Sonic Superstars is a Ton of Fun, Mostly - Full First Playthrough

[@runningoncylinders3829]

If Sonic gets enough Medals you can call him Medal Sonic!

[@Directsandarchive3020]

Gotta be honest, I did not expect this video to be so positive, it's nice to see. Glad you had fun, that's the most important thing in any game, at least to me.

[@justinterry7853]

Lol it has caught me offguard too Usually he's been one to point out more critiques

[@LeafRazorStorm]

32:28 Great Knuckles impression!

[@gamanzhiydanil]

I put it on a loop, it's great!

[@igirjei3717]

It's so funny to me that the moderately surprised "oh no" in response to mere visual stimuli sounded almost 1-to-1 with knux's reaction to taking a hedgehog's full weight at high speed to the face

[@nuggets283]

The thing that many people take issue with superstars is that it's not doing anything substantial to innovate the classic formula, which is not a bad thing of course... but having games like Advance 3 that expand upon the classic formula on a fundamental level, Superstars makes many people wish we've gotten something different. The problem with this argument is that Classic Sonic is not really limited to doing all of that cool stuff, Classic Sonic should just be an art-style, a different take on Sonic, but I assume Sonic team would feel more comfortable on just doing a Classic game that plays it safe rather than innovating the brand in a new way that may or may not jell with people.

[@Gnidel]

I think one safe game is a good thing for the current moment because people wanted Mania but original. Innovation could come later when we'll get used to being outside Green Hill.

[@nuggets283]

@@Gnidel that's true, but they're really making it out to be like the focus of the franchise will be Modern games will be 3D and Classic games will be 2D. But still, it's not like they can pull Advance 4 or Rush 3 right, if anything I'm glad they're trying to give Classic and Modern fans their piece of cake, now not forcing "nostalgia" Besides I think that games should not be judged for what they aren't, and while I haven't played Superstars, it would be stupid to say that the game is bad because it ain't a sequel to any of DIMPS'es games

[@YourFavoriteDakimakura]

Well I mean the main difference here is that Superstars has good level design and Advance 3 has really poor level design.

[@nicolascarmona3081]

​@@YourFavoriteDakimakuranah thats just skill issue

[@heroicgangster9981]

Also the arguments against Classic Sonic is that the Classic Sonic brand is seen as limiting compared to Modern Sonic. It's not really about the quality but more so people seeing Classic Sonic as giving lesser than Modern Sonic and it could be argued that way. Mainly because YEAH the Sonic brand is popular the way it is because the characters are very interesting for a franchise about quirky anthropomorphic animals. The lore is messy but the storytelling is engaging for a lot of fans from the Modern Era. People wanted Sonic Superstars to be the next 2D Modern game because the DIMPS Sonic Advance and Rush games were a thing. Sonic Superstars to those people could be seen as another cool entry that has a new character and setting to cover ground with servicable intriguing writing for those fans. To me, it's an interesting discussion to be made on what people take from the Sonic franchise. Yeah Sonic Superstars is a great game, but one can argue that the Classic format kinda restricts the characters from the way the Classic format emphasizes little to no dialogue or even text boxes for characters. People might've wanted to see Trip's animation with a distinct voice or tone to her speech scenes. Mainly because Classic Sonic hasn't really tried to see how their characters would be with voices or text. People are bitter against Classic Sonic because it feels like a debatably more held back Sonic for character moments and story opportunities.

[@Pariah6950]

This is what I referred to when saying I don't like how they handle Classic Sonic. If done differently, by being willing to evolve beyond the Genesis games, I think Classic could have just as, if not more compelling stories and characters.

[@heroicgangster9981]

@@Pariah6950 From your Classic Sonic lore video, I like how more neutral and quiet that Sonic is. That Sonic sells the picture of a straight forward hero of justice for freedom. To me, the only silent Sonic character should be Sonic himself while the other characters fill in whatever story stuff is going on in order to sell the story albeit most of the time more simple than his modern counterpart. So kinda just making Classic Sonic the Ryu Hayabusa of those kinda grand but still relatively whimsical storylines hahaha! The OVA kinda captured what Classic Sonic is to me in terms of having a story that is just fun and has cool and cute moments in a vibrant cartoony world.

[@funhow123]

I’m gonna be honest I really love this presentation and style of the game I know it may be a hot take but sonic and friends look super expressive and I really like trip and their new design (also I really love dragons so it’s cool)

[@legoboy7107]

I like autoscrollers. They just have to be done right, and the scrolling has to be at least brisk in pace rather than abysmally slow. One level I really like in the fangame Newer Super Mario Bros. Wii is an autoscrolling airship in World 8 that's a direct reference to 8-Airship from Mario 3, in this level the autoscrolling is a core part of the challenge, because it scrolls REALLY fast and that's part of the whole gimmick of the level. You have to constantly be on your toes and keep up with the pace of the scrolling and it's really fun and intense. However, autoscrollers that are painfully slow such that there's many moments where you're just waiting and doing nothing for a bit are what suck, a good autoscroller is one that is designed such that moments like that _never_ happen and that the whole challenge of keeping up with the scrolling is actually, well, a _challenge._

[@esdrasImayInotguy3481]

It's pretty fun to watch your Classic Sonic gameplay

[@kaxcommentssomethingREAL]

i really enjoy the enemy variety this game has! they even brought back the REAL splats, with the springy leg and stuff, it's so cute!

[@CanaldoZenny]

This game is exact what they promised: a new classic Sonic game made by Naoto Ohshima. Nothing more, nothing less. It has the same "quirks" as other Sonic games with heavy involvement of mr Ohshima, like Sonic 1 and CD, and the game design at times feels stuck in the 90's, with cheap deaths and trial and error level design. But for the most part is a good game, and the level design is better than what I was expecting (I had zero hype for this game).

[@Gnidel]

I really wanted "Mania but original" and this game is exactly that. Well, they screwed up bosses badly, but other than that it's what I really wanted. And I think the level design might be the best among the classics.

[@backlogpanic]

Fun playthrough, and fun impressions! Sky, Sand, & Cyber being single acts with an Act 1 label probably would have lead me to look for secret exits on those stages as a kid, as that implies that there is more. Not unprecedented either, with Hidden Palace in Sonic 2, so kinda confusing if there isn't. Also, feels disappointed that there isn't at least 1 Trip- boss, if only because of the "Trio of Trouble" marketing. She could have been shoved or bumbled into one of Fangs mechs and been freaking out in the cockpit pulling levers, giving the boss a frantic pattern.

