Wiiiii!

[FlashTHD]

Guys, those are shooters. Wild Fire is not a shooter. My impression is that they're attempting to create a Sonic version of NiGHTS and it's not hitting off with me well.

[Radrappy]

keep an open mind. If it'll save Sonic's record of horrid games, I'm all for it. It's not as if every sonic game will be made on rails starting with this one. You'll still get your wretched Sonic Adventure 8 I'm sure.

[Shadow Hog]

It's not like any of <i>us</i> know, anyway, none of us have played it.

That said, <i>NiGHTS</i> was cool and all, but... I don't find myself returning to it as much as other people do. I don't really know why, I mean, I find it fun, but not terribly replayable. I dunno, I guess the whole "high score" thing never clicked with me.

[DackAttac]

The only thing this game really seems to have going for it is it picks one thing and sticks with it. If my theories of the recent cripplings of games being from spreading themselves too thin winds up being right, this could be a good sign. No branching storylines, no alternative styles of play, just a simple on-rails finish-one-level-go-to-the-next game.

On the other hand, if they couldn't get the controls right last time out with a standard controller, is this really the time for them to be tackling the Wiimote? Add to that the sheer fact that there's no real reason why the motion should be controlled by tilt. Where Super Monkey Ball was liberated since it always tried to use a labyrinth premise that never sunk in because using the joystick just felt like moving your player normally, Sonic has always gone for that effect intentionally. He doesn't lean over and fall that way. He runs. This isn't brain surgery (or any surgery in Trauma Center that requires both hands), this is just standard picking a leg up, and putting it down in front of you. It's been handled by joysticks and D-pads since the beginning of the era, regardless of character.

I'm not saying it spells disaster for the game, I'm just saying it gets my goat since I'm against Wiimote abuse on principle. If Sonic Team is convinced they can pull this off, my principle of not wanting to buy another lousy Sonic game will win out, but when I think of the Wii's future, I'm afraid of seeing too many Wiimote tilts where a joystick would do just fine.

[Rolken]

I've read about a dozen previews of the game and so far all of them have been positive and over half call it the game that finally makes Sonic worth playing again. I'm willing to give the controls the benefit of the doubt.

[CM August]

Just finished Twilight Princess.

If I were more emotionally volatile I'd be crying like a bitch.

Best Zelda game ever, by far. They'll never top this.

[Hybrid]

I'm actually looking forward to the Wii's take on Sonic, simply because so far it seems to be the embodiment of everything that has actually worked so far in Sonic's 3D outings. If that opening beach level is anything to go by, then levels are again becoming more like locations than purpose-built highways in the sky, and that element of level design is what made SA1's levels so enjoyable.

By making the game handle Sonic's forward movement, they've eliminated the problem of Sonic rocketing off at 90 degree angles whenever you slightly angle the control stick, a control issue that has really hurt all of the recent games.

The enemies don't appear to take more than one hit (if Sonic is always moving forward, then hitting an enemy more than once seems impossible anyway), and if Sonic Team can work in plenty of multiple routes (like they apparently did in StH, or so I've heard), then we'll have a fairly solid game on our hands.

I very much doubt the current Sonic Team's ability to ever make a 3D Sonic game that reaches the same level of quality as the Gensis games, but SotR looks at least to be an enjoyable game which is probably as close as sega will ever get.

[Arcade]

I'm actually looking forward to the Wii's take on Sonic, simply because so far it seems to be the embodiment of everything that has actually worked so far in Sonic's 3D outings. If that opening beach level is anything to go by, then levels are again becoming more like locations than purpose-built highways in the sky, and that element of level design is what made SA1's levels so enjoyable.

By making the game handle Sonic's forward movement, they've eliminated the problem of Sonic rocketing off at 90 degree angles whenever you slightly angle the control stick, a control issue that has really hurt all of the recent games.

The enemies don't appear to take more than one hit (if Sonic is always moving forward, then hitting an enemy more than once seems impossible anyway), and if Sonic Team can work in plenty of multiple routes (like they apparently did in StH, or so I've heard), then we'll have a fairly solid game on our hands.

