Sonic RPG Announced For DS

[jackaroo]

Ok so this isnt particualy brand new news but i havent seen a topic here for it.

From IGN (Best News Source I Could Find For The Game)

BioWare Creating Sonic RPG for DS
Legendary role-playing game developer working on a Sonic title for 2008.

UK, June 21, 2007 - Mark this one up as something totally unexpected - BioWare and SEGA have announced they're collaborating on an exclusive role-playing game for Nintendo DS starring Sonic the Hedgehog.

BioWare is best known for its console RPGs such as Jade Empire as well as Knights of the Old Republic for Xbox. The company was first noticed by gamers for its work on the Balder's Gate PC series.

Currently without a name, this Sonic RPG is set for release in 2008. Simon Jeffery, president and COO of SEGA America said: "BioWare is one of the hottest names in RPG development in the world. Everyone at SEGA has huge confidence that Sonic is in the safest of hands, and that BioWare can create the ultimate handheld RPG experience for gamers of all ages."

Greg Zeschuk, president of BioWare said: "We're thrilled to be working with SEGA on Sonic, one of the industry's most enduring and compelling icons." Meanwhile, Ray Muzyka, CEO of BioWare added: "As huge fans of Sonic ourselves, we're committed to delivering a truly amazing story-driven experience within the Sonic universe, focusing on capturing the character's broad appeal and placing him in a completely original adventure."

That's all for now but we'll keep you updated as more news filters in.

Its interesting stuff thats for sure. Im looking forward to this. It should be interesting and considering Bioware are making the game thats quite cool. Ive played one or two of there games and they were great. Ive seen my friend play some others and it all looks awesome. So i believe this could be good. But what do you think?

STILL IN PRODUCTION

After a brief scare with EA's takeover of Bioware it was thought that this RPG was abandoned. But thank god it isnt. Bioware answered questions from the fans and one of them brought up the sonic RPG. They confirmed its still in progress and said they were looking forward to getting some stuff out about it :D.
http://www.sonicstadium.org/sonicnews/364/


First Look
SWEEEEEEET. We finally have some pics and stuff of the Sonic RPG. And apparently the title. Sonic RPG has become Sonic Chronicles : The Dark Brotherhood.

The screens look weird in all honesty. But it seems to be done its own style which mixes a typical RPG with cartoony sonic graphics. The screens are stretched and scanned from Nintendo Power magazine and its kinda hard to tell what the game will actually look like on the DS screen. So far it seems the top screen is being used to display character information and a map whilst the bottem screen is where the action is going on.

Still dunno what sort of RPG it will be. Turn Based, Real Time who knows.

Anyway take a look for yourself.
http://www.sonicstadium.org/sonicnews/400/
EDIT : More Screens http://www.ene3.com/archives/020256.html

Here is my most recent post with most of the current information about the game including release dates.
http://www.vc-forums.com/showpost.php?p=79470&postcount=58

Discuss....

[Pegasus]

Seeing how Sonic games aren't well known for involving storylines, I'm a bit skeptical. Sure, Bioware has proven its worth in the RPG genre, but still... it just seems like an odd choice. *shrugs*

[morikaweb]

ioWare is best known for its console RPGs such as Jade Empire as well as Knights of the Old Republic for Xbox.

Is this the same Bioware I'm thinking of? The Bioware best known for PC RPG's such as Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, Knights of the old Republic (The PC version was only a million times better) Never Winter Nights, ect.


I would not say they are a well known console game maker, and most of their fans probably don't know they make console games.

[yoshi175]

Seeing how Sonic games aren't well known for involving storylines, I'm a bit skeptical. Sure, Bioware has proven its worth in the RPG genre, but still... it just seems like an odd choice. *shrugs*
Sonic adventure had good storyline

[jackaroo]

Seeing how Sonic games aren't well known for involving storylines, I'm a bit skeptical. Sure, Bioware has proven its worth in the RPG genre, but still... it just seems like an odd choice. *shrugs*

Yes and like Yoshi175 said Sonic Adventure 1&2 both had decent storylines. Sonic games can become quite epic. And while it wasnt explained thoroughly Sonic 2,3 & Knuckles all had an epic storyline (Sonic 1 didnt really link in with it). I dunno if they choose the right stuff there is a good chance of it being a decent storyline.

