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

[Badnik Mechanic]

6 minutes ago, Kintor said:

Let people have fun with it and share their creations online, Sonic's reputation will only benefit from it.

Lol!

Dude! This is one of the most brought up reasons why people mock Sonic!

[CleverSonicUsername]

2 minutes ago, Mayor D said:

Lol!

Dude! This is one of the most brought up reasons why people mock Sonic!

It's like that "search your name plus "the hedgehog" into GIS and see what pops up" thing, except it's actually a part of the game.

[Stritix]

I'm telling you, this won't do well. Could've seen it receiving 7/10's at best with just Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic, but this awful idea has knocked off at least a couple of points. Can't see it selling well either. This game has absolutely nothing appealing about it. So far it has looked like a drastically downgraded version of Generations at best.

Obviously this is just my own personal speculation, but this looks like a huge flop. People don't want this. DeviantArt members will not do much for the game. Younger players will stick with LEGO Dimensions and the rest of the current trendy games. They probably won't even give this a chance.

[Chris Knopps]

I'm gonna try and get myself interested/excited for Forces again...

This kind of theme for Eggman in Forces...

Yes please. Hail that dictator bit@%es.

[Sonikko]

1 minute ago, Stritix said:

I'm telling you, this won't do well. Could've seen it receiving 7/10's at best with just Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic, but this awful idea has knocked off at least a couple of points. Can't see it selling well either. This game has absolutely nothing appealing about it. So far it has looked like a drastically downgraded version of Generations at best.

Obviously this is just my own personal speculation, but this looks like a huge flop. People don't want this. DeviantArt members will not do much for the game. Younger players will stick with LEGO Dimensions and the rest of the current trendy games. They probably won't even give this a chance.

Exactly. People don't really care about Sonic anymore (What I mean is that the name "Sonic" does not mean quality anymore, and it hasn't for too much time). The brand alone is not enough to drive sales. See how Lost World and Boom games went.

Even 2006 became a platinum hit eventually, 2 Boom games together sold less than 300k. That's really worrying for a worldwide known franchise as Sonic.

This franchise is the punchbag of the game community, and another mediocre game at best with OC creation is not doing any good to its reputation. There's no way this is going to sell as much as Generations, I'm predicting a flop.

[Scar]

15 minutes ago, Nepenthe said:

Talking out of both sides of your neck. You can't argue that a character creator is subversive while in every other argument praise it because everyone is doing it.

I mean he could mean they're subverting the idea that they're capable of producing a quality, gimmick-free Sonic game.

10 minutes ago, Chris Knopps said:

(SEGA CEO walks into Sonic Team)

"Okay everybody. Forces is out, having a bit of a hard time. All of the staff here working on Sonic, work's going on a hiatus. We're letting the staff in the west carry on with a few Mania related projects to keep the franchise in the market while you go on a trip. We're trying this the old fashioned way, sending the lot of you to different destinations together, tour the world, rack up some new inspiration and get some rest in the process. Mingle with consumers in different territories, find out the tastes. Then we'll bring you back and see what we've got to work with."

That's literally what Sonic Team did for SA1. They went to South America (Peru I think?) and found inspiration for the Mystic Ruins and Lost World etc. It would certainly be a smart thing to do. I for one would get them to study the classic games, their mechanics, their level design etc. I'd get them to play all of the previous 3D Sonic games good and bad. Get them to understand how a Sonic game should and should not feel. Get them to understand why automation is bad (or try to understand at least why they're using it as a crutch, what obstacles have they not yet been able to overcome. Maybe talk with Headcannon and Taxman. THEN send them off on a holiday for inspiration.

 

As for why this game exists in its current form. I ain't got a clue. I'd love to find out. Have Sonic Retro conduct an inquest or some shit to find out. My gut feeling is focus testing by marketing dept. which filtered through to this cavalcade of ideas lacking in any sort of real ideas. I mean only marketing departments can try so hard to appeal to everyone and end up appealing to no one.

