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So now that you have played sonic colo(u)rs


Djawed

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I still prefer Unleashed as a whole.

I'll never say Werehog is any more "Sonic" or any less intrusive than Wisps are, but I still know which game I got the most entertainment out of, found the most exciting to play through first time, and which one I'd take with me to a desert island.

But that's just me - I would never even attempt to justify it as the better game from a neutral unbiased standpoint.

I'm kinda on middle ground.

Colors gives us actual platforming that requires precision, and a gimmick that makes it more interesting, buuuttt the platforming is fairly dull without said gimmick, and the 3D sections are mostly straight lines

Unleashed has that awe factorand the ludicrous speed that Sonic is known for, and times your reflexes, buuuttt it suffers from a lot of trial and error(something I hate), you're mostly a spectator when running most of the time.

They both have pros and cons that people will prefer, but I like them both, and its better than what we had in Heroes, ShTH, and 06.

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Hmm, maybe I'm easy to please, but I never felt like a spectator in Unleashed. I get that vibe from overly long automated sections, but as long as I know that if I was to let go of the control stick and X right now, Sonic would stop moving, I still feel in control.

As long as I know I have the OPTION to slowly homing attack that huge gaggle of enemies rather than boost through them, and as long as I know slowly walking up to them would cause me to have my lights punched out, I'm not bothered by the fact that really, holding up and X is the only real option you're meant to consider.

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Just beat the whole thing with all 180 rings and Challenge Mode completed, here are my thoughts.

Unlocking Super Sonic is a tad disappointing, in all honesty. It would be fine if you could use Wisps while playing as him, however, some levels are pretty broken with the Super Sonic option on. He doesn't really help you get A or S ranks as easily as I'd hope (Which is a good thing, I guess, as I'll have to work harder at those "S"es), there are some levels such as Terminal Velocity Act 1 that seem like they were almost geared towards playing as Super Sonic, I tore the shit out of that level playing as him. I'd say that the most fun and easy way of playing through the game is through Challenge Mode though, without a doubt. Going from level to level with absolutely nothing breaking the flow at all, be it a cutscene or a pop-up menu, it's an absolute joy, now especially because I don't have to worry about feeling shitty about not getting that S rank or failing to obtain all Red Rings). This is most definitely a solid experience that I can tell had a lot of heart put into it, more-so than most Sonic games these days including Sonic 4, I'm not really sure where it stands compared to Unleashed at this point, however. I definitely enjoyed it more than any Sonic game that came out after Sonic 3 & Knuckles no doubt, but Sonic Unleashed to me, despite all of the so-called "unecessary" content like Werehog and town stages, had a lot of heart in it with said "unecessary" content, as I did enjoy slowing down to explore some charming locales and more laid-back platforming and brawling sections. I really enjoyed what I played though, even if it was short with slightly underwhelming unlockables

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One thing that hold Unleashed back for me,is the framerate. Besides 06, it is the most choppiest Sonic game to date,it's just so inconsistent.

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One thing that hold Unleashed back for me,is the framerate. Besides 06, it is the most choppiest Sonic game to date,it's just so inconsistent.

I hardly ever notice framrate dips on the 360 version of Unleashed. They exist sure, but they're not frequent enough to be a bother. PS3 version on the other hand... The other thing is graphics. Very well understanding that Colours has fantastic graphics for the Wii, Unleashed HD naturally has much better graphics. And that actually means something to me.

Edited by Blue Blood
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So I guess I'm a little out of the loop here but......is it a small but vocal minority here on SSMB that feel SC wasn't so great or is this the feeling throughout the community? I know critics mostly dug it, but overall what has fan reception been?

I will agree that SU had some levels that blew away SC levels (<3 Rooftop run) but overall I just can't deny that I had a WAY better time with SC. Maybe SC should have had at least some levels where speed and "exhilaration" were the focus though.

