Sonic Colors: Ultimate - Announcement Trailer

[Soniman]

A remastered version of a 10 year old Wii game REALLY can't run at 60 on Switch when Nintendo hit 60 easily for SSHD? That is fucking ridiculous, I know the Switch hardware is pretty underpowered but sounds like they just didn't wanna bother optimizing. Like not even 60fps in docked? Just 30 all around? Super lame 

[JezMM]

No 60 FPS on Switch is pretty abysmal. I'd rather have the visuals stripped back for a smooth frame-rate than have it running at 30 FPS just for the sake of a bunch of new visual noise - especially if the polygon count is the same as it seems to be so far.  This thing is a Wii game, the Switch should be able to run it at 60FPS if the developers know what they're doing surely, come on.  I'd rather have it looking identical to the Wii at 1080p TV/720p handheld than sacrifice framerate for a bunch of bloom.

22 hours ago, Whatever the WhoCares said:

I’m of two minds about the bloom. On one hand, it’s overwhelming at points and drowns out too many background details. On the other hand, at least when it isn’t obstructing anything, it looks consistently gorgeous. Like, as subdued and unintentionally ominous as Tropical Resort looks, Sweet Mountain looks amazing now- much more volumous than before. Call me a sucker, I dunno. I’ll have to see a lot more footage before I really know what to think. 

I really hope we can get 60fps on the Nintendo Switch with this one. I’d take a sub-native resolution if we can get that. 

It’s an exciting prospect to play this in PC, too, given what modding might allow with the engine and the wisp powers. 

That's the thing about Bloom - it should be used sparingly, with the way it works being adjusted to compliment the type of environment, but a lot of HD remasters just slather it over every single scene indiscriminately. It's why we end up with awful trade-off situations where new visual effects are applied to an entire game without calibrating them carefully for places where they don't fit in.  Thinking of Zelda Wind Waker HD, where the new environmental shadows made large open outdoor areas have a much greater sense of scale and place to them... while those same shadows wrecked the funny scene with the minigame host who held amusing cutboard cut-outs around his face, where said props now cast a dark shadow across him, ruining the effect.

Unless the developers have the time/skill/budget to carefully apply the new effects in a more carefully curated manner, we'll probably end up with a similar situation for Colours, where some scenes look greatly enhanced, and others look much worse than the original - and a definitive version of the game will no longer exist, you'll always be stuck having to weigh up the pros and cons when deciding which version to play, which is always a shame when it happens with a remaster/remake.

[jungle_penguins]

Colors Ultimate isn't going to implement the original 2 Act structure and that's unfortunate. Game has very strange pacing due the acts being chopped and separated, and that's certainly going to affect perception when it releases.

[___-_]

Damn… I was actually really looking forward to playing as Tails for this one, but I guess that “Tails Save” mechanic is looking more likely than ever now. That’s such a shitty trade off between “A New Playable Character!” and “A New Hand-Holding NPC!” ngl, especially since I like my games, at the very least, non-patronizing - hard in general. I genuinely hate the idea of modern games needing to be “up to date” by removing lives in a game as if to say that’s a one size fit all bandaid every game dev needs to follow suit for their own rules for their own game (I better not catch you same people arguing for this point also playing Super Smash Bros outside of timed matches… or else… lol), but whatever.

If this rumor is true tho, then I kinda like how they’re at least being a little creative with an in-universe explanation on how Sonic comes back onstage safely, but like… I hope the devs was able to look beyond that and be like “Oh yea, and since Sonic is literally the fastest thing alive, he can help save Tails whenever he falls into a pit, too!”, allowing for both to be playable. But we’ll all see soon enough. 

[Blue Blood]

1 hour ago, JezMM said:

No 60 FPS on Switch is pretty abysmal. I'd rather have the visuals stripped back for a smooth frame-rate than have it running at 30 FPS just for the sake of a bunch of new visual noise - especially if the polygon count is the same as it seems to be so far.  This thing is a Wii game, the Switch should be able to run it at 60FPS if the developers know what they're doing surely, come on.  I'd rather have it looking identical to the Wii at 1080p TV/720p handheld than sacrifice framerate for a bunch of bloom.

