Topic: Could you salvage Rise of Lyric?

Following Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric is interesting. It's been awhile since I've seen a game so poorly received. Considering the lack of recent 3D adventure/platformers, I have to wonder if the game would get more benefit of the doubt if it simply wasn't tied to the Sonic brand. Rip out the Sonic Boom trappings and it's hard to imagine more people dismissing it (or at least being disinterested), especially considering the developer's pedigree. So maybe the easiest way to salvage Rise of Lyric would be to remove or alter the branding.

However, I can't escape the feeling that the specific application of the Sonic Boom integration is actually the greatest detriment to the game's prospects. More precisely, the Sonic Boom concept as applied demands a rethinking of the franchise, pidgeon-holing of characters, and completely ejecting all nostalgia related to the Sonic brand... With little benefit in the eyes of anyone not operating in an executive suite. As such, I can't shake the feeling that this whole thing is a massive marketing gaffe effectively hamstringing the developers creative freedom and preventing the construction of an organic, appropriate game design. If that's the case, it's hard to imagine Sega has the ability to foster a good Sonic at all game since they are so beholden to their misguided marketing demands.

So, my question is whether there is the possibly for a good game or even a good Sonic game so hopelessly tied to the Sonic Boom branding. Obviously I don't know, but I'm determined to find a way to make it work without abandoning the nostalgic interest in the Sonic series. The lack of similar games in the genre should be invigorating rather than depressing due to the apparent missteps.

Let's give it a try: How to salvage Rise of Lyric without waging war on the marketing department? Can we make the Sonic Boom branding appropriate for a good Sonic game in this genre? Here's my take:

I submit Sonic & Tails: Rise of Lyric. It's co-op oriented with one player as Sonic on a Pro controller and another as Tails on the Gamepad. Sonic is faster, with dynamic movements and skills oriented on traversal and combat. Tails is slower, less agile, but can fly and has at his disposal his increasing inventory of gadgets through the Gamepad. They are nearly always together, save for maybe the tunnel stages (Sonic runs and collects as usual, Tails flys above in a Starfox-like section, but can also destroy obstacles and even parts of the track to increase Sonic's prospects for collecting/traversing).

The premise is Robotnik has been betrayed by Lyric after building him a suit that allowed him to capture Sonic's friends and together produce robotic versions of each. These could be in the vein of Metal Sonic, but I would design implements to be grafted onto various creatures to give them the abilities of Knuckles and the like.

So, maybe at some point you meet up with a disgraced Robotnik who bunks in your headquarters and works with Tails to create similar gadgets to be used by the duo. First you must take out the robotic menaces one by one to salvage the technology and adapt it for use by Tails/Sonic, giving them the abilities of a full cast. Think Tail's Adventure.

This would reduce the cast down to the primary three, remove a lot of needless banter and off-putting personalities while distilling the concept down to something more in line with the traditional Sonic brand. Also, this sort of design would fit the Wii U like a glove and cut out a lot of baggage associated with the cast and the unnecessary distribution of skills (character swapping). Stick to the original duo, make the gameplay progressive, and emphasize co-op at every step.

That's not to say that the cast wouldn't play a part. Obviously they would be captured and potentially rescued. But this sort of premise could maximize the value of each peripheral character by keeping their appearance short and sweet. Moreover, it could open the doors for many more friends making cameos, inspiring new abilities and exciting appearances. Discovering those cameos and the characterization/implementation of each could be a joy. Bosses could be truly compelling and, most importantly, represent goofy, inspired takes on each character's abilities. I have some specific ideas, but I'm more interested in how others would adapt the past and future to craft unique boss characters (a rarity in Sonic games).

Beyond that, the story could have some immediate appeal and potential because there is endless potential for where to take a Sonic & Tails + Robotnik dynamic. Does he ultimately betray you? Has he been sabotaging the gadgets to cause them to eventually malfunction? Could he finally be reformed? How will Sonic's friends respond to being rescued/working with Robotnik?

