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

[Sonicfan287]

Yknow, the more I think about it with this game, it really is a shame that the direction seems so scatterbrained because in a way, this has a chance to be something truly excellent and I feel like it will settle for just being "good" or "okay. Being the 25th anniversary game (I think we can still consider it that even though that was last year) I think it's very fitting that this is the game in which Robotnik finally takes over the world. I feel like it's something we've all wanted to see for a very long time. I feel like, to this day, the original Sonic Adventure handled the Sonic vs. Robotnik dynamic the best. They were enemies, there was definitely bad blood there but they also had their banter back and forth ("Hey look, it's a giant talking egg!") and since then they've made Robotnik too corny or too dark (in Sonic 06). 

Anyway, I feel like all these extra gimmicks like classic levels or an original character takes away from this significant moment for Sonic v. Robotnik and I personally would've rather seen Tails and/or Knuckles fight alongside Sonic as his allies against the evil doctor rather than some original fan character whom I have no history with. Hell, they could've just as easily had Tails be one of the characters. His use of gadgets in recent games would've made the whole customization thing possible while still keeping it relevant to the story. 

I just get the feeling that in this game the story is going to be secondary at best and this is the one time I think it should really be well thought out. I want to know how Robotnik took over the world, what plan he used that finally worked and I want to be taken on a journey the same way Sonic Adventure and SA2 told their stories and I just get this bad feeling that it's going to be a series of arbitrary levels with cutscenes here and there and even in his finest moment, Robotnik will still manage to look like a buffoon against Sonic and some generic original character. 

I hope I'm wrong

[Chris Knopps]

Thought it was worth sharing a few of the community responses over on TSOS here.

Take a look.

1

"That's it then. This game's gonna be nothing special. It's become more of a mess than 06 and even that game had more of a sense of structure to it. It just wasn't completed. Man, this game is like an amalgamation of ALL the current problems with the series right now!"

"Also one comment I saw about the thing with the OCs... "Sega came up with this amazing idea... 5 years too late."

2

"First the misleading tone, the autistic music, Green Hill Zone, Classic Sonic, Wisp, Boost2win, 2d/3d, now their saying if you want multiple playable character you have to create one yourself because fuck us if anyone wanted to play as Shadow, Blaze, Knuckles, or anyone, and now we got these fuckers who don't know how to write a decent story if their life depended on it."

3

"OH F**KING DAMN IT IIZUKA!! These guys were a mistake you never should have given a chance to, why, WHY would you want them to write for a game you said yourself wanted to feel a little heavier!? They can't even write humor well, and they botched trying to give Generations, Lost World, and Rise of Lyric more balanced narratives. This is inexcusable, you NEED to fire them and replace them with someone who actually understands Sonic, not someone who looks at a couple of cutscenes for a few minutes and figures "yeah, I pretty much all there needs to be known about this whole franchise, a-derp!".

"For god's sakes, why does he keep them around, they have not contributed to any successful venture beyond Colors. Generations' only praiseworthy aspect is it's gameplay, everyone admits the story is lackluster AT BEST. Their writing has only gotten worse over time, it hasn't improved one bit. Even their Colors success was a fluke, it was painfully different from the tone the series was known for, but not enough to completely kill the idea of Sonic ever being funny (just the idea of Sonic ever being taken half-seriously). They're biggest highlight is being "eh, okay I guess", and that was only for ONE GAME! I don't understand why he's kept them on, maybe he's convinced that they must be some kind of magic golden goose that he has to keep throttling until they finally lay a golden egg."

"So far all they've been doing is either making what would have otherwise been great Sonic games into "okay" Sonic games, or bad Sonic games into WORSE Sonic games. They literally can only go down from here, they lack the ability, and even the interest, to try and go up. And today's trailer gave me such high hopes. Guess I'll just have to hope that it really is a Generations 2 as far as at least having excellent gameplay goes, cause at this point that's honestly the best I can hope for from these incompetent hacks. XP"

4

"I feel like there's a bit of self-awareness on Sega's part about the OC scene in the Sonic fanbase (which, from what I've seen, can actually look pretty cool. Haven't dug into much fanart) The variations seem cool, and the little tweaks to gameplay should help with each player find a style all of their own."

"Slightly nervous about the pause before the character grips onto something with a grappling hook, but overall, I don't see any major problems for this. Hope it all comes together. "

5

"Create your own character? Wtf? This is NOT a fighting game. This is NOT a RPG game. This is Sonic. Sonic the motherf*cking hedgehog where I want to play ONLY as Sonic, speeding through levels in a cool Sonic style, collect rings while jaming to awesome Sega Sonic music at the same freakin time!!!! So what in the F*CK is this crap? And then they are still keeping the same lame writers from the last corny Sonic games we've had (but Sonic Generations was cool, just for gameplay sakes) which I seriously don't get."

