Team Sonic Racing - Upcoming Sonic Racing Game

[Fire-N-Space]

Really Sonic and his friends is what keeps me coming back to this series.

[Marco9966]

Just now, DabigRG said:

Or SonicTeam can just go ahead and make more games with multiple characters again.

Also, please don't call it that.

No I don't want another boost2win game. They CANNOT make other playable characters because the shitty physics. Sonic has been unplayable for the last 10 years.

And of course I want another name, but it's to express the idea of the game.

 

[Kuzu]

13 minutes ago, Marco9966 said:

It's been 10 years since we played as Tails and Knuckles in 3D and not in a spinoff

Nobody but you and a few people on the internet care about that. I'm fairly certain Sega doesn't care about that. 

[DabigRG]

17 minutes ago, Marco9966 said:

If SEGA didn't care they wouldnt put only Sonic and be afraid of the people bashsing his friends.

We didnt have a main game with other playable characters since 2006!

There was Buddy in Forces.

13 minutes ago, Marco9966 said:

Not counting them. I never considered Sonic a main character, rather a main character between many others. It was always him and other characters since my first game was SA1.

 

It's been 10 years since we played as Tails and Knuckles in 3D and not in a spinoff

Okay, one, he meant mainline game.

[JosepHenry]

Just now, Kuzu the Boloedge said:

Nobody but you and a few people on the internet care about that. I'm fairly certain Sega doesn't care about that. 

I wouldn't be so sure about that.

[DabigRG]

8 minutes ago, Dr. Detective Mike said:

Just read the new article the site posted. I'm just now finding out that Omega got replaced too. Still haven't actually heard him in the game yet but I will when I buy it. 

The only ones of these new actors I've heard of are Bryce Papenbrook and my boy, Patrick Seitz. And Patrick isn't new to the series. He was Zomom and Snake-Man  Lyric.

Why didn't they let Patrick voice Knuckles though? That would have been interesting. Going from Roy Mustang to Dio Brando might have been cool.

Looking up Omega's new actor, Aaron LaPlante, doesn't bring up anything aside from bit parts and additional roles.  There's not a lot of them either. He's either really new or he doesn't get a ton of work.

Dave Mitchell, who's Knuckles' new voice (and Dodon Pa), hasn't done a lot of big parts. He has the occasional named character like  Shocker in PS4 Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man: Edge of time.

But in Arkham Knight he was... Henchman. In Halo 5: Guardians and Call of Duty Black Ops III he was "Additional voices".

I'm scrolling through his stuff and it's mostly just "Additional voices" and "Various" and "Irish Sniper #1" and "Police Officer #1" and "Russian Bully #2" and "Thug #1"

"BSAA Soldiers", more "Additional voices", "Clone #1", "Clone Boss", "Clone #3", "Announcer", "Male Gunners" ...

I dunno. No offense to the guy but he doesn't strike me as the guy you typically give a role like Knuckles the Echidna to. I don't want to make any judgements based on the fact that he's clearly mostly used for bit-parts but what I've heard of his voice hasn't completely sold me on this being the right choice either. We'll see I guess.

 

 

Wow, they really are being charitable with these resumes, aren't they?

 

3 minutes ago, Fire-N-Space said:

Really Sonic and his friends is what keeps me coming back to this series.

That applies to most of us, sweetie.

 

3 minutes ago, Marco9966 said:

No I don't want another boost2win game. They CANNOT make other playable characters because the shitty physics. Sonic has been unplayable for the last 10 years.

And of course I want another name, but it's to express the idea of the game.

 

Well obviously, you can't just give Tails and Knuckles among others the Boost, now can you?

14 minutes ago, knuckles20 said:

True but some of the complaints was more:

 “Why had ST made these people into such pathetic wimps?”

I just want them better integrated in the games, have an actual involvement in the plot outside of being delegated to the cheerleading section, make them playable for god’s sake as in I want to be in control of them. Just because Sonic is the title character that doesn’t mean he’s the only one I’m allowed to give a damn about.

And if the critics’ complain, fuck em they’re gonna bitch no matter what ST does and they had their way for so long because in my point of view the games had suffered for it by becoming dull desperate attempts of constantly “going back to Sonic’s roots”. And if that’s all they want, no one is stopping them from playing the genesis titles. Let the games move forward and not stuck in the same spot of reminding people how amazing 1991 was.

