I do not recommend: Sonic Frontiers (Review)

[@EatSumMorChkin]

I hate that they choose what looks like an old unreal tech demo art design for the world with random objects placed around like a custom super smash brothers stage. The obsession around realistic textures have done so much damage to so many games

[@Daniel-yz3zf]

Good point. To me it barely qualifies as art design if everything just looks... well, normal.

[@tastynoobr3685]

yeah, some people would really die for a game that has good graphics over actual gameplay.

[@zeroblackstar]

Feels like someone imported sonic into the default open world ptutorial project that came with a game engine

[@henkaan7741]

It has the level design of a roblox obby

[@smokeemifyagotem8851]

Sounds like Nintendo games and people still buy that bullshit

[@_gungrave_6802]

Personally I just think Sonic as an IP is something that needs a younger and fresh developer to take risks with it. Sonic Team is either too busy following some trends or they're unwilling to take the risks necessary to breathe new life into the franchise.

[@blackmanwithcomputer]

Not necessarily younger, just better developers. Sonic Team is just an incompetent team. They need to license Sonic out to Nintendo or indie studios like Ember Lab, Heart Machine and Supergiant Games.

[@TeelBick]

Yeah like sonic boom /s

[@blackmanta2527]

A remake is needed but the devs are too afraid

[@Yoni123]

I thought this was risky. first sonic open world

[@Ziggyvu]

Sonic by its design is hard to make a game out of. His whole thing is just speed. How you just make going fast fun for 40+ hours?

[@LightCrib2]

Making obstacles blend into the environment and look like they belong is very important to level design They turned an open world into a sonic level, instead of turning a sonic level into an open world

[@aaphant]

Damn that way of putting it is actually perfect. It's totally what happened here and it's such a bizarre way for them to go about it. They just.. made open world environments and slapped in obstacles almost like an afterthought. So strange.

[@JustKurusu]

This is so unfortunate...

[@KingShibe]

Tony Hawk skating games have done it

[@LightCrib2]

@@KingShibe Exactly

[@Sicraft]

@@aaphant Like japan streets xd

[@TimeBucks]

Can we just take a moment to admire this man's intelligence

[@monkeywatch4916]

More so his lack of

[@Toygains]

Lol!

[@gummy3584]

He talked about sonic for 20 minutes. Am I watching a different video?

[@valera_animation]

No we can’t.

[@windy3935]

What he has in intelligence he lacks in knowledge.

[@brewkirk]

The out of place cartoonish rails and panels really give the feel of "me and a few friends messed around in halo reach forge world for 2 hours and took a pizza break"

[@TheErikjsm]

man that profile picture is major 360 nostalgia

[@fiammaorsmth9840]

I can't believe 343 gave Sonic Team permission to make their entire game using a modified version of Infinite's Forge!

[@thedead073]

@@fiammaorsmth9840 What Halo Infinte forge?

[@Jdfskitz]

Good thing halo infinite looked really good? Also isn’t that what we want Games to feel like? I mean, they are GAMES after all lmao. Do you dress up in a tux and go to a ball for your games?

[@wonkabars6982]

Yep. That’s what I was saying. This looks like some low-budget PC mod. They should have canned this project or restarted development at the very best.

[@jocro8090]

It baffles me that they had that colour and personality down in the cyber levels and didn't think to use that same art design to make the overworld like even a little bit nice to look at or feel at all "Sonicy". It looks like the forge world from Halo Reach.

[@86lanzo]

Maybe that's the point..they wanted contrast

[@thaneros]

There is really no such thing as "Sonicy". The series has had a variety of styles that is more than Greenhill

[@ktli5648]

@@thaneros okay but the environments in Frontiers are the most generic in the series, I could plop Master Chief in Kronos and you wouldn't blink - and it doesn't even look nice

[@shiny460]

@@86lanzo Well they achieved contrast, but the contrast is "this looks good" vs "this looks dreadful"

[@kingsleycy3450]

I was getting Death Stranding vibe from the open world, but Death Stranding is a very different game from Sonic...

[@InsidePhil]

Lmao at that pop-in. It adds a whole new layer to exploring the open world when your next adventure could be 15 feet ahead of you at all times.

[@smokeemifyagotem8851]

Ragnarok has pop in too

[@federicosavorani6320]

@@smokeemifyagotem8851 ok... And so do almost all games. What's your point?

[@sagittarius4765]

@@smokeemifyagotem8851 digital foundry didn't mention any pop ins & if there are, probably will be minor ones maybe in performance mode.

[@devrizalalderon3174]

@@federicosavorani6320 nah he just hatin on GoW, on every review GoW related he always there hating lol, looks like kratos hurts him or somthing 😭

[@zoxgamecompletion6192]

@@devrizalalderon3174 because ragnarock is a movie

[@Linkman247]

"I don't think Sonic Frontiers sticks, but it has elements that could one day make a great Sonic game." Honestly that's how I felt about Lost World which emulated Mario Galaxy. But they ended up throwing the baby out with the bathwater and instead we ended up with Sonic Boom.

[@SoundSpeed99]

Yep which is why hope is non existent

[@JakeThehedgehog-m1x]

They throw it away because people didn't liked it..

[@343Epsilon]

Honestly the fact that reviews are kinda mid-positive is a lot of praise for a sonic game

[@DUHRIZEO]

Harsh, but so true lol

[@owtheedge3956]

Well for sonic fans this game is great, I mean compared to sonic forces this game might as well be goty

[@fatbroccoli8]

If you love Sonic you'll prob love anything involving sonic

[@pinktrutle1490]

@@fatbroccoli8 not really

[@fatbroccoli8]

@@pinktrutle1490 I mean as long as it's mediocre, Sonic fans will be happy mostly

[@Professor_POVFH]

I think a good way to design a floating rail everywhere world is like Solar ash. Make the world fundamentally broken. Make the frontiers look shattered and then all of these platforms and rails make sense.

[@Qballiz2kool]

I would have liked something like unleashed, to where the world is broken up, but you can use as you said grind rails to get from continent to continent, or in this games case from island to island.

[@KhaosKontroller]

Solar Ash is basically a Shadow the Hedgehog open zone game. It bangs.

[@eamixtures2295]

Also the fact that the open world seems so realistic it creates a massive contrast with the level design being thrown here and there

[@NinjaXM0]

Bioshock infinite had rails that made sense too

[@justice8718]

Nah. The team is fucked to shit by Sega’s mismanagement. They clearly put more focus on the controls and the level design than blending the aesthetics.

[@alexreel1728]

Sonic has had 2-3 "good" 3D formulas that just needed fleshed out to be great. They didn't do that and chased some other trend every time. I have no faith that they will ever capitalize on what they have here.

[@robbybevard8034]

Both Sonic Adventures worked. Sonic Heroes worked but it lacked polish. Colors and Generations worked but they were very 2D for large segments. Lost World was a good idea that could have worked if they'd stuck with it and reiterated on it but didn't really work for the one game they did it. But on the bad end you have 3D Blast, Shadow, Secret Rings, Unleashed, Black Knight, Boom, Forces, and ultimately Lost World.... and ALL the racing games... just not good.

[@Stone7C1]

or they should just focus on the classic 2D formula and make more of those games. i dont know what their problem is to be honest. sonic mania should have shown them what the fans really want and expect from a sonic game. it was insanely popular. there was replay value with different characters even having different pathes through levels, boss fights and levels of their own etc. the music was surpreme and i had a blast all the way through. there were a bunch of really cool new gimmicks in reworked older stages like the rubber pools in chemical plant zone and the flips into the background in metallic madness, proving that creative devs can still bring new fun tech and ideas into the old format. aaaaand they never made or even thought about another one it seems. instead they just dumped a shitload of time and money into more failed 3D sonic projects. just take sonic back to 2D with a dedicated group of developers like for sonic mania, and it will work fine. at the very least the 2D sonic line should be an ongoing project in parallel to the 3D games.

[@JoshuaChocolate]

Was gonna say this exactly. Just no faith in sonic team :( hard being a sonic fan these days.

[@uncrstbl]

@@Stone7C1 The thing about Mania though is that it was made by a completely separate team with the blessing and eye of Sega, the sonic team of today didn't and probably couldn't make Mania themselves. They clearly don't want to go back to the 2D formula which is why they're trying so hard with 3D, even though they fail a majority of the time. and the 3D games are viewed highly when they're actually good, Sonic Generations probably has the biggest favorable audience of any modern sonic game and still gets constant fan love and mod support, which shows that fans love 3D sonic, just when it's executed properly. Sega had a good thing going with the boost formula they just keep fumbling it over and over again

[@RasenRendanX]

@@JoshuaChocolate hey we got those amazing movies

[@TheFreakKid12]

The open world map reminds me of when I got forge world in Halo reach and would just place things in the air with no reason they were that way.

[@louisavt5971]

exactly it looks like a fan game honestly made with garrys mod

[@MysteryosEx3ptions]

@@louisavt5971 Exactly bro, everything feels so off idk, a lot of people like it, I don't, feels like a fan game.

[@enmadaio.8975]

@@MysteryosEx3ptions Bots and shills, nobody except maybe a literal child could though this game is good.

[@louisavt5971]

@@MysteryosEx3ptions I guess Sonic fans are so weaned from anything decent that they would play anything at this point

[@louisavt5971]

@Kashi well they do prefer FurryP*rn so I have to say u are right.

[@MrsRollercoastergirl]

I still think the Sonic game with the best cutscenes was Sonic Unleashed - I felt like they understood the characters then. Jason Griffith was also my favorite Sonic

[@UnifiedEntity]

Jason Griffith since Sonic X, love him as sonic

[@coldfries8976]

What a great game Sonic Unleashed was... loved it on my PS2

[@ktli5648]

@@coldfries8976 Have you seen footage of the PS3/XBOX360 version?

[@KhaosKontroller]

Jason is Goated. Hearing him again in Sonic and Tails R made me so happy.

[@jordancromwell]

@@coldfries8976 The trash version

[@TheCivildecay]

0:25 This looks exactly like a map creating by someone who managed to load a premade level in Unity and found out you can add objects to it

[@naturallyirrelevant9639]

I think the BIGGEST missed opportunity of Sonic Frontiers was not placing it in a multi-layered colorful cityscape and I will die on this hill. Why put it on some random empty island? Because Zelda did it? But that's the setting for Zelda is wide open landscapes, put Sonic in his own element and make like the coolest most visually appealing cityscape that's open world and you can explore multi layers of it.

