SEGA joins the retro reboot bandwagon

YouTube - Sonic The Hedgehog 4 - Episode 1: Announcement Trailer

I only saw like 3 seconds of new footage. But its promising that they might be able to accomplish this without messing it up. Since its not any other Sonic franchise. Bare bones original Sonic. And it'll be available for download. That's usually a good sign (I think)

Anyway. I hadn't seen a topic about this and it made me just a tad stoked. So I thought I'd fire one up :}

Thoughts? Hopes? Fears?

Also, here's some history:
Sonic City Blognik | SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 4 Episode l

I'll be getting it either way, and I really, truly hope it is good. I do believe it's going to be 1080p aswell, so at least it'll be something pretty to look at.

1080p? Whoa. It is rare for any of the big blockbuster games to be 1080p, let alone downloadable games. Have any of you looked at the trailer on a console? I viewed it the first time on a PC and it was cool that they were making a graphically enhanced version. Only when I saw it on PSN and downloaded it for the heck of it did I realize how nice looking it was.

Aside: What would you call a download only game? They are usually referred to as WiiWare, PSN games or XBOX Live Arcade games. Is there an all encompassing term?

It's not that rare for graphically simplistic games to run at 1080p ;o.

It's not rare at all for 360 games to run in 1080p if you go in to a game store and just browse the back of the boxes you'll see a lot more games on 360 are already set for 1080p than there are for the PS3, a complete shame because it seems to me having worked with computer games for some time now in a retail position where I can even compare the same game across formats that it's only exclusive titles on the ps3 what have 1080p support.

Anyhow back to the topic at hand so this doesn't become a 360 vs ps3 debate because frankly neither side will ever give in and it bores the crap out of most of us it's just our pride what makes us say we'll keep on debating it.

I'm hoping Sonic 4 will be good, I loved the originals, they were way better than the Mario games imho (I was always a sega kid at heart) If the game even comes close to being like it's previous 3 entries then well I look forwards to zipping around the only annoying thing is this "episode" developers do now why the hell can't they just release the entire game and slap a £19.99 or $19.99 price tag on it and be done? Seriously it bugs me that they think purely to make money out of it by doing it in segments depending on the cost of the episodes on XBL I will decide if I will actually purchase the game or not which is a real shame. Episodes that add in to a complete game however are totally cool because I've already brought the game and therefore if I want to add extra episodes then it is my option I just don't like that a 5 episode sonic title could end up costing triple a games individual retail price.

Well I know skate and it's sequel was in 1080p, and that was multi-platform.

Neat!

I'm not really bothered by the episode issue at all. For one it means if the game is good and does well, there will be more. Potentially a good thing, hinging on the possibility of it being a good game :] But as episodes go, its really not a first. Sonic and Knuckles was essentially Sonic 3: Episode 2. Since I'd heard it was originally all one game, but was considered too big so they broke it up. Or maybe it was too big for the cartridge memory size they were planning on using. Either way, one game, too big = two games

As far as what to call 'downloadable games', I think that term suits it just fine.

The most useful use of the episodic treatment here is to give skeptical fans a taste of what the game's like. If they only spend $10 on a 4-level episode (made up numbers) and they hate it, that's more palatable than spending $30+ on a full game you hate and only play 4 levels of.

Sonic has not had the best reputation lately, though having the guys who made the GBA and DS Sonic games is a step in a decent direction. Though, I never cared for Sonic.

If there's any game out there that really should stick to retro graphics it's sonic, so gj Sega.

I was under the impression S3&K was split into two games because it wasn't going to make the Christmas rush.

Looks beautiful, imo.

Though I hope they have animation blending which is non-existent in that trailer... I'm sure they will though.

I think I just remembered that I have never actually liked Sonic THAT much, I think most of it is nostalgia. As for actual platforming fun, I think Mario always was and always will be better! imo.