To be fair there, it was a Super Sonic final boss.

[Kuzu]

4 minutes ago, JosepHenry said:

I wouldn't be so sure about that.

Then please tell me why a company like Sega would be aware of the VocalMinority that is the internet Sonic fandom. When Mania came out, pretty sure nobody but the people who already cared weren't saying "Gee, I wish Shadow was in this game". It's not as big a priority as anyone screaming about it would have you believe. 

[StaticMania]

22 minutes ago, Dr. Detective Mike said:

No offense to the guy but he doesn't strike me as the guy you typically give a role like Knuckles the Echidna to.

His voice's deep.

It doesn't sound natural enough.

[Dr. Detective]

1 hour ago, Kuzu the Boloedge said:

Or maybe...Sonic is the primary character and the only one really needed. 

Or are you gonna say that every game with only the main character is playable is because the developers "are afraid other characters will be bashed". I guess that rings true for almost every video game in existence. 

Can we please stop with these wild theories on why this keeps happening and trying to justify it when its probably something as simple as "Sega wants to make a game you play as the main character" and nothing really else. 

A game with just one playable character is, get ready for it, actually really common :V.

It's not really a wild theory. It's no coincidence or act of artistic integrity that caused the era of "Sonic-Only" to happen. It was clearly done as a response to the criticism the other characters were getting. There was no hiding that. Especially when you do something as embarrassing as what Sonic 4 did where you advertise the lack of characters you have to people (then Mania Plus comes out with 5 playable characters and becomes their best reviewed game since way back when. Fucking oops.)

Instead of doing what they did in the Classics and making them play similarly to Sonic, they just booted them out. It's easier to just get rid of the issue then to fix the issue after all.

I think it's a little disingenuous to insist that this is just a minor issue that only a few people have a problem with, personally. Plus, whether or not this is a vocal minority, you're not going to convince anyone who grew up on the games that allowed other playable characters of this. This includes the Classic titles. If they were unaware of the value people in the fanbase still saw in them, they wouldn't have bothered making Mania the way they did or kept the large cast around. They know they'd be in for some serious backlash if they ever got rid of them but at the same time, they're aware of what the critics think of them. Thus you have a situation where they're technically still around but not active enough in the plot or the gameplay for it to matter. 

As a result you get a situation where no one's happy. The critics aren't happy because they still exist. The fans aren't happy because they do exist but aren't being used properly.

As for me, while I do opt for the side that wishes they'd be playable again, I do feel I'd be largely okay with a Sonic-Only game if it felt like the cast were there for a reason that was significant. As characters, their number 1 priority is to provide character moments and development for the story after all. If they can't do that then there's no point in them being characters. Might as well have Sonic paling around with a bunch of Robo-Sonic skins at that point.

I'll never be accepting of this rut we're in though. The roster for this game is too small and Forces was garbage. I take what I can get since I can't change anything but the very least I can do is vent about what still sucks, even if it's been over 10 years. 

 

[dbzfan7]

51 minutes ago, Kuzu the Boloedge said:

the die has been cast.

DAMMIT OTTO OCTAVIOUS, stop stealing peoples bodies!!!

[SSF1991]

1 hour ago, Dejimon11 said:

To be fair if I had to constantly hear "Be careful Sonic!" and "That looks like a homing shot" over and over again at the end of the game(during a crappy boss fight) I'd probably complain about them as well. 

Eh. One exception. =P

For around 95% of the game, Sonic's friends are pretty harmless.

EDIT: I forgot about the side-missions...they're in some of them...okay less than 90% now

[JosepHenry]

30 minutes ago, Kuzu the Boloedge said:

Then please tell me why a company like Sega would be aware of the VocalMinority that is the internet Sonic fandom. When Mania came out, pretty sure nobody but the people who already cared weren't saying "Gee, I wish Shadow was in this game". It's not as big a priority as anyone screaming about it would have you believe. 

We didnt have Shadow, but we got Tails, Knuckles and later on freaking Mighty and Ray, and I am very thankful Mania is not just Sonic. And I'm sure I am not the only one and neither the "vocal minority"

[DabigRG]

18 minutes ago, Dr. Detective Mike said:

As for me, while I do opt for the side that wishes they'd be playable again, I do feel I'd be largely okay with a Sonic-Only game if it felt like the cast were there for a reason that was significant. As characters, their number 1 priority is to provide character moments and development for the story after all. If they can't do that then there's no point in them being characters. 

