• Hey everyone, staff have documented a list of banned content and subject matter that we feel are not consistent with site values, and don't make sense to host discussion of on Famiboards. This list (and the relevant reasoning per item) is viewable here.
  • Do you have audio editing experience and want to help out with the Famiboards Discussion Club Podcast? If so, we're looking for help and would love to have you on the team! Just let us know in the Podcast Thread if you are interested!

Pre-Release Sonic Frontiers - Pre-release Discussion Thread (UPDATE: new overview trailer, releasing November 8th)

Status
Not open for further replies.
It’s crazy to me how negative internet reactions are for this game compared to how positive the hands on impressions are. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a bigger disconnect.
 
It's funny that the "open zone" areas are supposed to be the big selling point of this game, but it's the part that excited me the least.
 
It’s crazy to me how negative internet reactions are for this game compared to how positive the hands on impressions are. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a bigger disconnect.
As someone casually optimistic I will say this, a vertical slice for a demo is a lot easier to have a positive hands on impression from then a full game. I can also imagine automation items and platforms floating in limbo are far more distracting and frustrating when watching other people play then when playing yourself.
 
It looks good, much better. But it needs music. The silence vibe they got going just isn't working.
There’s definitely supposed to be music, this is prob just raw press footage for impressions videos. Overworld has pianoy music and the cyberspace have regular sonic music, even vocal tracks

The pop in in the first clip on that boost pad is rough.

Second clip of combat against the new enemy looks great.
 
I have conformed. This will be the GOTY. It looks too good. 3D Sonic stages with branching paths and better controls? Day 1.
 
I don't expect much, there really needs to be a Switch preview.
You’re not gonna get that till close to release. Like any multiplat game with a Switch version, it is far from in the publisher’s interest to release lower fidelity footage of their game ahead of launch should it pollute the marketing cycle.
 
0
I've said it before in this thread and I'll say it again after watching that new trailer: I have never really enjoyed a Sonic game, and I think Frontiers looks kind of great. I won't be getting it right away or anything -- I'm not sure I'll be getting any game right away this fall to save some cash -- but I am officially now keeping an eye on a Sonic game for the first time...ever! And that's kinda exciting.

EDIT: That boss making a laneway in the air above the open zone (just for a moment at 1:43 in the trailer) looks so cool! Man.
 
Last edited:
Feels like this overview should've been released MONTHS ago. Looks like a different game entirely from when we first saw it in June.
Weren't there rumors on twitter that what we saw in June was an early, out-of-date build?

So like

What if it actually is a different game from when we saw it in June? 😅
 
Weren't there rumors on twitter that what we saw in June was an early, out-of-date build?

So like

What if it actually is a different game from when we saw it in June? 😅
I feel like that was a rumor that nobody could probably corroborate. Messaging about the game at that point was all over the place if I remember correctly.
 
Weren't there rumors on twitter that what we saw in June was an early, out-of-date build?

So like

What if it actually is a different game from when we saw it in June? 😅
That wasn't even a rumor, you could see the differences in the footage. Also, I think an editor from IGN straight up said it was old footage that Sega sent over
 
As someone that is overall very unpleased with the direct Frontiers is going.. I'm actually glad the first time we saw the game was in that raw b-roll footage at IGN.. despite of how old the build was, it was at least very honest and transparent and right away confirmed all my suspicious/fears when they announced it was going to be an Open World game.

Maybe it wasn't intentional, but what matters is that I can't be "convinced" nor duped by very well edited trailers before launch.
 
Gosh that trailer is so good! Where was this kind of marketing back in June?!

Frontiers is a day one game for me
 
0
As someone that is overall very unpleased with the direct Frontiers is going.. I'm actually glad the first time we saw the game was in that raw b-roll footage at IGN.. despite of how old the build was, it was at least very honest and transparent and right away confirmed all my suspicious/fears when they announced it was going to be an Open World game.

Maybe it wasn't intentional, but what matters is that I can't be "convinced" nor duped by very well edited trailers before launch.
I don't think this is fair? That build had several elements removed. I get your point that trailers can be misleading, but the gameplay reactions coming out of gamescom were really positive.
 
I don't think this is fair? That build had several elements removed. I get your point that trailers can be misleading, but the gameplay reactions coming out of gamescom were really positive.
What you'll be doing in the game doesn't seems to be very engaging to me; The Gamescon build may be more packed with stuff to do, but my issues still stands..

and as someone that never was a fan of the Boost games either, the Cyberspace levels aren't a saving grace (much on the contrary...)
 