[@ovahex]

The Cityscape would make absolutely zero sense given the game's story and narrative. That's why they didn't put him in a cityscape, plus islands are far bigger, meaning you get more gameplay and things to do.

[@ovahex]

And Sonic's element isn't a cityscape, it never has been, the first level in Sonic history was Green Hill, I can only think of a couple of times where Sonic was in an iconic cityscape and that's Unleashed and the Adventure series. Sonic has always been more outdoors, if anything THAT is his element.

[@naturallyirrelevant9639]

@@ovahex I think they easily could have come up with a narrative of why he could be in a city. While Green Hill has always been iconic there have always been industrial zones too like Casino Night/etc. I mean heck why not do something super crazy and have Robotnik try to build a casino on top of some ancient ruins or something nutty. IDK the thought of just an open and empty island doesn't feel like it suits Sonic to me. I think it would be much more fun (personally) going top speed on roads and winding paths and unlocking new hidden paths for faster travel between areas and I've always been a fan of multi layered things so why not have 4 or 5 layers of a city on top of each other? You can still have the openness of a sonic game and give the player ways to get around, heck let them run up buildings when they hit top speed, you don't have to restrict the movement I just feel like THIS concept is very close-minded.

[@subsume7904]

Almost like the Jet Set Radio games

[@DireNemesis]

@@ovahex for having "More gameplay, and things to do" it sure is boring.

[@DharmaDeepSleep]

While advancements in technology without a doubt raises the bar for what's possible, a coherent vision in conjuction with a talented/competent team is almost always what makes or breaks a game.

[@ptrcrispy]

The open world environments looks like someone created a Tony Hawk custom level in a forge world backdrop but quit halfway through.

[@BlastbeaterPT]

Exactly 🤣🤣🤣

[@Sicraft]

LOL

[@TheIrland09]

Looks like one of those Create-a-Park levels we all made as kids where we just plopped random stuff all over the place.

[@fredyma10]

going from ragnarok to sonic frontiers must’ve been a trip

[@LegendRonk]

I was thinking the same thing, idk if Ima get sonic

[@kaneqost]

@@LegendRonk trust me. Don't.

[@DragonHeart613]

Going from a masterpiece like Ragnarok to yet another disappointing incoherent crappy Sonic game. Sonic should just be retired or Sega should finally take away the IP from Sonic Team & give a different developer a chance at trying to make a good Sonic game.

[@hiraether6209]

@@DragonHeart613 Give it to Nintendo. Give it to fucking anyone at this point. Sega has lost the plot for literally like 30 years at this point. They must still sell well bc it's clear Sega doesn't even care anymore. Cynical

[@DragonHeart613]

@@hiraether6209 Sega should indeed sell Sonic to Nintendo who would successfully reinvent Sonic.

[@mightyspoogles4567]

The first thing I thought when I saw the world, was that it looked like a Halo Forge map that a 7 year old had been allowed to mess with... That or a Garry's mod save with props just frozen in the air...

[@HexagonThatReallyLikesVinegar]

This game looks like someone modded in a free asset for an "island with different biomes" into a Sonic game, and then slapped some random pipes and blocks everywhere.

[@Eshcole]

The difference between the mini levels and the open world is crazy. It's almost as if they were built by 2 different developers.

[@pinktrutle1490]

Most sonic fans hate cyberspace

[@Sydney_Angelyt]

funnily enough, the level design and assets are ripped from previous games

[@a.b.3455]

I actually thought it was footage from sonic generations at first.

[@Scruffy-qi3ik]

@@Sydney_Angelyt seems kind of like that’s the point. Aren’t they basically his “memories” of the past games?

[@Sydney_Angelyt]

@@Scruffy-qi3ik No because they reuse levels Sonic wasn't even in such as sky rail from sonic adventure 2. Besides, saying it's just his memories isn't a good excuse after an entire decade of constant rehashing. ESPECIALLY when Sonic Generations brought back Sonic's memories and had completely original level design.

[@MrMister681]

Props to you, Skill Up. This is a negative review, but it's earnest and I can't sense the negative bias that so many negative reviews the series has had in the past from other critics. As a fan, maybe I'll enjoy this more than you did, but all your complaints seem fair and I like that you're also able to appreciate when a design choice is clever.

[@johnnycage6676]

The game is complete trash just because everyone’s not giving excuses to this over priced garbage doesn’t mean their bias

[@MrMister681]

@@johnnycage6676 And here's a perfect example of the kind of people I'm talking about. What prompted you to write this comment in the first place?

[@desoaable]

The only negative thing I would disagree from Ralph reviews are Story, Character and gameplay wise. Story and Character wise, he mentioned how it is try to be self-serious, but thats how Sonic is since Adventure era, only to have that changed since Colors, Boom and Forces, and on one of the transition in this review where he put a cutscenes between Sonic and Tails talk to each other is way wayyy out of context right there, because if you get to see the full cutscenes its about how Sonic reassuring Tails for his insecurities, so I feel like Ralph did a really bad disservice to the character development in his reviews. Sonic games has been deprived from actual good writings and Frontiers definitely bring up the best of each characters in the franchise in this game. As for gameplay wise, I feel like he didnt spend enough time to actually play the game, he could have just spend some hours actually play the game instead of rushing to finish the game just so he can make this reviews. Because he mentioned how clunky the camera work and how bad the gameplay is without even mentioning that you can adjust the gameplay style accordingly to what you prefer it to be.

[@e1iteyoshi998]

Unfortunately I fear this negative review will be seen as another bad review because of the reviews from other channels like Digital Trends, Gamesradar, and GamesHub.

[@fabianor4499]

Sonic fans already reached rock bottom if their only option is to being salty and to defend this crap lol

[@MrVidau]

I'm pretty sure that this game was a case of poor resource management, in which the devs just needed a lot more money to make it work and the studio just decided to cut their losses and hope that the IP would be strong enough to mitigate their losses. Everything seems like it's unfinished and done so on purpose.

[@HingleMcCringleberryX21J]

Pretty much. But let’s be real, Sega will probably never give a big enough budget for a well designed and ambitious Sonic title to be made. They don’t have enough confidence in Sonic as a game franchise to justify it, they’d rather prioritize his movies lmao

[@georgie9303]

You think it’s an issue of budget? I just think it’s sonic team sucking ass. How do smaller devs with lesser known IP’s/budgets look better than a AAA sonic game? Psychonauts 2, Crash 4, A Hat in Time, Kirby looks better than this garbage

[@miagi1337]

In that case it's still incompetency on Team Sonics side. Look at the game "Defunct". Did that game had a huge budget?! Neh, but competent developer that knew what they want to achieve and managed to make the very basic (movement) fun and build up on that.

[@ilyamacintosh303]

More like lack of art direction and direction as a whole.

[@gabeznl3591]

Yeah. It seems like this is the last Sonic game, depending how in how it will sells.

[@ixiahj]

Someone said the pop in problem could've been fixed just by adding like a cyber effect whenever they appear. Its odd because the characters themselves talk about how dead the landscape is. Like something killed it in the past. Which is actually canon to the story.

[@arsenal4444]

FR THIS, it's painful seeing sonic team fumble such easy bags

[@vuongtranvan7055]

ok

[@bloopahVIII]

wait hold up they gave an in-game excuse for their laziness bruh

[@khuedinhvan1986]

ok

[@tukkek]

"Put some perfume on the shit, people are gonna think it's fine". Flawless logic there, bravo.

[@SamuelCatsy]

It baffles me that to this day, how many 3d games in, they still have moments like 12:12 Seriously, just guide Sonic onto the friggin rail automatically and don't let the player accidentally fall off!

[@sergiomonty]

... So you want an even more automated game?

[@brycebitetti1402]

My guy, that was literally all him. I don't want to invalidate SkillUp's critiques here, because he does have a lot of fair points. But he obviously kind of sucks at this game, and judging by how he describes previous Sonic games and how he completely misses the point of Sonic's identity (going fast is not the point, getting good enough at the game to earn speed is), this is obviously a him problem.

[@jonathanbaird]

@@brycebitetti1402 “Going fast is not the point”, but grinding 99 levels to “earn speed” is? Today’s Sonic fans are wild.

[@EverRusting]

@@brycebitetti1402 well he gave Gris a 10/10, he's only interested in the "art" aspect in video games and hates whenever he has to do the "gameplay" aspect

[@AllegedAllergen]

@@brycebitetti1402 have you seen sonic 06 gameplay? Watch how that game handles loops or boost pads. It works exactly how this shows here. It may be him, but I'm inclined to believe it is not. Because as a developer, you should not even make it possible for the player to mess up a game mechanic that you use CONSTANTLY

[@Montesama314]

I remember thinking this looks like a tech demo for a game in the next console generation.

[@martinaguiluz4063]

Yeah, because how it looks matters more than how it plays...🤣

[@carbodude5414]

@@martinaguiluz4063 And it plays like crap lol

[@martinaguiluz4063]

@@carbodude5414 Dude, this guy didn't say it played like crap🤣🤣🤣. You're talking out of your ass in here.

[@theirishpotato6588]

@@carbodude5414 that's not what I've heard

[@AmateurHuman19]

*last console

[@britpoint7022]

20 years of 3D Sonic and we've finally reached the lofty heights of "I can see how this could be good one day." If only I could get a Mania 2 to keep me going until that day arrives T_T

[@BrenoGF144]

Adventure 1-2, Unleashed, Generations were all awesome 3d ones, and Heroes and 06 were ok

[@saloz9483]

I have come to prefer the 3D games and there are good ones.

[@baboon_baboon_baboon]

Sega execs won't allow this.

[@UncleSkiBum]

@@BrenoGF144 I loved generations although that wasn't a popular opinion at the time 😁

[@saniakshay12]

@@TuriGamer because the character itself is great. Merchandise, retro games all sell really well. The character is both cool and cute. Plus he basically invented the furry community

[@philatio1744]

There's some interesting aspects about this review that made me realize something: 3D Sonic games have done in the past everything he's pointing out that's lacking here. When he mentioned contextualizing rails and such through the level themes, i remembered that Sonic Adventure 2 used to do this. Green Forest has you grinding in vines instead of rails, City Escape has you railing on ladder handles, Metal Harbour has you grinding on the edges of the road, Radical Highway made you rail on the literal Golden Bridge. Say what you want about that game, but it has an excellent aesthetic even to this day. Another thing to mention, the cyberspace levels he praised also take layouts from other sonic games, from Unleashed, to Generations to even Sonic Adventure 2 while mixing in assets taken straight out of Generations. That means that the highlight for him comes from other 3D Sonic games (man, do they deserve at least more credit for having insanely fun levels). Overall, I can't say I'm surprised, but I really wanted this to be a homerun for the blue rat, as I have a real soft spot for him (And considering how both the movies and IDW comics have been oozing with personality, I wanted to see the games follow through). Hopefully, the next game will be solid.