Is this the same Bioware I'm thinking of? The Bioware best known for PC RPG's such as Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, Knights of the old Republic (The PC version was only a million times better) Never Winter Nights, ect.


I would not say they are a well known console game maker, and most of their fans probably don't know they make console games.

They have made quite a few Console RPG's and each have been extremely well done. I think they are also releasing Mass Effect on Xbox 360 which is to be a hit according to many. But i guess you cant judge from that since it isnt released yet.

[Pocketim]

Sonic adventure had good storyline

But a rather dissapointing ending

[wychwood_drinker]

im crossing my iger and hoing they'll base it on the satAM sonic. it could be a really good game rpg if they did.

[The shoemaker]

an rpg.. would that mean sonic can walk and not always run? and talk to people....weird.

[Pocketim]

an rpg.. would that mean sonic can walk and not always run? and talk to people....weird.

Sonic does a bit of that in Sonic Rush Adventure:lolo-spin:

[jackaroo]

more news concerning the game and EA's takeover of Bioware. Seems sega are confused by whats happening.

From The Sonic Stadium
Short news piece today: SEGA have responded to The Sonic Stadium explaining that the Sonic RPG won't be affected by the acquisition of BioWare by publishing giant Electronic Arts.

There was some concern over the title, as EA and SEGA are effectively bitter rivals in the publishing industry. This confirmation from SEGA is a good sign that Sonic RPG is still in the works.

[UPDATE] It appears SEGA are once again confused on its own information, as the Online Services sector tell us (via Sonic Wrecks) that the future of Sonic RPG isn't as concrete as the PR department apparently made out recently. When one department says the game isn't affected and yet another says otherwise, where does that leave the Sonic fan? A bit confused, we say.

Stay tuned to TSS for more details as we get it.

Seems the future of this RPG title is a bit Iffy but i still think it will be in the works. From what i have heard the Sonic RPG is safe at the moment.

[SegaFan]

Well EA are probably Sega's main rivals now, I really hope this game won't be affected.

Sonic does a bit of that in Sonic Rush Adventure
And Sonic Adventure, and other games, it's not so unusual.

[jackaroo]

Well EA are probably Sega's main rivals now, I really hope this game won't be affected.


And Sonic Adventure, and other games, it's not so unusual.

On gamespot i read an article which mentioned that the only games to be effected by EA's takeover are all of Biowares original games. And they said unoriginal games such as the star wars games and Sonic RPG are still under biowares name and they will still be working on it. But this could still be wrong. No one really knows yet. I hope it isnt wrong. Id love to play a Sonic RPG :D.

[SegaFan]

If Bioware are fully owned by EA now then it's completely up to EA what Bioware do. The Sonic franchise (of course) is Sega's, they are paying Bioware (and therefore now EA) to make this game, so it could equally be now that Sega don't wan't EA profiting from Sonic, so Sega could try to end the deal as well. The final game would almost definitely be published by Sega and not EA, but it could still happen, I hope so.

[The shoemaker]

Hmm I just noticed sonic RPG sounds weird because really I think Sonic is all about going fast an RPG kinda sounds weird.

[Mr.Rodriguez]

so.what about paper mario

[jackaroo]

Hmm I just noticed sonic RPG sounds weird because really I think Sonic is all about going fast an RPG kinda sounds weird.

Maybe it will be a fast RPG :D It will be fun to see how this turns out........if it gets made.

[The shoemaker]

so.what about paper mario

What about Paper Mario

[jackaroo]

Good news. The game is still in production. Confirmed by Bioware themselves in a video. Link in first post :D.

[Nintendu-64]

I'm glad to hear that BioWare is working on a Sonic title. If you ask me, the last really good game in the series was Sonic Adventure 2. But BioWare gave us KOTOR, so the series is in good hands, in my opinion.

[jackaroo]

I'm glad to hear that BioWare is working on a Sonic title. If you ask me, the last really good game in the series was Sonic Adventure 2. But BioWare gave us KOTOR, so the series is in good hands, in my opinion.

I agree. Nearly. I reckon the last major good Sonic Game was SA2 but i really enjoyed Shadow The Hedgehog aswell. It felt like a sequel to SA2 in terms of story and gameplay and that made me enjoy it more. Other than that i agree.

