I know this is the designated Classic Sonic thread, but my question doesn’t really warrant making an entirely new thread so apologies in advance.
Is Sonic Frontiers worth a play? The deluxe edition is on sale on Xbox for about $25 (the normal version is full price) in my local currency and I’ve been kind of tempted to try it out for a long time. It’s all right if it’s not a perfect game (I know Sonic fans can be really passionate about the ones they love and hate) but I would like to hear people’s thoughts on it. I like open world games in general so I’m not against that aspect.
It's an absolute banger imo. One of the few 7th gen games I actually liked. Platinumed it long ago and enjoyed every single second of it, also the music is top notch! I quite liked the Werehog sections, despite what you may have heard from your usual Sonic n00b, those were honestly better than about 99.99% of GoW clones from back in the days!
I love it's more serious story about Sonic not only having to put the freakin' Earth back together after Eggman destroyed it in order to gain access to the power of Dark Gaia, the very essence of the planet, but I also the plot about Sonic having to visit temples in order to restore the power of the emeralds I thought was a cool concept.
I mean these gems have up till now been said to be limitless, but now, after being used to tear the planet apart, you're telling me they are out of juice, meaning such a herculean task did in fact suck them dry? That's such a cool idea! Like, you introduce something that is limitless, but then introduce something else that nullifies said limitlessness, which only serves to elevate the gravity of the predicament!
With that in mind the final showdown of Dark- vs Light Gaia was freakin' epic!!
...oh, and I liked the werehog too. I remember thinking that contrary to when you play as Sonic and just rush through the stages, the slower werehog forced you to actually enjoy the level design and smell the roses.
PS. I had a 2D mobile port of Unleashed on one of my old Sony Ericssons!
I love it's more serious story about Sonic not only having to put the freakin' Earth back together after Eggman destroyed it in order to gain access to the power of Dark Gaia, the very essence of the planet, but I also the plot about Sonic having to visit temples in order to restore the power of the emeralds I thought was a cool concept.
While it is interesting for a RPG I feel that Sega kinda had the syndrome of turning Sonic into a JRPG with shonen elements where the stakes are getting higher and higher to the point where it's mostly about Sonic fighting a monster of the week with the Chaos Emeralds used at the last moment.
We've had that for Sonic Adventure, Adventure 2, Heroes, Shadow (for him instead of Sonic but still), 2006 and finally this one.
Sonic Colours felt like a big breath of fresh air after Robotnik got betrayed again by a monster of the week (although the DS version had a Super Sonic final boss but it's exclusively a post-game like the other Rush and Advance games).
Generations brought it back but thankfully they didn't make the mistake of having the big monster betray them.
I mean these gems have up till now been said to be limitless, but now, after being used to tear the planet apart, you're telling me they are out of juice, meaning such a herculean task did in fact suck them dry? That's such a cool idea! Like, you introduce something that is limitless, but then introduce something else that nullifies said limitlessness, which only serves to elevate the gravity of the predicament!
Now the thing is that even against Perfect Chaos the Emeralds became black like in the game, is this related or just a nod? Chaos Emeralds are never "out of juice", they were probably just corrupted by Dark Gaia.
I felt that Unleashed soft rebooted the franchise by removing the G.U.N and only having Tails and Amy while for the first time ever Knuckles wasn't shown since his introductory game Sonic 3.
While it is interesting for a RPG I feel that Sega kinda had the syndrome of turning Sonic into a JRPG with shonen elements where the stakes are getting higher and higher to the point where it's mostly about Sonic fighting a monster of the week with the Chaos Emeralds used at the last moment.
We've had that for Sonic Adventure, Adventure 2, Heroes, Shadow (for him instead of Sonic but still), 2006 and finally this one.
Sonic Colours felt like a big breath of fresh air after Robotnik got betrayed again by a monster of the week (although the DS version had a Super Sonic final boss but it's exclusively a post-game like the other Rush and Advance games).
Generations brought it back but thankfully they didn't make the mistake of having the big monster betray them.
Now the thing is that even against Perfect Chaos the Emeralds became black like in the game, is this related or just a nod? Chaos Emeralds are never "out of juice", they were probably just corrupted by Dark Gaia.
I felt that Unleashed soft rebooted the franchise by removing the G.U.N and only having Tails and Amy while for the first time ever Knuckles wasn't shown since his introductory game Sonic 3.
I didn't like Colours much because it was more humorous and too jokey. I don't want Sonic to be angsty and dark mind you, but as you mentioned for Adventure 1 and 2 and Heroes and '06 I want my Sonic games to be, like you said, a serious shounen JRPG. So what we got in those games were a-okay with me.
It's like how I never saw Resident Evil as survival horror but moreso action horror, so when everyone dunked on RE6 for getting too Michael Bay action-y I was like wtf u talkin 'bout? RE was ALWAYS about over-the-top action and cheesy one liners, RE6 just crancked it all up to 11. In my eyes that game was a natural evolution/climax of everything the whole series had built up to. But then 7 just had to ruin my fun and "go back to the roots" of being a "horror" game.
