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Rhetorical question. They are losing the plot.
Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Green Hill Zone, new special stages and lots of loops. Also, everything you don't want's there, eg. the 3rd dimension. All sounds great, doesn't it?
I got this game about a month ago and have been playing it more or less none stop, it's simply great. But then, what 2D Sonic couldn't be simply great? However, my initial analysis of "It being the second best Sonic game ever" is sadly wrong. It's just the little things that Sonic Team have done that really spoil it. Examples:
- Super Sonic. Super Sonic was a big feature of all the games. A I recall, right from Sonic 1, gaining all the Chaos Emeralds allowed you to get 50 rings, jump and turn in to the yellow Super Sonic, who could hover, jump really high and was invisible. Super Sonic was great fun, easily a big thing to look forward to. But Sonic Advance is the only game to break this trend - You can only become Super Sonic on the last level, which is pretty crap. What a let down.
- Another thing about the emeralds: There's 7 of them. Niggly thing I know, but 7 emeralds is just... wrong. Since the dawn of time there's only EVER been 6 emeralds, it's written in to the story. Where's this 7th one come from? It can't be a Super Chaos Emerald, because they never left the Floating Island, and besides there were 6 of them too.
- On the subject of the story - There isn't one, not even in the manual. What's this all about? All the Sonics have come with a back story, even Sonic 3D. Reading them was fun and gave an excuse for the actual game, not just "Sonic happens to wake up one morning and all his chums are robots". We're not even given terminology - The little animals that come out of the robots are called Flickies, and the robots themselves are called Badniks. None of the new generation of gamers are going to know this, I think they should. We're not even given a synopsis and names of the badniks. Which leads me on to:-
- Eggman. Eggman? Who? I don't remember anyone called Eggman. Who is this guy? I distinctly remember someone being called ROBOTNIK though. Looks a bit like this character actually. You know, this really angered me. Why the hell have the called Robotnik, Eggman? Eggman sounds like a stupid comic book character written for 5 year olds. Sonic's always been more mature than this, it was one of its strengths, along with variety.
- Ah, variety. Now. I could go on about lack of variety in Sonic Advance for years, especially in comparison to the truly awesome Sonic 3 & Nuckles. However, there's one thing that really sticks out. Remember there were 3 shields in Sonic 3/Nuckles? Water Shield, Lighting Shield and Fire Shield. They all gave you special powers and protection. The Water Shield allowed you to breath under water while you still had it, and if you pressed jump again while jumping you shot down instantly and made a big bounce. Really great for having lots of bouncy fun and taking out the badniks with the most style. Pure innovation. Then, there was the lightning shield, present however, but in the originals it allowed you to double-jump as well as attracting rings. Also, it allowed you protection against electricity attacks and dispersed when you touched water, as it would. Does it any more? No... Finally, the fire shield. This was really cool. You could absorb and fire damage, but you could also shoot forward really quickly if you did a double-jump, much like Super Sonic's special attack in Sonic Advance. Really cool. It just seems like Sonic is losing it's roots.
- Lastly, no default Sonic 2 mode. You know what I mean, with Tails following you. It was great, you could kill Tails in interesting ways and it was just funny watching him. Sure, you can unlock this with a cheat, but it's not the same.
Sonic has already been about the experience, more than the sum of its parts, if you will. You simply don't just go through the levels and complete it, it always was something more. It was cult, and it has style. Sonic Advance lacks both of these. All the cult has been removed by the fact that the only things this and the originals have in common are the levels and four of the main characters, and as for the style? Well...
OK, no beating around the bush. I'm talking graphics here. The graphics on Sonic 3/Nuckles were simply excellent, for all the right reasons. The smooth animation was only the half of it, it was really the little things. The way you got a sort of spray as you ran along shallow water in Hydrocity, the movement of the legs, the plumes from the grass and mushrooms in Mushroom Hill Zone, those pseudo-3D moments and the superb Paralax backgrounds, it was an environment in paint almost up to the standard of Metal Gear Solid's attention detail. An interactive work of art is the closest I can come to it. Sonic Advance just doesn't have that, even when it's more powerful than the MegaDrive (I'm told).
In a nutshell: Sonic Advance is very good, but I feel I've been let down by its creators.
Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Green Hill Zone, new special stages and lots of loops. Also, everything you don't want's there, eg. the 3rd dimension. All sounds great, doesn't it?