I very much doubt the current Sonic Team's ability to ever make a 3D Sonic game that reaches the same level of quality as the Gensis games, but SotR looks at least to be an enjoyable game which is probably as close as sega will ever get.

You know, I just have no hope for new Sonic games....Heroes took my heart, burned it out, then sold it on E-bay...

[Hybrid]

I didn't have any hope for StH because of that exact reason, but since SotR is a very different game I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise.

[FlashTHD]

I'm actually looking forward to the Wii's take on Sonic, simply because so far it seems to be the embodiment of everything that has actually worked so far in Sonic's 3D outings.

I didn't have any hope for StH because of that exact reason, but since SotR is a very different game I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise.

Ginormous oxymoron. I'd like to see you explain this too:

By making the game handle Sonic's forward movement, they've eliminated the problem of Sonic rocketing off at 90 degree angles whenever you slightly angle the control stick, a control issue that has really hurt all of the recent games.

...you don't honestly believe this game is meant to fix anything about the gameplay of the 3D Sonics? It's an on-rails action game that controls like a racing game. We call such things "spin-offs".

if Sonic Team can work in plenty of multiple routes (like they apparently did in StH, or so I've heard), then we'll have a fairly solid game on our hands.

Not if all roads lead to partially controllable stylish action sequences. This game needs a lot more finesse than i've been led to believe to draw my attention...and we're, what, 3 or 4 months from release now?

Not to mention:

-- Lose only 20 rings when hit - This is never, ever a good thing, and it better be hard for all the right reasons to justify that.

-- Nonsensical methods of using abilites - Tilt it forward (mind, you are holding it sideways like an NES controller) to perform a Homing Attack? Shake it to boost? Pull it towards you to walk backwards? Who concocted these ideas, Iizuka? DarkAttac is right, this is unreasonable remote abuse.

-- 30 oddball minigames that, apparently, have nothing to do with the main gameplay - What, so it's really so unfulfilling that we need them so badly?

Sorry if i'm rambling, i'm really tired, but I can't look at Wildfire and convince myself it'll be anything but a dissatisfying, failed experiment.

[Radrappy]

How is it that you had so much hope for Sonic 360 but have none for this game which is by all accounts the most promising thing to grace sonic in the past 7 years or so?

[Locit]

Second'd.

[Hybrid]

I'm actually looking forward to the Wii's take on Sonic, simply because so far it seems to be the embodiment of everything that has actually worked so far in Sonic's 3D outings.

I didn't have any hope for StH because of that exact reason, but since SotR is a very different game I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise.

Ginormous oxymoron.

Er, no. It has a lot of stuff from previous Sonic titles, a lot of stuff that works, but do you honestly believe it is going to offer the same experience as Heroes, Shadow or Sonic360? No.

Its like saying Zelda 2 is a totally different game to Zelda 1; They're the same at the core but radically different in execution.

I'd like to see you explain this too...you don't honestly believe this game is meant to fix anything about the gameplay of the 3D Sonics? It's an on-rails action game that controls like a racing game. We call such things "spin-offs".

I'd like to see you explain how the use of the Wiimote doesn't get rid of the problem I mentioned.

I honestly don't know how you can have such a negative opinion on the game, considering all we've got to go on is a couple of brief gameplay snippets and overwhelmingly positive feedback from reviewers. Seems like hating it just for the sake of it to me.

[FlashTHD]

I'd like to see you explain this too...you don't honestly believe this game is meant to fix anything about the gameplay of the 3D Sonics? It's an on-rails action game that controls like a racing game. We call such things "spin-offs".

I'd like to see you explain how the use of the Wiimote doesn't get rid of the problem I mentioned.

Ask yourself:

Its like saying Zelda 2 is a totally different game to Zelda 1; They're the same at the core but radically different in execution.

---------------

I honestly don't know how you can have such a negative opinion on the game, considering all we've got to go on is a couple of brief gameplay snippets and overwhelmingly positive feedback from reviewers. Seems like hating it just for the sake of it to me.