[@philatio1744]

Also, I can kinda see where they were going with the Open World design, I think. Sonic striving for realism and grounded visuals isn't necessarily a new thing, as it's something they've tried since the Adventure era, to mixed results. I'm personally much more of a fan of the Unleashed aesthetic, which is peak sonic in terms of visuals. I can see how the more moody, melancholic vibe of the world can help with immersion, which wouldn't be so bad if the pop-in wasn't so fucking distracting. Seriously, considering the whole cyberspace theming, and how the game uses glitchy effects, couldn't they at least mask it with an effect? I don't feel entirely comfortable with blaming Sonic Team entirely for this one though. Sega really is Sonic's worst enemy. While fundamental design choices might have not been repaired with an extra year, Sega's extreme crunch and lack of budget for a sonic game really makes the whole franchise a mess.

[@bobtheball5384]

I 100% agree with your take. I've admittedly haven't played the adventure games at all until around 3 years ago and I've noticed that too with the level design. Despite having realistic environments there were set pieces and or interesting ways to use the environment around you. Every stage stood out with something new, and if this game could just do the same with its own level design I would consider it more.

[@ndro_gyny]

Not a rat.

[@giangtruc3376]

ok

[@jamalhartley5863]

No you really should play it for yourself if you want to. This "review" didn't really cover the positives of the game at all. Some of the issues, like pop in, funky camera in select places, and the assorted random rails strewn about is true. But he misses a lot. He doesn't mention the boss battles easily the best in the series. Your exploration is encouraged but going to Big helps you Speedrun the game. Also the fact he liked the Cyberspace levels easily the weakest part of the game. This isn't a review it's someone hating a game for what it is. Which is fine, but not a review.

[@Ponifex]

Every single time I've seen anything related to Frontiers, I'm utterly gobsmacked at just how much it looks like *Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis* (developed by the same studio, likely around the same time). Strange comparison, sure - But seriously, go take a gander at gameplay from PSO2:NGS, and tell me its environments weren't copy/pasted straight into Frontiers, realistic aesthetic and all. Kronos Island from Frontiers is a dead-ringer for the Aelio Region in NGS, Ares Island appears to be ripped directly from the Kvaris Region, et cetera. Hell, even the weirdly sharp-edged, sci-fi robots found in the overworld look like they could've come right off the design docket for PSO2. It's so damn surreal. Strongly believe Sonic Team just slapped together whatever worldgen assets they currently had lying around from PSO2:NGS's development, slightly tweaked the physics model which supported Sonic Forces, and prayed it was good enough to be called a finished product. Also, the quote at 10:09 that "the skeleton is here, the meat on the bones is not" perfectly describes the state of PSO2:NGS for the past two years as well, lmao. Sonic Team has very much felt like a "B-Team" internal studio to SEGA of Japan for a good long while now, and you can *really* feel that increasingly strained corporate relationship on full display with their two most recent titles.

[@Drstrange3000]

I believe I saw footage where it is from the same engine and was using some of the same animations from PSO2:NG. The reason it feels so copy and paste is because it probably is.

[@mechadeka]

The metal bridge texture used in the overworld is straight from PSO2.

[@OmegaNeo]

Good to see that I wasn't the only thinking that when seeing any Frontiers footage lol.

[@soaringspoon]

Holy shit your probably right lol damn, reusing assets is fine game dev but that's blatant.

[@Aorynn]

Well sure, they can use this new Hedgehog engine as much as they want to. It is a really good engine, but the execution and expression part is not present at all. PSO2 and Sonic Frontiers are just bad examples of not reaching its full potential, and sadly, they are just realizing it this late... their games are now C-tier levels, mediocre at best.

[@reshawshid]

I was interested in Frontiers when they said it would be radically different and implied they were getting their sh*t together. That interest went away just as soon as it came when Sega dismissed all criticism, especially after what they pulled with Sonic Origins. Also Sonic did have a rhythm in 3D, it was Sonic Adventure 2. The mech and hunting stages may not have been everyone's thing, but it did serve a narrative purpose, and the speed stages showed what Sonic should have been all this time.

[@pelgervampireduck]

They got it right with Generations. In the Adventure games I hated the stages of the other characters, I wish there could be a version of Adventures that was ONLY THE SONIC LEVELS of both Adventure 1 and 2, without filler, without the other characters, without a hub, just let me play the fun Sonic levels one after the other!.

[@mr.marvin]

@@pelgervampireduck SA1 wasn't too bad. Only the Amy and Big levels were the worst.

[@saulothebebop2581]

@@pelgervampireduck I really liked eggman and tail's stages but i could see why its not everyone's cup of tea.

[@pwnzorofretards]

@@pelgervampireduck generations is hands down my favorite sonic game the 2d was good and the 3D was good still play it from time to time

[@reshawshid]

@@pelgervampireduck No, they got it wrong with Generations. Super boring with an unmotivating story. I'd rather play Mad Space over that game again any day, at least Mad Space isn't just a singular track you have to avoid falling off, and has the physics and exploration factor that actually made Sonic good in the first place. I'd rather play Werehog stages for the same reason.

[@Neptas]

They already found the formula 23 years ago with Sonic Adventure 1, then 2. Where the majority of platformers failed the transition to 3D, Sonic was one of the only one to actually made it. Only big problem was the camera, but that was just true for any game at this era due to inexperience in 3D game design. Then, they threw everything out and restarted from scratch, multiple times. I have little hope the Sonic Team is going to re-use this game as a formula, like they haven't for Generations or Adventure. The problems elaborated in this video aren't just big tech problems, or inexperience. Sorry, but having metal rails everywhere in every biome, that's a basic mistake you'd expect from an amateur game. Not being able to, at the very least, change the color/material of the platforms to match the colors of the level itself, that's just a stupidly big error. I'm fine with floating stuff, Sonic is full of it (Angel Island being the best example, or Sanctuary), but it has to at least match the level. That's not just "they forgot", or "they didn't have time", that's the entire point of the level. Saying you don't have budgets for that, or time, is like saying you don't have the budgets to make Sonic blue and Super Sonic yellow, at this point, don't bother making the game at all. The examples of good levels in that video, are old levels made again and again (Chemical Plant, Sanctuary, etc.). They are original, but they aren't from that game, they are just re-made version of previous games, which is why they are unique enemies and mechanics. Basically, Sonic Team is incapable of coming with original new levels anymore.

[@TheJadedJames]

Sonic 2006 was a pretty direct continuation of the formula established by Sonic Adventure 1 and 2, it was just awful. SEGA more-or-less recovered from that with Unleashed/Colors/Generations. Sonic Forces was the natural continuation of that formula which also bombed. SEGA both iterates on ideas pretty consistently ... they just still drop the ball about as often as when they try something completely new. They also seem hesitant to allow devs to complete their ****ing games before they release them ... like to the point where they are paradoxically releasing old games to early. There is no excuse for Sonic Colors to have bugs in 2021

[@BlueV205]

Sega is now fully focused on RGG Studio, their current cash cow of the decade. Sonic Team was heavily cut budget-wise and personnel-wise so bad they're basically has the same capacity as a small indie studio. On top of that, they have the added pressure of a very short time constraints from the executives. I'd say the biggest factor here though, is Iizuka's overambitious ideas. He knows his studio is small af compared to the Dark Era, but he's still pushing the studio as if it was still around that size. It's basically Comcept all over again. I'd say Frontiers is a bad game, but it's a good foundation for Sonic right now. It's a fuel Sonic Team needed to push forward and have a chance to become as big as they used to be. They just need to break even and make enough profit that Sega would take notice and give them more support.

[@audi.6106]

@@TheJadedJames the reason sonic 06 was bad was because of bugs and glitches. The actual formula of gameplay and level design was solid. They should’ve continued that

[@TheJadedJames]

@@BlueV205 If their resources are so limited it is bizarre that they aren’t just putting out a basic Sonic game made out of some normal effing levels which would be cheaper, easier, review better and probably sell better too

[@johannessguten2527]

@@audi.6106 and the broken story and physics the level design is awesome

[@randomchannel323]

The open world looks so strange with the massive slopes and ramps out of nowhere

[@chrisnichols9014]

The game is just a tech demo. True story.

[@Montesama314]

Sonic Team has never learned to just stick with something and improve upon it. They keep trying to reinvent the wheel with every game. So you end up with Sonic Unleashed, Sonic Forces, and Sonic Frontiers, which all have different gimmicks and environments but all suffer from lack of polish in one way or another.

[@matthewbraith0411]

Yeah True.

[@Izak_Klark]

Unleashed doesn't have a lack of polish, you have to go out of your way to cause bugs most of the time.

[@TheJadedJames]

I sort of disagree. Back in the day, we had Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 and then Sonic 2006. Then we had Unleashed, Colors, Generations, and Forces. SEGA is capable of making good games and winning formulas and keeping them going ... and then they'll **** them up, mostly out of spite for the idea of allowing developers to finish games before they are released to the public. We also get distracted by their dumb side games like Sonic Boom and Shadow the Hedgehog

[@jordancromwell]

Unleashed is solid

[@waves9515]

Have the ppl defending Unleashed here ever played it? Lmao Sonic can barely be reliably controlled in the speed stages and one wrong stick direction often = death. And the night time wearhog stages have horrendous frame rates during combat so combos are borderline impossible and the platforming is incredibly jank to say the least. Overall, pretty ass. The levels were cool though.

[@weaverquest]

Extreme pop-in in a game where the whole idea is to go fast all the time must be a cruel joke to the all the Sonic fans.

[@martinaguiluz4063]

It would be if it actually hindered the gameplay, which it doesn't.

[@martinaguiluz4063]

@Waterboarding Tommy Fellows With Molasses exactly

[@lucylu3342]

You've alerted the Sonic Defense Squad

[@lucylu3342]

@Waterboarding Tommy Fellows With Molasses I can't see them yet, I have to wait for the reviews to pop-in to view.

