Sonic Superstars is like if Sonic 4 was given the polish and refinement it needed, but was just as creatively blank. Now, when you move and jump around, you can go to yourself "Oh yeah, this feels right." But once I got used to that, I was left with a perfectly servicable platformer that I don't think I'm going to remember a week from now.
it's weird, because when you compare the two, Sonic Mania has far worse problems with originality than Superstars does. At least Superstars's zones are all technically original, and the idea of tying a unique power to each emerald isn't a bad one either. But Mania's 4 original zones still somehow supercede everything that Superstars tries to do. I get the feeling I'm gonna need some time to think about this game, because right now, I'm not sure if I can place why have I felt absolutely no excitement playing it.
Perhaps the move away from fluid 2D spritework has miffed me. Perhaps when Sonic Team decided to abandon Mania's reliance on fan service, it turned out that it didn't have much else to offer besides chopped up fascimiles of the series's past levels, just rebranded with a new name. Perhaps it's the neat soundtrack getting consistently interrupted by Jun Senoue letting everybody know that after a whole decade, he still hasn't found more than one snare sample to use in his music.
I've no clue. Beyond some frustration with the game's later bosses, and the amount of waiting you have to do before you can attack them, I can't say I felt much playing it. I'm not even sure why I played it. I've been waiting years for Sonic to become this amazing franchise, to live up to the potential that I always hoped it would live up to, when all it seems to settle for these days is being "good enough." Where every title is deemed "a step in the right direction." But I don't want to be taking steps in the right direction anymore. I want to BE in the right direction. And I want to sit down, and remain there. Yet, I keep walking...
it's weird, because when you compare the two, Sonic Mania has far worse problems with originality than Superstars does. At least Superstars's zones are all technically original, and the idea of tying a unique power to each emerald isn't a bad one either. But Mania's 4 original zones still somehow supercede everything that Superstars tries to do. I get the feeling I'm gonna need some time to think about this game, because right now, I'm not sure if I can place why have I felt absolutely no excitement playing it.
Perhaps the move away from fluid 2D spritework has miffed me. Perhaps when Sonic Team decided to abandon Mania's reliance on fan service, it turned out that it didn't have much else to offer besides chopped up fascimiles of the series's past levels, just rebranded with a new name. Perhaps it's the neat soundtrack getting consistently interrupted by Jun Senoue letting everybody know that after a whole decade, he still hasn't found more than one snare sample to use in his music.
I've no clue. Beyond some frustration with the game's later bosses, and the amount of waiting you have to do before you can attack them, I can't say I felt much playing it. I'm not even sure why I played it. I've been waiting years for Sonic to become this amazing franchise, to live up to the potential that I always hoped it would live up to, when all it seems to settle for these days is being "good enough." Where every title is deemed "a step in the right direction." But I don't want to be taking steps in the right direction anymore. I want to BE in the right direction. And I want to sit down, and remain there. Yet, I keep walking...