[TechnoSuperguy]

I'm really looking forward to this one. I mean, I love RPG's, I love Sonic, I love DS games. It's a perfect combo! I hope it will be 3D, though, because we've all been deprived of a fully 3D portable Sonic game for too long.

[jackaroo]

I'm really looking forward to this one. I mean, I love RPG's, I love Sonic, I love DS games. It's a perfect combo! I hope it will be 3D, though, because we've all been deprived of a fully 3D portable Sonic game for too long.

Lets hope. Im sure it will be full 3D though. I just wanna know the story. I think perfect chaos would make a perfect boss in an RPG game. Doesnt have to be main boss but i think that he would be perfect.

[The shoemaker]

This will probably be a must buy for me. (if I hear good reviews from you guys)

[Shortay]

Hopefully it will turn out well. It's a brave change to the formula, that's for sure.

[jackaroo]

Its made by Bioware who havent gone wrong yet. Or if they have i havent heard about out. But i think that this is going to be great.

[jackaroo]

SWEEEEEEET. We finally have some pics and stuff of the Sonic RPG. And apparently the title. Sonic RPG has become Sonic Chronicles : The Dark Brotherhood.

The screens look weird in all honesty. But it seems to be done its own style which mixes a typical RPG with cartoony sonic graphics. The screens are stretched and scanned from Nintendo Power magazine and its kinda hard to tell what the game will actually look like on the DS screen. So far it seems the top screen is being used to display character information and a map whilst the bottem screen is where the action is going on.

Still dunno what sort of RPG it will be. Turn Based, Real Time who knows.

Anyway take a look for yourself.
http://www.sonicstadium.org/sonicnews/400/

EDIT :
GEEZUS even more screens and it seems the game will be turn based. Awesome! http://www.ene3.com/archives/020256.html

[Ragnor]

Awesome, I've been wanting info on this game since it was announced :D

[The shoemaker]

looks awesome. I like the art and the way the camera is angled.

[Pocketim]

It looks awesome but I don't really like the name, I mean, come on, The Dark Brotherhood? Thats a pathetic name!

[jackaroo]

It looks awesome but I don't really like the name, I mean, come on, The Dark Brotherhood? Thats a pathetic name!

Guess you cant really put the blame on sega for that. After all its Bioware making it. Besides the name dont bother me. Its suitable for an RPG.

[The shoemaker]

Joystick got to play it at the Nintendo media summit thing, it looks great. you can see the short review in the news section.

[pdRydia]

Joystick got to play it at the Nintendo media summit thing, it looks great. you can see the short review in the news section.Yeah, it's got my attention. :mario-face:

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

I have to say, I've never been a big fan of Sonic, and this little stab at an RPG doesn't appear to be set to change my mind... :(

[jackaroo]

Yeah i read the Hands-On on IGN & Gamespot. Sounds pretty awesome.

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

BioWare involvement?

[Kenryoku_Maxis]

BioWare involvement?

Bioware is making it. This isn't being made by Sonic Team/Sega.

Hence why it may be good.

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

Bioware is making it. This isn't being made by Sonic Team/Sega.

Hence why it may be good.

Yeah, I just noticed, hence my faint glimmer of returning hope. ;) Still in sketchy further consideration territory for me, though. Will require some good hands-on reviews.

[Kenryoku_Maxis]

Will require some good hands-on reviews.

Reviewers. One of my biggest campaigns to rid the world of.

That aside, reviewers will probably be mixed. Bioware stuff always gets high praise for being original and just plain different from everything else. But now it has the Sonic name to it AND its on the DS. Two identities reviewers who give high originality points to Bioware games might downgrade just for those points alone (*cough* spiteful bias *cough*).

So don't be surprised if the company that normally sees 9.5 games to its name suddenly pulls out another great game...but sees the usual poop throwers chugging 8.5s at them just because they made a DS RPG with 'furries'.

[pdRydia]

Reviewers. One of my biggest campaigns to rid the world of.Don't do it! I've been checking reviews ever since I made the mistake of buying Sudoku Mania. I never want to buy a broken game again! :cry:

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

Reviewers. One of my biggest campaigns to rid the world of.

But you're a reviewer. So am I. I don't understand what you mean. When I say I'm going to hold off for reviews, I don't mean from the blurbs on the back of the box, or whatever. I mean from people that I know and trust.

