"Sonic Chronicles" trademarked by Sega

[G.Silver]

I'm a tad late, but I found something far, far uglier than blue-arms Sonic.
God... I hope whoever did that crap payed for it.

Whoa that's old school, strange that all of the other character art appears to be new. That's from the magazine ads they ran for the game back in 1991, I have an EGM or two with it. "Think fast!"

[Opa-Opa]

Yes! I remember those. They even ran around here, but they went like "Hello........... good bye."

[Edgerock]

Two gameplay & Bioware talk Videos of Sonic Chronicles

Video 1:

http://www.radio-canada.ca/Medianet/...03231730_1.asx

Video 2:

http://www.radio-canada.ca/Medianet/...0803161700.asx

in the second one it starts after 15 mins

[Ngangbius]

If those two links don't work for you guys just go here:

http://www.cubed3.com/news/9944

That link talks about Sonic specifically along with character sketches and enemy 3D modeling, and shows actual footage from the game. There is even a part in the first video that has a nicely animated Sonic spin dashing around the Bioware logo.

I'm not sure what to think about the combat as it doesn't seem as fast as Bioware promised it would be.

Also, Box art! However, this could be a place over and not the final design.

[Yami CJMErl]

If those two links don't work for you guys just go here:

http://www.cubed3.com/news/9944

That link talks about Sonic specifically along with character sketches and enemy 3D modeling, and shows actual footage from the game. There is even a part in the first video that has a nicely animated Sonic spin dashing around the Bioware logo.

I'm not sure what to think about the combat as it doesn't seem as fast as Bioware promised it would be.

Also, Box art! However, this could be a place over and not the final design.

"content deleted" D:

I think that boxart looks pretty final, though--most GameStop placeholder boxes that I normally see in-store are usually just generic artworks PhotoShopp'd on a piece of paper, and this looks much more "original".

[b_boult]

Two seriously pointless videos there. Why on earth would we want to know about how they developed a game until after we'd seen at least more than 10 seconds of the game itself?

[Neo]

Actually, they were kinda worth it because we managed to see how the overworld plays, and how it's really as poor as they said it was. Sonic runs in it kind of like he runs in Sonic Jam. He tries real hard moving his legs, but it's like he's dragging around an iron ball or something.

[Edgerock]

Sega of America have updated the official Sonic Chronicles site and added some new screenshots. The new screenshots show a new area, a western looking cowboy town with a classic Sonic referenced casino slots, a nice touch.

Also displayed in the screenshots is a new HUD, differences including re-modelled health and power bars, empty character slots instead of no slot being shown at all and an egg counter. An egg is shown with a count of how many out of 8 you currently have. On the map there are stars at different locations. Mission locations maybe?

Another new thing shown in the screenshots is a new in-game menu, this has been hinted at in past screenshots where there was a blue triangle in the corner with an arrow. It looks like you can drag it open at any time. The menu contains various icons, the icons include -
1. Some sort of noteboard/computer screen ????
2. A book(probably a journal/diary)
3. Sonic's shoes(customization maybe?)
4. A Chao
5. A web/globe icon(Wi-Fi anyone?)
6. Sonic's head(Character stats?)

This is all very interesting info and it's nice to see how great the graphics and artwork is coming along, I'm still miffed that the Sonic X style art is being used in the HUD. Now that the HUD has been revamped I don't think that art is going to change unfortunately. As long as the game plays well I'll be an happy bunny. P.S. Watch Sonic Cult put the older screenshots in a beta Sonic Chronicles page laugh.gif

Link -
http://www.sega.com/gamesite/sonicchronicles/us/

EDIT: Looking again at the screenshots in order from left to right it seems this area will be where Rouge joins the party. In the first screenshot there is an empty slot in the party and Sonic is chasing after Rouge. Rouge is in the party in the next screenshots.

EDIT 2: Just noticed they've removed those empty circles that used to be next to the health bars. Wonder what they were for and why they have been removed?

[FlashTHD]

http://www.dsfanboy.com/2008/05/05/soni ... rk-boxart/

Nutshell: Crappy Slinky-Arm Sonic™ in imitation Sonic X style, with Shade almost slapped on wherever ala the SADX box. Toss an IGN watermark on it for retail and it's just plain golden!

Incidentally, i'm happier by the day that I never fell for this hysteria over Bioware making it.

[gr4yJ4Y]

We need more games with watermarks on the cover, like the Wii Okami box art.

But the earlier post of it doesn't show the watermark, so I'm guessing it's just this site.

I think it looks like a good cover.

[MiraiTails]

Incidentally, i'm happier by the day that I never fell for this hysteria over Bioware making it.

Shouldn't you wait for the terrible reviews before you start saying I told you so?

[Locit]

Seriously, I can't see drawing any sort of conclusion from just the boxart. Maybe you should come to one based on gameplay impressions! I posted some earlier in this thread, and recall them being rather positive.

[DackAttac]

I like the boxart, U-turn arm and all. After the too-polished CG's and Advance/Rush drawings, it kind of pounds home the hand-drawn element.

