Sonic Forces | PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC "The Next Generations"

[BlueFlare]

So now that the boost is accessible through Wisps, it would be nice to see levels expanded a bit more with open areas like City Escape and Seaside Hill in Generations. I really like the way those levels are designed around the boost gameplay style: you have more speed focused and linear paths but also more open areas where you can take a little breather and run around the place.

[JosepHenry]

At least there was spikes... That's something.

[Chris Knopps]

2 hours ago, Sonictrainer said:

I hope that in one level Eggman intercepts Sonic's communications and talks to Sonic like the PRs in Sonic Colors.

-various static sounds-
"Hello Sonic, lovely day wouldn't you say? The birds are falling, the trees are burning... Oh yes! I'm also supreme overlord now! See what happens when you waste time fighting my androids on Lost Planets and turning a blind eye to your home world?"

-various static sounds again-

"By the way, you might want to hurry. My forces are closing in on those little friends of yours! Hasta la vista hedgehog!"

[Cyrus]

On 3/18/2017 at 3:47 PM, Azoo said:

The third character is just gonna be Sonic from the near future.

He has a new gameplay style that blends both classic and modern gameplay, so that there's a lot of slopey platforming / spinning as well as drifting, quick stepping and maybe boosting as well.

You're giving me wants that I'm not allowed to have according to popular opinion, damn you to Lava Shelter.

[DaddlerTheDalek]

Well. Sonic Forces looks really pretty. I'm fine with boost gameplay. Looking forward for more.

[Dr. Detective]

4 hours ago, Sonictrainer said:

I hope that in one level Eggman intercepts Sonic's communications and talks to Sonic like the PRs in Sonic Colors.

"Hey Sonic. You were too slow! HAHAHAHAHA G-Get it? Cause everyone's DEAD!"

[Chris Knopps]

3 minutes ago, Dr. Chaotix said:

"Hey Sonic. You were too slow! HAHAHAHAHA G-Get it? Cause everyone's DEAD!"

Ehhhh...

No... Too forced. That's on the level of Lost World/Colors script.

[Cakito]

If the boost doesn't overpower Sonic like they did in Generations, I'm absolutely fine with the boost gameplay. What hypes me the most now is my curiosity around the third gameplay style, and the great story we will (likely) get with the game!
Also, I am really happy with the levels itself being part of the cinematic of the game. In most games, the scenery that Sonic is running through, don't really show anything about the story or makes you curious about it. Seeing all those Death eggs destroying the city makes me satisfied and also wondering about where are Sonic going.

[Mark1]

I will never fully understand the full hate wisps get. Aside from story reasons (no explanation for their existence after Colours' ending) I'm pretty sure they added plenty of incentive to revisit levels in Colours.

Granted the way they were implemented in Lost World wasn't the best, but Colours did them decently. It looks like it plays similar to that one as well as Generations.

 

[Rey Skywalker-Ren]

1 minute ago, Mark1 said:

I will never fully understand the full hate wisps get. Aside from story reasons (no explanation for their existence after Colours' ending) I'm pretty sure they added plenty of incentive to revisit levels in Colours.

Granted the way they were implemented in Lost World wasn't the best, but Colours did them decently. It looks like it plays similar to that one as well as Generations.

 

I like the wisps as well. I think the problem is that people want to play with the abilities the character has and not have to rely on powerups. Some stages you were forced to use wisps and was a fan of that

[Chris Knopps]

Here's my question...

If the Wisps are VOLUNTARILY sticking around, if they actually LIKE the world...

Why are they ALL still in Eggman's capsules...?

Why aren't they just freely floating in random places in the stage?

They're imprisoned all over Sonic's world, not freely remaining, and I have seen zero evidence to prove otherwise, they're all in capsules.

Iizuka, you evil, twisted S-O-B...

[Shadowlax]

25 minutes ago, Mark1 said:

I will never fully understand the full hate wisps get. Aside from story reasons (no explanation for their existence after Colours' ending) I'm pretty sure they added plenty of incentive to revisit levels in Colours.

Granted the way they were implemented in Lost World wasn't the best, but Colours did them decently. It looks like it plays similar to that one as well as Generations.

 

People would rather play as other characters, with other abilities that would allow them to navigate challenges uniquely this is something that sonic had before, that is now lost because everyone is sonic. 

So basically that, and some of the implicates people feel on opinions sega has on the future of the franchise and the fanbase based on what happened after they were introduced. So now they have officially taken more of a vitriolic role for a lot of the fanbase. 

 

 

[Chris Knopps]

10 minutes ago, Shadowlax said:

People would rather play as other characters, with other abilities that would allow them to navigate challenges uniquely this is something that sonic had before, that is now lost because everyone is sonic. 

