Sonic Superstars is Fundamentally Flawed

[@SplashDash_]

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[@Jelly_shy_guy_man]

No

[@Themasktrooper]

Just said you don’t like the game more on with your life

[@Natt._.han569]

@@Themasktrooperwhat?

[@jakique]

splash dash please give me a shoutout or cameo on your main channel please

[@alejandroaguilar2012]

Yo Splash Dash, I have a question: What do you think of Sonic x Shadow generations?

[@mattinscratch]

Did you know what originally Sonic Superstars was planned to be hand drawn? They changed it to 2.5d because “they thought fans would like that better than handrawn” but we all know it’s because it was cheaper.

[@castform7]

Man I love it when they bold face lie straight to my face. Really makes me proud to be a Sonic fan.

[@sahaprocks7751]

They REALLY think they’re speaking for Sonic fans

[@castform7]

@@anonymouslucario285 That's a loaded question when it comes to this franchise.

[@noone-be1zg]

They didn't even say that

[@Vaquix000]

2.5D Never looks better with 2d games

[@mogg4243]

it really annoys me how every new sonic game has a "prologue" animation on YT that tries making the stories more fleshed out, instead of just putting some actual stuff in the game. Having to watch a YT video to get the full picture of a game is stupid.

[@anonymouslucario285]

Do you hate the prolgue animations?

[@smt64productions40]

@@anonymouslucario285I don’t think they hate the prologue stuff, they just want that shit in the flipping game (granted I haven’t beaten it so maybe if you do beat it, you get like videos where you can watch the prologue)

[@Soniman001]

This is the stupidest fucking thing to complain about

[@deanmoriarty6015]

@@anonymouslucario285the animations are objectively good, but they feel like a bandaid for a more fundamental problem

[@gameboyadvancedsp6727]

​​​@@anonymouslucario285There's nothing wrong to add a prologue, animation or books, but if there's something that adds up to the story, *then why not include it in the game to begin with,* even as a bonus cutscene later? Just look at Balan Wonderworld. To know the *how* of the story you need to understand the *why,* and the only way to know the why is to read the prologue book to understand everything. In other words, the book contains the beginning and explanation of the world, while the game only contains the middle and action of the story. It leaves you "Huh?" as you play. Don't get me wrong, it's a cool concept and *can* work, but the execution is very difficult. And Sonic Superstars, while the animation did alright as a bonus as the start of the game tells you what you need to know, the comic has some stuffs I would like to see that's only in the comic, like how Trip got in that situation to begin with.

[@TheLonelyGoomba]

I ain't finished the video yet. But one thing that absolutely boggles my mind is that NONE of the reviews mentioned how utterly broken the game is 4 players. Like, it literally does not work. It is a glitchy broken mess. Yet the game was sold and marketed as a multiplayer game as it's main selling point. To this day I find it so baffling how the game wasn't torn to shreds for how utterly terrible it was 4 players. Not even in a "well Sonic doesn't work well with 4 players" way. I mean, it flat out did not work. It had an onslaught of new glitches, often game breaking. Multiple times we had progress halted due to bugs. I guess it got by easy cos most people played the game solo. Which is the best way to play. But again, it was sold as a multiplayer game as the main focus.

[@Talxic]

ngl that was most likely done because of sega's cynicism thinking that they can turn a game not designed around multiplayer into a multiplayer game

[@magmamaze69]

bro this game doesn't even work with 2 players. mind you the og classic games worked just find with 2 players. sure tails would be left behind but at least it worked. hell SONIC 4 did a better job at the 2 players. Honestly that 2 players were fun this is just abysmal

[@Jackattack359]

Sorry people aren’t breaking into a fit of rage over something that can be easily avoided…..I guess🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

[@micahfurlow2624]

​@@Jackattack359bro multiplayer was the main selling point and its borderline unplayable, it should at least be criticized, or at least mentioned.

[@Jackattack359]

@@micahfurlow2624 he said it should be “torn to shreds.” I’m pretty sure people who play the game are smart enough not to rage over that when they can just play alone

[@ChannelPup]

As someone who does legitimately enjoy this game a lot and returns to it quite a bit, I'd be hard-pressed to really debate any of the points you made which casts this game in a really really unfortunate light. I think what makes things even worse is that this multiplayer problem could easily have been mitigated by the multiplayer being online so everyone gets their own screen and maybe make it competitive. Whoever beats the level the fastest or destroys the most badniks. Something along those lines. I don't get Sega's hesitancy towards online multiplayer with Sonic. And the bosses, yeah, it's inexcusable. The bosses give me a hernia.

[@nixter3196]

Genuinely really sad that even sonic 4 episode 2 could get online co op while the 60$ brand new title couldn't...

[@AccelerateHedge]

@@nixter3196 But Sonic 4 Episode II's multiplayer sucks though

[@33pandagamer]

@@AccelerateHedge , It's actually quite fun if you can get it to work, with emphasis on if. It took my sister and I hours to get the Bluetooth connection to work, and once we did we were only able to play it for a few minutes before it disconnected.

[@AccelerateHedge]

@@33pandagamer Huh. Maybe I'll give it a sho- wait, no, why would I be playing Sonic 4 in 2024?

[@Hyp3rSonic]

​@@AccelerateHedgepeople still play sonic 4 in 2024, like me 😂

[@BillyTheRabbitBoy]

17:33 Fun fact: New Super Mario Bros. Wii did that. toad would get captured in a level on the world map, and only Mario (playing alone) could save them. NSMBU fixed this by instead having everyone chase Nabbit through a stage together

[@nelsongood3480]

And we can't also forget about those Capitain Toad levels in Super Mario 3D World of the Wii U Version.

[@smt64productions40]

@@nelsongood3480Yeah, tho the port made the decision for Cap. Toad to be single player the right move

[@Whispernyan]

But the Toad missions only show up in singleplayer, they don't show up in multiplayer and then force one single player to complete them.

[@HOTD108_]

​@@nelsongood3480Just the Wii U version? Are you telling me the Switch port removed Captain Toad? WHY?!?!?!

[@ahmedhasan4966]

​@HOTD108_ No, unlike the Wii U version, in the switch version, you can do multi-player in the captain toad levels.