"Why? Because this story is supposed to be DARKER. Eggman finally almost wins so why turn that into a lame *not funny* comedy? And don't get me started about how much I despise and hate Sonic Boom and the games that spawned from that series. *Sigh* I'm losing faith in Sega AND in Sonic. And to think I'm a die-hard Sonic fan......but I'm about to use *keyword USED to be* soon. Sonic Mania will be good of course but that's only because Sega's rehashing old classic levels and giving them a fresher twist which hell I'm of course will still buy just off the strength of that. But this latest news on Sonic Forces, I don't like it. And I'm def not excited for this game as I previously was. Got damnit Sega, just get Sonic right already! Like you used to.........."

6

"When I first saw the news that the 3rd character has finally be revealed, I just thought that it was just another fake by someone just to garner views. But when I actually saw the trailer and the fact that we can create our own Sonic character, my reaction was this: "THANK YOU, SEGA AND SONIC TEAM! YOU GUYS ARE SUPER MEGA AAAWWWEEESSSOOOMMMEEE!" Seriously, you don't know how I've longed for this: the ability to create my very own Sonic character to fight alongside the fastest thing alive! Man, when that tagline said "Join the Resistance!", they weren't kidding!"

"After watching the trailer, I can officially say that I am 100% hyped for this game, yes, even more so than Sonic Mania and Super Mario Odyssey! May not be Knuckles, but this game's third character did present me with a golden opportunity: the ability to play as someone other than just Sonic the Hedgehog. I am so ready to "Join the Resistance!"

[Celestia]

1 hour ago, Dejimon11 said:

There's a part of me that feels that the fan reaction would of been better if they had went with him. 

I can't speak for everyone but uhhhhh, that certainly would have made me instantly lose all interest in the game.

 

I'm sorry but my biggest takeaway from Boom as a whole was...well, let me put it this way: before that whole mess happened, but after LW, I had started to wonder if maybe I just accepted anything with Sonic's name on it.

Also y'know, three Sonics would've been overkill.

[Lord-Dreamerz]

1 hour ago, Dejimon11 said:

There's a part of me that feels that the fan reaction would of been better if they had went with him. 

ZhaaHahaa Haha!... No. I remember as if it was just yesterday so many people everywhere online saying they were going to rage so hard if it ended up being Boom Sonic... Seriously I can't remember 1 person who enjoyed the idea.

10 minutes ago, Celestia said:

Also y'know, three Sonics would've been overkill.

I'll take a OC Maker any day of the week over a game with 3 Sonics as the only playable cast! Sure.... 3 Sonics might had given the game a better uniform look instead of 2 Sonics and a non-Sonic... But it would had been gross if they did so in my honest opinion.

[Blue Blood]

Three Sonics or two Sonics and an OC are both pretty gross ideas.

[KHCast]

I personally would have preferred two Sonic's, and a Sonicman.

[HywelAtTheMoon]

Not to mention that both Modern and Boom Sonic would sound exactly the same. Speaking of which (pun not intended), has the custom character got a VO in this, or will he/she be mute? 

[KHCast]

2 minutes ago, HywelAtTheMoon said:

Not to mention that both Modern and Boom Sonic would sound exactly the same. Speaking of which (pun not intended), has the custom character got a VO in this, or will he/she be mute? 

I'd love if they did the Saints Row approach and had tons of generic voice options and a Nolan North one lol.

[herefor1reason]

i knew it wouldn't be, but i'm still a little disappointed that the third gameplay style isn't "proper" 3d platforming. instead, we get 2 modern gameplay styles and one classic (with shallower physics than the actual classics). like, i know people ask for adventure 3 a lot but i've always thought that was a confusing request from a developer standpoint. what about the adventure games do the people asking for  them want back? what i've always wanted was for them to do for sonic what mario 64 did for mario. not just taking 2d gameplay and making it 3d (they eventually did do that with 3d land and 3d world), but accounting for the changes 3d brings to the table. i'm not asking for a lot. i'm not even suggesting something like that become the main direction for the series. i just...want..ONE...GAME...that's not so unreasonable is it? just one official 3d sonic platformer with momentum physics? i wasn't really expecting anything like that in forces, but the kid in me is always hoping they do that in their games and the kid in me is always disappointed when they don't. make it a spin off even, just...the boost fans (myself included) get the sonic games they like. the classic fans (also myself included) get the games they want. why can't adventure fans get thrown a bone every once in a while, and i know sonic adventure was deeply flawed, even with regards to how sonic himself controlled but it's been the best 3d approximation of how the classics played we've ever gotten and it seems crazy to me that sega is just like "who even WANTS to play classic style sonic in 3d?".