I'll never be accepting of this rut we're in though.

That's overall my thought as well.

 

[Diogenes]

1 minute ago, SSF1991 said:

Eh. One exception. =P

For around 95% of the game, Sonic's friends are pretty harmless.

On paper, sure. But the problem is that the characters are already running in the negatives for a lot of people, and simply being harmless doesn't cancel that out.

I really don't buy the idea that critics/casual fans/whoever else gives a shit about Sonic but isn't part of the hardcore fanbase can't be convinced that other characters are worth it. Some characters may be too poisoned or too poorly made in the first place to be worth the effort, but for most, you just have to actually find a way to make them appealing. Fix their gameplay, fix their writing, get them a decent VA with decent voice direction and you can win most people over eventually.

Of course, that's where the real problem starts, because Sonic Team honestly just sucks at Sonic, and they struggle to get anything right anymore. And when you're struggling to keep the series afloat and counter years of debasement of your main characters, you simply don't have the resources to try to fix things that are ultimately optional.

[Dr. Detective]

1 hour ago, Diogenes said:

On paper, sure. But the problem is that the characters are already running in the negatives for a lot of people, and simply being harmless doesn't cancel that out.

I really don't buy the idea that critics/casual fans/whoever else gives a shit about Sonic but isn't part of the hardcore fanbase can't be convinced that other characters are worth it. Some characters may be too poisoned or too poorly made in the first place to be worth the effort, but for most, you just have to actually find a way to make them appealing. Fix their gameplay, fix their writing, get them a decent VA with decent voice direction and you can win most people over eventually.

Of course, that's where the real problem starts, because Sonic Team honestly just sucks at Sonic, and they struggle to get anything right anymore. And when you're struggling to keep the series afloat and counter years of debasement of your main characters, you simply don't have the resources to try to fix things that are ultimately optional.

That's a far more optimistic take on it than I have.

At this point, I really am convinced it won't matter if all that stuff were fixed. 

Truthfully, I don't know though. I guess I just expect something about this situation to remain shitty forever. 

I'm at the point where I don't think I'll believe it unless it happens... and it won't because, as you say, Sonic Team sucks at Sonic. 

[Kuzu]

36 minutes ago, JosepHenry said:

We didnt have Shadow, but we got Tails, Knuckles and later on freaking Mighty and Ray, and I am very thankful Mania is not just Sonic. And I'm sure I am not the only one and neither the "vocal minority"

You...didn't answer my question at all. Which was, "WHY SHOULD SEGA CARE ABOUT THE OPINIONS OF A FEW DIEHARD SONIC FANS WHO WANT TO SEE THESE CHARACTERS".

 

21 minutes ago, Diogenes said:

On paper, sure. But the problem is that the characters are already running in the negatives for a lot of people, and simply being harmless doesn't cancel that out.

I really don't buy the idea that critics/casual fans/whoever else gives a shit about Sonic but isn't part of the hardcore fanbase can't be convinced that other characters are worth it. Some characters may be too poisoned or too poorly made in the first place to be worth the effort, but for most, you just have to actually find a way to make them appealing. Fix their gameplay, fix their writing, get them a decent VA with decent voice direction and you can win most people over eventually.

Of course, that's where the real problem starts, because Sonic Team honestly just sucks at Sonic, and they struggle to get anything right anymore. And when you're struggling to keep the series afloat and counter years of debasement of your main characters, you simply don't have the resources to try to fix things that are ultimately optional.

This is the simplest take; the supporting cast have been obnoxious and intrusive at best and just..harmless at worst. But the main thing is that Sega/SonicTeam/whoever has just done a shitty job at actually making them appealing. IF you aren't already a fan of this series when the writing was "marginally decent", why in god's name would anyone care about these characters when they don't do anything of note, have no real interesting plotlines or character dynamics, and are honestly just straight forgettable. 

Yes, you can sing the praises of the Chaotix, Team Dark until the cows come home. Doesn't change that Sega has done nothing to make these characters appealing in the slightest, and seem pretty incapable of doing so for whatever reason. Lack of care, poor management, what have you. But the bottom line is, Sega sucks and they can't do anything right by this series to give anyone a reason to even begin to care. 