Futurama-203-nixon.jpg

I'm meeting you halfway you filthy hippies :P

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I hardly ever notice framrate dips on the 360 version of Unleashed. They exist sure, but they're not frequent enough to be a bother. PS3 version on the other hand... The other thing is graphics. Very well understanding that Colours has fantastic graphics for the Wii, Unleashed HD naturally has much better graphics. And that actually means something to me.

I played the 360 version, and it's inconsistent, in most of the daylevels it's fine but they are still some dips here and there , in adabat and eggmanland it's just awful. For the Werehog there are noticeable framrate Issues in Spagonia,Apotos and Eggmanland and most of bosses and some little dips here everywhere else,espacially for the Night Levels there are no good justifiable reasons for them either.And there is some dips in 2 hub maps. And there even some in the cutscenes.What the Hell? The Framerate is bad for a Sonic game, and espcially pisses me off since the Trailers showed sections that were buggy in the Final game but were perfectly fine in the Trailer. You can bare them, and it' still playable, but it's just messy as a whole.

Edited by ChikaBoing
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You can bare them, and it' still playable, but it's just messy as a whole.

Didn't say it wasn't, matey. Just saying that they're not much of a bother to me.

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So I finally got the game, courtesy of my big brother's Black Friday shopping spree; Thanks dude. <3 Anyhoo, here's a summation of my experience:

It's quite good, but fairly safe. The controls for Sonic are solid and allow better control in both the 2D and 3D sections than what is ever afforded in Unleashed. The Wisps are really fun divergences, although the solidity of the controls for each varies. The levels feature tons of "Whoa!" moments that give them charm, negating the mild frustration over bottomless pits and split-second life-or-death decisions in some of the acts. However, they are way too short as is the whole game. That coupled with the optional exploratory element means that the rewards for doing so don't carry the same payoff as they would have if that element were more necessary to completion of the campaign. The graphics and art style are amazing, one of the best-looking on the Wii, and the story is well-written and genuinely funny, even if it suffers from a disappointingly-shallow final act due to underdevelopment.

If that's peaked anyone's curiosity, I gave the game an 8/10 regardless-- It deserves it.

However, I will declare that it's not gotten me as personally engaged in it as Unleashed did, and that's where I go back to my mention of it being safe. I think the biggest reason why is because it doesn't seem to revel in its surroundings as much as Unleashed did, making the world less tangible. There were plenty of times I wondered if I was going to be dropped or led into a background element only to be turned away from it completely, Starlight Carnival Act 1's airship fleet being the biggest offender. But I don't remember this in Unleashed; The moment I thought, "I'm gonna hit up Big Ben, aren't I?" I was already running around the clock's face. When I said, "That iceberg looks like a friggin' skyscraper," I'm already climbing up it as the Werehog. The main acts in Unleashed not only feel more deliberately designed to have you up close and personal to its multiple main set pieces in some way, but to keep them in sight for awhile to hint at them, or have you go back around across the same areas, and that in its own right does add depth and an exploratory element to the world regardless the actual gameplay's linearity. Then of course are the hubs themselves. However, I didn't get that from SC. With the exception of Planet Wisp's utterly ginormous construction tower, (and even then that area blew the opportunity to take us into the more natural surroundings that the marketing revels in), I can't actively remember any such moments in the other levels right now. The experience just feels constrained or held back.

But this won't stop me from taking some pleasure in it anyways. The whole game is just inherently fun, and there are certain Wisps I just love abusing, specifically Drill, Hover, and Frenzy. And of course, there are S-ranks to get, and all of the B's and A's I have are just unacceptable. >>;;

Edited by Nepenthe
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^ Excellent post, that's a brilliant example of how Unleashed had more heart and flair. Couldn't quite pinpoint it myself but that's basically what I was getting at a few pages back with saying far too much of the cool set-pieces were just in the background. You nailed the sentiment.

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^ Excellent post, that's a brilliant example of how Unleashed had more heart and flair. Couldn't quite pinpoint it myself but that's basically what I was getting at a few pages back with saying far too much of the cool set-pieces were just in the background. You nailed the sentiment.

But he also said he loves Colors as well giving good points.

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I think that the reason Colors has no epic long intro is because of these guys.