I got this game about a month ago and have been playing it more or less none stop, it's simply great. But then, what 2D Sonic couldn't be simply great? However, my initial analysis of "It being the second best Sonic game ever" is sadly wrong. It's just the little things that Sonic Team have done that really spoil it. Examples:
- Super Sonic. Super Sonic was a big feature of all the games. A I recall, right from Sonic 1, gaining all the Chaos Emeralds allowed you to get 50 rings, jump and turn in to the yellow Super Sonic, who could hover, jump really high and was invisible. Super Sonic was great fun, easily a big thing to look forward to. But Sonic Advance is the only game to break this trend - You can only become Super Sonic on the last level, which is pretty crap. What a let down.
- Another thing about the emeralds: There's 7 of them. Niggly thing I know, but 7 emeralds is just... wrong. Since the dawn of time there's only EVER been 6 emeralds, it's written in to the story. Where's this 7th one come from? It can't be a Super Chaos Emerald, because they never left the Floating Island, and besides there were 6 of them too.
- On the subject of the story - There isn't one, not even in the manual. What's this all about? All the Sonics have come with a back story, even Sonic 3D. Reading them was fun and gave an excuse for the actual game, not just "Sonic happens to wake up one morning and all his chums are robots". We're not even given terminology - The little animals that come out of the robots are called Flickies, and the robots themselves are called Badniks. None of the new generation of gamers are going to know this, I think they should. We're not even given a synopsis and names of the badniks. Which leads me on to:-
- Eggman. Eggman? Who? I don't remember anyone called Eggman. Who is this guy? I distinctly remember someone being called ROBOTNIK though. Looks a bit like this character actually. You know, this really angered me. Why the hell have the called Robotnik, Eggman? Eggman sounds like a stupid comic book character written for 5 year olds. Sonic's always been more mature than this, it was one of its strengths, along with variety.
- Ah, variety. Now. I could go on about lack of variety in Sonic Advance for years, especially in comparison to the truly awesome Sonic 3 & Nuckles. However, there's one thing that really sticks out. Remember there were 3 shields in Sonic 3/Nuckles? Water Shield, Lighting Shield and Fire Shield. They all gave you special powers and protection. The Water Shield allowed you to breath under water while you still had it, and if you pressed jump again while jumping you shot down instantly and made a big bounce. Really great for having lots of bouncy fun and taking out the badniks with the most style. Pure innovation. Then, there was the lightning shield, present however, but in the originals it allowed you to double-jump as well as attracting rings. Also, it allowed you protection against electricity attacks and dispersed when you touched water, as it would. Does it any more? No... Finally, the fire shield. This was really cool. You could absorb and fire damage, but you could also shoot forward really quickly if you did a double-jump, much like Super Sonic's special attack in Sonic Advance. Really cool. It just seems like Sonic is losing it's roots.
- Lastly, no default Sonic 2 mode. You know what I mean, with Tails following you. It was great, you could kill Tails in interesting ways and it was just funny watching him. Sure, you can unlock this with a cheat, but it's not the same.
Sonic has already been about the experience, more than the sum of its parts, if you will. You simply don't just go through the levels and complete it, it always was something more. It was cult, and it has style. Sonic Advance lacks both of these. All the cult has been removed by the fact that the only things this and the originals have in common are the levels and four of the main characters, and as for the style? Well...
OK, no beating around the bush. I'm talking graphics here. The graphics on Sonic 3/Nuckles were simply excellent, for all the right reasons. The smooth animation was only the half of it, it was really the little things. The way you got a sort of spray as you ran along shallow water in Hydrocity, the movement of the legs, the plumes from the grass and mushrooms in Mushroom Hill Zone, those pseudo-3D moments and the superb Paralax backgrounds, it was an environment in paint almost up to the standard of Metal Gear Solid's attention detail. An interactive work of art is the closest I can come to it. Sonic Advance just doesn't have that, even when it's more powerful than the MegaDrive (I'm told).
In a nutshell: Sonic Advance is very good, but I feel I've been let down by its creators.
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Just to clarify..
Eggman IS a stupid comic book character written for 5 year olds.
I used to read Sonic the Comic around the age of 8. Sonic used to always abuse Robotnik by calling him Eggman because of the shape of his head. Don't know if that sheds any life to the matter.
Eggman IS a stupid comic book character written for 5 year olds.
I used to read Sonic the Comic around the age of 8. Sonic used to always abuse Robotnik by calling him Eggman because of the shape of his head. Don't know if that sheds any life to the matter.
Yeah Sonic Adventure 1 came "close-ish" to being what is required but not close enough.
I thought the speed levels on Sonic Adventure 2 were class as well, but the game was ruined by the other character's levels - especially Rouge and Knuckles, and Eggman's and Tail's levels weren't too good either.
Why don't Sonic Team just make a 3D version of the MegaDrive Sonic games?
If they don't put it right with Sonic Adventure 3, I'll give up on them.
