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

[Shadowlax]

Just now, blazefan519 said:

So... Sonic Forces, that's a game.

It is. 

The secret is, the game is actually about big the cat. 

Sonic forces him to loose weight.

[Kuzu]

54 minutes ago, Josh said:

You make a good point here, but Akuma and Ken are still adored in mainstream circles and that's why they were added regardless. Akuma isn't THAT controversial if they let him in Tekken 7, right? People wouldn't reference Raging Demon all the time if they didn't at least have some fondness for him, right?

With Shadow, it seems like he's only brought up by casual fans or non fans when people want to make a joke, y'know?

I literally have a Twitter feed of memes mocking Akuma and Ken's designs in SFV, I can assure you that they are just as much the butt of jokes as Shadow tends to be. The only difference is that it's easy to overlook this because Ken and Akuma are actually playable nowadays and have playstyles that people are familiar with from years of experience with the series. Meanwhile Shadow hasn't done anything notable in over a decade; there's literally nothing else to talk about him besides memes. It doesn't mean he's unpopular, it just means there's nothing about the character to particularly latch onto besides "OW THE EDGE" memes due to him effectively being exercised from it.

[RictalRose0]

Besides the OW THE EDGE meme didn't start all that much because of Shadow the Hedgehog. A game that was over ten years old when that meme really kicked off and no one cared about that much. /v/ started that meme because they were mocking stuff like the new Dante and other "edgy" reboots or redesigns, and that was the funny macro to express that feel.

[JosepHenry]

...What characters you want in Sonic Forces? (As NPCs)

Since Tails, Knuckles, Amy and Chaotix got confirmed, I hope Shadow, Rouge, Omega, Cream, Big, Blaze and Silver are in it too. Blaze and Silver is a bit more of a stretch, but they can time travel when they want sooo... But each one of them have should have more than 3 lines of dialogue.

[Chris Knopps]

Just now, JosepMelloZSM said:

...What characters you want in Sonic Forces? (As NPCs)

Since Tails, Knuckles, Amy and Chaotix got confirmed, I hope Shadow, Rouge, Omega, Cream, Big, Blaze and Silver are in it too. Blaze and Silver is a bit more of a stretch, but they can time travel when they want sooo... But each one of them have should have more than 3 lines of dialogue.

You know what...?

Here's what I'm thinking...

What if the game is all about playing as Sonic only, and while we play the game, they pull a Cars 2 where we actually focus on what the other characters are doing in cut scenes while Sonic makes his way toward Eggman, making them main characters as much as Sonic, possibly more-so, just not as playable?

[JosepHenry]

12 minutes ago, Chris Knopps said:

You know what...?

Here's what I'm thinking...

What if the game is all about playing as Sonic only, and while we play the game, they pull a Cars 2 where we actually focus on what the other characters are doing in cut scenes while Sonic makes his way toward Eggman, making them main characters as much as Sonic, possibly more-so, just not as playable?

That could work brilliantly yet fail horribly.

Depends on execution.

...But I kinda want this now! That makes the name "Sonic Forces" have much more sense.

[FriendBot]

Team Dark is probably the most likely inclusions, I would prefer if Silver and Blaze aren't there because they live in their own dimension/time period so no need to hamfist them in every Modern title. If I wanted to see more Blaze and Silver, it's gonna be risky (especially with Silver) but make games based on them.

Actually since Silver is from the future, it would be more likely to see him in it rather than Blaze.

[DonWaffleleven]

4 minutes ago, Chris Knopps said:

You know what...?

Here's what I'm thinking...

What if the game is all about playing as Sonic only, and while we play the game, they pull a Cars 2 where we actually focus on what the other characters are doing in cut scenes while Sonic makes his way toward Eggman, making them main characters as much as Sonic, possibly more-so, just not as playable?

That... is actually not a crazy idea. Could have picked a better example than Cars 2 (Mad Max maybe?) but otherwise it's better than Sonic's friends being glorified cheerleaders.

[RictalRose0]

Team Dark is obviously gonna get in. And we already know Amy, Tails, Knux and the Chaotix will be there. And as much as I like Blaze and Silver I do think including them always overcomplicates things due to living in different dimensions/timeperiods. So outside of that, I would have to say Cream. And maybe for Sega to drop all that "she can't do anything 'cause she's a pacifist". I don't need her to go all guns out but her being helpful without resorting to violence would be okay too. I definitely don't want Cheerleading anymore, from any character. 

[blazefan519]

38 minutes ago, Chris Knopps said:

You know what...?

Here's what I'm thinking...

What if the game is all about playing as Sonic only, and while we play the game, they pull a Cars 2 where we actually focus on what the other characters are doing in cut scenes while Sonic makes his way toward Eggman, making them main characters as much as Sonic, possibly more-so, just not as playable?

