Sonic Frontiers - PS4 | PS5

[SelectiveGamer]

Good to know that the soundtrack bangers will mostly be when fighting against enemies/bosses.

 

Also that new character looks like something from Nier lol

[NMErickson]

Looking good in the new trailer. Release date is November 8th, ‘22

 

[Apocasy]

Looks good so far. Looking forward to the early November release as well.

[SelectiveGamer]

Yeah I'm still cautiously optimistic for this and still think the possibilities for this game are UNREAL. Whether or not they will meet those... remains to be seen...

[Sikutai]

November 8th as the release date, what are they all thinking? All interesting games appear at the end of October/beginning of November, nobody can buy everything and play everything. Unfortunately, a flop is inevitable. Even many who were interested will not buy this game now.

[NMErickson]

In depth look at gameplay and the open world. I can’t believe how much better the game looks from the first showings but damn, I’m really hoping this turns out to be fun. It’s got loads of potential.

 

[Conor]

Oh man God of War: Ragnarok is gonna be bigly overshadowed by this, massive L for PlayStation again

[NMErickson]

7 minutes ago, Stan Lee said:

Oh man God of War: Ragnarok is gonna be bigly overshadowed by this, massive L for PlayStation again

Different games for different people. I have zero interest in God of War: Ragnarok but would get a good new Sonic game.

[Eraezr]

12 hours ago, Stan Lee said:

Oh man God of War: Ragnarok is gonna be bigly overshadowed by this, massive L for PlayStation again

 

I'm hardly a Sonic fan but if I had to choose between the two, I'd go with Sonic Frontiers - unironically. My next GoW game will more than likely be GOW3.

 

Edited September 3, 2022 by Eraezr

[EcoShifter]

Not that I care much personally: Reception continues to be mainly positive, succeeding Summer Game Fest's. The previously poor marketing has seriously done a complete 180 following "IGN First", or it was an ingenious ploy. Probably the latter.

 

That said, still important to keep in mind footage released, especially trailers, are still using some old build material with newer build ones and a combination of 30fps and 60fps scenes seamlessly. 

 

Some footage from the non-public Gamescom demo that shows the second, desert-themed island Ares

 

This'll probably be the last time I comment on improvements: e.g., falling animation and spinning kick.

The moveset influences from the 2020 Sonic movie that Kishimoto mentioned in a IGN interview can be seen here. Looks hella cool.

The Cyber Space city's level design is great, and Sonic's run-handling within the context of a traditional stage looks smooth.

 

Some things other sources confirm:

- Dynamic sandstorms appear (this isn't surprising, as the game has a weather system)

- There are canyons, caves, temples, an oasis, etc

- Public demo showed that cutscenes take place during whatever time of day it is. 

- A phenomenon called "Starfall" (compared to Breath of the Wild's blood moon) is a randomly occurring meteor shower-based event. One of its multiple features is enemy resurrection. 

 

Some screenshots

 

 

 

 

Ending theme teaser

 

Quote

"Listen to a sample of Sonic Frontiers' upcoming ending theme with ONE OK ROCK's song, 'Vandalize'! SEGA has partnered with the popular Japanese rock band to deliver an astounding and fitting track to be paired with Sonic for his latest journey on the Starfall Islands."

 

... This is just the ending theme. Damn, it got them 2000s and shonen vibes that Sonic has sorely been missing after 2009's Sonic and the Black Knight. (Series took a radical departure in tone, characterization, and story after that game for an entire decade. So yeah, being the year 2022, this is really hype, especially since this game is intended to laid the foundation for future releases, including a potential Sonic Adventure sequel.) Main theme without question will be fire though I'd prefer if the frequently theorized Natewantstobattle is not the singer of it... 

 

Brief interview with the highly popular Japanese band

---

 

Besides some other SF news from Gamescom, even more info is coming soon, as it was confirmed that the game will be shown at more upcoming conventions, such as EGX and Tokyo Game Show ?.

 

Spoiler

 

Just show me Sonic using any kind of board on the islands (Sonic Adventure 1-2, Sonic Riders style) and im onboard to preorder. 

    

 

---

 

Hmm, a content creator made a great video highlighting how the game's unique aesthetic cohesively ties with the game's narrative.

SPOILERS at 4:15-4:32 though.

 

Edited September 15, 2022 by EcoShifter

[000]

Looks so soulless and empty to me. I'm so used to awful sonic games at this point that I don't think I could be persuaded to buy another modern sonic game

[EcoShifter]

 

Main theme (SHORT VERSION)

 

? Hmm. Like the game, the main theme is also doing something different compared to past entries. It makes a lot of sense and makes for a more fulfilling experience. Love all the main themes from past main installments (except Force's which is ok), but the traditional style (which is not completely rid away with) wouldn't capitalize on what Frontiers is doing and about. 

 

According to Flynn, one of the writers for the game

Quote

"Once you beat the game, them thar lyrics gonna carry a lot more weight"

 

Music Composer also said

Quote

"The Arrangement manages to showcase the multiple emotions of Sonic Frontiers."