[SegaFan]

Reviewers. One of my biggest campaigns to rid the world of.I'm with you, if I payed attention to reviews I would never have played half of my favourite games!

Actually I'd ban all negative reviews, you can get much more accurate information about a game from someone who likes it (even if you don't agree) than someone who's bashing it.

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

Actually I'd ban all negative reviews, you can get much more accurate information about a game from someone who likes it (even if you don't agree) than someone who's bashing it.

Not me. If my best friend hates a game and explains why (i.e. a review), more often than not I end up agreeing with him. We have very similar tastes.

[Kenryoku_Maxis]

But you're a reviewer. So am I. I don't understand what you mean. When I say I'm going to hold off for reviews, I don't mean from the blurbs on the back of the box, or whatever. I mean from people that I know and trust.

I wouldn't want you to just not play a game simply based on the fact that I said I didn't like it. You aren't me and you don't have all of my personal likes and dislikes.

And as for your friends, you might have many similar likes and dislikes, but they could have disliked just one small part of the game, a level or something in the game that reminded them of another game and they quit it a half an hour in right before it got to the good part, etc. Everything is extremly circumstantial.

In every situation, its not you either trying the game or researching the game yourself to come to the conclusion if you want to even try it or not. That is the biggest evil I have against 'reviewers'.

I'm not saying you do this, which if you ask for your friends opinion you are at least getting some kind of opinion over another persons. But many people out there looking at IGN, GameSpot, 1up what have you will wait all the way till a few days before launch until 'the review' comes out and make their game purchase based on their 'trusted review sources' opinion on the game. In other words, they let some other persons bias opinions and BS score decide whatever games they play because its all wrapped up in a convenient and often times extreme love or hate package. Pointing out exactly why people should like the game and hate the game before they even play it so they're all ready to go to the store with the pre-approved notions of what to expect when they pick it up.

What I always tell people is, asking friends and looking at sources is great. But also at least look at videos and stuff yourself and don't let those sources be the only thing you go on. Just because your friend said X game sucked in the past and you found out it did, doesn't mean every game he says sucks and every game he says rocks will from then on. Look at preview videos and read up on things and compare.

And don't listen to BS websites like IGN, GameSpot, etc. A bunch of guys writing how they 'feel' about a game with a random score pasted on to make it look 'official' doesn't make them anything beyond game editorialist who get paid to play and rag about how games aren't being made the way they want them to be.

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

I wouldn't want you to just not play a game simply based on the fact that I said I didn't like it.
That's OK, you aren't one of my trusted sources, just as I hope I'm not one of yours. :)

Just because your friend said X game sucked in the past and you found out it did, doesn't mean every game he says sucks and every game he says rocks will from then on.
That wouldn't be much of a review, would it? ;)

Look at preview videos and read up on things and compare.
Sure, it's all part of the research. Reading reviews is a part of it. It's usually the first part (at least for me) since I don't bother to look at games, check screenshots, watch videos, listen to music, or rent games unless I'm already interested in them for some reason or another.

And don't listen to BS websites like IGN, GameSpot, etc.
I wouldn't do something that rash. I hope I'm an intelligent enough reader by now (being almost finished a critical theory PhD) to be able to spot bias and make critical decisions about the conclusions reached by so-called "pro" reviewers. Their reviews can be helpful when they stick to the facts and explain the empirical qualities of the games. Ratings are meaningless. And when it comes to subjective evaluation of games, I have friends who know my tastes very well. They can recommend things for me to look into.

Thus, I'm going to have to wait for more information on this DS Sonic RPG before I can draw even the most tentative conclusion about its value to me as a piece of entertainment. (From now on I'm just going to abbreviate that to something like "will require some good hands-on reviews.")

[SegaFan]

Not me. If my best friend hates a game and explains why (i.e. a review), more often than not I end up agreeing with him. We have very similar tastes.
That's you're friend, he knows what you like. What I'm against are reviewers who think that just because they don't like a game, everyone shouldn't like it.

I base my decisions by asking people who like the game what they like about it and if it sounds like it'll appeal to me as well I'll buy it. Even if a game is hated by 9 out of 10 reviewers, in my experience the one review that's positive will be the best written and the most factually accurate, even if you don't agree with the overall verdict. You don't get many positive reviews that give false information to make a game sound better than it is (unless they're bribed) because a positive reviewer will be passionate enough about the game to make an effort with the review. But you get a lot of negative reviewers, in my experience, who don't play the game fully and even make up information to support their reviews.

