid oaf who can't even grasp the basics, a villain that's not really villainous (and is usually the butt of jokes), dialogs full of inside jokes that are out of context with the characters' actions (Eggman firing his weapons and breaking the fourth wall by telling the viewers they were brought by Eggman Enterprises) and other typical cartoony content.

Does it mean it's bad? No. But that's what it is. It's Sonic canned into an already overused formula that ignores everything about the Sonic Universe, including the very personality of Sonic (from a humble free spirit with a conscience that helps those in need and saves his friends from trouble to an egomaniacal hedgehog who cares about "street credit", despising Amy and doing stupid stuff with Knuckles) and yet proposes to be a reboot of the series, to replace the previous universe with...what? Cartoon stuff, that's not even Japanese (Sonic was created by Sega of Japan and translates much of Japanese behaviour and mentality)?

 

Watch 1 hour of Sonic X and SatAm and you'll understand the difference between these 2 shows and Boom. Then you'll understand why Boom isn't really Sonic. 

 

 

[Nepenthe]

I wouldn't call Sonic Boom all that relatable to Powerpuff Girls or even Spongebob aside from maybe a stretch in equating Boom's and PPG's action-comedy format, but PPG is so much more natural and fluid with displaying and mixing both elements that the quality serves to differentiate the feel and style of each show. I also don't agree with drawing a line between "cartoon" stuff and "Japanese" stuff when Sonic has always heavily borrowed from western influence and utilized cartoon comedy across various mediums to some degree.

[SSF1991]

1 hour ago, Stardust said:

It's Sonic canned into an already overused formula that ignores everything about the Sonic Universe

Um, That's the point of a spin-off. It's not going to be the same thing as its main series counterpart.

Quote

to replace the previous universe

How many times does SEGA have to say that it's not replacing the main Sonic series? Because they've been saying this since the day the branch was formally revealed two years ago.

The main series isn't going anywhere. The Boom universe is just something else for SEGA to work on in-between main games.

1 hour ago, Stardust said:

Watch 1 hour of Sonic X and SatAm and you'll understand the difference between these 2 shows and Boom. Then you'll understand why Boom isn't really Sonic. 

Sonic X is not a spin-off show. They're mostly based on the main series. Sonic Boom isn't. As for SatAM, it's more un-Sonic than Boom is!

Quote

proposes to be a reboot of the series

It's not a reboot. It's a separate branch that's running parallel with the main one.

[Diogenes]

1 hour ago, Stardust said:

Watch 1 hour of Sonic X and SatAm and you'll understand the difference between these 2 shows and Boom. Then you'll understand why Boom isn't really Sonic. 

How is SatAM of all things more "Sonic" than Boom? It radically redefined the game-canon characters, completely changed the setting and tone compared to the games, and padded the cast with a bunch of new characters.

[Hiki]

On 4/13/2016 at 7:19 PM, Stardust said:

 

 

On 4/13/2016 at 7:19 PM, Stardust said:

 

 

On 4/13/2016 at 7:19 PM, Stardust said:

 

 

On 4/13/2016 at 7:19 PM, Stardust said:

 

 

On 4/13/2016 at 7:19 PM, Stardust said:

 

 

On 4/13/2016 at 7:19 PM, Stardust said:

 

 

On 4/13/2016 at 7:19 PM, Stardust said:

 

[removed]

[pppp]

Yes RoL is really that bad. It doesn't matter if it was targeted at kids, kids deserve great games just as much as adults, that's a terrible argument no matter how you slice it. Level-5 makes games targeted at kids and most of the time they tend to be better than most so called adult games out there.

RoL is bad cause the gameplay is shallow, the story is incoherent and lacks proper context, the visuals are absolutely pathetic by 2014 standards, the music is forgettable and it runs like shit, with a framerate that would make 06 blush.

As for it not making me feel worried for the next Sonic Team game, well who can guarantee us that SEGA is not screwing with that game's development too and forcing Sonic Team to shit out another 06(Hey, if they don't show us anything, I can only assume something sketchy is going on)?

Not to mention was not just a little spinoff like Sonic Labyrinth, it was meant to be a fresh new start for the brand to make it popular again. Yeah they told us it was just a spinoff, but like BlazeHedgehog said in his review there's information to suggest that conceptual development of Boom started around 2010, making me suspect that the "oh it's just a spinoff" statement was there so they could create an escape route if it failed. You don't spend 4 years working on a Wii U game that is just a tiny spinoff.

So yeah Boom really is that bad. It shows that SEGA still didn't care about quality at the time.

[SBR2]

I freaking love the Boom cartoon. I think a lot of the hate comes from people taking this franchise entirely too seriously.

[Dejimon11]

6 minutes ago, SBR2 said:

I freaking love the Boom cartoon. I think a lot of the hate comes from people taking this franchise entirely too seriously.

Or maybe some people have different taste. 

[Badnik Mechanic]

On 13/04/2016 at 5:32 AM, SonicEkkusu said:

The games are merely a small part of the Sonic Boom universe based off of the cartoon.

No it isn't a small part. It's one of the primary pillars of the franchise, the other 2 are the show and merchandise. 

Basically it goes like this in terms of quality.

Games = Awful - painfully average.

Show = on the whole, pretty good.

Merch = Meh - I like that one thing.

15 hours ago, Stardust said:

Watch 1 hour of Sonic X and SatAm and you'll understand the difference between these 2 shows and Boom. Then you'll understand why Boom isn't really Sonic. 

Oh yeah! Because SatAM and Sonic X are totally what Sonic is. lol.

[azoo]

Well it didn't need to exist, that's for sure.

The cartoon is inoffensive at worst, but just like the terrible games it comes with, all it does is leave me asking "why?". There's no point to it's existence; I mean first off it's not like we needed another dramatic branch-off of the series to give us yet another divisive chunk of media that paints us a completely different tone, universe and set of characters.

As if AoSTH, SatAM, X, Underground, Archie Sonic, Sonic the Comic, Chronicles, and whatever other ridiculous spins didn't already give us enough of that; we now get one that's officially considered an 'important' piece of the franchise alongside the classic and modern branches, as if it's purpose for existing is anything more than kiddie fodder meant to get kids to buy merch and waste time watching a laugh-trackless sitcom. No other video game franchise does things like this, and if they did they would either not be relevant enough to matter, or if they were relevant then they wouldn't get away with it.

And while said laugh-trackless sitcom has a few decent moments and is somewhat enjoyable, I have to admit that it'll be good riddance when it's off. Boom will fade to obscurity once it's gone anyways.

[Hiki]

On 4/14/2016 at 10:36 AM, Detective Hogfather said:

 

 

On 4/14/2016 at 5:21 AM, pppp said:

 

[removed]