Famitsu gives Sonic: Lost World 9/9/9/9.

[Zera]

To me, the credibility of a review depends on how much the reviewed material was advertised on the reviewers site/magazine. So can a frequent visitor of Famitsu tell me whether or not Sonic Lost World has been advertised on Famitsu and to what degree? This will help determine whether or not I'll finally get into the Sonic series.

To me, the credibility of a reviewer reviewing a Sonic game is always zero unless it's a 7/10 or higher, because I've learned throughout the years that critics have an undying hatred of Sonic, regardless of the quality of his games. Take, for example, Jim Sterling's hilariously biased review of Sonic Colors. I played it before viewing any reviews, and I would give it an 8/10 minimum. Jim Sterling's review is terrible because none of the problems he mentions exist prominently, if they exist at all. The problem is that critics have this "Sonic games suck, so I'm going to look for as many problems as I can." mindset that leads to very questionable reviews.

Interestingly enough, Jim Sterling himself has given this game a 7.5/10. That's a good sign if I've ever seen one.

Also, some reviewers have complained that the homing attack and double jump are mapped to the same button. Apparently no one knows that using the B button to jump will not perform a homing attack, only the A button.

If you eliminate all the crappy reviews (70/100 and lower), the true Metascore is an 82. Now that's more like it.

Here's a good review of Sonic Lost World. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv3S5uk1XSE

[Knight]

I was questioning Famitsu's credibility, not any other reviewers, who had given it a 9/10. Something I learned is that big game review sites are pressured when the developer of the game they review has given them large sums of money to put pretty pictures of their product on their site, because those generous people may not give them any more money if they don't give a positive perspective of their precious cash-cow franchise. I'm not pointing specifically at Sonic, I haven't played much of Sonic, I'm just saying that this happens a lot between companies and review sites.

Edited October 21, 2013 by Knight

[Light-Heart]

FFX was linear and doesnt have nearly as much hate so dont throw that "linear" garbage as an arguement. Its an excuse, some stories are linear some aren't. That is just how some games are.

It wasn't a dead straight line. Like a Hallway of doom.

You could actually turn around and go to a different place if you desired. In FF XIII it was hallway of doom- hallway of doom- hallway of doom- hallway of doom- hallway of doom- hallway of doom- open chapters near the end.

[Light-Heart]

I hate to break it to you but I've played every entry(well the mainline single player RPGs) in the Final Fantasy series(I've also heard every argument against FFXIII there is). They're all mostly linear, since this is a sonic thread I'll keep it short but take any Final Fantasy game after FFII and note where you can or can't go and what you can do after each story event and you'll see how you actually end up pushed along a linear path with the way back being pulled up from behind you until a certain point, FFVI is a good example.

Loooooooooool no they're not.

They weren't a Hallway of doom or basically pretty straight like FF X

Like In FF 8 you had a choice to head to the Missile Base and stop the Missiles from hitting Balamb, or you could vist Deling City and fool around and play cards with Rinoa's dad or buy some new weapons in Timber or something, for a example.

Or later on you could go and trigger the Galbadia VS Balamb war or go around the world fighting monsters for some spells. Or even wait till heading to the Final Castle and instead go and collect Bahamut, Tornberry and Cactuar.

I think the story is nice. You had to read to understand the story in other FF games. I understood what was happening even without the data entries (except the Purge), the entries just go into detail. And 'telling a story like a novel'? That usually requires reading.

The Airship, Shops and Towns, and Linear is not really a good argument, because you're basically expecting it to be very very similar to the last FF games. Everything has to change sometime.

And dramatic characters? Did you even pay attention to the story? Everything about their lives has been a lie, and they've been railroaded into committing mass genocide along with their own personal problems brought on by their own weakness and the culture they were raised in. How is acting dramatic because of this a bad thing at all? Would you like them to be stone-faced and feel nothing at all? That's bad character writing.

Oh my gosh. I don't even dislike FF 13 I just think that the reasons why the hatedom dislike it are pretty fair and understanding * OPINION *. It was FF 12 that I disliked, not FF 13. And also agree that Famitsu rated the game too highly which makes me worried for the Sonic game.

Have you played FF 6, FF7, FF5, FF 9 or FF 10 or even FF 2?! They needed no reading to understand the plot whatsoever, to make a good plot you need to show the player the characters, world, setting, villains and themes. Not TELL the player everything. THAT is bad and very lazy writing.