Edited by ChikaBoing
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But he also said he loves Colors as well giving good points.

:P Which has absolutely nothing to do with the comparison I made. Also, thank you JezMM and Jaouad; I try. <3

Although, now that I think back on it, Starlight Carnival was not the biggest offender of what I mean; Terminal Velocity was. I imagine my view on it is partly my fault as I accidentally spoiled what it was, allowing me to gather preconceptions about how it would play out. But it's a weird amalgamation of highs and lows that I don't know how to treat it just yet.

Its concepts and the first act are great, but the length and the actual ease of play don't do that act justice. Furthermore, I'm wondering why they separated its ideas from the final boss. Running around a docking station or wherever instead of down the elevator towards Earth almost desecrate was is in actuality a truly kick-ass and really personal showdown. That, along with the final blow; The Wisps are there with you, but the lack of time the story spends personalizing them makes their gathering more cute than badass, (It also raises the question of why did Tails have to stay behind? And where in the blue blazes was Yacker all this time, the only Wisp the story focuses on? Did I miss something?).

The second act's lack of a traditional ending was also boss; Great sense of dread there when the camera rotates in front to show the oncoming black hole. It adds to the narrative in a meaningful way through the gameplay. <3 But despite the hazards the vacuum effect was creating on the elevator, it was still relatively easy. I lost more lives on those god-forsaken trampoline acts than I did on the elevator bits, and that frustrates me. I wanted to die multiple times in the most embarrassing ways possible. I wanted Sonic to end up with a mouthful of elevator debris or lose an eye due to a stray nail-- Something.

Indeed, Terminal Velocity is the poster child for the ceiling this game seems to hit whenever it wants to show off its locations and where you can go in them. It's good, very good, but just a little bit more risk, a little more willingness to add some difficulty, and holy hell at what that could have been.

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Pretty much downed that one Nepenthe.

Playing it safe was exactly the thing I was thinking. Frankly its a good way to start. People are now getting back into Sonic after being reaquainted with something simplistic.

Why do you think so many reveiws were gleaming?

Its like food. They've been eating so much tripe so far that something as simple as Orange juice (in this case Colours' role) tastes sweeter than ever. Of course they'll be expecting more next time, but its the perfect start. The perfect foundation. Of course the more deserning critics; whilst pleased that the taste wasn't bad; weren't overly impressed either; they wanted more. Not even the worst review (excluding Troll Stirling) really said anything was bad, they just thought it wasn't as good as it could have been.

A solid effort though all round. What the did, they did [mostly] well. Nothing stood out as amazing save for the frankly stunning visuals, but nothing was so bad or jarring that it ruined the overall experience.

A solid 8/10. Had they gone a little further and just stopped playing too safe, they'd have hit 9/10 or even 10/10 .

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did they also do a sonic colors review?

It's on their list,so maybe in the next 2 weeks . I'm curious on what they think of it, since they also hated

(on the 33:18 minute mark)
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But he also said he loves Colors as well giving good points.

So do I. 8( I can be critical and say I preferred Unleashed and still love Colours. Just not love it as much is all.

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Pretty much downed that one Nepenthe.

Playing it safe was exactly the thing I was thinking. Frankly its a good way to start. People are now getting back into Sonic after being reaquainted with something simplistic.

Why do you think so many reveiws were gleaming?

Its like food. They've been eating so much tripe so far that something as simple as Orange juice (in this case Colours' role) tastes sweeter than ever. Of course they'll be expecting more next time, but its the perfect start. The perfect foundation. Of course the more deserning critics; whilst pleased that the taste wasn't bad; weren't overly impressed either; they wanted more. Not even the worst review (excluding Troll Stirling) really said anything was bad, they just thought it wasn't as good as it could have been.

A solid effort though all round. What the did, they did [mostly] well. Nothing stood out as amazing save for the frankly stunning visuals, but nothing was so bad or jarring that it ruined the overall experience.

A solid 8/10. Had they gone a little further and just stopped playing too safe, they'd have hit 9/10 or even 10/10 .

