Take the 2D classic, keep the flat sprites for heroes and enemies and make the stage itself 3D. Toss in a few flashy camera tricks, and you’ve got a 3D Sonic concept anyone could love.
Now it’s only a short video demo from the folks at pipocaVFX, not a real game, but the whole Paper Sonic idea is pretty brilliant. I’m sure its been done before, but never with so much class.
It’s a nifty way to preserve the integrity of the original experience while providing the extra flair the kids love so much these days.
Now every time I play the first Sonic the Hedgehog I’ll be tilting my head about, willing camera angle changes that will never come. Eventually I’ll turn to drugs, and let them play a bit while I go get a sandwich.
Comments
27 responses to “A 3D Sonic The Hedgehog That Could Make Every Fan Happy”
This concept is an instant winner. It has the same amazing, fun gameplay as the classic Sonic games, polished 3D graphics and nostalgia. A sure-fire winner in my books.
Perfect.
I dont see the issue making the character and objects 3D also and just keep a 2d type perspective with some adjustments to camera angle that is done here.
It worked really well for New Super Mario Bros and pretty much every other 2.5D game out there.
I think the reason we haven’t seen a great 2D/2.5D Sonic game in the past 20-odd years is actually because the whole Sonic concept is really a flawed one… something that’s more obvious today than it ever has been.
Sonic was a technical marvel and a fun, fluid platformer that was “cool” in every sense.
It’s also a game that to get the most out of REALLY required multiple attempts and getting to know a level intricately.
While Mario games allow you to consider and approach platforming sections methodically, in Sonic you spend all the best bits of the game (going fast) having no f*cking idea where you’re about to land unless you’ve played and memorised the game in it’s entirety through repeated failure.
Very few people want to do that anymore! Most people don’t want to run out of lives 2 hours into a game and have to start again and nobody wants to die because they launched themselves into an abyss 3 screens to the right long before they ever knew where they would land.
I still love the old games because I know the levels and the sound, music and gameplay all remind me of my childhood. I don’t know how you’d make a new game that would get me excited though without very significant reinvention. The best part of the franchise just hasn’t aged as well as Mario has for both 2D and 3D.
You’re very right in the mechanics sense, but I for one would love to play that style of game again tbh 😀 Super Mario land on the Gameboy was pretty brutal but a whole bag of fun!
This pretty much sums up my experience with the Sonic franchise. I was definitely a Nintendo kid growing up (still am) and have played every Mario iteration from the NES to the Wii U. I remember going to my friends house who had the SEGA consoles and loving my short time with Sonic mainly due to the difference in mechanics to the Super Mario games. I have tried to go back and play those Sonic games in the past 5 or 10 years and can never be bothered with getting past the first few levels, mainly because the speed makes the experience a bit empty. I never really feel like I’m controlling Sonic or the game in general.
I was the opposite mario had all these secrets that required lots of play to find and the awkward control put me off
Sonic 3 & Knuckles 4 lyf!
fkn aye!
I don’t see why they can’t do a new Sonic game that is 3D that plays as a 2D platformer, like the New Super Mario Bros games. Seriously how hard can it be?
Isn’t that what Sonic 4 was?
The physics were a little off in Sonic 4 but I didn’t mind it.
I much prefer the Classic Sonic levels in Sonic Generations. Sega should just make a new game like that.
I’d be sooooo happy for a new Sonic Generations type title.
Sonic 4 was broken mechanically though, the gameplay style could still work well if it was built a little better.
Sonic Rush physics 🙁
They have already done this quite a few times. Sonic 4, as @jamesh said, and also the fantastic Sonic Generations. And you know what I still want to do when I want to play some old-school style Sonic 2? I fire up my Mega Drive and I play some Sonic 2…..
I fire up Steam and play some Sonic 2.
My megadrive doesn’t work so good these days, and looks horrible on modern tvs.
Running any old console on a modern tv with the RF jack, or even composite video definitely looks like garbage.
Good thing about the Mega Drive, though, is that it supports RGB out! I bought an RGB cable, ran it through a sync stripper and into a VGA scaler then output the image to a monitor or TV, it looks fucking fantastic!
Here’s what the setup looks like, though probably could be neater in it’s own enclosure 😉
http://imgur.com/a/qw7IO
Also, add a 60Hz switch, which is absolutely mind blowing. We really had a shitty deal with 50Hz games all those years 😉
That is… far more effort than I am willing to go to!
Plus my megadrive is in bad condition, dpad is shot on one controller, buttons are crappy on the other, and sometimes it takes some yelling, smacking and a rain dance before the console realises there’s a cartridge inserted.
Yeah, I think I’ve spent more in recent years on modifications and upgrades on my Mega Drive than what it actually cost new in 1995! :p
That said, I still have a lot of fun playing older games and working on developing new ones for it.
As for cartridges not working, one of the most common causes for this problem is old capacitors in on the cartridge itself. If you open up the cartridge, you’ll notice a small electrolytic capacitor on the PCB. These dry out and fail after some time. Replacing it [I think it’s a 470μF cap off memory] should help get the games to load up correctly.
Also, try cleaning the cartridge and the slot. Don’t blow in it [this never actually helps the problem]. But instead use a bit of isopropyl alcohol. Use a cotton tip dipped in alcohol to clean the cartridge contacts, and use a credit card and a light rag soaked in alcohol to clean the slot.
But, I’m guessing this is still probably far more effort than you are willing to go to. And that’s perfectly fine. I realise I’m a bit of a nut 😉
I’d still prefer a Sonic game full of those Classic stages in Sonic Generations. They were great.
Sonic colours Wii and DS was alot like this.
3D Sonic 2 is coming to 3DS. The port of the original sonic was amazing, fingers crossed for Sonic 3 & Knuckles (and Comix Zone).
It looks pretty, but it’s the same gameplay as 2D sonic while being harder to visually parse.
Basically it sacrifices gameplay in the name of eye candy. It’s a tradeoff that almost never works well in practice. (Looks hard at The Order: 1886.)
Eh, but what do I know?
Sonic Generations made me a very happy fan. Just putting that out there.
We just need more Generations 2. That and the Wii Colours game ended the “Sonic Cycle” but no Sega had to bring it back didn’t they…. Stupid Sega.