It's really not hard to keep things tidy, really

If you'??re spending this Boxing Day morni??ng picking up after friends, family, or perhaps yourselves, then take heart in the fact that gaming's greatest tyrants are suffering alongside you.

In a new skit released by Sega to celebrate the festive season, Dr. Robotnik nee Eggman is feeling pretty dang lonely Christmas day, yearning for the company of that hedgehog h??e hates and his pals.

Surprise! The gang shows up to bring festive cheer and glad tidings Robotnik's way, which is pretty kind of the anthropomorphic posse... but, gah, the scene here is so gross to me, maybe they could take their damn shoes off indoors? Like, I know it's a party, but it's still someone else's house. And I'm pretty sure drinks coasters are a thing...

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Gotta go at a moderate pace

The Sonic series has seen a lot of peaks and troughs, so obviously the internet has latched onto the darker side of things and created Sonic memes. The?? most prominent of those is "Sanic," a poorly drawn MS Paint rendition of the blue blur with terrible grammar. Just looking at that image for too long makes me question my role in life.

With the latest Sonic Forces ?DLC, Sega has included a "Sanic" shirt. You can put it on your OC and contemplate your meager existence in life. Where did humanity go so wrong?

Sonic the Hedgehog [Twitter]

The post Get your Sanic on in Sonic Forc?es with some free DLC appeared first on Destructoid.

Miles per hour, get it?

It might be time for a new approach to 3D Sonic the Hedgehog games. We see so many great studios swoop in and re-invent (or do right by) the series, like PagodaWest Games and Headcannon with the recent Sonic Mania, but those are mostly 2D affairs. The real Sonic cyc?le isn't about any individual iteration ??but about the goodwill the franchise constantly yo-yos back and forth.

Sonic Forces has problems of ??its own, and they're not helped by the Switch version.

Sonic Forces (PC, PS4, Switch [reviewed], Xbox One)
Developer: Sonic Team
Publisher: Sega
Released: November 7, 2017
MSRP: $39.99

The ??idea behind swapping 2D and 3D versions of Sonic is brilliant. I mean they've done it before, but again, the concept is sound.

This time Sonic and his pals are battling an unholy alliance between Infinite (read: a critter version of Reaper from Overwatch) and Dr. Eggman, wh??ich leads to all sorts of friend antics and inter-dimensional help from the retro potbelly, "no talkie" Sonic. Given that Infinite's origin story is told in detail in a tie-in comic book, you can probably tell how eager the narrative is to wrap things up quickly. We get glimpses of pa?st villains and friends in rapid succession, all leading to a level of fan service that culminates in the create-a-character mode.

The tone is just really weird and I wish Sonic Team had gone overboard with it. Sega tries to go for a dark turn with Infinite's extreme level of hatred for everything that is good in the world (and talk of off-screen torture), but in any given scene Sonic sort of just shakes things off and throws out a one-liner for levity. There are no stakes, no "wow, Eggman might really win" moments -- they've robotized Sonic's uncle before no less, and haven't really revisited meaningful dark elements since. Not that they need to, especially in a carefree 2D retro homage like Mania, but it should have been somewhat of a goal in Forces.

Along the five-hour-or-less journey you'll swap into the aforementioned 2D and 3D sections, which are sometimes interchangeable in any given? level. Most of your opposition can be handled with a swift lock-on attack that can be spammed, accompanied by a boost button. Avatars (which I'll get to momentarily) utilize a sort of Mega Buster weapon called a "Wispon"?? that lets them hookshot across scripted anchor points, or burn enemies with a built-in flamethrower (which can be swapped to lightning and more as you unlock new gear).

While I disagree that most Sonic games are just "hold right to win" there is a level of automation in Forces that's occasionally stiff. I don't get why Sonic Team felt the need to inject QTEs in a handful of stages, or make the lock-on/Wispon attacks so empowering. Boss victories are often anticlimactic, because much like a portion of Forces, they're scripted as you're dodging normal enemies waiting for your window to mash the lock-on strike. The potbelly portions are a little more grounded as old Sonic doesn't have as many tricks up his sleeve, and is mostly ??reliant on his spin dash.

