Sonic Lost World - Nintendo Exclusive

[big_smile]

This is also a bit of a unintentional cruel tease, because Hirokazu Yasuhara who did all the level design for the Mega Drive games (and Sonic R), now works at Nintendo.
They keep on doing all these Nintendo/Sonic crossovers and tie-ins, yet they don't seem to be bringing back Yasuhara. Why?!! It's seems like the quickest and easiest way to recapture the glory days.

[Radrappy]

This is also a bit of a unintentional cruel tease, because Hirokazu Yasuhara who did all the level design for the Mega Drive games (and Sonic R), now works at Nintendo.
They keep on doing all these Nintendo/Sonic crossovers and tie-ins, yet they don't seem to be bringing back Yasuhara. Why?!! It's seems like the quickest and easiest way to recapture the glory days.

I doubt Iizuka would want Yasuhara (an old contemporary) working on Sonic games. He strikes me as a madman who would run the series into the ground before inviting an old hand back to help him.

[G.Silver]

That, sadly! I also think Yasuhara would have come back a long time ago if he were actually interested.

[Dr. BUGMAN]

Ugh number one: Those first two Yoshi games blew ass.

Ugh number two: Mario Wiki.

These are too completely relevant counterpoints. You, sir, are a certified genius.

[Rob-Bert]

Aren't I just?

[Isuka]

This guy totally murdered what little interest I had in getting the 3DS version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMfakO0jmr4

Seriously, I think the 3DS XL's battery would be dead before I beat a second stage. Either he's doing things very, VERY wrong, or whoever developed this was out of his motherfucking mind.

[big_smile]

So I got this last week and am currently up to stage 4. Why has this game produced such an apathetic response? It's actually brilliant.

I flipped back a few pages to read some of Eserver and gr4yJ4Y comments and I actually do agree with them: The control system is overly complicated, the colour powers are poorly used and many of the levels are bland. However, these bad parts don't come anywhere near spoiling the good elements.

My response might be biased as I've always enjoyed the exploration side of Sonic the most, which is something this game offers in abundance. In fact, it seems so preoccupied with exploration and variety that it neglects the high speed sections. The fact that you have to remember to hold down the run button doesn't help.

Frustratingly, the first act actually executes this game's vision perfectly. It has 4 distinct routes, half of which are speed based, the other half are exploration based. The tube level design works brilliantly, as the player can easily switch between the routes. Unfortunately, the level is rather short and its structure isn't re-used.

Part of my admiration for Lost World may come from the fact that I haven't really played that many other platformers. However, even with my naivety, many of the good ideas feel as if they have been lifted from other titles. It's also a shame that few of these ideas are based around using Sonic's speed.

Like I said, I am only half way through, so my opinion might change by the end. However, I've had so much fun up to now, that I am surprised that this title hasn't generated the same sort of buzz that accompanied Colours and Generations.

I've also been playing the 3DS version and am half-way through. I have mixed feelings about this. The main problem is that all the original ideas of the console version have been removed and replaced by Dimps' own ideas. This wouldn't be so bad if the game didn't repeat them so often that they end up becoming tedious.

It's better than Generations 3DS and Dimps' GBA efforts (mainly because the frustrating cheap hits have been removed), but after all the progress Dimps made with their DS titles, it's disappointing to seem them regress.

[gr4yJ4Y]

All said and done I spent around 28 hours on the game. It didn't meet the expectations for a game following Generations and Colors and it has a low-budget feel, but i enjoyed its good parts. It's sold 650, 000 copies so it looks like it's gained an audience dispite the middle-ground reviews and reputation.

[Radrappy]

So I got this last week and am currently up to stage 4. Why has this game produced such an apathetic response? It's actually brilliant.

Yeah, I actually fucking love this game. I find myself constantly replaying levels (even though I've s-ranked every stage and gotten all the red rings) and just soaking it in. The lukewarm critical reception and mediocre sales have practically guaranteed we'll never see anything like it again but in my eyes it's the Sonic Cd of the 3d games.

[big_smile]

So apparently, Sonic Lost World didn't do too badly as Sega shipped 640,000 units.
Of course shipped isn't the same as sales, and that includes the 3DS version.