So basically that, and some of the implicates people feel on opinions sega has on the future of the franchise and the fanbase based on what happened after they were introduced. So now they have officially taken more of a vitriolic role for a lot of the fanbase. 

 

 

Forgive me for being THAT guy for a moment but...

That's what everyone gets for complaining about Adventure, Adventure 2, Heroes, Shadow and 06.

(Granted the last two are certainly worth complaining about but NOT about the concept of multiple characters)

Had it coming sadly. We were all hurt by folks whining in the long run.

(Heck, one of the complaints about Rise of Lyric is, naturally, "not Sonic")

[Shadowlax]

17 minutes ago, Chris Knopps said:

Forgive me for being THAT guy for a moment but...

That's what everyone gets for complaining about Adventure, Adventure 2, Heroes, Shadow and 06.

(Granted the last two are certainly worth complaining about but NOT about the concept of multiple characters)

Had it coming sadly. We were all hurt by folks whining in the long run.

Complaints aside, people love adventure 1 2 and heroes, I hate heroes personally but folks love it. 

Shadow, while I think its not bad is just ok, gets valid criticisms, because it went too edgy when it could have just been ratchet and clank. 

And 06 is an unfinished dumpster fire. Peoples criticism, at least a lot of it was pretty valid, its segas fault for having an inability to adapt ideas into newer concepts instead of just throwing away things whole sale. As a mod put it " trying to heal a cut with a sledgehammer" , I don't blame the people with legitimate criticisms of the sonic franchise, what I do blame is sega for not being able differentiate legit criticism, and use that in a meaningful way to enrich the franchise instead of a very sterile soft reboot. And not being able to not give into illegitimate meme criticism. 

The latter leading into a very " betrayed " narrative that is going through the sonic fanbase, because the last time sega wanted their money in any meaningful capacity in regards to other characters they had to throw their money down a shitty mobile game gambling hole. Despite responses from sega internal, when that's your last experience with the company ontop of the garbage fire that was a lot of sonic boom, I can understand why some folks feel that way. 

But basically, its sega, its always sega. I'm tired of blaming others, and not blaming sega and sonic teams incompetence over the years its sega's fault. 

 

Edit: the only other 3rd party I would kind of blame out of side of sega's are reviewers that instead of being professional choose to perpetuate these memes, and that's done even to good games. I feel like its kind of an unproffesionalism that has been allowed exist because its sega and sonic and because they people have more of a reach I feel like that's a thing a blame. But only to a degree because the reason the meme exists is because of sega, so I while will fault them. Not 100%

[JezMM]

My problem with the Wisps is they temporarily limit your moveset to one action for a duration of time, which just isn't as fun to me as controlling a distinct character with a set of consistent moves that can be used freely as I see fit.

And I hated how they were handled in Colours, where basically accessing any route other than the most boring required you to constantly interrupt your flow with a 10-30 second minigame featuring entirely different movement from the base game.

I've nothing against weird gameplay in optional minigames or hell, even gimmick levels (I had no issue with the snowball level and the wind tunnel levels in Lost World), I just hate when Wisps force a fun Sonicy platforming experience to come to a standstill mid-level, sometimes multiple times, to temporarily do some other kind of platforming.

 

What I would be fine with, is Wisps being treated like Eagle was in Sonic Lost World - give Sonic optional, flexible powers that can be used anywhere to give an alternative way across an area that might be too hard for certain players, and severely limit moments where the Wisps are essentially "use square peg in square hole" puzzles where you are forced to use them immediately to progress.

Basically, design them with the same ethos in mind as the elemental shields from past games.  They make the game easier, are useful in more situations than the explicit ones the developers have laid out for them, but are never mandatory to clear a level and rarely mandatory to take an optional route or reach a secret area.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

1 hour ago, Chris Knopps said:

Why aren't they just freely floating in random places in the stage?

They're imprisoned all over Sonic's world, not freely remaining, and I have seen zero evidence to prove otherwise, they're all in capsules.

Iizuka, you evil, twisted S-O-B...

If you're really gonna look that deep into a gameplay mechanic then you might as well remember that Sonic Runners established such that they want to stick around....and had them not all stuck in capsules either.

Please tell me you aren't serious for once.

[Dr. Detective]

2 hours ago, Mark1 said:

I will never fully understand the full hate wisps get. Aside from story reasons (no explanation for their existence after Colours' ending) I'm pretty sure they added plenty of incentive to revisit levels in Colours.

If that's true it didn't work on me. I rarely go back to Colors.

That isn't the fault of the wisps. They were fine. The laser wisp was especially pretty fun to play around with. But what I consider incentives to go back to older games differs greatly from everyone else. 

[Chris Knopps]

1 minute ago, Jovahexeon Joranvexeon said:

If you're really gonna look that deep into a gameplay mechanic then you might as well remember that Sonic Runners established such that they want to stick around....and had them not all stuck in capsules either.

