@RogerRoger nice review of sonic generations! I think I really liked the 2.5d demake versions of modern levels too. It was actually really cool to see them interpreted that way! I'm not sure if I finished this game actually, whether I got stuck on a boss or was overwhelmed by all that extra stuff that's non standard levels. Is there any content locked behind the completion of the extra challenges in the non standard level bits?
Also I think the 3ds version is a different game entirely. I think one style it uses is that of Sonic Rush. Check this info out first before you go and track it down though because I might be wrong but I do own the PS3 and 3ds versions and probably wouldn't have bought both unless they were different games....probably lol.
@ralphdibny Thanks for reading! Aside from the customisable music, no, nothing important is locked away behind the Challenge Gates (although there are obviously trophies / achievements for completing them all, and completing them all with S-Ranks). Like I said, you'll have to complete one or two Challenge Gates per era to progress the story, but your rank doesn't matter and you can pick which so, if you get stuck on a specific objective, you can quit and try something else.
And yes, as @nessisonett rightly says, the 3DS version revisits totally different places after its Green Hill Zone opening, and its modern era celebrates Sonic Rush and the DS version of Sonic Colours instead of the main console games. It's reportedly even shorter than the main console version, though. It was co-developed by Dimps, who did the Advance and Rush games, as well as Sonic 4 and the "lesser" version of Unleashed. I was toying with the idea of getting a 3DS earlier in the year, and this game was one of the reasons why, but I couldn't justify the price (seriously, in the wake of the Switch, new 3DS consoles and games have become stupidly expensive).
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
@RogerRoger ah damn! You were literally like 6 -12 months too late when you were looking. I bought 2 New 2DS XLs from tesco last year for £50 each, I guess they were clearing stock. I did travel many miles to find one in stock though (making excuses to do other stuff that far away when really my main agenda was to buy New 2ds XLs haha). I posted it over on NL because I thought it would be more relevant but I wish I posted it here now too :/
@ralphdibny Oh, no worries. Wasn't in my headspace last year, and these things happen. There are literally six, maybe seven games that I really want to play on the console, and I could probably round that up to ten out of curiosity or via word-of-mouth, but my backlog is still hovering around the seventy mark, so I just decided to focus on what I've already got in front of me.
There are games which I'm just never gonna be able to play, not just on 3DS but on other, older consoles as well. They'll never get remastered, and tracking them down on their original hardware would just be a prohibitive amount of faff. It's the way of the world sometimes.
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
@RogerRoger that's fair enough, I barely play the 3ds any more. I used to play it loads for like the first 5 years or so of it being out but even with great looking games coming out in the last few years, my energy to actually play them has massively dwindled even with the better "New" hardware I bought a few years back (I mainly got it because it was SNES themed).
My favourite games on it were ocarina of time 3D (having never played the original before), it's one of the most 3D games on it in my opinion, I literally felt like I was inside Hyrule but then I used to do a lot of drugs back then so maybe that helped lol (alas, no longer!). Project X Zone was another I played all the way through and Resident Evil Revelations was pretty good. I used to do streetpass a lot as well, collecting puzzle pieces from hits and stuff.
More recently, the only games I played were WarioWare Gold which was actually brilliant because I love those games and Arkham Origins Blackgate because I'd just played regular Arkham origins
I've been playing paper Mario sticker Star for like 4 years too lol, one day I'll go back to finish it!
@nessisonett it was pretty good wasn't it? Just like super simple game play with a hokey enough storyline for a crossover to be entertaining. It got me quite interested in playing certain things like Valkyria Chronicles (I own 1+4 but still haven't played them lol) and also the original PS2 Namco X Capcom crossovers. I picked up project X Zone 2 for quite cheap a while back but never got around to it because I think the first one was about 20 hours long which is quite a long time to spend in front of a 3ds lol
I am a bit confused about the genre though because I thought it was a tactical RPG, but I've been playing the fairly but not exactly similar Gears Tactics and that's described as a turn based strategy so I dunno 🤷♂️, seems like turn based strategy is kind of an umbrella term that incorporates sub genres like tactical rpg
@RogerRoger That's a really delightful anecdote to start your Sonic Generations review with, Rog! Very cool that you managed to form a connection, however slight, with the finished product. I can tell it's a source of joy for you as a Sonic superfan.
In general, the review was peak RogerRoger: conversational and jovial, but never straying off-topic; witty, but in a mostly self-effacing manner. One thing I really love about these hedgehog game reviews is that you're clearly highly knowledgeable about the history and design of the blue blur's various interactive adventures, and it really shows well in the way you're able to discuss games in the context of the entire series. I also appreciate genuine passion, which you provide in spades.
