Topic: User Impressions/Reviews Thread

@RogerRoger yep that's the one, with the Dennis the menace jumper! I never got around to sonic 06. I probably only had a Wii at the time in terms of the then-current gen. Not sure how I'd get on with it but maybe I'll get around to it in the distant future!

@nessisonett I can't. It's my favourite Sonic game of all time, so I couldn't possibly be objective about it (plus it's really long, so I don't think I could squeeze in a replay).

@ralphdibny Brace yourself, if you ever do decide to try Sonic '06. You've got to really, really want to like it and even then, there's no guarantees. If you can see past the reality of an experience and appreciate its potential (wasted or otherwise) then it's a goldmine, but I wouldn't argue with anybody who decides that the game's disc is more useful as a drinks coaster.

@ralphdibny I’d excuse Sonic 06 for being barely playable, awful loading times, inexplicable NPCs and being on-rails for 90% of the time if the plot was at least interesting. It has Sonic copping off with a human woman. Enough said.

@nessisonett ...except it really doesn't, though. It has a human princess gently kissing his unconscious-presumed-dead body in a ceremony to revive him. That's all.

Slate the rest of it, but that meme is ill-informed sensationalism. It's actually quite a sweet scene, and if the game around it was well-received (or at least, in some kind of parallel dimension, functional) then nobody would've given it a second thought.

Apologies. The internet's inaccuracy really pushes my buttons sometimes!

@RogerRoger I’ve played the game, it’s bloody weird. While yes, she kisses him because plot, it’s still an anthropomorphic hedgehog and a human(ish, it’s 2006 graphics) woman. Just an uncomfortable watch.

@RogerRoger @nessisonett I heard sonic was a bit of a prick when she kissed him...

@nessisonett Ah, but you said "copping off" which means... well, something else. Individual parameters for discomfort aside, I assumed (wrongly, my bad) that you were just perpetuating a meme. It's a superpower-transfer kiss, but it's still a kiss and if that weirds you out, then that's fair enough!

@ralphdibny He briefly thanks her as she collapses, then immediately walks past her towards Shadow and Silver, with whom he then flies away with. Bros before... well, yes, quite.

@RogerRoger haha bros before princesses, got ya! I was just being punny about him being a prick because he's a y'know hedgehog...sorry terrible pun lol

@ralphdibny Oh, sorry! Took you literally (his near-total dismissal of her is legendary, after all). Genuinely missed that one, which I shouldn't have, as I'm laughing now!

@RogerRoger Also, today I learned that the Wii version of Sonic Unleashed I played when I was younger is apparently different from the Xbox/PS3 versions. Perhaps I should play that version.

@RogerRoger 😁 great stuff, glad I could get a laugh at one in the morning! I don't really know much about it, I've seen the avgn episode but it was a while back so not a lot of it springs to mind!

@nessisonett Well, if you didn't like the Werehog gameplay in the Wii version (which is also available, waggle-free, on the PS2) then I'm not sure the PS360 version would change your mind, but it might be worth a shot. Not least because its Hedgehog stages are sublime. Overall, it's just bigger and prettier. It has two extra countries, and there are actual hub cities instead of point-and-click map screens (although these are in place of the Gaia Temple puzzle rooms, which I kinda liked). Oh, and its Eggmanland is a waking nightmare.

@ralphdibny All things considered, that's probably for the best!

@mookysam The puzzle combat seems to be the sticking point for a lot of people. Primarily because of the timer. I thought it added a nice sense of urgency to proceedings, though.

RE: Gurumin, I think Falcom was going for something different than what they're used to musically, and it... didn't turn out well. At all.

Ys music has apparently always been pretty good.

@RogerRoger I've played a friend's Saturn, but never owned one myself, unfortunately.

Anyway, the games aren't a HUGE upgrade over the Genesis, but they don't need to be. As you point out, some of the effects in those videos would have slowed the older consoles down to a crawl. Not to mention some of them feature very prominent and heavy integration of 3D elements. What you ended up with were VERY attractive 2D games versus polygonal nightmares for the fully 3D stuff.

Which is actually one reason I never got on too well with the N64, I think: pretty much everything on that console was fully embracing 3D space and graphics. To the point where it's the only console from that generation to launch with an analog stick as the primary control method for games.

Forward-thinking and revolutionary? Absolutely. But almost every game on that console (except for some of the late-gen stuff) is hard to look at today.

I just finished the second on Thursday and thankfully like a lot of people have said on here, including yourself @mookysam, I did think the second was a notable upgrade over the first.

The cast in particular seemed a little more up my alley and I thought the overall story beats were improved as well.

Hell I even quite liked the "real" Junko this time around too!

@Ralizah I’ve had some great results with upscaling N64 games with an emulator. Ocarina of Time is still alright to look at but games like SM64 definitely are rough.