Dude. Cloud's life was a huge lie and yet he was injected with alien Jenova cells and watched Zack and Aerith die. I don't remember him acting like he was in a TV soap. Cloud acted pretty human, he went insane and lost the plot, you would go nutty too if you went through what he went through. Plus Terra found out that she was Half- Esper, Locke unable to bring Rachel back, Rinoa finding out that she's basically a Witch and finding out that the world is going to loathe her, dude ZIDANE AND VIVI went through crap and yet they acted pretty normal. Zidane masked his emotions, and Vivi used his pain and sorrow in a effort to get stronger and tougher. Sort of like what Hope did but less dramatic.

SE has written and given bad crap for the characters to go through and have done it so much better in the past.

This is soo not Sonic chat.

don't mention your opinions on the FF games on these forums

Edited October 21, 2013 by glenncoco

[Tryhard]

Like In FF 8 you had a choice to head to the Missile Base and stop the Missiles from hitting Balamb, or you could vist Deling City and fool around and play cards with Rinoa's dad or buy some new weapons in Timber or something, for a example.

Or later on you could go and trigger the Galbadia VS Balamb war or go around the world fighting monsters for some spells. Or even wait till heading to the Final Castle and instead go and collect Bahamut, Tornberry and Cactuar.

Not that any of that would actually make me want to play FF8.

Anyways, on SANIC. It's probably a fairly decent game, but reviews have already been very mixed. Though:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=86600167&postcount=779

[Jedi]

The people that tend to review Sonic games for the big shot reviews tend to play the games briefly, whine about how speedy it is and how unlike the genesis games they are and give it an unfair low score.

Edited October 21, 2013 by Jedi

[Raven]

Here's a good review of Sonic Lost World. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv3S5uk1XSE

This is amazing.

They know what they're talking about.

[Esau of Isaac]

I've heard nothing but praise from the people who've played FF12. Like Integ and Specta

I greatly dislike XII but respect it as a game. It has a deep system and the plot, while stale to me, is clearly complex in nature. I had some nice moments with it but on the whole was not wowed by it. Aside from XIII it's my least favorite in the main-line series

Final Fantasy XIII is a very good game though, it just gets lambasted by "fans" for things that have absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the game or even problems it doesn't have(and previous entries in the series can be called out as worse for).

It gets lambasted because it's a dull, lifeless husk of a game that fails to elicit the slightest of the innovative spark that has driven Square since its earliest FF titles. The plot is meandering and incomprehensibly boring, and the entirety of the environments and their contents rely solely on flash rather than substance. Outside of a bare few characters the cast is predictably groan-inducing, and the soundtrack lacks the depth and touch of earlier installments.

FFX was linear and doesnt have nearly as much hate so dont throw that "linear" garbage as an arguement. Its an excuse, some stories are linear some aren't. That is just how some games are.

Every Final Fantasy is different in style and such, people were just spoiled with 4 and 7 and expect every single game in the series to be exactly like them.

I say this as someon who likes both games, I like all the mainline FFs

Final Fantasy X was linear in nature for most of the game, and was repeatedly criticized for it. Its lack of an overworld or any early input on adventure from the player was one of the primary complaints people had with the game. Of course, it also came out in, what, 2003? Even then, the complaints about Final Fantasy XIII weren't according to its linearity but to its hyperlinearity. The first several hours of the game were in an almost straight line.

If you eliminate all the crappy reviews (70/100 and lower), the true Metascore is an 82. Now that's more like it.

If you eliminate all the people that disagree with your personal evaluations then yeah the reviews will more likely mirror your biased interpretations.

It would be like me claiming that positive reviews are astroturfed as fuck and it deserves a 15. What the fuck man

[Paperblade]

http://www.gamerevolution.com/features/famitsu-sucks

[amadeuscho]

Here's a good review of Sonic Lost World. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv3S5uk1XSE

from the review: "playing devil's advocate is stupid, especially since the devil is a fairy tale invented by humans and one we should not advocate at all."

[Happy_Dingo]

The thing with famitsu is that the reviewers have some many other reviews to do that they only play a small portion of the game and give a brief description of that limited experience. In other words their reviews are more like previews on post release. In other other words famitsus ratings are a joke and shouldn't be trusted.

[Zera]

http://www.gamerevolution.com/features/famitsu-sucks

Also from Gamerevolution:

"In one stage in particular—one where Sonic begins stuck inside a massive snowball with no explanation as to why—narrow, slippery slopes make it difficult to navigate successfully at all. Add in missile-shooting crabs that knock Sonic off the stage with the slightest bump and you’ve got a recipe for disaster."

So..... the game challenges you. Just like in every game ever made ever.