[@TheRecklessGamerINC]

Ahh Pariah, once again you give us a treat. Writing this as I start the video but I had a few big problems with the game. I played both single and multiplayer back to back but I’ll just watch and save my thoughts for when I’m done. I did find the game fun but some things were really glaringly bad.

[@NIMPAK1]

Auto-scrollers are meant to be a positioning/reaction challenge that treat the edge of the screen as an obstacle in and off itself. I generally don't mind the Mario 3 airships or 1-5 in Yoshi's Island, but for the most part auto-scrollers (especially in Mario games) are just too slow, aren't difficult in the slightest and generally have long stretches where nothing is going on. It's especially bad now since platforming games have become more synonymous with speedrunning over score attack or even survival. Personally, I'd be fine with them if they were just way faster and really tested your positioning and reaction timing skills by giving you more crap to dodge and make the sides of the screen a more prevalent obstacle instead of just being a wall that prevents you from getting to your goal. Maybe the sides of the screen have spikes on them which also occasionally shoot at you.

[@nothinghere8434]

I faintly remember a soft autoscroller in NSMBWii where I was stuck on an elevator platform and forced to repeatedly dodge indestructible spike balls that kept rolling back and forth, with more being added over time. That was a pretty good "fixed pace" autoscroller. Rayman Legends put another spin on it where you are simply allowed to go as fast as you want, so only being too slow is punished. It has an interesting quirk where you can get yourself into tricky situations by going so fast that once you do a mistake it's not easy to correct things.

[@greatdevourskeleton7685]

to be honest i think auto scrollers would be better if one side of the screen is moving in but the other side is free basiclly allowing you to skip it if your good enough at the platformer, or i belive they did this in lost world may be wrong have the auto scroller follow you

[@NIMPAK1]

@@nothinghere8434 Are you talking about the music levels in Rayman Legends? I would probably consider those more auto-runners than auto-scrollers. I feel like those are generally more accepted than auto-scrollers because they're generally faster and in the case of Rayman Legends, are absolutely brilliant in terms of presentation. The main difference is that you're usually only in one position of the screen (for example, if the screen is scrolling left to right, you'd be on the left side of the screen so you can anticipate obstacles coming from the right). With an auto-scroller, you could take advantage of this by adding traps if they stay on one side of the screen for too long.

[@nothinghere8434]

@@NIMPAK1 There are other levels in that game that are autoscrollers, but not music levels, though they have the same scrolling firewall mechanic to keep you moving. From the top of my head, I think the levels in the first world you need to complete to unlock the Babarian princesses are the ones coming to mind.

[@jubbalub]

To explain the "air drag" thing: from what I can tell, the speed cap while jumping has been drastically increased, and has reduced drag on top of that. It's most noticeable when spindash jumping, compare the classics/Mania to Superstars and it's very easy to tell the difference. Also, the hammer rush has different physics than regular movement. You can run up slopes with it no problem.

[@Micomi_Bite]

I'm guessing the reason they let you pick whether to skip the character-specific acts (like how you skipped Act Sonic at around 18 minutes in) is due to the multiplayer aspect and making sure to give the players the choice of waiting for one person to play through the act before everyone resumes together or not. But it's easy to see how it's easily skipped due to not being super clear. Anyways, I think the game looks pretty cool! I look forward to picking it up at some point and giving it a go.

[@JasonGodwin69]

Sonic Superstars reminded people real Classic Sonic is a mindset, not an art style.

[@Izak_Klark]

For many bosses, the chaos powers do work. Sometimes even when you yourself can't reach it. That should be taken into account when trying to shorten cycles. You kept trying to fight them the normal way. That water boss could have been done in less than half the time with a combination of powers. I thought you'd jump on that idea immediately with how you hate the bosses in Sonic games. I like how every time you mention the music not being great (except Egg Fortress), it's always the Jun Senoue tracks. I have a feeling you didn't know beforehand. No flight cancel, but you can descend more quickly by holding down. Tails's tails are a hitbox, you just bumped into the enemy when it became a projectile. Also, I got pretty frustrated when you didn't turn super for the Cyber boss and then immediately lost your rings 🤣 I think the whole "high route low route" philosophy wasn't used for this game because of how the level design almost constantly pushes you up and down. Good job getting halfway through the game! Now for Trip, because her level hazards and the enemy/boss aggression and AI are all toned up and remixed and she gets some of her own routes. Plus she goes through all the character exclusive acts. It's an & Knuckles situation.

[@Pariah6950]

Honestly, I just forgot about the Chaos powers when it came to the bosses lol.

[@mayoat.y]

Chaos powers definitely helped a lot in some bosses but there's just a lot of bosses that hang out in the background it's so annoying

[@oscarkambouris2212]

The metal boss fight is your fighting robot in the battle mode, so it could be mecha Sonic, Metal Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy and Trip

[@ceeece]

The game is a blast once it is over and you play through again using the emerald powers. The game is designed like classic games where you had to memorize the patterns and do it in one sitting with extra lives and continues. I hated the bosses when I was playing them. But the more I had to replay the bosses I learned the patterns and it became easier the more I played. That was really satisfying. I still wish there were checkpoints between stages of the boss fights.

[@4rttyzz575]

While I agree that some of them take too long, I like that the bosses are an actual threat now, but I actually think the minibosses are better than the Eggman bosses. The bosses in classic games mostly takes 8 hits to defeat. My way of making the bosses better would be: -Keep the minibosses how they are (they have an attack sequence and are defeated in 3 hits) -Make the eggman bosses have an attack sequence and be defeated in 4 hits -Make the final bosses (eggman, fang and the dragon) have an attack sequence and be defeated on 8 hits (4 hits on first phase, 4 on second phase) Ngl tho, while having some complaints (not much), I really like Superstars, they should bring Evening Star back to make a sequel honestly.

[@Laekith]

2:25:21 "Welcome to the Fantasy Zone (real), get ready!"

[@Pirate_Knight27]

I unironically love autoscrolling levels in platformers! It adds a good level of intensity if done right. Then again, I am also a shoot em up game fan, and that’s basically auto scroller personified as a genre so it’s not a huge surprise.