When nothing stands out as amazing or particularly bad, we call that "mediocre," which is ironically what Unleashed's detractors were saying about it when it was less kosher to call the game as a whole more vile than shit, and it makes me wonder just how many of you are going to retroactively hate the shit out of Colors if Sega can do a good job the third time around. Seems like that's what's been happening with almost every Sonic game that was once called "good", and that still displays a sad state of affairs to me.

But the thing is, Scar, I don't care about reviewers or other people; Only me. And I'm not just content with "safe." The most memorable experiences are the ones that don't cop out on their potential on the chance that there could be failure or controversy. Safe is static, pristine, uncreative, which is worse than an experiment that lives up more to its potential despite having some flaws inherent to novel things. It's just one reason of many to justify why I like Unleashed so much, and why I personally support Hashimoto's insistence to keep the Werehog in. Even if such a decision at the end of the day only amounts to some ridiculous appreciation or whatever of rebelliousness or the avant-garde that only some traditional hippie artist like me can find good in, at least it still means something to me, and I can appreciate that immensely. There are many moments gameplay-wise were Colors could have been meaningful to me, but instead it played it safe and backed down. Coupled with the high-praise the game is getting from every non-trolling outlet, my personal investment in the game merely averages down, and I become disappointed in some aspects.

I will never in my life defend Colors', or any other game's, design decisions on the grounds of being safe because that's not even worth defending in the slightest. All it means is that the developer got scared at some jerkwads on the Internet who have a tendency to over-exaggerate; Why in the world should anyone celebrate that? What Colors should get praise for is for doing well what it wanted to do in almost all regards, despite room for improvement. The orthodoxy of that design, it being familiar, sticking to its guns, being classic, or whatever else, ideally shouldn't even account for much.

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I'll admit the Werehog was a nice change of pace at Times, on my first playtrough. But I don't support Hashimotos insistence to put Medal Collecting in the game,it's what made the Night Levels drag on and not just something to break up the Sonic stuff. It's such a simple thing, that if it woudn't be kept as necessity,it would have made the game just better really...

Edited by ChikaBoing
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When nothing stands out as amazing or particularly bad, we call that "mediocre," which is ironically what Unleashed's detractors were saying about it when it was less kosher to call the game as a whole more vile than shit, and it makes me wonder just how many of you are going to retroactively hate the shit out of Colors if Sega can do a good job the third time around. Seems like that's what's been happening with almost every Sonic game that was once called "good", and that still displays a sad state of affairs to me.

But the thing is, Scar, I don't care about reviewers or other people; Only me. And I'm not just content with "safe." The most memorable experiences are the ones that don't cop out on their potential on the chance that there could be failure or controversy. Safe is static, pristine, uncreative, which is worse than an experiment that lives up more to its potential despite having some flaws inherent to novel things. It's just one reason of many to justify why I like Unleashed so much, and why I personally support Hashimoto's insistence to keep the Werehog in. Even if such a decision at the end of the day only amounts to some ridiculous appreciation or whatever of rebelliousness or the avant-garde that only some traditional hippie artist like me can find good in, at least it still means something to me, and I can appreciate that immensely. There are many moments gameplay-wise were Colors could have been meaningful to me, but instead it played it safe and backed down. Coupled with the high-praise the game is getting from every non-trolling outlet, my personal investment in the game merely averages down, and I become disappointed in some aspects.

I will never in my life defend Colors', or any other game's, design decisions on the grounds of being safe because that's not even worth defending in the slightest. All it means is that the developer got scared at some jerkwads on the Internet who have a tendency to over-exaggerate; Why in the world should anyone celebrate that? What Colors should get praise for is for doing well what it wanted to do in almost all regards, despite room for improvement. The orthodoxy of that design, it being familiar, sticking to its guns, being classic, or whatever else, ideally shouldn't even account for much.

