Looks like I didn't remove my silly side tangent in time. =P Ah well, I should've thought to edit my post sooner.
CobaltBW said:
You use the word "remaster" rather ambiguously. The most SEGA has ever done to a port is either create mock-HD support by smoothing out the pixels or adding a couple features to mobile ports. The one exception is CD which actually had an accessible PC port with features like looping music tracks and both US/Jap soundtrack support, with a remodeled gameplay engine that's almost to the tee to what was made back then.
"Remaster" is what everyone at Sonic Retro calls it, so that's why I called it that. If you're unaware, Taxman/Stealth have given Sonic 1 and Sonic 2 the same treatment they did for Sonic CD. You can believe me when I say they went above and beyond to produce definitive versions of those games. More paths were added to the layouts, and even the music was re-recorded. I dunno if my ears are fooling me, but certain instruments that were too faint before got a chance to shine. Not to mention Hidden Palace Zone is in Sonic 2,
Hidden Palace Zone.
CobaltBW said:
All Sonic Generation's classic gameplay did was temporarily shock Classic Sonic back to life so that they could use his gameplay as yet another commercial gimmick. Generations was a oneoff -- just like every goddamn engine Sonic Team or Dimps has created in the past decade. The only gameplay system they've kept since then for more than two games is Unleashed Day and Sonic Rush, and the former has only seen usage in three games, two of which it was forced to share half of the spotlight. To assume at this point that classic Sonic might be coming back and isn't completely botched, especially given SEGA's track record, is optimistic but pretty naive. It's clear to me that SEGA already decided a long time ago that Sonic's classic formula is only worth introducing for an Anniversary cash grab.
Basically the long winded version of what I said. They could recreate the classic game play if they wanted to, although they don't care or feel inspired to, like the fans do.
CobaltBW said:
I honestly like Sonic Advance 1, if only because of Amy being a playable character. Amy felt like a fresh take on a classic gameplay formula, and I wish SEGA played around with gimmicks of that nature. That being said, I dislike Sonic Advance 2 for a multitude of reasons, but the biggest is that it feels like Pre-Sonic Rush and not Classic Sonic. The different characters besides Cream don't even matter because exploration takes a backseat to platformer speedrunning. I know some people on here who like 3, but to me it felt too messy -- like it was mixing SA1 level design with SA2 physics, and the AI was laughably bad to where I wish it just wasn't there.
Sonic Advance 1 is as close to a Sonic 4 as you can get, and its the most balanced of the three Advance games. I think it would be any other run of the mill Sonic game if not for Amy, however; that was its saving grace for me. (In fact, I specifically wanted SA1 for Christmas instead of SA2 because of her.) Because I've played as Sonic with Tails following behind before, and I'd get bored two zones in before stopping to switch to Amy. The stages are simply too much fun with her.
I agree Sonic Advance 2 had its problems, and what exploration there was felt forced with those awful Red Rings. I gave up trying to collect all the emeralds to unlock Amy, because I knew I'd be so sick of the game by the time I did that, that I wouldn't be able to enjoy her. The way she played had changed anyway, and it's awkward seeing her spin dash.
Sonic Advance 3's biggest problem was its smallest one: the screen resolution. It had these massive, huge layouts with lots to see and do, which is why I get the most substance out of it versus the other two games. However, the GBA's tiny screen felt suffocating, as you couldn't go very far without that fear of probably walking right to your death. (Sonic Rush addressed this extremely well by using both of the DS's fairly larger screens; I'd say the game would be impossible to enjoy otherwise.)
Collecting the chaos were a nasty chore, so I still haven't unlocked the true ending. I'm just happy they didn't make Amy the incentive to get all the Emeralds that time. It's a real shame, because I enjoy the special stages in Sonic Advance 3. Getting to them is such a massive pain in the butt.
CobaltBW said:
Sonic's fanbase is a byproduct of the games that have been produced, just like any other fanbase out there. The Smash Bros. community is split between competitive and casual play, and it's just now coming to terms with that because the developers have acknowledged and tried to please both sides (and it did a pretty good job, whether or not 4 is as truly competitive as Melee was). Sonic's fanbase, on the other hand is a mess because SEGA's games are messes. Laughable storylines and characters (ironically, not sincerely), shitty gameplay in literally half of Sonic's outtings, and absolutely no sense of gameplay identity outside of the vague "fast" and "platforming" tropes -- the former of which is challenged by outtings like Unleashed and Rise of Lyric. Sonic gets the bottom of the barrel in terms of fans because, who honestly wants to associate themselves with such an atrocious franchise unless they grew up with it?
A pretty sensible observation. It's exactly why I'm not too comfortable playing Sonic games on a portable in public, because the last thing I need is to be painted as some pessimistic, awkward, one-dimensional Sonic worshiper that looks at Amy Rule 34, much to the concern of his parents for not at least looking up real porn, and still lives with said parents because he lost job by defacing a Sonic Boom poster and macing a customer. "BLUE ARMS, BLUE ARMS, BLUUUUUUUUUUE ARMS."
I mean, it's shallow to broadly judge somebody based on a stereotype, although stereotypes are created by people perpetuating them in the first place. So there is truth to them, whether or not somebody realizes, "Hmm, maybe this particular British person might punch me instead if I ask him if he's a Doctor Who fan.".
