Super Sonic Galaxy

[Dash]

You know if you guys ignore all the pretty games that like you you'll probably be considered a prude. I'd say give Colors a spin, if there's any appeal at all. Who knows? You might have a fun evening or two.

I'm thinking I'll pick it up on the cheap sometime. Looks good, could be great(!), but there's a lot of neat interactive stuff coming out this year so I'll just wait and see. It's not like it needs my help to sell.

[gr4yJ4Y]

There might not had been much said about the physics being off for the Sonic Advance games, Sonic Heroes, and the Sonic Rush games at the times of their releases, but that doesn't mean they had good physics. In Sonic Advance in particular I wanted the Mega Drive physics to kick in. I don't think a lack of classic physics makes the game bad on its own, but it comes off as really lazy (and for Sonic 4, inexcusable).

That said, we have gotten too nitpicky over the years.

[Neo]

You admit to liking shadow the hedgehog and at the same time criticize the standards of others. Something is wrong with this picture.

Shadow is, at its core, a fundamentally solid title. If you ignore the fact that it has Sonic characters, and the occasional misfire in the controls/physics (and The Doom's hero mission), you'll find it can actually be a pretty amusing game. I simply cannot go back and play Sonic Heroes. I have no idea how I was able to complete it 100% when it first came out.

In Sonic Advance in particular I wanted the Mega Drive physics to kick in.

What do you mean? Sonic Advance used a very conservative scaled version of the Sonic 3 engine. The level design wasn't nearly as conductive as the games by the STI, but everything is there. Air physics are correct, spinning downhill actually increases your speed, and you can do everything you could do in the original games like spin-jump off loops, giant bounces off enemies, etc.

Honestly, to me, the biggest flaw in the game is that stupid death pit in Ice Mountain. You know, the one you always run into.

[FlashTHD]

(and The Doom's hero mission)

I can whip through that in like 2 and a half minutes with the Heal Cannon. The dark mission's worse since there's occasionally a bug that doesn't trigger certain enemies to appear. You sure you don't mean Lost Impact & its' obscene number of Artificial Chaos?

This discussion has been made difficult enough without dragging this game into it but, le sigh: it's by no means good, and most of the entertainment value seems to exist by luck, but I play it more than Heroes because (after all the stages are at your disposal) there is a suprising amount of sheer replay value in doing stages over and over under different circumstances/weapons/ect. to see what trouble you can get into. That and it's substantially less buggy than Heroes, nor as prone to make me feel like my mind is glazed over on autopilot.

[gr4yJ4Y]

In Sonic Advance in particular I wanted the Mega Drive physics to kick in.

What do you mean? Sonic Advance used a very conservative scaled version of the Sonic 3 engine. The level design wasn't nearly as conductive as the games by the STI, but everything is there. Air physics are correct, spinning downhill actually increases your speed, and you can do everything you could do in the original games like spin-jump off loops, giant bounces off enemies, etc.

I played through the first level of Advance to check to make sure I still had my head on straight. Apparently I don't have my head on straight. I think somewhere between the Rush games and the Sonic 4 discussion, I started thinking that Dimps never got the old physics right.

My bad.

[Neo]

You sure you don't mean Lost Impact & its' obscene number of Artificial Chaos?

Now that you mention it, both are equally dreadful. As are Mad Matrix's dark mission, Central City's hero mission, and hell, all the fetch quest missions that require you to find every single target (and there's upwards of 20 of them).

I never said it was a very good game, but luckily most of the time there's an alternative, better mission.

EDIT: I guess I like Lost Impact better because at least I get to blow those fuckers up.

[CM August]

So I'm looking at the visuals and the enviroments look pretty swell... until I realize they're made by Eggman.

Now I know he's gradually gone from industrialist flower-stomping asshole to carnival-obsessed clown over the years, but for the most part even the sillier levels still had an aura of menace about them. These levels don't look intimidating at all, and while it's tradition for Sonic games to start with an inviting and vaguely tropical level, it's pretty lame from a villainous standpoint. And he's using plants for decoration now! That's like taboo man. Has he ever done it before?

[Blount]

I think that's the whole point, actually. From what I understand, Eggman's trying to get people to go to his amusement park for some reason that hasn't been particularly clear yet. If you take a close look, some of the robots in the first level are even carrying welcome signs. I think it's a good excuse not to have Eggmanland recycled over and over throughout the game, but I don't doubt we'll see something with that tone when Eggman's true plans are revealed.

At that point, Sonic will harness the power of the Wisps to become Rainbow Sonic and defeat the Monochrome Monster that Eggman wakes up and is inevitably betrayed by.

[P.P.A.]

So I'm looking at the visuals and the enviroments look pretty swell... until I realize they're made by Eggman.

Now I know he's gradually gone from industrialist flower-stomping asshole to carnival-obsessed clown over the years, but for the most part even the sillier levels still had an aura of menace about them. These levels don't look intimidating at all, and while it's tradition for Sonic games to start with an inviting and vaguely tropical level, it's pretty lame from a villainous standpoint. And he's using plants for decoration now! That's like taboo man. Has he ever done it before?

Botanic Base. Which was a greenhouse even.
Actually, now I just realised how similar Colors and Chaotix are in that regard. I forgot the exact purpose (finding the Chaos Rings?) of Neutrogic High Zone, but it was clearly structured like an amusement park (with the worlds even being called "Attractions" and including a rollercoaster and stuff) or some kind of holiday resort or whatever.

[Neo]

But the attractions in Newtrogic High aren't manmade, they're supposed to have appeared out of thin air by the power of the Chaos Rings (or a wizard).

[P.P.A.]

Well according to the story translation on the site, only the island itself appeared out of thin air but then Robotnik quickly built a fortress on it, the Neutrogic High Zone.

