Sonic Frontiers PS5

[Zivouhr]

Sonic Frontiers: World Premiere Gameplay | IGN First - YouTube

Sonic Frontiers: World Premiere Gameplay | IGN First

Looks like a nice open map to explore. Not the Sonic cartoon style I would expect, but reminds me of Sonic Adventure on Dreamcast.

The estimate is late 2022. I expect 2023.

[emailking]

Look sick and I hope it's not too hard!

[Talal86]

Sonic + the rings’ sound just don’t mix with the world at all. the game looks like a mod

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by Talal86

Sonic + the rings’ sound just don’t mix with the world at all. the game looks like a mod

I saw a comment that said it looked like Sega licensed an Unreal Engine template world and just dropped Sonic in and now I can’t unsee that.

[Zivouhr]

Watching the video again, when Sonic is at the top of the tower, then jumps off and rail grinds down the rail bars, I'm reminded of Infamous the game. Or even Tony Hawk Pro Skater. A fun move for a character.

I'm okay with games using default graphics from Unreal Engine 4 or 5, as long as the graphics are detailed, look good and immersive.
Even so, Sonic here will need an explanation as to how he got into this realistic world, when he's a cartoon for the story to work.

Not a big deal but where are the enemies? Hopefully the game world is not silent and vacant as that can get boring after exploring it all.

Hopefully this is just an early look, but best to show off the game when it's in a near complete condition. Remembering the early look at Beyond Good and Evil 2 BG&E2 or whatever that Ubisoft developer game was working on that seems to have disappeared off the map of earth, which was also an early look... Ancil quit developing for awhile apparently.

[InuYashaCrusade]

This looks so weird to me. Sonic looks incredibly out of place within the realistic open world.

[ps3bd_owner]

So far it looks like a boring and slow tech demo.

It's at least an improvement over Sonic Forces and Sonic Boom, but that's not saying much.

[Zivouhr]

Showing a game too early is like an artist showing a rough sketch of what the final illustration might eventually look like. Probably not the best idea for those new to this developer.

I don't know what to expect in the final game, as the trailer and gameplay doesn't reveal much other than Sonic sliding around collecting coins in a barren landscape.

[bradnoyes]

The thing is, they didn't show it too early. If this game is really supposed to be out this year then what you see is almost certainly what you're going to get. At this point in development they should just be working on polish and fixing bugs, but this game looks half-baked and completely out of touch with what is fun about Sonic games.

Edit: I didn't know about this game's existence until today but I just looked it up and apparently this has already been delayed a year. Definitely not looking good.

[ps3bd_owner]

Originally Posted by bradnoyes

The thing is, they didn't show it too early. If this game is really supposed to be out this year then what you see is almost certainly what you're going to get. At this point in development they should just be working on polish and fixing bugs, but this game looks half-baked and completely out of touch with what is fun about Sonic games.

Edit: I didn't know about this game's existence until today but I just looked it up and apparently this has already been delayed a year. Definitely not looking good.

Even if this is another mess like Sonic Forces there's at least Sonic Origins which I'm excited for.

[Zivouhr]

Originally Posted by bradnoyes

The thing is, they didn't show it too early. If this game is really supposed to be out this year then what you see is almost certainly what you're going to get. At this point in development they should just be working on polish and fixing bugs, but this game looks half-baked and completely out of touch with what is fun about Sonic games.

Edit: I didn't know about this game's existence until today but I just looked it up and apparently this has already been delayed a year. Definitely not looking good.

For a 2022 release, that's true, it should be nearing completion.
This was the first gameplay video, showcased on IGN of all places. It seems they're going for an empty landscape, where Sonic just explores and collects coins. Not an enemy in sight.

If the game had enemies to deal with, it would have potential. But nothing.

Reminds me of No Man's Sky a little bit. Lots to see, but not much to do other than collect stuff to upgrade with.

Maybe this is before the enemies show up in the game, as Sonic learns more about the world he's entered.

[bradnoyes]

There actully is a new combat-focused video and IMHO it makes the game look even worse.

https://www.ign.com/articles/sonic-f...ource=facebook

[Zivouhr]

Sonic Frontiers: Combat Gameplay | IGN First - YouTube

I can imagine they were inspired by Shadow of the Colossus with the barren, beautiful landscapes, Gigantic Bosses.

Good to see smaller enemies in there. Seems by circling the enemies, that makes them vulnerable. Combat as a ball can only get so good I guess.

It needed enemies, so this is an improvement over no enemies at all.

[ps3bd_owner]

Originally Posted by Zivouhr

Sonic Frontiers: Combat Gameplay | IGN First - YouTube

I can imagine they were inspired by Shadow of the Colossus with the barren, beautiful landscapes, Gigantic Bosses.

Good to see smaller enemies in there. Seems by circling the enemies, that makes them vulnerable. Combat as a ball can only get so good I guess.

It needed enemies, so this is an improvement over no enemies at all.

40k likes / 27k dislikes (me inc.)

Sonic Frontiers looks very disappointing and dull so far, hopefully they can salvage it.

[oddbox83]

What strikes me is WTF have they got Sonic kicking and punching for? It just feels fundamentally wrong.

I hope the released game is good... but I'm starting to have serious doubts now we've seen some gameplay. I'm fearing Sonic 06 levels of terrible.

[Zivouhr]

Originally Posted by ps3bd_owner

40k likes / 27k dislikes (me inc.)