[@maskofthedragon]

They really designed a boss that goes on forever and is always fishing to smack you with a one-hit kill

[@deanmoriarty6015]

Sonic Advance 2 did this too actually

[@Hyp3rSonic]

​@@deanmoriarty6015that's true!

[@brandonwilliams6119]

@@deanmoriarty6015Sonic Advance 2 only had 1 boss that did that which was the Egg Saucer in Sky Canyon. Also I think it’s dumb how Super Sonic losses 5 rings just from dashing which is necessary to attack or dodge obstacles. None of the Advance Games did that. Talk about a Super Sonic nerf.

[@Hyp3rSonic]

​@@brandonwilliams6119and that bosses are bad for that. Don't know why they made 3 bosses in Superstars be the same. Such bad game design 💀

[@squallleonhart9387]

Also the level design is complete ass. Ah yes, my favourite sonic level staples like a slow anti-gravity sections, or playing as a squid, mouse or rocket, or being forced to play fantasy zone for no reason. There's just nothing really interesting in them and they get longer and worse as the game goes on.

[@Air_OK]

Love the touch of Splash Dash using edited photos of their friend LSMark, you two are clearly very close 😊

[@eladiopalacios3207]

More like being close to idiots.

[@sumisusan1517]

As a regular LS Mark viewer, I'm just constantly waiting for Mark's avatar to show up

[@kaxcommentssomethingREAL]

​​@@sumisusan1517Splash Dash should definitely commission some stills from his buddy LS Mark, i heard he's a *grand* fan of Sonic JUST like him, hell, they sound so alike as well!

[@LS_Dash]

This joke hasn’t ever been funny and Mark has LITERALLY admitted he’s Splashdash… find better material.

[@jojo0753]

Yeah, their video styles are very reminiscent

[@playbossthebest936]

In the true final boss amy and trip show up only if you don't get hit for a set amount of time. It's actually a really clever way to make attack patterns important with super sonic's ring consumption still being there, but... Couldn't they tell us in some way?

[@HOTD108_]

The best games don't need to tell you stuff explicitly and just organically guide the player through gameplay, art design, and narrative working in beautiful harmony together. Unfortunately, the Sonic Team staff seem to undergo a game design memory wipe between each new release going back over a decade now.

[@playbossthebest936]

@@HOTD108_ superstars isn't made by sonic team. But you're right

[@CarbonRollerCaco]

No. Sonic games aren't supposed to be good at game-to-player communication. *sob* And after they did so well teaching Frontiers's Rocket Boost purely visually…

[@CarbonRollerCaco]

@@playbossthebest936You do realize it was a collab, right? And it isn't just Sonic Team; Sega as a whole has terrible internal and public communication, so it makes sense their games would follow suit. And even if it were just Arzest, Ohshima's still ex-Sonic Team, and by his own admission isn't that good of a gamer. Probably not the best guy to have in charge of the meat of your game, as Yuji Naka found out the hard way. Naka may have his own problems, but I suspect he'd been largely scapegoatted throughout his career. Even the insider trading thing may have been a bum rap; supposedly he was accidentally (or not?) sent the "dirt" on the games that inspired the trading and hastily mistook it for public and fair info. And the timing of the first arrest was curious as he'd just claimed to have proof Square Enix was lying in court over Balan, as was the fact that a second arrest occured so soon after the first one failed. I guess all you can do in that situation is play ball the best you can.

[@whomdunit2457]

28:03 That melody by itself sounds really good actually. It's just the instruments used that suck. Someone who knows what they're doing could easily re-arrange that into an absolute banger.

[@castform7]

That's what I'm saying. Get some Sonic Adventure guitars in there and this could've been a slam dunk but what was used makes takes a lot for me to say it's good, especially that beginning.

[@DemonDethchase]

@@castform7 I would say someone say to Sega, this isn't the 90s anymore, but when you consider that the Mega CD was a thing. And Oshima himself directed Sonic CD, I really don't know why they're so hell bent on enforcing these restrictions on the games' sound. It didn't sound good in Sonic 4 from over a decade ago, and it still doesn't sound good here.

[@BombasticTom492]

Jun Senoue is a really talented composer and arranger, just take a listen at Sonic Adventure 2 or Sonic Heroes OSTs, but it's like he purposely limits himself to stupid genesis synths and the vacuum vst

[@BombasticTom492]

The mistake Sonic Team/Arzest made was to make him the lead sound designer for this game, yeah, the melodies he creates are probably the best in the series, but they really should've left the arrangement job to someone more credible, like Tee Lopes

[@BombasticTom492]

I genuinely think that 3D Sonic platformers like Superstars should actually try sampling real instruments, it opens room for so much more possibilities, and Bridge Island Act 2 is a perfect example of how much more soul the level has with the real rock guitar

[@elin111]

Just for extra insult, Mario Wonder came out right after this and that game kicked all the ass.

[@GLXY23]

Fr man, kinda remind me of odyssey and forces coming out close to each other.

[@CalebJones2008]

​@TheBoldBadger547one's good, and one's Mario Odyssey.

[@kenrichgumanid9235]

Between Mario Wonder and Genshin Impact, they'll stomp kick "Fast, Friends, Forever."

[@RefreshingMirage]

I think outside of the bosses, Superstars was a decent enough game, I don’t believe the game is awful, but definitely lacking and underwhelming, hopefully that can change with the inevitable Plus DLC, but I’m not gonna hold my breath about it

[@mehiloll]

Same. I also think it’s WAY too expensive. They better not charge money for a “plus” DLC. however I have been playing it recently because of the Shadow costume. For some reason I still have some fun playing it. But overall it’s just ok imo Also hello again lmao

[@pass_]

to me, superstars is just a simple decent distraction but plagued with awful load times and boss fights

[@RefreshingMirage]

@@mehiloll Yeah, but you know SEGA, they will definitely charge for DLC, and knowing what happened with Origins, it’ll most likely be $10, they’ll probably even take a step further and charge $20 for it if they feel they can get away with it, still think the game itself is fine, haven’t played it currently because the final boss of the main story burned me way too hard but might get back into the game to beat it Also hey man, didn’t expect to see you here lmao

[@mehiloll]

@@RefreshingMirage Yeah, I can definitely see them doing that. I paid $70 for the game + Digital Deluxe, so that could easily be $80-$90 just for an overall okay-ish game 💀 Also we must have the same interests or something because I see you everywhere now, hope you’re doing well

[@RefreshingMirage]

@@mehiloll I guess we do, been a silent viewer of many creators for a couple years now, and only started commenting over two months ago

[@igeljaeger]

Best thing about Time Attack in this game: stages end before the Boss :)

[@mikdan8813]

(Plays Sonic Superstars): it's not THAT bad (Gets to the Fang boss fight): it's THAT bad

[@Diduilitm]

took you that long?? 💀

[@theantzone8430]

Fr I'm still stuck

[@socheata643]

You have to memorize the attacks, I know it’s difficult but remembering the attacks can lead to practice!