Thus, I'm going to have to wait for more information on this DS Sonic RPG before I can draw even the most tentative conclusion about its value to me as a piece of entertainment. (From now on I'm just going to abbreviate that to something like "will require some good hands-on reviews.")
For me the fact that it's a Sonic RPG developed by a renowned RPG developer says more about the game than any hands-on review ever will. Although I've never played a BioWare game before (there's a first time for everything) I'm already fairly sure this game will be worth getting.

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

That's you're friend, he knows what you like.

Yeah, they're the best reviews.

For me the fact that it's a Sonic RPG developed by a renowned RPG developer says more about the game than any hands-on review ever will.

Ugh... well, if you know what you like, that's fine I guess. If a Koei game has the title Romance of the Three Kingdoms then I already know I don't have to check any reviews. On the other hand, I've played some stinkers based on similar assumptions (Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles), so reviews it is.

[pdRydia]

And don't listen to BS websites like IGN, GameSpot, etc. A bunch of guys writing how they 'feel' about a game with a random score pasted on to make it look 'official' doesn't make them anything beyond game editorialist who get paid to play and rag about how games aren't being made the way they want them to be.While this isn't ideal, it still makes them more useful sources to me than friends (who lean toward entirely different genres than I do) and gameplay videos (which are neat, but provide limited information). IGN can go on and on about how much they hate this or that game, but when they do, they usually say why--and I can see if those are things that will bother me. "This game is short!" is not a complaint that I care much about, same as popular "this is a cookie-cutter/traditional RPG". On the other hand, if a reviewer says "holy crap this game is broken and doesn't work" (and if it is, they will), I want to know that before buying a game.

Reading reviews isn't really so much to find out if the game is "good" or "bad"--I've played plenty of "bad" games in my life and really enjoyed them (Mystery Dungeon, Suikoden, Touch Detective), and I know there are tons of good games I'll never enjoy (any number of FPS or sports games). It's about reading the review to see what the game has in it that could make or break the game experience for you.

[Kenryoku_Maxis]

While this isn't ideal, it still makes them more useful sources to me than friends (who lean toward entirely different genres than I do) and gameplay videos (which are neat, but provide limited information). IGN can go on and on about how much they hate this or that game, but when they do, they usually say why--and I can see if those are things that will bother me. "This game is short!" is not a complaint that I care much about, same as popular "this is a cookie-cutter/traditional RPG". On the other hand, if a reviewer says "holy crap this game is broken and doesn't work" (and if it is, they will), I want to know that before buying a game.

Reading reviews isn't really so much to find out if the game is "good" or "bad"--I've played plenty of "bad" games in my life and really enjoyed them (Mystery Dungeon, Suikoden, Touch Detective), and I know there are tons of good games I'll never enjoy (any number of FPS or sports games). It's about reading the review to see what the game has in it that could make or break the game experience for you.

Their reviews go beyond these things however. Now adays its like they have to double think everything, live up to expectations of their 'reputation' and represent that into 'the score' and to top it all off, every review I read, it feels like IGN and Gamespot is trying to preach some kind of message to the world about how each game isn't as good as 'the good ol' days' and telling me every fricken detail of why I shouldn't like something because they didn't like it.

These reviews have gone beyond bias and the simple guys playing games and telling people what it was about, which IGN specifically was back 10 years ago, and its become a business with motives, porogatives and an agenda to push. Its like I'm reading a filtered Anime fan news letter more than a 'Credited Internet Source for News'.

Blah blah 'no voices'. 'Blah blah 'wasn't as good as Zack and Wiki'. Blah blah 'didn't have integrated menues'. Blah Blah 'every sequel is automatically worse than the original before we even look at the game'. Blah Blah 'Opinion, Opinion, Opinion, Gameplay explained, Opinion, Opinion, Opinion...'

And Gamespot has always been like that just to try to be 'edgy and hard-hitting' (to get people to look at them), but now its like everyone is doing that.

With the way all of this is, we might as well just ask our friends for advice. Its either the 'opinions' of reviews or the 'opinions' of a friend who you can actually see and hear and know isn't just saying whatever because he has to write a review for that game.