So yeah, minor spoilers but not really: Sonic is out of commission sometimes and you'll have to take over with a custom avatar to keep fighting the good fight. The creation process is actually pretty detailed, with concessions for various animal types (cats, bears, and so forth), voices, victory poses (including a Super Sentai homage), and a host of body and eye color choices. You can be as goofy, evil, or cute as you want, and I think some younger Sonic fans are really going to dig it -- especially since they're injected into key?? cutscenes. You can "rent" avatars too based on player creations, some of which are impressively fine-tuned. I almost wish the entire game was built around this idea.

A lot of this sounds worse than it is: it's mostly just exceedingly average. Levels are short enough where I never once felt like they were a chore to complete, and there's enough variation in there in terms of setpieces where you can really start to see the framework of an expansive, epic Sonic. Hopping around Eggman's base in space while navigating moving platforms gives me flashbacks to the great pair of Sonic Adventure games -- a simpler time.

As for the Switch edition, 30FPS simply doesn't feel good when you're the self-proclaimed Blue Blur and things look blurry. It's perfectly playable, like many 3D Sonics have been in past years, but given that the Switch version is 720p30 compared to 1080p60 elsewhere, it's just odd -- especially when you consider that Sonic Lost World ran at 60FPS on the Wii U.

While I see potential in Sonic Forces, the execution just isn't there, especially with the Switch edition. In the future I really hope Sega reinvents the wheel, taking a more Mario Odyssey adventure ??approach. The whole level-based 3D "thing" hasn't w?orked out so frequently that it's worth a shot.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Sonic Forces appeared first on Destructoid.

You only wanted to play two levels, right?

Sonic Forces has already had a bit of an uphill battle to face releasing after Sonic Mania, but it looks like PC users are going to have an even rougher time of it. Thanks to the magic of Denuvo DRM, most users can't even progress past the second level in the game. Upon reaching the first mission with your custom avatar, the game promptly crashes with little explanation. Sega has been diligent in quickly issuing a patch, at least.

Another big problem comes from some messed up calculations with the framerate limiter. For some reason, capping the framerate at 60 results in the game playing at half speed, around roughly 32 FPS. Using the 30 FPS cap results in 22 frames per second, which is what the cutscenes are locked to. As you can clearly tell from just a numerical standpoint, this is making things look ultra weird for a lot of people. At least Forces has an unlocked framerate option, but?? cutscenes are pretty much busted for the time being.

Hopefully Sega gets out some more fixes in the near future, because the current Steam user ratings for Sonic Forces are mostly negative. I know with a lot of PC ports, issues can come down to user hardware configurations. It can be hard to determine whether a pers?on experiencing slowdown or crashes is having a legitimate problem or something on their end. An issue like crashes based on Denuvo, though, is something that should have been noticeable to anyone in the QA departm??ent.

_{[Thanks to DC2912 for the tip]}

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The wait is over

Sega's Sonic Forces speeds onto the scene today, with the spiky blue mascot and his edgy buddies coming together to once again battle the evil Dr. Robotnik, nee Eggman, and his army of mechanical monsters.

One last trailer has been ?released in an effort to put a boost into the brand's fanbase. From music, to voiceover, to on-screen titles, it definitely feels like Sega's marketing have taken a page from comic-book trailers of late when compiling this action-packed preview.

Can Sonic Team's new title equal the quality of the outsourced Sonic Mania, thus giving franchise fans what would easily be the best year for the brand in decades? I guess we'll find out, as Sonic Forces is available today on PS4,? Xbox One, PC and Nintendo Swi??tch.

The post Superhero tropes aplenty ?in Sonic Forces launch trailer appeared first on Destructoid.

Make Robotnik Great Again

Things are looking bad for Dr. Robotnik nee Eggman. After years of having his schemes foiled by a bunch of glove-loving, wisecracking animals, his public image has taken something of a kicking. How things might have been different if Sega had picked him as their mascot, as the??y very nearly did. The road less traveled...

So, in order to get ??his people back in line, and for a bit of p?ublic PR, the rotund rascal has put out a short propaganda video, a call to arms as it were, to show how pleasant life can be under his rule, living among the chimneys and factories of his grim-skied metropolis. All you have to do is give up all of your free will, and hate that hedgehog.