The fans and critics who played and loved Sonic Frontiers said that if you don't like 3D Sonic it's not for you. But if you were burned by Forces, you will really enjoy the freedom of this game.
Neat. I like the older 3D Sonics but am just burned out on the on-rails boost formula, with Forces being my least favorite of the bunch. If this is basically like "3D Sonic but with freedom," that's probably what I've been begging for in asking for Sonic Adventure 3 all these years.
 
This looks like it should be the best Sonic game in a while, but I'm not sure how much of a compliment that will really be

The combat looks slow and janky, and having so much automated platforming feels like it completely defeats the purpose of having an open world in the first place.

Maybe the final product will surprise me, but the entire central conceit of this game just seems flawed to me
 
Me watching the cyber space levels




Still very much not looking forward at all to the game, the open zone looks like a janky mess of putting a bunch of disconnected linear segments spread over a big patch of land, with the amount of automation doesn't really help in feeling like anything close to an open zone, it looks more like a game of "choose which narrow automated section you want to do now" rather than more free form platforming. And I don't think I'll ever enjoy the focus of combat in a Sonic game, and its new combat system doesn't really look like it will change my opinion on it. But at least it looks more polished now, guess I can give it that.
 
0
This looks like it should be the best Sonic game in a while, but I'm not sure how much of a compliment that will really be

The combat looks slow and janky, and having so much automated platforming feels like it completely defeats the purpose of having an open world in the first place.

Maybe the final product will surprise me, but the entire central conceit of this game just seems flawed to me
I'll admit that for all my hype, the combat is the one sticking point for me. The momentum of hitting an enemy and bouncing off was so essential to Sonic, that having him home in on an enemy and then stick to it and DBZ flying-fist it to death feels counter to the flow. But 🤷‍♂️

At least I'll probably enjoy just running the hell around, which is all I really wanna do.
 
0
The fans and critics who played and loved Sonic Frontiers said that if you don't like 3D Sonic it's not for you. But if you were burned by Forces, you will really enjoy the freedom of this game.
That doesn't narrow down much, when "3D Sonic" was so many things at this point, that you can't possibly guess what they are talking about..

My ideal direction would be returning to Adventure 1 style gameplay, heavily dependent on physics so you can play around on the terrain and exploit the way you feel like it (much like classic 2D games), with just levels open enough to experiment, but an obstacle course with a goal at the end (again, just like Adventure 1 and Robo Blast 2)... if possible, with a bright and colorful art-direction and tone seen in the likes of Heroes and Lost World.
 
That doesn't narrow down much, when "3D Sonic" was so many things at this point, that you can't possibly guess what they are talking about..

My ideal direction would be returning to Adventure 1 style gameplay, heavily dependent on physics so you can play around on the terrain and exploit the way you feel like it (much like classic 2D games), with just levels open enough to experiment, but an obstacle course with a goal at the end (again, just like Adventure 1 and Robo Blast 2)... if possible, with a bright and colorful art-direction and tone seen in the likes of Heroes and Lost World.
Highly suggest a fan game called Sonic GT. That scratched that itch for me a couple years ago pretty well.
 

I know these jokes have been made into oblivion but I simply must get one more

The Legend of Hedgehog: Son of the Hedge

out of my system

I’m wary of 100% of sonic games but it looks like they might actually achieve what they’re going for
 
I'm not sure if I'll pick up this game at some point but the one thing about the open world that concerns me is that the world itself hasn't been that interesting to me. There hasn't been a single shot in any of the footage where I wondered what was over there in the distance or spotted any type of landmark that I wanted to check out. It seems like a big playground which is cool and all but hopefully the final product can capture that exploration element that is vital in open world games.
 
The fans and critics who played and loved Sonic Frontiers said that if you don't like 3D Sonic it's not for you. But if you were burned by Forces, you will really enjoy the freedom of this game.
Reading this post made me realize I've only played 4 3D Sonic games, but I like 3 of them (sorry to the 5 Heroes fans out there). So maybe I'll like this?
 
Reading this post made me realize I've only played 4 3D Sonic games, but I like 3 of them (sorry to the 5 Heroes fans out there). So maybe I'll like this?
I've played all of them.