*clap clap*

That's an excellent way of putting it. Well done, well done indeed. Unfortunately, it sadly fails to recognise games as consumer products, not works of art. I truly yearn for the good old days when game designers could dare to try exciting new things and explore every avenue of their medium. Back when you could code a level in a week, rather than spending months designing intricate graphics that will get less than a minute of screentime. Back when you could freely write magnificent dialogue and altert it at a whim whenever you got a great new idea later in development, as it just meant pulling up the code and altering some paragaphs here and there, rather than having a fixed script with high-paid voice actors who you couldn't justify calling back to the studio for a late re-recording. Back when the hippies mattered. I feel for ya, bro. I do.

In this day and age "safe" is important. It sucks, but since making games has become so obscenely expensive, one crap title can kill a company these days. Priority number one has to be what sells? what sells? what sells? If you can look at the established norm, the safe stuff, you can have at least a fair idea of what'll sell, and a game designer would be a fool not to put that in the forefront of their mind. Sonic Colors focuses more on what we knew would work instead of trying daring new things, and that is a really smart and wise decision - one that has definitely paid off if the reviews are anything to go by. Even if you won't defend the safe approach, you must recognise its value.

...oh, and the werehog was retarted. Sorry, I just can't get over it. How the hell did that get past the brainstorming stage without someone slapping the guy in the face and pointing them back to the drawing board? I can't believe it.

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I'll admit the Werehog was a nice change of pace at Times, on my first playtrough. But I don't support Hashimotos insistence to put Medal Collecting in the game,it's what made the Night Levels drag on and not just something to break up the Sonic stuff. It's such a simple thing, that if it woudn't be kept as necessity,it would have made the game just better really...

Mandatory collect-a-thons aren't an inherently bad thing. If anything, they're a viable solution for making a connection between sandbox and linear modes of gameplay which increases the value of engaging in both. The problem comes when they're imbalanced, and that's where Unleashed's system suffers. The amount of medals required to access later levels is staggering, which means it can easily become more of a chore than an incidental requirement that allows you to partake in exploring the area's nooks and crannies and actually enjoying it.

I can easily understand why they did it; They just did it badly. xP

Edited by Nepenthe
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Oh my god...

The gunplay, the havoc physics, the God of War style brawling, the sword for Wiimote flayling!! Those are all ideas that sound "safe" on the drawing board. They were trying to play it safe the whole time!! MY GOD!!! What have I been advocating!?

SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE!!!!!!!!

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@Nepenthe

Wasn't defending Colours' being mediocre.

I was merely aknowledging it seeing as you pointed it out so elloquantly. And you are right, playing it safe is a bad thing in the grand scheme of things. However, thankfully Colours stands out from mere mediocrity with some genuine wow moments, like in Asteroid Coaster where you actually bounce from asteroid to asteroid. I think that at that point the developers really hit the nail on the head in terms of admiring the veiw....and then actually getting up-close and personal with all of the enviroment; as you described the feeling of seeing a giant iceburg, then climbing it, or, seeing the giant clock-tower then actually scaling it.

They really need to expand on that more in the future. I mean there were moments in Tropical Resort when I wanted to go out to those beautiful hotel-like buildings to explore; only to realise that they were just flt textures in the distance instead of an actual part of the level. I suppose that could be a physical limitation; as rendering all of that crap as an actual playable area would cause the game to chug like no other.....but they did so well creating atmosphere and got so close to immsersing us in this little world they created, and it frustrates me like no other to see the game fall just short of reaching that.

Edited by Scar
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Medal collecting: Honestly I was thinking next time they should have collectables to advance again... possibly.

But have a ton of different ways to get them so everyone is happy. You can earn medals through S ranks, you can earn medals hidden on stages, perhaps even medals as awards to bonus missions and acts.

So for example you hit a wall... you need 3 more medals! Say... getting an S rank gives three medals... I'll go back and master that stage I really loved again... or I can explore it and find the three I missed... or I can try some of those missions out!

Extends the initial play without forcing you to do a particular activity you might hate.

If all else fails... make challenge mode avaliable from the start for those who really honestly are telling the truth when they say they don't care about story or a long Sonic game, they just want to play.

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