Sonic Boom Thread

[Dr. SEGA Monkey]

I'm really glad that these designs wont be in the main games. I love the good ol' Adventure era designs.


With that said, I kinda think the series really needs something like this. They've been pulling the nostalgia card for so long ("Hey guys, there's Sonic 1 badniks in this game!!!") that it has become stale and boring. Sonic Boom is going in the complete opposite direction of that, so it's actually rather refreshing and interesting. Frankly SEGA had a lot of balls to do this which I kind of respect.


It's like in the old days when there was SatAM and the comics going alongside the games. You had the "westernized" Sonic (dabatable, because Sonic's original Japanese design was very westernized anyway) adding more substance. But it is in no way a threat to the main Sonic canon and games.


Nothing wrong with a side canon bringing in more fans.

[MadeManG74]

So this is an attempt to Westernise the franchise for us Westerners.

Indeed the problem with the games has been how Japanese Sonic is! What with those giant kaijus blowing stuff up every two minutes, idolmasters singing during the opening and closing credits and those zanny crossdressing boost races you get, that's the cause of the poor sales! Not the fact the series has had almost a decade of mixed to poor games followed by half a decade of decent attempts!

Next up Virtua Fighter, Akira Yuki is too Japanese, to break into the West they will have to name him Andrew York, a hardened NYPD detective who saw his family murdered and enters the World Fighter Tournament to find their killer

I haven't been following this closely, but I thought it was just an opportunity to do something new and fun with the franchise rather than a targeted attack on Western markets specifically. I didn't think it was all that west-pandering, just something different. Which I personally like, having new interpretations that don't meddle with the ongoing franchise is always good IMO.

More importantly I want Andrew York to be a new character in VF6. His family was murdered by the J6 Syndicate and he's got a mad crush on Vanessa Lewis. You can get a costume that makes him look a lot like the Punisher, but not so much that you can get a lawsuit.

[Saturn Memories]

I'm really glad that these designs wont be in the main games. I love the good ol' Adventure era designs.

I'm not. I was feeling pretty good about this up until the point where they announced modern Sonic was sticking around. I want Sonic Team to stop making Sonic games. I'm tired of Sonic. I have reached the point where I'm actually rooting against the franchise.

[Barry the Nomad]

I'm not. I was feeling pretty good about this up until the point where they announced modern Sonic was sticking around. I want Sonic Team to stop making Sonic games. I'm tired of Sonic. I have reached the point where I'm actually rooting against the franchise.

In '05-'08 I'd get that, but I thought the games have been a lot of fun since Colors. I mean, sure Sonic Team has done their share of non-Sonic titles, but Sonic is pretty much their thing. I'd hate to root against the franchise and wish failure on it.

[Saturn Memories]

In '05-'08 I'd get that, but I thought the games have been a lot of fun since Colors. I mean, sure Sonic Team has done their share of non-Sonic titles, but Sonic is pretty much their thing. I'd hate to root against the franchise and wish failure on it.

They've made some strides in the right direction as of late, but the franchise still reeks of mediocrity and wasted potential. Now they're redoubling their efforts to pump out even more Sonic. Meanwhile, scores of wonderful IPs from Sega's past continue to lie dormant. It's infuriating...

[Ben]

I think this game looks like it'll be an inspired take on the Sonic series, and I'm interested in seeing where it goes.

SonicTeam's caught too much in their traditions, this is honestly looking like I'd hoped Lost World would have been; a totally fresh start and something that feels like a true action/adventure game.

[Radrappy]

I think this game looks like it'll be an inspired take on the Sonic series, and I'm interested in seeing where it goes.

SonicTeam's caught too much in their traditions, this is honestly looking like I'd hoped Lost World would have been; a totally fresh start and something that feels like a true action/adventure game.

I agree with you but I wish the product wasn't so well. . . ugly. 

[max_cady]

Honest opinion? I'm actually excited about this project. No Bull. I'm still trying to take in the new visual style on these characters (Knuckles for whatever reason, is a bulky as Werehog Sonic from Unleashed and why does Sonic and his crew need neck scarfes and kung fu bandages on their arms?).

Shame that this game is gonna get released on a system that's pretty much dead at this point, but I guess this will be the last Sonic game under the exclusive Nintendo deal.

But this TV show, I'm very curious about it. It's such an interesting direction that they decided to take...

