The theme song to Sonic Forces Hoobastanks...

[Shun-Di]

No really, I can't classify it as Metal as it does not ROCK \m/, it STANKS. 

[CrazyT]

Everything bad about the franchise that had been filtered out has come back at full force in this game HAHAHA SEE WHAT I DID THERE?!

[Happy Cat]

There is a sound column where Ohtani comments on the music he made for Sonic Forces

New: Vocal will be on every music of Avatar’s stages!

New: Also, multiple singers, male and female, are participating!

 On contrary to the rocky band sound of Modern Sonic’s stage music, the Avatar’s stage music has Drum’n Bass / EDM-based, dance music-like programmed sounds as its concept. With this, coolness and euphoria that are characteristic to dance music, which is different from live band sounds, can be expressed.

 Since it is a customizable character, I thought a music that is structured by combining different parts would fit, and so I decided on this direction. Vocal part is not a full chorus, but adds in as fragments.

 The impression you have on the music I would create for ‘Sonic series’ might be a fresh and high-speed pop or rock, for example ‘Endless Possibility’ or ‘Rooftop Run’. Since I created lots of such music in the last work ‘Sonic Runners’ too, so it’s no wonder.

 However, I love Techno / House / Hip Hop / Drum’n Bass / Dubstep / EDM and Dance music, and I had been intensively creating such sounds for a very long time. I think all of the demo tapes I submit to SEGA as an assignment for new graduates employment included such music… Meaning, the sound track this time includes everything in my drawer!

 On June 7th, stage music of ‘Park Avenue’ was revealed.

For the promotion of this game, we decided to release some of the music works alone beforehand. I got many reactions on Twitter from both Japanese and overseas fans. Thank you very much.

 The Avatar is a resistance member who rose up from the general citizen, so this character is scared of going to a fight. Even then, one summons up own courage and stands up against the enemy – the lyrics describes such mind, and at the same time pushes the player’s back to cheer up.

[Stage music]

The concept of stage music is different for each game. For example in ‘Sonic Lost World’, I concentrated on expressing the motives of background (grass field, desert, ocean, snow and so on) and the playful rhythm with the music. A light and casual music, you could say.

 On the other hand, for ‘Sonic Forces’ I am composing while having the story’s flow and the characters’ minds in my thought. Overall, the music is finalized in heroic and dramatic, heavy and large-scaled tone.
Which music will be reveled in which form as next? I will make you enjoy the time until game release! *grin*
 See you then!

https://sonicjpnews.tumblr.com/post/162177401191/20170623-tomoya-ohtanis-sound-column

this was released in june though, before fist bump got revealed,

here is recent reactions to fist bump from people working on the game:

[OriginalName]

Everything bad about the franchise that had been filtered out has come back at full force in this game HAHAHA SEE WHAT I DID THERE?!

Haha, really though, that's a perfect way of phrasing it. I'm honestly shocked by how positive the feedback has been so far.

I'll be honest though, I don't really think that the vocals and lyrics are any worse than anything else we've been getting since the Sonic Adventure days; it would just sound better without them. Overall it doesn't bother me in and of itself, it's just very... status quo for the series, and I can't see that as a good thing.

I just think that the whole Japanese business style of promoting tenure over track record has turned Sonic Team into a complete mess. I have a ton of respect for the people in the game industry because it's really tough to survive in that world, but I just don't see how Takashi Iizuka, a guy who literally did not produce/direct a single above-average reviewed game for nearly an entire decade (http://www.metacritic.com/person/takashi-iizuka), even kept his job for this long. It's a development team that's been widely known almost above all else for their poor decision-making skills for a long, long time, but there seem to be no meaningful repercussions for it within the company.

They seem to have made the two games that restored everyone's faith in them almost begrudgingly, and only when pretty much the entire industry and public outside the walls of their offices turned on them. I can't help but think that their hearts were never really in the style of those well-received games. They can't keep doing this weird time-warp plot half-measure to include the Classic Sonic forever, but I think that's why they've handled it this way -- because they want to keep that at a distance. To them that's the "other" Sonic, in a word.

