The GHZ Forum

So now that 3 Sonic Advance games have come out, what does everyone think of the series so far? (with/without comparison to the Genisis games)

There will no doubt be a Sonic Advance 4 for next year, but if so, what would you say they'de need to fix, keep, drop etc?

The worst possible thing would be to have all the same characters, similar theme levels (Ice Mountain>Ice Paradise>Twinkle Snow) with a Super Sonic battle at the end.

IMO they're taking too long to evolve from the same old ideas.

From SAd1>SAd2: "I know lets put in a boost mode" (everything else stays the same)

From SAd2>SAd3: "Lets try partner gameplay!" (everything else stays the same, ALMOST not a space level at the end for once...almost...)

They were good ideas, but still quite subtle, the only things that make one game 'slightly different' from the other two, along with overall fractionally better gameplay.

If they do (they will IMO) make another Advance game it better be a bigger leap from SAd3 than SAd3 was from SAd2.

The plots have gotten slightly more detailed, but the levels you are in seem totally irrelevant. (e.g. when you were in Flying Battery in S3&K, you knew why you were there and how you got there and you felt like you were actually going somewhere, over the Mushroom Hills)

Angel Island had icy mountains, so obviously they were the location of the Ice Cap zones...but now there's one for every game without reason.

Knuckles has been used too much along with his Island (Angel Island, Sky Canyon, even Angel Chaos). That idea from SAd3 would have worked much better if we KNEW Sonic was looking for the Master Emerald, instead it looks like he just comes across it.

If there is another advance game it needs a better storyline and originality.

It needs to have characters and levels that are there to serve the story aswell as for gameplay. Knuckles needs a decent reason for just showing up. Eggman being betrayed is no longer a 'good twist'. 4 times is enough.

Maybe they should think of a new title instead of Sonic Advance...to mark a completely different Sonic game in it's own class (hopefully closer to the genisis games).

What do you think of the Sonic Advance series so far and where it's going?

The characters have useless attacks. Knuckles' punching attack for example. Things are being complicated for no reason. At the end of the day they all play the same, except that Tails is the best because he can fly over (most of) the bottomless pits and reach the Special Stage accesses easier. Oh, and Cream in Sonic Advance 2 makes the only real obstacles the bottomless pits (as such, the game still remains ludicrously difficult).

Rolling bosses in Sonic Advance 2 were a bad idea. Should've been used once, maybe twice, but only if well designed. Not every single level. Bosses shouldn't be frustrating endurance tests.

The first two Special Stage accesses sucked. The hidden spring and the SP Rings. I hate the "one Emerald per Zone" formula. The player should be allowed to get at it at his or her own pace, like all of the Sonic games of old. And the Sonic Advance 2 method was just plain difficult, having to recollect all of the SP Rings every single time.

The hidden Chao were a nice addition to Sonic Advance 3 (much like the jigsaw pieces in SPA), however they shouldn't have been necessary to access the Special Stages, they should've been for something else.

It should always be possible to complete the game with all emeralds through one run, even if you fail Special Stages a few times or don't even access them at every possible moment. Not necessarily easy, but possible. Like the Mega Drive, Mega CD, 32X and Game Gear games. This way has been forgotten with SPA, the Advance series and Heroes, so I'm not holding up any hope that we'll see a return to it.

Of course all of the Advance Special Stages have sucked outright anyway, with dodgy item perspective and ridiculous difficulty.

Visually the games fall into three categories, Nice But Uninspired; Crap And Uninspired and Why Is This Generic Cutesy Platform Game Crap Here In A Sonic Game?

The music is mostly "eh". Not bad, but not the high quality of music that should be expected from a Sonic game. Even Sonic Heroes had some good music.

The biggest offender of the series though is the bland, repetitive, simple, linear and thoroughly cheap level design. For the most part the only way to distinguish one level from another is through the visuals/music and whether there's any water.

If this series didn't have the Sonic license attached to it then we'd all blast it for what it is - a pale and thoroughly subpar Brand X imitation.

The storyline, music and Good characters are the key, I always say!

and that is what the Sonic game are lacking these days.

Adventure 1 and 2 had great storyline, but they ruined it at the game play at some parts(emerald hunting shooting fishing ect...) well in SA1 it made sense, but in SA2 the Shooting and emeraldhunt got tire some.

I dislike people who say the classics lacked storyline, READ THE JAPANESE MANUALS BONEHEADS!

Sonic Heroes Showed potential, but it was a total rushed mess.

the Advance games fell kinda rushed aswell.

Sadv1 was too short and had boring music.

Sadv2 had the worst method of getting emeralds EVER! and it felt as if you only had to press right to finish a level.

Sadv3 was finally decent in Level layout! Music and lenght!!

I enjoyed it very much, it almost felt like one of the classics.

But again the story was poor, another Emerl? give me a break!

Well, we'll see what happens in the future.

The one thing I miss about the older Sonic games is that they were on the big screen.

Sonic belongs in 2D games, but also on the big screen. Infact it would be better, IMO, if they just starting putting time and effort on creating more S3&K style epics for release on the main consoles rather than the handhelds, meaning very high quality 2D games with tonnes of room for extras. Even if it meant sacrificing future 3D games, or somehow merging them, perhaps 3D cutscenes.

With the advance games, it's hard to notice anything on the small screen, half the time I can't even see where the character is. The music suffers alot aswell...infact the overall 'feel' for the game does.

Alot more imagination is needed. I mean they managed to think of things like the Little Planet and Angel Island, before it became way to earth-like. They should just think of something new and amazing for the next game.

And they should have less characters and more levels. Infact they should make one without Tails, Knuckles, Amy and Cream if they can do such a thing. Like Sonic, Rouge and Espio, or something random like that...

Sonic belongs in 2D games, but also on the big screen. Infact it would be better, IMO, if they just starting putting time and effort on creating more S3&K style epics for release on the main consoles rather than the handhelds, meaning very high quality 2D games with tonnes of room for extras. Even if it meant sacrificing future 3D games, or somehow merging them, perhaps 3D cutscenes.

People have suggested this, and morons have always replied:

"That's stupid, even if it worked out as a fun game, people wouldn't buy it because it'd be in 2D!"

To them I say three little words:

"Viewtiful Joe - BITCH!"

Then they're supposed to run away crying.

In theory.

People would be more likely to buy a home console 2D Sonic game, because it'd remind them of, y'know, when Sonic was actually reeeeeeeaaaaaaaaally good.

Did Viewtiful Joe sell that well? I thought most of the American audience was turned off by its very Japanese presentation...

But yeah, they're idiots. VJ is freaking awesome, and I can't wait for the second one.

Viewtiful Joe all the way!

Henshin a-go-go, baby.

GAH! Holy shit in a joystick, I NEED to play Viewtiful Joe, but damn it, I can't drive to the mall and I'm a deabeat, so I have no money.
~Neo