I thought the speed levels on Sonic Adventure 2 were class as well, but the game was ruined by the other character's levels - especially Rouge and Knuckles, and Eggman's and Tail's levels weren't too good either.
Why don't Sonic Team just make a 3D version of the MegaDrive Sonic games?
If they don't put it right with Sonic Adventure 3, I'll give up on them.
But nomad, Sonic Adventure 1 was pretty much that (well, Sonic and Tail's levels were).
Sonic
Sonic
When are Sonic Team going to realize that what Sonic fans want is a 3D Sonic game made up entirely of "Speed Levels"?
Sod all the other characters and just make Sonic Adventure 3 consist of about 40 speed levels - that would be the best game ever.
Sod all the other characters and just make Sonic Adventure 3 consist of about 40 speed levels - that would be the best game ever.
Turbonutter wrote:
> Grix Thraves wrote:
> Didn't you ever read Sonic the Comic? Pah. :0)
>
> The seventh emerald is the grey emerald, the one that controls the
> power of them all, if I remember correctly.
>
> (Saaadddd.)
>
> Shut up, I was small and I liked the storylines.
>
> (Saaadddd.)
>
>
> Yes, I did, but:
>
> a) The 7th emerald never appeared in the games
> b) None of them are grey, I don't think
> c) The grey one is larger
Your b) and c) seem to contradict each other (unless you mean b) applies to games and c) applies to the comic) but your a) is just wrong - there are 7 emeralds in Sonic 3 (I've collected them all a few days ago).
> Grix Thraves wrote:
> Didn't you ever read Sonic the Comic? Pah. :0)
>
> The seventh emerald is the grey emerald, the one that controls the
> power of them all, if I remember correctly.
>
> (Saaadddd.)
>
> Shut up, I was small and I liked the storylines.
>
> (Saaadddd.)
>
>
> Yes, I did, but:
>
> a) The 7th emerald never appeared in the games
> b) None of them are grey, I don't think
> c) The grey one is larger
Your b) and c) seem to contradict each other (unless you mean b) applies to games and c) applies to the comic) but your a) is just wrong - there are 7 emeralds in Sonic 3 (I've collected them all a few days ago).
Dringo wrote:
> Eggman is what Sonic called him in Sonic Adventure 1 he really is
> robotnik.
You don't say... ;)
> Eggman is what Sonic called him in Sonic Adventure 1 he really is
> robotnik.
You don't say... ;)
Grix Thraves wrote:
> Didn't you ever read Sonic the Comic? Pah. :0)
>
> The seventh emerald is the grey emerald, the one that controls the
> power of them all, if I remember correctly.
>
> (Saaadddd.)
>
> Shut up, I was small and I liked the storylines.
>
> (Saaadddd.)
Yes, I did, but:
a) The 7th emerald never appeared in the games
b) None of them are grey, I don't think
c) The grey one is larger
> Didn't you ever read Sonic the Comic? Pah. :0)
>
> The seventh emerald is the grey emerald, the one that controls the
> power of them all, if I remember correctly.
>
> (Saaadddd.)
>
> Shut up, I was small and I liked the storylines.
>
> (Saaadddd.)
Yes, I did, but:
a) The 7th emerald never appeared in the games
b) None of them are grey, I don't think
c) The grey one is larger
Eggman is what Sonic called him in Sonic Adventure 1 he really is robotnik.
Turbonutter wrote:
> - Another thing about the emeralds: There's 7 of them. Niggly thing I
> know, but 7 emeralds is just... wrong. Since the dawn of time there's
> only EVER been 6 emeralds, it's written in to the story. Where's this
> 7th one come from? It can't be a Super Chaos Emerald, because they
> never left the Floating Island, and besides there were 6 of them
> too.
I played through Sonic 3 just the other day and there were 7 Chaos Emeralds in that - I've double checked to make sure. I think there we're only 6 in the first 2 Sonic games though
> - Another thing about the emeralds: There's 7 of them. Niggly thing I
> know, but 7 emeralds is just... wrong. Since the dawn of time there's
> only EVER been 6 emeralds, it's written in to the story. Where's this
> 7th one come from? It can't be a Super Chaos Emerald, because they
> never left the Floating Island, and besides there were 6 of them
> too.
I played through Sonic 3 just the other day and there were 7 Chaos Emeralds in that - I've double checked to make sure. I think there we're only 6 in the first 2 Sonic games though
Grandprix wrote:
> If it has Sonic in it, it rules.
>
Except for Sonic Adventure 2. That was abysimal
Sonic
> If it has Sonic in it, it rules.
>
Except for Sonic Adventure 2. That was abysimal
Sonic
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