#I guess its a sonic and mario at the winter olympics type thing ^^;

[miloscat]

[Review] Sonic Lost World (Wii U)

Super Sonic Galaxy!

After Colours, Sonic Team went all out on Generations, refining the 3D boost formula successfully (I've played Generations before so it's not included in my current run through). This is now the era where Colours had somehow been successful and Sega were all in on supporting the Wii U... for the moment. Racing Transformed had special Gamepad modes, and soon Rise of Lyric and the Winter Olympics game would be exclusives for the system, and meanwhile the big new platformer from Sonic Team got a Wii U release and a 3DS companion game by Dimps [to be reviewed later]. In a couple of years time when the writing was on the wall for the Wii U, Sega would port Lost World to the PC, but it's a Wii U game through and through.

On its home platform, Lost World can only be played with the Gamepad. The Wisps, returning from Colours, are controlled with gyro and touchscreen [optionally, thank goodness], along with between-level minigames. Otherwise the second screen shows the usual HUD elements of time/lives/rings etc., your level progress, hints, active missions, and a half-baked inventory system. It's an attempt at dual-screen gaming but I can see how it could all be reworked or moved to a pause screen easily enough.

Otherwise Lost World represents a complete departure from all prior Sonic games. They've totally rethought Sonic's physics, the controls, the whole gameplay paradigm, all in the name of... chasing Mario Galaxy's success, I guess. Now if you're challenging something so well-received, you need to do it well. Lost World doesn't.

The gravity gimmick is the headline feature, with 3D spaces often taking the form of long cylinders or small spheres that freely rotate as you move through them. 2D sequences have some measure of curving as well, but they're usually straightforward sidescrollers. To be perfectly honest I think the whole thing is implemented better here than in Galaxy itself as it doesn't push it too far, keeping it as mainly an aesthetic/structural feature. The returning Wisps remain gimmicky but they actually managed to make most of them work in 3D this time, whether it's old colours or new ideas. They're maybe a step up from their implementation in Colours itself and have less of a focus which also helps.

As for Sonic's movement, he has a run button now, maybe for the first time? The fact that he doesn't conserve momentum at all feels odd but is probably for the best with the type of platforming required. A parkour system is supposed to complement this by letting you run up walls and grab ledges; this is a good platforming crutch but often will misfire, only making things awkward and interrupting flow instead of facilitating it. There's also a wallrunning mechanic and dedicated parkour stunt button, neither of which I ever found useful, intuitive, or fun.

Sonic can spin dash which is used maybe a few times, and there are for some reason two separate homing attack buttons: one is a kick and can't snap you to the ubiquitous bumper launchers, the other is chargeable and combo-able and the key to doing any damage to bosses. The game didn't adequately explain this so I got through the first world or so only using the kick, which made the first boss miserable and janky... but I thought that the game was just like that! In the end though it still was a bit like that.

The game plays out one a Tiny Planet-esque landmass called Lost Hex, which is visually made up of floating hexagons. Well, it is in the map screen anyway, I don't think this really carries over into any levels... It consists of your typical platformer environments skinned over the same core gameplay: plain, desert, jungle, ice, lava, etc. but everything looks quite nice and unlike many other 3D Sonic games it runs consistently smoothly. Individual levels do a decent job varying the biomes, while some bonus levels get a bit more surreal and there's even a truncated boss rush themed after Sonic Team's Saturn classic Nights Into Dreams. The Wii U version also has some fun extras in the form of a short 2D level with a Yoshi's Story aesthetic that plays like a quite bland Yoshi's Island, and a Zelda level with a sort of hybrid Ocarina/Skyward Sword aesthetic that has a mini-open zone Hyrule Field and a sort of mini-dungeon that reskins Lost World's "tube interior" gameplay style. Modders have added these to the PC version so there's no reason to miss out.