"The entire ring system is broken in a 3D world. The player is still allowed one hit, but it’s maddening to collect over 300 rings in one stage, only to lose them all at the end, and only be able to re-collect a handful of them due to the 3D gameplay.'

Yes, you can lose rings. Just like in every Sonic game ever made ever.

"Sonic Lost World also uses an archaic ‘four lives and it's game over’ system, regardless of where you are in a stage. If you just finished the previous level with zero lives remaining, you could get to the very end of the next stage only to die once and be pushed back to the beginning."

Yes, you can get a game over too. Just like in every game ever made ever. Would you like your pacifier and bib now?

A longer review isn't necessarily better, and the only thing I can garner from this one is that the reviewer simply has no gaming skills.

Let me show you what a truly superior review looks like.

Example: I like Okami because it's AWESOME! 9/10

Edited October 27, 2013 by Zera

[Light-Heart]

"Sonic Lost World also uses an archaic ‘four lives and it's game over’ system, regardless of where you are in a stage. If you just finished the previous level with zero lives remaining, you could get to the very end of the next stage only to die once and be pushed back to the beginning."

HOW IS THIS A BAD THING ?

Games have been doing this since like the Nintendo Days, seriously.

You have lives, you loose them, Game Over you start again.

I don't even.....

Edited October 27, 2013 by glenncoco

[Refa]

Just because games have been doing it forever, doesn't mean it's a good thing.

Also I see no reason for Sega not to have included an easier difficulty for people who find that sort of thing frustrating, noone plays Sonic because of how WTF HARD it is. I think it's a legitimate complaint that gets shrugged off because GRRR HOW CAN YOU NOT BE HARDCORE ENOUGH FOR THIS which kind of annoys me!

Also from Gamerevolution:

"In one stage in particular—one where Sonic begins stuck inside a massive snowball with no explanation as to why—narrow, slippery slopes make it difficult to navigate successfully at all. Add in missile-shooting crabs that knock Sonic off the stage with the slightest bump and you’ve got a recipe for disaster."

So..... the game challenges you. Just like in every game ever made ever.

False. Not every game challenges you. Additionally, your point sucks because the reviewer isn't complaining about how the game is challenging, he/she/it is complaining that the challenge is unfair. I haven't played the game, so I can't really say one way or the other, but the point is your point sucks.

"The entire ring system is broken in a 3D world. The player is still allowed one hit, but it’s maddening to collect over 300 rings in one stage, only to lose them all at the end, and only be able to re-collect a handful of them due to the 3D gameplay.'

Yes, you can lose rings. Just like in every Sonic game ever made ever.

Oh look, you missed the point again. The whole point was that collecting 300 rings and having like 30 drop is not a mechanic the reviewer enjoys. Whether or not you agree with this is subjective, but there's nothing about that criticism that is actually false.

"Sonic Lost World also uses an archaic ‘four lives and it's game over’ system, regardless of where you are in a stage. If you just finished the previous level with zero lives remaining, you could get to the very end of the next stage only to die once and be pushed back to the beginning."

Yes, you can get a game over too. Just like in every game ever made ever. Would you like your pacifier and bib now?

Because everyone enjoys having to replay portions of games that they've already gone through. See, I can be passive aggressive too!

A longer review isn't necessarily better, and the only thing I can garner from this one is that the reviewer simply has no gaming skills.

Let me show you what a truly superior review looks like.

Example: I like Okami because it's AWESOME! 9/10

Way to miss the point of why Famitsu sucks.

Edited October 27, 2013 by Refa

[Esau of Isaac]

Also from Gamerevolution:

"In one stage in particular—one where Sonic begins stuck inside a massive snowball with no explanation as to why—narrow, slippery slopes make it difficult to navigate successfully at all. Add in missile-shooting crabs that knock Sonic off the stage with the slightest bump and you’ve got a recipe for disaster."

So..... the game challenges you. Just like in every game ever made ever.

"The entire ring system is broken in a 3D world. The player is still allowed one hit, but it’s maddening to collect over 300 rings in one stage, only to lose them all at the end, and only be able to re-collect a handful of them due to the 3D gameplay.'

Yes, you can lose rings. Just like in every Sonic game ever made ever.

"Sonic Lost World also uses an archaic ‘four lives and it's game over’ system, regardless of where you are in a stage. If you just finished the previous level with zero lives remaining, you could get to the very end of the next stage only to die once and be pushed back to the beginning."

Yes, you can get a game over too. Just like in every game ever made ever. Would you like your pacifier and bib now?