[@rodrigomusicman1871]

Always when i hear someone talking about the fang Boss fight, the guitars start playing in my head and i imagine that one meme of the trash cans dancing. But since i never got to play it i don't have a actual opinion on the gameplay. Is the boss really that bad?

[@castform7]

@@rodrigomusicman1871 All I can think about is the beginning of Fang's final boss theme and those stupid nets that trap you and have to be gigamashed out of to stay alive.

[@Talxic]

also the game's development got restarted twice, from what i know it was originally gonna be a game developed by evening star, but that got nowhere. then it was gonna be a modern sonic game developed by sonic team themselves, that got shelved after a year of development in 2021. then oshimas studio arzest, was contracted to co develop superstars after a drinking party with izuka. the game was originally gonna be using a Hand drawn artstyle, but that got canned after they thought that 2.5d would appeal to the casual demographic. and after two years of development the game became what it is today, i think you should check out some of the concept art from the hand drawn phase, all of the zones look super dope imo

[@Bobo12300]

A hand drawn artstyle would have been sick

[@canalluisedan5436]

Would be better if Evening Star developed it with the hand drawn style and there you have another classic masterpiece like Mania

[@Talxic]

@@canalluisedan5436 evening star lowkey has been tryna make kunuckles' chaotix 2, look at everything in mania and tell me that game was not heavily inspired by chaotix

[@kaxcommentssomethingREAL]

​@@canalluisedan5436too bad they were already working on Penny's Big Breakaway `\_(' v ' )_/`

[@cake_111]

I’m pretty sure they talked about having a game developed by Evening Star, but it was never official, and as far as I know, that’s not the reason they switched from having a hand drawn art style.

[@omega_Ruby]

Remember kids, $60 can buy you 3 copies of Sonic Mania.

[@LucasDanielCab5]

Hell even Origins and Mania 😭

[@castform7]

Honestly, would probably play Mania 10 more times before I played Superstars again (I say that like it's a punishment but I'd likely have more fun all 10 times).

[@trashboat5388]

or 4 sonic prime figures

[@yourself1210]

You can even get the bundle with team sonic racing on switch

[@fireemblem5340]

Or even better, Sonic Frontiers

[@runningwithscissors8612]

20:50 one cool detail is when in water form you’re actually immune to being crushed

[@rextarchannel2167]

Prices set expectations, this game should’nt have costed 3 TIMES the price of Sonic Mania.

[@lasercraft32]

31:07 These were pretty much my exact thoughts about the Final Horizon DLC in Sonic Frontiers, prior to the patch that made it slightly easier. There is a big difference between something being _challenging_ and something being tedious because of poor design and a lack of forethought.

[@TheSultan1470]

Git good

[@33pandagamer]

I'm still stuck on the first DLC Tower. It's too hard, and the lack of checkpoints makes me very upset. (As a note, I am very aware that I'm not good at playing platformer games, but that's kind of besides the point)

[@burritobison7700]

@@TheSultan1470superstars sales flopped

[@Digicara64]

​@@TheSultan1470:|

[@TheSultan1470]

@@Digicara64 ehehehehehe

[@KoolTimYT]

I think Superstars is definitely a fun time if you don't look at the bosses. The bosses are what probably made me bored or the most angry (I'm not kidding the first two final bosses took me 5-10 hours, especially Fang).

[@Air_OK]

19:48 The blue sphere B-roll immediately running into a red sphere to get the hell out of there killed me lol

[@MarkerMurker]

Yeah, those special stages really aren't bad

[@Hugelag]

I really wanted a playable Fang, but I guess the Triple Trouble fan remake got my hopes too high.

[@muffetmissulena6540]

To answer your question, the fruit tally in Act Amy is literally just for a trophy/achievement.

[@mariomario9209]

Finally someone had to say it… Im sorry,but sonic superstars isn’t all that, bad music (imo),glitchy bugs,and repetitive bosses with one taking 14 MINUTES

[@JudaBoi]

Sonic fans are SO spoiled when it comes to music that anything that's just "ok" or "alright" is considered flat out bad. 😂 Show these tracks to a non sonic fan and they'll just think it's alright.

[@mariomario9209]

@@JudaBoisonic 4 ahh sounding music 😐 (imo)

[@sinfulrat287]

Everyones been saying this, what r u actually talking about.

[@mariomario9209]

@@sinfulrat287 I’m talking specifically to the sonic fanboys who won’t accept my opinion that I dislike the game and write a 3 paragraph essay explaining why its better than mario wonder

[@RefreshingMirage]

@@JudaBoiUhhhh… yeah, because the music in Superstars is in the same franchise with is shit like Angel Island, or Chemical Plant, or Studiopolis, or you know, LIVE AND FUCKING LEARN FOR GOD’S SAKE, so “ok” or “alright” music in terms of Sonic is inexcusable, especially since Superstars actually has good music such as the title screen and intro, Bridge Island, Pinball Carnival, and Lagoon City, so it’s not “being spoiled” to want better music from a franchise that’s extremely popular for its music

[@deppo436]

I knew my enjoyment for Superstars was gradually getting lesser as I progressed further. It hadn't captured the same love I have for Sonic Mania, a game I still continuously play to this day. I love that game so much that every save file slot for the main game or encore mode is used up so I either delete a file to play from the start again or hop on any stage for fun. Everything from the gameplay and feel to the gorgeous pixel art and music just clicks so well that it's a blast even all the years later. *I haven't even fully finished my first save file on Superstars yet*

[@biohazardbin]

I thought Mania was pretty boring, I really don't understand the love for it.