I would totally like to see that, provided that they execute it well. It'll be a great way of showing that Sonic's not in this alone and that everyone is willing to pitch in and help save the world. As much as I don't like Shadow the Hedgehog (game not character), I will admit that in the opening cutscene, the scene where Sonic is running and he looks back to see that all of his friends were with him was pretty awesome. The rest of the cutscene was an edgy mess, but I digress. The title of the game is Sonic Forces. The forces of good against the forces of evil. If the forces of good is literally just Sonic and his friends are just on the sidelines and are just there to be there, I'll be heavily disappointed.

For the NPC thing. Team Dark seems like an obvious one, so I don't think we'll have to worry about them. Then there's Team Rose, which Amy has already been confirmed. Don't know about Cream though, but if they can let Charmy from the Chaotix show up, then they should be okay with Cream. With the meme status that Big has become, I find it pretty likely he'll show up as well, don't know how he'll go fishing in all that fire though. Then that leaves Blaze and Silver, and they're kinda complicated. Silver's the more likely out of the two because it seems like time travel is involved in this, and that means "It's no use". Blaze might show up if the destruction ends up reaching her world too, but it's going to be interested to see how the two of them could be written if they are added in.

[Azeon]

Yesterday, Shun Nakumara (the producer for Sonic Forces) tweeted:

"タイトルforcesには色々な意味が込められています。想像してみてください。 #SONICFORCES"

which roughly translates to:

"Various meanings are incorporated in the title 'Forces'. Try to imagine. #SONICFORCES"

Something deeper than simply the forces of good and evil maybe?

[blazefan519]

2 minutes ago, Prisima said:

Yesterday, Shun Nakumara (the producer for Sonic Forces) tweeted:

"タイトルforcesには色々な意味が込められています。想像してみてください。 #SONICFORCES"

which roughly translates to:

"Various meanings are incorporated in the title 'Forces'. Try to imagine. #SONICFORCES"

Something deeper than simply the forces of good and evil maybe?

Interesting. I wonder what he means by this. More puns?

[Chris Knopps]

2 minutes ago, Prisima said:

Yesterday, Shun Nakumara (the producer for Sonic Forces) tweeted:

"タイトルforcesには色々な意味が込められています。想像してみてください。 #SONICFORCES"

which roughly translates to:

"Various meanings are incorporated in the title 'Forces'. Try to imagine. #SONICFORCES"

Something deeper than simply the forces of good and evil maybe?

What are we supposed to imagine? How many bad and/or negative puns the communities can make about the game using the title?

You can't say the game is about "Forces" when it, LITERALLY, revolves "Me, myself and I" at the end of it all, save for friends likely TRYING to get screen time while we pray for better writing.

[Celestia]

As for NPCs, I'd like to see Omega for the first time in, like, 7 years? Even longer if we don't count Colours DS...

I always liked that robot and the comics just make me miss him even more. He's the sort of character I'm fine with not being playable, it'd just be nice to know for sure he's off blowing up badniks somewhere.

All this talk of Team Dark got me thinking about him lol

[Bowbowis]

3 hours ago, Prisima said:

Yesterday, Shun Nakumara (the producer for Sonic Forces) tweeted:

"タイトルforcesには色々な意味が込められています。想像してみてください。 #SONICFORCES"

which roughly translates to:

"Various meanings are incorporated in the title 'Forces'. Try to imagine. #SONICFORCES"

Something deeper than simply the forces of good and evil maybe?

G-force?

Brute force?

Force of nature?

Force of habit?

Mechanical force?

Magnetic force?

Police force?

The Force?

Lots of different forces he could be referring to.

[Chris Knopps]

18 minutes ago, Bowbowis said:

G-force?

Brute force?

Force of nature?

Force of habit?

Mechanical force?

Magnetic force?

Police force?

The Force?

Lot's of different forces he could be referring to.

I think the guy's just trying too hard when he has nothing to offer in the way of promotion even when he himself likely feels the game needs all the help it can get.

Let him try, but I wish it didn't feel this... I dunno...

[RictalRose0]

He's just being cryptic. You don't need to look into it to make yet another allegory of why Japan sucks because they're not making memes on twitter or something.

[Chris Knopps]

2 minutes ago, RictalRose0 said:

He's just being cryptic. You don't need to look into it to make yet another allegory of why Japan sucks because they're not making memes on twitter or something.

...Eh?

For once I'm actually not dissing the Japanese division. He just literally has nothing he's allowed to use to promote the game so he's trying the Webber route with Forces.

Kind of lacks something though... I dunno. Just doesn't put off the same vibes as when Webber and co. try to get all cryptic. It's like an off-brand cryptic.