Well, about the limited info; I find it suspicious. You could chalk it up to Sega's notoriously iffy marketing for acting in an on-again off-again state of releasing details to the public, or maybe they're cautious enough not to a poke a sleeping Grizzly Bear that's in a foul mood with a stick (read: let the volatile fanbase simmer down momentarily). Thing is, this game isn't as epic in scope as Next tried to be, so i'm not anticipating any series of major info explosions as release closes in unless a demo gets out and/or is leaked and hacked to pieces.

My conclusion: They may have already said almost everything that needs to be said, leaving trailers/screenshots/press previews to pave the rest of the way. Which means, this game may be as shallow as it sounds.

But getting back to the point:

How is it that you had so much hope for Sonic 360 but have none for this game which is by all accounts the most promising thing to grace sonic in the past 7 years or so?

There's a distinct difference. Next's first impression to me was several times better than Wildfire's. Whereas Next started building up and building up and seeming more awesome as it went, i've struggled to find any interest in Wildfire from day 1. Due in part to the fact that I think this gameplay style probably won't work.

In short, i'm not holding out much hope. If it turns out good, fine, but they certainly aren't leaving very little up to chance right now.

[Hybrid]

I'd like to see you explain this too...you don't honestly believe this game is meant to fix anything about the gameplay of the 3D Sonics? It's an on-rails action game that controls like a racing game. We call such things "spin-offs".

I'd like to see you explain how the use of the Wiimote doesn't get rid of the problem I mentioned.

Ask yourself:

Its like saying Zelda 2 is a totally different game to Zelda 1; They're the same at the core but radically different in execution.

Running in this game is like swordfighting in Zelda 2: One of the few concepts kept mostly the same.

Or you could just say that sega took the broken running from previous games, fixed it, and put it in wildfire. Either way, it looks to be an improvement on what we have now which was kind of the entire point.

[Locit]

There's a distinct difference. Next's first impression to me was several times better than Wildfire's. Whereas Next started building up and building up and seeming more awesome as it went, i've struggled to find any interest in Wildfire from day 1. Due in part to the fact that I think this gameplay style probably won't work.

Wait, what? I'm pretty sure it got more terrible as it went. It started out with just Sonic and a basic Kingdom Valley style stage without any bottomless pits in sight, and eventually came to include playing as Shadow, Silver, and Rouge. If that's not a downhill slope I'm not sure what is. Before Next was released tons of gaming sites posted articles about how slipshod and half-assed it felt, and how much work it needed, and it turned out that they were right. The demo seemed pretty conclusive, but apparently it took some people playing the actual game to realize it was fundamentally flawed in nearly every way. Meanwhile, press has been nothing but positive for Rings, based on actual gameplay, not on pretty screens or cinemas with the ring grabbing sound at just the right moment. As of yet we have seen no Shadow, no Silver, or anyone else except Sonic, and the game seems much further along that Next was when we found out that over 2/3 of the game would be taken up by not playing as the main protagonist. Nobody seems to be complaining about the problems you've mentioned, so I'm going to go with the crazy logic that if people say it's fun to play it might actually be... fun to play. Not deep. Not a tour de force. Not a triumphant return to the spotlight for SEGA's once glorious mascot. Just fun. All signs point to it not hovering dangerously on the verge of pure suck, unlike Next was so often described as, so right now I'm much more optimistic about Rings than I ever was about Next. But hey, there's still time. They could screw it up yet.

[Frieza2000]

You know, it would be pretty funny if this turned out good. Sonic 360 was supposed to be their salvation, the million dollar blockbuster that they focused the bulk of their time and resources on. SotR was just "We need a Sonic game on the Wii. Make up something that uses the remote." So when they actually commit themselves and TRY to make a good game, they fail miserably. But when they don't...

[FlashTHD]

Either way, it looks to be an improvement on what we have now which was kind of the entire point.

You have any evidence of that? I greatly doubt they're (or rather, pray to god they aren't) trying to pass this off as a 3D Sonic game in the same line as SA1/2/Heroes/Shadow/Next.

[WW]

You mean the same line as games that fucking blow?

[Hybrid]

You have any evidence of that? I greatly doubt they're (or rather, pray to god they aren't) trying to pass this off as a 3D Sonic game in the same line as SA1/2/Heroes/Shadow/Next.