[@quangamershyguyyz7166]

@@biohazardbinMe neither. It’s so overrated and generic.

[@joshuatrevino4508]

@@quangamershyguyyz7166I have 11 days on that game I think it’s a masterpiece

[@TheJadeFist]

One thing that I think hurts it, is there no reason to explore. After you get the emeralds, you have them, and for future playthroughs even as other characters unless you completely erase your file/ start a new one. Even as Trip you'll already have them.

[@tablettablet3028]

Basically, Sonic Superstars is a dark counterpart to Sonic Mania Sonic Mania Prioritzed actually being a fun game with the nostalgia being coated on later. Sonic Superstars prioritized nostagia over fun gameplay because SEGA thinks just the nostalgia would sell. They obviously prioritized profit over fun. Superstars is basically what Mania would have been if Sega themselves made it.

[@Retrblu]

What on earth do you mean by "prioritized nostalgia over fun" the game literally has less nostalgic references than mania and the game itself is fun in addition to having unique zones, was the simple act of giving people who wanted a new classic Sonic game a new game bad?

[@Hyp3rSonic]

​@@Retrbluagree

[@someone6531]

Unkike Superstars, Mania, had a story and a good one, too. Eggman finds a strange ruby called the Phantom Ruby, he wants it, Tails' tech finds it too, both Sonic & Tails go to Angel Island where the ruby is, but Eggman's bots got to it first. Eggman's bots activate the Phantom Ruby by accident, I think, and have Sonic and Tails telported to Green Hill. The bots then take this Phantom Ruby to Eggman, not before hitting Knuckles with the Phantom Ruby and that sending him to a lower part in Green Hill. They now have to get to Eggman and beat him. Other than that, what's wrong with Press Factory's theme? The theme is the best Jun-made theme in the game!

[@Ax_x1om]

The instumentation sucks which makes it ear grating. It's similar to faded hills from forces

[@greysenmachan2928]

The fruit counter is for a trophy, but Switch doesn't have any.

[@Brian_Griffin_Gaming]

It starts good but it falls apart after lagoon city

[@deanmoriarty6015]

it’s wild that you can tell exactly which parts of the game are finished just by looking at it. the differences between a stage like Speed Jungle and Golden Capital are insane

[@Geobot3000]

Nah bro it fell apart at the title screen

[@JoseGregorioValeroVillarroel]

*Press Factory

[@supermaro2349]

I am still baffled that there is no traditional online multiplayer. That would have fixed the problem with multiplayer since everyone would have their own screen to play on and no one would be worried about being despawned

[@smt64productions40]

It doesn’t actually? That’s so stupid

[@supermaro2349]

@@smt64productions40yeah. Unfortunately if they did add online multiplayer they would probably go down the Sonic 4 route where despite having online multiplayer it still had every one locked to the same screen

[@HazeX2]

I think they still would have made everyone play on the same screen, like NSMB2 did for some reason

[@33pandagamer]

It would be cool if it had an online multi-player, but it probably wouldn't fix all the game-breaking glitches.

[@Cater3al]

I just really hope Sega doesn’t see this as “classic sonic isn’t marketable”

[@BugsyFoga]

Well on the bright side, it’s a step beyond Arzest’s last title, Baland wonderworld, but that’s probably not saying much .

[@bluedogz1624]

Given Arzest's less-than-stellar resume (Yoshi's New Island, Balan) of platformers being critically panned, I'm amazed they still get hired to make them

[@kildaver]

Hey, it still counts as jumping over the bar, even if said bar is at the center of the Earth. 😅

[@whyrwehere]

​@@bluedogz1624didn't they make Hey Pikmin?

[@vividcolorandrichaudio6134]

@@bluedogz1624 Naoto Ohshima's studio working on a Sonic game? I know, crazy!

[@strykon4721]

Would you say the game is... wildly inconsistent?

[@Hypershadic23]

Superstars feels like Sonic 4 with more effort but also not enough effort

[@JakeThehedgehog-m1x]

Oh you do not compare it to sonic 4!!

[@Pitrek1113]

17:35 - technically nintendo did exactly that in Super Mario 3D World, where you can only play Captain Toad levels in singleplayer, making other people watching you doing these. They later changed that in the Switch port, letting everyone playing these levels as the other Toads from the Toad Brigade.

[@smt64productions40]

Honestly, the decision for Captain Toad to be single player in the OG version was for the best

[@Bobo12300]

As someone who's just as much a Mario fan as I am a Sonic fan, the overall reception to Sonic Superstars as opposed to Super Mario bros Wonder depresses me. Sonic as a franchise feels like it should be hitting the same levels of highs, quality and fan reception as Mario does considering he was made to directly compete with Mario. Yet whenever we get a Super Mario Odyssey, or a Super mario bros Wonder both hailed as one of the best of their respective genre, we get a Sonic forces and a Sonic Superstars, bad/mediocre games that frustrate me more than anything. I remember shortly after Superstars released, the devs from Sonic team said in an interview that they wanted Sonic the exceed the popularity Mario currently has, which imo, nothing wrong with having a lofty goal like that however, they've not been doing a good job getting to that point (movies aside.) So yeah, Sonic deserves better and I wish SEGA did a better job at making Sonic games

[@leon4000]

The difference between Sega and Nintendo varies between how they handle their technology and use it to the best of their ability. Nintendo is crafty with their hardware and have their best programmers, to make the best with what they got. The late Satoru Iwata managed to compress the entire map of the fictional regions Kanto and Johto for Pokemon Gold and Silver. Other staff members involved with the project didn't know how to make room for the game to have two regions in the same game before Iwata stepped in. They have very talented people, and they have an often-reasonable time for their development of their games. Mario games always were successful, because of the work they put in to work out all the kinks as they possibly can, and their upper management does give them suitable time, delaying their games if necessary. Sega or the guys at Sammy Corporation has a hasty agenda that often screws some of their games. The developers do push themselves to the limit, but sometimes it's the kind of developers who has yet to master their skills placed in project better suited for other developers or their higher-ups are still giving any involved in game development terrible crunch time and want them to get their games out for holidays or some other ridiculous idea and put a higher price tag on it. Sega never learned from their failures when it comes to Sonic, or most of their franchises. They seem to struggle on what they think would appeal their demographic, sometimes they get nowhere and have to start over.

