Topic: Sonic Forces

@SLIGEACH_EIRE I smell a patch later.

A demo is currently available in the Japanese eShop, and I think someone at SEGA mentioned that they have no current plans to bring the demo to the West.

The demo is around 530MB, and allows you to try Sonic Stage, Classic Stage and Avatar Stage (going by the katakana). You can only sample each mode for a minute until you're taken to a "Thanks For Playing" screen followed by a trailer that's longer than the amount of playtime that this demo has so graciously allowed.

If Sonic's ill-repute wasn't enough to put me off than Sega's stinginess with the demo certainly is!

@sillygostly So no demo is better than a bad one for you? That's only true from a developer's perspective. They're releasing something that takes time out of developing the full experience that nets them zero profit and only a remote chance of increasing sales (which almost never happens. How often has a demo moved you from meh/uninterested to sold, rather than vice-versa?). There's no downsides for the consumer, they get free stuff. And no one is entitled to a free lunch.

Very few Sonic games are truly bad, they just suffer from hype backlash more than any other franchise. Everything I've seen suggests a competent, if not spectacular endeavour. And that's more than enough for it serve me as an appetizer while awaiting Odyssey as a gift.

On a final fanservice note, White Forest remix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iL3Fqw1pX-M

They can at least allow the full level to be sampled, which I have no doubt is included in full in the data of the demo (which requires a whopping 500MB for essentially 3 minutes of gameplay). It would not have cost them any more to do so as it would have cost them more to remove the parts of the levels that would have been inaccessible by the player due to the imposed 1 minute restriction. That minute being punctuated with constant "Hint" screens also disrupts the extremely brief experience (of what is supposed to be a fast-paced game) and robs it of any enjoyment that could be had from the demo, and if anything, has only instilled further disdain for the franchise after how poorly SEGA has been handling the Sonic franchise over the years. SEGA has handled this demo in a monumentally stupid way, and only served to reinforce my lack of esteem for the company and their poorly treated IPs.

My initial impression of the demo was good, but the nonsensically stingy handling of the demo only instilled further ill-will towards the brand. I would not have considered buying this game without a demo anyway due to the mostly miss nature of the Sonic franchise, so it is in SEGA's interest to rid themselves of that image of their most iconic IP by producing a demo that could change the minds of former fans and those on the fence. The difference between Nintendo and SEGA in this regard is that Nintendo doesn't need to gain my trust in their product (while SEGA does).

And demos can, though not always, play a significant part in the decision to purchase a game. There have been several games that I have been interested in that I decided to skip upon playing the demo (Bravely Default and Project Octopath immediately spring to mind), and games that I otherwise would not have considered have been purchased due to an enjoyable demo.

For all intents and purposes, demos aren't a privilege to the consumer, they're a marketing tool, and SEGA has, once again, failed to convince me that Sonic has any value in the industry, especially while its contemporary (or rival if you will) continues to grow and outshine it in every conceivable way.

https://twitter.com/Sonic_GamerHQ/status/924717042049081344

Is it a bad thing they have new people? I thought everyone HATED everything except generations in the last few years? At least they are trying something different.

@Arminillo Sonic's main problem in recent years was trying too many different things and heavily dividing the fanbase. Odd, though, I haven't heard too many complaints over the game's level design myself, more like things get better the deeper you go or only a few levels being poor. I'm certainly not going to rifle through leaks to see for myself, though.

Guess we'll have to take any potential first impressions of levels being dull with a grain of salt.

Honestly comments are all over the place regarding the state of the game and it's story, either loving it or hating it. So I'm taking it all with a grain of salt. As for gameplay, seems to be quite simple. If you liked Generations and/or maybe Colours, you'll like this one too. If not, then not.

The problem with the demo is you really can't get a feel for the game, so it's hard to judge it. I'll personally wait for reviews, but I expect 6's and 7's. Not terrible, but it could've been better. Probably the first neutral 3D Sonic game, because I feel like these games have either been given good reviews or incredibly negative reviews.

I don't get how sonic is still around. Never purchased a sonic game and never will. I don't think this game is going to do well on any console.

Well if you never play Sonic, you'd presumably not understand Sonic.

Ya, here's a breakdown of the score. Sonic Forces (NSW/PS4/XBO) – 9/9/9/8

The Switch version is weaker looking, has a lower framerate and lower resolution.

Just saying, it's definitely different. Like if you look at FIFA 18 on Switch, it reviewed about 20% lower than on PS4/XB1.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE A round of applause for stating the obvious, of course it's different. They've been saying that since they first showed the damn game.

Enough of your snarky comments.

@BLP_Software @SLIGEACH_EIRE okay, both of you can behave - OK?

I replayed the demo today. Only thing I didnt like was moving the Avatar but who knows. That was just an issue in that weird 2d view but 3d movement part.

The game got released early in some stores, so it has already been leaked.

I've seen a couple of the videos. What I've seen from the leak plus my personal experience with the demo hasn't gotten me particularly enthusiastic about what's on offer... And that's coming from someone who was a big fan of Colors, Generations, and even Lost World (Wii U).

Super disappointed, as I've been excited for this game since the announcement, and I was even at the very panel where the official title and first ever gameplay footage was revealed. Mania was a near-perfect game for me... But I think I'll sit Forces out.

Watched some dude on Twitch stream Forces. It’s crazy but Lost World on 3DS looks way better than what I’m seeing here. I actually really liked SLW 3DS despite flaws, solid foundation but what has happened since??