Please tell me you aren't serious for once.

I'm speaking only on the terms of the main canon, Runners is a random mobile spin-off that failed miserably. Even if the descriptions sounded pretty, they're not canon.

(Then again, what IS canon in the franchise anymore? What's continuity for that matter?)

I'd rather that line not start popping up in every response to me like my points are some consistently ludicrous thing when by and large they're not. Sometimes yes, but no more-so than others.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

Just now, Chris Knopps said:

I'm speaking only on the terms of the main canon, Runners is a random mobile spin-off that failed miserably. Even if the descriptions sounded pretty, they're not canon.

SO then can you please also realize that mechanics like wisps in capsules that the story doesn't regard are likely not canon either? Simple gameplay/story segregation.

[Azeon]

11 minutes ago, JezMM said:

My problem with the Wisps is they temporarily limit your moveset to one action for a duration of time, which just isn't as fun to me as controlling a distinct character with a set of consistent moves that can be used freely as I see fit.

And I hated how they were handled in Colours, where basically accessing any route other than the most boring required you to constantly interrupt your flow with a 10-30 second minigame featuring entirely different movement from the base game.

I've nothing against weird gameplay in optional minigames or hell, even gimmick levels (I had no issue with the snowball level and the wind tunnel levels in Lost World), I just hate when Wisps force a fun Sonicy platforming experience to come to a standstill mid-level, sometimes multiple times, to temporarily do some other kind of platforming.

 

What I would be fine with, is Wisps being treated like Eagle was in Sonic Lost World - give Sonic optional, flexible powers that can be used anywhere to give an alternative way across an area that might be too hard for certain players, and severely limit moments where the Wisps are essentially "use square peg in square hole" puzzles where you are forced to use them immediately to progress.

Basically, design them with the same ethos in mind as the elemental shields from past games.  They make the game easier, are useful in more situations than the explicit ones the developers have laid out for them, but are never mandatory to clear a level and rarely mandatory to take an optional route or reach a secret area.

Wait, so are ALL the Wisps returning? I was under the impression that only the white ones are returning, as it was only mentioned (to my knowledge) that their purpose was to fill the boost gauge. I'm fine with the white Wisps returning as the primary source of boost energy, but I agree with you about the other Wisps. I do not think SEGA is going to make all the Wisps return though, as since it was a core Sonic Colors gameplay mechanic, reusing it would just seem... wrong, like a Sonic Colors 2.

[blazefan519]

Just now, Prisima said:

Wait, so are ALL the Wisps returning? I was under the impression that only the white ones are returning, as it was only mentioned (to my knowledge) that their purpose was to fill the boost gauge. I'm fine with the white Wisps returning as the primary source of boost energy, but I agree with you about the other Wisps.

As of right now, we have no idea. When Aaron was talking about the Wisps at the even, not once did he say that it was _only_ the White Wisps, so we can't assume. I'm personally hoping that it's just the white wisps, as I wasn't that much of a fan of them.

[Chris Knopps]

1 minute ago, Jovahexeon Joranvexeon said:

SO then can you please also realize that mechanics like wisps in capsules that the story doesn't regard are likely not canon either? Simple gameplay/story segregation.

Wasn't it the staff and/or Iizuka who made the point canon that the Wisps liked the world so they stayed behind?

So... Yeah... My point does hold ground. If someone likes a place, I fail to see why they'd need imprisonment to stay around.

It's just a personal annoyance. I fail to see why it needs hammered in that my reasoning is so wrong when it's a pretty sensible train of thought on the matter.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

Just now, Chris Knopps said:

So... Yeah... My point does hold ground.

Not if you're trying to tackle a gameplay element in game/story segregated territories. It's almost as bad as when straw-man defenders of 06 try to use gameplay mechanics to justify the inane plot of that story.

[Dr. Detective]

1 hour ago, Jovahexeon Joranvexeon said:

SO then can you please also realize that mechanics like wisps in capsules that the story doesn't regard are likely not canon either? Simple gameplay/story segregation.

It's a little hard for me to do that when the wisps were introduced as a mechanic in Colors with gameplay/story amalgamation though. 

Perhaps if they were just there all along like the rings laying in the streets, forest, caves haunted mansions, ice regions, and in space (somehow) then sure. 

Or if they were just power-ups like the electric shield and other such things and not literal living beings trapped in a capsule. 

 

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

1 minute ago, Dr. Chaotix said:

It's a little hard for me to do that when the wisps were introduced as a mechanic in Colors with gameplay/story amalgamation though. 

True but that was Colors back then, and this is the now.

And again, looking that deeply into it is a double standard if one disregards Runners, trivial as they make think it to be.

At this point, I'm not surprised by the inconsistencies, but that's kinda been a thing with the series for some time.