[Kogen]

The year was 1995 and Sonic was at the top of his game.

I am glad we are going back to the good ol' days and not the days of an awkward failure on strange hardware that no one likes.

[Rob-Bert]

You mean Knuckles Chaotix on the 32X?

[K2J]

He was obviously referring to Tails' Sky Patrol on the Game Gear.

[(No Imagination)]

Don't ... ever talk about that game.

...the resident Sega-employed PR lurkers might pick up on it and the next thing you know we'll be seeing more of that witch or the cereal box mammals.

[Kogen]

I want a game where they explain how Focke Wulf is actually Nack's father.

[Edgerock]

Stuff about Sonic Colors for the DS. It looks like they're giving Sonic a bunch of new moves from Sonic Unleashed, like the ability to initiate mid-air boosts, wall jump, and do the leg stomp. Which probably isn't a problem, but it means removing a couple of features from Sonic Rush in order to make room (the trick system, for instance).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3A6a5EK5J0

[Dr. BUGMAN]

Is sauntering up walls a move from Unleashed?

[Edgerock]

Is sauntering up walls a move from Unleashed?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ze582VGaAkY

Sonic 06 really. Sauntering at it's finest.

[Esrever]

Hahahaha! That video is amazing.

[James McGeachie]

I really hope the DS version of Colours has a far better soundtrack than Rush Adventure had.

Sure, the gameplay for Rush Adventure was good enough, but the loss of Naganuma pretty much entirely destroyed the personality of the game. Like, the original only truly has a soul because of its bizarre music. They attempted to imitate his style for the boss music in the sequel and it half worked, but the level music was always incredibly bland

What has Naganuma even worked on since Rush? A few tracks for Monkey Ball on the Wii?

[Kogen]

Stuff about Sonic Colors for the DS. It looks like they're giving Sonic a bunch of new moves from Sonic Unleashed, like the ability to initiate mid-air boosts, wall jump, and do the leg stomp. Which probably isn't a problem, but it means removing a couple of features from Sonic Rush in order to make room (the trick system, for instance).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3A6a5EK5J0

Glad they removed that! The trick system was horrid and shat up the game a lot.

From the video it does seem pretty good. My standards for DS games and handheld games is a lot lower, so I can be fine with this. As long as they do not decide there needs to be holes everywhere again, then I cannot see this being bad.

I really hope the DS version of Colours has a far better soundtrack than Rush Adventure had.

Sure, the gameplay for Rush Adventure was good enough, but the loss of Naganuma pretty much entirely destroyed the personality of the game. Like, the original only truly has a soul because of its bizarre music. They attempted to imitate his style for the boss music in the sequel and it half worked, but the level music was always incredibly bland

What has Naganuma even worked on since Rush? A few tracks for Monkey Ball on the Wii?

Naganuma's music sounds like reject Japanese-techno girl-rap crap and is one of the worst Sonic OSTs I have ever heard. I would class it as Bentley Jones quality.

[P.P.A.]

Stuff about Sonic Colors for the DS. It looks like they're giving Sonic a bunch of new moves from Sonic Unleashed, like the ability to initiate mid-air boosts, wall jump, and do the leg stomp. Which probably isn't a problem, but it means removing a couple of features from Sonic Rush in order to make room (the trick system, for instance).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3A6a5EK5J0

Glad they removed that! The trick system was horrid and shat up the game a lot.

From the video it does seem pretty good. My standards for DS games and handheld games is a lot lower, so I can be fine with this. As long as they do not decide there needs to be holes everywhere again, then I cannot see this being bad.

I really hope the DS version of Colours has a far better soundtrack than Rush Adventure had.

Sure, the gameplay for Rush Adventure was good enough, but the loss of Naganuma pretty much entirely destroyed the personality of the game. Like, the original only truly has a soul because of its bizarre music. They attempted to imitate his style for the boss music in the sequel and it half worked, but the level music was always incredibly bland

What has Naganuma even worked on since Rush? A few tracks for Monkey Ball on the Wii?

Naganuma's music sounds like reject Japanese-techno girl-rap crap and is one of the worst Sonic OSTs I have ever heard. I would class it as Bentley Jones quality.

Whoa, for once I agree with everything Kogen has said. Happy belated birthday by the way.
EDIT: Though it be said that I do think JSR's soundtrack is rather interesting. Sonic Rush's is just awful though, or at least not fitting a Sonic game at all - Shouldn't there be a smooth melody driving you forward and adding depth to a stage instead of some cut-up techno sample mix nonsense?
EDIT2: "cut-up techno sample mix nonsense", Daft Punk would probably work very well for a Sonic game though, at least the stuff on Discovery.

[Crisis]

I'd like to see a return of Naganuma. His music was kind of trashy, but in a fun way, that was immeseasurably better than the generic SRA music. I played SRA for twice as long as I played the first Rush (the first game was stolen from me), and I can't remember a single track of SRA, while I can still recall virtually the entire Rush 1 OST from memory. I also had a lot more fun playing through it. I think there may be a relationship there.

[James McGeachie]

Naganuma's music sounds like reject Japanese-techno girl-rap crap and is one of the worst Sonic OSTs I have ever heard. I would class it as Bentley Jones quality.

Yeah I mean fuck GOD FORBID the music have a remote sense of originality or personality about it. Get these quirky beats the fuck out of the game, where's my generic Jun Senoue rock?

You may not realise it but a lot of people greatly enjoyed Rush's soundtrack and see it as the game's high point. That includes me.

His involvement with the game was the last thing of worth that Yuji Naka was responsible for. It was his personal recommendation that he should compose the game's music to fit with the game's new trick and boost mechanisms.