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Post by akumajobelmont on Jul 24, 2014 11:01:04 GMT -5
How did I miss this? I'm a huge fan of Sonic SatAM, and this basically looks like the Sonic SatAM game I always imagined -- epic semi-emo freedom-fighting storyline plus character drama and awesome Sonic the Hedgehog gameplay. For those who've played it already, how's the story? Does it seem like an afterthought, or is it actually pretty well-written? -Tom It's ok so far. VERY SatAM, so that's a good thing. It's well written, and though some of the voice acting is a little spotty, it's still plenty listenable, and better than the drivel we used to get in games. Phenomenal controls too, and the music is so, so catchy.
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Post by wyrdwad on Jul 24, 2014 11:11:32 GMT -5
How did I miss this? I'm a huge fan of Sonic SatAM, and this basically looks like the Sonic SatAM game I always imagined -- epic semi-emo freedom-fighting storyline plus character drama and awesome Sonic the Hedgehog gameplay. For those who've played it already, how's the story? Does it seem like an afterthought, or is it actually pretty well-written? -Tom It's ok so far. VERY SatAM, so that's a good thing. It's well written, and though some of the voice acting is a little spotty, it's still plenty listenable, and better than the drivel we used to get in games. Phenomenal controls too, and the music is so, so catchy. Yeah, a friend of mine just told me that this originally *was* a SatAM fan game that just grew and evolved over the course of many, many years until it split off and became its own thing... and he mentioned the fan game it started as, which I actually played back in the day. I don't know how accurate that info is, but if it's true, I'm totally in! I loved the story and atmosphere of that game, even if the level designs were... not great. (Can't remember the name of it, but it was a game where Sonic jumped forward in time 10 years to find out that the Freedom Fighters thought he'd died and basically fell apart in his absence. For some reason, rather than making a PC title, the original fan game was a GBA rom.) -Tom
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Post by Ike on Jul 24, 2014 14:24:46 GMT -5
The physics feel just slightly off from the demo. I keep expecting the bouncy springs to shoot me out no matter which direction I'm holding, but you can quickly drop all your motion if you're not pulling against it. I keep expecting it to feel like Sonic and I get confused when it doesn't.
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Post by Feynman on Jul 24, 2014 20:29:14 GMT -5
It's ok so far. VERY SatAM, so that's a good thing. It's well written, and though some of the voice acting is a little spotty, it's still plenty listenable, and better than the drivel we used to get in games. Phenomenal controls too, and the music is so, so catchy. Yeah, a friend of mine just told me that this originally *was* a SatAM fan game that just grew and evolved over the course of many, many years until it split off and became its own thing... and he mentioned the fan game it started as, which I actually played back in the day. I don't know how accurate that info is, but if it's true, I'm totally in! I loved the story and atmosphere of that game, even if the level designs were... not great. (Can't remember the name of it, but it was a game where Sonic jumped forward in time 10 years to find out that the Freedom Fighters thought he'd died and basically fell apart in his absence. For some reason, rather than making a PC title, the original fan game was a GBA rom.) -Tom Given the kinds of games you tend to enjoy, I'm guessing this one will be right up your alley. The Sonic SatAM comparison is an apt one.
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Post by Ike on Jul 25, 2014 0:23:55 GMT -5
I bought this. The voice acting is the worst thing.
DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
edit: Also if you're playing as the purple thing you're doing it wrong
edit2: Why does Lilac scream all of her lines
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Post by Super Orbus on Jul 25, 2014 1:09:47 GMT -5
I bought this. The voice acting is the worst thing. You bought it. You voted for it.