[@SERMareep2007]

Iwata was such a Chad​@@leon4000

[@leon4000]

@@SERMareep2007 He was that and more til his last day. I'll never forget what he's done in his life. More people should strive to have the kind of mindset he had.

[@tetermc]

Sonic Team are incompetent bafoons if you haven't noticed.

[@tjreardon8495]

Both these series don't need too try they have dug so deep into gaming and pop culture in general that making bad games simply isn't enough too kill them only difference is Sega knows and Nintendo might not know that yet also they got miyamoto who I heard is very strict about making mario a success

[@jillydawn]

17:38 A three-year-old kid? I'm 20 and I played this game with 3 of my brothers, ages 17 to 25, and we absolutely did not have the patience to watch each other play these stages. It got to the point where we were laughing hysterically because it was so ridiculous that we were playing separately in a "MULTIPLAYER" Sonic game. When my youngest brother cleared the single-player Trip story we all waited until we were all free to play the final boss together. Because, obviously, the true final boss in this MULTIPLAYER game is going to be multiplayer, right? We all sat there and watched one sibling try to beat this boss for 45 minutes. We felt like we were going insane. This is in NO WAY a multiplayer game, and I feel scammed 😭🤣

[@splattwig]

The artbook thing is just something Sega randomly does now. Like every recent Persona game has done this too.

[@boydixonentertainment]

It’s not really just them either. I think the thing is that I don’t get why companies think scrolling through artbooks with a controller is better than just making a paper copy to put inside the game’s box beyond just saving money.

[@CaptainScabs]

Yeah Persona 5 Strikers had its artbook in a redeem code for a separate application too.

[@ryanthewigjig]

Bro really hit Sega with the”I’m not mad, just disappointed” 💀💀💀

[@DanielAntovski]

Guys, don't tell him that time attack doesn't have the bosses

[@josiahtheawkward6008]

17:13 Remember in the original Super Mario 3D World on Wii U, there was Captain Toad stages that only had single player, no matter if you played with friends or not? Yeah that’s what this reminds me of.

[@konkaiwa515]

give it about 10 years and sonic fans will say its underrated

[@MatTheEmpereor]

We gotta wait for the children that played this game to grow up and access twitter, Sonic! Hohohoho

[@Nobody_Shroom]

The money spent on this game could've been spent on Mania for every platform it's on.

[@mystari4445]

The thing that bothers me about Superstars is the artstyle, it looks like a DIMPS 3DS game down to the aspect ratio and camera. Sonic Mania is literally Pixel Art and it looks timeless and is still beautiful, whereas Sonic Superstars looked dated to me the MOMENT it got revealed.

[@HOTD108_]

So one art style is timeless, despite very pointedly being based off very specifically 90s graphics, while another art style is just inherently dated? Seems a bit arbitrary but I'll bite. What's your justification?

[@okagron]

@@HOTD108_ Mania's artstyle isn't based on very spefically 90s graphics, it's timeless because it's basically replicating drawings people have done since dawn of time. Meanwhile 3D graphics are clearly specific to their point in time and become dated extremely fast.

[@Astro_Crunch]

It also has really ugly lighting. I honestly thought it was a mobile game when I saw the reveal trailer. I'm surprised how bad it looks considering Sonic Team already figured out how to make beautifully lit stages more than 10 years ago.

[@biohazardbin]

Here we go again with the Mania praising.

[@pez.emikazoo]

@@biohazardbinGet a spine, you have to be completely delusional to think that the hand drawn sprites and Tee Lopes music are overpraised

[@SmashtoonGamer]

6:51 WHAT No way they released it sounding like that

[@michaelkindt3288]

@20:50-.-Water also apparently makes you immune to crush damage. Never tested myself, but sounds cool.

[@cooperkellis2659]

I really enjoyed it but yeah the multiplayer is scuffed and the fang boss fight is unwinnable

[@Gabriel-doodle]

I haven’t played it, but the visuals give me New Super Mario Bros vibes. Especially when you compare it to both Mario Wonder and Sonic Mania. EDIT: Oh shoot, I didn’t realize you were going to mention NSMB. I’m still gonna keep it b/c my point still stands.

[@atre5763]

New Super Mario Bros looks better than this!

[@Whispernyan]

At least New Super Mario Bros artstyle is just bland and uninspired, instead of crossing the line into bad. I wouldn't even say Wonder changes that it's ultimately the same artstyle it just highlights how important presentation is which is definitely something superstars lacks completely.

[@atre5763]

@@Whispernyan Even that isn’t true. New Super Mario bros at least it’s consistent. Homogenized yes, but uninspired???

[@Whispernyan]

​@@atre5763 It feels like you're trying to use uninspired as a synonym for bad when that is not the case at all. I don't know how else one can get to the conclusion "Yes they might all have the same general artstyle, but that doesn't make it uninspired". The opposite of uninspired, is inspired, what is inspiring about NSMBU's art style, the fact it's inspired off of itself?. It's all been done before, that's the issue, that's what something being uninspired means. If it lacks the soul it's not inspired, there's a difference between being inspired off of previous work, and copying it and an uninspired art style is one that just copies without making anything itself.

[@jaretco6423]

I would say more akin to Sonic 4. In which in this case, this game might as well be known as Sonic 4: Episode 3.

[@bwmpii_yt]

In my opinion the first 3 zones are good but by the 4th of 5th it gets boring and way too hard at times

[@jaretco6423]

Agreed.

[@SaddieMoon]

6:30 Not to mention how the squid boss uses an Iblis enemy spawn sound effect for when it moves.