[@zeyadamr5169]

Biggest thing holding it back for me is the price, superstars feels like the game you'd love playing on a handheld back in the 3Ds and gameboy days along the lines of sonic advance and rush, not a 60 dollar game, I do appreciate the fact we have completely original level designs, bosses and a new character too tbf, I can tell they seriously tried a lot with this game

[@saffie_taffie]

I’m really happy someone else enjoys this game as much as I do. I love the classics but I had heard a lot of bad things about this game so I avoided it. But my sister, who’s also a big Sonic fan, borrowed it from the library and we played it together. I had such a fun time with the game! I definitely recommend this game for anyone who’s a fan of the classics.

[@Faceu7745]

Based description ngl

[@Far2Sega4U]

You never changed the design of your custom robot so the Cyber Station boss stayed as the prototype. It affects when they appear in the background too

[@runningoncylinders3829]

Cossack Citadel 3 is my favorite autoscroll stage just because Mega Man doesn’t really do that kind of thing. The theme is also fun to listen to.

[@sHART1780]

Kind of shallow, but my biggest problem with the game is the feel the visuals give. The smooth edges and "soft" look dont remind me of classic sonic. Its not edgy or cool feeling.

[@grthjryrd7552]

Btw amy makes this game a thousand times better

[@sackboyjr0775]

1:48 lol

[@loading....001]

Y'know... I'm just glad it wasn't green hill as the first stage... sure, same feeling, but it's not the same kind of style, it's more broken up and ancient, and the 11 levels with, I think, 7 being 3 stage zones feels different in a good way, the 2-stage layout with a boss at the end of the second act is good enough, but this is nice... Also, the character specific cutscene stages are very fun, especially love the Golden level's Knuckles stage having Fang steal your stuff like Knuckles did all the way back in 3+K

[@Aktedya1-jt7vw]

Has anyone else noticed that the Big Ring sound effect is just a regular Ring sound now unlike 3K and Mania?

[@grthjryrd7552]

only reasonable and good video on this, same with the description. sonic fans got that brainrot

[@heroicgangster9981]

YOO???!!! I didn't know you could zero gravity attack the final boss. I kinda like how Sonic games (most of the time even if I liked Update 3) have beatable bosses for players who only just understood the basic means to beat the boss and especially for the players who tries everything they can to get a better time or something. For my own thoughts on the game. Yeah it's a good 2D Sonic game! It accomplishes being a modern aged classic Sonic game pretty well and is an easily engaging game start to finish. Honestly my only gripes is that it could really do so much more than what a Classic Sonic game could do. Like I really do hope Classic Sonic becomes more ambitious like Sega tried to do for their Sega Saturn era of Classic Sonic (especially in music). And that I hope Classic Sonic doesn't steal ALLLL the 2D Sonic games, to me Classic Sonic is a different aesthetic and mindset for Sonic. Not just the 2D gameplay and silent voiced storylines. I wouldn't mind seeing a 3D Classic Sonic game. Minimum Sonic Superstars is 7/10. At most 8.5 because it's the first 2D Sonic game I see myself very much getting into the exploration.

[@heroicgangster9981]

I kinda want a video where you explain what you want more from Classic Sonic. Because to me I think Classic Sonic can be used very well as just a more whimsical more funny/fun centered storytelling of Sonic. Vibrant aestheticss. Like the Sonic OVA or Mario rpgs. While Modern Sonic is more serious and has that safe EDGEEEE factor.

[@THEMARKVPROJECT]

Loved the first half of the game but level design took a nose dive after that, the bosses especially. I’m all for challenging bosses but when the challenge is instant kill attacks that come out of nowhere with no checkpoints in between phases it becomes very tedious. For once the modern game was the superior one

[@Hack_Man_VII]

I will probably play this eventually, but I'm more interested in Super Mario Wonder first.

[@spritvio639]

Can't blame you.

[@doger6531]

It’s better anyway lol

[@Tozito911]

@@doger6531nah, both are good.

[@PlaystationFreak719]

Also both for me both are 90 CAD so I'm just going to wait for Superstars to go on sale

[@KidAL0]

Pretty much everyone on a budget lmao

[@onthedre]

Not going to lie, l I like mania but... I think this art style just grabs my attention more. I immediately want to buy this game. Maybe it's because it isn't just a classic rehash again. The powerups also look very fun and unique.

[@desmo-ciel]

mania has a better artstyle that'll age better than this game's artstyle imo, its way more boring esp right after seeing the intro cutscene lol

[@dmclsl03]

@@desmo-ciel Exactly

[@AWGEplaza]

I agree, we need to let the past be the past & let the pixel format stay In the 90s. This art style is way better for modern gaming.

[@naniyotaka]

@@AWGEplaza Ugh pixel art style is not the past, it’s an art style which can be utilized pretty well. Moreover it looks 100x better than this generic mobile game looking 3D graphic. Ew.

[@adonis4449]

@@naniyotakaI don’t want that shit for a 60 dollar price tag unless it looks really good and they go all out with the mechanics and colors, in which sonic team and / or arzest will probably not do now considering the path that they’re doing with 3d. Manias art style really doesn’t do anything and I prefer a style like sonic cd and sonic 2 where it’s more grounded with that same touch of sonic surrealism. If they just make the models and cutscene animations (including the 2d ones) more high quality for the next game, then I would really really really love this game buttttt

[@yousefslimani99]

And I knew you could make a video about sonic superstars, great job

[@Laekith]

2:03:03 Rollerctoaster of a scene.

[@themissingbits6375]

2:29:50 So basically, any (non-speaking) Classic Sonic thing has the more accurate characterization since Black Knight, and that means it’s another reason why we need more Classic Sonic & why the Classic Haters are wrong… yeah, I can buy it!

[@Jbelnap510]

Ugh, I typed out a giant ass comment criticizing Classic Sonic but I think the algorithm deleted it because of something I said he should do. In short, no one is saying get rid of him because "we want more Modern Sonic" or "his eye color affects the gameplay", those are strawman arguments. I don't like Classic Sonic because I think the character is fundamentally rooted in nostalgia and is holding 2D Sonic gameplay back.