[MadeManG74]

^I'm also somewhat excited for this game. I haven't had faith in Sonic Team for a long time, so seeing another developer try something completely new with the character is a big deal for me.
Even Sonic Colours I thought was mediocre, and I didn't really get into Generations either (although that looked better than Unleashed, I still thought a lot of the decisions for that game were terrible).

I'll see how it plays out I guess, hopefully it's a fun platformer adventurer. I do like the concept art for the levels.

[Barry the Nomad]

After sleeping on it (in my Sonic bed, complete with Sonic Underground plushies, a Sonic SatAM comforter, and a body pillow of Wes Weasely) I'm optimistic and a bit excited for Sonic Boom.

You all probably know by now that I'm a fan of Sonic Team's recent direction with the franchise. However I haven't been a fan of the cries from some fans for a return to the Sonic Adventure formula, or the Westernization and Kidification of the latest games. Sonic isn't just for kids, its for everybody, so while I did enjoy games like Colors, Generations and Lost World, I guess I'm iffy on the "kiddie" cutscenes and simplistic stories.

My hope is that Sonic Boom is the answer to all this. I'd prefer that Sonic Team no longer have to appeal to younger players so much with jokey cutscenes, and the gameplay elements that detracts from the Sonic formula (melee combat, Sonic Adventure open worlds). Perhaps with Sonic Boom, SEGA West can focus these things toward their own TV/game brand rather than pushing Sonic Team and SEGA of Japan to address these needs.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a prime example of a franchise that can exist with more than one vision. TMNT has the recent XBLA game, the IDW comics, the Nickelodeon series, the upcoming live action movie, the merchandise depicting the '87 Turtles. If the Ninja Turtles can handle five versions at once, I think Sonic will be fine with the Sonic Team games, the SEGA West TV series, and the Archie comics. At the very least all three are not as different as they were in 1999 when we had Sonic Adventure, Sonic Underground, and Archie Sonic as it was then. We have Sonic and friends against Eggman. No Royal siblings or planet Mobius.

[Happy Cat]

After sleeping on it (in my Sonic bed, complete with Sonic Underground plushies, a Sonic SatAM comforter, and a body pillow of Wes Weasely) I'm optimistic and a bit excited for Sonic Boom.

You all probably know by now that I'm a fan of Sonic Team's recent direction with the franchise. However I haven't been a fan of the cries from some fans for a return to the Sonic Adventure formula, or the Westernization and Kidification of the latest games. Sonic isn't just for kids, its for everybody, so while I did enjoy games like Colors, Generations and Lost World, I guess I'm iffy on the "kiddie" cutscenes and simplistic stories.

My hope is that Sonic Boom is the answer to all this. I'd prefer that Sonic Team no longer have to appeal to younger players so much with jokey cutscenes, and the gameplay elements that detracts from the Sonic formula (melee combat, Sonic Adventure open worlds). Perhaps with Sonic Boom, SEGA West can focus these things toward their own TV/game brand rather than pushing Sonic Team and SEGA of Japan to address these needs.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a prime example of a franchise that can exist with more than one vision. TMNT has the recent XBLA game, the IDW comics, the Nickelodeon series, the upcoming live action movie, the merchandise depicting the '87 Turtles. If the Ninja Turtles can handle five versions at once, I think Sonic will be fine with the Sonic Team games, the SEGA West TV series, and the Archie comics. At the very least all three are not as different as they were in 1999 when we had Sonic Adventure, Sonic Underground, and Archie Sonic as it was then. We have Sonic and friends against Eggman. No Royal siblings or planet Mobius.

Appealing to all ages is definitely something Sony platform game devs are good at. I know I may sound a bit negative about this game yesterday, but I'm slowly warming up to the character designs, and the way it looks.

Im really pleased that SEGA doesn't think the future direction for Sonic is a Mario like direction. SO PLEASED about that. Lost World was seriously getting me worried. I'm going to go into this game with an open mind because it sounds like it has the potential to be really good and give us the kind of game Sonic Team has been needing to give us for a while now.

[Chaosmaster8753]

Has this been posted here or not? Some info from Bob Rafei:

http://www.gonintendo.com/?mode=viewstory&id=221976

“The objective was to make the characters instantly recognisable as being from Sonic Boom. We explored various costume options and quickly found the limits of what works and what doesn’t. Since we wanted to push the characterisation of Sonic and friends to fit our narrative, I thought it more appropriate to make them a touch older by adjusting their head, hand and feet proportions. The athletic tape hints at a team that is ready for any action – it is about practicality rather than vanity. Given they have very clean graphic lines, it was important not to clutter their silhouettes, so any little addition had to be carefully considered. They are designed for an epic action adventure.”