[@demetriusnp49]

Sometimes I wonder if Sonic itself both character and gameplay wise is enough in modern day to get people outside of the fanbase to take seriously and respect daily. It’s clear the potential is there and there have been highs, but those lows definitely hit under the belt. If the best thing about a franchise is having 7/10’s every 5 years, what does that really say about the company’s care about its property? Sonic may be living, but is he truly thriving to the general consensus?

[@Frank-zb7zh]

That’s because sonic is not just the games. Wether people like them or not the other mediums of the franchise also affect how many people care about sonic. The movies specially affect how and how many people see sonic. If I could make a comparison it would be Spider-Man. Yeah, the main product is the comic and it’s not doing good right now but it has so many shows and movies that the franchise stays popular.

[@jaretco6423]

Most Sonic games that aren't an 7/10 or even an 6/10 just goes to show how badly the franchise is getting into. The last Sonic game we ever had an 7/10 or above is Mania and that was made by the fans of Sonic that knows how to make an quality game.

[@33pandagamer]

I became a Sonic fan in the first place due to the stories in the games, it definitely wasn't because of the gameplay. Witch says something about the franchise as a whole.

[@jaretco6423]

@33pandagamer Don't take this the wrong way. But story has never been the series strongpoints. No matter how good or bad it might be, gameplay will always be important no matter what.

[@justabearbrowsingyoutube4968]

That’s all good questions I was wondering about too. I been into Sonic since Sonic 1 in the 90s, the shows and even the Archie universe… But, I found that Sonic really has never been popular in the Japanese market in comparison to the US and other countries where he is WAY more popular since the start. I wonder if being located in Japan as primary development makes them have issues connecting with what audiences and potential audiences may want to see over here. They seem to be just making whatever based on what they assume fans over here want, but not really listening or devoting resources to research, lol! But like you said, there is potential, but I often wonder what game they could make that would be appealing to not just the core audiences but attract outside audiences. Sonic’s appeal back in the day to early 2000s was being different from other games mechanics’ wise, and pushing systems graphically with iconic memorable tunes. Sega doesn’t seem to be applying much resources on that. 😅

[@Al_X-2005]

Splash Dash never fails to splash his dash all over us

[@TheSultan1470]

Splooge

[@kaosagamerreal]

Highly recommend time attack mode, you play the stages without the bosses Personally I thought superstars was great!…..until the final boss and trips story

[@Im4nch1k]

26:30 "Jumpscared? I'm not scared of some horror images. I'm gonna google it!-" *1 minute later* "...oh GOD"

[@TheCreativeType]

60 bucks could get you Sonic Mania, Pizza Tower, and… some other amazing platformer that costs 20 bucks. Celeste, I’ll go with Celeste. Was Shantae Half Genie Hero 20 bucks?

[@Neetish13]

Trip and Amy definitely appear but they seem to be weirdly rare, they fly in on a chunky flicky and give you more rings that Knuckles and Tails

[@Lemerksiscool]

getting the sonic twitter community angry speedrun any%

[@33pandagamer]

All you have to do is state which Sonic eyelid color you prefer. That or make any comment about how you like one Sonic design over the other.

[@brandonwilliams6119]

Not only is Superstars a game that played it too safe, it had the bold nerve to release close to Mario Wonder and Spider-Man 2, and for $60 too, yeah you could argue holiday sales but some other places like Steam it’s still going for $60 and isn’t really worth it for a for a game that is just too safe, hence the return of classic sonic who has worn out his welcome to the point that people can’t stand seeing him. It’s shame too because he was fine Generations until he became a marketing gimmick for more nostalgia pandering.

[@spindinswans9091]

the difference in music between zones is insane. I love how easy it is to tell what songs were made by tee lopes and which ones are from the sonic 4 composer. the sand sactuary theme is better than any song in mania it has no right being in such a lame zone

[@racinracerxp8645]

"Mania got away with it" 12:11 And then knuckles fuckin dies

[@determinedhero5603]

Looking forward to the Sonic Superstars BONUS video...

[@Dhampire1976]

What? Sonic team having a great idea, but corporate greed, rushing projects out and adding too much while refining too little caused it to be ass on release? Never heard of this before

[@KittyKatty999]

Sonic Frontiers: Restores people's hope in the franchise, especially with the story and gameplay updates. Sonic Superstars: *DESTROYS* all that good will in record time, and leaves the Sonic fandom even more divided and prone to infighting. Wouldn't be Sonic if the games were consistently good and beloved by all. It literally wouldn't.

[@JoseGregorioValeroVillarroel]

So, Sonic Frontiers revived Modern Sonic, and Sonic Superstars made Classic Sonic worse?!

[@Codyslx]

​​@JoseGregorioValeroVillarroel Classic was always in good condition until superstars. Pretty much recked all the good mania did.

[@CarbonRollerCaco]

They inverted people's views of and hopes for 3D and 2D Sonic respectively.

[@salmonhead1650]

hot take but the frontiers story is just trash it really isnt as good as people say it is, and im concerned if ian flynn is writing the next game

[@Codyslx]

@@salmonhead1650 Insane hot take indeed. Forces was more your style huh?

[@JosephJohns-xi1qb]

I also think this game kinda shows at least in part why the Adventure redesign was such a good thing. He just...doesn't seem to animate as well in 3D. Though, maybe that's on the game. Hmm, maybe both. He can be animated, but the stubby nature of his model might make it harder. Seriously though, remember when modern Sonic was just...Sonic? There was no distinction in Advance and Rush. It was just...Sonic.

[@thelastwindwaker7948]

Take a drink every time a youtuber calls something a "(Blank) Mess"

[@commander_schnitzel]

bro i havent even started watching the video and the thumbnail is already spitting facts

[@dungeontortoise2432]

“Fundamentally flawed” is such an unfair and oversimplified representation of this game. It’s a fun game that has some specific but important design (and pricing) problems.

[@Hyp3rSonic]

FACTS!!!

[@supar67a]

I might be the only guy but I do hope rintaro soma is featured future sonic games aswell, they did some of my favorites from sonic frontiers and I did like what they composed for superstars actually. Them and tee lopes sound the most consistent ones and have a direction for what both modern and classic sonic music with a twist can go for. :3

[@Scott...]