 

2 hours ago, Soniman said:

A remastered version of a 10 year old Wii game REALLY can't run at 60 on Switch when Nintendo hit 60 easily for SSHD? That is fucking ridiculous, I know the Switch hardware is pretty underpowered but sounds like they just didn't wanna bother optimizing. Like not even 60fps in docked? Just 30 all around? Super lame 

It's disappointing, but really not surprising that the Switch version is only going to hit 30 fps. I think that Colours Ultimate already looks fairly slap-dash. From the looks of both the ugly ass trailer and the somewhat better screenshots, the main focus of this remaster is clearly pushing the engine to add new effects and shaders, whilst reusing as many of the original assets as possible. It's like they're trying to make the game look better by chucking a load of stuff on top of the original game, rather than improving the base itself. So they're targeting the higher end systems and just making sure that it can still run on the Switch. I'm sure that they could get Colours with enhanced visuals running at 60 fps on Switch, but it's not their priority.

Count me in the camp that would rather see Colours Wii in HD and 60fps than this mish-mashed remastering.

[Soniman]

I'm bitter because the allure of playing this on handheld was really tantalizing for me personally but if I can't get 60fps goodness I'll just have grab the ps4 version instead (and maybe the Switch port way later and cheaper if I'm really that hungry for the portable experience)

[Wraith]

cannot fathom releasing a 30fps version of this game in 2021 but alrighty. 

 

At this point I'm not even expecting this version to be as polished as the original on launch

[Indigo Rush]

Not having it at 60fps, even considering docked vs undocked is absolutely unacceptable for this game. They really can't afford to dial down the graphics settings to reach a higher frame rate??

[JezMM]

I do think there's a bit too much treating of the Tails feature as some sort of cop-out alternative to having him playable in this thread, I really think that's an unhealthy, unnecessarily contempt-breeding way to take it.

It's unfortunate that they released screenshots showing the Tails life icon without Sonic on-screen - like, what else were we to assume - but I very much doubt that the Tails assist feature (assuming it is what we think it is) was designed with being a compensation for no playable Tails in mind.  It's much more likely they wanted to add a mercy feature for low-skill players and then just decided to contextualise it in-game using Tails.  The thought of making Tails playable probably never even crossed their minds in relation to this feature.

Like, saying "I can't believe they did this assist feature instead of playable Tails" is likely as unconnected as saying "I can't believe they added a new wisp/metal sonic mode/bloom/a baby sonic keychain instead of playable Tails".

[Whatever the WhoCares]

I’m no expert but on the Switch’s (very) slightly weaker predecessor, the Wii U, SLW ran at a smooth 60fps with what I remember to be a decently crisp resolution. Ok yes that game had flat lighting, but it had higher-res assets, more enemies onscreen, and higher-poly models. There’s really nothing they could’ve done to get Colors running at 60fps on what’s at least as powerful as a Wii U? 
The worst part is, a Switch Pro is probably coming this holiday, and I would bet Sega won’t bother to patch this game for that.

[Marcello]

8 minutes ago, Whatever the WhoCares said:

I’m no expert but on the Switch’s (very) slightly weaker predecessor, the Wii U, SLW ran at a smooth 60fps with what I remember to be a decently crisp resolution. Ok yes that game had flat lighting, but it had higher-res assets, more enemies onscreen, and higher-poly models. There’s really nothing they could’ve done to get Colors running at 60fps on what’s at least as powerful as a Wii U? 
The worst part is, a Switch Pro is probably coming this holiday, and I would bet Sega won’t bother to patch this game for that.

The Pro is allegedly coming this September. I'd be surprised it it didn't have a patch.

[VO.SUPER]

I'd hope it'd at least have a 60 FPS patch. I'm not expecting the Pro to make miracles happen, but the least it can do is run Colours Ultimate at 60fps.

[Sonicka]

No 60FPS on switch = no buy from me (on that console)

That. Being. Said. The product descriptions are only indicators, they almost talk as though it’s not for switch and don’t outright say specifically that it’s only 30 FPS on the console despite how wryly worded it is for being 60FPS on XB1 and PS4.

