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If you think that's amazing, wait until you find out that he did the exact same thing for like 300 other games. Almost like it's how he's made his living for the past decade.
I'm so happy that you covered the story. Every other review I've been seeing has just been like "the story is whatever" but Eggman having this father daughter relationship is pretty significant character development I would have liked to see talked about more. Thank you for your review. I know you'll always tell it like it is.
Literally! The gameplay was alright, but what kept me playing the most was that I wanted to see Sage and Eggman interact more. I still wish we got more time with them, but the scenes we did get is more than I could've anticipated.
I truly think Eggman and Sage are the heart of the story, and I love it so much. Eggman growing to love Sage as his own daughter felt natural and surprisingly wholesome, while also feeling believable with the Egg memos. I wish they had more scenes together.
This is my favorite Eggman story ever. Instead of just treating him like a genius egomaniac, they treat him like what he actually is: a human. Sage and Eggman's relationship was really nice and the Egg Memos made it even better. The ending even had me choking up. EGGMAN MADE ME FEEL EMOTIONS
@@BigPapaShane It helps that Mike Pollock is a dad too. I’m sure Sage’s joke tickled him and his own love for bad dad jokes when he got the script for that Egg Memo.
Yeah,sorry bout' that,but the fatherless haters came in and overtook the reviews,but I'm just glad the game is good and not one hater can change that,Morio cares a lot about this idea.
I really liked in one conversation with Sage where she asks Sonic what his end goal is and he’s like “well sometimes it’s a giant ring or a spinning sign” 😂
The Completionist: **makes a fantastic video which is extremely detailed and insightful** Also the Completionist: oh, and sorry the audio sounds a little off
Amy was really cool in this game. Her tone and everything was perfect for me. She respects sonic as a man in this game instead of only seeing him for his blue pp
It's kinda how she has been since 2010. She loves sonic and isn't afraid to flirt but she understands that Sonic wouldn't be happy tieing him down. So instead she decides to keep up with him and hang out. Because of this Sonic has gone from running away from Amy to genuinely wanting her around because she makes the adventures more fun for him.
Just beat the game, no joke I haven’t smiled, cried, and jammed to the tunes this hard in 20 years! Can’t wait to see what Sonic has for the future, it’s definitely bright!💚✨
@@vocalcalibration8033I agree. There are still a lot of sizable RUclipsrs bashing this game because it’s not absolutely perfect, nitpicking the hell out of it, and taking what are actually small issues and magnifying them to ludicrous proportions. It is, at least, in part, owing to those killjoys that keep Sega/sonic team fumbling with new concepts every other game. They are part of the reason why we got games like the storybook sonic, sonic forces, sonic 06, sonic lost world (admittedly a somewhat decent sonic game at best), and other weird iterations. If they would shut up and just appreciate what we currently have right now… Maybe we could actually get some genuinely beautiful gems. This game has a huge amount of potential. It feels like the developers have something good here and they are just testing the waters. If this game does well… the next sonic game. could be game that literally everyone wants.
@@yeetdiscreet1278 Well I wouldn't be too worried about the next game being a radical change in direction. Sonic Frontiers now has gotten the highest concurrent player count on Steam of any Sonic game, beating Manias 11'000-ish all time peak with damn near 20'000. Additionally it's broken the series first week sales record in Japan with about 46'000 sales sold on all platforms, not counting digital sales. And while, tes, there are a few larger RUclipsrs shitting on the game, at least from what I've observed far more people are just pleased with their experience. Fundamentally I think Frontiers is in a good place.
Super glad you were able to get this out on release day, and helps me a lot with my decision to grab the game, since I really respect your opinion on platforming stuff. As a sidenote on RUclips titling, I think the way you titled this video is a REALLY good idea- giving just a small taste of the opinion or commentary, almost setting up the intrigue for someone to click with why you felt the way you do about the game you're completing. Seems like a great solution to the platform's more idea based performance these days. All the best to you and the team!
I absolutely loved this game and teared up at the end, not only because of the end, but also because of how respectful this game is to sonics legacy. Really felt like a reward for sticking through the thick and thin.
That and the Super Sonic fights too. Something about them almost communicates that they are what the devs wanted for such a long time but creative differences, strict budgets, and writers not familiar with Sonic wouldn’t allow it. But now they said “No THIS is Sonic.”
With what you talked about Eggman. He felt more like his IDW version, which has had more moments like the game. The difference being is that in the comics we see his thought process, we see him grow and learn. This is definitely reflected in the game. Also for anyone that knows of Eggman’s other creation from the IDW Comics. Let’s how next time they see each other, he acts kinder towards her.