Fun fact: this game somehow costs MORE than Mario Wonder in the UK, digitally at least. Wonder is £50 and Superstars is £55. And I’m not even talking about the digital deluxe edition.

[@TheBeaverhouse]

A lot of good arguments made here, though I do want to point out that in fairness to the character-specific acts, you mentioned New Super Mario Bros., but 3D World DOES have the Captain Toad levels which I believe are 1 player only. :p

[@HungryWarden]

Not in the Switch port.

[@ChuckE.CheesesIllinois]

I just want fang back in the modern games

[@kaxcommentssomethingREAL]

from what i know, or if i'm getting this right... Ian is heavily hinting that either Mighty or Ray could make a comeback in some future 3D title, but somebody should fact check that (on his Bumblekast) edit: OH NO i am so sorry, i remembered that he hints Mighty & Ray MIGHT get their modern counterparts showing up in IDW sometime in the future! not in a brand new game sadly, but this brings me hope that other classic characters can make a comeback in modern titles

[@shinbeet.5708]

But he was never in the modern games Are you confusing it for his appearances in the Archie Comics?

[@shinbeet.5708]

But he was never in the modern games Are you confusing it for his appearances in the Archie Comics?

[@Butwhythough881]

@@shinbeet.5708Mecha Sonic appears in the IDW comics with the Modern iterations of characters, so it is possible for Classic Characters to cross over into the Modern day

[@Picccles_hates-dbl]

This game reminds me of how much I love sonic and knuckles and sonic 3

[@jaretco6423]

This game makes me love Mania even more.

[@33pandagamer]

and Knuckles

[@JurassicReptile]

Fang is a great character. What a way to bring him back

[@sahaprocks7751]

Yeah. Bring him back and then make me hate him because of that trip final boss

[@anonymouslucario285]

​@sahaprocks7751 you genuinely hate him now?

[@sahaprocks7751]

It’s called a joke

[@Duskool]

Maybe him just being a cameo in Mania wasn't such a bad thing after all.... At least the Triple Trouble remake does him justice i feel like

[@anonymouslucario285]

@@Duskool are you saying sega should have forgot about him?

[@TheBitishDragon]

So a slight correction, the game itself did not sell 2million copies(at least that we know of) but made at least $2million in revinue taken at a base of $60 for the game that only comes out at around 34k units sold, compared to the known 3million copies Frontires sold Edit: its reportedly sold at least 50k at the last report I could find thats not in Japanese but that was as of last year in october apparently SEGA was hoping to really push the marketing for the game in November/December.

[@GisleTvedt23]

*"Yeah friends, lets all come on over to my place and play some Sonic Superstars aRt bOoK." * That got me lol😂

[@sourlab]

While I don't agree ,I can definitely see all the criticism and where they're coming from

[@KperaOfficial]

Let's hope arzest DOESN'T make the next 2d sonic game (they'll probably do it)

[@mchan6215]

I actually haven't played Sonic Superstars yet, but because of this video, I think I will! Thank you Splash Dash!

[@haospacman1084]

Apart from the later bosses and trips story it’s a really good time

[@jaretco6423]

Honestly, your not missing much. Your better off either getting Mania; which is 3× lesser of an price than Superstar has, or something like Origins.

[@haospacman1084]

@@jaretco6423 it’s a 2.5D classic sonic game with new areas and a new playable character, that alone makes it worth playing to me. I agree the game should be like $40 or so though

[@jaretco6423]

@@haospacman1084 True about the originality. But that don't make the game any better or even remotely great. Most of the levels are hit & miss and not as polished. And combined with the horrible bosses, most of them kinda drags and are brutal. The physics of the controls are off at times, the co-op is an mess and the camera is way too close that's hard to see your surroundings. Mania doesn't have any of those issue and the fact it's $20 is worth more of anything Superstar had.

[@haospacman1084]

@@jaretco6423 I liked most of the levels except for golden capital and frozen factory act 1, but there are always 1 or 2 levels in a sonic game I don’t like. The controls and camera felt fine to me, but yea most of the bosses are annoying. The emerald powers help make them faster at least. Multiplayer imo shouldn’t have been added at all, it’s straight up dysfunctional

[@Joel-oy5zc]

The reason the sound mixing is so wrong during the 2D shoot em up section is because it's an homage to another old Sega series, Fantasy Zone. Everything sounded jarring in that game, probably on purpose, given how bizarre it was.

[@Fractorification]

Oh boy. Sonic Twitter is gonna have your a$$ on a silver platter for this one, lol. Had the game been less than $60 I would’ve given in and bought it. But after looking at some gameplay footage, hell no.

[@Checkado]

26:30 oh hell naw i shouldn't have ignored that advice💀💀💀

[@Skibidy_rizzler_]

It cant be that bad

[@Skibidy_rizzler_]

Hell naw bruh what even is this💀

[@funcoolfunfun]

This game is so weird. I really love the level design, easily my favorite 2D game in that regard. But the bosses do all pretty much suck except for the final one. Having said that, I do still consider this one my favorite of the mainline 2D games just because of how strong I think the levels themselves are.

[@thebrickbros.1294]

I completely agree with your statement. I don’t really like the bosses but I really love everything else. People are really picky about sonic games and this game look so cool. The story is pretty good even if people don’t like it, it’s cool they added dragons having them go to an island of giant animals and having multiple campaigns. People need to calm down

[@leon4000]

@@thebrickbros.1294 The reason why people still feel down about the game to an extent is the fact that Sega can't seem to manage their games well and more importantly, stop trying to complete their game developments by the holidays when even the devs know that Sonic Superstars still need time to work out the bugs. They have a terrible knack for making bad decisions during game development which does harm the series.

[@ViinnyzzYT]

sonic superstars is good i just think sonic fan's expectations tend to be too high, with some points of course, like the versus and the boss fights. before you dislike and comment this, try to look at this in a different light, as if you never heard of sonic. You'd say this is ok, is it not? It's just my personal preference.

[@JigenDaisuke-wh2nd]

I still wouldn't.

[@33pandagamer]

28:47 That boss is incredibly glitchy in multiplayer. The floor would often glitch out of existence, causing everyone to die.

