Team Sonic Racing - GamesCom Impressions

[Tracker_TD]

16 minutes ago, Fire-N-Space said:

Did anyone get to play with the new characters yet if so what do they sound like? Are they only talking about frame rate and stuff? Also this might not get delayed as Transformed needed one badly but still came out on time.

Apparently the event's too loud to be able to hear them. 

[JezMM]

Just a reminder that demos used at events like these tend to be significantly older builds than where the games are at now.  While it can be a bad sign for the game, it can also mean the developers just shoved this demo out the door as slapdash as possible because they were obligated to and then got back to work on the proper game because that's a more valuable use of time/budget for them.

Temper your disappointments both ways - while it's okay to be concerned,  throwing around claims that the game NEEDS to be delayed is a bit overdramatic for how little we know about where it's at development-wise as an audience.

[Salamander]

I may be misremembering, but it was my understanding that the game's release had only been given as "Winter."  It's a bit of a sophistry, but that could run into 2019.

With that said, I think in a sense the game's actual technical performance is immaterial.  At this point the major criticisms of the game have been locked in and seem unlikely to change; incoherent gameplay, uninspired aesthetic choices.  Poor performance would draw a definitive line under the game as "bad," but there's reason enough to be turned away already.

[Neo Hazard]

As far as filming goes, allegedly Gamescom is pretty strict about it. Kingdom Hearts 3, for example, also has filming banned.

I wasn't impressed with what we played at E3, and by the sound of it, it's not only stayed the same, but gotten worse. It's bad enough that every character needs to one up Bubsy, throwing in sound mixing issues has to make it almost insufferable.

[Tracker_TD]

Press only demo happened -

 

[Strickerx5]

Rooftop Run is starting to show up.

 

I just... not even Unleashed’s stellar art design is safe it seems.

It tries it’s hardest in some shots to look good, but the lack of detail and lighting in others just can’t keep up.

Unleashed was 10 years ago guys. It should not, in any way, be outshowing this.

And the game isn’t even running well? bloody hell

[Blue Wisp]

Why is every stage since Lost World getting simplified and/or Disneyified.

Is Sonic intended for kids now or something?

[Ryannumber1gamer]

Call it a nitpick, but the place I’m seeing as particularly bad is the skybox. It looks copy and paste with the skybox of Windy Hill.

[Strickerx5]

2 minutes ago, Blue Wisps said:

Is Sonic intended for kids now or something?

Tbf, it always has. Same way things like Unleashed, Ratchet and Clank, and even Mario Odyssey are. The difference is that those games still try to look good.

Also, “Disneyified” might not be the best term for this imo. Disney, again, actually tries and looks damn good to boot a lot of the time. Hell, I’d praise them for going that route.

This is... early 90s cgi-ified 

[KHCast]

This game keeps looking more and more disappointing. My favorite sonic stage just butchered. I mean admire the optimism some here seem to have, but I’m just done with this game sorry. Gameplay looks bland and uninspired, art design is overly simplistic, and all the technical shit I’m hearing regarding the game is just the cherry on top. Even if that bit ends up getting fixed, that doesn’t change everything else I’m having a problem with. *sigh*

[Plasme]

The biggest shock to me from the gameplay we've seen, and I'm surprised more people haven't talked about it, is the atrocious team super moves. Everyone just seems to sparkle, be invincible and go fast. It's a joke. It's a massive downgrade from Transformed, which was itself a downgrade from Sega All Stars Racing.

It just looks cheap as fuck and unfinished.

[Blue Blood]

Rooftop Run Unleashed/Generations is one of my favourite stages in the entire series for its gorgeous visuals.

Market Street sucks.

[Fire-N-Space]

I'm really loving Team Sonic Racing's art style and how amazing the cars look the tracks are a lot more alive then Sonic Transformed tracks.   

[JezMM]

I'm not gonna lie, I was kinda dumbfounded to see a universal negative reaction.  Those screenshots look gorgeous to me.  I think it's because I've already accepted the art style of this game a fair few weeks ago.  At first I was back and forth on it, now I've accepted it.

As such... it's kinda cool to see Rooftop Run, a setting we've seen twice now in gorgeous realism, simplified down.  I feel the visuals have a slight charm to them that will make it feel like we're driving through "the toy set version" or "the theme park version" of familiar locales.

 

My only small concern - is none of these eight quite-different-from-one-another screens show the glass road seen in the trailer above the clouds.  Either that's going to be a very short segment, OR that's a different track, and we're gonna see reused locations for multiple tracks, a lá SaSASR classic.  That's fine if they're significantly different from one another and/or it results in a larger amount of tracks than we'd get otherwise (like, 20-30 tracks at least).

Having said that, if the glass road track is just a one-off, with sunset and all, it could work as a cool, upbeat "celebratory" final track that would feel significantly different from a Rainbow Road clone or whatever.

[Tracker_TD]

3 minutes ago, JezMM said:

My only small concern - is none of these eight quite-different-from-one-another screens show the glass road seen in the trailer above the clouds.  Either that's going to be a very short segment, OR that's a different track, and we're gonna see reused locations for multiple tracks, a lá SaSASR classic.  That's fine if they're significantly different from one another and/or it results in a larger amount of tracks than we'd get otherwise (like, 20-30 tracks at least).

Having said that, if the glass road track is just a one-off, with sunset and all, it good work as a cool, upbeat "celebratory" final track that would feel significantly different from a Rainbow Road clone or whatever.