 

I don't think it's hard to read in-between some of the lines. But like what's been said about the deep layers with the story, I think the lyrics (along with the title) speak beyond the game as well. Both of those short quotes might even be vaguely hinting at that.

 

Starfall Islands theme

A popular theme that was often heard in "IGN First's" videos is finally available officially, on Spotify! It got them Shadow of the Colossus/Final Fantasy/Breath of the Wild/Nier Automata/Kingdom Hearts/Xenoblade Chronicles vibes. Made me legitimately ascend. ? ?

 

 

TGS trailer

(the only version with sound effects and music together)

? 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 15, 2022 by EcoShifter

[EcoShifter]

There's one thing I wanted to say some posts back after the release date was confirmed

Sonic Frontiers (11/8) vs God of War (11/9). Not all but a good amount of mainline Sonic games have released in early November, but I think this one was also intentionally done partly because of GoW. Frontiers story is at least partly based on Greek mythology, with things like islands named after Greek deities and Sonic needing to take down titans. Sonic also has a long history of slaying deities/gods. With the game's fairly high ambitions and the franchise's colossal increase in relevance thanks to high and record-breaking success in multimedia recently and especially this year (Sonic's best year?), Sonic will be fine. Especially given GoW is an M-rated PlayStation exclusive, while Frontiers is an E10+ rated game available on all major platforms (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, N.Switch, PC, and Steam Deck). Frontiers is also more interesting for a variety of reasons, and it's constantly, constantly trending. If this were Pokemon it were going up against it'd be a bit different, but GoW is much less of a threat, even though it'll likely get better ratings.  

 

Interestingly, I just literally came across something kind of related. PlayStation themselves even have Sonic Frontiers as their pinned video. Over God of War, which just shown off its newest story trailer from the State of Play one day before Sonic's TGS trailer.

---

 

One other subject, especially with the hype and interest in the game consistently rising since Summer Game Fest. Despite the many different new directions this game is taking compared to past titles (main three being the storytelling, much higher emphasis on core combat, and the riddance of the multi-decades-long linear progression), this is still very much a Sonic game. A really good looking one at that, but still a Sonic game. Whoever wasn't digging the series since the first true 3D entry, Sonic Adventure, to the latest one, Sonic Forces (?), likely won't this one either, unless issues had with the series were with select parts, like Sonic's control or secondary playable characters, rather than the foundations itself.

 

 

Alright, now some interesting recent information surrounding the game-

 

 

Kirby and Super Smash Bros. creator/developer Masahiro Sakurai got his hands on the game at TGS. Of all people he approves of the game and plans to "definitely" pick it up. ?

(this is an extremely hot topic right now too, positively)

 

 

Music Nomination

The main theme (still the short version) was also nominated for "PlayStation Music Awards 2022".

 

 

TGS Frontiers demo area

Just on the first day the booth opened it had to be closed for being too crowded ?

 

 

Game Nomination (Japan)

Apparently the game was also nominated for Japan's Games Award.

(Hmm, this and other news also shows Sega is succeeding at their goal of making Sonic more popular in Japan.)

 

 

Steam Deck support

Frontiers is also already Steam Deck approved.

So the game will be playable on-the-go for not 1 but 2 platforms.

 

 

A full-revealed official (2D) art for the game I thought is too cool not to post

All around good, and favorably familiar, vibes.

Edited September 19, 2022 by EcoShifter
alternate link

[SelectiveGamer]

Personally... I hope they put a demo out for the game at some point before it comes out. If for no other reason... than to shut up all the critics about this game and them continuing to claim it's going to be 'shit' or whatever toxicity they are still putting out there.

 

But obviously... these people are set in their ways and will continue to think the way that they do no matter what happens. So obviously it doesn't really matter.

 

But I'd be all over a demo if one were to be put out on PSN.

[EcoShifter]

Some major info from the past few weeks. . .

 

(The game has had mostly positive reception at major gaming conventions since Summer Game Fest. This includes Gamescom, Tyoko Game Show, and the recent EGX and PAX AUS.)

 

 

Gamecom (additional support on the subject)

 

 

No.1 Top/Most Popular Game at Gamescom (more info)

 

TGS 

+

On 9/16/2022 at 1:58 PM, EcoShifter said:

TGS Frontiers demo area

Just on the first day the booth opened it had to be closed for being too crowded 

 

update: this happened either everyday of the TGS convention or 3 of those 4 days.

 

Quote

Game Nomination (Japan)

Apparently the game was also nominated for Japan's Games Award.

(Hmm, this other news also shows Sega is succeeding at their goal of making Sonic more popular in Japan.)

 

update: it won the award for "Future Division"—being one of the most anticipated games of the year.

 

Quote

 

As for the previously mentioned music nomination (which it got using just 1½ songs) with "PlayStation Music Awards", that's still going to the end of October.

 

EGX + PAX

(Same type of situations as the other events: long lines, mostly positive opinions, etc)

Quote

 

 

etc.