[@joemama2499]

Imagine a zone in the next game themed after Ocean Palace from Sonic Heroes. Super saturated sparkling blue water, huge orange cliffs sonic could run along and use as ramps, palace structures dotted around containing challenges or collectibles, seagulls to grab onto as they fly around and hitch a ride into the sky before diving back down, maybe into bowl shaped structures that could launch sonic back up too. killer whales to run from. Literally so much potential with the movement formula they have for him Also I think letting sonic run on water after meeting a certain speed threshold would be a really rewarding mechanic. Especially if sonic had an arch to his movement when turning on water because different surface tension. Missed opportunity in this game.

[@thoatran2718]

ok

[@duchuynhvuong1733]

ok

[@kha0ticdud3]

ok

[@murderonthemind678]

ok

[@GDubA]

ok

[@rustyshakkleford]

Admittedly I have never been much of a Sonic fan, but I think you are spot on about the over world environment. They could have done something really cool where different areas had different themes and you are zooming and grinding around old temples, then through tree branches of a dense forest, or around a mountain going from peak to ledge. Instead it looks like on of those unity games with a big open world and a bunch of random assets dumped everywhere.

[@The_Archer-he2ft]

I mean, world blending was never sonics issue, this game is just lazy

[@brookeyoung8306]

Look at Bowser's Fury for how this game should have been

[@boomerthedingo2196]

*never been a sonic fan Seems to be everyone in these comments

[@MMM1MM]

Problem is that would have taken effort and competent devs

[@poohbear160]

@@boomerthedingo2196 Nah I’m a Sonic fan myself and even I agree that this game kinda sucks

[@Sir_Robin_of_Camelot]

It looks like they nailed down what they want the movement to be and then didn't consider how to design an actual game around it. I think to pull this off, you really need to create dense 3D analogues of the 2D zones.

[@Sydney_Angelyt]

Agreed.

[@Paradox1012]

I think they wanted to make a definitive "formula" for sonic going foward with this game. So they made a sandbox with great gameplay and called it. Personally I think that's totally reasonable in the context of sonic. They didnt know if the gameplay would be accepted, so they didnt put all too much into the world design, just enough to use the full spectrum of the combat and movement kit. So I n that sense , i think this game seems to have succeeded. If it goes on sale when the steam winter sale rolls around ,I'll bite.

[@Sir_Robin_of_Camelot]

@@Paradox1012 I guess that's fair, we'll have to wait and see if they make a direct sequel and go all out. I haven't played it but with the amount of movement options Sonic has, it looks fun to just move around.

[@Paradox1012]

@@ICader7194 I Didn't say they intentionally did it. from hear-say (dont know if its confirmed, didn't check) I heard Izuka (think thats his name?) , the director had to actually BEG sega for 1 more year of development time. They just had to play the cards they had, and if that's they case, they played them well in my opinion. Wouldn't be the first time its happened for a sonic game

[@Zinkolo]

Sonic generations was definitely the perfection of the boost formula and I think everyone agrees that that was the point where we thought they cracked it. There was nothing in that game that would make you think they didn't given how extremely fun the modern Sonic levels were but unfortunately they decided to just constantly reuse nostalgia and never take any of the good aspects from the boost formula in that game or it's gameplay, instead opting to learn from its nostalgia pandering and double down on it instead of retaining its excellent level design with multiple paths and skill-based platforming that required you to collect rings to keep both the flow and the boost meter going.

[@bander960]

I used this review to sleep. It's not because the video was bad, it was because Sonic Frontiers' gameplay is nap-inducing to watch it's so boring

[@bakedbeans5494]

😐

[@mart5610]

the game is so boring

[@shankypanky8879]

The overworld looks like the base textures and level design you create to have an IDEA of what the final stage/area would be. But they were like, NAH That's enough. SHIP IT!

[@shankypanky8879]

@2 Corinthians 4:7-11 Tutorial: Recreating Ratchet and Clank in an Open World in Unreal Engine 5 - Part 1 of 50. They stopped at part 1.

[@BlastbeaterPT]

Looks like Tony Hawks customizable maps 😆😆

[@mediabrandslife]

Facts 🤣🤣🤣

[@okaybuddy.]

Whole bunch of NPC's in this reply section lmfao.

[@BlueBlur2003]

We still going at this 😪

[@wolf1nsoul]

Remember those people that said: "Ohhh wait till it comes out and blow your mind, it'll be a sleeper hit" LOL?

[@saloz9483]

well it seems to be still getting positive reactions just not scoring 9's

[@arsenelupin9697]

@@saloz9483 So did Fallout 76 and Cyberpunk ^^ That alone, is not a guarantee for any kind of quality.

[@saloz9483]

@@arsenelupin9697 cyberpunk got thrashed in reviews for the console versions. Any positive reviews came from the PC games since those actually ran the game.

[@lucavalente6620]

@@arsenelupin9697 cyberpunk was nuked at launch and 76 too

[@leon24832]

It has it problems but it's still pretty fun and refreshing. I feel like people need to play the games instead of living and dying off of critic's opinions. 7.5 for me.

[@TheSkaOreo]

"Arrive at a formula to a good sonic game one day" Except Sonic Team is notorious from dropping gameplay mechanics entirely in favor of something "new." So I doubt we'll see a Frontiers 2. Because yeah, if they just focused on mastering a single mechanic, than one could theoretically believe that they could make something out of it. But they refuse to. My guess? I think they recognize that if they do something "new" each and every time, that a bunch of fans will keep buying them in the hopes that "maybe this is the one they right."

[@radiotriphammer]

It won't do well enough to justify investment in this kind of game.

[@pinktrutle1490]

​​@@radiotriphammer its the best selling sonic game in 20 years outselling mania get real.

[@pinktrutle1490]

NOPE the next sonic game is confirmed to be open zoned like this one. This is the 3rd generation of sonic. The foundation for the next decade.

[@TheSkaOreo]

@@pinktrutle1490geez I’m so sorry

[@JeremyBX]

Dude i'm so glad you brought up the level design importance at 7:10. Im not one to argue on Twitter/reddit, but too often do I read genuine critical comments concerning over the copypaste level design being shut down by "But Sonic Always Had Floating Rails!" & "Sonic has been in Hyper Realistic environments before!" But at least Zelda's Breath of the Wild changed the art style of the map to fit the Zelda Franchise. In Sonic Frontiers, and you said it best, it looks like they just stole some generic open world assets and tried to hide it by pasting rails everywhere. I think it's inexcusable. I'm not saying every Sonic game needs to be vibrantly colored and wacky, but this was not the right approach. Still, it's awesome seeing SEGA finally publish what is a literal embodiment of "SEGA FINALLY HIRED THAT MAN!: The Video Game" just to shut the fans up, but just because it's fun and engaging as hell doesn't make it acceptable. I hope SEGA actually utilizes environment-exclusive mechanics in Sonic Frontiers 2, instead of doing what Sonic Islands, Sonic GT, and Sonic Utopia did.

[@Ronan34753]

I'd argue they did have a successful formula for 3D Sonic. They just gave up on evolving it, and went ahead making gimmicky experiments. Frontiers should've taken a lot of lessons from Sonic Adventure 1 & 2. Not doing so has constantly bitten them back in one way or another. Edit: Oh yeah, and the reason the cyberspace stages seem so fun. Is because a lot of them are comprised of ripped stages from previous 3D Sonic games (Sonic Adventure 2, Unleashed, and Generations).

[@1mpetus]

SEGA needs to take the open world aspect and make Sonic Adventure 3 with it

[@snakey888]

Neither sa1 or 2 have anything to teach, except for perhaps how not to design a Sonic game. The few good things those games do are done better in other games.

[@zedorian6547]

@@snakey888 I see you are either a classic purist or a boost baby. Take your pick. Since SA1&2 were both fantastic games and considering just how often they are being requested to return to that formula I would say that the fanbase agrees. Just because you personally dont like them doesnt make them “unable to teach anything”.

[@Zephhi]

@@snakey888 Literally lol SA1 and 2 are so fucking overrated because of a few levels that people like and nostalgia

[@muhammedraashid3667]

@@zedorian6547 You have nostalgia glasses. Sonic adventure aged like milk.

[@sarcasm-83]

I can only imagine how incredibly cool and vertical level design COULD be in a game like this if someone actually bothered to make environments like we see in the games. Sure, that would be a huge undertaking to make everything that complex with pipes, bouncy springs, ramps, hills, sky platforms and everything, but that is what I imagine when I think of Sonic in a more open 3D world. (I say "more open" as ... I don't think a sonic world like that would benefit from being gigantic and would absolutely prefer more condensed environments than vast open spaces like seen in anything that's being shown about this game) The least they could have done is make the structures Sonic uses coherent with the world design in ANY WAY... but nope, most of the time they just kinda float there and you can't imagine there being any other purpose for any of that to be there, except for Sonic to do stuff in. That is genuinely terrible world design. Pipes, speedways and ramps should have a believable reason for why they even are in the world. For who else or what other purpose, but you?

[@RariettyC]

The closest we've gotten to that since the Adventure days is Sonic Boom Rise of Lyric, which...is an awful game, but I also could sense that some of the (non-Sonic-Team) devs on it wanted to do something like that judging by concept art. Even in that game's awful state it feels like more effort was put into making its open-world hub area feel cohesive than Sonic Frontiers, even if Sonic Frontiers is clearly a much better game

[@Skylancer727]

Yeah that'll never happen with Sonic Team. Every game they've ever made has been rushed out to meet a deadline. Hell Sonic 3 they were so pushy on it they literally broke the game in half and made a method to inject the missing content in later. This game also has the same as the last two of the 5 islands are just segments of the first island cut off. Some people who cracked the game have shown you can even cheese your way into those areas.

[@thabreez456]

Ah yes because loops in green hill zone wasn’t just for sonic to use. It was a very useful tools for the animals to……run around.

[@markwheeler4245]

Yeah I’m looking at the rails and thinking WTAF

[@TheJadedJames]

Most other platform games including past Sonic games have done what Skill Up is suggesting. Take Mario Odyssey for example. Hell ... the hub world section of Sonic Adventure from over twenty years ago feel like they have more identity than what I've seen in Sonic Frontiers.

[@potatoeOnRooftop]

This looks like one of those community surf maps in CS 1.6 if someone remembers. Oh boy. I'm not a big sonic guy but this honestly still breaks my heart to see. Who. Green lit. This. Jesus

[@miscellaneousmedia3753]

I kinda see it, most of the comments are saying Halo Reach Forge map editor as well, and that's what I also thought lol

[@bakedbeans5494]

Undeserved likes.

[@JakeThehedgehog-m1x]

Sega lol

[@OGPimpin]

It sounds weird but I think one big problem is the open-world aspect needs to be more condensed and more cartoonish if that makes any sense.