 

sorry, not trying to derail any discussions, just...if they're trying to please everyone anyway, why not adventure fans too? and by adventure fans, i mostly mean people who want 2d sonic gameplay effectively translated into a 3d platformer. i love boost gameplay (for what it is anyway) but it is NOT classic gameplay in 3d.

[StaticMania]

If voice options aren't a thing, the generic character may very well be voiced by a girl...

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

2 hours ago, Jango said:

I see where you're trying to get with this.

Is it possible that we have, you know... grown up?

Now if only most of us acted like it...

[SweeCrue]

Finally I can play as Poochie!

 

Inb4 the OC is an alien and has to go back to their home planet.

 

But real talk. The custom character doesn't bother me as much as I thought it would. As long as they're enjoyable to play, I'll be happy.

[Red Hot Jack]

Well, the third gameplay is basically Adventure gameplay, without the boost and high speed, with more focus on exploration and platforming, it just needed to be fully 3D. I'm really interested in the wispon feature though, it sounds a fun use of the wisps. Also, so Sonic is the only one who can canonically transform using the wisps?

[StaticMania]

No other characters use the wisps, so there's no answer to that question.

[Red Hot Jack]

Just now, StaticMania said:

No other characters use the wisps, so there's no answer to that question.

Custom Hero uses the wisps but he/she doesn't transform, he uses the wispon to turn them into a weapon.

[StaticMania]

This custom character doesn't exist...

 

So it doesn't have a Wisp Transformation.

[Zers Editor]

4 hours ago, HywelAtTheMoon said:

Not to mention that both Modern and Boom Sonic would sound exactly the same. Speaking of which (pun not intended), has the custom character got a VO in this, or will he/she be mute? 

I bet it's going to be mute.

 

[Marcello]

10 hours ago, JC_Mike said:

I really hope we learn more about the character creation thing at e3, because I don't think I and several others really like how this is turning out to be.

  Hide contents

It even be even worse if the leotard design for females become yet another restriction on the SegaSonic style. Can't wait for the redesigns of Sally and Sticks in leotards.

 

Leotard design? What are you talking about? Off the top of my head, the only character that wears a leotard is Bunnie and she's from about 24 years ago.

9 hours ago, blazefan519 said:

So let's talk about the "World Map" and "Mission" icon you can see on the character creator screen.

So could the world map be something akin to Colors, Unleashed, or SA2? And could this mean hubworlds, possibly?

And then the missions. Is it something like the Chaotix missions in Heroes, or Shadow the Hedgehog's mission levels? I'm honestly pretty intrigued.

What's your guys' take on it?

I'm thinking Colors or Lost World. I don't expect hub worlds.

36 minutes ago, Chameleon94 said:

Well, the third gameplay is basically Adventure gameplay, without the boost and high speed, with more focus on exploration and platforming, it just needed to be fully 3D. I'm really interested in the wispon feature though, it sounds a fun use of the wisps. Also, so Sonic is the only one who can canonically transform using the wisps?

Huh? It looks like Boost gameplay minus the boost plus the grappling and gun abilities.

33 minutes ago, StaticMania said:

No other characters use the wisps, so there's no answer to that question.

Really? Did they say that?

[CleverSonicUsername]

33 minutes ago, Zers Editor said:

I bet it's going to be mute.

 

If the OC is mute, and Classic is mute, that's gonna be kind of a weird dynamic between the three playable characters. I wonder if classic might end up getting a voice, or if you do assign a preset voice to the character you create.

[StaticMania]

Just now, Marcello said:

Really? Did they say that?

Up until now, no other character has used a wisp and the CC doesn't get a design when it uses them...So I mean, yeah. They didn't have to say anything.

[Ellipsis-Ultima]

I think some of the OC abilities could work well with some of the extended cast.

• The ring magnet ability could work well for Silver, as a side ability of sorts, attacking with telekinesis aside, he can make a wave to draw the rings in.
• The grappling hook: Espio may have used it before? Well he can use it again in his gameplay along with his cameoflage and other ninja skills.
• The Wispon could go to Tails. Flight aside, he could use some gadgets for his gameplay.

The OC uses the wisp for the Wispon and the color power, although they don't transform. The gameplay footage shows it using the red burst ability and using that wisp as a flamethrower. That makes me wonder what other weapon abilities will we get with other Wisps.

• Like the Cyan Laser for... A laser?
• The Ivory wisp for a electric taser thing?
• The Void wisp to shoot out a black hole? (like Zarya's ultimate from Overwatch)

The gameplay for the OC looks interesting, the grappling hook sections look kinda fun. Though I really really want to play as the extended cast again, so I hope this will be a one time thing. I have conflicting feelings about this OC character, some of the accessories look cool with those anime/game references... However I really wish they thought a bit deeper in species. Heck even the Archie Sonic comics had characters with interesting designs, there's a pronghorn, lynx, otters and other aquatic animals. Reptiles or even bugs could've worked in the roster.