Sonic Forces is released ?November 7 for PC, PS4, Xbox?? One and Switch.

The post J?oin The Eggman Empire in new Sonic Forces trailer appeared first on Destructoid.

Gotta patch fast

Yesterday, numerous game sites were reporting on the fact that Sega would not send out review codes for its upcoming platform adventure, Sonic Forces, until the day of release, ca??using people to fear that the latest game from the spiky one might be a stinky one.

This isn't an unwarranted fear, as the Sonic series has been spotty, with some real disappointments over the years. This was somewhat rectified earlier in 2017, when the brand was handed to Christian Whitehead and development teams PagodaWest Games and Headcannon, who created the fan-pleasing Sonic Mania, with some going as far as to call it the best of the Sonic franchise.

Sega has responded to the review code concern via the Sonic twitter, where they stated that day one patches are the reason no codes were being made available. This is a surprising statement, seeing as Japanese publication Famitsu did get an allowance to review Sonic Forces, scoring it a mighty 35/40.

A demo was also released in Japan, but bafflingly limits the gameplay to sixty-second chunks. I can definitely empathise that some Sonic fans feel frustrated by the media, whom they feel are ?overly ha??rsh on the franchise, but it is also tough to stay optimistic when cloaked promotional tactics are being used by publishers.

Regardless, we will be able to experience Sega's latest arcade platform romp featuring Sonic, Tails, Shadow and co. when Sonic Forces drops November 7 on?? PS4, PC, Switch and Xbox One.

Bonus points for proper usage of this meme. Yes– we have a patch with various updates going live day of launch. Thank you for being patient!

— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) November 1, 2017

The post Sonic Forces responds to ‘No Review Codes’ tweet appeared first on Destructoid.

Hm

There is a trend in the film industry of not showing pre-screenings of upcoming movies when the studio doesn't believe the film is that good. This is an attempt to avoid people reading negative reviews and to get uncertain people into seats before they hear anything. I'm not sure if that really works or not, but some games publishers have been utilizing similar practices in recent years. Bethesda is the most prominent, outright refusing to send review codes until the day of release, but it looks like Sega is now following suit with Sonic Forces.

Ever since its initial reveal trailer, fans have been speculative of the quality of Forces. Shown alongside the 2D revival Sonic Mania, it looked like the proper Sonic Team game was going to get up?staged by a fan project. While we still don't know if that is true, this pre-rel?ease embargo might as well outright confirm it. Why else would Sega not want reviewers to play the game early?

This news is confirmed from our own reviews director, Chris Carter, and several other review editors.

This decision could be in response to some retailers breaking street date for the game. A lot of videos of boss fights and even the classic Sonic sections have shown up online, to which Sega has been diligent in taking down. Sega may also be afraid of another leak, which is a thing that some less honest early copy recipients do. Whatever the case, if you're on the fence about Sonic Forces, it would be bes??t to wait out the weekend of its relea??se.

The post Sega won’t be sending out Sonic Forces review codes before release appeared first on Destructoid.

One-minute timers on each level

Anyone willing to jump through a few hoops can get their hands on Sonic Forces ahead of its November 7 release. Sega put out a demo in Japan that's me?ant to show off ?three levels, but it's so needlessly restrictive that it doesn't really show off much at all.

As GameXplain notes in the above-embedded?? video, the three stages each have a one-minute timer attached to them. After that expires, it kicks the ??player back to the menu. It doesn't seem like enough time to finish any of the stages. In fact, it doesn't even seem like enough time to get a decent feel for how the game plays.

For those who are still interested, gaining access to the demo isn't too much trouble. All it requires is making a new Nintendo account, setting the region to Japan, and ?connecting the account to your Switch. That allows access to the Japanese eShop.

Even that nominal amount ??of extra work might not be worth it. Three collective minutes of gameplay doesn't make for much of a demo. Optimis??ts might say that at least Sega's making sure you go fast. But that's some spin that even Sonic can't get behind.

The Sonic ?Forces Demo is Awful - Game & Watch (Nintendo Switch) [YouTube]

The post There’s a Sonic Forces demo for Switch, but it’s hilariously limited appeared first on Destructoid.