That generally seems to be a thing with me. If I like a series, I seem to like it for WAY different reasons than everyone else, and then get annoyed when that thing gets taken away because of outcry.
Resident Evil: I liked it for its action = action gets taken away.
Sonic: I liked it for its shounen tropes = shounen tropes get taken away in favor of humor and slapstick.
Zelda: I liked it for its dungeons, to hell with exploration, that was just a means for me to get from point A to B = traditional dungeons get taken away in favor of a game that focuses solely on exploration. Am I just not allowed to like anything?
Back on topic: Right, I forgot that Perfect Chaos blackened the emeralds too. Thing is, in that game it is explained that they lost their glow for a hot minute because Chaos drained them of their negative energy. They then spring back to life when Sonic uses the positive energi. But in Unleashed Sonic travels the globe to recharge them.
I know this is the designated Classic Sonic thread, but my question doesn’t really warrant making an entirely new thread so apologies in advance.
Is Sonic Frontiers worth a play? The deluxe edition is on sale on Xbox for about $25 (the normal version is full price) in my local currency and I’ve been kind of tempted to try it out for a long time. It’s all right if it’s not a perfect game (I know Sonic fans can be really passionate about the ones they love and hate) but I would like to hear people’s thoughts on it. I like open world games in general so I’m not against that aspect.
So, Frontiers is an odd duck, but I love it.
It sounds incredible, the general gameplay loop of the open zones are fun, and it’s got great bosses. The story is also definitely rewarding if you’re a longtime fan, particularly the kind who has been frustrated by SEGA’s lack of love and care to the events across the series.
Frontiers’ biggest suffering point, aside from a ho-hum graphical presentation and aggressive pop in on assets, is the fact that it was a corrective game. A test bed. A game whose goal was to get player feedback on the direction of the series going forward. For the best experience, once you play the mandatory first stage and cutscenes, go into your options and find the options for player control. Turn off “jump deceleration” and have yourself a time. You can also tweak a large number of other controls to your liking, so experiment!
Frontiers is… a lot. Frightening and daunting for new players, that’s for sure! But stick with it until the end of the first island. Get all seven emeralds, beat that boss, and then see how you feel. It’ll only take anywhere from an hour to three hours, so I’d say give yourself an afternoon to get settled into the game.
Sonic Frontiers is the buffet of video games. Tons of options, several you might not like, but give yourself some time to sample a little bit of everything, and you’ll be able to see if you want to stick around for more.
Totally get it, even if I disagree. It’s like CD and Sonic 2 are pure opposites. So, if you loved Sonic 2’s more fast and direct approach, with levels that were built for Sonic’s movement, than the more explorative design of CD where you have to look for places to make the most of your move set because not every part of the world is conducive to it… it can be hard to cope with.
So, Frontiers is an odd duck, but I love it.
It sounds incredible, the general gameplay loop of the open zones are fun, and it’s got great bosses. The story is also definitely rewarding if you’re a longtime fan, particularly the kind who has been frustrated by SEGA’s lack of love and care to the events across the series.
Frontiers’ biggest suffering point, aside from a ho-hum graphical presentation and aggressive pop in on assets, is the fact that it was a corrective game. A test bed. A game whose goal was to get player feedback on the direction of the series going forward. For the best experience, once you play the mandatory first stage and cutscenes, go into your options and find the options for player control. Turn off “jump deceleration” and have yourself a time. You can also tweak a large number of other controls to your liking, so experiment!
Frontiers is… a lot. Frightening and daunting for new players, that’s for sure! But stick with it until the end of the first island. Get all seven emeralds, beat that boss, and then see how you feel. It’ll only take anywhere from an hour to three hours, so I’d say give yourself an afternoon to get settled into the game.
Sonic Frontiers is the buffet of video games. Tons of options, several you might not like, but give yourself some time to sample a little bit of everything, and you’ll be able to see if you want to stick around for more.
The last Modern Sonic game that didn't reuse any previous levels from the franchise nor use the Classic Sonic aesthetic (for Modern or Classic) is still Colours from 2010, that tells a lot about how they're confident about their creativity.
Yes, Lost World has ""original"" levels (if you could call Green Hills clone and New Super Mario Bros inspired environments original to begin with) but was still a Mario Galaxy clone in almost every aspects aside from the Parkour gameplay. Colours was still a proper Boost game.
Frontiers is in a way a spiritual successor to Lost World with the level design being more open while still including previous levels (surprisingly, they added non-boost levels such as from SA2 but sadly no SA1 nor Heroes being referenced despite being in Generations) and having a beat'em up gameplay and RPG progression like Unleashed.
The story is referencing older games but I'm legitimately tired of "Le advanced ancient civilisation" trope when we already got a backstory for the Chaos Emeralds twice with Adventure and Unleashed already. Giving a proper backstory for these gems kinda ruins their "mystique" and extra-dimensional aspects.
