So the new main Sonic game has been out for a month now. Let's talk about it. You can check out my Sonic Mania review here if you'd like: • Sonic Mania is Near Pe...
I actually agree with like 90% of this review, there's just certain parts of the game that show huge potential, but not enough to make me love the entire game. If I do go back to play Forces (aside from mods) it'll be for most of the Modern levels, and maybe Imperial Tower, either way great review.
I never hated the game myself, just moreso disappointed at what they did with the story, enemies, and gameplay. The game was just...too easy and way too overhyped. With that being said it had it's fun moments, great review
Its nice to see someone who doesn't just yell "THIS GAME BAD." and actually give points for things that work and doesn't work. It's not a good game, but its not absolutely terrible.
You can't blame people for being upset though, i myself was a hardcore Forces defender (for some reason) but SEGA hyped too much and delivered what looks like a beta
I'm so glad to find someone to actually give an unbiased balanced review of this game. Nowadays, especially in the sonic fandom, it feels like people are either overwhelmingly negative or positive with people jumping down your throat just for not having the general opinion.
I've watched a lot of reviews, Retrospectives and much more on Forces. But if say this is the best one I've seen. You brought up the games short comings in a respectful and thoughtful way, but also bringing up the positives as well. There's a lot of two sides to one sword here and I really like how you handled it. Sonic Forces, with the context behind it's development, is a decent title developed in 1.5 years in a landscape that makes developing a AAA in that time very difficult. I've played Forces on ever available platform and finished it several times, and no, it's not close to being my favourite, but I managed to find enjoyment and came out the other end with a smile. This video really helped figure out my feelings for the game, and for that, I can't help but appreciate your video. Love your new content, and I'm happy to come and check out your past vids too. Always, keep up the amazing work. 💜
only a year and a half of development??? Sonic games aren't shy when it comes to really quick production times, but knowing that now really puts things into perspective.
From what I understood, the short development time was due to the upgraded Hedgehog Engine taking way more time than planned to be ready so because of that, the game had barely no development time given. Which is a real shame, they clearly had ideas but that and Classic Sonic coming back for no reasons wasted the little time they had for the true content : modern Sonic and the Avatar.
@@SoraKingdom3 how did they choose to bring Classic Sonic back? was it just fan-service because of Sonic Generations? because i don't see a wrong thing with mixing the lore of Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces up, but yeah it should be better elaborated to work that way
So do I. Just a bit. The most happiness I got was staring at it when my grandma gave me it and i could not get that smile off my face. I was so hyped for that, more than mania. I freaking remember watching that teaser and how I said it was "gonna be the best sonic game since sonic unleashed, (the objectively best sonic game ever)" And I played it, and it was alright. But the story could be changed up.
I'm seeing this review after 3 years but I gotta say, after all the negativity surrounding this game that I love, this felt like a huge breath of fresh air. Finally some much needed praise.
I think it’s becuase people want something different from sonic that just isn’t in the realm of reality tbh Sonic games are good just a lot of people want it to be different that what it actually is They don’t know what they want sonic to be yes it’s about speed and gotta go fast sort of stuff but it is a platformer they want a game where it’s just speed which has never been sonic
@@cmillion well you can kinda see where he's coming from From a developer standpoint Sonic's speed make his levels a nightmare to chart and program because it goes through two major obstacles 1) how do make it long without overshooting budget 2) how do you keep it interesting the entire time In the classic games they got pretty well with sonic three but as time went on the bar was s Kept getting higher because you constantly adding new things because all the other games keept going higher because they didn't a super speed problem to worry about but sonic team tried there best to follow the trend's but then modern sonic happen and the rest of history That Why sonic adventure and heros work better because they had Sonic's friends who didn't have super speed so they make normal levels They keep asking for what they think is "the definite sonic experience without the gimmick s" but little do there realize that sonic didn't master his own fundamentals to begin with
This was nice to watch As someone who thinks the game is pretty average and with all the negativity surrounding frontiers, it's nice to see someone genuinely talk about a sonic game they like on some level. I know this is a 4 year old video so you probably won't see this, but great job. I hope q lot of people see this and try the game
I played sonic forces. I don't know why every keeps bashing the game. It has some decents levels. Like mortar canyon, egg gate, chemical planet, etc. The classic Sonic stages suck though. Avatar stage is ok in my opinion.