Do not steal, but you can borrow

It's only a few weeks before Sonic Forces laun?ches onto PC and consoles, but it seems there's still plenty of features and tidbits to ?be uncovered before then, as showcased in these videos from Gematsu.

The first video shows the game's "Rental Avatar" system, by which players can switch into other player's custom-made characters, utilising their individual abilities and "wispons" - the colour-coordinated tools of the Sonic Forces uni??verse - to overcome enemies and access secret areas.

The second video features a bird-base??d OC running around the game's newly revealed Chemical Plant zone, using thei?r Drill-based wispon to drive through hordes of enemies.

Sonic Forces has a battle against it. It is launching on multiple formats in the same year as earlier release, Sonic Mania, which was loved by the fanbase, with some going as far as to claim it was the best Sonic the Hedgehog game ever.

We'll find out whether Sonic Forces can step up to the plate come November 7, when the game launches on PC, PS4, Xbox One and Nint??endo Switch.

Sonic Forces videos reveal 'Rental Avatar' [Gematsu]

The post Videos showcase Sonic Forces ‘Rental Avatar’ system and Chemical Plant stage appeared first on Destructoid.

Yes you are alive

After his relationship with Elise in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), I guess we should've expected something like this. Sega announced at Tokyo Game Show 2017 that there will be an official collaboration between Sonic Forces and Hooters, a chain restau?rant with busty waitresses and overpriced wings.

The promotional image lists a few Hooters branches in Tokyo where their side of the collaboration is likely to occur: Shibuya West, Ginza, and Akasaka. The collaboration starts from the middle of October and further information will be reve??aled in a few days. I don't think Amy will approve and oh god please don't put her in a Hooters costume.

The post Sonic ?Forces and Hooters collaboration is real and happening appeared first on Destructoid.

Wow, it's like I'm really playing Fire Emblem Awakening!

Up until now, we've seen three different gameplay styles for Sonic Forces, Sonic Team's newest project. Modern Sonic plays similarly to how he did in recent years, a mix of 3D and 2D platforming with homing attacks and a boost gauge that allows you to move quickly while dealing damage around you. The cuter, rounder Classic Sonic is restricted to a 2D plane and has his new Drop Dash move from Sonic Mania. Th??ere's also a custom Avatar ??that plays similarly to Modern Sonic... Except they're slower and are equipped with special weaponry. Feeling overwhelmed yet? Well then, better stop reading.

A new gameplay trailer came out for Gamescom 2017, showcasing yet another way to play Sonic Forces. Modern Sonic and the Avatar are shown working together, combining the former's speed and the latter's gadgets. Don't be fooled though, this is single-player footage. They traverse a desert filled to the brim with machines (NieR: Automata much?) as they ??head towards a pyramid-shaped factory.

I know most people here are probably paying more attention to the recently released (and critically acclaimed) Sonic Mania. And for good reason, the result of that collaboration between Sega and a dedicated group of Sonic fans was exactly what a lot of people have been asking for. But! I would be lying if I said I wasn't excited for Sonic Forces. I really liked Sonic Heroes back in the day and absolutely loved Sonic Generations. A mix of both? sounds great to ??me! What do you think?

The radio chatter shown in previous trailers isn't my cup of tea, however. I just hope that it can be turned off, at least when replaying stages. If I wanted people to constantly narrate what I'm doing, I'd play The Stanley Parable instead!

Sonic Forces will release later this ??year, with a November 9th release date in Japan. ?It will be playable on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.

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This guy seems like real bad news

Sonic doesn't come out of the new Sonic Forces trailer looking too capable. Dr. Robotnik has a new henchman on his side, and that villainous figure spends the one-minute clip kicking Sonic into walls and confusing Tails with his speed. Poor Tails just can't get a good read on this guy (and also poor Sonic for? all the times he gets kicked into walls).

What little we know comes via a dialogue e??xchange where Sonic exclaims "I don't know anything about you, not even your name!" to which the ass-kicker responds "You may call me Infinite." It took very little prompting for Infinite to give up the info. Next, Sonic should try "I know very little about you, I don't even know your weaknesses!"

