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

[Hiki]

Somehow, I think this new character will be Sticks. Nonplayable of course.

[Bowbowis]

New character, huh? Well, given that SEGA is too afraid to use the characters they already have, this new character is probably not going to a major addition like Knuckles or Shadow were. Really, the only scenario in which I could see them expanding the cast would be if they were introducing Sticks to the game's canon which, granted, is certainly not out of the question. Otherwise I expect it to be either a one-off villain, Boom Sonic, or a new "exposition fairy" type character like Chip or Caliburn.

[Diogenes]

1 minute ago, SSF1991 said:

If it didn't completely fail...isn't that a good thing?

If you think bare minimum competence is worth shooting for, I guess.

[SSF1991]

2 minutes ago, Diogenes said:

If you think bare minimum competence is worth shooting for, I guess.

Well, if "bare minimum competence" managed to sell 1-2,000,000 copies like Colors and Generations did, I don't see the problem here.

Regardless if you want a new gameplay style or not (I was kind of hoping for a new one or a better refined Lost World formula), the boost formula and the one from Generations worked, and it sold.

I can see why SEGA would go back to it. I'm curious on what they're changing though, because clearly this won't be an exact replica of the Generations formula.

[azoo]

I'm gonna reserve (most of) my judgement until there's actual footage to see what the original content is all about, but the idea of just doing classic and modern stages again is probably the most boring and safe thing I could've ever imagined. Also, a new character won't interest me until I see what they look like and how they work into the story (given there even is one).

Hype levels currently remaining fairly low, but for some reason I don't doubt that the game will be very pretty / play well. At least that's a good thing, right?

[Red Hot Jack]

13 minutes ago, SSF1991 said:

I don't get it.

If this game isn't a sequel to Generations, then why is the gameplay formula similar to it?

I'm confused.

Because after Boom they want to play it safer than ever. Iizuka said it in an interview, that because Boom failed the next game would be very traditional.

Also, is there any chance that by new character, they mean just a new gameplay for an existing character? That would be much more pleasant news.

[CottonCandy]

Hopefully this "new character" is a one off via Lyric or the Deadly Six. 

The description of the gameplay does sound like Sonic Generations. Wouldn't surprise me if it is.

But there's nothing much to go by to this information. I'll wait until some footage pop up to see if the Generations formula have truly returned. 

 

[Cola]

Ok Sega, but where's the gameplay?

None of this stuff is telling me whether the game will be some dang good stuff or a load of bunk.

[Flyinpenguin117]

49 minutes ago, Dejimon11 said:

More in a sense how Shadow has a similar gameplay formula to Heroes even tho the game treats it more of a sequel to SA2?

To be fair, it followed plot threads established in both Heroes and Adventure 2. And Heroes is the game that brought him back in the first place.

[FriendBot]

It's going to be a while until actual gameplay comes out, maybe they might show off 2017 at Tokyo Joypolis this December or during the Switch Direct at Jan 12. Or heck, they might even start promoting the game near the release of Mania. 

[Mad Convoy]

I'm hoping this new character isn't an alien or a robot, since it seems like every non-Boom newbie is one of those two nowadays. I'd even take a new hedgehog or a new human over an alien or a robot at this point. Also hoping the character actually gets to stick around outside of spinoffs, and is written in a way where it would make sense to have the character come back.

I am geniunely interested in the idea of expanding the boost formula and would like to see what Sonic Team has planned for that. If, that is, this game is a boost formula game. It claims to be a sequel to Gens, but if the jump from Unleashed to Colors is any indication (or the jump from Sonic Advance 1 to Sonic Advance 2), a sequel does not have to be (and shouldn't be IMO) a clone of the game its following up to in terms of gameplay and in terms of story. 

On a personal level, I don't really care that the boost is "safe"-- its not the second most-liked Sonic formula for nothing and contrary to a lot of people here, I think there's a lot you can do with Boost. If its sensible and its fun, I am a happy camper.

[Shiny Gems]

2 minutes ago, Soni.exe said:

It's going to be a while until actual gameplay comes out, maybe they might show off 2017 at Tokyo Joypolis this December or during the Switch Direct at Jan 12. Or heck, they might even start promoting the game near the release of Mania. 

Tokyo Joypolis? When is that, exactly? And by that, I mean what day?