I was planning on keeping that oh-so-trivial opinion to myself before it turned out that's what we're apparently grading the game on.

[Shadow Hog]

Judging books by their covers is fun!

[Owen Axel]

If I know Bioware the story will be superb while the gameplay will be excellent in theory but lacking in execution. But that's okay. This is one time I'll care more about the plot than the gameplay. I mean, it's an RPG. That's what you do, unless you happen to be playing Seiken Densetsu 3 somehow, but that hasn't happened in a while.

[WW]

Heh. Even by Sonic character standards, Shade's got one hell of a noggin' there.

[Ngangbius]

If I know Bioware the story will be superb while the gameplay will be excellent in theory but lacking in execution. But that's okay. This is one time I'll care more about the plot than the gameplay. I mean, it's an RPG. That's what you do....

Not me, exactly, since most RPGs have shit plots, and I actually like the gameplay of many RPGs.

[Owen Axel]

Well, to be fair, I tend to define RPGs as games where you roleplay as somebody (hence the abbreviation), and when you slap that rock-hard requirement on the list of console RPGs what you're left with tend to have really good storylines and engaging gameplay because between cutscenes you're still forwarding the story.

All other games erroneously labelled as "RPGs" mysteriously and spontaneously started to suck plot-wise the instant I left the age I was during the period I now get nostalgic about. Total mystery how that happened. So those had better have good gameplay if they're going to expect me to sit there and swallow the lie that I'm playing a roleplaying game and not Twinky the Transvestite's latest colourful movie intersperced with rare sections of player-interactivity.

Having said that, I really NEED a Sonic plot at this point that rises above the level of cross-species romance sub-plots and lycanthropy. Basically anything that just for a little while could undo the damage done to my childhood by the entire span of the canon plotline since Sonic Adventure. If anyone can deliver that, it has to be Bioware. Oh god, please.

[gr4yJ4Y]

There were a few RPGs where I really enjoyed the gameplay aspect of it. Some examples include Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (although many don't include that as a traditional JRPG), Grandia II, and Skies of Arcadia. However if you look at the typical JRPG, the battle and map gameplay is lame (e.g. Baten Kaitos where it really didn't matter too much what you did in battle and tons of fetch quests on the maps).

In Knights of the Old Republic the gameplay was pretty much "excellent in theory but lacking in execution" just as Owen put it (although the Light/Dark thing was well executed, though not to exciting in practice). And I agree that's about what I'm expecting from Sonic Chronicles. I didn't care much for the story of KotOR, but then again I don't really care about Stars Wars to begin with. Here's hoping that this game's story holds my interest and keeps it enjoyable.

[P.P.A.]

There were a few RPGs where I really enjoyed the gameplay aspect of it. Some examples include Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (although many don't include that as a traditional JRPG), Grandia II, and Skies of Arcadia. However if you look at the typical JRPG, the battle and map gameplay is lame (e.g. Baten Kaitos where it really didn't matter too much what you did in battle and tons of fetch quests on the maps).

In Knights of the Old Republic the gameplay was pretty much "excellent in theory but lacking in execution" just as Owen put it (although the Light/Dark thing was well executed, though not to exciting in practice). And I agree that's about what I'm expecting from Sonic Chronicles. I didn't care much for the story of KotOR, but then again I don't really care about Stars Wars to begin with. Here's hoping that this game's story holds my interest and keeps it enjoyable.

Did you play Riviera: The Promised Land (WSC/GBA/PSP)? If not, I really suggest to.

[Isuka]

New pictures.
Nothing really new, and if I believed those were placeholders, I'd be giving up any hope already.

Hey, I won't judge any books by their covers, but it doesn't make the "crappy graphics and slow gameplay" remarks weigh any less.
Though the graphics whining must be pretty pointless, given that 80% of the time you won't be able to look at them due to having to control everything with the stylus and stuff.

[FlashTHD]

Though the graphics whining must be pretty pointless, given that 80% of the time you won't be able to look at them due to having to control everything with the stylus and stuff.

Still no excuse.

[K2J]

I seem to be the only person on the face of the Internet still getting Nintendo Power, so here's this month's one-page news article on Sonic Chronicles.

If you don't feel like reading it yourself (Photobucket didn't downsize it, thankfully), the highlights include:

- Sonic can move multiple times per turn due to his speed
- Chao are found in eggs; upon hatching, they become equippable to increase various stats or certain enemy-specific advantages
- Angel Island returns (they specifically said "from Sonic 3")

None of the screenshots look new to me; they had to throw in the obvious "OMG Amy has a boyfriend" shot, as well.

There's also a big article on the new Castlevania, if anyone wants me to scan that, as well.

[Ngangbius]

Trailer/possible ad that shows the game in action here:

http://media.ds.ign.com/media/856/856273/vids_1.html

...I don't know what to think, really.

[Radrappy]

I'll tell you what to think.
It looks like a goddamn piece of poo.