PS: And doing elbow hit and nods to previous games doesn't equal good story. Kirby did references in a much better way than saying "hey, remember that? Remember? It's like when X did Y" which is the level 0 of referencing in my opinion. Even Zelda managed to make nods in a better way despite the mess that the timeline is about.
The last Modern Sonic game that didn't reuse any previous levels from the franchise nor use the Classic Sonic aesthetic (for Modern or Classic) is still Colours from 2010, that tells a lot about how they're confident about their creativity.
Yes, Lost World has ""original"" levels (if you could call Green Hills clone and New Super Mario Bros inspired environments original to begin with) but was still a Mario Galaxy clone in almost every aspects aside from the Parkour gameplay. Colours was still a proper Boost game.
Frontiers is in a way a spiritual successor to Lost World with the level design being more open while still including previous levels (surprisingly, they added non-boost levels such as from SA2 but sadly no SA1 nor Heroes being referenced despite being in Generations) and having a beat'em up gameplay and RPG progression like Unleashed.
The story is referencing older games but I'm legitimately tired of "Le advanced ancient civilisation" trope when we already got a backstory for the Chaos Emeralds twice with Adventure and Unleashed already. Giving a proper backstory for these gems kinda ruins their "mystique" and extra-dimensional aspects.
PS: And doing elbow hit and nods to previous games doesn't equal good story. Kirby did references in a much better way than saying "hey, remember that? Remember? It's like when X did Y" which is the level 0 of referencing in my opinion. Even Zelda managed to make nods in a better way despite the mess that the timeline is about.
So, as demonstrated here, fan reception to Frontiers is very divided, and probably will continue to be even more so as we get further from the game’s launch and the very specific things that shaped how it went, so yeah.
I never got all the people that say Sonic Advance 3 is full of beginner traps when Sonic 2 isn't all that different; chemical plant zone part 2 alone..
So, as demonstrated here, fan reception to Frontiers is very divided, and probably will continue to be even more so as we get further from the game’s launch and the very specific things that shaped how it went, so yeah.
I never got all the people that say Sonic Advance 3 is full of beginner traps when Sonic 2 isn't all that different; chemical plant zone part 2 alone..
Also I think that it's more forgiven for an old game (that was literally the beginning of the franchise) whereas Dimps' level design was full of bottomless pit which was their biggest weakness.
Yes it's way more popular overseas due to the megadrive being a distand third to the pc engine and super famicom, so sonic isn't that well known in its homeland let alone sega's mascot; but I liked learning that for once it did well
So, as demonstrated here, fan reception to Frontiers is very divided, and probably will continue to be even more so as we get further from the game’s launch and the very specific things that shaped how it went, so yeah.
To wit: I absolutely detest Frontiers, for pretty much all the reasons TamaHero listed. Tonberry, the game is worth a play just so you know which side of the fence you fall on, because you might end up loving it. BUT I DIDN'T
Thanks for all the replies and impressions on the game everybody, my phone bugs out for some reason when trying to replay to all of them at once.
Unfortunately the sale has ended so if I want to play it I’ll have to wait even longer.
It should be noted that I’m a sort of ”new” Sonic fan. I didn’t get into them until I was about 17 or 18, so I didn’t grow up on them, and I don’t know if I have a good view of how I like my Sonic games yet!
My favorites are probably Sonic 3, Mania and Generations, but there are tons of them I haven’t ever touched still. A few months back I played Adventure 1 and liked it a lot, then I played Adventure 2 and kind of hated it.
(I also loved playing through Sonic 06, but mainly because I played through the entire game in really good company. I’m pretty sure it’s a lousy game, but the experience itself was fun.)
Thanks for all the replies and impressions on the game everybody, my phone bugs out for some reason when trying to replay to all of them at once.
Unfortunately the sale has ended so if I want to play it I’ll have to wait even longer.
It should be noted that I’m a sort of ”new” Sonic fan. I didn’t get into them until I was about 17 or 18, so I didn’t grow up on them, and I don’t know if I have a good view of how I like my Sonic games yet!
My favorites are probably Sonic 3, Mania and Generations, but there are tons of them I haven’t ever touched still. A few months back I played Adventure 1 and liked it a lot, then I played Adventure 2 and kind of hated it.
(I also loved playing through Sonic 06, but mainly because I played through the entire game in really good company. I’m pretty sure it’s a lousy game, but the experience itself was fun.)
Play multiplayer 06 with friends and don’t take it too seriously. It is some of the funniest stuff to see. Especially when somebody picks Silver and is either lagging behind to a comedic degree or messing with the other player by freezing them and launching them.
Genuinely a hysterical time for all the wrong reasons, complete with a banging soundtrack.
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To add onto this: my friends and I decided to play a game of “Sonic golf” in 06 multiplayer. You hop in, pick co-op, and every section before a gate is a “hole”. Your job is to use Silver’s psychokinesis to launch Sonic to the end of the stage.
It barely functions and it is some of the funniest gaming memories I’ve ever made.
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