Sonic Forces was my first ever sonic game and first ever video game, so of course i thought it was amazing and the best game out there since i had no experience with the other ones. So imagine my surprise when like, 90% of people online are just hating it and I have no idea why. But yeah, I agree the game was incredibly short and classic sonic was kinda uncalled for, but it's still my favourite game.
So I know i'm really late to the party with this one...having replayed this game when it dropped on PSN, I really do not like this game, and I do consider it a disappointment in so many aspects. However, there are moments where the game pokes out a small bit of something that could've been. The biggest problem I have with this game is the writing and story. The characters we know and love get completely shafted and misrepresented, in a game where it's setting could have allowed a perfect Segway into Sonic's cast banding together, standing true with their different personalities and how they handle the struggle. The writing makes it feel as if nothing is a challenge for the heroes. Eggman, frickin' EGGMAN, the guy who blew up half a planet just to showcase how cool his new toy was, has taken over the WORLD. I think the game just misses the mark on that front and in many others, and creates a painfully average game that becomes terrible when you're a hardcore fan.
Agreed, in terms of characters they REALLY failed. They tried to get that serious tone together with latest sonic writing (either that or they were too shy to get to the Real dark stuff)
@@aggromango534 I think it’s just their fear of repeating shadow and sonic 06 again. They wanna lean back into the more serious and complex character development stories of before but don’t have the og writing staff and are afraid they might end up making too serious that it makes the newer fans feel no longer catered too and the old fans like they were trying too hard. And since they didn’t pick a lane their writing staff which does mainly comedy and not that big of a plot for most of the games is forced into this weird limbo of serious story and corny kid jokes.
I think you mean blowing a moon in half and cracking the planet-wide open. Yeah, it is so undercooked in many ways that I believe that Sonic Team may run into problems that nobody has mentioned. Like, it’s a decent game to play, but not for revisiting purposes.
Forces is taking an undeserved beating right now, so I'm glad there are a few reviewers still willing to give the game a fair shake. I get the most enjoyment out of speedrunning Sonic levels, so seeing all the tricks you pull off made me pretty excited for when I eventually pick up Forces. Great review man, you earned my sub. Edit: 6 Years later, this game was just alright. Review is still spot on. Does a lot of things right, does a lot of things wrong, but it's just a lot of wasted potential. At least dressing up OCs is pretty fun and there's one or two decent stages in there. Use some mods that remove some automation and give you better control and Forces even sorta kinda becomes fun. Just a shame. Anyway Sega better port Dream Team.
Okay. Finally. Someone genuinely shows that this game is actually pretty decent! This is my second Sonic game, and I somewhat cherish it although I enjoy other Sonic games more. Sonic fans just believe what everyone else says about a game and starts bashing it without thinking about it themselves for a moment. Thank you. (By the way don’t go rambling about how I’m a “little kid” or something, the game came out 5 years ago. Chill out.)
My memories of this game boil down to some levels being extremely hard, some funny glitches, blocky level design, bad classic sonic physics at first, and having fun with the avatar
went to see this after checking out your p-06 videos, really summarized how i personally felt about the game in pretty much everything, great review my man
I played the game a couple years ago and thought of it kinda fondly so I revisited it and was met with empty characters and uninteresting levels I believe that those are the main vocal points of the criticism it was just so empty and uninteresting and only showed potential at the end of the game it really was kinda disappointing but my fond memories of playing it for the first time were amazing second I beat it I felt accomplished and proud and that would be the one thing that keeps me from hating the game it wasn't the game play or character arcs it was the memories of sitting down on the couch and chilling out in the morning playing sonic the hedgehog and that was an adventure in itself
My issues with Sonic Forces is just how inconsistent it is. Some stages are great. Some stages are just a straight line you can just boost straight through. And as a result its just a mixed bag for me.
i never thought someone could make me appreciate sonic forces, i really thought this video was just gonna be a "liking the game for the sake of being different" perspective, but you really explained yourself very well. nice video
great review talking about a lot of the good and bad of the game! Honestly I really loved this game mostly because I loved creating my own character and customizing and changing them over time. I found it pretty addicting to do all the challenges and daylies and unlocking a bunch of new customization all the time for my character and saving different outfits for them. Definity most of the levels could be better but I do like how many of them are short and sweet and pretty fun to speedrun or get better times in
This video has actually given me a lot more respect for a game I thought was completely awful and had no substance but this game is ok and now I know why I loved when I was younger
Your commentary and explanation for your opinions of the game are stellar. This was a great video. Plus you explained how I felt about a lot of things in the game. I too felt it to be fun but like they did not overhaul their creativity. I feel like they have done so since Generations. That game and Lost World were too short but did great things for Sonic. Unleashed seems to be the last time I experienced them flooding the game with their creative ideas (have yet to play Colors so that could be there too). All in all, you have actually made me like the game even more and want to replay the game more.