[@Nirual86]

not that anyone was asking for an open-world sonic game in the first place. A sizeable overworld to explore between levels, sure. But this looks like a classic case of "we need to have a massive map as a selling point" and struggling to actually fill said map with enough content. Really says something when Sonic Boom had a better approach.

[@rRekko]

@@Nirual86 I assure you Mr I love open world and all games should be like that skillup was lol In all seriousness, I loved the combination of realistic and arcadeish levels. Most of the gameplay issues are because of how skillup sucks at playing games honestly, same issue with Jim Sterling, trying to have all games be easier because they're so bad at gaming.

[@emarythomp]

@@rRekko how? You don’t even see any tangible skill expressive gameplay with his review and most of his mess ups he shows are done due to the shitty camera. This open world is far below average and you seem to be of the impression that most criticism to this game is a lack of skill? Seriously? It’s 2022 and the whole “get gud” excuse is still being used? Man did sonic fans really become THIS delusional over the years lmao?

[@frailvoid5844]

@@rRekko Damn, as a fellow sonic fan you really make us look bad.

[@supermysticsonic2]

@@Nirual86 The map is full of content. This review is awful.

[@KraniumZzZz]

I think the term you're looking for when talking about logic and syntax is 'Design Language'. And yeah, this game has no cohesive design language at all

[@Trufe_about_Gaming]

One day as I was playing Ratchet & Clank and riding on the rails I thought to myself.....imagine if Insomniac made a Sonic game. Just imagine it.

[@whaleping]

Turn Sonic into rip off of Spider-Man?

[@nottheone3408]

@@whaleping never played ratchet and clank huh

[@whaleping]

@@nottheone3408 eh, they are kinda slow paced and safe for my taste

[@jonathanbaird]

@@whaleping “Too safe” he says, while defending a game that haphazardly throws together every trending open-world mechanic from a decade ago. Level grinding, skill trees, empty landscapes, menial activities and fetch quests - there nothing innovative about Sonic Frontiers.

[@whaleping]

@@jonathanbaird Why does Sonic have to be innovated for the rest of gaming? He owes them nothing. He only has to innovative to himself and Frontiers has from the decade of the Boost formula.

[@retrogamer4655]

Not only are the cyberspace stages reused, there's only four stage themes. Also, those stages are so short that they make Sonic Forces stages feel long.

[@ovahex]

They are made to be such since it's Sonic's memories

[@bobtheball5384]

@@ovahex That's not a good excuse to literally copy and paste levels we've seen before in a new sonic game..

[@retrogamer4655]

@@ovahex But one of the stages has gimmicks from Sky Rail from Sonic Adventure 2, which was a Shadow stage. why would Sonic have memories of a stage that he never went to?

[@ovahex]

@@retrogamer4655 You can play Sky Rail in multilayer. Who knows, that could explain it

[@ovahex]

@@bobtheball5384 Sonic Generations did this and no one had any complaints

[@Diego_0S]

Earlier this year i played Solar Ash, a game from the same developers of Hyper Light Drifter, and while i was playing i remembered Sonic Frontiers. Solar Ash shows how a game focused on speed and movement could work on an open world environment. And that was a game developed by an indie team with a fraction of the resources of Sega and the Sonic Team. Still, I hope they don't ditch the good ideas of this game. I would like to see they improving those good ideas on the next interaction of the franchise. Excellent review!

[@galothymos6628]

I made the same comparison! Those games are pretty similar in story telling (a character that doesn’t want to explain to you what’s going on), structure (several different “open zone” locations), collectibles, side stories you can see, and an emphasis on creating a world that encourages speed. I never got around to finishing it because I got stuck, but solar ash had a lot more polish to it.

[@infectedanimal9830]

Thanks for reminding us of that fantastic game, hopefully sonic team will take note of it too

[@beastateverythin]

The camera issues are the same issues as Sonic Adventure on Dreamcast. It’s astounding that it’s so damn similar to a 25 year old game!!

[@RhythmGrizz]

Have you not gone into the settings? You can adjust camera speed, distance and angle completely to suit you

[@emiloguechoons9030]

@@RhythmGrizz Most games have camera options, they can't remedy fundamental issues with the camera that the game has

[@Agell]

@@emiloguechoons9030 the "fundamental issues" only really show up in a couple spots. Any time you have manual control the camera is fine. When it decides to lock to something is when it gets wonky.

[@WH250398]

@DevilsCry A lot of the praise has been greatly exagarated, but the sonic fanbase will gobble it up like it's the bible. See how easy of an argument this is lol

[@YeOldeMachina]

Those random pieces of metal just floating in the air are hilarious

[@chrisnichols9014]

Amazing game design! 10/10 lmfao

[@JorgeGarcia-gp5cf]

Pour one out to those poor QA testers that have already bugged all the stuff he mentioned in this video, only to get a "Won't Fix" response from the devs.

[@SamuelCatsy]

I wouldn't be surprised if the devs at Sonic Team have a notepad document on their desktops that they can just copy-paste the contents of and it says something along the lines of "If it won't make us fail compliance, ignore it"

[@NamelessOne91]

also pour one to the poor devs, that are probably fully aware of those bugs yet are forced to meet an absurd deadline set by their leadership at Sega

[@jonathanbaird]

@@NamelessOne91 Frontiers was in development for 5 years. This is on the leadership at Sonic Team, not SEGA.

[@Kachopper9]

I personally disagree with alot of the statements, especially toward the writing and characters

[@desoaable]

Same here, I disagree with gameplay too. He talk about how clunky the camera and the control is, feels like its just a skill issue

[@lukehendriech3812]

this feels like a Tech demo I was hoping for something like Sonic Adventure 1/2 and all we had seen was the starting area but I am very sad to see this isn't wasn't the case and not what I had hoped for

[@bigpoppaHH69]

It's a good game

[@Josh-iz5kb]

Cry then and go play sonic adventure 1/2 whilst everybody else enjoys a fresh new sonic title🤷‍♂️🤣

[@mechadeka]

@@Josh-iz5kb >fresh >is a boost game >fresh

[@Josh-iz5kb]

@@mechadeka ??? A coherent sentence please..

[@sagittarius4765]

@@Josh-iz5kb nothing about this game looks fresh lol

[@hyphensmixtape]

To shed some light on the pop-in: They made an engine to make Sonic games in for the last game and this one (Hedgehog Engine 2) that has always had glaring pop-in issues since it’s inception. The only way to fix it would to dramatically overhaul HE2 or start from scratch, and they don’t seem keen on doing either. So uh… yeah we might be in for the long haul with this pop-in thing.

[@devaraft]

SEGA has always this problem of trying really hard but also not 100% committed to it. Like, do you want to really try or not?

[@FOXZILLA5734]

@@devaraft kinda feels like Sega wants to take the series in a new direction with this game but pulls back worring about backlash so Instead play it safe and save what they want for the sequel probably based on feedback.

[@devaraft]

@@FOXZILLA5734 idk, this has always been happening. This happens with Forces, Boom, Sonic the hedgehog. At this point it's tradition

[@hyphensmixtape]

@@devaraft I just think they’ve been scared of worsening his reputation anymore. They’re scared of risk because if they fail at all they think it’ll be the end. Hopefully though Frontiers is getting some decent feedback, so hopefully they’ll get the backbone to try something a little riskier next time (or they’ll remake SA and SA2)

[@devaraft]

@@hyphensmixtape this is the third game that they have done this. Boom was supposed to be the rebirth. New design, new story writer, taking it in a new direction but Sega backpedal at last minute. Afraid of changes. Making it a half assed game. Forces is suppose to be this grand game with character customization and grand story with a more serious take on it but they just don't put much effort to support the grand ambition and story that they had. Also backpedal again from being serious to just your same old brash Sonic full of jokes. Really lessen the impact of story. Frontier isn't the first time Sega really tried to build something new but then afraid of changes

[@johncuda]

Rails could be a transient system to move robot parts around. Each one ends on a small base where you can clear out and get something cool. And it networks into different parts of the level. Now it has a purpose.

[@ChairJustChair]

Cant believe you didnt mention Sonic's voice, it sounds like he just woke up from the local anesthetic at the dentists' office

[@maximrukinov3101]

Wow, that's one of the most impressive TES Oblivion mods I've seen!

[@n8doggy733]

9:16 this is exactly the feeling I had towards this game from the moment it was revealed.

[@deandorantes730]

Crazy how even with the absolutely fantastic line-up of games this year, we're still referencing "It Takes Two" as the model for really nailing variety in both system and level design. The biggest disappointment in my gaming life up to this point was introducing my 6 year old daughter to co-op gameplay with It Takes Two, because once we were done I realized there's literally nothing else out there as good...

[@Qballiz2kool]

Yea……..played it takes two over discord with a buddy of mine and streamed the whole thing for my two other friends to watch, and I gotta say, it was one of the best gaming experiences I’ve had all year, and that’s just sad. (Well other than playing through resident evil 4 on professional, that was also enjoyable.)

[@ChrisCypher]

I hear ya, but masterpieces are rare. And "It takes two" isn't just good; it's a masterpiece in game design.

[@VoicedPlanet]

I think the real problem in this regard is that big name developers are abandoning local gameplay modes and they've been becoming more scarce over the past 3 years. Like even MW2 doesn't have 4-player split screen anymore despite that being a major factor that ppl(including myself) still look for in cod.

[@TheJadedJames]

@@VoicedPlanet I've noticed that while I have an extra pro controller for my Switch, I otherwise never buy additional controllers anymore because local multiplayer is basically dead. Even Halo apparently dropped without local co-op. That's absurd.

[@justice8718]

Sonic is a different beast in gaming. He’s always a mix of speed run techs, rushed development, and lasting memes. And because of this, his many of his games get a meh reaction at first, then boost up in praise in a few years. Some old games like fucking Sonic CD get in about two and a half decades because people spent their time exploring the entire level.

[@FindingsOfAnArmouredMind]

Good stuff: .Open areas complement Sonic's speed. Being able to run through such open places without restrictions is cool and it's so like Sonic. .The cyber-space stages are great, they play well and it's a step to the right direction. Bad stuff: .The cyberspace stages are way to short and can be finished in less than a minute. They make about 1 hour of the entire game. .The lack of theming in the cyberspace stages is dreadful. Like literally there are only 4 themes that repeat themselves throughout stages, and I think there are two more distinctive ones but they appear only once each. .There's little to do in the open areas and the puzzles aren't worth your time, they are mediocre/boring and make everything so dreary, especially considering the previously mentioned issues with the cyberspace stages, the stages don't reward the amount of time spent in the open areas.