It's been confirmed that's there's 21 tracks, but only 7 locales, a la ASR1.

http://www.segadriven.com/2018/08/new-team-sonic-racing-details-emerge-number-of-tracks-new-character-new-track-and-more/

[JezMM]

4 minutes ago, Tracker_TD said:

It's been confirmed that's there's 21 tracks, but only 7 locales, a la ASR1.

http://www.segadriven.com/2018/08/new-team-sonic-racing-details-emerge-number-of-tracks-new-character-new-track-and-more/

Oof, that's a definite downer.  When I said 20-30 tracks, I was imagining each setting only being used twice, not thrice. Hopefully the visual differences (and music) are significantly different between each one then.

I might go on media blackout for this game now then if I can.  We already know nearly 50% of the settings we'll get to revisit, I'd rather the remaining ones surprise me.

[Meta77]

The game looks like hot poo stuck in a oven. Transformed looked so much better and alive. I still remember my joy and amazement before the patch when that giant wave came rushing up to you and sent you flying into the air or house of the dead hydra flooding the area

[Dr. Detective]

8 hours ago, Strickerx5 said:

Tbf, it always has. Same way things like Unleashed, Ratchet and Clank, and even Mario Odyssey are. The difference is that those games still try to look good.

Also, “Disneyified” might not be the best term for this imo. Disney, again, actually tries and looks damn good to boot a lot of the time. Hell, I’d praise them for going that route.

This is... early 90s cgi-ified 

Yeah, Unleashed still is the best looking Sonic game in my opinion, which is sad since it's been 10 years since that game hit the scene. That game was bursting with beauty and detail, yet it still managed to pull off this lush, slick, and bright environment. The Pixar looking humans and the anthro Sonic characters complimented the way the scenery looked just fine. After 06, they dialed the detail back to a perfect medium. There was no reason for them to dial it back even more. They just gave themselves the opposite problem. 

I will say, based on some of those screenshots, it doesn't look outright horrible or anything but it really is kind of bugging me how uncanny the differences feel. Like something's off but you can't pin-point exactly what, even though you feel like you know.

[Sonicka]

2 hours ago, Tracker_TD said:

It's been confirmed that's there's 21 tracks, but only 7 locales, a la ASR1.

http://www.segadriven.com/2018/08/new-team-sonic-racing-details-emerge-number-of-tracks-new-character-new-track-and-more/

Oh man. That... that really sucks if true. One of the many things that made Transformed a much better game over its predecessor was track variety. I mean... even Mario Kart knew to leave the multiple tracks on one theme idea behind after Super Mario Kart, and that was back in 1991!!

IGN’s interviewee respresetative didn’t exactly set the game alight either. For one thing this sounds like a game gimmick style that Sumo don’t even totally have faith in or understand themselves weirdly. Also slightly frustrating (although maybe it’s just because of the fan in me) that the interviewer asked if the ice track was based on Ice Mountain from Sonic Advance , and he’s like “oh yeah, totally - that’s from Sonic 3 right? Ice Cap?”. It doesn’t lend much faith to later quotes he makes about fan service and nods to the series if they’re not even sure what’s in it themselves.

Im gunna level. I think this game looks gorgeous. But the tracks don’t evoke the potential feel of any Sonic Level i’ve ever played. That is what I was most looking forward too considering the all stars have been dropped. Even SASASR managed to convince me I was in All the levels from Sonic Heroes.

 

The ice track here for example, it could be from Sonic 3, Advance, Adventure, Unleashed... who knows? There’s not enough visual clues for me to grasp at. Maybe it’s an algamation of all zones together (please don’t) - or maybe the other tracks that are also in this setting will be better? I just don’t know. Right now its just... ice level with crates, factory parts, and Eggman tech scattered about.

I’m trying so hard so remain optimistic on this game - especially after the over-negativity of last years Forces conundrum hubbub (which, let’s face it - bleeds over onto this title despite being made by a different developer).

I’m still gunna give it the benefit of the doubt when I demo it next month at EGX. But I am getting a little more worried about what I might find. Sumo make excellent racing games - but this sounds more and more like Sonic Team are directing the title and they’ve just been hired to build it.

[Blue Blood]

I'm expecting the Sonic 3 level to be Sky Sanctuary, because Generations. It's such a go-to.

[Pengi]

1 hour ago, Blue Blood said:

I'm expecting the Sonic 3 level to be Sky Sanctuary, because Generations. It's such a go-to.

I think they'd have said Sonic & Knuckles if that was the case.

We've probably already seen the Sonic 3 level - IceCap.

[Multikaris]

4 hours ago, Tracker_TD said:

It's been confirmed that's there's 21 tracks, but only 7 locales, a la ASR1.

http://www.segadriven.com/2018/08/new-team-sonic-racing-details-emerge-number-of-tracks-new-character-new-track-and-more/

The possibility of tracks lifted from prior racers means there could be more. But I agree i’m very sick of this very cheap approach.

[Blue Blood]

20 minutes ago, Pengi said:

I think they'd have said Sonic & Knuckles if that was the case.

We've probably already seen the Sonic 3 level - IceCap.

The two games are often lumped together, the interviewee got the level mixed up in the demo and the level doesn't really look like Ice Cap.

[Dr. Detective]

 

I hope he doesn't read the boards...

[NezumiVA]

I'd like to hope technical issues get sorted out before this game goes out, whether there are delays or not - but I am painfully non-optimistic regarding it getting a proper delay, as we know SEGA just can't stop lunging for Holiday release windows even when their products clearly aren't ready. It's like their trademark bad decision, at this point.