Soooo.... am I the only one who noticed that he didn't mention Final Judgement? Like, despite this being a level-by-level breakdown, it wasn't mentioned or even in the footage. Just thought that was weird. That aside, this was a wonderfully-put-together video, and it's really nice to hear some more positive-ish takes on Forces. The game is underwhelming, no doubt, but it still has fun elements to it, and most of it's problems are missed potential rather than game-breaking issues. I loved the game when it came out, despite how shallow it is, and I still have a fondness for it today. Everyone seems to be in a hurry to label it as the next '06, when truthfully at it's worst it's only a below-average Sonic game with a lot of missed potential. That and dunking on Sonic games has been easy internet points for 14 years now.
Sonic forces was my first 3D sonic game and I did find it fun sure the controls are stiff and all but I managed to make them work perfectly. Basically I love this game
Best review of Forces on RU-vid. Especially the way you describe the final boss. Great boss design there with having to conserve your boost. The progress is halted until the player figures things out.
I actually liked forces, but sonic fans called me controversial because I liked Sonic 06, Shadow the headhog, Sonic heros, and Sonic unleashed (Especially the Wherehog parts)
Completely underrated video. Truly an amazing video explained everything amazingly and I really agree with most points in this video. Thank you for this amazing video :)
going through your videos, really like how positive you are about the design of these games while acknowledging the obvious flaws. A lot of sonic game design talk has been so dismissive and pessimistic that it really doesn't progress the overall conversation of what makes sonic games work and what needs to change to keep up consistency. Nice video man
what i like about this guy is he sounds like a teacher on parents evening when hes talking about the drawbacks and conclusion, and sounds like a proud parent when hes talking about the good points of a game
I agree with the speedrun part heavily, the drill alone for the avatar breaks the game with speedrunning and it makes the short level times more fun imo
My biggest problem with Sonic Forces is probably the level length, if it was all the same levels but some levels were merged together to make bigger but fewer levels I think I and many other people would like this game alot more
i to like Forces, but then again every game with a character creator gets + points from me also the story, moments most people have a problem with, i don't and find reason behind them -Tails being a coward, he's a 8 year old kid, who saw his idol & big brother figure get destroyed, his mental state isn't in the right place -why is Zavok here?, he's 1 of the strongest mortals Sonic has ever faced (able to block Sonic's homing attack without even flinching (in Lost World)) -CS is from the past, not another dimension? both are correct, the CS in Generations was from pre-Adventure era (aka Sonic's past), the CS in Forces is from Mania (a game that is *not* in Sonic's past, Mania takes place after CS returned home from Generations, aka another timeline) -why isn't there a Chaos 0 fight? yeah i got nothing for that one... -why was Metal Sonic a illusion? (while not canon to the games...) IDW shows us that Metal was being rebuild into a loyal Neo Metal Sonic during the war
lets not forget what happened in SA2 (which is part of the modern era according to generations) Sonic was litterally executed and what did Tails do? He made sure Sonic''s death wasn't in vein, so he defeated Eggman to avenge Sonic.
This is basically how I think of this game! Except when I played it I was like 8 and was stupid which means I loved this game but by now this sounds about how I would have thought of the game (except the favourite oc level). Good video.
I feel like Classic Sonic was included purely because they saw the overwhelming praise and positive outlook that Mania had, and were afraid people wouldn't give the game a fair chance if he wasn't included. This probably hurt development because now they had to make and implement gameplay for a character they had no plans for in the first place. Would explain why a lot of Classics stages feel rushed and just sort of put together. Again, this is my theory but it would explain a lot.
Unfortunately the theory doesn't add up because both games were revealed at the same time and Classic showed up in both, meaning they likely shoved him in not because of Mania's, but Generations' praise.