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Post by wyrdwad on Jul 25, 2014 1:12:14 GMT -5
Couldn't resist -- bought it. First impressions? REALLY FREAKING GOOD. Definitely recommended! The good: - Controls are actually smoother than Sonic the Hedgehog IMHO, in that they're not anywhere near as floaty and a lot more precise, and the physics are a lot less realistic but a lot more fun (lots of running on ceilings and such!) - There's a lot more gameplay variety, with three playable characters who all play VERY differently (like, night and day differently!). Only two are available at the start, but I unlocked the third for "classic mode" and tested her out, and she's probably the most unique of the bunch, with her primary attack consisting of spawning blocks and hurling them at enemies. - And speaking of "classic mode," it's a really cool idea. If you care about the story, play story mode... if you don't, play classic mode, and it'll be JUST the stages, a la Sonic the Hedgehog, with none of the cutscenes leading up to them. - The level designs seem really solid so far, with lots of secrets to find and really fun little platforming twists that are clever even by Sonic standards. - The story so far is simple but charming, and REALLY feels like it came out of an old-school Saturday morning cartoon. You can absolutely tell that this was originally a Sonic SatAM fan game, as it feels EXACTLY like you're playing an episode of SatAM with a different cast of characters... but you can easily tell who each character probably was originally: Lilac was Sonic, Carol was Tails, Torque was Rotor, etc. - Character animations are absolutely astounding. This game was clearly a labor of love, as some of these animations are so subtle and yet so detailed, you just KNOW a crap-ton of time went into perfecting every last detail of them. A lot of people are saying that this game is to the Sega Saturn what Shovel Knight was to the NES, and I think that's absolutely fair. - The voice-acting is honestly not half-bad at all (definitely disagreed on this one, Ike!). Again, it sounds extremely Saturday morning cartoon (so very energetic and over-the-top), but is just pretty top-notch all around IMHO, especially for what I assume to have been an amateur cast. - As others have noted, the music is simply wonderful. Definitely evokes shades of Sonic, but also has its own identity. The mixed: - Game seems SUPER-easy so far. I've never even been at risk of dying one single time so far. But honestly... that's fine by me! And if I ever WANT it to be harder (pfft!), there's a Hard difficulty I can select. The bad: - ...Pretty much the ONLY bad so far is that my graphics card can't quite seem to handle the BLAST PROCESSING in this game, so it gets pretty choppy once I start moving fast. I'm not sure there's any solution for this, and I will say it's choppy enough to be distracting at times, but not choppy enough to keep me from playing and enjoying the game. Just... beware, if you have a crappy computer, as this game might not run too well on it. Overall: This really is the best Sonic the Hedgehog game since the '90s, and is pretty much the SatAM game I always wanted. It's exactly what I hoped it would be, and I can absolutely recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the old 16- and 32-bit Sonic the Hedgehog games, the Sonic SatAM cartoon, or just fun 2D platformers and/or old-school Saturday morning cartoons in general. Bear in mind, these are just "first hour impressions," but still! Figured I'd share. -Tom
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Post by Ike on Jul 25, 2014 1:21:17 GMT -5
Carol feels more like Knuckles to me. She's the only character I don't feel slightly dirty playing.
The physics feel a little janky at times. The jumping isn't quite as precice as I'd like it to be and I end up overshooting platforms a lot. The fact that you can't hurt enemies by jumping on them bugs me real bad because I want to do that intuitively. It would be nice if the characters had a downward thrust kick or something that would bounce you off of an enemy. Also, I really wish that going into a spin would preserve momentum the way it does in Sonic. I spent a long time trying to get around a loop-de-loop by spinning, the way you would in Sonic, when really I was supposed to just run normal, but that felt really wrong to me. There's just something off about the momentum.
Other minor gripes being that there are a lot of little collectibles scattered around but it's not clear what their purpose is. I got a little rainbowy yin-yang at one point and I have no idea what it's for, and there doesn't seem to be an inventory or anything, unless it's just in another mode I haven't looked at yet. Also the framerate, which took me by surprise because the demo ran completely smooth but the full game is a little twitchy in full screen. I'll play with it a bit and see if maybe 2x or 3x runs better. I'll probably stream this later if anybody gives a dick to watch it.