(Ignoring a few arguable remarks on past info & past titles-) Videos, articles, etc.

 

 

(For some time over a month ) A fairly popular Japanese hyper-media store, Geo, known primarily for their game department, has had Sonic Frontiers ranked No.2 as the most preordered game on their website, right behind Pokemon Scarlet/Violet. 

 

Placement has not changed.

---

 

Some things about the Soundtrack

The game itself appears to have 150 songs (all of that will be available separately, physically and digitally), which should also make this the biggest soundtrack in the series to date. 

 

 

Sonic Adventure 2's "2G Hi-Speed Shoes" (aka Soap Shoes) return on Sonic, as an in-game cosmetic, for the first time since their debut in 2001! Limited-time but free! ?

 

 

Sonic Frontiers X Monster Hunter  

Quote

 

In this collaboration, a collaboration pack with the "Monster Hunter" series appears in the free download content of "Sonic Frontier"!
 

If you download the collaboration pack, you will get special equipment for “Rioreus” and a “grilled meat set” that allows you to play mini-games. Play the "Nikuyaki" mini-game in-game to make Sonic even stronger! 
 

In addition, collaboration illustrations drawn by the “Monster Hunter” series development team and Sonic Team will be released to commemorate the collaboration.

     
(Left, MH team; right, Sonic Team)

The collaboration pack is scheduled to be implemented on Tuesday, November 15, 2022. Please look forward to it!

 

 

 

(Left, Reus equipment; right, Reus Cat equipment)

 

 

 

 

NEW trailer - Combat & Upgrades

 

LESS THAN ONE MONTH AWAY TILL RELEASE!

Which means marketing is going into overdrive soon, and the animated prologue with Knuckles is imminent. (Like the several previous Sonic games, there will also be story tie-in comics.)

[blue_blur_98]

 

The animated prequel short Sonic Frontiers Prologue: Divergence has been released on YouTube, showing how Knuckles got onto the Starfall Islands.

[NickStrife_7777]

 

 

Another Sonic Frontiers video, this one being a cool mix of CGI and gameplay. Tuesday can't get any sooner.

[Thephoenixshow]

https://thegamescabin.com/all-sonic-frontiers-trophies-and-achievements/

[Slava]

On 01.06.2022 at 9:08 PM, Slava said:

I can already envision people being disappointed by the game and giving it 75 on Metacritic.

 

73. Sometimes, you can predict the average score from one trailer.

 

Although I admit, the actual reviews that gave it a 7 sound more positive than what is usually associated with this score nowadays. 

Edited November 8, 2022 by Slava

[EcoShifter]

On 11/8/2022 at 2:12 AM, Slava said:

73. Sometimes, you can predict the average score from one trailer.

 

Although I admit, the actual reviews that gave it a 7 sound more positive than what is usually associated with this score nowadays. 

 

..... It was in the mid-high 70s for a while before a few eccentrically negative reviewers came about, two giving it a 4/10 and especially the notorious/controversial one (from a primarily consumer electronics company) a 2/10. The latter more-outlier one iirc took off two points from the metacritic score on its own due to the site's silly weighted average logic. (Remember when Uncharted 4 got that undeservingly super low review everyone bitched about? Extremely similar case here, except the varying difference in score impact. Anyway, this game ain't a 2/10. And while that very contrarian negative one wasn't taken down, they did take down a higher end positive review.) 

 

Secondly, only 1/4 platforms have been rated, which is PS5. And, while it possibly could be an exception this time around, Sonic games on PlayStation tend to be underwhelming, often inferior, and in some cases the worst, comparatively. (Every single PS2 Sonic game is worst than the Gamecube version, some major titles from PS3 are inferior to X360's, and currently Xbox Series is blatantly the best place to play Sonic games. The sole reason I engage with Sonic on PlayStation is for trophies, and well, often being among the strongest playerbases for online titles—that's it.) With how Sega marketed this game, it was simply impossible to predict the score. (They started marketing with poor-ish looking older builds intentionally, showing off improved aspects of the game in virtually any following trailers consecutively; keeping the intriguing story, partly written by the wildly popular and successful Sonic comic book writer, a mystery so we could experience for ourselves; and hiding a lot gameplay highlights which demo players took to upload themselves.) Sonic games scores vary widely by title & platform, and numerous ones are in the 80s. Anyway, the Metacritic score for this game is (understandably inaccurate a bit and) far from over.

 

The weighted average Metacritic doesn't account for even credible youtube reviewers either, which (like Steam) is one other place seeing more positive reception for the game currently. Beside that, as you point out in your second paragraph, there's (still) differing views on ratings. E.g., IGN, Gamespot, and GAMINGBible give it a 7/10 and all classify that as "good-very good" (which is what a 7 should be viewed as), but Metacritic list it as mixed and in the neutral yellow zone.

Edited November 9, 2022 by EcoShifter
punctuation

[Eraezr]

Sales exceeded expectations https://mp1st.com/news/sega-sonic-frontiers-sales-greatly-exceeded-original-estimates
 

Sequel to have a larger budget.