Post by Marik on Sept 27, 2006 23:01:06 GMT -5
Yes, finally the Sonic the Hedgehog demo finally entered the 360's Marketplace and now Sonic fans can play it!
REVIEW (Cue Phoenix Wright testimony music now):
OK! Here we go!!!
I have been waiting for this to hit the demo and I'll just straight up review it now. Where to start, well the controls are exactly like Adventure's A- Jump and Homing, B- Attack, L/R Pan camera, but wait unlike the Dreamcast the left stick controls the camera, so the crappy camera that plagued the 3D Sonic's can somewhat be controlled, somewhat meaning the camera isn't the best still. One thing improved though, the homing attack, but cheap deaths can still happen if used at the wrong time. What's cool about homing attacks is that instead of just destroying an enemy, it flings them, so it either rams into a wall or into other enemies or it can open steel boxes or it can unlock a path, also very funny. Another problem is Sonic's somersault(Back from Adventure 2) his kick afterwards lasts like 10 seconds after if you are not careful. Running on walls is improved also, you can jump and land back on the wall and continue running.
Now it's the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, the graphics must be second to none, right? Well the million blue Polygons on Sonic looks pretty for a MILLION BLUE POLYS! But seriously, Sonic is very good looking. The robots are pretty, they like to shine. But some parts of the environments look like *gasp* a GameCube game. This game can easily be Wiimade, even with its nice physics engine. But it has a very jagged framerate. I played the demo several times and once it totally was just slow motion, it just chugged the entire level. 4 frames a second slow.
The music was generic and I am one of few that LOVE the Sonic X voices, but the few things Sonic said annoyed my eardrums and there's some weird old guy telling you the hints when you hit the ? things. Where's my Tikal when I need her. And Silver's voice isn't changing from that first trailer.
Well not everything is from Adventure though, but don't think it's for the better. HP Bars above enemies are back from Shadow the Hedgehog as well as rings being deducted 10 at a time instead all at once. Also, because of that now, no one second invincibility unless you get knocked down from a heavier attack, but a robot can easily kill you if it fires a bunch of rounds at you.
After you beat a level, it tallies up the score like normal, but this time when they rank you, they show you what you need for a E, D, C, B, A, and S rank. That's cool, but like Shadow again, I can die right before I finish a level and as long as I got to the goal ring quick, I can just obtain it through the time bonus alone.
Oh yea, 360 and PS3 game STILL use CG Cutscenes, it isn’t realtime, yea Microsoft and Sony really entered the real next generation.... We see how third party games use it. Take an Xbox game, shine it up real nice with the Unreal 3 Engine and make it HD and there's your next generation. Sad really.
The best part of this demo was the new stuff in the exclusive trailer for it. Well 90% was the first trailer, but it's always that 10% after that matters. It seems Silver can do a lot more than deflect bullets and missiles, he used 3 steel boxes to destroy a tower and used his powers to bend a steel beam to make it a personal spring. Nice touch. And it looks like Adventure Fields is in, Sonic running around Soleanna will probably be the thing I'll do the most like in Sonic Adventure.
As a demo, it's horrible, the level wasn't entertaining, it chugged a hell of a lot. But it's just a VERY buggy demo, the real deal will be coming November 17th for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Let's hope that framerate issue is resolved, but every other bad thing I said is basically stuck in the game. Did they screw it up... yea, but not as bad as Shadow, this might get better in the final version or when we progress further in the game. I hope. It is a more fixed (If that's the right word) version of Shadow the Hedgehog in the end, which is unfortunate.
It looks like in the end though, it'll be decent. I really did hack this game up in this review. Should you buy it, well half of us was sorry enough to buy Shadow's game, so it really isn't an answer, get it. I'm in it only for story truthfully.
Also it's not just Sonic.
OK Microsoft had its X06 event, where Microsoft tells its own exciting news. I'll do it in list news:
-Sonic Next demo is on XBLM, like I said before. Doom 1 is also on the Marketplace too.
-Halo Wars announced! Halo Real Time Strategy game. Now I am not a fan of RTS's but this deserves a rent. It looks like a prequel cause there are a lot of Spartans. Made by Ensemble, makers of the very popular Age of Empires series.
-360's HD-DVD player costs 200 dollars, and available in November.
-Rare announces Banjo- Kazooie 3 for 360.
-Exclusive 360/Vista Marvel MMORPG.
-Lord of the Rings producer Peter Jackson announced that he'll make his own Halo spinoff.
-Guitar Hero 2 announced for 360 with own wireless controller.
-Bioshock and Splinter Cell 5 exclusive to 360 and PC. Dunno how long that'll last though. The first one was the same way.
-Grand Theft Auto IV will have exclusive episodes for the 360.
-Project Gotham Racing 4 announced.
-All the X06 content to be on XBLM for viewing.
Yea... Microsoft really pulled out the stops here. Very impressive. No new Halo 3 or Fable 2 trailer, but saw a lot more than I was expecting. Congrats Microsoft, you told me why I should keep pouring hundreds of more dollars in your white box. Not graphics per se, it's the GAMES.
Oh yea, this is a blog so what's new with me? Had to preorder Tales of the Abyss because I didn't know it came out in 2 weeks! And I'm selling a chunk of my gaming collection to friends and whoever I show my fancy list to. No eBay, I don't sell off that. I have a few bids on a few games, which is nice.