@@MegaGlassguy Yeah, that makes more sense. Still, it is possible the team were probably planning a version of Forces without Classic Sonic. But the higher ups made them put him in for whatever reason. IDK, either way Classics levels to me feel the most rushed and just put together. There's some neat stuff here and there, but it's easy to see he was the part of Forces the team didn't put the most time in. Either because they couldn't or they didn't want to.
Pretty much exactly how I feel about this game. The focus on speed run tactics was the only reason I managed to rack up 60 hours on it. In contrast easily got Mania to basically double that amount of play-time
I had an idea for the final boss when the reveal dropped, being you, classic and modern dashing through short parts of all the stages transitioning with a phantom ruby effect, would've been cool
The reason why classic sonic returned in forces using a dimensions hole was because if you have played Sonic Mania, When you get all chaos emeralds you get a true ending which shows tails and knuckles outside, pointing to where sonic is headed. and with that sonic spin dashes and leaves to another dimension, but temporary.
I think he’s aware, from what I remember he made a mania review before forces came out. My question is, why include classic sonic in forces in the first place?
@@djroscurro9859 idk, guess they just decided to mic things up because of a bootleg emerald that was randomly discovered by both eggmans called “The Phantom Ruby”
This was my first mainline Sonic game, and I replay sometimes to this day. It actually got me into Sonic oc design. Network Terminal will always be my favourite level.
The point you made about how it’s more enjoyable for speedrunners is what I’ve been saying basically since it launched. I LOVE it for that, but everyone I know hates it.
all those wisp powers would be WAY more fun to utilize in a full 3d setting. Imagine finding new places to go in a level by digging with the drill or burst jumping to new high places even sonic and his boost spring pads or whatever can't reach. They missed such a big opportunity here. The missions could have been made way more elaborate, they could have had a hub world online for avatars to team up in missions and run around after the game was done t increase longevity, I mean what would have been so bad about doing that? Delay the game and make it HUGE and amazing sega. and with the null space thing, what they should have done was split the metropolitan city into 2 stages, one before Null space, then make null space it's OWN level, and the second half of metropolitan AFTER null space so people replaying metropolis don't HAVE to sit through that sprint scene every time. I mean it's simple basic player accomodation design philosophy.
this is one of my favorite sonic games so its nice to see a video thts calm & talking good points of the game & not just loud hating like the other 99% of forces videos
Lets just take a moment to appreciate eggman for finally doing what he always said he would and “taking over the world” and getting rid of sonic (for some time) instead of putting some robots and spikes and calling it captured
I always imagined a story for a sonic game that kinda resembled the comics/ tv shows with the whole freedom fighters and was surprised when they showed off the trailers, one of my gripes was that sonic only would get boost from white wisp capsules or enemies, no rings making some parts feel slow even though you have an abundance of rings sonic Unleashed is still one of my favourites when it comes to the boost style.
I like sonic forces too, if the game had more time in it’s development cycle, better levels, less automation and better controls, people probably wound not have slammed this game as much as they did. Also those speed run tactics look both cool and fun, I might try them out next time I play the game :)
0:58 I was awaiting for you to say "Green Hill, Green Hill, Green Hill, Green Hill.... Chemical Plant-" 1:50 Also, you actually make that section look really fun.
Picked up the game for the first time last weekend to get in the mood for Frontiers. Pretty fun ngl, there're some missed opportunities for sure but I had a good (occasionally great) time with most of Sonic's stages and all of the Avatar's
I can agree with the electric and cube wispon being bad for speeding through levels, but the electric wispon can be used well in levels for interesting gameplay and challenges
I particularly liked lightning in Arsenal pyramid, since it let you basically say no to all the enemies on the bottom by just using the light dash over all of them.
How did I not see this video!? Guess the toxic hatred kind of overshadowed it. You basically summed up how I felt about this game. Not one of the worst Sonic Games, but could’ve been so much better.
There’s a timeline out there where sonic was the most critically acclaimed franchise while Mario is the inconsistent franchise. I wish I lived in that universe
I wish I lived in a timeline where both were the most critically acclaimed franchises I wish I lived in a timeline where Sonic was treated with the respect it deserves and the games weren't rushed
*Forces is the best sonic ive ever played because it knows what its trying to be and isnt doing too much to be something extraordinary. its a casual fast and free-flowing experience from one level to the next and all it asks is that you Enjoy and Appreciate it for what it is.*
The final boss music was so good. I got the whole game just to see it through. I was disappointed but it got me back into the series again. I played through the classics and 3d games again.