[Graystripe2000]

Just now, Sonikko said:

Exactly. People don't really care about Sonic anymore. The brand alone is not enough to drive sales. See how Lost World and Boom games went.

Even 2006 became a platinum hit eventually, 2 Boom games together sold less than 300k. That's really worrying for a worldwide known franchise as Sonic.

Both of those were on 1-2 platforms. This is on 4.

[Kuzu]

It's occurred to me that I have not bought a Sonic game in six years, Generation was the last time. I've been mostly dabbing in other franchises since then, still have no incentive to come back. 

 

THAT SAID, honestly and I can't believe I'm saying this lol, a character creator honestly doesn't seem too bad. I mean yea sure, the obvious OC mockery is there but I don't see why cashing in on it is a bad idea. It's honestly the least offensive idea I've seen in this game. Fuck, at least it's new. Whether it remains to be good or not is up in there air, but hey it's something. I'll take it over the fuck all amounts of stuff we've been getting.

 

On the OTHER hand, I do understand the sentiment of this game being all over the fucking place and not really jiving with it. I still am not particularly excited myself, mostly because I'm all too used to Sonic Team's track record. And that's probably why people are so ambivalent. Even if it IS a good idea, it's Sonic Team at the helm and I'm pretty sure everyone understands how assbackwards they are at this point. For every step they take, they take two steps back.

 

Sooooo....I don't even know how to feel about this game anymore to be quite honest. I don't think it's even terrible. But I sure as hell don't give a shit about anything it's doing. I mostly care about the character customization for ironic reasons. So...I dunno.

 

But hey...the kids will like it...I guess...I dunno. I'm gonna go back to Persona 5.

[Tracker_TD]

I honestly can't see Forces doing badly. I'd imagine a fair chunk of Sonic fans'll buy it just out of thirst for a new Modern Sonic game (on a console more than 3 people own) after like, 6 years. And I'd imagine the meme potential will get a couple of sales, though nowhere near the slam dunk some people are expecting.

I'd like to be wrong, because if our suspicions are correct and Forces is shit, then it should flop to send a message. 

...and then ideally Mania would do gangbusters to send another message. 

[Sonikko]

1 minute ago, Operationgamer17 said:

Both of those were on 1-2 platforms. This is on 4.

The 3DS has a 50m+ userbase and the Pokémon games usually sell more than 10m or they get pretty close. 300k for WiiU/3DS Boom is bad, no matter how you look at it.

[Chris Knopps]

2 minutes ago, Tracker_TD said:

I honestly can't see Forces doing badly. I'd imagine a fair chunk of Sonic fans'll buy it just out of thirst for a new Modern Sonic game (on a console more than 3 people own) after like, 6 years. And I'd imagine the meme potential will get a couple of sales, though nowhere near the slam dunk some people are expecting.

I'd like to be wrong, because if our suspicions are correct and Forces is shit, then it should flop to send a message. 

...and then ideally Mania would do gangbusters to send another message. 

I think the messages are so clear the company is being covered in bruises from how hard everything is hitting.

That said...

Maybe, just maybe, there will be nothing to fear anymore after Forces and Mania launch, after this year, maybe, FINALLY, everything will be clear, the right things will be done, and we'll go through a true revival of this franchise.

[Scar]

5 minutes ago, Operationgamer17 said:

Both of those were on 1-2 platforms. This is on 4.

Need to take a more nuanced look at that. Yes the Wii U had a pitiful install base, but it also had a remarkably high attach rate (i.e number of games bought per system owned). Meanwhile the 3DS is sitting pretty at north of 60 million units sold. 

Sonic Boom's performance was bad no matter which way you look at it.

[Graystripe2000]

A Spin article on today's news. Wasn't @Mayor D planning to do one? 

https://www.sonicstadium.org/2017/05/the-spin-balancing-forces/

[Autosaver]

I love how I went from "This music is leaning towards to sounding like shit" and then hearing the new song with vocals... I want it.