[FriendBot]

While Nakamura is being cryptic about things but I feel since he's the producer and clearly has the script for the game itself, I can't help but feel intrigued on his small teases.

I just wish I knew Japanese so I can properly understand what's he saying.

[Sega DogTagz]

5 hours ago, DonWaffleleven said:

I guess the next question is if they know the boost gameplay is fundamentally flawed on this level, why still make games in it's style?

Because when they tried to step away from the boost formula, the entire fanbase kinda balked at it.

Lost World was, more than anything else, an attempt at creating a new playstyle for  Sonic that was above all, asset friendly. But the lukewarm-at-best reception and lackluster sales it got does no favors to a franchise that was just getting back on track after Generations. Its not surprising that Sonic Team fell backwards into their safety net. For as divisive and controversial as the boost gameplay is (especially round these parts), it is what is working for them at the moment.

At some point, they are going to either have to find a way to make the boost formula less asset intensive (procedurally generated content maybe? idk) or find another playstyle that people can enjoy and get behind. Otherwise, all future boost games will have to feature some kind of hodgepodge of play styles to pad out the game.

[RictalRose0]

11 minutes ago, Chris Knopps said:

For once I'm actually not dissing the Japanese division. He just literally has nothing he's allowed to use to promote the game so he's trying the Webber route with Forces.

 

Sorry dude but I kind of expect that with you at this point lmao. But anyway Nakamura is the producer so he probably knows all about it already and it's only been like one week anyway. And he's already revealed more about Forces that Webber tbh. 

[Chris Knopps]

20 minutes ago, Sega DogTagz said:

Because when they tried to step away from the boost formula, the entire fanbase kinda balked at it.

Lost World was, more than anything else, an attempt at creating a new playstyle for  Sonic that was above all, asset friendly. But the lukewarm-at-best reception and lackluster sales it got does no favors to a franchise that was just getting back on track after Generations. Its not surprising that Sonic Team fell backwards into their safety net. For as divisive and controversial as the boost gameplay is (especially round these parts), it is what is working for them at the moment.

At some point, they are going to either have to find a way to make the boost formula less asset intensive (procedurally generated content maybe? idk) or find another playstyle that people can enjoy and get behind. Otherwise, all future boost games will have to feature some kind of hodgepodge of play styles to pad out the game.

The problem is the direction they went that was flawed. It had a poor script, it was made primarily to attract Mario and Nintendo fans to the franchise, which has been stated by staff, and the instant you warp your franchise into that of another your "brand identity" which some go on about as-is suffers as a result because it means the team have so little confidence in Sonic now the next best step for them was to literally copy and paste Mario from their Galaxy concept, to stage progression tropes, to the whole Bowser/Koopaling thing, etc.

I have to admit, wanting to change the game play was good. Wanting to do so by basically being Mario in a Sonic re-skin was bad.

[Monkey Destruction Switch]

3 hours ago, JosepMelloZSM said:

...What characters you want in Sonic Forces? (As NPCs)

Since Tails, Knuckles, Amy and Chaotix got confirmed, I hope Shadow, Rouge, Omega, Cream, Big, Blaze and Silver are in it too. Blaze and Silver is a bit more of a stretch, but they can time travel when they want sooo... But each one of them have should have more than 3 lines of dialogue.

Not that I don't like all those characters, but that would be way too much for me. I feel like Sonic side characters would be better off in terms of how well-done they are and how well they're received if they have more of a sense of focus and purpose, as opposed to just throwing them all in even but not necessarily having that much to do with them. I do think Team Dark would make sense, though.

[Zaysho]

1 hour ago, Celestia said:

As for NPCs, I'd like to see Omega for the first time in, like, 7 years? Even longer if we don't count Colours DS...

I always liked that robot and the comics just make me miss him even more. He's the sort of character I'm fine with not being playable, it'd just be nice to know for sure he's off blowing up badniks somewhere.

All this talk of Team Dark got me thinking about him lol

Boy, it's a good thing Vic Mignogna hasn't blown up to the degree Troy Baker has, so if Omega returns he may actually get to voice him.

[blazefan519]

1 minute ago, Zaysho said:

Boy, it's a good thing Vic Mignogna hasn't blown up to the degree Troy Baker has, so if Omega returns he may actually get to voice him.

Speaking of Troy Baker, he's no longer Espio anymore. Matt Mercer is his voice now, starting at the Rio Olympics (we went to a voice actor in everything to another voice actor in everything, great stuff). Wonder why they changed him. Same for Big too, Oliver Wyman reprised his role as him in Lego Dimensions. Not sure if it's permanent or if Kyle Herbert is coming back.