That, plus the potential boost a Switch Pro could bring (if this is true) has me feeling more optimistic than usual - so I’m holding out until we have an absolute confirmation or demo gameplay on the hardware. (And thus The Sonic Cycle begins)...

[Kuzu]

Tails is confirmed...as an assist only lmao.

 

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

I just hope that people don't foolishly take this to mean that they were snubbed out of a promise or something...more than they already have anyway.

[StaticMania]

I'm in love with this news...

Tails is playable again...

[phobs]

Honestly, I expected so much less from Ultimate so I'm fine with having Tails as assist

[Dr. Detective]

Yeah.

1 hour ago, Jovahexeon The Undyne said:

I just hope that people don't foolishly take this to mean that they were snubbed out of a promise or something...more than they already have anyway.

It's going to be tough. It's still disappointing. You see that lives icon and it turns out not to mean what it usually means in other, normal games that aren't Sonic but it's like... yeah, of course it didn't.

Seems like a neat feature though. I guess. At least he'll be somewhat useful now. I wish it had been revealed from the get-go so I could have avoided wondering about it.

I'm trying to look on the bright side. It's really hard to do but I'm trying.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

4 minutes ago, Dr. Detective Mike said:

Yeah.

It's going to be tough. It's still disappointing. You see that lives icon and it turns out not to mean what it usually means in other, normal games that aren't Sonic but it's like... yeah, of course it didn't.

Seems like a neat feature though. I guess. At least he'll be somewhat useful now. I wish it had been revealed from the get-go so I could have avoided wondering about it.

I'm trying to look on the bright side. It's really hard to do but I'm trying.

Oh, I won't deny that people have a reason to be upset, but claiming that they were cheated or snubbed out of playable Tails is beyond the metric of common sense and just plain ridiculous. 

[Dr. Detective]

2 minutes ago, Jovahexeon The Undyne said:

Oh, I won't deny that people have a reason to be upset, but claiming that they were cheated or snubbed out of playable Tails is beyond the metric of common sense and just plain ridiculous. 

I'm in a position where I'm finding it hard to care or even really see why it matters if they consider it a snub personally. 

Like who cares? What's them saying that going to do? Wanting a playable Tails for so long doesn't get you a playable Tails. What's a bunch of internet loons saying they were "cheated" going to do? 

Nothing. There's not going to be a playable Tails either way. They're all going to complain and then buy the game anyway too. 

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

1 minute ago, Dr. Detective Mike said:

I'm in a position where I'm finding it hard to care or even really see why it matters if they consider it a snub personally. 

Like who cares? What's them saying that going to do? Wanting a playable Tails for so long doesn't get you a playable Tails. What's a bunch of internet loons saying they were "cheated" going to do? 

Nothing. There's not going to be a playable Tails either way. They're all going to complain and then buy the game anyway too. 

It's the principle of misinformation. Opinions are one thing, but misinformation can spread like wildfire and potentially make a bad situation worse than it has to be.

[Dr. Detective]

1 hour ago, Jovahexeon The Undyne said:

It's the principle of misinformation. Opinions are one thing, but misinformation can spread like wildfire and potentially make a bad situation worse than it has to be.

Oh, you're worried people are going to literally say that Sonic Team said there was going to be a playable Tails and then didn't put one in? I'm not so sure about that but okay.

[Kuzu]

People jumping on misinformation without having the full story is nobody's fault but their own.

[StaticMania]

6 minutes ago, Kuzu said:

People jumping on misinformation without having the full story is nobody's fault but their own.

Promo stuff shouldn't really lead to misinformation, but otherwise yes....

[Lord-Dreamerz]

So unless that Metal Sonic race mode ends up super fun looking to me, or some other interesting features/content gets revealed which hasn't been showed yet, otherwise I gotta give this game a pass. The lightening looks worse on every single level I seen from every video or pic... they couldn't be bothered to upgrade some of the 2D textures into proper 3D models. No new playable characters. The zones are still separated into stupidly short mini levels. This simply doesn't feel like the huge ideal remaster upgrade that would had been nice to see. There is nothing exciting about it so far. I'd sooner prefer just to pop-out my old Wii and play the original game or go emulate it on PC instead.