[@Pariah6950]

That's not a flaw of Classic Sonic. That's a flaw with how they handle Classic Sonic. It's what I don't like about how they treat it. There does not have to be any nostalgia behind it. Modern Sonic's been around for almost as long. Is he not rooted in nostalgia too?

[@Jbelnap510]

@@Pariah6950 It's got nothing do with how old the characters are, the Classic Sonic brand is inherently built on nostalgia, it's literally in the name. I think it's really telling that whenever I bring this argument up with people one of the go-to counter arguments is always that Classic Sonic could _theoretically_ be better, just so long as they change everything the character has stood for for the last decade and a half. Honestly I barely even consider Classic Sonic and Genesis Sonic to be the same character because they really aren't anymore. Look at the Sonic Advance games, I really like them and I know you do too. The Advance games were much better follow ups to the genesis games than Superstars or even Mania in my opinion, because those games were just as interested in innovating and moving the franchise forward as they were with preserving what made the original games so good (also I'm sorry but Amy's Sonic Advance moveset puts her Superstars moveset to shame). You mentioned how Sonic's eye color doesn't affect the gameplay, but that I think that argument works both ways, the Advance games aren't any worse off for using the modern designs. If you can make a worthy follow up to the genesis games using "Modern" Sonic, that inherently begs the question, what's the point of using "Classic" Sonic in the first place? When I say want Classic Sonic to go away, what I really mean is that Sonic should just be one character. The main reason I want "Classic" Sonic to go and "Modern" Sonic to stay is because "Modern" Sonic is perfectly capable of representing the franchise as a whole, but "Classic" Sonic cannot, and that's not a fluke, that's by design. Classic Sonic is explicitly defined by not representing anything that happened after the genesis games, at this point it's an inherent part of his brand. Classic Sonic games are more interested in telling you what they aren't doing than what they are, and that leaves me feeling cynical.

[@Pariah6950]

@@Jbelnap510 I strongly disagree that Modern Sonic can represent everything that Sonic is. That leads to it being the incoherent mess that it's been for decades. There is not one Sonic. There never has been. Just the main series of games has had many different iterations that are incompatible with one another. Hence the mess we have today. What I like about Classic Sonic is that it's a chance to go down a different path. I'm of the opinion that, starting with Adventure, the series took a wrong turn and never righted itself. Classic ignoring everything that came after is a good thing to me. It's a chance to wipe the slate clean and go back to the original iteration of Sonic. But it can't stop there. It has to branch off and progress in its own new way. A chance to see what could have been if they never made the mistakes they did. What could Sonic have become if it never mutated and, in my opinion, got worse? Meanwhile Modern can stick around and keep the good that did come from its bumpy road. Fusing the two together into one Sonic means throwing away that chance, and applying all the same bad decisions to the original Sonic that the many iterations of the series that came after suffered from. I don't want that. I want to see Classic realize its full potential because I think it could easily be the best Sonic if done right. And one other thing. The reason to use the original designs over the new ones? They're better lol.

[@Jbelnap510]

@@Pariah6950 I don't think that using the same character design for Sonic to represent different ideas is the reason his identity has become so messy, in fact I think if they made an alternate version of his character every time they wanted to take the series in a new direction it would made the problem WAY worse. Just look at how messy the Megaman franchise has gotten over the years. I don't agree with the idea that Adventure era made the series worse (though admittedly most of what came after did), Adventure 2 is far and away my favorite Sonic game, but I understand what you're saying, and honestly the direction you're describing sounds really cool to me too. However, I remained unconvinced that Classic Sonic needs to exist as his own distinct entity to make that happen. I still think the closest Sega has ever come to realizing that vision was the Sonic Advance games. For me it's not so much that I think the ideal 2D Sonic game needs to be the culmination of everything the franchise has done, so much as I think the ideal version of Sonic needs to not have shunning all the parts of the series he no longer wishes to be associated with be such an active and ongoing part of his identity. The main reason I feel so disillusioned with Classic Sonic as he's currently depicted is that kind of feels like the vibe of "don't worry, none of the bad stuff is in this game" is much more important to his identity then any of the good stuff they're actually trying to do, that's why it feels so cynical to me. I strongly suspect that one of the biggest reasons they aren't trying to realize the vision you're describing is because they're terrified that if they innovate too much, if they stray too far from "Genesis era replica" then people might not think it's Classic Sonic anymore. So they play it safe instead, and I hate it when games play it safe. Also I very strongly disagree about the character designs. I think the modern designs in a 2D artstyle is the most expressive and visually striking the characters have ever looked (plus Classic Amy's design is kind of sexist). I think if they ever made a Modern Sonic game with high end 2D graphics it could easily be one of the most visually appealing games in the series.

[@Pariah6950]

@@Jbelnap510 I've been thinking about doing a video on this kind of thing. A lot of the community, and Sega at this point, seem to want a single Sonic. One consolidated from all the disparate versions into a single clear thing that makes sense. I don't want this. These different visions for Sonic fundamentally do not fit together in most cases. And trying to force them to means compromising all of them and turning them into some frankenstein abomination. Instead, I want to see several, completely separate iterations of Sonic. Allow each to be their own thing and hone in on their own strengths. No one complains that TMNT has a dozen different iterations. Because they're all separate and doing their own thing. It's a problem with Sonic because when they change direction, somehow the new version that doesn't resemble the old version at all is supposed to be the same thing. Hence people complaining about characterization, tone shifts, etc. To me, Classic is a way to bring back the original vision of Sonic that faded away over time. Modern is where the big shounen anime stories can go. I don't want the Freedom Fighters in the games. I want them in a SatAM season 3, where they belong. Those kinds of things. It's impossible to make one Sonic that will please everyone. So don't.

[@8BitCutman]

I’m so glad Pariah did the same thing I did and accidentally skipped Act Sonic in speed jungle. I thought I was just dumb lol

[@blahbliff9726]

Finally beat this today so I can finally watch. You GOTTA get on time attacking this game, the leaderboards are WIDE open. I got a number one the other day. No bosses btw, or chaos emeralds!

[@NineTwentyThreeTwentyThree]

Very hesitant to pick up this game. However, I trust you on your opinions on Sonic games as they tend to reflect my own. I'll check it out and hope its at least good enough to replay and have fun with.

[@noobbox9113]

you should definitely make a video on all the 2d Mario games!