[StaticMania]

What if...Sonic Team decides...to use these characters?

One at a time, tag team with Sonic...solo story focused.

New villain, Eggman, the D6, Metal Sonic, Witch, Bird folk.

Try?

[Blue Blood]

Oh hey look, it's this thread again. We're only a few pages away from regressing to a boost formula debate...

Anyway...

I've watched most of the cutscenes for TSR now. The production values are dire. Like, I didn't expect much at all but it manages to be even weaker than Free Riders, which already felt as cheap as possible. Sure it's inoffensive and honestly I like the concept of having a story mode as an aside to a list-based mission mode, but I can't help but think that time and money was wasted on scripting and recording dialogue. The outcome is so bland that I just don't think they should have bothered. Fully rendered cutscenes like in the first two Riders titles would have gone a very long way here. The story and dialogue are fine for what they are, but the way that it comes together just doesn't feel worth it.

That's the problem that I'm seeing with TSR; it's got very little content and it seems like priorities weren't properly ordered. Even the level content that is there is heavily lifted from previous instalments. I dunno... The soundtrack is absolutely amazing - a fantastic mixture or new tracks and remixes film a variety of artists. It almost feels a bit wasted on this title though? They went all out on the soundtrack for the first time in years, and it was for a spin-off car racing game that's ultimately light on content.

I look forward to playing the game for myself on Tuesday. It looks like fun. And I hope that it gets a sequel (be it TSR or ASR) that doesn't feel like it was made on such a tight budget.

[Fire-N-Space]

I just hope TSR isn't full of bugs like Transformed.

[Dr. Detective]

1 hour ago, Blue Blood said:

Oh hey look, it's this thread again. We're only a few pages away from regressing to a boost formula debate...

Anyway...

I've watched most of the cutscenes for TSR now. The production values are dire. Like, I didn't expect much at all but it manages to be even weaker than Free Riders, which already felt as cheap as possible. Sure it's inoffensive and honestly I like the concept of having a story mode as an aside to a list-based mission mode, but I can't help but think that time and money was wasted on scripting and recording dialogue. The outcome is so bland that I just don't think they should have bothered. Fully rendered cutscenes like in the first two Riders titles would have gone a very long way here. The story and dialogue are fine for what they are, but the way that it comes together just doesn't feel worth it.

That's the problem that I'm seeing with TSR; it's got very little content and it seems like priorities weren't properly ordered. Even the level content that is there is heavily lifted from previous instalments. I dunno... The soundtrack is absolutely amazing - a fantastic mixture or new tracks and remixes film a variety of artists. It almost feels a bit wasted on this title though? They went all out on the soundtrack for the first time in years, and it was for a spin-off car racing game that's ultimately light on content.

I look forward to playing the game for myself on Tuesday. It looks like fun. And I hope that it gets a sequel (be it TSR or ASR) that doesn't feel like it was made on such a tight budget.

Just like with Forces, it's only going for 40 bucks. That's starting to look more like a stamp of "This game doesn't have that much content" when it comes to, specifically, these Sonic games. Most of Forces' story was told through dialogue boxes and what little cutscenes there were looked, and were animated, like shit.

Then again, it's been that way for a very long time now. 

[Kuzu]

All it really does is just reinforce that Sega is shortchanging this series something fierce. 

[Marco9966]

9 hours ago, Diogenes said:

On paper, sure. But the problem is that the characters are already running in the negatives for a lot of people, and simply being harmless doesn't cancel that out.

I really don't buy the idea that critics/casual fans/whoever else gives a shit about Sonic but isn't part of the hardcore fanbase can't be convinced that other characters are worth it. Some characters may be too poisoned or too poorly made in the first place to be worth the effort, but for most, you just have to actually find a way to make them appealing. Fix their gameplay, fix their writing, get them a decent VA with decent voice direction and you can win most people over eventually.

Of course, that's where the real problem starts, because Sonic Team honestly just sucks at Sonic, and they struggle to get anything right anymore. And when you're struggling to keep the series afloat and counter years of debasement of your main characters, you simply don't have the resources to try to fix things that are ultimately optional.