The story is building off Colours, with the same writers returning with their weak jokes and shaky characterisation. This time there's more interaction between Eggman and Sonic as they're forced to team up; I like the concept although their dynamic plays out weirdly. Orbot and Cubot are a bit more fleshed out, and Tails is... participating. Amy and Knuckles exist, if only to call Sonic on Facetime twice to try and instil some stakes. Meanwhile the villain squad represent a new nadir for the franchise. The six Zeti have weird cartoonish designs and offensively stock personalities. For example, one of them is big and fat and likes eating and always talks about eating. Funny! Another one is the token girl; she is vain because she's a girl and get this, because she's a girl she's obsessed with her hair and makeup! Wow! Somebody get these guys a Bafta!

For the first time since I think Adventure 2, the animals that can be rescued from defeating Badniks have a gameplay purpose, even if it's just unlocking the final act of each zone. But they make for a persistent counter that marks your progress and a reward for minigames. In a level your rewards are Red Ring collectibles that unlock more minigame stages (these got old for me about halfway through) and lives. You can quickly go through lives on some sections but the game also throws a lot of them at you, and the DLC stages are a quick and effective source of life and animal farming.

Omochao's missions are a nice bonus for doing various actions, but you can only hold three at a time and I spent half the game with the same uncleared set because I couldn't figure out how "ceiling running" worked or be bothered to replay older levels that uniquely had certain kinds of Wisps. These reward items that can be redeemed mid-level but aren't very useful, and again there's a limit of five. Get any more and the game tediously prompts you to discard it or send it to another player via the now defunct Miiverse feature. Other mission rewards consist of various cosmetics for the co-op feature, which I think is similar to the Mario Galaxy "younger sibling" type of "multiplayer". And speaking of this era of Nintendo, Lost World also has the patronising "skip ahead a checkpoint" prompt if you die too many times, which I only ever activated by accident thus cheating myself out of gameplay. Thanks game.

The soundtrack by my new favourite person Tomoya Ohtani ranges from pleasant to "rivals Rooftop Run", which is high praise. I was bummed to discover that there is no new main vocal track this time as those have been highlights of his soundtracks, but Forces and later Frontiers make up for it by having tons of them.

Totally reworking your core gameplay concept is a big gamble which can either pay off (eg. Unleashed Day stages), or it can backfire (eg. Unleashed Night stages) [your mileage may vary, of course]. In the case of Lost World, on balance it's more the latter. There's certainly potential here but it's a shame to seemingly throw away the progress that had been made in getting to Generations. At least they picked that back up and hit a sweet spot for me with Forces, which makes Lost World a one-off that gets consigned to the "failed experiments" pile with the Storybook games. I guess over the long term the franchise is constantly reinventing itself and I respect that, but they can't all be winners. But before we dispense with Lost World completely, there's a 3DS version created by Dimps that I must investigate! Until then...!

[amegakureangel186]

Ave Maria - Sonamy Oneshot

(( Hello..! This is my first time writing for sonamy so I hope it's enjoyable...! I was inspired by classical music and motivated by the awesome @wilsonsbeard (go check her out she is awesome) to finally try my hand at some sonamy XD Please let me know what you think...!

P.S. This is what I imagined them skating to if you'd like to listen UvU ~ <3 ))

Summary: Amy and Shadow are the last to compete in the figure skating event, and Sonic finds himself in the crowd - particularly captivated by a certain pink hedgehog's performance.

He’d only shown up early to get a bit of shut-eye before the speed skating event started.

The figure skating was over (he made sure to check the time), and the arena would be the perfect place to hide away and rest up between events. Upon arriving and being met with a ton of non-competitors, he figured that the spectators were only just taking their typical slooooow sweet time to evacuate the rink before the Zamboni guy would be round to fix up the ice.

Shrugging, the blue speedster quickly (or as quickly as he could, given the pesky crowd) zipped his way over to a nice, relatively empty spot in the stands close to the end, and got comfy. He had a lazy grin on his face as he settled in – eyes closed, legs up on the bleacher-style seat, one crossed over the other, hands behind his head to smooth down his quills as he leaned comfortably into the padded wall now behind him. He sighed.