[@WeeklyTubeShow2]

Super weird and out-of-place Lite Brite section in the sky temple level. 🤨

[@toonpik7]

This game is so interesting in how it’s just the NSMB of Sonic.

[@antoniosipalo1671]

Hey Pariah i have a question for you, If Sonic were to ever get a new anime, which anime studio would you want it to be.

[@Pariah6950]

Trigger. Easy pick.

[@antoniosipalo1671]

@@Pariah6950 for me personally, it's either David productions or Studio Bones.

[@nos8141]

​@Eriko.Christy those are western off shoot comics. There has not been Sonic Manga, for some time.

[@ДенисПечёнкин-х7д]

It should be Marza. They are main CGI development group for Sega, they made Sonic Unleashed opening and Lupin III: The First

[@satan-kun8974]

@@Pariah6950trigger was the first thing to come to mind

[@mayoat.y]

The game is just kinda meh to be honest. The level design is very mixed and more inclined to being bad most of the time and there are too many gimmicks, the soundtrack is just very forgettable besides bridge island, speed jungle, pinball carnival act 1 and press factory act 1. It's just a kinda dissapointing game specially since a lot of stages are a bit too long and my god these are the absolute worst bosses in the entire franchise I can't believe I have to wait like 40 seconds just to get a single hit on the boss

[@jessehcreative]

Exactly. Well said. My main issue is that the game is too long in general. Genesis Sonic did it right the first time.

[@mayoat.y]

Wanna come back to this statement. I think better of this game after replaying mania and superstars. It's still not fantastic but I appreciate the things it gets right

[@ToastyCubes]

I am so happy you ended up enjoying the game, to be honest I was worried you wouldn't like it.

[@CassiusStelar]

you take turns in special stages. swap every 3 launches for 2p, every 2 for 3p, and every 1 for 4p.

[@JonyPlayz1]

This is a great video. The positivity is wholesome lol

[@THECptTODD]

I'm really enjoying Pariah's "Oh No's"

[@S.omeone618]

One thing they could do with pointdexter badniks is that they would keep their guard up as long as you're near them and you have to actually surprise attack them They could do a lot of things with the Badniks

[@NRalter]

I'ma wait til the game is on sale to buy it honestly. The game looks great, but I'm much more of 3D Sonic than 2D

[@DonutSwordsman]

I love that the first level sounds like sonic robo blast 2

[@paulwilliams5949]

One thing to point out there is a super sonic final boss you have to beat trip story to unlock it

[@ChaddyFantome]

I can't be the only one that feels Cyber Station sounds like NiGHTS right? Actually blowing my mind the idea someone never played through the Super Mario bros games. o.O Will definitely be interesting.

[@Hyp3rSonic]

I must be the one of the few peopl who doesn't hate autoscrollers. But i do understand why they are hated

[@DoritoGOD2811]

The animated cutscenes where the characters "talk" look so bad without any sound coming out of their mouth

[@kibbybipps]

i havent watched the whole video yet so maybe you know already, but amys hammer rush gives you sonic 4-like physics so you can run up slopes strangely easily. i think the only way to learn that is just by chance

[@franksharps1677]

Pariah, I want to see that sonic physics breakdown video

[@HydraBread]

You’re curious how multiplayer works? It’s like new super mario bros bubbling, the person furthest right seems to be the “lead” so people get sent there. I tried with 4 people and it is HORRIBLE. They should have used the split screen they coded for battle mode because every couple of seconds you get sent to someone else lmao. Their system doesn’t work well in a Sonic game as you expect

[@Pariah6950]

Better solution. Tether everyone together lol.

[@aortaplatinum]

I'm very surprised at your reception to this, it's very subpar IMO, especially the music, bosses, and godawful 2D animation that looks like a 1st pass compared to Mania and Origins' animation. It's not BAD, but it's nowhere near what I'd expect from a Mania follow-up 6 years after the fact. And there's also some pretty lame 3D animation, especially for the bosses- I don't know if you noticed the final boss's shoulder armor clipping through it's body with every movement. This was definitely developed by the guys who made Yoshi's New Island... Regardless, it's aight. Reminds me of Dimps' handheld Sonic games, like Advance 2 and 3 or Rush Adventure... but THOSE weren't full price. And they took advantage of the hardware they were on. And looked really good and had 100% banger soundtracks and didn't have weird LEGO cross-promotions- like if Mania was Rush, Superstars is Rivals I do really like that you can cheese the bosses with the Wisp- I mean Emerald powers. The one that dashes in a fireball like Burst is probably gonna be a mainstay of speedruns. Like it sucks the bosses are the way they are but the Emeralds add enough depth to circumvent their shittiness. I also REALLY like some of these stage gimmicks, bouncing off the walls in zero G and the reversed time in act 2 of Egg Fortress is sick as hell, and it's music makes up for Jun Senoue slamming his hands on a YM2612 keyboard for the boss music in the first half of the game. Oh and I wanted to point out, at 41:54 regarding Super forms- it's not that Sonic is the ONLY one who can go Super, Tails Amy and Knuckles all can and anyone probably can, Origins confirms that with all their super forms, and Heroes' super forms for Knuckles and Tails are the same thing, just redesigned to have golden shields instead of their bodies flashing colors and light. It's just that Sonic, Shadow, and Silver are the only ones who can utilize a deep enough power that it alters their form and grants additional abilities, whether it's flight or Chaos Spear or whatever. Some of the optional conversations in Frontiers seem to imply Sonic is somehow tied to Cyber Space, somehow related to the Ancients- he was the only entity to ever escape Cyber Space back into reality after all. So maybe Ian Flynn is trying to take that stupid Iizuka interview quote of "only male hedgehogs can go super" and weave it into the lore somehow, like maybe the Ancients were doing some sort of genetic testing on Earth's animals and that's what gave us the furry anthro animals of the series, and for some reason male hedgehogs got special attention during this process idk. I also notice that this DEFINITELY feels like it's trying to break the Japanese Sonic sales curse and actually DO WELL in it's homeland, seeing how cutesy it is and how many classic SEGA references there are. Even the new big animals [that don't make sense in the lore erm ackshually 🤓] bear a striking similarity in design to Totoro.