Given the small user base of the Wii U, Sega should have probably considered of producing a port of the 3DS version for the original Wii.

In Europe the game has been published by Nintendo, and so hasn't received the discount of previous Sonic titles (Sega generally cuts the price of new titles by around 40% 4 months after release), which could be another factor in the low sales performance.

[Esrever]

The Sonic CD of 3D Sonic is a great description, since like Sonic CD, I thought I loved it at first and I've come to realize I actually hate it. Ha!

I am also big on the exploration element. It's my favourite part of platform games, and of previous 3D Sonics like Colours and Generations. And in that respect I enjoyed some of the Lost World stages. But in the end, when you look back at the whole game, it's just incredibly... slight.

The vast majority of the stages are boring, linear 2D stages or minigames. So no exploration at all. Lame! Then you have a handful of actual real 3D stages broad enough to provide that exploration vibe. But they share only a trio of incredibly basic kinds of layout structure shared between them. (Inside of a tube! Outside of a tube! Outside of a BIG TUBE!) I dug the first few of these levels, and enjoyed finding the red rings. But by the Sky world tube I was just sick of frigging tubes. Everything that's hidden is hidden the same two ways. It's either on the other side of the tube, or it's on a flying island that you can only get to by hitting a spring... that's on the other side of the tube. The solution is always the same. Instead of going straight, go 90 or 180 degrees to the side and THEN go straight.

It just doesn't end up being nearly as clever as you think it's going to be. It doesn't open up the level design to multiple routes at all. It makes them more linear than ever. Ultimately, There is really only one route: forward, along the surface of the tube. It's like saying Unleashed has branching paths because the roads are wide and you can pick the left side or the right side to run on. There's not enough meat there for another game.... there wasn't even enough meat on there for this game. No more tubes. Never any more tubes. I ban tubes forever. Tubes are dead to me.

[G.Silver]

I thought you'd like tubes. They're so much like caves!

[Gaz]

Legend of Zelda zone revealed.

Not really much of a surprise given that it was hinted at with the Yoshi's Island DLC. Looks like fun.

[Dr. BUGMAN]

One wonders what sort of badnik Eggman could power with a cucco...

[Wooduck51]

It's like the fevered dreams of a million 10 -ish year olds just came to mind blowing reality.... and incidentally it has fulfilled a dream, a wish even, I never knew I had, until the very moment my eyes beheld this glorious combination of things I like!

[Yami CJMErl]

One wonders what sort of badnik Eggman could power with a cucco...

It'd probably seem harmless, like a defanged Motobug...until Sonic attacked it, then it'll turn into the latest "ultra-powerful monster that Sonic needs all seven Chaos Emeralds and Eggman's help to even scratch" type thing.

[G.Silver]

I think it would be a lot cooler with these zones if instead of putting Sonic into their world, if they adapted that world to be Sonic-ish, Zelda enemies as Dr. Eggman would have made them, etc.

[Wombatwarlord777]

That sounds interesting. Eggman would make for only a slightly atypical Ganondorf, I think.

I really liked that video, but Lost World's camera system really doesn't know what to do in wide-open spaces.

[big_smile]

Ooh, perfect timing as I've just finished story mode.

My opinion of Lost World has fallen considerably. The game takes a dive after level 3 with too much repetition and an over reliance on instant death obstacles. It's a shame, as the good parts of the game are probably some of the best in the series. Unfortunately, these sections are in the minority.

I'd like to believe that Sonic Team simply ran of time with having to learn how to programme the Wii U. But given how severe some of the mishaps are, I think it's more likely that Sonic Colours and Generations were simply flukes (especially as they had their own sets of problem) and Sonic Team still doesn't know what Sonic really is.

[big_smile]

So, the new Zelda level is made up of two acts.

The first is something I've always wanted to see in a Sonic game, a wide open stage which the player is free to explore. Running around it aimlessly is certainly exhilarating. However, at full speed, it's tricky for Sonic to collect items. There isn't that much to do in it so it becomes boring quite quickly. The camera also spins around making it hard to see.

The second stage is just a reskin of an existing LW stage. I haven't played that many Zelda games, so I am sure all the references are lost on me.

Overall it's decent for a freebie DLC.