As for the game itself, I remember playing it when it first came out (there was a lot of buzz around it when it first released, and it remains one of the few 3D games that, as far as I can tell, is univerally beloved by Sonic fans), but my memories on it are hazy. It's one of those Steam backlog games I have to get to one day. The screenshots are excellent as always (what do you use to snap caps on your PC, btw?).
It's good to hear the game is newcomer-friendly. That seems fairly on-brand for this game, which, by the sound of it, is designed to walk a thin line between nostalgia and innovation, old and new. It's an interesting balancing act to try and appeal to two sets of fans simultaneously, although, judging by the ecstatic tone of your discussion, it seems to work.
It's surprising to hear the praise for a track based heavily in vocal work. The music sounds decent. I guess it'd have to be, seeing as how Sonic games are filled with rather iconic pieces to draw from. At that point, I guess, it's all about the quality of the remixes employed. I seem to remember the game employing different styles for levels between classic and modern Sonic.
The challenge gates sound fun. They might be padding, but I'm not sure that matters too much in a non-story driven experience. By the sound of it, they provide a level of gameplay variety. I'm guessing your tone would be more negative if the minigames in them didn't work well.
I actually avoided the 3DS version of Generations when I heard people panning it for being inferior to the console release, but maybe I should pick it up. I'm, well, not a 3DS game collector, but I'm very slowly trying to build a physical collection of all the 3DS games I want. It actually seems to be a launch year title, which I never realized.
Awesome writing as always! What games do you think you'll be focusing on next now that your time in hedgehog memory lane has reached its end?
@nessisonett I had a difficult time getting into Project X Zone, unfortunately, although I do want to revisit it at some point. It's a pity the vocal opening in the Japanese version was replaced with a more generic instrumental track.
@Ralizah PXZ is essentially the same gameplay as Super Robot Wars: Endless Frontier so I do think it’s an acquired taste, with crossover characters in there to grab new players. There’s plenty wrong with it but I found it to be just enough dumb fun to enjoy. Also worth getting Sonic Generations 3DS, it might be inferior to the console versions but that’s to be expected given the difference in scope and in fact, the 3DS version is extremely good for what it is. It also omits Chemical Plant Zone which is a massive plus imo 😂😂
@nessisonett Nice, thanks for chiming in on that. I'll probably get it if the opportunity is ripe, then.
I've never played a SRW game, unfortunately. I'm always tempted whenever I see one with a character from an old anime I like, though (like the most recent one's inclusion of Magic Knight Rayearth). Are they actually decent games, or do you just play for the fanservice element of seeing characters from your favorite anime interact?
@RogerRoger Sonic Generations is my favourite Sonic game. I'd just broken up with my ex and luckily it was during uni holiday so I spent days locked away in my room playing this game. Will always be a memorable game to me. It was also one of the first platinums I achieved. Thanks for helping me Sonic!
@Ralizah They’re rather complicated and deciding which weapons are best to put in your mechs is a bit hard but I do think they’re better than average strategy games. Turn based strategy is a niche primarily filled by Fire Emblem at this point but SRW is a middle ground between Fire Emblem and Advance Wars. The GBA games are great, still pretty funny that SRW OG came out in 2002 in Japan but only reached Europe on December 31st 2007, by which point the DS had been around for a couple of years.
@nessisonett oh right I had no idea it had fire emblem characters in it! I guess that's just because it's on a Nintendo because the main crossover is Sega Namco and Capcom. I bought another similar but more of the 3d style of these games from Argos for a pound or two recentishly called codename steam. I haven't played it yet but you can unlock fire emblem characters with the relevant amiibos. I was going to sell my fire emblem amiibos but maybe I'll try and unlock the characters in this game first!
@Ralizah PXZ isn't for everyone for sure but I think it is quite simple, I remember it seeming a bit complicated at first but i ended up not having to put much thought into it to be honest. Quite thankfully as well because I don't have a huge headspace for RPG elements in games, I always end up using whatever works best instead of faffing about with stats and the like
@RogerRoger oh yeah I forgot another 3ds game that I obviously love on every platform that I played was metal gear solid 3! I used the circle pad pro on the original 3ds for dual analog. I remember playing it while I was waiting around to be used when I was doing film extras jobs years ago (there's a lot of waiting around to be used on those sorts of jobs!)
Also a Link between worlds was pretty good and I also played a lot of Pokémon black on it even though that was an original DS game
@ralphdibny Yeah, the 3DS would end up being one of those consoles where I'd duplicate more than a few releases (some LEGO games, Metal Gear, Splinter Cell and Arkham Origins Blackgate, which I've platinumed twice on PS Vita and PS3 anyway, so...?). Part of me might end up cracking and getting some of the major first-party games for it, but they're not my standard fare, so I'd feel like I was playing them out of obligation more than anything. I'm starting to get the impression that it's become one of those "you had to be there" consoles, although seeing others still praise it does make me boot up eBay every so often... y'know, just in case.