[@aortaplatinum]

Also also also also addendum PS post credits- it's equal parts funny and confusing to me that despite being one of the few big tolerable mature levelheaded realist Sonic KZbinrs to do a deep dive on each game's story, that you don't really care about the stories. Was that a thing that started recently or have you always not really given a shit about the story but because the story had such a big focus starting with Sonic Adventure you feel like you kinda have to talk about it?

[@Pariah6950]

I care about Sonic stories when they're worth caring about. And we haven't gotten an official story worth caring about in over 10 years. Hard to be invested after that much time. Especially when I think they are steering the series in a horrible direction.

[@sonicthomasgamer]

32:29 Knuckles meme 43:23 IM HERE

[@beta9640]

You might be thinking about the "fun is infinite" Sonic pose from Sonic CD

[@thecoolbroscoolman4672]

I can’t believe you passed the tails doll

[@EthanGrantC]

You kept complaining that the excusive Amy and Sonic levels didn't take advantage of their abilities, but I don't see how that's even possible. Amy's level has the fruits that encourage you to use her hammer plus a bigger emphasis on platforming rather than speed to use the double jump. Sonic doesn't even have any abilities so his level has a big emphasis on speed rather than anything else. Neither of them have any abilities that I feel you can do anything more with so I was wondering what you were looking for.

[@DonutSwordsman]

I did the same thing and thought you had to hit fang in the sonic exclusive level

[@boiled_walrus6960]

The chaos powers are great for bosses, they make those things go down quick which is good for how boring they are lol

[@Ilyapa]

btw, I recently saw a cel shading mod for sonic frontiers, which makes the game look much more stylish, especially Ares island. just want you to look at that

[@BIG_MUNKY]

Pariah I haven’t watched the whole video but I wanted to play Battle mode with you sometime can we arrange that? I’m pretty good 😈

[@ultimateshadeofwar]

1:57:13 You were right, i admit that i was wrong, this looks pretty good

[@satan-kun8974]

Glad to hear how much you’re enjoying it. Hasn’t been my experience exactly but it’s a pretty fun game

[@gmaster2647]

A few comments I figured I'd make. - For sure this game is pretty good, I was surprised. I agree that the bosses suck though. I guess what some are bothered by is that it's basically just another Sonic game and doesn't really do much to innovate, and the Emerald Powers are just gimmicky. - I saw that you probably didn't notice The End out in space in the Egg Fortress Zone. But yeah, it's there, that purple moon. I guess it's another attempt at linking the Classic game with the Modern game like Forces and Mania. - The White Emerald has a different function for each character, it's neat to experiment with that, I think. - There is a Super Sonic boss fight, but you unlock it after beating Trip's Story. Good luck on that one, Trip's Story is kinda BS with the level design, lol.

[@BIG_MUNKY]

Is it really the end though??? I mean… what the hell is it even doing there

[@Hyp3rSonic]

I only agree that SOME of the bosses kinda suck

[@gleamingroses2952]

100% it today and really enjoyed it, Amy being my favorite character was the one I used the most and while I'm still not a huge fan of her gameplay design wise and prefer Advance Amy's gameplay, it is a step up from Origins for sure where she was just a reskin. The utilization of the double jump helps, so I'm sold with this gameplay going forward, I also hope they bring back the Hammer vault, hammer spin and the ability to bounce off springs with her hammer from Advance, I think it would complete the moveset. Since there are a lot of moments where I could see using hammer vault keeping pace of the level. So yeah, good job with Amy's gameplay Superstars. You didn't just rekin her moves of already existing moves like Origins and Frontiers did. The game has issues, I don't think it stuck the landing on all its levels, the bosses aren't great, though I would say Rush and Advance 2 have the worst 2D Sonic bosses, I would still prefer Sonic 3K (more specifically AIR version) but this is mostly likely my second favorite classic Sonic game, with CD and Mania in third.

[@kingstarscream320]

Sonic Rush bosses are terrible and slow. Sonic Advance 2 had the best bosses in the series.

[@Hyp3rSonic]

Superstars and colors are my favorite 2d sonic game. Don't agree thay the bosses suck tho. Only some of them are kinda bad

[@henriquezioto8760]

I heard the bosses are horrible and take forever later on in the game. I got a feeling that would be the case from the game's fotage that was revealed before the game's release. That alone kind of makes me not wanna play this game. i always disliked most of the bosses in classic sonic, They always significantly broke the pacing of the game and i always wanted to kill them as quickly as humanly possible and every more second that they managed to stay alive brought me extreme pain. I REALLY dislike those bosses.

[@ViltrumiteIsRite99]

I almost feel this way for some of Mania’s bosses. One at the end of most acts? Didn’t care for that.

[@ToastyCubes]

The final boss can be cheesed in about two or three minutes just by using emerald powers. Don't believe what others are saying.

[@henriquezioto8760]

​@@ToastyCubes Two minutes is still too long for a sonic boss for me. And i've seen some of these bosses, so i know they are a thing in the game.

[@nixx7912]

I find for the bosses that are bad in this game, as opposed to just mediocre, it would help if they started at their last phase. If they sped up with each hit. That would solve a lot of the engagement issues.

[@ShweetsStuff]