I'm tenuously interested in the story enough to play story mode, but Lilac and a few other characters are just trying way too fucking hard. Carol rules tho
Also Lilac is supposed to be a dragon? I'm really not seeing it.
edit: also the dog-samurai enemies being completely stone-faced while driving their huge convoy truck through ancient ruins at full speed was hilarious to me
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Post by wyrdwad on Jul 25, 2014 1:26:47 GMT -5
I'm all about Lilac and Milla, personally. Carol is cool too, but she hasn't quite interested me as much as the other two (Milla in particular). Also, this is going to sound kind of blasphemous, but... I honestly think I PREFER the physics in this to Sonic. Which I know I stated above, but I'm not just talking about the running -- I mean the attacks and such too. I thought I'd miss being able to jump on enemies, but I really don't. I actually... kind of PREFER just beating the crap out of them instead. It's really satisfying to jump up and knock a hornet out of the air with my fist. I also like Lilac's charge spin thing, and the way it lets you get to places you otherwise wouldn't be able to. She's definitely my favorite to play as thus far -- though Milla is so different from the other two, she seems like she'd be a fun challenge to use. She also has the cutest design of the three IMHO, but that's beside the point. -Tom
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Post by Feynman on Jul 25, 2014 2:37:34 GMT -5
I like how different the characters are from each other. Milla is drastically different from Lilac and Carol, and while those two are more similar, there are some key differences that have a pretty big influence in how you approach boss fights and level obstacles.
RE: animations, I think my favorite so far is basically every ridiculous thing you can do with Carol's motorcycle, whether it be watching her struggle to keep her grip on both a hanging bar and the motorcycle at the same time, or its ability to grab and drive up 90 degree walls and even ladders, or the sheer glorious absurdity or being able to ride a rolling barrel while riding the motorcycle.
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Post by TheGunheart on Jul 25, 2014 2:53:27 GMT -5
Finished as Lilac, and absolutely loved it. I think this might be one of my favorite retro-indies of all time, in fact. That said, I think my one problem might have been the Thermal Base stage. Well, not actually for the level; this is exclusively an Adventure Mode thing: First, and most glaring, is that unlike every other stage in the game, which makes it clear what exactly you're doing there, we just cut to Lilac looking at the place, and suddenly she's fighting through it. We've never seen Lord Brevon using it, we don't know why Lilac thinks it's worth checking out. You just...go there, for no reason, and of course it turns out to be Brevon's stronghold. And when you beat it? You're treated to a surprisingly graphic torture scene for such a bright and colorful game. I'll admit it didn't bother me that much, but it really feels out of place, especially since it ultimately doesn't have any consequences.
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Post by Bobinator on Jul 25, 2014 3:00:59 GMT -5
It would be nice if the characters had a downward thrust kick or something that would bounce you off of an enemy. Lilac has a dive kick, (Down+B in the air) if that counts. Doesn't bounce you off enemies, though. See, the thing is, even though it looks like Sonic, it's the physics and such (Among many other things) that make it its own unique thing, so you can't really play this by playing it like Sonic. I will say that Lilac and Carol have at least one move that'll put them at top speed, if that helps. Actually, it brings you to a bonus game where you can get shields and extra lives and stuff with the little circular orbs you get from chests. I'm pretty sure that's all those orbs are for. Sure, I'd be up for it! Mostly I want to spread awareness around where I can because more games like this seriously need to be a thing. Stuff like Shovel Knight and Retro City Rampage are great, but there's no real representation for 16/32-bit era stuff, and I really hope this changes that.
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Post by TheGunheart on Jul 25, 2014 3:10:53 GMT -5
Stuff like Shovel Knight and Retro City Rampage are great, but there's no real representation for 16/32-bit era stuff, and I really hope this changes that. Yeah, I understand the difficulty in making a game in the style of that era, which makes it all the more impressive they pulled it off.
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Post by akumajobelmont on Jul 25, 2014 3:56:57 GMT -5
Stuff like Shovel Knight and Retro City Rampage are great, but there's no real representation for 16/32-bit era stuff, and I really hope this changes that. Yeah, I understand the difficulty in making a game in the style of that era, which makes it all the more impressive they pulled it off. Agreed. The 16/32-bit era needs more representation. The best games from that era still stand up today, both in gameplay and aesthetics, more so most of the 8-bit stuff. All the while playing Shovel Knight, I'd keep wishing it'd had just a few more colours. Freedom Planet does, and it's glorious. Dunno why, but the level of detail really reminds me of Keio Flying Squadron 2 on the Saturn. Still one of the prettiest platform games around.
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Post by wyrdwad on Jul 25, 2014 4:57:22 GMT -5
Yeah, the sprite detail in Freedom Planet continues to blow my mind. They did not skimp on ANYTHING in this game. It's seriously gorgeous.
-Tom
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