A longer review isn't necessarily better, and the only thing I can garner from this one is that the reviewer simply has no gaming skills.

Let me show you what a truly superior review looks like.

Example: I like Okami because it's AWESOME! 9/10

b-b-b-but muh cripplingly annoying difficulty and repetetiveness is a feature! How dare you not like it and rate it poorly how biased of you that you think differently!

[BrightBow]

"Sonic Lost World also uses an archaic ‘four lives and it's game over’ system, regardless of where you are in a stage. If you just finished the previous level with zero lives remaining, you could get to the very end of the next stage only to die once and be pushed back to the beginning."

Yes, you can get a game over too. Just like in every game ever made ever. Would you like your pacifier and bib now?

I think the complaint is about having to start a new level without any of the remaining lives, forcing one to either kill yourself a few times, farm, or simply not gain very far in the level. And that is quite frankly nothing short of tedium that has nothing to do with difficulty.

This made sense in the old days, when there were either limited continues or a score to loose.

Today, this system is outdated. There is no reason that the game shouldn't automatically raise your tries to the default amount after finishing a stage.

Now, Sonic still has a score. But it's utterly ruined by dying anywhere at the stage. So when playing for score, the lifes simply don't mean anything to begin with.

Edited October 28, 2013 by BrightBow

[Raven]

I see it as a way to force you to learn and get good at the levels. If it were too easy people would criticise that shit too.

I can get through Sonic 3 & Knuckles without losing a single life not because it's easy (it's the hardest old-school Sonic game going) but because I've put so many hours into playing it, learning it. The same applies here with this game.

[Light-Heart]

I disagree about the system being outdated, it worked fine in Generations. Outdated also doesn't = bad, just means a older way of playing a video games.

Should the game get a lower score because of it though ? No, not when it's a solid way of gaming since gaming's birth. It's a little unfair.

Edited October 29, 2013 by glenncoco

[NoNameAtAll]

I see it as a way to force you to learn and get good at the levels. If it were too easy people would criticise that shit too.

I can get through Sonic 3 & Knuckles without losing a single life not because it's easy (it's the hardest old-school Sonic game going) but because I've put so many hours into playing it, learning it. The same applies here with this game.

I'm sorry dude, but S3K is not the hardest classic Sonic game. It is hilariously easy. Granted, none of the classic Sonic games are hard, Death Egg Robot in Sonic 2 aside, but still.

You want hard? Look into Sonic 2 on the Game Gear. You will lose all hair. (Or cheese it out and play the Master System version where you can actually see stuff, but still)

[Esau of Isaac]

I disagree about the system being outdated, it worked fine in Generations. Outdated also doesn't = bad, just means a older way of playing a video games.

Should the game get a lower score because of it though ? No, not when it's a solid way of gaming since gaming's birth. It's a little unfair.

Regardless of whether it's outdated, "outdated" is specifically bad. It is used to refer to a system that has been made obsolete through later invention.

You can't use outdated as a compliment or something. It's a purely negative label.

[Jedi]

Mario still uses lives and continues and gets lauded as inovative when its last few games have been complete rehashes

[Esau of Isaac]

I'm pretty sure the Mario series has been getting lambasted for anything NSMB-related for years now actually.

Having lives is immaterial to the complaint, it is how they are implemented in the game really.

[Zera]

b-b-b-but muh cripplingly annoying difficulty and repetetiveness is a feature! How dare you not like it and rate it poorly how biased of you that you think differently!

From the I've seen, the challenges appear to be quite fair. It doesn't look like the game is throwing punches and forcing repeat gameplay. The critics, however, will perceive regular challenge as unfair simply because it's a Sonic game. I've played a lot of Mario and Sonic games, and other than needing faster reflexes and having a slightly higher rate of cheap pitfalls, Sonic challenges generally aren't that different.

[Robert Stewart]

Mario still uses lives and continues and gets lauded as inovative when its last few games have been complete rehashes

um

Where have you been getting your opinions?

The general consensus I've gotten for the NSMB games is that they're incredibly derivative, if still decent.

Also, while I do think the Mario series(and all platformer series) should abandon lives/limited continues, in NSMB it's slightly less annoying since the game showers you with extra lives every chance it gets.

Edited October 30, 2013 by shinpichu

[Phoenix Wright]

to be an ass and go back to the FF discussion for a sec: stories of XII and XIII were ass (judges from XII were cool though). gameplay was fun. everything else was meh.

the only sonic games i've ever enjoyed are Sonic Adventure 1 and 2...