I'm not as much of a Sonic nut as you are, but I have played all 2D Classic games and...eh. I just really don't think anything Superstars does is particularly better than any other Classic Sonic game that came before it. Of course, Sonic's gameplay is naturally going to be more interesting than say, something like Mario's for example, with the dynamism of the physics and Sonic's acceleration, etc., and messing around with them is always going to be inherently fun, but I felt this game was just...okay. The level design had its moments. I think the game peaked rather early, with Bridge Island and Speed Jungle being some of the best zones (though Speed Jungle Act 2 had the annoying dark gimmick. PLEASE. STOP THAT SHIT FOREVER IN GAMES), and the rest weren't too compelling. I was surprised you didn't take issue with a lot of the gimmicky sections in the later zones (Cyber Station's transformation and Egg Fortress' rotating pillars) which get more common in the later game, because those will likely wear thin fast on successive replays. I know you didn't mind the visuals, but eh...I don't think sacrificing sprite art for this was a good decision. The beauty of 3D graphics is that you only have to don't have to redraw each and every frame like 2D art does, allowing more time to add more detail onto other things, but Superstars' barren landscapes don't really take much advantage of that decision. Sure, you've at least got the typical Classic Sonic settings and feel, but the rather awkwardly lit settings of Superstars don't wow me at all like past sprite-based games. I'm totally smitten by the hyper saturated abstract locales of the older Classic Sonic games and the wonder that they inspire, but Superstars' art is just...functional. Fine. It works. I guess you agree partly with that sentiment, given your video about Sonic's artstyle. It doesn't help that the zone themes are rather...safe. I think they could've gone a lot further than they did. Mania's original zones were wonderfully unique and creative, but I can't say much of the zones in Superstars strike me very much. Cyber Station is neat conceptually but in execution it's just kinda bland. Lagoon City's concept art looked really neat but in game it just looks...whatever. I suppose it's the budget of these games holding it down quite a bit (or maybe Arzest lol). As you said, they kinda reused past templates of levels. I'd love a Sonic game that really doubles down on the dreamlike, surreal worlds as depicted in a lot of promotional art of the series in the 90s (the Sonic the Screensaver/Harmony images), rather than going with the kinda cookie-cutter themes seen in Superstars. You didn't address it too much in the let's play, but the music...wow, talk about the most inconsistent Sonic soundtrack ever. Through thick and thin, Sonic fans would always have a good soundtrack to listen to, but the majority of Superstars' score is unusually underwhelming. You've got about seventeen composers, and the only really exceptional music is mostly the tunes in which Tee Lopes is involved. My favorites of this game, Bridge Island Act 2, Speed Jungle Act 1, Sand Sanctuary Act 1, Lagoon City Act 2 and the Special Stage theme all likely were done by the man. The rest of the soundtrack is mostly the shrill sound of Senoue's Sonic 4 soundtracks (or composers imitating that sound), and it's a crying shame. Yeah, classic Sonic always had a variety of composers (Sonic 3&K more so than the others), but did this game really need that many, with this much differing visions? It doesn't help that a lot of these compositions are rather short; the usual boss fight theme is a twenty second or so loop, which isn't great to hear when you're fighting Fang in Golden Capital Act 2 for five minutes. And yeah, we don't NEED Mega Drive-esque music, anymore. They were a hardware limitation then, not a creative choice. I know Senoue's got some Sega cred, but I think if Tee Lopes was front and center for this game's entire score, it would be an easy slam dunk and if Superstars' wasn't a good game you'd at least have a good soundtrack to fall back on. Or at least let Senoue shred again! I don't think anyone would complain if you had a rock soundtrack for the game. Yes, it seems that the common consensus is that the bosses are absolutely miserable in this game, and I do really wish Sonic games would try and totally rethink boss fights entirely. This game addressed the criticism of "old Sonic bosses were bad because you could kill them in five seconds" and totally did the exact opposite, amateur game design decision of stretching them out as long as possible. There were some unique ideas with the bosses here (Pinball Carnival Act 2's comes to mind), but bosses like Golden Capital Act 2's, Egg Fortress 2's, the last boss of Trip's Story and the Super Sonic fight are utterly trash. You could've cheesed a number of these with the Emerald Powers, but respect for trying to use them as little as possible. I think framing them as platforming gauntlets more so than "wait for boss to fuck up and then attack it" or "bruteforce it through constantly recollecting your rings" would go a long way. Like, there's a long set of obstacles you have to climb up to attack Eggman, and using your platforming skills you can make it go quicker. Or, hell, take the Wario Land 4/Pizza Tower route and make the climaxes of levels escaping a remixed version of them under a time limit. I don't know, I'm just spitballing here, but there's definitely something that could still adhere to the pace of Classic Sonic gameplay that doesn't totally disrupt it like this game does. The unfortunate thing I've noticed in a lot of 2D Sonic games (both fan and official) is that "the Mega Drive games did it that way, therefore, it's the BEST and ONLY way!" Yeah, things like special/bonus stages, the overly restrictive camera and clumsy boss fights are tradition, but do they actually amount to a better game, or is it because the Mega Drive games are held on a pedestal and you have to adhere to them as closely as possible? I'm glad you also desire a "next step for Classic Sonic" as well, because that's where I'd really like the games to go. Totally reevaluating the roots of the good Classic Sonic games, pruning the bad ones and keeping the good ones while building on top of it to build something better. The Advance and Rush games are right there, their mechanics and additions shouldn't be off limits just because they're not "classic Sonic games", and all Sonic games should be considered for pushing Classic Sonic forward, not just the ones in its subseries. Nonetheless, I'm glad you had a better time with Superstars than I did. I unfortunately would probably rank it below Mania, 3&K and 2. If I'm feeling optimistic I might rate it above 1 but if I'm feeling pessimistic I might put it below it. CD is below it though, as much as I love everything about that game except actually playing it. Trip is cute, btw

[@Pariah6950]

I figured my positivity would be surprising to many. Which is why I wanted to show my whole playthrough. I found this game fun, and you can see exactly why. I don't think it does anything particularly better than any previous game either. But I don't think it does anything particularly worse. At least in the core gameplay. I actually prefer this look over sprites. But that's totally a personal thing. I am beyond done with pixel art games in general. I'll take anything else. They really gotta give Jun the chance to do some buttrock again. He's been losing face with the community so much because lately he's always been on Classic stuff. I was just listening to some music from Shadow the Hedgehog a few days ago. It's excellent. Give the man a guitar and let him go nuts! I've been planning on doing a video where I pitch my own design concept for a new combat system in Sonic for a while. Between Frontiers and this, there's no better time, I think. Expect it soon. For me, being that Advance 3 is my favorite Sonic game, it's especially depressing when I see official and fan stuff always reverting back to the Genesis games. They were great. But they had issues and room for improvement. And we started to get that. And then it just dead ended, just because of the style of character designs. What a world we'd live in if the Advance games used the old designs. It's one of the reasons I'm so excited for Sonic Galactic. Characters actually have brand new moves. Imagine that! Originality is something the Advance and Rush games also have over this, for sure. Aside from Advance 1, they weren't trying to harken back to anything. They were just trying to be Sonic games. So they were allowed to have new ideas.

