Team Sonic Racing - Upcoming Sonic Racing Game

[NezumiVA]

Eh, I don't really...agree? How do I phrase this.
First of all, the idea of it being a scheme by Eggman is kind of a no brainer at this point - I mean...what in the series at this point isn't, usually?
And character interactions/competition are easily conveyed in in-game dialogue triggers, similar to other racers and even fighters, y'know?

I don't mind if the new racing game has a story, but if it doesn't I wouldn't necessarily find it to be a wasted opportunity, just a more traditional racer.

[mikeblastdude]

Yeah, I think expecting a full-fledged story to this is jumping the gun a bit, considering that mascot racers typically don’t have much story to them, if at all. The Sonic Drift and All-Stars Racing games had no story to them whatsoever, and Sonic R just had a barebones plot of “Sonic and friends enter a racing competition to prevent Eggman from getting the Chaos Emeralds.” The Sonic Riders games were the exceptions. Not to say that this game definitely won’t have an engaging story, but, I’m not counting on it, and I think that people who are expecting it to may be in for disappointment.

[Multikaris]

52 minutes ago, SilentlyVocal said:

Like I said, that's assuming the game even has a story mode to begin with.
Sure, the Riders games did - but R didn't, neither did All-Stars Racing Transformed for that matter. And most popular group centric mascot racers of the current era (looking at you, Mario Kart 142) don't either. Not to say it's out of the question, but it's not a guarantee.

Plus even when racers in most franchises do have stories, they don't usually try to tie themselves very heavily to the main canon as much as they just try to be goofy racing sidestories. The Riders games in Sonic are by no means the norm, they're quite the rare exception, next to similar ideas like CTR/Nitro Kart.

The difference is that Crash itself is incredibly silly, so a silly story is expected. And R and Drift were classic era, and All-Stars is a crossover. Hence modern sonic racers ARE expected to have stories, and I will be judging it on such a principle. 

[NezumiVA]

19 minutes ago, Miragnarok said:

modern sonic racers ARE expected to have stories, and I will be judging it on such a principle

That seems a bit backwards to me, quite honestly. Most modern mascot racers don't have stories. Riders were really the only Sonic Racers that did have stories, and even then - they were kind of the exceptions, not to mention being a completely different formula approach to the typical racer. The new racer seems to be traditionally focused on cars, for one, and for two, I don't think having stories in past Sonic Racing games necessitates this new racer to have a story mode just to be of acceptable quality. That's a pretty needless line to draw, especially considering most people don't typically play a racing game for the story that's sometimes attached to it.

[Multikaris]

35 minutes ago, SilentlyVocal said:

That seems a bit backwards to me, quite honestly. Most modern mascot racers don't have stories. Riders were really the only Sonic Racers that did have stories, and even then - they were kind of the exceptions, not to mention being a completely different formula approach to the typical racer. The new racer seems to be traditionally focused on cars, for one, and for two, I don't think having stories in past Sonic Racing games necessitates this new racer to have a story mode just to be of acceptable quality. That's a pretty needless line to draw, especially considering most people don't typically play a racing game for the story that's sometimes attached to it.

That’s because most are simple phone games, or Mario. When we are talking about Sonic specifically, on the other hand.

[NezumiVA]

...What? Most racers aren't just Mario or phone games, lol. There are plenty of other racing games out there.

[Marco9966]

2 hours ago, SilentlyVocal said:

That seems a bit backwards to me, quite honestly. Most modern mascot racers don't have stories. Riders were really the only Sonic Racers that did have stories, and even then - they were kind of the exceptions, not to mention being a completely different formula approach to the typical racer. The new racer seems to be traditionally focused on cars, for one, and for two, I don't think having stories in past Sonic Racing games necessitates this new racer to have a story mode just to be of acceptable quality. That's a pretty needless line to draw, especially considering most people don't typically play a racing game for the story that's sometimes attached to it.

What's backwards is refusing to have a story in a racing game!!

It's like refusing a story in a platforming game!

[NezumiVA]

45 minutes ago, Marco9966 said:

What's backwards is refusing to have a story in a racing game!!

It's like refusing a story in a platforming game!

It's...really not? Think about it. Platformers are usually very focused on a quest or adventure. Racers are...simply that, races. They're typically spinoffs if they're involved with a franchise based in a different genre, and don't usually tie into any significant main plot.

When I pick up a racing game, I'm playing it to race. I'm not playing a racing game for deep lore and plot. For something like that, I'd turn to a genre more traditionally built for that sort of thing in its gameplay, like a platform game with story elements, an adventure game, or an RPG.

Plus it's not refusal, that's...a pretty dramatic way of putting it. Just not having a story mode isn't refusing to have a story, it's just knowing you don't really need one. If the new racing game has a story mode, that's fine, I don't really mind that at all - but if it also doesn't have a story, I won't be losing sleep over it. It's a racer, what kind of nuanced story do you really expect to get from it?