Does that matter? The problems we've had controlling Sonic have been removed via use of the Wiimote. Therefore, running seems to be an improvement; That's all I said.

Truth be told, I'm not even sure I understand what point you're trying to make right now. Your post seemed kind of irrelevant to what you quoted.

[FlashTHD]

You have any evidence of that? I greatly doubt they're (or rather, pray to god they aren't) trying to pass this off as a 3D Sonic game in the same line as SA1/2/Heroes/Shadow/Next.

Does that matter? The problems we've had controlling Sonic have been removed via use of the Wiimote. Therefore, running seems to be an improvement; That's all I said.

Truth be told, I'm not even sure I understand what point you're trying to make right now. Your post seemed kind of irrelevant to what you quoted.

"Improvement" typically implies succession.

[Delphine]

Guys, FlashTHD is just smarter than everyone. Why can't you all understand? He's the smartest person in the world.

[Locit]

Either way, it looks to be an improvement on what we have now which was kind of the entire point.

You have any evidence of that? I greatly doubt they're (or rather, pray to god they aren't) trying to pass this off as a 3D Sonic game in the same line as SA1/2/Heroes/Shadow/Next.

Like WW said, I'd just as soon they didn't, seeing as that particular vein of Sonicdom has become a festering pile of suck. As for evidence, here is a 1up preview from the last E3 about how much fun they had with the game. This really doesn't seem like a bad thing at all, or at least not worthy of the piles of scorn you are so readily heaping upon it. In fact, you're sort of doing the same thing you did with Sonic Next: making a judgment call about the game far in advance without ever having actually played it, and refusing to listen to news describing how the game plays and whether it is competent or not.

[FlashTHD]

You've got me in that Hybrid and I were essentially misunderstanding each other at every turn (and Locit quoted my post out of its' original context but i'll let that drop).

As for evidence, here is a 1up preview from the last E3 about how much fun they had with the game. This really doesn't seem like a bad thing at all, or at least not worthy of the piles of scorn you are so readily heaping upon it.

I see what point you were trying to make, but it would have been better to link to the September one. That one didn't convince me of anything. The second one with the Ogawa interview paints a less ominous picture of the whole deal and seems to be a lot more professional than most other previews of the game i've seen. I wouldn't have thought to read that on my own though; I don't have much trust in 1up.

Except...for all the good this game tries to do there's still a lot of concepts I don't agree with. A friend of mine once put it: "Go play the special stage of Sonic 3D Blast (the Genesis version). That's how this control scheme will work unless they give the ability to stop/take different routes. Fun, but a complete game it does not make." Well, the multiple routes might be covered, but that only goes so far. He also said the controls seem to reject everything he's come to love about Sonic, and as fanboyish an admission as it might sound, I kinda agree. Again: More signs of finesse please. The equippable abilites show some sign that it's deeper than it comes off as, but that's not quite enough.

I'm not trying to pass judgement on this, nor am I making an effort to blow it off or not pay attention to it. I have no intention whatsoever to play Sonic Rivals much less own a PSP, but I kept up with it. Shoot, if I waltzed into Gamestop and they had a demo of this going on the Wii kiosk, i'd try it out. But, those are only the natural things to do, and I wouldn't dare go out of my way to play a demo. Simply enough, i'm getting bad vibes from the overall gameplay and am far from the point of anticipating it with eagerness. I'd rather put more time into watching games i'm interested in a lot more. Which is also the natural thing to do for any game you're unsure of. I don't see what's so hard to grasp about that.

On that note, could I get some opinions on Castlevania: Portait of Ruin if anyone here's played it? It caught my attention a little while ago, but since i've never come anywhere near a Castlevania game before i'd like to know if this'd be a good game to jump into the series with.

In fact, you're sort of doing the same thing you did with Sonic Next

I would respond to this too, but it's 1 AM, and the database is buggered up or something. I get "there are no search results" error messages when I try to look through my old posts via the search feature.

[Hybrid]

I'm fairly certain you can stop by pulling up on the wiimote. I don't know if you can turn around, though.