***
@Ralizah Thank you for such immeasurably kind words! It's always a confidence boost to read such things, especially when I doubt myself as often as I do. You've made my day!
I'm also "in" Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed far more frequently. If you're holding first place when starting a race's final lap, a crowd will start to chant your racer's name. Those of us at the UK convention recorded the first half of the roster (including most of the Sonic characters) and our American counterparts provided the second (including Danica Patrick, which makes more sense as most Brits didn't have a clue who she was). Guess I picked the right two years to attend!
Good to hear you'll be playing Generations on PC when you get around to it, as it's definitely the superior version. On console it's playable and enjoyable, but it suffers from some common issues of the generation, namely resolution blurring, longer loading times and a few framerate stutters when boosting as Modern Sonic. At least on a modern PC, it can achieve optimal performance.
I use Windows 10's baked-in gaming settings, spamming the Windows key, Alt and Print Screen together to save full-resolution screenshots directly to my PC's capture folder. Problem is, my keyboard is one of those "minimalist" ones that makes Print Screen a secondary function, so using the default becomes a bit of a fiddle, as I also need to hit the Function key. I've set my own shortcut as Ctrl+P but sometimes, some games use P as an in-game command, and it gets overridden. I have to react very quickly, basically replaying things knowing I'm gonna mess up because I'm busy pounding four irrelevant keys. I'm not technologically-minded, and therefore not prepared to fiddle with bespoke software, so I just power through with whatever's there to begin with. I'm kinda stubborn that way!
Yeah, I figured if Cash Cash could make me, the hater of lyrics, sing along with 'Escape From the City' then it deserved all the praise I could muster! There is a concerted effort to use MegaDrive sounds in the Classic Sonic remixes, although it isn't a steadfast rule; tracks are just made more upbeat and pop-esque with him, whereas the Modern Sonic music is often accompanied by an adaptive layer of guitar which kicks in whenever you start boosting. They got all of the original composers back to remix their own work, alone or in collaboration with others, so everything is totally authentic.
Replaying it on PC, I was actually surprised when I found the Challenge Gates contained some of the game's gameplay highlights. Having gotten the PS3's platinum back in 2011, I only ever replayed the core zones, so had totally forgotten how fun the smaller, more diverse objectives could be. They're done right, which isn't always a lock with such things in other games.
Thanks for asking what I'll review next; it's me, so you can probably count on an appearance from a Double-Oh agent, or some Jedi Knights. I was gonna review Undertale, but it looks like we'll be playing that in Game Club now, so I'll be scattering my thoughts throughout that topic instead.
What about you? Your signature suggests Ni no Kuni, which I'd love to read more about!
***
@TheIdleCritic I share a similar story, my friend (only with higher stakes, and a different Sonic game). It's why I have stronger feelings for a cartoonish 90s mascot than I perhaps should have, and explains all the rambling I've been doing about him lately. The platinum for Generations was one of my first five, as well. Glad to hear that the game was a well-timed comfort for you!
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
@RogerRoger I'm not sure how good splinter cell 3d was to be honest as I never owned it. I think it was a port of Chaos Theory but i think it was a launch window release so it probably doesn't have circle pad pro support. I did have the original DS version though but I really can't remember much of it, just going through air vents in first person view. I also seemed to have lost my DS copy so god knows
@ralphdibny I think you're right, if my memory of a few reviews is holding up. It was praised as an admirable effort to get Chaos Theory on handheld, but wasn't without its faults. I didn't even realise there were DS versions, let alone GBA Splinter Cell games!
@mookysam Thank you! Even if you've seen it played through, I'd still recommend trying it for yourself someday, as there are plenty of alternate routes to maximise replay value. I'm so pleased that Sonic Team didn't shy away from representing Sonic's full history. Sonic '06 might have quite the reputation, but it also had (and has) plenty of supporters within the fanbase, and it sold really well, so it's a memorable moment however you look at it. Skipping it would've been awkward.
The conventions used to be great fun, although I haven't been in many years, for many reasons. One year there was a live performance by Crush 40, and there were interviews and signings with the developers, including Yuji Naka and Takashi Iizuka. They also had some of the tradeshow demo pods for upcoming games, which generated lengthy queues!
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
@RogerRoger I've never played the GBA ones but I do remember them reviewing well at the time (I used to get the magazines). It's probably one for emulation as a curiosity to be honest. I don't think they really touted these ports as side stories or alternate versions back then, it was just splinter cell on game boy. Luckily the internet helps us find out more these days!
Forums
Topic: User Impressions/Reviews Thread
Posts 1,341 to 1,360 of 3,148
Please login or sign up to reply to this topic