One such examples of characters who should just disappear forever are Silver and Blaze. As they are from other timeline/dimension and they bring them back for the most inconsequential stories. Also they are too much associated with Sonic 2006. Bring back Mighty and Ray instead as they are from the same universe as Sonic.

Cream should be properly reintroduced as Amy and Big's bestie.

Chaotix should only apprear as a group that's not always sided with the main characters, like Sonic X.

Dodonpa should stay as a benevolent scientist and friends of Tails, kinda like Professor Pickle.

SEGA should take example from the MCU

While not a lot of you like the MCU for whatever reason, they have like 20 main characters, and each of them have their own cast of friends. And none of them feel useless unlike Sonic's friend. Plus they get actual development.

Engame's trailer is a prime example. It showed no action scene, no humor, just character interactions and how they were affected by Thanos, and people CARED about these characters.

Sonic's games just focus on the music, and the fact that they brought characters just because people like them. Not for story reason. You know, some of the most popular characters in the MCU were absent for most of the movie FOR STORY REASONS, not just for nostalgia pandering  like SEGA who makes decisions without nuance to please the people who like Classic Sonic or Silver or Blaze.

Marvel could very well have Spiderman be the main character of Endgame but he wasn't, for story reasons, not because people want spiderman more...

That's why Marvel is the most successful franchise ever, the people that work there actually care about the characters and the stories they do.

[caitash]

My (Switch) copy of this game just arrived in the post, a few days early.  Looking forward to playing later today!

[Sonicka]

Ok, first impressions having put some time into this title.

It’s proper quality - this is a really good output from Sumo, and waaaay better than the build I played at EGX some 9 months ago. Clearly a lot of extra effort has been put in since the delay that has improved the stability and graphical quality this game shows off. Truly gorgeous.

The new Track designs are also amazing and are a highlight to this game and a credit to the current/new team. They are certainly not all on the same level as some of the set-pieces and designs found in Transformed - as that game goes all in for spectacle. However The consistent 60FPS frame rate (playing on PS4Pro so this could vary for others) and the new Team Play aspect is what makes up for this, especially on those newer tracks.

You can optionally choose to play solo or team in the modes available - but it’s far more interesting and fun to go with the team dynamic; using skid boosts, slingshots, and pickups and recovering after being taken out is so damn satisfying to pull off. I’ve not yet come across an instance where the AI has let me down, they are competently handled and assist your win rather than detract (which was one of my initial fears).

Customisation is surprisingly fun to tinker with as well, especially Modding your car with upgrades. This feels like a natural successor to the mods you could attach in Transformed as you can apply 3 alternate mods this time and they each have aesthetic impacts on your ride.

Story Mode so far has been, alright. Presented much better than Forces (for static jpegs anyway) and the dialogue is just fine. It is what it is - and that’s mission mode that happens to have a storyline attached. If you’re that concerned about playing this for the plot line then you are investing in the wrong game.

What I find myself unhappy about is the 9 tracks included from previous games. Initially I didn’t think this was such a big deal, and once again the lick of paint makes these levels really just pop. No, the problem I personally have is that they don’t feel like a good fit for this game. Despite certain tweaks they have no place here for team based racing - and it hurts playing them because the new tracks are all 10 superior. It’s just irritating when I have to play on something from All Stars Racing, especially as even then I considered a lot of these designs to be average at best from that game.

Its also a crying shame about the lack of other Sonic Characters. Il not unhappy with the roster, but like the tracks it’s whats not there that kills me more to think what could have been.

Also the Team Attack or blast or whatever it’s called is broken. It kills me more than it helps me out. Ids advise only using it the straight legs of the track.

Anyway, other than that I’m really pleased with this game so far - I can’t think of what else to mention that I’ve played so far apart from that it has all those specific trials and modes from past games return (I.e traffic attack, etc...) which are always a fun diversion. I mentioned Transformed having much more spectacle but this game doesn’t shy away from thrills, going up and down the clock tower from Rooftop Run is one of my favourite moments in this game.

Mostly I’m now looking forward to playing this in multiplayer as a team with mates - there’s some real potential for fun to be had against actual humans in team ups.

[StaticMania]

59 minutes ago, Marco9966 said:

As they are from other timeline/dimension and they bring them back for the most inconsequential stories.

Which are the best stories to bring them back for.