GAMER LOUNGE 20XX (NO CASUALS!!)

[Gwen]

1. Isn't something I'm really interested in, and I'm just explaining why and

The threshold for whether game mechanics are distinguishing are not if they personally appeal to you.

Having been a rabid fan of Sonic games since I was two, I can tell the difference between Freedom Planet and any Sonic title at a glance. The environments don't look at all the same, the Freedom Planet characters appear to be generic furry aliens as opposed to anthropomorphised animals, the story seems to be more standard anime-fare, the combat has more in common with Drill Dozer or some kind of platforming Street Fighter.

I haven't even played it yet. Just looking at the trailer I can tell the difference.

This makes you an exception, as you said you're a rabid fan so you be able to notice things on a much finer level better than people in general (me included) who have limited experience with 2d sonic games or casual people who generally know what Sonic is on a basic level.
I mean the official artwork on the website, while a little more anime still looks a lot like the Sonic style, which is purrty anime to begin with. The environments cosmetically look different, but the way they play looks uncannily similar, down to design choices and items that the Sonic games have.

Also what you're saying about me is not true at all. I was just stating that I don't think this game interests me as I don't really like the 2d Sonic games(but I've played them), and then going on to talk about Sega and the similarities I've noticed..

[Kriven]

I'm torn on your argument.

On the one hand I can understand the necessity to filter similar-looking things into the same group. It's impossible to try everything...

On the other hand, I want to say that comparing two things in which you don't have much of a background is kind of wrong. Just on themes alone, what you're getting into is "All Fantasy is Lord of the Rings" territory, which is only true so far as that stereotyping filtering works out.

Regardless, it's the minute details that would matter if Sega were to take action. I don't think Freedom Planet resembles any of Sonic's games or media forms enough for it to cause trouble.

Mega Man might have an argument, though:

[Mutsukki]

I'm sorry, I was a huge Sonic fan (I grew up with it) and Freedom Planet is obviously Sonic inspired aesthetically and gameplay-wise. At varios points she DOES turn into a ball and those big headed animals with huge eyes are also almost direct copies of Sonic sprites. I'm not saying any of this is bad and that Sega should sue (they shouldn't), but saying that this and Sonic have nothing in common is plain delusional.

The level design is also very similar from what the trailer showed.

[Kriven]

but saying that this and Sonic have nothing in common is plain delusional.

I don't know if anybody was denying that there are similarities, just that there's enough nuance going into Freedom Planet to keep it away from clone territory.

Pac-Man and Clu Clu Land are essentially the same: a round protagonist is tasked with collecting all of the objects in a maze while avoiding enemies. Clu Clu Land offers more refinement and nuance, however, and so it can't be said that it ripped off Pac-Man with all honesty.

The same is true of Freedom Planet and Sonic.

[Mutsukki]

Pac-Man and Clu Clu Land are nothing like each other neither aethestically nor gameplay-wise. Starting for the fact that you actually have an attack in Clu Clu Land, can't move at will and instead of collecting anything, you're making a picture out of whatever those things are, so that was a pretty big stretch. Freedom Planet is literally Sonic with melee attacks as it looks like so far.

[Gwen]

My argument is definitely not "Just on themes alone, what you're getting into is "All Fantasy is Lord of the Rings" territory, which is only true so far as that stereotyping filtering works out."
It's that on a general level, most people with casual experience, or moderate experience, this looks exactly like a Sonic game. You're able to clearly tell the differences because as you said yourself, you're a rabid fan of Sonic.
Based on the trailer and some gameplay videos I saw, I saw thinks that look directly out of any 2D sonic game. Despite not really caring for the 2D games, I have played most of them, I used to play them when I was little, and back in high school.
Despite being "furry aliens" they still look like Sonic characters, they just look like cats. They have the large eyes an small mouth thing going, they have cat like noses, and they(the main one(purple and blue one) has the HUGE feet with shoes exactly like in Sonic, and while the others don't quite, they still have similarities as well.

[Iceman404]

Watching the trailer, I don't see why I'd want to play that. Admittedly I'm not the largest fan of Sonic's earlier games (Heroes was my jam heh) but all it looks like is "PLAY SONIC AS NOT SONIC" I'm surprised Sega hasn't told them to pack it up honestly. It seriously just looks like a Sonic re-skin. Don't let my negativity be a joykill, that's just how I see it.

You clearly don't know or haven't played enough of Sonic to the point where any dummy can see it only takes a few concepts from it and runs off on it's own originality. It plays literally nothing like a Sonic game besides walking around on slopes as technicolor animals goddamn.

[Gwen]

:L

I've played most of the Sonic games, why don't you tone down the vitriol in your words dude. Watching the trailer there is CLEAR AS DAY similarities that draw extremely close(almost to the point of replicating) complete elements of Sonic.

[Crappy Blue Luigi]

you have every right to be not interested, but your opinions came off as ignorant to me because i'd played the game and you hadn't. that's it.

and like, i knew this was coming too, so i really should've been more prepared to discuss it without letting my emotions get in the way. the game started as a sonic fan game and used sonic fan characters, oddly enough designed by someone who wasn't at all part of the development team. the gameplay evolved significantly to be less sonic-like in general, but the aesthetic did not. the game looks like a sonic fan game still.

i wish that wasn't the case, because it's making people have split-second judgments about the game. if you don't like 2d sonic, you might still like this game because of the big emphasis on combat and boss battles! or you might not. you might not like it because of the art direction and furry-ness! or you might not care.

all i'm saying is, there's a demo for a reason. it's not hard to spend a couple minutes downloading it and trying it out for yourself.