Me, I'll stick to the preview videos and information.

[SegaFan]

Ugh... well, if you know what you like, that's fine I guess. If a Koei game has the title Romance of the Three Kingdoms then I already know I don't have to check any reviews. On the other hand, I've played some stinkers based on similar assumptions (Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles), so reviews it is.There's no 100% certain way of telling whether you'll like a game, we've all made mistakes. But I've been mislead by reviews more times than I've been mislead by instincts. The worst part isn't all the games you buy by mistake, it's all the good games you'll miss by trusting negative reviews.

On the other hand, if a reviewer says "holy crap this game is broken and doesn't work" (and if it is, they will), I want to know that before buying a game.You see there have been lots of times when reviewers have said that about a game I really enjoyed. Reviewers who don't like a game will sometimes just say it's completely broken and say everyone will hate it when really it's just the reviewer who doesn't like it. I'm not saying all reviews are that badly written but a lot are, I can't trust them for anything.

[Spore]

Funny how people are bashing reviews when this forum is the spawn of a VC review site.

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

Me, I'll stick to the preview videos and information.

Information is found in reviews.

Only part of the problem you're discussing can be attributed to big-name reviews and reviewers and review sites. The rest of the problem can be attributed to people who read poorly.

I don't personally know a single human being who reads and believes the letter of every review. I think your ideal review-moron may only exist in the realm of Platonic forms (although I'm sure there are people who come close). All of my friends and I (and apparently pdRydia, too) have certain questions, certain things to look for, that we can pick out of reviews and make our own interpretations and interpolations of. Simple information gathering.

[SegaFan]

I don't personally know a single human being who reads and believes the letter of every review. I think your ideal review-moron may only exist in the realm of Platonic forms (although I'm sure there are people who come close). All of my friends and I (and apparently pdRydia, too) have certain questions, certain things to look for, that we can pick out of reviews and make our own interpretations and interpolations of. Simple information gathering.Nothing wrong with that, that's what I use reviews for. But I only look at positive reviews now because they usually have more solid information about the game. Negative reviews sometimes bend the truth to support their point, so even if you're reading what you think is a hard fact it could be wrong (in my experience). Not everyone is a "review-moron" but people are mislead (including myself occasionally), it's a real problem.

Funny how people are bashing reviews when this forum is the spawn of a VC review site.I'm not really bashing VC reviews for the reasons above, reviews are still useful and if they're well written and don't try to tell people what to think there's nothing to complain about.

[pdRydia]

Nothing wrong with that, that's what I use reviews for. But I only look at positive reviews now because they usually have more solid information about the game. Negative reviews sometimes bend the truth to support their point, so even if you're reading what you think is a hard fact it could be wrong (in my experience). Not everyone is a "review-moron" but people are mislead (including myself occasionally), it's a real problem.

In my experience, positive reviews can be as empty as negative reviews. I hate reading fluff about how graet!!1one! a game is, how revolutionary it is/was for the game industry, how dumb/tasteless people are for not playing, how it's just like game XYZ...and then never actually get into any information that I want. I'll disregard these reviews the same way I disregard the reviews that only say "omg this gaem is so dumb and if you play it ur dumb and ur family's dumb and ur dog's dumb 2" (slight exaggerations of real-life situations may apply).

But undeserving/bad negative reviews aren't a pet peeve of mine, so I'm willing to sort through them to get to the information I want; I can totally understand people who don't want to do that because those sorts of reviews drive them up the wall. (Bad analogy warning!) I mean, I've learned a lot of things from, say, political forums, but these days I avoid them like the plague because I know they get me ****ed off like nobody's business.

You see there have been lots of times when reviewers have said that about a game I really enjoyed. Reviewers who don't like a game will sometimes just say it's completely broken and say everyone will hate it when really it's just the reviewer who doesn't like it. I'm not saying all reviews are that badly written but a lot are, I can't trust them for anything.Yeah, gamers (reviewers included) like to call a game "imbalanced" (or "broken") when they don't like it or aren't good at it. I mean a different kind of "broken," though--as in, glitched, or doesn't play the way it should in the technical sense. Puzzle Quest DS has a huge number of graphical glitches, My Spanish Coach has a few minor ones, while Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance has a glitch in its high jump. None of these manage to "break" the game (render it unplayable), but it does make the playing more...interesting. In the bad way. This is the sort of thing I want to know before deciding to not buy the game, buy the game used, or buy the game new.