[Tad]

It'll be interesting to see what happens when Mania sells or turns out better than Forces. Can't imagine a big project like that falling to a smaller one from fans will go down well at SoJ. Mind you, Sega seem to lack that person who thinks things through before putting it out.

[Shun-Di]

1, They advertised Forces would be darker, and that was bullcrap.  It's just as childish as other modern games.  2, the music lacks spirit, it's just upbeat and generic, i can't even call it hipster music.

[Tad]

As I said in the other thread, I don't think the music is bad, but they need to lose the vocals. My real concern is in the gameplay and what seems to be Sonic Team yet again "mixing it up".

Modern Sonic

The controls are apparently much tighter and the boost has been slowed down which is great, but from that level we've seen, I didn't see any alternative paths at all. This is just one level so it's probably nothing to be fair.

Classic Sonic

Why? He has his own game coming out and modern Sonic tends to have 2.5D sections anyway. Seems pointless.

Avatar

Seems like you can customise quite a lot, but I wonder to what extent will any of it really matter. It's levels seem to a mix of classic and modern, but at a much slower pace.


Just my view, but I'd much prefer it if they just had modern Sonic and instead of avatar/classic, have mini stages or extras which have you doing missions with Sonic's friend. That way, they're there if people want them, but they're not forced. Stuff like:

Espio = Get round security using his ninja skills and his camouflage ability.
Tails = Crack Robotnik's security systems in puzzle like games
Knuckles = Fight your way through the streets to create safe zones
Vector = Maybe a underwater mission?

[Shun-Di]

As I said in the other thread, I don't think the music is bad, but they need to lose the vocals. My real concern is in the gameplay and what seems to be Sonic Team yet again "mixing it up".

Modern Sonic

The controls are apparently much tighter and the boost has been slowed down which is great, but from that level we've seen, I didn't see any alternative paths at all. This is just one level so it's probably nothing to be fair.

Classic Sonic

Why? He has his own game coming out and modern Sonic tends to have 2.5D sections anyway. Seems pointless.

Avatar

Seems like you can customise quite a lot, but I wonder to what extent will any of it really matter. It's levels seem to a mix of classic and modern, but at a much slower pace.


Just my view, but I'd much prefer it if they just had modern Sonic and instead of avatar/classic, have mini stages or extras which have you doing missions with Sonic's friend. That way, they're there if people want them, but they're not forced. Stuff like:

Espio = Get round security using his ninja skills and his camouflage ability.
Tails = Crack Robotnik's security systems in puzzle like games
Knuckles = Fight your way through the streets to create safe zones
Vector = Maybe a underwater mission?

I agree.  Have the side characters for side missions.  I mean if we're copying Generations, go all out but make it worth playing.  Make it fun.  Also I agree that Modern should have his own game, since Mania is 100% perfect classic Sonic.  Putting classic Sonic in Forces is like Generations but then did Generations do it to sell more copies?  Of course it did.  It doubled as an anniversary celebration since it went through all his old games.  But why are we doing all that again?  Why are we getting the same zones in both games?  And why is it so dang taboo to play as other characters in the Sonic universe?  It means having to program them.  Just copying Generations is quicker and easier.  Sega flat out didn't give a flying fox.  Mania just so happened to happen at the same time.  It was complete coincidence I guess.  That means Sega was originally just gonna give us the same old crap.  They can't do this a third time that's for sure.  They can't be that stupid.

[Tad]

I wouldn't put it past them. Sega seems to lack that person who thinks things though before doing it and Sonic Team seem to lack direction. I'm not a fan of Mario games as they tend to play it too safe with every game and it's become rather dull, but Sonic Team do the complete opposite in that. They just seem to think up random ideas and throw them out there.

If Mania does well, I really hope this means they'll give that team more freedom and even let them make a 3D Sonic game instead.

[Centrale]

1, They advertised Forces would be darker, and that was bullcrap.  It's just as childish as other modern games.