[@FindingsOfAnArmouredMind]

Oh an popping, it's terrible.

[@elvickRULES]

“without restrictions” - running fast, pass a 2D plane and get locked into it - sumo enemy - dumb counter dogs who kill you if you don’t counter them all fast enough, in a row - slope’s inconsistency with being able to run up - pits at the top of hills Yeah, none 🤔

[@SweatiestDegree]

I love how devs were telling the fans we don't get it and that the game is actually awesome... Then it comes out and it's what everyone said it was a UE5 Sonic KZbin Video the game. Yikes.

[@Matt7R]

If you're surprised by this then I have no clue what you were seeing in all that pre release footage.

[@StarlightLancer01]

You're focusing way too much on the negatives. And the hottest take so far from your video is the characterization of the characters and that they're allegedly boring. For the past decade, Sonic and friends have acted like a bunch of goofballs who didn't take things seriously and just joked their way through the stories. Frontiers decided to be a balance of moderate quippiness and serious melancholy, not too far in either direction. It works. I don't know about the people in this comment section, but I need characters that are serious enough for me to give a fuck.

[@Wano-Kuno]

agreed. that’s why I despise Forces Sonic, Colors Sonic and Lost World Sonic.

[@bakedbeans5494]

@@Wano-Kuno 🤡

[@bakedbeans5494]

Nah they were just sidelined.

[@StarlightLancer01]

@@bakedbeans5494 There's better ways to announce that you have a small penis.

[@bakedbeans5494]

@@StarlightLancer01There's better ways to announce that you get touched up by your daddy.

[@LordofAoD]

It's always awesome watching *those* Sonic fans lose their shit when reviews for the latest Sonic Team dumpster fire gets reviewed.

[@pinktrutle1490]

Most people like this game tho

[@JakeThehedgehog-m1x]

Bruh you serious? Are you trying to generalize every sonic fans as toxic people or something if you wanna think with that logic you seem to have a problem and I don't even give a shit about this review it's just his opinion so why should I care.

[@Dreams-Awakened]

I most like your point about blending and adding features/obstacles that mesh with the given environment sonic is in. Hell, back in Sonic Heroes there WAS grinding on vines and stuff like that when you were going through rainforest or like the bits where you'd grab on to a stretchy vine that would rubberband as sonic grabbed onto it and then fling him high into the air for the next stages of the level. Or in the cities, where shadow is grinding on Industrial/highway style railing with yellow and black markings along it. I really do think this is something I always loved about Sonic Games. I also saw someone else mention Tony Hawk Pro Skater and I think that's a great example for sonic because it's a similar formula of taking an otherwise normal environment and re-imagining it through the eyes of a skateboarder or in this case, Sonic. Just think, "How could sonic turn this desert into an obstacle course" and boom, you've got a recipe for a great sonic level. Sand dunes you can ramp off of, maybe even buggies you can drive or pyramid/stone structures that dynamically emerge from the sand and change the pathing sonic would take. Random sandstorms/tornadoes that carried platforms in them and had rewards at the top or sandworms as bosses. Underground puzzle caves for sonic to slow down a bit and unlock new areas and whatnot. I think what makes me so sad is Sonic really is such a great candidate for these kind of games where your imagination can kind of run wild. Just need to tie in the already established themes from older sonic games like bosses and enemies that actually resemble Eggman's creations. Levels that resemble old cities. I mean hell, they could remake sky sanctuary for all I care and flesh it out, I always love when sonic goes with these ancient vibes and environments. Sonic Adventure 1 was a great example of this with Chaos. I really wish we could get back to the more serious yet witty Sonic in those games.

[@toonaurz2620]

I completely agree.

[@LCyte88]

I didn't expect it to be any good at all lol

[@DOOMStudios]

When they announced that they were making a 3D Sonic open world game I kinda expected it wouldn’t do well lol.

[@darkscoutergamer6168]

@@DOOMStudios the concept is good but for sure maybe the game definitely could of have been better,I think other reviews felt a little more good than this one but i respect it nonetheless 🙏🏻💙

[@Alexis-no4yj]

Seeing as how the majority loves it, don’t let one negative opinion skew your view of it 🤷‍♂️

[@DOOMStudios]

@@darkscoutergamer6168 yeah the concept might sound interesting but it just doesn’t even land in a sonic game.

[@renansantos6533]

Funny enough the majority of the reviews of the game are being good so far. So yeah. This is one of the bad reviews tbh 😂😂😂

[@chasing3suns]

The enemies look like they're from a different game because they pretty much are. Lots of resources from PSO NGS got pulled for this game.

[@CreationsFlare]

If anything the NGS engine got me curious but just like NGS it ended up half baked, which just cripples both games.

[@chasing3suns]

@@CreationsFlare well said!

[@dandrelowery3714]

That’s the main issue I had about pso2 ngs. They literally reskinned so many enemies that they’re not even that innovative like they’re creatively bankrupt. Optimization is poorly done, the open world is bland and uninteresting, enemies too spongy that makes the combat incredibly boring especially with the one button spam combo for majority of the fight, and the content quality is absolutely garbage because of the real content is just cash grabby gacha stuff to customize your character. Hell they even resell you the outfit you just got from old pso2 that was updated with new high res textures with animations when it should be for free as in updating every asset so they wouldn’t be a data hog on your hard drive

[@TerrorOfTalos]

Interesting, 5 years of development yet so much asset reuse and not just from its own series but a completely different one. This game had to be a genuine disaster at some point for sure no doubt about it.

[@lupinthenerd439]

oh wow. another "pso2 ngs bad" take so original. looks like someone didn't log off recently, to a point of accusing other games of pulling assets....without even playing the game

[@damon6063]

I've always felt, ever since the first Sonic game back in the day, that the "speed" of Sonic was always counter-intuitive to its gameplay. The game always wanted you to go fast, but also wanted you to platform and jump on enemies and find secrets. It's a flaw in the game's DNA and the move to 3D only exacerbates the problem. The series always excels when it prioritizes one or the other. But the second they try to do both, it falls apart.

[@Qballiz2kool]

Agreed.

[@brycebitetti1402]

I think you miss the point of good Sonic level design. Speed is not something the game gives you, you have to earn it. The earlier stages are much more lenient, giving you easy area to blast through without too much effort, but as they go on they get a lot harder. On your first playthrough, it's going to seem unfair. Enemies that you couldn't see coming, quicker pathways that you missed because of a crumbling platform that dumped you down into the water, etc. But that's kind of the point. Getting better at Sonic is getting a feel for his controls, weaving him through the world with his unique physics, and eventually, memorizing enough of the level design to where you're speeding though Flying Battery like if it were Chemical Plant. It's a very arcadey sort of gameplay loop built on replay value, something that's hard to pitch in a modern era with gamers so often only playing through a game once and putting it down.

[@johncuda]

Great point. Exploring for rings was always fun on 3. But once you found them, you can blast through the level. Using knuckles made the experience better because of his wall climb

[@patrickthewolf840]

Yup, Sonic fans don't realize it but these games were never good or must haves. This franchise killed the Sega consoles to me, made it uninteresting at best.

[@ArtzyZero]

Personally I feel a lot of people (more so the casual audience and those who aren't Sonic fans but review his games) have twisted the meaning of Sonic's 'speed'. His speed wasn't meant to come from a boost button but instead from the skill of a player. I feel it'd be more accurate to say Sonic is about flow, not speed. You play through a stage, you learn every part of it and in doing so you master the controls. Then from that mastery of the controls and stage comes a sense of flow and more importantly speed, you'll naturally play better and therefore faster. And in 3D you have the potential to make this even more rewarding by giving the player a vast move set that encourages them to learn how to skip segments of a stage just through understanding how it works. Of course in order to learn a stage it needs to be fun to play right? Hence the exploration side of things, alternate routes and hidden rewards are an excellent way of rewarding a player for being curious and through it they also learn more about the stage. Did they take a chance and see if they could land in the water? Awesome, here's a few Ring capsules to tell the player they did the right thing taking a risk! The best part is this is just standard game design that can apply to a lot of games but Sonic Team believing they've exhausted linear level design tells me they don't really intend to try and find that feeling of flow anymore because Sonic's too heavily associated with speed now.

[@GlicheGaming]

Haven’t even finished this game and the fact that somebody who has reflects how I feel about it already makes me worried. The world does feel purposeless and thrown together. I can’t compliment the movement in the game either, and that’s like The Thing for platformers. It feels like it fights to be free but always constrained to automation. The layout seems to rarely attempt to promote unique and engaging traversal. The game just gets boring much quicker than its runtime.

[@dreadgear9683]

When i think about sonic what does come to my mind? Funny characters with quirky dialogue dialogue like Sonic or Tails, occasional edgy characters like shadow that are funny because they feel out of place, characters who have self interest and look to gain like Eggman/rouge, I think of opportunities when i get the chance to play as said characters, a flying plane section with tails, a beat down/break down sections with knuckles, an explosive level with shadow. When i think about sonic's levels i expect a very colorful enviroment, high contrast and acid greens and yellows, deep blue waters. What's presented feels like an asset flip in someone's first take on unreal engine Thinks look bland, combat feels like its initial concept phases and all the flying parts that could be used as a future puzzles are still in their placeholder forms. This game needed a year, god it might have needed more and even if they carry out some aspects that worked a sequel that will utilize that is many many years ago at this point i'm certain that we will not see a good 3D sonic game anytimes soon.

[@FeFeVtuber]

I feel like frontiers is the modern day adventure 1, both aren’t like AMAZING but they lay the groundwork for their sequels to be one of the best in the series

[@AdamSmasherReal]

Sonic team is just going to fuck off with some other gimmick or formula like they always do

[@voltaireentertainment]

I agree, frontiers 2 is gonna be awesome!

[@chrisnichols9014]

Adventure 1 is actually pretty good, though. This game is average at best.