We constantly had to remind ourselves not to fall into the trap of creating babysitting, escort or protection style scenarios where one player is gated by the other simply for the sake of co-op. What we don’t want is forced co-op play resulting in excessive interruption to gameplay momentum. Through extensive play-testing we settled on the right balance of opportunistic moments in combat and co-op environmental puzzles placed at key moments that are meaningful to the player.

Sonic 2 had a ‘team’ vibe between Sonic and Tails and we wanted to recapture that plus kick things up a notch by adding Amy and Knuckles to the equation. In Sonic Adventure, the game’s structure offered exploration and discovery that opened up more as the player progressed. We believe this is a great approach and modelled Sonic Boom after it. We also love what Sonic Team did with Sonic Generations, giving the player 2D and 3D variations of the same level. Our take was to integrate 2D and 3D seamlessly within the level in a way that made sense, keeping things fresh for the player.

Game and TV animation are different animals so we looked for opportunities to cross-pollinate ideas. Characters that were developed for the game crossed over to the show and vice versa. Guidelines we developed with Sonic team for bosses, as example, were carried over to the show in effort to have consistency.

The GamePad display has given us a great solution for local co-op play. We tried different solutions for our co-op camera, including single split-screen display, but ultimately this wasn’t able to service our game vision. The GamePad also has a look-around mode where the player can scan the environment looking for clues and hints to secrets in the game. As for 3DS, there are some crossover plans between it and the Wii U involving special unlocks for Sonic fans who have both versions."

[inthesky]

I am distrustful of the rationale going into this, much as it seems benign and sensible. Sonic was Western enough to be one of Sega West's initial "four pillars" a couple of years ago. I do think it's worth noting that this is unprecedented - while we've had Western Sonic cartoons and Sonic games not totally developed inside Japan, this is the first to test the waters for a completely alternative interpretation of the same Sonic universe. Sonic Boom represents a new media push with figures and such, and if successful, it might be a consistent part of Sonic moving forward. It's not like Mega Man X and the classic Mega Man.

If the question is upping Sonic's sales performance...unless a game is absolutely killer then the Wii U is going to be a problem. Right now it seems like the focus is going to be the cartoon.

This Polygon article on Sonic Boom is worth checking out, for those who haven't seen it yet. It touches on inspiration for Sonic's new design, the Sonic Boom game and the Enerbeam, and Amy. The Western inspiration is a little more spelled out.

I'll probably check out the cartoon for a bit. The game....=\ While I never played Lost World, visually it looked great. This one, not as much. And the apparent shift towards combat and exploration I'm not so sure about. My guess is you've got to have HUGE levels to reconcile the GOTTA GO FAST that's built into Sonic's DNA and the exploration aspect. Yes, Ratchet and Clank was fun, but Ratchet and Clank is also different.

Has this been posted here or not? Some info from Bob Rafei:

http://www.gonintendo.com/?mode=viewstory&id=221976

Hmm. Notes:

--the characters are older, and so their body proportions are adjusted. This explains Sonic's legs.

--the tape hints at "someone ready for action"...=P I don't see how its purpose isn't fashion

--2D and 3D integration within the same level. I'm going to be curious to see how that pans out.

--new characters. New bosses at least, but possibly new friends.

[CrazyT]

The way I see it is they can either bring back sonic to popularity or kill him off even more. Honestly after more analysis it seems like the IP is in good hands.

I had a discussion with someone recently and he told me that the sonic we know just isn't appealing anymore. I think Iizuka is right about sonic while having had benefited a lot of his popularity in the west, the characters seem very Japanese oriented. I wouldn't be surprised most of sonic's popularity back in the days came because of the western tv shows and games. The games benefitted because despite them not being exactly like the shows (apart from sonic spinball), they were open to interpretation. So after great show + quality games, people were pretty much sold?

Anyway that's just speculation anyway. If they succeed in having a good show and good game side by side, then SEGA may be able to revive the franchise.

I like that the game has a sandbox design akin to sonic adventure. Still the model designs are pretty bad but ehh, I don't mind anymore

[inthesky]

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/448718/sega-reined-in-sonic-boom-character-designs-claims-dev/

interesting! not a long read. may wreck your browser though.