[@jammyman7085]

Funny that you mention wario land 4 when taking about bosses because they very effectively disproves that "bosses are bad when you can cycle them and kill them in a minute" Because yeah you can cycle bosses in wario land 4 but it's 1 pretty percise and difficult and 2 if you fail the punishment is harsh and they waste your pericious time that can lock you out of the best ending. I think 2D sonic boss design focusing on that push and pull design where both player and boss are fighting for control of the fight would fit quite elegently into 2D's sonic focus on skill mastery and improving to get faster.

[@Hyp3rSonic]

Only some of the bosses are kinda bad(the ones you mentioned) but the level design and gameplay is extremely good! I loved all of the music. I completely prefer 2.5 or 3D visuals, since im so sick and tired of the pixel art in games these days.

[@Lazypackmule]

Amy has now been playable in THREE modern mainline Sonic releases, and her moveset still somehow peaked in SA1, by a country mile It's like Sega no longer employs people who understand the series and have any creativity left in them

[@Amsel_616]

I was SO MAD when Origins Plus didn't bring back her Advance 1 Moveset

[@ElectrikStatik900]

Fr

[@NKL3085]

how the hell did amy's moveset peak in sa1, when that gameplay was immediately dropped in the sequel?

[@MrRedGreenBlue1]

I love the Advance games a whole lot, truely I love all of them but I'm going to have to HARD disagree with you on this one chief, when the Advance games came out Advance 1 Amy was the definition of polarizing and after my recent playthrough of Advance 1 I think that reaction is 100% justified.

[@beeeffgee10k]

Frontiers and Superstars Amy are literally the only good ones

[@shadow1w2]

I'm at the final final final boss, not spoiling anymore than that but it's wait game is very frustrating. Overall I'd compare the level design and music with SMS/GG sonics rather than the Genesis ones. Heck I wouldn't even compare them with the Genesis ones at all, this is very much a SMS/GG sonic which is still good. It's pretty okay, worth 40 not 60 to me but I hope for a plus update included in that base cost down the road. Bonus stages really could have used more variety and the powers coulda used unique 4 player levels tailored around the powers.

[@haospacman1084]

I guess I’m the only one who actually likes some of the bosses here, they’re nice ways to change things up I between levels even if they admittedly could be shorter. Like maybe 3 less hits to kill the big ones like fang at golden capital

[@abram-green]

Watching you play the pc version makes me realize how genuinely atrocious the load times are on switch.

[@reecegaming418]

As massive modern fan I think Modern fans are jealous that. Classic more liked by genral public. I see this as win as Sonic fan having very Solid 2d Sonic game. Were all Sonic fans at end of day. I hate picking sides bullshit. They can both coexist Classic Sonic shouldn't die that's stupid.

[@stevenshockley4237]

Fucking Sonic 4-style Jun Senoue music...I'm getting the PC version specifically for eventual music mods.

[@no-cm5yq]

Haruki satomi, my favorite sonic character 🎉

[@Amgitstigma]

Realizing I made the same exact mistake as you did picking "Act 2" instead of "Act *Sonic Head*" which I thought was just Act 1 again? in Speed Jungle. After browsing the world map I noticed "Act *Sonic Head*" Was not Act 1, it's like a extra Sonic exclusive level and I totally just missed it, kinda miffed about that lol.

[@igeljaeger]

some of the bosses were soooo hard

[@alexandrpeterberg390]

You seemed to be glad that at the end of the game story, there is no Super Sonic battle. Well, I hate to break it to you but after you clear Trip's story, you get the final story which is a Super Sonic battle. Why not the Super Sonic levels? You know, the levels where you start in super form and you have to maintain it or else you die.

[@chiquita683]

This is the best Sonic game after Sonic 2

[@ドラゴンリュー-f1x]

The only thing I didn't like was how Eggman felt left out of the story compared to Mania.

[@SxM04650]

Got to get that Flynn slander in somewhere I suppose. I'm curious what you're thoughts on the classic comics are if you have read any of them. I'm guessing if you have read them then you don't like them considering you seem to not like his writing in general but I know a good number of people that like how he writes the classic cast more than the modern cast.

[@Edmund_Christo]

The Fleetway series really doesn't get as much love as it should. There's some things in there that haven't been done better elsewhere, like the Chaotix team for example. Grimer is also miles better than Snively imo.

[@SxM04650]

@@Edmund_Christo still making my way through fleetway rn but there is alot of interesting stuff. I do like grimer but I don't think he's better than snively at least by how much I've read. Snively's pure hatred for Eggy is just really fun to read

[@Edmund_Christo]

@@SxM04650 To each their own. I prefer Grimer because of his intelligence & competency. It's rare that we get a villain that can rival Robotnik intellectually. Snively is good in his own weasely way too but I could never see him as an equal to the Eggman. Kind of interesting how one is unrelentingly sycophantic & the other harbours an intimate hatred. They're almost diametric opposites when it comes to their opinion of the mad scientist.

[@7blue728]

3:09:57 best moment

[@Edmund_Christo]

It baffles me that they still chose to use medals (& coins in Origins). Why not collect emblems like in Sonic Adventure 1?

[@greenD7244]

probably cause you spend them in the shop

[@Edmund_Christo]

@@greenD7244 Yeah I guess they don't see emblems as a currency but I think it still fits better than the medals. It's not a big deal really. Maybe they're using them because Mania did?

[@ericamaya2467]

Guys… I think he likes the game.

[@chriswoods7774]

Gotta Go Fast thats all im going to say, since your a Sonic fan and watched the Sonic X anime.

[@peanutbutterrocket]

0:30:12 he said my name!

[@windchimes8764]

fuckin called it bro

[@Edmund_Christo]

I've watched a few streamers play this game at this point & they all disliked it. Pariah enjoyed it while also having the best gameplay of them all. Everyone else just ran through & tried to damage boost everything, without really paying attention to the level design or enemy placement. They also abused the emerald powers when it came to the bosses (but who can blame them for that). I honestly don't know how to feel here but after seeing this I think I'll give it a chance when it goes on sale for 30 or something, because more than likely a plus version/add-on is gonna come out which'll bump up the cost anyway. I was just reeeeeally hesitant to give Sega the full whack considering how mediocre their output has been since Mania & I have a rule that if the previous game is lacking in quality, I'm not buying the next one for full price. I grew up on the classics so I am interested to try this one out but I'm still a bit skeptical. I wasn't too impressed with what I saw from others but this playthrough has made me reconsider.