[@dom_clout7359]

I recently purchased the game and I personally find the game very fun. I enjoy bouncing around and fighting enemies and while it might be a hot take, I think the realistic overworld is a breath of fresh air from the super colorful level designs that we received in the past. This is the first time Sonic Team has ever implemented Sonic into a map of this scale and I think we should cut them some slack in terms of the hub design. The new fighting mechanic was also very cool and different from just “homing attack”. The only criticisms i have for the game are the camera angles for certain boss fights, and the usage of old stages from previous games. Cyberspace just feels like a Sonic Generations remake, still fun but honestly nothing new. I also wish we had more involvement with the characters. The writing in this game is honestly SOOO much better than what we received in forces. I do think there were a few too many jokes in scenes that were meant to be serious, but a million times better than the script in Forces. Is the game perfect….. no, but I genuinely had a fun time playing it and would recommend it to people that are just looking for a fun game

[@mlgcactus1035]

Its a step forward

[@danielwilliam.5891]

It’s a fun game. Glad I didn’t take this guys reviews as gospel like so many here.

[@salty_lake]

Realistic overworld point kind of falls apart when there's 15 copy pasted rails floating in the air

[@dom_clout7359]

@@salty_lake true, I do wish they added more detail towards the rails to make them work more with the environment. But it doesn’t completely ruin it for me.

[@DakkaBert]

My impression watching gameplay was that it looks like a tech demo instead of an actual game.

[@bakedbeans5494]

🤡

[@pinktrutle1490]

idc it's fun

[@DakkaBert]

@@pinktrutle1490 im glad youre enjoying it

[@flamingosarerad9362]

I think this game would have been a great opportunity to introduce a new art direction for sonic. Like what if it was this game but the graphics looked like the cell shaded boldness of sonic battle? :o

[@owenleal]

Cel shaded art styles havent been original for a while and the last thing we need is another botw clone.

[@saitamasensei4508]

@@owenleal zelda is more realistic then sonic in art style. Always has been. If anyone needs that. Its sonic

[@owenleal]

@@saitamasensei4508 there are other ways to change up a character visually than just slapping a cel shaded filter over your game and acting like you've done something.

[@brycebitetti1402]

@Saitama / Sensei No it hasn't. Zelda is famous for constantly shifting artstyle depending on the game. Are you really about to call The Wind Waker realistic here? Sonic has generally leaned towards a more realistic artstyle ever since Sonic 3, which upped the naturalism in comparison to the surrealist zones in Sonic 1 & 2, and most games in the 2000s expounded upon this art direction. People viewing the series from the outside looking in seem to have this vision of Sonic that begins and ends with Green Hill Zone, it's about going fast in a cartoon world saving animals, when for most of its life Sonic games have tried to lean in a more serious, realistic tone. The whole point is to add contrast to Sonic as a character. He's often thrown into scenarios pitted up against gods and monsters and otherworldly deities alongside people who allow the seriousness of the situation to overwhelm them. Sonic, meanwhile, is the unflappable, fun-loving beacon of light to rally around, and the contrast he provides to a more realistic setting compounds that role.

[@flamingosarerad9362]

Guys look into the game sonic battle specifically. It’s not really cell shaded actually but it’s very bold and stylistic. Would have been fucking sick for s game like this. Think viewtiful joe maybe

[@darknessinside6646]

i'm still confused why they decided to make the graphics realistic

[@i.m.evilhomer5084]

Yeah... They should've stuck to the stylized look of Sonic Unleashed & Generation or go back to something in the middle like with Adventure 2 & Heroes.

[@WH250398]

Sonic has to be edgy and dark according to fanboys. A hedgehog wearing shoes that eats chilidogs needs to be dark and serious.

[@Kaidantonio333]

trying to get to that mass demographic that only care if a game has the latest most realistic graphics, and maybe a story with cutscenes that make them cry their tear ducts out every 5 minutes.

[@Prime_Legend]

@@i.m.evilhomer5084 Unleashed in particular, Adventure 1 and 2 were realistic, even generations had a lot of realism

[@lunaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

so they could reuse assets from their failed MMO relaunch

[@LockeTheCole]

I gotta disagree with your summary... They cracked it in just the same way as this with Sonic Adventure 1... IE, they had a good template for future Sonic games. Problem is, they never properly built on it, and instead narrowed it down to what worked, sort of, and left it at that, tossing gimmicks at that design instead of actually expanding on and refining it. I expect the same thing will happen here...

[@Graphomite]

so sick of _"this could be really good next time"_ excuse for Sonic Team. I'm done assuming they are capable of improving upon their bad-to-mid formulas. They haven't genuinely broke ground since Sonic 3. It's clear the devs simply don't have the necessary skills.

[@pinktrutle1490]

No. This game had a low budget and 60 people working on it.

[@chrisnichols9014]

@@pinktrutle1490 Doesn't matter. Sonic Team has made too many bad games over the years.

[@pinktrutle1490]

They are collecting feedback about Sonic frontiers,this Will be the fórmula for next games,and the formula's changes of other Sonic games are sega's fault

[@mintcake2668]

Holy shit that pop in is something else.

[@PlanterSanSama]

They literally just took the PSO2 engine and threw some old assets at it with a few new ones and prayed it would work.

[@sonic1shadow1silver]

What the hell you talking about??? PSO2 is not on The Hedgehog Engine 2 like Frontiers

[@mechadeka]

@@sonic1shadow1silver Todd Howard can call his Gamebryo hack whatever he wants, but it's still Gamebryo.

[@elitereptilian200]

that opem world level design reminds me of me as a adhd kid trying to build something out of random lego blocks..

[@ADHDad]

Give yourself a little more credit than whoever did this, at least you were building something on purpose even if it was made of random parts.

[@R04D3X]

I agree for most of the review however in regards to the story you could not be more wrong on this. this is the best sonic story we've had in so long, so long to the point where we have takes of people saying that "sonic shouldn't have a story" when it was one of the most prominent thing in the most beloved sonic games SA1 and SA2. this is the best written we've seen these characters in years and while yes they do just talk to eachother at least the dialogue and conversations are actually meaningful this time. I know you aren't a sonic fan so I can see why you wouldn't see that but to anyone familiar with previous games these conversations are a true joy

[@redrobins731]

Basically, it's only good because it's been so bad for so long. So it's not truly good on its own terms -- just by comparison to what came before.

[@R04D3X]

@@redrobins731 no I still disagree on that point too

[@mlgcactus1035]

I think for most players the story is ok, but for sonic fans its amazing because of, "resons"

[@bruhtholemew]

@@R04D3X That's kind of what you're saying though. It's been over a decade since SA2. How many Sonic games have their been since then? Even then, SA2's story isn't something amazing.

[@GothamThotSlayer]

@@redrobins731 so much focus and energy on people who enjoy the game which makes yall say dumb shit like this just because your echo chamber isn't getting any bigger kn how you originally feel about sonic games in general. You can't define the community like that. People will like games for what they are and sometimes they will not like the game cuz they played it and think it's bad. Why is it such a big deal to yall if the game overall was met with positivity than the toxicity you guys are dishing out?

[@staticshock4239]

You want to know what's crazy about this game? Sonic Team fought extremely hard to get an extra year of development time from the Sega higher ups. Sega really never gives Sonic Team the time to make the games they want to make. Really Sonic Team has had a history of games getting rushed all the way back to Sonic 3 since Sonic 3 and Knuckles was always meant to be one complete game but because of time, it got split into 2 games.

[@Antroz0197]

There's some valid criticism in this video, like the pop-in and the overuse of mechanical geometry for platforming instead of building it into the locale. But some of it makes no sense, like the camera wasn't the issue with the chemical plant runs I'm sorry. Also still don't get how people miss the part about the islands being intentionally barren and lifeless. It's very much an intentional, story-based contrast to the lively, colorful worlds Sonic's run through before and in cyberspace.

[@desoaable]

"like the camera wasn't the issue with the chemical plant runs I'm sorry." This, the moment he missed that rails I said to myself, definitely skill issue right there.

[@Gabbagool86]

I've played plenty of games with locations purposely Barron and forgotten over time but they still managed to design contextual experiences around that aspect. Take the Tony hawk Pro Skater series for example they took real world places and turned them into skate parks. They merged the two elements into one coherent experience. Sonic team hasn't really even attempted to do that this time around.

[@Antroz0197]

@@desoaable I swear this review proves why sonic team automates so much of their games, it's because otherwise you get stuff like this

[@Antroz0197]

@@Gabbagool86 I agree I don't think it's the best execution but it's an intentional thematic decision to contrast with where Sonic's already been vs where he is now

[@desoaable]

@@Antroz0197 exactly, from what I seen from this review. Ralph basically try to complete the game as soon as possible so he can put out a video about it, instead of actually learn and understand how to play the game properly. It's funny how game reviewer supposed to be unbiased, but feels like he purposefully nitpicking the game because he can't even play the game properly.

[@TheKeksmuzh]

The one thing Sonic Team will never do is iterate on good ideas. They’ll throw the baby out with the bath water like they have for the past 20 years.

[@pinktrutle1490]

Then why did we have the boost formula for 10 years straight 🤔

[@vizhique473]

9:37 what I would've hoped for as well, would've made the open world more lively, but the problem lies in Sonic himself. Sonic games are about reaction speed and visibility; to try and blend interactive elements in to the world would mean a loss in visual clarity and increased clutter - the reason rails, boosts and jump pads are always consistent is because players need to be able to identify where they're supposed to go quickly, as they may only have a few moments to react, the only exception being highlight elements, which are often pretty obvious, but also shown on screen for longer and even then, often occurs automatically after the player jumps off a pretty recognisable ramp or ledge We also have to consider the open world itself, some things aren't possible without additional elements to justify their existence, like vines needing trees, or cliffs supporting structures that would have once been floating - that's a lot of stuff on the ground that can stop you in your path, and even more stuff to make it more difficult to see where to go and what path you should take. remember, at speeds like that, players struggle to turn outside of plain environments, you'll almost never see anything obstructing the view of the next 100m in a runner section (aside from QTE interactions) because its frustrating and difficult The issue of pop-in would also worsen, as even more elements need to be loaded in Ultimately, though it would be great to have, it's not currently feasible for Sonic to be in a good open-world game as the speed portion of the character would be compromised, so for now, they should stick to attempting iconic and action-packed levels rather than subjecting players to a subpar open-world experience, perhaps an open world could be in QTEs, where in sections of levels, Sonic can pick different routes that could even have impacts on the rest of the game, a branching story if you will, where you may end up playing different levels as a result of your choices

[@BWMagus]

Eh, yes, games need to make it clear what can and cannot be interacted with, and Sonic needs it even more, I agree. But that doesn't mean it has to look the exact fucking same at all times. I mean, why even have biomes then? Why not make ONE biome, and make it look more interesting? The rails could at least look like pieces are missing or broken, requiring jumping off and around, instead of just random floating crap.