It's because it's written by Ian Flynn who's the lead writer on the IDW comics and used to be the lead writer on the Archie comics post-Penders Genesis wave reset
Eggman may be nicer to the cute li'l Puppet girl over time, but her big brother likely won't. Metal takes no prisoners. I adore the fanart of the new 'Egg family' so much. Metal Sonic, Sage, Orbot, Cubot and that weird clown-nose puppet that no one knows how they're related to and Eggman won't answer the damn question for them.
@@sinteleon We're pretty lucky, then, because he's now part of a team at Sega dedicated to hashing out the lore of the Sonic series. I bet we'll see more Flynn-penned games as part of that.
Andres Murcia. Why would he be kinder towards Belle? She's nothing like Sage is. And IDW is a different universe, so she doesn't even exist in this canon.
I really hope this positive reception will help the larger companies understand that longer dev cycles is better than trying to rush the game for faster money
I absolutely LOVED Sonic Adventure 2 in middle school and I even went the extra mile and fully completed it. So I've been dieing for another good 3D Sonic game. So glad people seem to be enjoying it, look forward to picking it up at some point.
Sonic adventure 2 was one of my favorite games in elementary and middle school. Chao Garden was my shit!! It was also super fun playing the races against my brother too
Just got a chance to play this today and I'm almost frustrated that I had to stop. It's pretty much exactly what I wanted from an evolution of the Adventure-era games, between the playstyle and the overall vibe. If this is the franchise going forward I'm absolutely delighted.
I enjoyed the hell out of this game. Anything wrong, is a minor nitpick at best and a small issue at worst that a player will have addressed at some point. Loved the story, environments were beautiful, interactions were funny, cute and intriguing. Fights are fun as hell as well(especially Boss 3). I hope that, this game, is the new standard we have for Sonic games going forward. I agree with Jirard's Completionist rating of: Complete it. Edit: With the new waves of updates coming in 2023, this opinion is subject to change. And with the 3rd update coming in late 2023, Jirard may have to add to this review afterwards.
Well, he found a way into being one of my favorite characters due to being voiced by Duke Nukem himself AND for driving Arin of Game Grumps insane during his part of the campaign on Sonic Adventure DX. So damned funny to watch the Grumps go insane fishing for a damn frog.
I have to say that the cinematics and scale in this game are top notch. Battling huge titan robots, while dodging and dashing at high speeds is incredible. It has its problems but it feels great to play
I know forever is impossible, but I'd love for the Completionist to last forever. I think it's been 7 years that I've been watching. As many of the fans remind you, so proud of what you and the team accomplish. Thank you for the long nights and hard challenges you push through, love seeing new episodes pop up!
Great review gerard, this is why you’re one of my favorite reviewers. Not everyone appreciates when sonic tries to actually achieve something new and just want to hate on it. You gave it a fair evaluation and also showed why sonic can be so special at the same time
Other reviewers only helped me to see its flaws. But you helped me to see what it is despite any of its lingering issues. And what it is, is a deep and compelling revolution of this franchise. I’ll definitely be giving this a shot.
I'm gonna buy it I guess. The more successful it is the better, I want Sonic Team to be remotivated once more and to be able to create experiences like they once did.
You would just be sending them a message that you like this garbage, and then they will make more garbage. you want them to actually make a good sonic game dont buy this, then they go "oh well that didn't sell well we have to do something different" The more successful this is the worse it gets, is actually how it really goes.
@@meteorheartofficial "Oh well that didn't sell well we have to do something different" and how many times have they done that already exactly? They've been making shitty Sonic games for decades and now that they've done something at least decent its still being called trash.
@@meteorheartofficial not entirely true. People can talk about Forces all they want but it was commercially successful and yet Iizuka heard the reception moreso than the sales. Frontiers making a lot of money will make SEGA give more leeway to Sonic Team so they can get more than 60 people to work on a game and a higher budget
@@A.R.T.4 How many games have had grinding rails as a mechanic? It's one of the oldest and laziest reused concepts that's in almost all Modern sonic games. Maybe they need a new sonic team, but people supporting this half baked wrecked isn't going to send that message. You could literally put gameplay from heroes and forces next to this and it's the same 20 year old gameplay, it doesn't matter if it's "open zone" everyone's hyping this up because it's open zone, but that just means a bunch of empty space, lmao, which i guess is cool if you dont have a brain. If you enjoy the game that's great, but i think it's fair to say that the game lacks imagination, they could have done way better than just copy pasting the worst mechanic all over this game, God i hate the rail grinding, i have always hated it.
This is the best review I’ve seen on Frontiers and HE IS RIGHT! One of the best 3D sonic games and a return to form in my opinion. This is the sonic game everyone has been waiting for! DO NOT SLEEP ON THIS GAME. It is amazing!!
I like the term "Open Zone" it definitely feels different from a traditional open world game and gives a more accurate description of the layout of the gameplay.
