The problem here is the Rockstar Games MAKES GOOD GAMES.
I don’t like ANY of Rockstar’s titles. However, they are mostly well designed games. There is more thoughtfulness, more effort, more fine-tuning, and probably way more testing behind any SINGLE Grand Theft Auto game than in any 10 Sonic titles. And it is evident in the visuals, in the audio, in the CONTROL of GTA titles. Sonic games don’t even come close.
Rockstar titles aren’t overrated. They actually deserve those high scores and their praise. If anything, even with mediocre ratings, it’s Sonic titles that are overrated. The first Sonic Adventure was rated very high despite reviewers admitting lots of problems (DX review scores more accurately reflect the game) all because it was the first 3D Sonic. And that’s fine: the novelty of, say, Kingdom Hearts probably contributed to its favorable reviews, though if you actually read the reviews they tend to betray the scores somewhat.
Sonic 360 averaged out about, what, 40%? That’s 39% more than it deserved for being an alpha state game that, even if completed, had questionable gameplay mechanics, a laughably bad narrative, and more. Even past 3D Sonic titles tended to get much higher scores than they REALLY deserved. Those games are overrated, not GTA.
So yeah, despite it being Bioware and not Sonic Team, I’m still very wary of these decent-but-not-spectacular Chronicles scores. And you know what? Chances are if it, or Unleashed, gets consistently bad reviews that mentioned the same flaws, it was never deserving of anyone’s attention.
I’m not saying reviewers have it out for Sonic games. I get that a lot of Sonic games are bad as a whole. I don’t think anyone is debating that. What I’m saying is that reviewers tend to review a Sonic game based on the level of speed. If the speed isn’t there, then it’s just not a good Sonic game, right? On the flip side if it isn’t running all the time its “not like the classics” and judge accordingly.
Ironically, all speed=bad game design. There’s nothing but the thrill the first time and that’s it. I think that leads to a lot of reviewers over rating the games. Conversely, if the game actually has solid platforming (and is thusly slower) it tends to get a lower score to the already low score. Yet the Genesis games were exactly this and still get excellent scores. It’s just backwards.
Anyway, I’m not saying that Sonic games are better than what they are. I may enjoy them a lot more than others, but I still know they aren’t the best games out there.
^ I do agree with the fact that reviewers (and many fans) fail to understand that speed doesn’t automagically equal good in a Sonic game. But none of the 3D Sonics have truly had solid platforming either, so those low scores are justified in their case.
I haven’t read the review quite yet…but it looks like the scores are all over the place but at least in the upper half. I was hoping for this game to be great expecially with Bioware behind it and I’m probably going to buy it anyway since none of the reviewers seem to have given it the worst grade ever…(until probably X-Play but do we really count them?). Probably comes down to how big of a fan are you and if you’ve played any of bioware’s games before I imagine.
and wait…did they just knock an RPG for having ‘repetitive combat’?
I hate the elitist assholes who work in the electronics section at my Walmart (except this 40 something year old guy who is a whiz with computer programming and he has been playing games since the days of text based stuff)
Rocket Knight Adventures is one of the most badass games EVER
I’m going to say it’s a dead heat between Sonic 360, Star Voyager (NES), and Final Fantasy 11.
Shadow, though terrible, did have some moments of fun. Very brief moments. So maybe it is a tier or two above the aforementioned three titles, but it’s still worse than, say, Tales of Legendia (and that’s a BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD game).
Reading the “repetitive combat” critique comments on the board is confusing me slightly. It seems some people find the touch based mini-games of the Dark Brotherhood repetitive given how you either tap circles in sequence, slide the stylus over areas or just rapidly tap a certain target.
What’s puzzling me is that Super Mario RPG (another platform game that went down the RPG path) is constantly praised for it’s “Timed Hits” system whereas it mearly has the player hitting only one button (or mashing buttons) to do more damage.
What makes Sonic’s battles repetitive and what makes Mario’s mechanics being held as the holy grail of interactive turn-based battles?
Mario’s mechanics weren’t particularly time consuming nor, with the exception of “press a button repeatedly” moves, were they particularly tiring. In Chronicles, from the videos I’ve seen, these special move mini-games are not altogether quick or overly simple affairs.
Sonic Video Insider: Episode 9
[media=youtube]LJ9xEJYTvZE[/media]
shade and the mauraders
since this game will be out finally on tuesday that means more attention will be focused on Unleashed and maybe a bit more info concerning Black Knight
so far it sounds like they’re making the gameplay closer to Unleashed with a small mix of the new prince of persia…I want to see it in motion at least.
From all the screens and commercials I’ve seen for Dark Chronicals, it has this “This is The World Ends with You. But with Sonic characters” vibe going. So, who knows.
Also, fuck IGN. I’ve never listened to them or any magazines.
Hand on experience > Any douche bag behind a desk.
I’m getting this game. Hopefully it won’t suck like the past 3 sonic games.
Also: Sonic and the Dark Knight - Sonic looks dope as fuck. Although, it makes him look like a potential secret character in SCV. :lol:
Just DON’T make S&tDK play like Dragon Quest Swords. Or I will fucking kill Sega.