This isn't the first we've seen of Infinite. Sega's E3 trailer showed him descend from the sky to reign over the other villains. He's probably Robotnik's right-hand man, the equivalent of Mecha Sonic in Sonic 2. You gotta get through him?? to get to the Big Egg Boy.

Or maybe you won't! Maybe this is the time when? evil finally prevails. No one go?es undefeated. Life gets ya eventually.

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Hashtag Darksiders 2

After thinking about it for a while, this is the worst lede I could come up with for this story: "I''m not a perfect person, there's many things I wish I didn't do. But I continue learning, I never meant to do those things to you." Hoobastank sings this to kick off 2003's mega-hit "The Reason," but the lyrics apply to Sega's efforts with Sonic in recent years too.

This parallel isn't as forced as it may seem because Hoobstank's lead singer provided the vocals for the theme track to Sonic Forces. Douglas Robb (that's Hoobastank guy's name) wrot??e and sang the lyrics for "Fist Bump" (that's the theme song's name)?.

The lyrics are below, as transcribed by a commenter on the YouTube video. I'll trust that they're more or less accurate. I gotta go think about high ??school for a while.

I can't do this alone
Even though I am strong
Need something more than me
Someone to push me to victory
Let's see what we can do
Together, me and you
Can't be afraid to try,  kiss your f?e??ars goodbye

No looking back
You and I, we're on the attack
Full speed ahead
Running to the sunset
Such a different feeling
Both of us believing
We can make it better

Together we can show the world what we can do
You are next to me and I'm next to you
Push me on through until the battle's won
No one's gonna give nothing to us
Into each other we put our trust
Standing united, after the fight

All alone, we will never be
The two of us are holding the key
We see today, a world we couldn't see
Before I say goodbye to you, one more last fist bump!

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Be a cat or a bear or a bird or a...

Sonic Forces will feature a lot of the familiar faces you'd expect (Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, etc.) but it'll also include a newcomer of sorts, a variable among a bunch of traditional constants. For the first time in Sonic history, Sega's giving players the freedom to create c?ustomizable playable characters.

As shown in the reveal trailer that's embedded above, these new hero characters can be customized from head to toe. Upper headgear, ??middle headgear, lower headgear, gloves, footwear, body, bodysuit, and skin color are the categories that we're shown in the video. Although the details can be tweaked, the characters have to be one of seven pre-chosen animals. They are (with their special abilities):

• Wolf -- Automatically ?draws in rings when near them

• Rabbit -- Has longer invincible time after receiving ??damage

• Cat -- Keeps one ring after being hit

• Dog -- Restarts with fi??ve rings after t?he player dies

• Bear -- Blows away enemies with a homing attack

• Bird -- Flies high with double jump abilities

• Hedgehog -- Collects rings when getting damaged

In addition to their abilities, these heroes also have "wispons" which are essentially unique gadgets that help make up for the fact that they aren't Sonic. Sega calls them "an evolution of the Color Powers from Sonic Colors." The customizable characters are also equipped with a grappling hook. We took?? a trip to Sega's offices earlier this year and played as a red wolf with a flamethrower.

Back in October, before Sonic Forces was even named, Sega said that this game would have three different gameplay styles. They were: modern Sonic, classic Sonic, and a third unrevealed style. This is the third one, a mode that's separate from what Sonic does on his own time. Finally, a way for Sonic fans to express themselves.

The post Sonic F?orces will have customizable playabl??e characters appeared first on Destructoid.

Holiday 2017

Sega plans to put out two Sonic games this year -- one retro, one modern. We know all about the former, Sonic Mania. The latter? It's less of a known quantity, but the details are coming into frame.

The game has shed its "Project Sonic 2017" working title in favor of a new name: Sonic Forces.

Along with the artwork above, Sega says it will upload "the first gameplay footage" tomorrow. For an off-screen glimpse at Sonic Forces because off course there's an off-screen capture, look no further.

World exclusive gameplay footage of SONIC FORCES at #SXSWGaming. Created on new "Hedgehog 2" game engine. #SonicAtSXSW pic.twitter.com/r0khJEGrvW

— Alyssa V. @ SXSW 🎥 (@instalyssa) March 16, 2017

Sonic the Hedgehog [Twitter]

The post This year’s modern Sonic game is called Sonic Forces appeared first on Destructoid.