AEROGP'S PROFILE

author=Jabbo link=topic=1063.msg23187#msg23187 date=1215563455
Granted; you suddenly have the realization that the best team ever would be to use all the pokemon with the best base stats. Then you sigh and remind yourself that it doesn't work like that.

Yeah, that sounds about right... -_-;

author=Jabbo link=topic=1063.msg23187#msg23187 date=1215563455
I wish the other guy working on this game wouldn't foolishly assume that "this is going to be something big" and instead had some sort of useful skill such as pixel artistry.

Granted. He becomes a talented project manager, realizes your game idea sucks, and kicks you off your own project.

I wish to dine in a fancy restaurant.

author=halibabica link=topic=1063.msg23168#msg23168 date=1215548590
@AeroGP - Granted. You grow older and older, watching all your friends and loved ones die. You eventually become depressed and wish to kill yourself, but...you can't.

Better.

author=halibabica link=topic=1063.msg23168#msg23168 date=1215548590
I wish I was as good at making wishes as I am corrupting them.

Granted. You become so good, nobody wants to play with you anymore. Growing cold and alone, you commit suicide.


I wish I understood what that last "corruption" had to do with my wish...

No surprise, there. Water has arguably the most defensive type diversity, with 2 water type families immune to electric (Swampert, Gastrodon), several neutral to grass (Tentacruel, Gyarados, Quilfish, Mantine, Kingdra, Pelipper, Empoleon, Palkia), and only 1 resistant to both (Ludicolo), but nearly all having decent enough type coverage and offensive capability to pose a threat (in their respective tiers, of course).

Granted. Your Nintendo Wii is then confiscated by the F.B.I. in order to harness its time-manipulating powers.

I wish I was immortal. >=D

WARNING
Sonic Fan Approaching


In a nutshell, I believe Sonic games are meant to be a derivative of maze games as defined here:

The appeal of maze games can be attributed to the cleanliness with which they encapsulate the branching structure that is a fundamental aspect of all games. The reader will remember from Chapter One that a game has a tree structure with each branch point representing a decision made by the player. In a maze game, each branch point is neatly depicted by an intersection in the maze, and the options available to the player are visually presented as the paths available at the intersection. Thus, a maze game presents a clear visual representation of the branching structure of the game.

A classic Sonic game is a maze game with less limited movement within each path, and gimmicks which act as the means through which you traverse between each path. Classic Sonic's appeal lies in the sense of flow created by the game's infrastructure, and the unique challenges presented in each level that connect the various sections of the stages together. Speed is a necessary component to operate most gimmicks and maintain some paths, but you are encouraged to look at your surroundings instead of just rushing to the end of the stage. (which is why they give you the power to look up and down)

Games starting in the Dreamcast era deliver on certain aspects of this formula, and thus cannot be treated as classic Sonic games (though close to it in some cases). The Adventure Series explored Sonic if he were, as the name suggests, an adventure game. Just one problem with that experiment:

Adventures are closer to puzzles than to games. As discussed in Chapter One, puzzles are distinguished from games by the static nature of the obstacles they present to the player. Adventures present intricate obstacles that, once cracked, no longer provide challenge to the player. It is true that some adventures push closer to being games by incorporating obstacles such as hungry dragons that in some way react to the player. Nevertheless, they remain primarily puzzles.

All games that came after the Adventure series also followed this distinct formula with additional features to set the games apart from each other, so by definition none of them were really classic Sonic games. Only one has even come close to the original maze formula, and that was Sonic Advance - its biggest failure being a lack of memorable environments, rich with unique gimmicks. (They also contained pit-falls of death, which plagued all Sonic titles starting with Adventure)

The exception to this is Sonic and the Secret Rings, which challenged your hand-eye coordination. That game was an action game, not an adventure game. The article was produced before combat games that stepped away from outer space was produced, so it falls out of the range of his taxonomy.

From the looks of things, Sonic Unleashed is attempting incorporate what made Sonic and the Secret Rings at least tolerable (twitch-happy action) with concepts borrowed from the Rush series, and they're throwing in "multiple paths" to get hardcore fans to play (though they're just short intersections that further test your hand-eye coordination). This looks to be a winning formula, but again - it's not a classic Sonic game, by definition. I, for one, think it will be mediocre at best, but will still obtain so I can be certain.