Part of my frustration with the Sonic Boom brand is how it interferes with nearly every desirable aspect of the Sonic franchise without displaying any potential for worthwhile progression or advancement. Lyric is a neat enemy, but why should I care and what does he offer to Sonic fans. Playing as different characters is commendable, but I've been lead to believe a specific combination will be isolated to each level. So what is the point other than mistakenly attempting to force interest in unlikable characters?

Again, I mostly want to hear other ideas and concepts. I thought up this whole idea over the course of a visit to the bathroom. How would you bridge the corporate marketing demands with the ideals of a compelling new Sonic game in the form of a 3D adventure? My sense is that any one of us can come up with a better concept than what has been displayed so far, which produces a primary reaction of "why?"

...A reaction that is seriously hard to sufficiently answer.

tl;dr

I post everything on this site through my phone while watching my kids. I cannot accept that my posts are too long. Or at least tell that to my touchscreen.

Truthfully, I believe fervently in communication. I read a large ratio of what is written anywhere on this site. What does it matter if it's one person's opinion or a litany of quips from the fingers of many?

As usual, I would rather wait to see what happens. Sega has a lot of money backing this up if they are also making a toy line and a TV series. And as can be noticed, they are gearing it towards kids and not towards Sonic fans. After seeing the uproar over Knuckles design, it is easy to see that Sega is not looking to please Sonic fans.

Of course we will wait. But the question then is why the hell are they making this a Sonic game? How many recent properties has Sega effectively created for kids or otherwise? We rail on Nintendo being beholden to their IPs, but that catalog is substantial and they have guarded them all carefully. Sega has little other than Sonic at this point and are seemingly determined to take the extreme step of shoehorning that sole valuable IP into incompatible products.

For the sake of what? Reaching a new market? Kids know Sonic and don't need him crammed into a franchise to ensure their interest. The whole concept is actually quite cynical. Whether or not Rise of Lyric is any good (I do have faith in BRB), I cannot escape the burgeoning impression that this is all a result of a marketing department at its worst.

I got about halfway through this before accidentally losing my place, but what I feel needs to be said is that it's way too late for a total overhaul of the gameplay mechanics. They need to polish the game, not rethink it.

Anyways, if the reception is really so bad, the only thing left to do is show them why their apprehension is so wrong. Unfortunately, the Sonic fanbase, and indeed many fanbases are not exactly conducive to giving it a shot. They'll have to rebuild the series from the ground up in order to recapture that spark. We can only hope this is the first step.

Why anybody was expecting any more than what we're getting, a cheap game designed to cash-in on a Sonic cartoon, a name synonymous with bad since the PS2/Xbox/GC days is beyond me.

Since the Sonic branding is a huge red flag to most gamers at this point anyway, I don't see the apprehension as being avoidable. There is nothing we can do but wait and see.

As far as using the well known Sonic brand, the series is already muddied and has so many different groups liking it for different reasons that at this point you can't please all of the fans even some of the time, and trying to please even one fanbase would probably end in disappointment. Creating a new franchise branch might be a good idea at this point; if it catches on, then Sonic might finally be less of a mixed bag where you never really know what you'll get.

As I said before, it's possible that the Sonic Boom brand needs to be extricated from the game for this concept to be compelling. As is, it's a bit of a disaster. The mechanics are not well thought out and represent a Skylanders sort of design ethic. That game works because of the abundance of new characters to discover, attach it to the Sonic franchise and what happens then?

We don't actually know enough about the game to effectively rethink the mechanics. I know that. What I want to know is what some of you would do if put in the shoes of a game designer at BRB tasked with designing such a concept. Can we come up with something more cohesive, compelling, and appropriate?

If I had any interest in uploading, I'd scribble out some character designs and share some of what I'm thinking... But I generally lack the motivation and ego required to foist my ideas into the internet. Rarely would I even create a new topic, but I'm curious about how a branding so out of whack could culminate in something like Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric.

Again, I'm not saying the game is the problem, but the game and concept together definitely represent a precarious marriage. I'm just looking for a better union.