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Originally Posted by Iceglow

It's not rare at all for 360 games to run in 1080p if you go in to a game store and just browse the back of the boxes you'll see a lot more games on 360 are already set for 1080p than there are for the PS3, a complete shame because it seems to me having worked with computer games for some time now in a retail position where I can even compare the same game across formats that it's only exclusive titles on the ps3 what have 1080p support.

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What it says on the back of the box has to do with what resolutions it supports, not what the native resolution is. 360 and PS3 are exactly the same in this aspect where a couple of downloadable titles run at 1080 and maybe a few retail games.

Looks awesome. Sonic fans always seem to complain about the 3D games, so maybe a 2D remake/revival series is a step in the right direction.

Never really been a fan of Sonic (played the first 3 and Knuckles on Genesis, but they were too hard so I never beat any of them), but this looks like it could be fun nonetheless.

I'm fairly pumped about this. I do wish they had hand-drawn the characters but that is probably some sort of epic long and expensive thing so it's coo'.

Looks like another sonic project Sega is bound to screw up... =/

Not necessarily. I see no evidence that they're doing anything incredibly out there (*cough*warehog*cough*), it seems like they're taking it back to it roots, and the only thing that will stop people really enjoying it is either if they didn't enjoy the originals...or if they minimise it so much that it becomes a bit boring.

But the way it's going I think it would be hard to actually 'screw up' in any real way.

I'm excited about it. Everyone wants to be pessimistic and get their opinions out there, but really, isn't it pretty redundant to say Sonic games have sucked for a while, there's been some gems, and that's it? Let's just see what happens. Someone else already mentioned it, but the developer behind this has been known to pull off some of the gems.

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Originally Posted by Iceglow

It's not rare at all for 360 games to run in 1080p if you go in to a game store and just browse the back of the boxes you'll see a lot more games on 360 are already set for 1080p than there are for the PS3, a complete shame because it seems to me having worked with computer games for some time now in a retail position where I can even compare the same game across formats that it's only exclusive titles on the ps3 what have 1080p support.

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Croyles handled this, and the harsher reality is that most 360/ps3 games (from what I generally gathered) aren't even running in 720p. The Modern Warfare games have been extensively dissected about how they barely run at an HD resolution at all on the consoles. Finally, it's been questioned where the 360 can actually run 1080p (this video was circulating around IGN and GT last summer, 5:00 is where the actual comparison begins).

I've actually read a analysis of the game physics (yes, from the 4 seconds of game footage) where they ripped it apart and explain (with examples) of how the physics are completely off from the S1-3 games, and much more like the Sonic Advance games. Which in their and my opinion weren't really very good.

At least it's nice to see people are still extremely passionate about the brand :)

Looks promising! Sonic 2 was my first game, so I would have much respect for a project like this :3

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Originally Posted by VeloZer0

the physics are ...much more like the Sonic Advance games.

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The people making Sonic 4 made Sonic Advance. Sounds like those 'analysts' wasted their time.

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Originally Posted by Jessweeee♪

Looks promising! Sonic 2 was my first game, so I would have much respect for a project like this :3

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Mine too! It's weird for me because I was so young when I played those games that there was no way that I was noticing the physics or the mechanics of the game. So it'll be weird to see if the game feels different to how I remember it.

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Originally Posted by Iceglow

It's not rare at all for 360 games to run in 1080p if you go in to a game store and just browse the back of the boxes you'll see a lot more games on 360 are already set for 1080p than there are for the PS3, a complete shame because it seems to me having worked with computer games for some time now in a retail position where I can even compare the same game across formats that it's only exclusive titles on the ps3 what have 1080p support.

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You misunderstand...that just means it supports that output resolution. The 360 isn't even actually capable of running native 1080p; only 720p. Anything above that on the 360 is just being upscaled.

The PS3 is, however, capable of native 1080p and has games that are native 1080p, but the vast majority of PS3 games are still just 720p upscaled, like the 360.

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Originally Posted by VeloZer0

I've actually read a analysis of the game physics (yes, from the 4 seconds of game footage) where they ripped it apart and explain (with examples) of how the physics are completely off from the S1-3 games, and much more like the Sonic Advance games. Which in their and my opinion weren't really very good.