[Marco9966]

13 minutes ago, SilentlyVocal said:

It's...really not? Think about it. Platformers are usually very focused on a quest or adventure. Racers are...simply that, races. They're typically spinoffs if they're involved with a franchise based in a different genre, and don't usually tie into any significant main plot.

When I pick up a racing game, I'm playing it to race. I'm not playing a racing game for deep lore and plot. For something like that, I'd turn to a genre more traditionally built for that sort of thing in its gameplay, like a platform game with story elements, an adventure game, or an RPG.

Plus it's not refusal, that's...a pretty dramatic way of putting it. Just not having a story mode isn't refusing to have a story, it's just knowing you don't really need one. If the new racing game has a story mode, that's fine, I don't really mind that at all - but if it also doesn't have a story, I won't be losing sleep over it. It's a racer, what kind of nuanced story do you really expect to get from it?

I don't expect a nuanced story, I expect a fun competition a-la Fighters Sonic Archie arc.

Casual fun and banter.

Not a race to unlock to the key to immortality to awaken Tikal and Light Gaia to fight against Ifrit and Iblis and Black Doom and Mephiles and Infinite in a new futuristic planet where we finally meet Sonic's parent who happen to be the original creators of Metal Sonic! (that escalated quickly, writing this was kinda fun to exagerate).

[NezumiVA]

1 minute ago, Marco9966 said:

I don't expect a nuanced story, I expect a fun competition a-la Fighters Sonic Archie arc.

Casual fun and banter.

Which is fine, I just don't know that it necessitates a whole story mode to accomplish that. Plenty of similar racers can pull that off with well timed dialogue triggers in gameplay or etc.

Again, not that a story mode would be the end of the world, I don't really mind if they put one in. I just don't think it's absolutely necessary for the game to be good, either. And if it doesn't have a story, that's not going to really upset me at all.

[Tracker_TD]

Yeah, right now I don't expect a story mode either. Likewise I don't see how Sonic R/Drift being Classic or ASRT being a crossover meant it made sense for those to not have story modes. Riders had a story mode yes, but that's... it. I don't see why that would somehow establish a standard on its own - for the Riders games yes, for racers in general no.

And a story sure as hell isn't 'required like in a platform game'. Riders has a story but I'd still rather pick up Transformed any day - it's far from necessary. 

[Marco9966]

For me Sonic is all about story.

My first game was SA1.

You understand that we need a story to get a full experience right?

[Diogenes]

2 minutes ago, Marco9966 said:

For me Sonic is all about story.

My first game was SA1.

You understand that we need a story to get a full experience right?

You might. Other people don't. Because not everyone is coming from your "story above all else" direction.

[Multikaris]

3 hours ago, SilentlyVocal said:

...What? Most racers aren't just Mario or phone games, lol. There are plenty of other racing games out there.

You specified mascot racers, not racers in general. 

[Tracker_TD]

5 minutes ago, Marco9966 said:

For me Sonic is all about story.

My first game was SA1.

You understand that we need a story to get a full experience right?

Not in a racing spin-off, no. I felt ASRT was a perfectly full experience without some story thing tacked on, because they focused on good gameplay instead.

And good for you like, but Sonic's roots are firmly in arcade-style gameplay. Obviously it's free to evolve, but David Cage's Sonic the Hedgehog ain't my bag and going off how well Mania (and the Classics in general really) have done over other titles, it ain't exactly other folks' either. 

[Strickerx5]

I'd personally love for them to include a proper story mode. We've seen it work for the Riders series and, at the end of the day, it'd simply be another mode to enjoy that you can either take or leave (much like SSE was in brawl). This notion of they shouldn't do it because other racers haven't seems sort of off imo. The industry wouldn't advance forward at all with that type of thinking.

The truth of the matter is that Sonic has just about always had a higher narrative level than most other platformers. Even with the original titles, they did a lot with the hardware they had to build stakes. Like it or not, narrative is something this series has been linked with for a long while now. Not to say that every facet of the franchise has to adhere to that (goes back to the idea that there simply isn't one definite version of Sonic game to enjoy), but it is something that has been here for the vast majority of the series that a decent number of fans do care about.

It'd be especially good to see one if ST isn't developing this. As far as I've seen, just about every other source outside of them can currently make a better story than they can.

Though, of course, there are quite a few other modes in there that I'd like to see over it; mainly proper online. Not the buggy mess Transformed launched with.(though, in a perfect world, there'd be different teams within the dev working on both things so that one mode doesn't compromise another but hey)

 

Not to mention that it's literally a cake and ice cream scenario. If ya don't like the ice cream/ cake, put it on someone else's plate and move on. No one likes the guy who yells "I don't like ice cream so there shouldn't be any, anywhere in the first place!"