Honestly, Sonic games haven't been so bad, lately. Hit-or-miss, sure. Far from mass appeal, without a doubt, but not really BAD per say.

In fact, aside from Sonic 06, there always seems to be at least one gameplay element that most players agree was a nice addition. I see no reason to write this game pdf so soon. In fact, I think it looks like it may actually be kinda fun.

I completely agree, but it's not like BRB is going to turn down lucrative work. If Sega made these demands for a game you were tasked with designing, could you succeed? How?

Suit yourself. Sonic Heroes, Lost World, Shadow, Unleashed, '06, and his other games have been enough horrendous games for me.

If you really typed all that while watching your kids, they are likely in their late 20's by now.

I feel Sega is banking on a recognizable IP, no way they are investing so much in a new IP. For the reception most Sonic games get, they don't seem to care if they "ruin" it again. As a matter of fact I feel this is a spin off, and as such they can try different stuff. If it fails, they keep the "main" Sonic line and ditch this. If this is successful they will have both brands. So it has both good things and bad things.

Up until playing Sonic Generations (PC version) I would have said I preferred Mario to Sonic but now that isn't the case for the Sonic games I like.

So much more fun than Mario once you are playing it properly at full speed. (And it is not watered down more and more each time).

(I had none of the problems any of the reviewers had with the Wii U Lost World it was all totally logical. (And a variant on the classic Sonic thing of as fast as absolutely possible and it all works out but hesitate a bit and you get hit.)

I'm a writer by trade. That was a simple stream of consciousness flow of ideas that took maybe 15-20 minutes. Maybe I write fast and voluminous, but it's simply a commitment to expression.

My kids are 3 and 5. I was their sole supervision even as I tapped that message into my phone. That's how I do it.

Thinking about it, I want to clarify that I'm not blaming the Sonic brand, recent Sonic games, nor the developers. To me, this whole experience has been a catastrophic failure of marketing. Maybe Rise of Lyric will be great and successful; however, the reception so far has been anything but. Something big needs to happen to salvage the perception, interest, and stature among the fan base.

Those are the ideas/answers I'm looking for.

Ruining Sonic is out of the realm of possibility. And you're probably right. The Sonic branding likely ensures that this will sell at least 500,000 copies. Would a new IP have a greater potential of a breakthrough, though? Would the creation of a new IP ultimately lead to more lucrative opportunities? If nothing else, would a new IP lead to fresher gameplay possibilities?

Can't really say. But I seriously question the degree to which this Sonic Boom branding is being crammed into this game. What does it offer to the game design? The franchise? The fan base? The audience?

None of those question have really been answered, to my extent.

the game must be mind blowing and the best sonic game yet, or people won't stop bashing sonic because its games since the wii are pretty average(I like most of them to be honest)

I'm not a game designer, nor do I profess to be one. I don't think it's as easy to come up with a legitimately better idea as you seem to think. Besides that, you seem to be forgetting something. The audience we hear on the Internet is not always the target audience. It's a set, pre-biased audience. If they didn't like it, in the first place, they probably aren't about to start. There's nothing you can do to save it for them because "it isn't really Sonic." Just like Star Fox Adventures was actually a good game, with a few parts tacked on because it had to pertain to SF in some way. The game was poorly received, not for being a bad idea but because "it's not really Star Fox." It missed its audience by a mile because they weren't paying attention. Not because it was a bad idea. The mistake of rebranding has already been made. It can still be a great game, but the rebrand will do all the same damage, no matter what.

Part of the problem is that your solution panders to the classic Sonic fanbase. Unfortunately, the classic Sonic fanbase has long since given up on the Sonic franchise. I heard some of them say some nice things about the run button in Sonic Lost World, but that was it. You won't be getting those guys back. You also can't pander to any of the more recent audiences, because they're all niche, at this point? So what do you do? Screw it all and hope the kiddos are interested enough to complain to their parents until they get the game and are stuck with it for two months.