At least it's nice to see people are still extremely passionate about the brand :)

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Oh, snap. I heard they were some of the better games of late, but I'll take the opinions of people in this forum over random game journalists.

I haven't played any of the Advanced one. But I did give Rush a try. And was sorely disappointed, despite how much it -appears- to be a throwback. It fell on its face in my opinion. And if that game was an extension of the Advance family... I hope they do better with 4 >_>

I actually really enjoyed Sonic Rush, imo it was the only game worth playing since Sonic & K

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Originally Posted by VeloZer0

I was under the impression S3&K was split into two games because it wasn't going to make the Christmas rush.

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It didn't make the Christmas rush anyway; Sonic 3 was released in February of 1994. But that was already considered overdue, and it would have taken even longer to include all the content from Sonic & Knuckles.

As for this game, its main problem is that it's being developed by Dimps. Sonic games live or die by their level design, and the design in the Advance and Rush games demonstrates a failure to understand the sensation of momentum that made the original games special, as well as being riddled with bottomless pits and other hazards set directly in the player's path.

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Originally Posted by Kawaii Ryûkishi

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Originally Posted by VeloZer0

I was under the impression S3&K was split into two games because it wasn't going to make the Christmas rush.

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It didn't make the Christmas rush anyway; Sonic 3 was released in February of 1994. But that was already considered overdue, and it would have taken even longer to include all the content from Sonic & Knuckles.

As for this game, its main problem is that it's being developed by Dimps. Sonic games live or die by their level design, and the design in the Advance and Rush games demonstrates a failure to understand the sensation of momentum that made the original games special, as well as being riddled with bottomless pits and other hazards set directly in the player's path.

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Yeah, that has to be my biggest problem with Rush. The level design was flat out stupid (despite the gameplay being fairly good). Sure, the original Sonic games had bottomless pits, but they were small and avoidable. Rush was filled with screen wide pits that spelled instant doom with Sonic's speed. Especially given that the inability for the Rush designers to even try to stick close to a single level terrain meant it was impossible to know if there was going to be a pit at the bottom of a jump, or if it was a three screen drop to the next ledge.

Yay, it's looking like it's going to be good!

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We've been here before, of course, and it's not the first time that a Sonic game has wowed at first glance only to disappoint further down the line.

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As excited as I am I'v been hurt by Sega too many times. I'm desperately trying to keep my expectations down.

The sad part is Sonic could have really expanded in a feasible way. I enjoyed the speedy bum-rush through levels, but it wasn't entirely necessary. New ideas were interesting and welcome. A real adventure could have been fun. I actually liked some of the (earlier) ideas of branching out the Sonic franchise. But it was more about how those ideas were implemented that was the problem. And then Sega just went crazy. They should have just followed the Archie comics / Saturday morning cartoon. So yay for the reboot. Sounds like they're on a right course at least. Here's hoping it pans out

Oh God.

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Legitimate or not, that made me physically ill while watching.

That looks like an annoying level

Ewwww that was horrible...

I'm just going to pretend I never saw that.

I thought the point of the reboot was to get Sonic away from idiotic gimmickry that killed playability and return the series to its roots.

So much for that thought, huh?

I'm not heartbreaked because I never really trusted them to begin with.

If this is a one-off I'd tolerate it. But if too many levels are like this, oy.

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Originally Posted by I'm my own MILF

I'm not heartbreaked because I never really trusted them to begin with.

If this is a one-off I'd tolerate it. But if too many levels are like this, oy.

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It did seem to be a one-off. The instructions at the beginning specified that it was the way that act handled, and it was the second act in the zone, so it is probably only for that act.

Nevertheless, it bodes very ill for level design. What is with the randomly changing gravity? A wall would become a floor as the mine cart took a ramp, and gravity would be reoriented to that wall, with no warning. In the original Sonic games, levels maintained a single orientation except for a couple with very specific triggers (mostly the final stages in Robotnik's bases).

Any designer who can watch that video and not decide to scrap the level is not a designer I have a lot of faith in.