I did so bad typing this tonight, that I had to dump it in Word and do a very long spell check…
REVIEW (Cue Phoenix Wright testimony music now):
OK! Here we go!!!
I have been waiting for this to hit the demo and I'll just straight up review it now. Where to start, well the controls are exactly like Adventure's A- Jump and Homing, B- Attack, L/R Pan camera, but wait unlike the Dreamcast the left stick controls the camera, so the crappy camera that plagued the 3D Sonic's can somewhat be controlled, somewhat meaning the camera isn't the best still. One thing improved though, the homing attack, but cheap deaths can still happen if used at the wrong time. What's cool about homing attacks is that instead of just destroying an enemy, it flings them, so it either rams into a wall or into other enemies or it can open steel boxes or it can unlock a path, also very funny. Another problem is Sonic's somersault(Back from Adventure 2) his kick afterwards lasts like 10 seconds after if you are not careful. Running on walls is improved also, you can jump and land back on the wall and continue running.
Now it's the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, the graphics must be second to none, right? Well the million blue Polygons on Sonic looks pretty for a MILLION BLUE POLYS! But seriously, Sonic is very good looking. The robots are pretty, they like to shine. But some parts of the environments look like *gasp* a GameCube game. This game can easily be Wiimade, even with its nice physics engine. But it has a very jagged framerate. I played the demo several times and once it totally was just slow motion, it just chugged the entire level. 4 frames a second slow.
The music was generic and I am one of few that LOVE the Sonic X voices, but the few things Sonic said annoyed my eardrums and there's some weird old guy telling you the hints when you hit the ? things. Where's my Tikal when I need her. And Silver's voice isn't changing from that first trailer.
Well not everything is from Adventure though, but don't think it's for the better. HP Bars above enemies are back from Shadow the Hedgehog as well as rings being deducted 10 at a time instead all at once. Also, because of that now, no one second invincibility unless you get knocked down from a heavier attack, but a robot can easily kill you if it fires a bunch of rounds at you.
After you beat a level, it tallies up the score like normal, but this time when they rank you, they show you what you need for a E, D, C, B, A, and S rank. That's cool, but like Shadow again, I can die right before I finish a level and as long as I got to the goal ring quick, I can just obtain it through the time bonus alone.
Oh yea, 360 and PS3 game STILL use CG Cutscenes, it isn’t realtime, yea Microsoft and Sony really entered the real next generation.... We see how third party games use it. Take an Xbox game, shine it up real nice with the Unreal 3 Engine and make it HD and there's your next generation. Sad really.
The best part of this demo was the new stuff in the exclusive trailer for it. Well 90% was the first trailer, but it's always that 10% after that matters. It seems Silver can do a lot more than deflect bullets and missiles, he used 3 steel boxes to destroy a tower and used his powers to bend a steel beam to make it a personal spring. Nice touch. And it looks like Adventure Fields is in, Sonic running around Soleanna will probably be the thing I'll do the most like in Sonic Adventure.
As a demo, it's horrible, the level wasn't entertaining, it chugged a hell of a lot. But it's just a VERY buggy demo, the real deal will be coming November 17th for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Let's hope that framerate issue is resolved, but every other bad thing I said is basically stuck in the game. Did they screw it up... yea, but not as bad as Shadow, this might get better in the final version or when we progress further in the game. I hope. It is a more fixed (If that's the right word) version of Shadow the Hedgehog in the end, which is unfortunate.
It looks like in the end though, it'll be decent. I really did hack this game up in this review. Should you buy it, well half of us was sorry enough to buy Shadow's game, so it really isn't an answer, get it. I'm in it only for story truthfully.
Also it's not just Sonic.
OK Microsoft had its X06 event, where Microsoft tells its own exciting news. I'll do it in list news:
-Sonic Next demo is on XBLM, like I said before. Doom 1 is also on the Marketplace too.
-Halo Wars announced! Halo Real Time Strategy game. Now I am not a fan of RTS's but this deserves a rent. It looks like a prequel cause there are a lot of Spartans. Made by Ensemble, makers of the very popular Age of Empires series.
-360's HD-DVD player costs 200 dollars, and available in November.
-Rare announces Banjo- Kazooie 3 for 360.
-Exclusive 360/Vista Marvel MMORPG.
-Lord of the Rings producer Peter Jackson announced that he'll make his own Halo spinoff.
-Guitar Hero 2 announced for 360 with own wireless controller.
-Bioshock and Splinter Cell 5 exclusive to 360 and PC. Dunno how long that'll last though. The first one was the same way.
-Grand Theft Auto IV will have exclusive episodes for the 360.
-Project Gotham Racing 4 announced.
-All the X06 content to be on XBLM for viewing.
Yea... Microsoft really pulled out the stops here. Very impressive. No new Halo 3 or Fable 2 trailer, but saw a lot more than I was expecting. Congrats Microsoft, you told me why I should keep pouring hundreds of more dollars in your white box. Not graphics per se, it's the GAMES.
Oh yea, this is a blog so what's new with me? Had to preorder Tales of the Abyss because I didn't know it came out in 2 weeks! And I'm selling a chunk of my gaming collection to friends and whoever I show my fancy list to. No eBay, I don't sell off that. I have a few bids on a few games, which is nice.
I did so bad typing this tonight, that I had to dump it in Word and do a very long spell check…