[A person, that exists]

Story? In a Sonic game?
 

Eh, I don't think that that's necessary, really. I mean, at this point, what kind of story would a Sonic game have? Sonic has to race these guys because plot demands so? Well, I don't really think that you even NEED a plot for this kind of scenario. I mean, I wouldn't MIND a story, but at this point I expect either something incredibly barebones, like what we had with Riders 1, or some kinda "LOL EVIL POTATOES" Pontaff thingy, so, yeah.

Or, they could go full on Mad Max with combat cars or something, but... Eh, considering that it's SONIC we're talking about here.

[Tracker_TD]

1 hour ago, Strickerx5 said:

I'd personally love for them to include a proper story mode. We've seen it work for the Riders series and, at the end of the day, it'd simply be another mode to enjoy that you can either take or leave (much like SSE was in brawl). This notion of they shouldn't do it because other racers haven't seems sort of off imo. The industry wouldn't advance forward at all with that type of thinking.

The truth of the matter is that Sonic has just about always had a higher narrative level than most other platformers. Even with the original titles, they did a lot with the hardware they had to build stakes. Like it or not, narrative is something this series has been linked with for a long while now. Not to say that every facet of the franchise has to adhere to that (goes back to the idea that there simply isn't one definite version of Sonic game to enjoy), but it is something that has been here for the vast majority of the series that a decent number of fans do care about.

It'd be especially good to see one if ST isn't developing this. As far as I've seen, just about every other source outside of them can currently make a better story than they can.

Though, of course, there are quite a few other modes in there that I'd like to see over it; mainly proper online. Not the buggy mess Transformed launched with.(though, in a perfect world, there'd be different teams within the dev working on both things so that one mode doesn't compromise another but hey)

 

Not to mention that it's literally a cake and ice cream scenario. If ya don't like the ice cream/ cake, put it on someone else plate and move on. No one likes the guy who yells "I don't like ice cream so there shouldn't be any, anywhere in the first place!"

Don’t get me wrong, if there’s a story mode I’d be down for that (as long as the gameplay’s up to snuff). And there’s nothing up with wanting one either.

But I don’t think it should be a priority, which is the point I was responding to. Nor do I think a precedent is there just because of some hoverboard games by a different studio from years ago.

[Salamander]

Count me in among those who would really like there to be a story mode.  I absolutely agree that it's not a necessary element (and I don't actually believe anyone is using that as a sword to argue that there shouldn't be one, which would be needlessly reductive), but the presence of a story mode is a basic requirement for me to take an interest in a game at all, so purely for my tastes I will always want one.  Stories are fun; expressions of artistry which enhance the characters and locations presented, and in a way I think they are at their most fun and creative when they have to justify themselves within the constraints of a premise which in no way requires a story mode - like a fighting game, sports game, or indeed a racer (and Sonic has precedence for all three, of course).  Consider, for instance, the upcoming Mario Tennis game which has some ridiculous plot about evil tennis rackets possessing people or something.  It's so beautifully absurd in its redundancy.

Whether it's just character interactions, or an ambitiously ridiculous plotline about saving the world from racing genies or whatever - I'll always admire a game for including a story.  Of course, in Sonic there's also the added advantage of Sonic Team's impoverished writing being shown up by a better plot in a spin-off; some benchmark for them to measure up to would be useful, too.

[Red Hot Jack]

I think a story mode is possible because... of fan demand, yep. They already pushed for a story in ASRT and they couldn't make it work apparently, here they have the chance to do it. Fan demand is what may bring on-foot racing as well, because this title screams fanservice (in a good way), and an opportunity to do things they couldn't in the past...

[MegasonicZX]

If a story mode leads to more challenge missions that make use of the gameplay like ASR's all star mode and ASRT's world tour then sure. But if it just ends up being a bunch of flat races with nothing to make them stand out i'd rather they not waste the resources on it in favor of something else. Story modes are fine but I don't think they should take precedent in a game like this.

[SBR2]

I'd be alright with a not particularly deep storyline like Crash Team Racing or something. I wouldn't expect it to be anything too major honestly. Each racer would maybe get a few cutscenes here and there to progress the plot but for the most part it'd be fairly barebones and not very serious.

IB4 Just like all the Games LOL.

[Pawn]

A hint for an incoming trailer and/or proper announcement? (Small print reads: "As part of our ongoing efforts to prepare for our new game announcement, as well as Sonic Mania Adventures Part 3 this month..."

[JingleBoy]

http://www.gamerevolution.com/news/390177-new-sonic-racing-game-on-horizon

Aaron Webber said that news is "on the horizon".

Who's willing to bet that the name of this game will be Sonic Horizon Racing?

[Jango]

Sonic Mania Racing has a better ring to it