Well, first of all... Sonic is a series that's intended for children. I know this might come as a shock to all of the adults who insist on trying to evaluate it as entertainment for adults. The thing is, it's not for adults. It's for kids. Sonic is a series for kids. If adults want to play Sonic games, that's cool. But adult notions of how "dark" and "mature" Sonic should be are irrelevant. It's designed to be fun for kids. That's just the way it is and how it always has been. How dark and gritty do you think a game about a blue hedgehog who runs faster than anyone else in the world can possibly be?

Secondly... to me, a grown man with a very young child who likes Sonic, Sonic Forces actually *is* too dark and scary. The trailer looks like an apocalyptic nightmare world. That would be too upsetting for my 5-year-old. So, a big thank you to all you twisted up manchildren who can't let go of Sonic and think it should be as "mature" (read: cynical) as you have become. Sonic Team isn't ruining Sonic but its deranged fanbase is.

[crackdude]

Depends on the 5 year old, but it might actually help some kids overcome their fears.
When I was a kid I was frightened by Nights on the Saturn, but it fascinated me and helped me overcome my fears.

[Shun-Di]

Well, first of all... Sonic is a series that's intended for children. I know this might come as a shock to all of the adults who insist on trying to evaluate it as entertainment for adults. The thing is, it's not for adults. It's for kids. Sonic is a series for kids. If adults want to play Sonic games, that's cool. But adult notions of how "dark" and "mature" Sonic should be are irrelevant. It's designed to be fun for kids. That's just the way it is and how it always has been. How dark and gritty do you think a game about a blue hedgehog who runs faster than anyone else in the world can possibly be?

Secondly... to me, a grown man with a very young child who likes Sonic, Sonic Forces actually *is* too dark and scary. The trailer looks like an apocalyptic nightmare world. That would be too upsetting for my 5-year-old. So, a big thank you to all you twisted up manchildren who can't let go of Sonic and think it should be as "mature" (read: cynical) as you have become. Sonic Team isn't ruining Sonic but its deranged fanbase is.

Oh boy here we go, the whole "it's for kids" bullcrap.  Sonic was never supposed to target toddlers.  It was the older kid and teen demographic.  Sonic 06 and Shadow The Hedgehog weren't bad games because they were dark, they were bad because they were poorly written and buggy as hell.  The genesis games and Adventure games got it right in terms of tone and atmosphere.  Modern Sonic games since Generations and Colors has been outright insulting to both kids and adults alike, and don't even get me started on Sonic Boom.  Fuck that mindset.

[Centrale]

Oh boy here we go, the whole "it's for kids" bullcrap.  Sonic was never supposed to target toddlers.  It was the older kid and teen demographic.  Sonic 06 and Shadow The Hedgehog weren't bad games because they were dark, they were bad because they were poorly written and buggy as hell.  The genesis games and Adventure games got it right in terms of tone and atmosphere.  Modern Sonic games since Generations and Colors has been outright insulting to both kids and adults alike, and don't even get me started on Sonic Boom.  Fuck that mindset.

Fuck that mindset, huh? I can accept that it's a series for older kids and teens. Still doesn't explain the 20, 30 and 40-somethings who have some kind of braincramp that their ideas of what the series "should" be are irrelevant. Of course Sega will never say it in such stark terms. Look at their actions and see how relevant they find the critiques from the toxic echo chamber of internet commenters.

How old are you, bro? You fit anywhere into the target audience? How "dark" do you think the series can seriously be?

[Shun-Di]

Fuck that mindset, huh? I can accept that it's a series for older kids and teens. Still doesn't explain the 20, 30 and 40-somethings who have some kind of braincramp that their ideas of what the series "should" be are irrelevant. Of course Sega will never say it in such stark terms. Look at their actions and see how relevant they find the critiques from the toxic echo chamber of internet commenters.

How old are you, bro? You fit anywhere into the target audience? How "dark" do you think the series can seriously be?

Jak and Daxter, Sly Cooper, Ratchet and Clank.  You wouldn't want those messed with.  why is it ok to do that to Sonic??

[Shun-Di]

When did games targeted at teens mean going full retard?  Music in Sonic used to be cool too.  Now it sounds lame.  Fist Bump is lame.  Sonic colors had a lame theme too.