Sonic Frontiers looks very disappointing and dull so far, hopefully they can salvage it.

I will say the ball shaped enemies look unusual. Maybe the story will explain them better.

But yeah, I'll wait for reviews on this one for sure. I'm generally not a big fan of 3D Sonic games, and prefer his games in the classic 2D, side-scrolling original gameplay.

I heard the Sonic Werewolf game was one of the worst if true. The 3D Sonic games generally suffering from lower critic reviews over the years. Seems they run into concerns with the 3D realm for Sonic, and could use new ideas or more creativity.

Originally Posted by oddbox83

What strikes me is WTF have they got Sonic kicking and punching for? It just feels fundamentally wrong.

I hope the released game is good... but I'm starting to have serious doubts now we've seen some gameplay. I'm fearing Sonic 06 levels of terrible.

I might expect Knuckles to punch and kick, but it's true that most times Sonic would use his ball form to attack enemies. I guess he's expanding his move set.

It reminds me of the more rigid gameplay real time combat of a game like Final Fantasy 15. The character in the RPG presses the attack button, and automatically locks onto the enemy, suspended in the air as the player mashes through the punch button, striking the enemy with strikes and then returning to the ground. Not great in other words, but probably better than turn based combat IMO.

[oddbox83]

Originally Posted by Zivouhr

I heard the Sonic Werewolf game was one of the worst if true. The 3D Sonic games generally suffering from lower critic reviews over the years. Seems they run into concerns with the 3D realm for Sonic, and could use new ideas or more creativity.

Half the time they have good games hidden in there, they just make mistakes and player frustration levels are high.

The "werewolf" game is a good example. When it first came out, I played the PS3 version, and gave up. A mess with controls that hardly worked in the werewolf stages, and reminded me of how bad Sonic '06 also ran on the PS3.

I gave it another chance now it's been ported to XB One and upgraded to 60fps, while it's still got a lot of frustrating stuff it's actually much better when it runs properly. I dunno if they've patched the glitches, or if it always ran better on the XB360...

Originally Posted by Zivouhr

I might expect Knuckles to punch and kick, but it's true that most times Sonic would use his ball form to attack enemies. I guess he's expanding his move set.

Yeah, Sonic is a hedgehog who, you know, rolls into a ball and has quills to hit his enemies with as well as moving very, very fast (we shouldn't be stopping for a minute or two to defeat any minor enemy with some kicks and drawing circles(!)). If they forget that, I really worry what else they've done in the game. This "new direction" they are aiming for may end up being Sonic in name only.

[ps3bd_owner]

Still looks empty, dull, and bland. :-/

Sonic Frontiers Preview - The First Hands-On Impressions - YouTube

[Zivouhr]

This is a case of IGN getting an exclusive early story for the game, and praising it overall, as would be expected, saying the "concerns will hopefully be addressed before the game launches", which I've been reading or hearing about since the Sega Master System, NES days. But it's understandable to be forgiving of a game that's still a work in progress, so I get that polite and forgiving point of view of the writer/magazine/gaming site.

Originally Posted by oddbox83

Half the time they have good games hidden in there, they just make mistakes and player frustration levels are high.

The "werewolf" game is a good example. When it first came out, I played the PS3 version, and gave up. A mess with controls that hardly worked in the werewolf stages, and reminded me of how bad Sonic '06 also ran on the PS3.

I gave it another chance now it's been ported to XB One and upgraded to 60fps, while it's still got a lot of frustrating stuff it's actually much better when it runs properly. I dunno if they've patched the glitches, or if it always ran better on the XB360...



Yeah, Sonic is a hedgehog who, you know, rolls into a ball and has quills to hit his enemies with as well as moving very, very fast (we shouldn't be stopping for a minute or two to defeat any minor enemy with some kicks and drawing circles(!)). If they forget that, I really worry what else they've done in the game. This "new direction" they are aiming for may end up being Sonic in name only.

Thanks. That's good to hear the updated versions improved things a bit for Werewolf Sonic game.
Yeah, in the original sonic games, he never punches anyway, and just uses his ball form to break apart the animal machines hiding the animals.

That's one thing the live action Sonic movies didn't cover at all. Animals stuck inside the Robotnik machines. And no animal design machines either. Mostly just round orb machines.

[Zivouhr]

How Sonic Frontiers Brings Sonic Into An Open World - Developer Interview | Summer Game Fest 2022 - YouTube

Developer Interview:

The Developer suggested that this is the new model for future Sonic games, set in an open landscape where Sonic needs to chain combos and explore while battling enemies different than Dr. Eggman. Sidecharacters like Amy and Tails apparently aren't in the game from the sound of it.

Sonic can fight or do free runs for coins, but both will be needed to some degree to complete the game. He can also solve puzzles.

There will be strange creatures on the island that Sonic will have to confront and learn about. Sonic asks, "Why am I on this island, what do I need to do?" Suggested the Developer.

There will be snarky Sonic comments, but the game will not focus on the "humor and comedy" of past Sonic games. Sonic games are funny according to the Gamespot interviewer.

It appears there is a change from day, dawn, to night.

The interviewer didn't ask if Sonic can swim underwater or on the surface if he wanted. The interviewer didn't ask about Sonic punching and kicking. Also didn't ask if there is a classic version of Sonic, instead of the updated "modern" Sonic with green eyes and longer legs.