My other concern is the OC personality. Will there be a voice, or is it dialogue like how unleashed did?

41 minutes ago, StaticMania said:

No other characters use the wisps, so there's no answer to that question.

Well there was that one time in Sonic Runners where everyone used the Wisps and transformations and shiz. Though that's a ded mobile game now...

 

[StaticMania]

But someone said that the characters just got Sonic's Wisp design because they all play the same...or something like that (and I checked for new designs). So that doesn't tell of anything.

[Marcello]

16 minutes ago, CleverSonicUsername said:

If the OC is mute, and Classic is mute, that's gonna be kind of a weird dynamic between the three playable characters.

 

lol for some reason I'm imagining cutscenes going down like this now: 

 

 

13 minutes ago, StaticMania said:

Up until now, no other character has used a wisp and the CC doesn't get a design when it uses them...So I mean, yeah. They didn't have to say anything.

What does him not getting a design have to do with it? I hope you're right, though.

[TCB]

4 hours ago, Conquering Storm's Servant said:

Now if only most of us acted like it...

Heyoooooo.

7 hours ago, Jango said:

I see where you're trying to get with this.

Is it possible that we have, you know... grown up? Sure Sonic The Hedgehog is a franchise that appeals to all ages, but I guess SEGA has given enough hints that they want to deliver different games to different age demographics. The quote you brought before proves that. THEN AGAIN, Classic Sonic is in Forces, but it's not like ST gave much thought about his inclusion, ergo why the gameplay doesn't even scratch the surface of a true classic experience. He's just another character in the cast to them.

What is sad, tho', is the fact that we had Modern Sonic games aimed at all ages, like Unleashed, the two Adventure titles and Heroes. Things started to lean towards the younger age demographic side with Sonic Colors. Simpler mechanics, colorful new characters, easy-to-follow story... I've rolled with it while I could... but I guess it's time to maybe... face it? I mean, I'm not saying you're wrong if you like the CaC thing, nor that you can't enjoy it, but I personally can't. I kept moving, and I guess SEGA wants Sonic to stay young. It might sound contradictory when I say this, because Mania is nothing but a 1995 game made in 2017. The fact that Mania still appeals to me is the obvious nostalgia and the promise of a quality game, you know, solid, precise and to the point.

I still look forward to Forces, tho'.

And I love you guys.

Anyway, Jango makes a good point. I mean I was 8-9 when I came into the series, when Heroes and Sonic X were in the spotlight. Coming off of S10&2/Shadow/2006 Modern was still in the period of appeasing all age groups (with varying levels of success). 

And since then for the longest time I knew that this franchise had the kid demographic in mind no matter what. What changed (from my perspective) where the kind of mindset kids at the time he was being marketed to. The 90s had that bad dude with 'tude', rad, cool n' hip markting that kids I'm sure were drawn to, right? Since 2008-10, the way Sonic has been handled as far as attracting new fans hasn't changed. He's still heavily marketed for younger fans, it's the mindset of these fans that have changed. 

That's is, unless everything I posted up now is false and I'm talking out of my ass then that proves I don't know what I'm talking about in regards to this series and should learn to let others who can talk about better than me do so then ok hahahahaha oh vey

Then we had Sonic 4, which to my knowledge was the first time was meant to be marketed to the older fans more which Colors steadied the younger side. So kind of an outlier here... Seeing how both turned out notwithstanding, I think it's clear now SEGA has a distinct approach to "please" their different demographics. Reading from older and younger members here, on Twitter, Retro...I can see that. You'll be a fool not to notice it either. How, while Forces is leaning to the more causal side of the fanbase, there's just much thrown at it to see what stick that, again, it also makes you ask, "what is this appealing to? There's Classic Sonic...but there's CaC?? Boost? 2D segments for Modern again?" In trying to throw all these ideas into one game to appease everyone despite it being the game for younger and causal fans in mind, in of itself doesn't have focus. It's lost within in own hodgepodge of designs choices.

I'm not harping on CaC, and to be honest, just like I was with Mania for the past number of months and likewise with this game, that is a feature that I'm neutral about. I do feel the game can sell a good bit based on that alone; the casual demographic can eat that up. I really want to see just HOW well the execution goes.

[StaticMania]

11 minutes ago, Marcello said:

What does him not getting a design have to do with it? I hope you're right, though.

Well, the CC doesn't even transform into the existing Burst design in the trailer...so, what's up with that?

 

Other characters can't use the wisps on the grounds of not being playable, that's an explanation on its own.