[FriendBot]

I think there's a Sonic Fan Appreciation Day event at the 23rd, I think?

It's pretty unlikely that anything 2017 will be there but there's that off chance that it might.

[Clewis]

17 minutes ago, Soni.exe said:

It's going to be a while until actual gameplay comes out, maybe they might show off 2017 at Tokyo Joypolis this December or during the Switch Direct at Jan 12. Or heck, they might even start promoting the game near the release of Mania. 

This is what I'm expecting. Most major Sonic titles are fully revealed in the spring anyway, so it would make sense for Sega to start promoting Project 2017 once Mania is out the door.

[Ratcicle King]

3 hours ago, Diogenes said:

Cowardice and creative bankruptcy? Aka "trying to make a good game is hard and dangerous, let's just do what didn't completely fail again".

To be fair, I'm sure using a gameplay that actually worked and had people stop complaining for at least 2-3 years is favorable instead of shooting in the dark with something brand new like the franchise did for half a decade and is to this very day paying for it.

[Diogenes]

There's also a third option of reviving the gameplay that made Sonic an icon in the first place and building off that, but that would take things like vision and talent that Sonic Team seems to have in short supply.

[Ratcicle King]

Just now, Diogenes said:

There's also a third option of reviving the gameplay that made Sonic an icon in the first place and building off that, but that would take things like vision and talent that Sonic Team seems to have in short supply.

But wouldn't that still be considered ''let's just do what didn't completely fail again''? They're not taking any risks, they're using the same old gameplay from X game and perfecting it, instead of using something brand new.

However, I am curious, which gameplay do you mean by that? Adventure? Classic? Another one I might have overlooked? :U

[Diogenes]

I thought it was obvious I was talking about the classic gameplay, which clearly accomplished more than not completely failing, and which translating into 3D would take a fair amount of effort to figure out and do right.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

1 minute ago, Diogenes said:

I thought it was obvious I was talking about the classic gameplay, which clearly accomplished more than not completely failing, and which translating into 3D would take a fair amount of effort to figure out and do right.

Eh, Adventure 1 regarding Sonic's gameplay all around accomplished such while adding in a homing attack.

 

16 minutes ago, Diogenes said:

There's also a third option of reviving the gameplay that made Sonic an icon in the first place and building off that,

Why not just do both, which SEGA are kind of doing; well again, we don't even know yet what the gameplay style will even be.

That said, we have Mania in regards for "reviving" the gameplay of classic era Sonic for those that prefer it.

[FriendBot]

My idealistic gameplay style for Sonic is always gonna be the Adventure gameplay for Sonic with Parkour. That is all.

[Wraith]

I'm actually interested in seeing another Sonic Team design in the vein of Sticks and the other animal characters and hopefully this character is one of those and not some weird dumb shit like The Deadly Six/Black Doom. 

The gameplay being the same isn't particularly exciting but it's exactly what I expected so I'm not bothered. Hopefully they make the right tweaks to it.

[Ratcicle King]

It's not like Classic gameplay isn't becoming more and more prominent lately with Sonic Mania and at least half of Project 2017, but I do understand now what you mean, a 3D translation of the classic momentum based gameplay, but as you said, it would take time to get it right, and considering how every time they try something new, it divides the fanbase even more(Lost World, anyone?), even if they could perfect the gameplay in 2 or 3 games, it wouldn't matter, because the first game would probably get a negative response and they'd go back to the safety of the Boost Gameplay.

[Pixel]

Diogenes is right. They should be adapting the true Classic Sonic gameplay into 3D and finally make a 3D game that can stand up to the legacy of the glorious Classic Sonic titles. Of course, they won't. They'll either make a terrible new gamestyle on impulse or will stumble around with the shallow but functioning Boost gameplay.

It'll be worse this year too, when Mania shows how incompetent Sonic Team actually are.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

I'm looking forward to the possible reactions in the plausible case that this doesn't turn out to just be another boost game, or "Generations 2", despite the assumptions already made.

[Menace2Society]

9 minutes ago, Jovahexeon Undyne Phoenix said:

I'm looking forward to the possible reactions in the plausible case that this doesn't turn out to just be another boost game, or "Generations 2", despite the assumptions already made.

It'll probably be a bit surprising if that were the case, but I don't think there will be that big of a reaction. I'm pretty sure most people will go "Well, that's a bit unexpected." about it.