I like Adventure, 1/2 of Unleashed, Colors, and Generations.

Your ratio is not that bad. LOL
 
Honestly I’ve never played a 3D Sonic game, but I’m excited to jump in with this one if it’s good. Hopefully the performance doesn’t suffer too much on the Switch version, but I’m less confident in that than I am with the game actually being good.
 
you don't like adventure 2???
It's... okay.

I was jazzed when it came out but my enthusiasm towards it has cooled with time. I didn't like that there's only a handful of levels where you're even playing as Sonic, and they you're bouncing back and forth between gameplay styles between each level. I preferred the progression of Adventure 1 where you pick a character and play through the game as that character, and I also preferred that going back and playing as different characters gave you the chance to explore the same levels in a different way. Adventure 2 segmenting everything into "Sonic" levels and "Knuckles" levels and "Tails" levels with no overlap was a thing that bugged me compared to Adventure 1. And that's to say nothing of the lack of the free-roam areas, which is what made it Sonic "Adventure" to begin with.

I know a lot of people prefer 2, and I'm genuinely not trying to drag that game, it's just that Adventure 1 was so much of what I wanted from 3D Sonic and they immediately did an about-face from it with the next game.

And the only other time they tried anything even remotely close was Sonic 06, which was...

🙃

anyway I'm really, really happy about Frontiers. 😅
 
Last edited:
I also don't jive with Adventure 2, despite liking at least some aspects of Adventure 1.

As I mentioned, the broader level design and the margin for experimentation with Sonic (and Tails), are much appealing to me; and as a fan of the Classic games, the artstyle also got bits here and there still from back they were prototyping with the original designs; Is much more colorful too, and even though I'm not a fan of the plot, still reeks silyness of the OG games.

Now, Adventure 2, is not only structured different (you HAVE to play with the other characters throughout the campaign), Sonic and Shadow aren't nearly as fun to control as Sonic was in the previous game... and levels being so linear and with a nerfed Spin Dash, is just automatization until the very end. And that's my issues just superficially.. there are other stuff that I don't feel like elaborating now lol
 
Now, Adventure 2, is not only structured different (you HAVE to play with the other characters throughout the campaign), Sonic and Shadow aren't nearly as fun to control as Sonic was in the previous game... and levels being so linear and with a nerfed Spin Dash, is just automatization until the very end.
Yeah in hindsight Adventure 2 was already sorta the beginning of what has me sorta bored with 3D Sonics now. Lemme run arooouuunnnd, Sega!!
 
Adventure 2 was my first proper Sonic game so I’ll always have nostalgia for it, but I replayed it a few years ago and it honestly held up for the most part. Yeah, the treasure levels are kinda booty as you get late in the game and the maps get too huge for their own good, but the speed levels are top class, and the shooting levels are good enough, annoying beeping aside.

And while the story in neither game is gonna win awards, I definitely preferred 2’s, as weird and anime as it got. 1’s story feels too disconnected and unfocused between the multiple paths, whereas I really love how in SA2 you play two sides of the same story.

Comparatively my last replay of SA1 was not favorable; the levels are awfully glitchy and sometimes down right annoying. The casino level has such blatant padding when it comes to grinding rings as to be actively unfun. I only played DX, don’t have access to the original, as I understand DX introduced problems not present in the original, but with no way to play that, I can only use that as a frame of reference.

Interestingly I feel like there has been an uptick of Sonic fans preferring SA1 to SA2 lately and I’m not sure why. Though I would bet pretty good money if you did a poll on favorite Sonic games in general, 2 would beat it. After all, it has Shadow, who is the coolest.
 
I just realized that Frontiers's combat is pretty much just fusing Werehog combat to Sonic's usual speed.

I'm sure someone else has already thought that though.
 
I feel like the more you value the ranking system, the more you like Sonic Adventure 2. So many of its design decisions revolve around playing and replaying the levels, getting better at them to get higher ranks. The collection of Chaos Drives and Chao in each stage, the focus on linear level design and combo based action in the speed stages, the tons of enemies to aim for in shooting stages for points and not much else, the altered hint and radar system in the treasure hunting stages to encourage learning levels to get higher scores and faster runs...there is a design ethos here.

...I do prefer SA1, though I haven't played either Sonic Adventure game in several years.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.


Back
Top Bottom