The place was pretty comfortable if he did say so himself.

Sonic had just begun to slip into a comfortable doze when an announcer began speaking to the crowd: “And now, for the final couple…”

Sonic groaned, scrunching his eyes a bit. No wonder the place was still so packed – the skating event was running late. He’d almost turned over when the next bit caught his ear.

“Please welcome Shadow the Hedgehog…”

A short laugh instantly shot from the speedster’s chest as he whipped around and sat up, a giant cheeky grin plastered on his face. Sonic watched, silently chuckling to himself, as Shadow skated onto the ice, wearing skin-tight black pants and a half-unbuttoned black long-sleeve. The cuffs were rolled, and his chest fur was spilling out the front. Sonic resisted the urge to wolf whistle, just to throw him off.

Shadow stopped rather close to the end of the rink after making an obligatory entry lap, and kneeled down as the music began to slowly start, and the crowd began to hush. Sonic laughed under his breath – Shadow looked ridiculous.

As the music gently played in, the spotlight traveled to the opposite end of the stage. The crowd gasped and sonic looked up. The announcer whispered.

“….and Amy Rose.”

Sonic’s stomach dropped and for a split second he felt the urge to jet. His brow furrowed as his jaw slowly slipped down a notch.

Amy glided out onto the ice, making beautiful turns and slow spins as she made her way to center rink. She was dressed in a radiant white and silver dress-like leotard, sheer at the upper chest with a sweetheart neckline. Her shoulders, quills, and cheekbones were tastefully dusted with glitter, and sheer, weightless strands of material flowed behind her as she moved.

Sonic watched her as nothing but the sound of the ice, piano, and cello pulled her along the ice. She was obviously the main attraction of the piece, he thought, watching as she circled Shadow before offering him her hand.

Sonic frowned a bit at the sight of Shadow, having forgotten about the black hedgehog’s presence, but shook it off. The two seemed to dance together across the ice, and then break apart at certain times to perform special moves. Sonic couldn’t help but notice the rose’s flexibility in the high lifts, or the length of her long, slender legs as she was swept dangerously close to the ice…

It seemed to be a tale of two lovers of some kind. An attraction between opposite forces. Romantic, in any case. Something Sonic was sure Amy would’ve gushed and died over had it been the two of them assigned to do it. Sonic shivered just thinking about it.

His emerald eyes flicked up to examine tall dark and broody for a second time and instantly regretted it. Shadow’s face was calm looking – but not in the usual, bored and disgruntled way. The black hedgehog’s eyes were half-lidded, hazy almost, and his head was leaning just a bit too close to Amy’s chest…!!

Sonic flinched in his seat and felt his fists ball up a bit tighter. Just what did that faker think he was doing during that dip…?! Teeth clenched, Sonic’s eyes flashed back over to Amy’s floating visage in search of a reaction.

He didn’t find what he’d been expecting at all. His stomach flipped as he watched her lean and sway with the routine, her eyes heavy and totally focused on Shadow. The two seemed as if they were in their own, sappy, bedroom-eye-filled fairytale.

The blue hedgehog huffed and rolled his eyes. He could feel a sour taste in his mouth but promptly decided to ignore it.

Sonic grumbled in his seat for a moment longer  but just as quickly fell back under the performance’s (mainly the pretty pink one’s) spell: He watched her twist and turn with the music, gently fold into the lifts, he caught the glitter in her quills and fur as they sparkled under the bright lights. She had a warm, longing, and serious look in her eyes and on her lips.

Never in his life had he ever seen the hammer-wielding, over-the-top, loud and boisterous rosy rascal move so gracefully and with such a mature feel…

Sonic felt a deep tugging in his chest. Mouth slightly agape, his gaze never left her figure as she flowed and danced across the ice.

For all intents and purposes, Sonic the Hedgehog was completely and utterly entranced by Amy Rose.