[@ZeoLightning]

egg fortress is one of the coolest gimmicks for a stage ive ever seen in a platformer, its not just playing the stage in reverse, EVERYTHING is rewinding and your playing the stage backwards with thing that didnt use to be hazards now becoming hazards. its such a cool idea. the best use of time manipulation in the series imo

[@spence8507]

There's so many issues with Sonic Superstars that dissapointed me. The long bosses, decent music, ridiculous amount of coins needed to unlock the metal parts, the price obviously, and story cohesion.

[@Jdudec367]

honestly the music doesn`t seem so bad...neither does the story either tbh. Heck I didn`t even mind the bosses, at least they weren`t pitifully easy.

[@Hyp3rSonic]

​​@@Jdudec367agree about the bosses. While some of those were kinda boring, mid or just bad(the autoscroller fang boss, and al of the final bosses) I rly like the bosses overall from this game

[@Jdudec367]

@@Hyp3rSonic Yeah I like them overall too.

[@squallleonhart9387]

>Level design is pretty weak, worse than Mania >Emerald powers are horribly designed gameplay wise, very situational, if you get hit while they’re in use too bad you lost your powers, making them a poor attempt at evolving 2D sonic gameplay >Boss battles are horrifically bad, drag down playing through the levels since they aren’t their own separate acts, and has the worst final boss of all the classic games which is hilariously impressive >Bad graphics with poorly done lighting making the game look very generic and looking like a 3DS Game >Trip is a hit or miss character, making her be one of Ohshima's weaker designs, she could end up like Marine the Raccoon >OST is poor, having many forgettable and poorly received tracks by fans

[@Jdudec367]

@@squallleonhart9387 >The level design is pretty good actually not weak, and it being worse then Mania? So? Mania was peak so that isn`t really much of an issue. >Nah they are well designed gameplay wise, they are mostly pretty useful actually, so you getting hit while they`re in use somehow makes them badly designed??? That is literally how power ups usually work especially in platformer games, by that logic is Super Mario Bros poorly desigined? >Boss battles really aren`t that bad, well...the final boss is something though and how is that impressive? Classic games final bosses usually aren`t bad. >The graphics really aren`t bad and the lighting isn`t poorly done and the game doesn`t look generic and it doesn`t look like a 3DS game. >Nah she is a good character, nah her design is pretty good tbh. > I dunno...the OST really isn`t that bad.

[@ryananthony2869]

To be honest,I had much more fun with Sonic Dream Team than I ever did with Superstars.(Which is kind of sad.)

[@KgEclispe252]

To think that an Apple company understands the fundamentals of Sonic than Sega/Sonic Team does

[@BronzyPlayz]

@@KgEclispe252 First off SEGA Hardlight made Dream Team, Second, Sonic Team didn't make Superstars, maybe watch the video before commenting next time LOL.

[@KgEclispe252]

@@BronzyPlayz Sonic Team helped developed Superstars with Arzest

[@jaretco6423]

​@KgEclispe252 It's almost as like the people working on games at Apples or other Ipod males an better Sonic game than Sonic Team or Sega themselves.

[@kaobunn]

dream team is pretty good but i find myself playing frontiers more, its a more impactful game dream team was just "oh that was pretty good!" but nothing standout

[@B00MB0X]

Who would’ve thunk that SEGA could once again fuck up the concept of making a vidya game?

[@jaretco6423]

And it is an classic Sonic game of all things?!

[@nintony2994]

One thing I loved about generations (and wished Superstars had) was how the Camera pops in, follows behind you or zooms out during scripted or cinematic segments as Classic Sonic. This would've been cool to have this dynamic camera

[@SaddieMoon]

22:34 The fruit gives you some kind of bonus at the end of the level, that is so minor, I can’t even remember what it was.

[@getgle]

this games graphics are shockingly bad. I did not expect it to look this bad. wow

[@KaleBennett]

Even as someone whose not an extremely big fan of Classic Sonic, I can't deny that the Genesis titles and Mania are consistent in quality and identity. Superstars has a ton of ups and downs where I can't tell if it wants to be a safe retro throwback like Mania, or a "modern" Classic Sonic game that can stand alongside Frontiers.

[@E-6481]

I think the main levels are a 9/10, but when you look at the whole package (multiplayer, battle mode, bosses, trip’s story, and some of the OST), the game gets knocked down to a 7/10

[@kaobunn]

my thoughts exactly if superstars was a $20-30 game that just had the main story, bosses fixed to be multihit and then the last story, sure it'd have flaws but it'd be really good still trips story really soured my view though

[@jaretco6423]

I disagree. Most levels are hit & miss. The first couple of zones were good. But afterwards, it goes downhill. They introduced so much gimmick, doing the most arbitrary thing like pushing blocks to turn on switch and other arbitrary stuff that's not entirely focus the emphasis of speed. It's really annoying and slows the pacing down for quite an while. An 6/10 is more like it.

[@E-6481]

@@jaretco6423 the only other thing I find somewhat arbitrary is the mouse puzzles in cyber station zone. Everything else, agree to disagree

[@nikkobird590]

The last level before the final boss was wack

[@MatrixAlonsoXD]

10:56 pendragon jumpscare

[@Specter_N]

17:33 Super Mario 3D World's Captain Toad stages

[@pufflepoint]

Personally, I like this game. Not as much as 3 or Mania, but I liked my time with it. That being said, this definitely strikes me as another '06 situation. They rushed the game out to meet demand without considering the impact that it would have on the player-base's opinions. The fact that the first few stages are so detailed, (and in my opinion beautiful) and that they get dramatically more bland, simple, and ugly as you approach the end of the game is clear evidence of this. The Sonic 4-esque OST is also further proof of this. Some of demo versions of the tracks arranged by Tee Lopes leaked before the game came out and the sound just like the Sonic 4 music in the final game. Kind of a shame that Sega hasn't learned in almost 20 years not to rush games like this, but whatever. It is what it is.

[@crazyduplicate]

They passed off Mania for...crap.

[@blue.boi21]

They could have made the multiplayer so much better just by making it split screen

[@gesogames9434]

I agree

[@gabrielcarvalhoseixas3112]

16:06 If this Boss didn't have this fremes, the avatar would defeat it in 15 seconds