Sudoku Mania, meanwhile, is "broken." A sudoku puzzle needs a unique answer to actually be a proper sudoku puzzle, but the algorithm-generated puzzles in SM don't have unique answers. The whole game is based on giving you sudoku puzzles to solve, but the puzzles themselves aren't actually sudoku--just something that looks vaguely similar and has nowhere near the challenge.

The worst part isn't all the games you buy by mistake, it's all the good games you'll miss by trusting negative reviews.I'm totally the other way. I already barely have enough time for the games I currently own, so I make decisions to not buy and not play good games. If I'm turned off to a game by a review, that's not a tragedy, it just makes the decision less heart-breaking.

But buying a bad game? That's pretty awful, to me. Getting a new game has always been a big deal for me--it's as special today as it was when I was a little kid and a new game magically arrived home with my parents and older brothers (my parents wisely kept me ignorant of "video game stores" for many years). It's a great big letdown when the game I pick out is bad, and when it happens I cry myself to sleep while hugging my stuffed panda bear. (Crying may or may not actually occur, stuffed panda bear may or may not exist.)

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

In my experience, positive reviews can be as empty as negative reviews. I hate reading fluff about how graet!!1one! a game is, how revolutionary it is/was for the game industry, how dumb/tasteless people are for not playing, how it's just like game XYZ...and then never actually get into any information that I want.

Heh, it's actually the positive reviews of No More Heroes that convinced me not to get it. ;)

[pdRydia]

Heh, it's actually the positive reviews of No More Heroes that convinced me not to get it.FPS reviews baffle me. Well-written reviews, even. I mean, I can see what the reviewer likes about the game, but at the same time, I just don't at all.

[Kenryoku_Maxis]

Heh, it's actually the positive reviews of No More Heroes that convinced me not to get it. ;)

Anything IGN likes, I don't.

Yup, I have a bias too! :p

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

Anything IGN likes, I don't.

Yup, I have a bias too! :p

How about the cover of Okami? ;)

[jackaroo]

I think its about time this topic got bumped back up. After all its only 20 days till the european release and 22-24 days till the american release. If you havent been keeping up the game looks fantastic so far. Seems theres gonna be a bit of party and character customization to it. From whats been said the game will have 11 playable characters and the game will last around 20-25 hours. The game was voted Best DS Game of E3 by Gametrailers and Nintendo DS Game of the Show at Leipzig.
The games website is up :
http://www.sonic-chronicles.com/us/index.php
The site is designed in the style of the game with a miniature map to explore. Gather the rings to unlock some bonus wallpapers.
The game will have a Chao Garden but not like the ones seen in the Sonic Adventure series (as far as im aware). Chao in this game will help give your characters special status' (Such as defense from fire damage, Better evasion etc). These will also be where local wireless comes into play as you can trade your chao with others in order to get them all.
As for music the game will feature many remixed tunes of classic sonic games along with brand new tunes made just for this game. The composer of the music in the game also composed some of the tracks for the classic sonic games. One of the remixes can be heard on the sonic chronicles flash site (Go to the dark world on the flash site by crossing the bridge. The music there is a remix of a track from Sonic 3D on the Sega Saturn) along with one of the new tracks (The music that plays in the green hill part of the site).
There is also a youtube channel for the game which features several videos explaining certain parts of the game and a developer diary all from bioware.
http://www.youtube.com/user/SonicChronicles
The developer diary also shows some CGI videos taken from the game.
Finally there is also a flash game released by sega for the game.
http://www.sega.co.uk/sonicchronicles/minigame/uk/index.html
Playing through the flash game will unlock videos showing off some of the gameplay as well as give you downloadable content for your computer (Including wallpapers, MSN Icons, Bebo Skins etc) and you can also unlock chao's. When you unlock a chao you can click on it to see what effect it will have on a character in the game.

So yeah. Thats all I can think of right now. But the game is going to be released :
September 26th (EU)
& September 28th/30th (America. Not sure which one is correct)

[The shoemaker]

The game looks awesome. The only downside i can think of is the fact that it's only about 25 hours long.

[Shortay]

The game looks awesome. The only downside i can think of is the fact that it's only about 25 hours long.