Eventually the piano slowly began to fade away, as did the bright lights of the arena in favor of a dimmer, grayscale-esque spotlight. The two hedgehogs on the ice gently slid into a pose: Shadow was mainly in the background, supporting Amy in an arched dip of sorts. The skirt of her outfit hung in sparkly waves about her as her quills slipped past her shoulders, her head tilted elegantly back. She was a glimmering statue on a darkened stage.

The fading music, the lights, her glow…

She was beauti-

Like a smack to the face, Sonic was jolted from his dreamy reverie by the roaring cheers of the crowd around him. His heart-rate skyrocketed and he shook his head, fighting off the fuzzy warmth he could feel clogging up his muzzle. He let loose a forced cough as he slowly began to give a round of applause himself, eyes diverted to the side. What? The girl did a good job; she deserved a clap or two…

Bouquets and stuffed animals flooded the ice as the lights came back on and the two pulled apart. Amy jumped up and down, pulling on Shadow’s arm a bit to get a reaction out of him. He responded with a more-amicable-than-usual nod before lifting a hand slightly and moving to exit the rink. Amy on the other hand spun once more on the ice, eyes sparkling (and “serious act” dropped, sonic noted) as she waved and blew kisses to the crowd. Sonic cracked a genuine smile at the girl as she cheered, watching her as she collected a few of the bouquets.  

Amy leaned up from grabbing a stuffed chao for Cream when she froze – Her kelly green eyes widened even more and she felt her heart flutter in her chest. There he was, standing in the crowd way over at the end, near the exit. Sonic caught the familiar, excited look in her eyes and quickly tried to decide whether to pretend he’d noticed her or not.

“Sonic…!!” She hollered, skating as quickly as she could over to the closest exit gate.

Sonic shook his head, an amused sigh slipping past his lips as many of the people around turned to look his way. Leave it to Amy to make my presence known. She clambered up the steps of the bleachers, skates and all, with a beaming smile.

“Hey Amy,” Sonic started in the most casual tone he could muster. Amy giggled as she closed the final few feet between them, shoving her gifts into the closest empty seat before tackling the blue speedster in a bear hug. Sonic stumbled a bit but caught her with his arms.

“You came..!!” She exclaimed, slipping slightly in his grasp to place her feet back onto the ground. She pulled away from him enough to make eye contact with him. “What did you think?? I tried really hard with this one to get the atmosphere right…! And did you see that one lift?? I didn’t even-“

Sonic shook his head and tried very hard to keep back the grin that wanted to surface on his face. Boy could this girl talk. He knew she was just full adrenaline, though, and he didn’t really mind the bubbly chatter…

“Sorry, Ames,” He said, taking her by the shoulders and holding her at arm’s length, “But I only caught the very end.”

The slight fall in her shoulders almost made him want to take it back, but he held fast to his lie and frowned a bit for show. Like always. Amy’s heart dropped a bit, but she tried to keep up her peppy smile.

“Ahh well,” She started, suddenly becoming a bit embarrassed about her earlier excitement, “I did a really great job, Sonic, and you really should have seen it…” She shifted her gaze to the side, digging the toe of her skate into the carpeted flooring, “It’s really a shame, too, ‘cuz it was a winning routine for sure….”

Sonic was all too used to her act of trying to impress him but in a way he felt he brought it upon himself this time. Offering her up a lopsided, almost apologetic smile, he leaned into her line of sight.

“I have no doubt you were the best of them all,” He said, voice calm and true. Amy’s eyes looked into his, and he saw the spark in them re-ignite. He hummed, his smile morphing into a wider grin. “Especially with this get up, I might add.” He winked, flipping up a strand of her dress’s fabric.

Amy gasped slightly, a blush making its way onto her cheeks as her eyes grew impossibly wide. Sonic laughed before taking off in a gust of wind, leaving the flustered girl to her own devices as she yelled his name out again, this time in frustration.

If only she knew it would be a performance he’d never forget.