I have actually played Sonic Unleashed @RogerRoger (The PS2 version) so I do remember that opening a little. Though admittedly I kinda forgot I'd played it to be honest as I didn't get on with it all that much... Though I think I played it more then my son did for whom it was actually bought for as a birthday present! 😂

Those PS2 era sonic games (Sonic Heroes, Sonic Riders, Shadow, Sonic Unleashed) are the only games of the blue blur's I've played aside from Sonic CD earlier in the year and I guess at a stretch Smash Bros Brawl.

Perhaps I should try Forces at some point as I seem to have more of an affinity for the 3D ones at the very least. The fact it was made only a couple of years ago will no doubt help in it having more modern sensibilities in how it plays and more fun... Hopefully

I think it was more the ip involved for the Lego game as I have played the first two lego star wars games & the first lego Batman and did enjoy them... Though those were on release with my kids (Back when they were little 'uns)... Maybe that's part of the reason why too? 😅

The only games I would've said that I was really aware of by Traveller's Tales (Not including the afformentioned Lego Games) are Crash Bandicoot: Wrath of Cortex & Crash Twinsanity.

However actually looking at the page on wiki about them (Not to mention your reply @ralphdibny) I'm a bit more aware of them and their output then I realised with the muppets racing game I remember playing and a few other titles that I bought for my kids... They even made that weakest link game

Though for the past 11 years it's been entirely Lego titles.

Bit of a shame that as I've heard of that game "Haven: Call Of The king" they made on PS2 (I assumed it was just midway) was a rather ambitious attempt at a new ip and franchise (With entire planets or something being rendered in game) though a bit all over the place.

@RogerRoger Underworld is certainly less consistent than Legend, but I feel that it’s high points are good enough that they elevate it over the earlier game. I guess at the time it was quite a big graphical leap too. Yes, the cover for 3D Blast was Sonic sort of coming out the frame. I was only 11 when it came out here so young enough to be susceptible to cover art. It was Sonic and I had to have it!

I’d actually be really interested to read a Sonic 2006 review/retrospective from you. Although it’s reputation is quite notorious, I’ve never played it and so can’t really comment on it personally. I do really like Silver the Hedgehog though (there’s even a Silver plush in my living room) and have heard some great music from it via Smash Bros.. It’s always great to read other people’s views on games even if they differ from the consensus, and given how passionate you are about Sonic I’m confident it would be a fascinating and well-thought-out piece if you do choose to post something.

@Ralizah It certainly sounds more interesting than using stickers. I don’t mind timers as it keeps the player on their toes; even in full JRPGs, my favourite battle systems have tended to be those with real-time elements instead of just hammering the attack command.

Ys I & II Chronicles has some great tunes. I found myself walking around an area just to hear the music, which is rare for me to do in a game. The Chronicles version also allows you to switch to the original soundtracks from the ‘80’s, which are excellent for the era.

@nessisonett Ocarina's ugly backdrops just kill me, honestly. Like that super blurry room you wake up in at the beginning of the game, which meshes poorly with Link's sharp polygonal 3D model.

Thankfully, the 3DS remake happened, and it demonstrated that a small facelift and some gyro aiming is all the game needed to work well in the modern era.

@mookysam The PC version doesn't support the PC Engine soundtrack, unfortunately, but the new music is still pretty good.

In fact, the music is pretty much the only thing that made the final boss fight in Ys I tolerable

@Ralizah You mean Bubsy 3D isn't a timeless masterpiece? I've been grossly misled.

In all seriousness, I know what you mean about early 3D, and the N64 in particular. I've been constantly flirting with the idea of getting one, researching what games I'd wanna get, but then I watch footage on YouTube and think "Wow, nostalgia really is rose-tinted, isn't it?" Credit to Nintendo for sticking their neck out, and to Sony for the PSone as well, but not every game could be Metal Gear Solid.

Ever thought of trying to track down a Saturn of your own, and playing these games? Wouldn't really be worth it for one or two, but there's quite a decent crop you'd be interested in there.

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@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy Ah, what a golden age (of janky PS2 ports)! You've covered some pretty decent Sonic games there, though. They aren't for everybody but, if you've wrestled with that era's controls before, I'd imagine you'd find some of the newer 3D games a breeze. I remember we agreed on Sonic CD being kinda rubbish, so I'd recommend skipping Sonic Mania.

Yeah, you've got to want to love a LEGO game, and be in the mood for its licence. I would say that they've evolved since those early Star Wars and Batman days, but not by much!

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@mookysam Eleven years old, thirty-three... makes no difference to me, I see Sonic on anything and I've still got to have it! A shame that he's less of a poster boy nowadays, although this year's movie did boost his appeal. It'll be interesting to see how SEGA handles the marketing for his next big game.

And thanks for the encouragement! Will see how sick of Sonic everybody is by the time I've finished writing the pieces I've got planned. It'd have to come with a lot of disclaimers!