[Gwen]

I may not have played the game directly, but I didn't post what I did without watching gameplay videos first and then analyzing and putting thoughts down on them. And from what I saw, it's pretty dang close to Sonic, but more so combat oriented ala the more options in attacking.

Part of why I don't like the 2D sonic games actually comes down to the the design(art direction) of the games themselves, which Freedom Planet is very similar too as far as I can tell from everything I've watched :s So I don't think I'd really like this all that much still.


Like I've been saying though, if it's an enjoyable game, then that's cool, and I don't want Sega to sue these guys, I'm just noticing some stuff which I thought arguably Sega could pursue about if they really wanted to.

[Iceman404]

You sort of called it a basic Sonic reskin in a pretty ignorant manner, cracked one about Sega not having shut them up yet, noted that you don't even enjoy 2D Sonic games, and then finished off saying you hadn't even played the game yet.


The responses were pretty inevitable, I believe.

[Gwen]

-Cracked one about Sega not shutting them up yet?
I said I was surprised that Sega hadn't, I'm not hoping they do, but it's surprising they haven't tried anything honestly. Denying the artistic similarities and gameplay similarities is silly, they're pretty clearly there. It's just something I honestly thought, not something I actively wish and hope will happen.

-noted that you don't even enjoy 2D Sonic games
But I've played them, which means I still have the right to compare games to them as I still know how they play, feel, and look.

-and then finished off saying you hadn't even played the game yet

But as I have stated MULTIPLE times, I've watched multiple gameplay videos, and the trailer, which shows a lot of gameplay, and it's not hard to draw thoughts on the game play. I've done this with many games, and it's not an invalid method of straining out games I spend my time on. I wish I'd waited to see gameplay videos of Brink a few years ago, could've saved myself $60.

And while I've said that it looks pretty much like Sonic, I still noted it looks more combat oriented, with the multiple attacks.

I'm not even attacking the game, I'm putting down what I, a general, light, Sonic fan(have played most Sonic games, but don't really love most of them) thought and noticed. So dude, I don't get why you're so pissy with me.

[Kriven]

Your typical Sonic character:

[Gwen]

Let me guess, my comments on the Big eye, big feet thing? Which I went a little bit more in depth with, and even then could add on more in the style that they're sprited and drawn in, which is completely different from that?
EDIT: Honestly, you and Iceman are kinda being dicks. Not only is my opinion not valid because I guess you have to like something in order to have an opinion on it according to Iceman, and you also can't just watch videos clearly showing the gameplay and art direction either, but you're also skewing something that was a pretty clear point. (unless that picture above is about something else completely, which I don't feel it is)





There's a lot of very obvious similarities, THE EYES, THE FEET, THE MOUTHS, all are wearing giant gloves, etc.

It's an extremely similar style, also with the sprites, they look like they belong in the same series or game even.

Now what I'm saying is definitely not "SEGA SHOULD TOTALLY SUE THESE GUYS FOR MAKING A GAME FANS OF OLD SONIC GAMES WOULD ENJOY HURR HURR HURR *EVIL SNICKER*" I don't endorse that idea whatsoever.
I'm just saying there are undeniable similarities not only in the character designs, but also the stage designs that Sega could make a pretty good argument for if they saw this garner a lot of income. I wouldn't hope they would because all they've done with this form of art style and gameplay is rerelease it on every platform they possibly could to rake in money from the die hard fans, I think it's neat even if I wouldn't really like the game that people out there made a game with some tweaks to it(the combat as Crappy has said) for fans of this style to enjoy, but come on, don't call me out as ignorant dummy for pointing out some obvious stuff and saying I personally don't have any reason to play it.


Crappy, this isn't really at you because you talked about how the game started out being a fan game, and talked about how it further developed away from simply being a fan game, and I feel like we respect each other's opinions, so I hope you don't take this post the wrong way.

[Kriven]

I'm just saying there are undeniable similarities

You're just saying what everybody already knows, and there doesn't seem to be much point in saying it. I never denied the influence, of course it's there. I like the influence.

To be honest, I don't even know what your point is. It looks like Genesis Sonic, okay. You don't like Genesis Sonic, okay.

Categorizing it as "Genesis Sonic", though, does the game a disservice because of its original assetts, which are things you're completely ignoring seemingly because they also don't appeal to you.

You keep talking about how "ignoring the similarities" is some kind of madness, when nobody has done that. All I've said, all Iceman has said, all that's been said is: "Yes, but it is also this ___."

Edit: I was getting frustrated earlier, and still am frustrated, because your posts are coming off in a lot of negative ways:

1: It sounds as though you are deriding the game for its similarities to Sonic, which really is not a fair analysis. It feels a lot like you're trying to disregard it as a unique IP because of its inspirations, and that you're somehow above playing it.

2: You're attributing characteristics as unique to the Sonic franchise, characteristic which were inspired by and adapted from Mickey Mouse. You then refer to Freedom Planet as a Sonic knock-off, when it's just another anthro hero story, which we've had for nearly a century in popular culture.

3: You have taken a serious disinterest in discussing the nuances of the game mechanics and gone about discounting them as positive traits of Freedom Planet because, seemingly, those nuances don't appeal to you or because "general audiences" won't be able to recognize them. Gaming is entirely about nuances, and it is those that distinguish one game from the next. Overarching stereotype + nuances = game.

4: You took the phrase "rabid fan" too far from what I had intended (which was a lighthearted remark on my part because I've been a fan of Sonic games since my toddler years). You used it twice to disregard my points, which came off more ad-hom than actually analyzing the material.