[Badnik Mechanic]

2 minutes ago, Operationgamer17 said:

A Spin article on today's news. Wasn't @Mayor D planning to do one? 

https://www.sonicstadium.org/2017/05/the-spin-balancing-forces/

Never said I was doing it.

[Alienrun]

18 minutes ago, Tracker_TD said:

Judging from the responses after Mania was unveiled, as people started to consider the idea of no new 3D game being announced, nah. Folks would not last, especially given the gap between Gene- ahem, Lost World and Forces as is. 

Zelda fans wait a couple years for new releases. (3D Mario fans too) ...Why can't sonic fans do the same?! If the game quality actually got better people would understand that quality takes time...

...Like legit question, what the crap were you all doing in between late 2014 and mid 2016?

...I know I moved on to other stuff. :/

[Celestia]

8 minutes ago, Tracker_TD said:

Judging from the responses after Mania was unveiled, and people started to consider the idea of no new 3D game, nah. Folks would not last, especially given the gap between Gene- ahem, Lost World and Forces as is. 

But the (most likely) alternative is continuing to release games that aren't exactly winning people over anyway.

Granted they could just wise up and address the series' issues without needing to take a break. Like Azoo's been saying lately, I sincerely think that's well within their ability if they gave their all, but I'm not expecting it anytime soon.

[StaticMania]

2 minutes ago, Autosaver said:

I love how I went from "This music is leaning towards to sounding like shit" and then hearing the new song with vocals... I want it.

Where've you been, mang? That's definitely not how it's been now.

[Alienrun]

20 minutes ago, Mayor D said:

Lol!

Dude! This is one of the most brought up reasons why people mock Sonic!

Correction...it is the most brought up reason why people mock sonic! (trying to find someone not use the words "Sonic + Deviant Art" and "Cringe" in the same sentence is pretty hard lol.)

[Sonikko]

3 minutes ago, Alienrun said:

Zelda fans wait a couple years for new releases. (3D Mario fans too) ...Why can't sonic fans do the same?! If the game quality actually got better people would understand that quality takes time...

...Like legit question, what the crap were you all doing in between late 2014 and mid 2016?

...I know I moved on to other stuff. :/

It's not like their hiatus between 2013-2016 was actually worth something. They are putting out a mediocre, bad-thought out product.

BTW @CrystalStorm51 made a poll to see what was the reaction about the OC thing, let's vote so we get a clearer image.

https://strawpoll.com/993dyb3

[Tracker_TD]

4 minutes ago, Celestia said:

But the (most likely) alternative is continuing to release games that aren't exactly winning people over anyway.

Not necessarily. 

[Chris Knopps]

I'm starting to think this is the theme of every Sonic community mod everywhere. Just imagine it's Sonic centric instead.

We have such an incredible job. I say we because I am one elsewhere and know all too well how it gets with each titles launch, especially with this one in particular.

What a franchise we decided to help promote and be a part of.

[Kintor]

22 minutes ago, Nepenthe said:

Talking out of both sides of your neck. You can't argue that a character creator is subversive while in every other argument praise it because everyone is doing it.

What I'm saying is that people using the character creator for subversive purposes isn't going to damage the reputation of the Sonic franchise, since Sonic already has a history of this sort of 'tongue-in-cheek' idea. If anything  it's going to boost Sonic's reputation significantly as people gave fun messing around in Sonic Forces.

[StaticMania]

People having fun screwing around in Character Creation isn't going to make people have more fun playing Sonic games.

[Alienrun]

1 minute ago, Sonikko said:

It's not like their hiatus between 2013-2016 was actually worth something. They are putting out a mediocre, bad-thought out product.

Obvious marketing flaws aside...this game has potential to be better than Gens...It certainly will be better than Lost World, unless they somehow find a way to f**k it up more.

Again these are possibilities that aren't too unrealistic.

Wait...am I defending this game?!

I take it back...all of it!

...Seriously though, we don't know enough information to tell. I personallly don't see how it can be worse than lost world, but that's just me. I still haven't got the OC thing in my mind completely, so maybe that's the piece of evidence we need to solidify that this game won't do very well.