[@runawaywolf2570]

Grindrails done right? Look at Crash 4. Jungle levels have vines. greasemonkey and manmade structure dense levels have metal rails. It makes sense. Heck even grinding through a time and space rift has a thematically appropriate ethereal light beam!

[@samcandles]

Every sonic game before this one does that too lol

[@skullerclawerbandicoot7966]

So your telling us something Sonics long done? Tell me you never played any Sonic game without telling me you never played any Sonic game

[@matthewbraith0411]

Too bad the grinding in crash 4 sucked.

[@jayceallen6530]

Sonic did this shit in adventure 2 and yet they couldnt make any unique structures for this games environments and it sucks

[@brimbles4999]

feel if sonic team drew more from what made banjo-kazooies open levels work they couldve gotten a lot more out of what they made but it seems sega just isnt interested in hiring/funding people with actual vision of where to take the franchise (also how is it in the past decade whenever sonic team isnt involved in a sonic project it turns out great like mania and the films?)

[@DukeFavre]

Empty lifeless map. It's a very honest review. Thank you.

[@jeremymack6241]

The camera and loose controls are the biggest hurdle for this game feeling great to play. It goes from frustrating to good depending on the situation. I really wish the 3D movement here felt as tight as both adventure games.

[@calistusjay60]

You can customize his controls though? And the camera.

[@TheCDelX]

Holy Hell does the World ever NOT fit the Style to expected from a Sonic Game. This looks like something that anyone could cough up in U5 in a couple of Hours.

[@ThePokestopPapi]

Even the folks using Dreams made a better Sonic game than this 😂

[@YHUAN01]

Sonic has no set style with the artstyle. Actual lemmings who don't even know the whole point of Sonic was to blend reality with the cartoon aspect of Sonic. Since day 1.

[@jasonnguyen1072]

Welcome to 3D Sonic, that’s what most Sonic games’ art style look like since Sonic 06.

[@Therealones745]

@@ThePokestopPapi bullshit

[@brycebitetti1402]

@@jasonnguyen1072 What reviewers don't seem to realize is that Sonic games have been pushing more realism and story focus since Sonic 3. That game took a much more naturalistic approach to its art direction in comparison to the first two games, and the game's story was pretty well presented for a platformer in 1993, with level transitions and short mid-level cutscenes to drive home that it was a cohesive world.

[@jonbeecee]

Defense squad here, just wanna chime in with a few cents. First of all I think this is a valid, thought-out review and says a lot of things that NEEDED to be said. More Sonic fans need to see this video so they can get some outside perspective. But it works both ways--more casual audiences need to get a bit of perspective from Sonic fans, and Frontiers kinda needs to be evaluated in context Tl;Dr this is probably the best Sonic game directed by Morio Kishimoto in terms of story, voice acting, writing, ambition, and gameplay. The characters themselves are at their peak here. Cyberspace is getting off too easy tho cuz a lot of Sonic fans are not impressed with it. SEGA is more at fault than Sonic Team, and Sonic Team seriously needs more budget and manpower. If Sonic Team improves this formula for the next one, it'll be a mastapeece Long version: If you know the basic ins and outs of Sonic Unleashed, Colors, Generations, Lost World, and Forces, it makes you realize just how much this game does and how much it improved over EVERYTHING since Generations (especially Forces, the previous installment to Frontiers). We haven't had a Sonic title this ambitious since Unleashed in 2008 I strongly disagree with the critique on the characters. I'd say this is their BEST portrayal since the mid 2000s. For the past decade, the games have had writers that don't really understand what makes the characters tick, and they come across as one-dimensional and overly quippy, constantly making shitty jokes. Frontiers got the lead comic book writer, Ian Flynn, who REALLY knows the material and the character dynamics. Frontiers is more somber and does take itself a bit seriously, but NO game has been like that since 2009, and Sonic fans have really missed this tone. The more laidback performances are a HUGE breath of fresh air, it feels like a return to form. The cutsceces are pretty boring visually though The cyberspace levels are...fine. Sonic controls worse here than the open world and WAY worse than previous installments. Many of the level designs are ripped straight from other games, even Sonic Adventure 2. Cyberspace is basically a guttted version of Generations. The environments may be bright, but there's only 4 aesthetics, and 2 of them have been present in nearly EVERY title since 2011. We've literally gotten Green Hill in every game for the past decade, and at this point it's visually exhausting. With the open world, Sonic clashing with the environment is kind of the point. These mysterious islands are supposed to be where the chaos emeralds were originally made, they're meant to look foreign and Sonic is SUPPOSED to look out of place. I heard the open world "jungle gym" level design was added later in development after the landscapes had already been created, which explains...a lot. I also heard the last 2 islands were originally part of the first island so they just split it up, so it's clear they had to cut corners mid development. The producer, Takashi Izuka, had to BEG SEGA to get one more year of development, so imagine this thing coming out a year ago. And Frontiers has had the longest dev cycle of ANY Sonic game: 5 years If you want a short rundown of the last few games from a fan perspective, here ya go: Unleashed: introduced the boost gameplay. Amazing level design with speed and flow, great level length. Werehog combat was solid but felt out of place and those levels were too long Colors: Kishimoto game. Much slower than Unleashed, very stop and go level design, mostly 2D. Big focus on gimmicks, reduced Sonic's moveset. New writers, dialogue took a nosedive. Good enough game though Generations: Excellent game, refined version of Unleashed. Level design is a bit more stop and go but still very fast. Levels a little shorter than Unleashed. No werehog this time Lost World: Kishimoto game. Completely changed the gameplay formula after Generations instead of building upon what Gens nearly perfected. No one asked for this, literally why? Forces: Kishimoto game. Retroactively shoehorned Lost World gameplay and physics back into to boost gameplay. Levels are very short, heavily automated, and some can be beaten with one hand. Sonic's moveset is greatly reduced. Takes 2 hours to beat. No ambition whatsoever, every aspect was completely phoned in Hope this infodump was helpful :)

[@AstonishingRed]

I kinda feel like you have to earn the right to take your franchise into open world. And Sonic team never really made enough quality 3D Sonic games to justify this.

[@Soniman001]

Open world is a genre, not a fucking reward you have the “earn” the right to make, what a weird take

[@joshmay2944]

They made the best sonic game ever with Sonic Adventure 2, they should have iterated on that instead of chasing trends.

[@joshmay2944]

They made the best sonic game ever with Sonic Adventure 2, they should have iterated on that instead of chasing trends.

[@AstonishingRed]

@@Soniman001 you misunderstood my comment a bit.

[@trygveplaustrum4634]

*Honestly, it looks like it was made on Unity.*

[@mlgcactus1035]

Nah, it reminds me of those fan games where mario is in unreal engine

[@kmsproductions9572]

First time I'm really noticing when the embargo period ends. A bunch of reviews dropping just 5 minutes ago

[@leonardchurch814]

Oh boy I can’t wait to see public reception for this.

[@WH250398]

The fandom is going to bend over like usual lol

[@i.m.evilhomer5084]

Seeing as some Sonic fans are now praising Sonic '06 for some God forsaken reason (usually by those that played it as kids), I give it some time & they'll be saying it's the best game in the series in the near future.... right after Sonic Forces gets "re-evaluated" in the same vein.

[@darkscoutergamer6168]

@@i.m.evilhomer5084 nah people still don’t like 06 lol and forces is universally hated,the only games that have that change in opinion is unleashed and black knight 🤣

[@bigguschungus968]

The cope on reddit has begun

[@chelsea9641]

@@darkscoutergamer6168 I’ve always liked unleaded even back then I didn’t even know it was considered “bad” until I went online Black knights it’s still meh to me and forces….still sucks

[@Dave.A.R]

Looks a bit like a fan game from 2016 or so mixed with the original concept of Sonic06 (they were aiming for an Openworld game back then as well).

[@a.b.3455]

Especially the overworld colour pallet reminds me of those "made in unreal" fan games.

[@Dave.A.R]

@@a.b.3455 I agree! It Sonic feels a bit out of place. :'/

[@ohmygahdbilly]

I think I acfually remember a tech demo some fan made that was basically this but embarrassingly it was pretty solid compared to this.

[@marcosneves6146]

I think this might be one of the hardest transitions to pull off in gaming history, it's just how everything works, the whole sonic concept, the way the character moves, the levels are made the enviroment, and I can't imagine the struggle the devs must go through. I hope this is the begining of something like u said, but if it doesn't succeed then what impact will that have on future entries, if they even plan on it, under this concept of course. Great review once more boss 👍

[@TechBlade9000]

They're doomed so long as they worked for SEGA I want you remind you not even Sonic 1 was free of rush and crunch, it simply survived better due to be a fundmentally simplier game due to hardware And the damnning fact that Frontiers was delayed, delayed before it was even teased after Iizuka begged SEGA for 1 more year

[@m1ichi]

On one hand I agree, but on the other I fondly regard sonic heroes to be one of my favourite games growing up and I can't see why they can't just replicate something like that again. It just feels like they don't really care enough for the franchise, stuff like the well dated graphics imply to me that they're just cashing in on the fandom and die hard fans with minimal effort almost like all the AAA corpos pumping out "on-going development live service titles", I happen to know a sonic fanatic who will probably buy this simply off the premise sonic > cognitive thinking, I assume there's enough of a fanbase and market that Sega know they can just keep pumping out crap like this and get away with it.

[@miscellaneousmedia3753]

the thing is, Sonic games have gone through so many concepts, and the fanbase is so widely spread and divided on what they want, that it is impossible at this point to put out a mainline Sonic game that will please the majority of the fanbase

[@Eskimo_iio]

It's just Mario Galaxy with Sonic gameplay.

[@steven_lobo]

I really dont see this way. Mario 3D World provided a good blueprint for how a 3D Sonic could work with the level "The Great Goal Pole". What I think that is the problem is that they don't want to go back to a more simple and contained 3D style game. They keep doing these kind of Sonic games with poor game design, gameplay, many uncontrollable on rails sections, with combat that you just click to focus on an enemy and click to hit basically automatically, that Sonic acts like a stupid hero teenager in a game made for kids, instead of an overral art and game direction that would make the game appeal to players of all ages, like the Mario games. Sonic doesnt have this kind of global appeal like Mario, at least not the 3D games. I remember when I played this level "The Great Goal Pole" of the Super Mario 3D World game, and I instantly thought "Oh my God, this would be a great Sonic game, I would play an entire games with levels like this". Instead, we have these stupid Sonic Boom, Sonic Colors, Sonic Generations, I hate all these games, they are all bad in so many ways...