25 hours of gameplay is fantastic for the price that North American's pay for new DS games.

[The shoemaker]

25 hours of gameplay is fantastic for the price that North American's pay for new DS games.

40 bucks?

Well I have at least 100 hours on Final Fantasy Xll, which was the same price so 25 hours doesn't exactly add up. Still does not prevent me from getting the game. but knowing me I'll probably beat the game with 30-35 hours.

[Shortay]

40 bucks?

Yes, considering in the UK the standard retail price for DS games is around $53.

[Trapster]

I wonder if I should import this game because prices of games in Europe is a b*tch. It looks really interesting.

I thought I heard them mention that it is an Action-RPG.

[The shoemaker]

I wonder if I should import this game because prices of games in Europe is a b*tch. It looks really interesting.

I thought I heard them mention that it is an Action-RPG.

Never heard of a non action RPG.

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

Never heard of a non action RPG.

Final Fantasy.

[Trapster]

Final Fantasy.

And that's just to give an example. There are quite many of them. Lufia is another.

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

And that's just to give an example. There are quite many of them. Lufia is another.

Yeah, I thought I'd just name the most iconic video game RPG of all time as a pretty obvious example. ;)

Action RPG doesn't just mean that action takes place. It's a generic term indicating that combat usually takes place in an action-driven form rather than through menu commands. Secret of Mana, SoulBlazer, and Shadowrun (SNES) are examples of good ones.

[hansolo350]

40 bucks?

Well I have at least 100 hours on Final Fantasy Xll, which was the same price so 25 hours doesn't exactly add up. Still does not prevent me from getting the game. but knowing me I'll probably beat the game with 30-35 hours.

I don't know where you get your games, but the only games that are more than $30 are Square-Enix games. In fact I just pre-ordered Kirby Super Star for $25 on Amazon.ca.

[SegaFan]

Funny the European price/importing debate has been brought up for this game, normally importing is best for DS because of all the benefits, but this time I've decided to buy the game here. The dollar isn't as weak as it has been in the past year and you can buy this game in the UK for £25 online which isn't bad at all, the price gap is much smaller than usual. When I worked it all out with shipping and everything I found that I would have saved about £4 at most. I'm willing to pay the extra £4 to get the game on the 26th instead of waiting for the 29th plus a week for it to get here (again, unusual that we get it first). It's very, very rare that buying the European version is a better deal, but this time it is.

25 hours is a reasonable length.

[Trapster]

Hm, I'll have to check that.

[The shoemaker]

It's almost here.

Be pumped.

[jackaroo]

If your an aussie and if you live near an EB Games store then your in luck. EB Games released the game early in australia and you can go pick up your copy now. You lucky aussies. I hate you all. lol only joking. But its nearly upon us too. So yay!

[SegaFan]

So who got it? What do you think?

I'm still quite early on in the game and haven't fully got into it yet but I have no major complaints so far.

[PoisonRamune]

So are you saying it's good for what it is (a Sonic RPG) or it really is a good game in general?

[jackaroo]

I dont have the game yet but i have played it. I played up to where amy joins your party for a little taster and it seemed pretty cool to me. I really liked what I saw even though i didnt see much and should be getting the game tommorow.
If you wanna base it on critics opinions then so far the game has got an average of 8.0 with the lowest being a 6.5 from IGN. Other than that its been getting 7's and 8's and also a 9.3 from Official Nintendo Magazine UK.

[SegaFan]

So are you saying it's good for what it is (a Sonic RPG) or it really is a good game in general?I didn't say whether it was good or bad yet, I haven't come across anything bad so far but RPG's take a long time to get into and I've only played 3 hours so far, to early to know whether I like it or not. I expect the same standard from a Sonic game as from any game so "good for a Sonic game" won't come into it.

There are no other Sonic RPG's games to compare it to, the closest thing we have are the Mario RPG's, I'd like to see how it compares to them.

I dont have the game yet but i have played it. I played up to where amy joins your party for a little taster and it seemed pretty cool to me. I really liked what I saw even though i didnt see much and should be getting the game tommorow. What I can say it all has potential. It's a good looking game, the battle system seems to be good, for a downside the music isn't that memorable so far.

If you wanna base it on critics opinionsNo, I really don't. ;)