Sonic Frontiers gameplay trailer

[Deef]

[Click to see hidden content]

[GeneraL CyberFunK]

Remove Sonic from this and it could be any other game.
PLus.. there shouldn't be that much pop in for a game looking this blatantly average.

THE CYCLE CONTINUES

[Deef]

The fact that this is what they chose as their gameplay reveal makes me feel like the beginning of a return to Sonic 06 form.

The 30 second trailer that appeared just before this had some straight broken animation in it. Not to mention the seagull t-posing its way around the one above.

[unfnknblvbl]

This looks like they dropped Sonic onto the Zeta Ring. Or into the Far Cry universe. Or perhaps Hyrule.
What's this obsession with making the Sonic universe look realistic?

[Mavy]

I thought this looked like an unreal 5 demo or like the Zelda 64 remake. It looks like a game but it's completely hollow and lacks all the mechanics of a full game apart from these few animations or sequences they've been able to replicate.

Sonic looks out of place in this world.

[GeneraL CyberFunK]

This is a far better sonic reveal.

[Madmya]

Sonic just doesn't work in a 3D world, he's too fast. They need to slow him right down, to a Mario pace, and make it truly more about momentum. But it'd be hard and I don't know if it could ever work. Into the bin!

[Gamma]

This is a far better sonic reveal.

What the fuck did I just watch?

But you're not wrong. Can't believe how sketchy the game looks for something that's launching this year. In theory I think a fast character in an open world could be a great way to maintain a sense of grand scale in the environment, while not taking an obnoxious amount of time to get from one point of interest to the next... but I really doubt this is going to pan out. If it gets even middling reviews I might fish it out of a bargain bin in a few years.

[GeneraL CyberFunK]

What the fuck did I just watch?

Odds on you watched to the end too

Just in case. You felt liked you’d seen everything on the internet!

Plus.. I mean.. Kate Bush!

Sonic is just not suited to 3D and Sonic Team is no longer a creative force.

[Deef]

I think 3D can totally be done, but like Madmya mentioned, not with the huge emphasis on speed that they seem 100% committed to now. Sonic Unleashed and that boost-style of play was the thing that turned the franchise around (to an extent) and I don't think they remotely have the confidence to let it go now or ever. That's what the Frontiers vid made me think first; this is a team that just can't get any confidence.

Frontiers will be the 4th really crappy main Sonic title in a row. I think there's a cycle of Sonic cycles that spans decades now, and the recent-ish ebb of decent Sonic games (not that I was interested) has certainly passed. Now we're firmly back somewhere around 2005 and it's all garbage to look forward to for a long while once more.

Maybe by around 2027 the exasperation will have once again grown enough for them to force themselves to finally make something good, again.

It's definitely not-not-entertaining to watch it unfold though. I think Frontiers in particular had a bit of hope and hype behind it, so the ugly and familiar "Oh yeah, they were never going to get it" hits a little harder than Forces/Lost World/Boom.

[Peppermint Lounge]

FWIW my 4 and 7 year old thougt Frontiers looks good and they want to play it. My 4 year old is playing and enjoying the orginal Sonic 2 on Switch at the moment.

[Deef]

The 4yo might be salvagable. Not sure about the other. You can make some more though at least.

(No intentions of disrespect if this came off that way.)

[Deef]

I see all these clickbaity excited thumbnails, but every time I actually open a video I can't get over how technically poor and aesthetically unpleasing the open zones still look. Just in that technical/visual sense, they are amazingly underwhelming.

Let alone the trashy design of springs and rails and boosters all just floating around in the middle of nowhere, above these barren landscapes with next to no detail. Minecraft landscapes frequently look way better.

Just amazes me.

And then the other half of the game is entirely rehashed themes -- only 4 of them at that -- playing small bursts of rehashed boost gameplay.

I feel like there's a vibe of positive anticipation out there, yet whenever look at Frontiers for 3 seconds it is just bad.

Why this still surprises me, I do not know.

[unfnknblvbl]

Sega really needs to work out what they want in a 3D Sonic. They've never managed to get it right. They've come close a few times, but then just changed tack entirely in the next game.

What's really bugging me about this one is the combat. Just the fact that it exists in a Sonic game, ffs. They've spent decades teaching us that sonic is gonna fucking die if he lands on an enemy without being curled into a ball. But here he is, kicking enemies.

Ugh.

[Madmya]

John Linnemann sold me on this game. I'll probably get it after xmas, hoping it's in the sales.

[BOOMY]

[Madmya]

That video is pretty damn funny actually. I still think it looks okay though...

[GeneraL CyberFunK]

I can’t wait to not play it.

Given how meh it looked and how meh it is on arrival? Fucking hell, Sega.

[Rorschach]

Will pick it up on sale at some point.

[Froggy]

Picked it up today from JB for 54, came with a hardcase too which I wasn't expecting. Not sure if there's anything extra inside of that or not but now I'll need to wait until Christmas day as my kids really wanted it and the Steam reviews + JB sale made me grab it. Will I regret it? Not sure on it personally but it'll be interesting to watch their response to a 3d sonic, if they love it then I guess that's all that matters to SEGA right?

Reminds me I better finish Sonic Colours.

[Deef]

Regret? Since Scullibundo left, I don't think there's anyone here who isn't already safely jaded enough to avoid any danger of regret over a modern Sonic title.

I want to try it out but I know that I won't want to put aside the time for it, and will be hugely critical of it anyway. My (reminder, jaded) impression of the internet's impression is now that it's getting sympathy reception for doing some thing or things right. If Ninty had released this it would be "Terrible. Avoid." But as a Sonic title it's "Not actually the worst. Try it."

Funnily enough I too need to finish Sonic Colours.

[Froggy]

Not long until I can play it after Christmas but geez the little blue guy doing well:

https://ftw.usatoday.com/2022/12/sonic- ... sales-sold

Much to the surprise of pre-release naysayers, Sonic Frontiers has been selling like hotcakes.

On Monday, Sega announced that Sonic Frontiers has sold more than 2.5 million copies since its launch on Nov. 6, 2022. That figure includes unit sales across PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC – making it one of last month’s bestselling releases. Quite an accomplishment when stuff like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and God of War Ragnarok is nipping at its heels.

Sonic Frontiers also came close to taking home the 2022 Game Awards category for Player’s Voice but ultimately lost to Genshin Impact.

[Rorschach]

I got this during the recent sales and I must say, its a really good Sonic game. It makes me smile, reminds of the better sections of Sonic Adventure and the game runs really solid. The linear levels are really cool but the open world, despite giving the impression of being unfinished is well done. I like it, I was going to get Sonic Superstars first but I read a comment comparing the two and it boiled down to Sonics Frontiers having really high highs and Superstars having really low lows; and generally Frontiers being more fun overall. And it feels like turn of the century Sega for a change.

[Madmya]

I also got Sonic Frontiers because it was simply cheaper. My initial impressions aren't very good, but I haven't played much. I expect Superstars to be better to be honest.

[Froggy]

Still on my list to get to next.. just something else seems to come along before it every time.