@@Gonzas97 the designs are not weird. They are "unique", and that is not a bad thing. Also game looks polished to me, only thing is the popping. Other than that its smooth as butter
i know i'm probably alone in this, but i kind of appreciate that objects unload at a somewhat short distance. to me, it not only helped with choice paralysis in trying to figure out what to go for, but it also became a key part of figuring out *how* to obtain the rewards. like i'd mark a memory token in the map, follow the beam, and then use the pop-in to determine which objects were close to it to either backtrack to the beginning of that challenge, or figure out a way to skip the challenge altogether. rails being rendered from a much greater distance made them the really helpful guides to know if an area would be relevant at the moment, or to figure out traversal within an island. maybe in the future they could add an optional setting to increase the render distance in more powerful hardware, but i did enjoy playing with the pop in as a feature regardless of it existing due to technical limitations.
I was a bit iffy on this game, but the fact that Ian Flynn co wrote the story honestly sells the game for me. I actually haven't had a chance to read the IDW comics (I have no idea where to read them), but I hear nothing but good things for them.
Game Apologist does enjoyable speed readings of IDW comics. I'm not huge into comics, though I can't help but find the Sonic universe interesting and those speed readings made me appreciate both more.
Can't wait to see you and Skill Up talk about this game on the Friends per Second podcast. The difference in opinions should lead to a fun conversation. =D
@@goody2kix Instead of building upon the decent foundation they already made here, Sonic Team will start a whole new gameplay style and will go off waste time with random non-sense, like giving Sonic a sword or AK-47. That's the main problem with Sonic. Instead of building upon what they already made to make each game better, they keep switching it up and starting over, while also just making awful games regardless. They should've been like Mario or Zelda, and keep building upon the gameplay style they already know and keep improving. But I hope I'm wrong and they use the foundation from Frontiers and make this style even better for Sonic Adventure 3. Why I think they should stick with this style for SA3 cuz I just think it fits cuz SA1 was already semi-openworld. But sadly, it seems Sonic Team is ran by monkeys and they have a horrible track record. So the next Sonic game will prolly be crap. 😭😭
@@A-Dubs398 they confirmed that going forward this open zone concept is what they want to build on so hopefully that means the next couple games are going to build on what worked for Frontiers. It’s a solid 8/10 game for me but what holds it back to me are the final boss fight, not enough scenes between Eggman and Sage and the Cyberspace levels not allowing us to use Sonics newer moves as a means of platforming. I’m very happy they gave us the Fishing Spot mini game to give us a means to progress.
I’m finally getting to this video after my own 1000% play through. While there’s still room to grow and left-overs from the game being rushed, I rather enjoyed this game and found it a nice breath of fresh air for Sonic. It’s at least an amazing step forward for Sonic, and that’s something worth a lot in its own
100% best Sonic game in a decade (since Generations), and I'd argue as a 90s kid best Sonic game in two decades (since SA2). Was thinking today how this feels like even more a spiritual successor to SA1 than SA2 does in many ways (Fishing with Big, future solo stories, Tails' story arc, open world hub areas, the race of the ancients, etc.). I also love that this game remembers that peak Sonic has always been a platformer with a fair bit of exploration, even while bringing in a uniquely fast pace to the genre. Good point about the cyber space levels being recycles, though. Tbh, I usually only did half of them since you don't need to finish them all to progress. I didn't think about it too much given my focus on the overworld.
A shining endorsement from Jirard at the start is the best thing a game can get. I completely trust your judgement, Jirard! So... I've ordered it. It will arrive tomorrow, and I can't wait.
Omg I'm so excited that you like it. I played it for five hours on steam today (so far) and I'm having so much fun. Gonna pocket this one for later, but I'll be back when I'm finished with the game. Thanks Jirard! Love ya man.
Yeah I liked the video but goddamn I only beat the second titan and while the game showed me the third before the fight, I didn’t want to actually SEE the fight here let alone subsequent fights or cutscenes
I came here looking for this comment. That and the sheer amount of cutscenes and dialogue he showed is ridiculous. I’d be pissed if i hadn’t beaten the game already.
Just beat the game, honestly sonic frontiers is everything that I've wanted from a sonic game - Beautiful landscapes - more mature and deep characters - a map that allows me to run anywhere - amazing soundtrack - a well thought out story The character interactions with eachother throughout the story is what I loved especially, Ian Flynn now one of my favorite story writers
Me, a 35 year old man, just put in an order with mum for a xmas present this year based on Jirard's feedback of sonic frontiers 😅 Love your work dude 💪
When you said light spoilers I didn't expect you were gonna spoil the final boss.. i think you should at least specify that the final boss is part of those light spoilers
17:10 Said this on Johnny’s review, but apart from the physics issues and how they don’t translate so well to most of the following, I think the worst part of the Cyber Space levels coming as a long-time player in the series is that you can recognize the specific levels or sections being referenced…but they all have either a Green Hill, Chemical Plant, Sky Sanctuary, or generic City theme slapped on top of them. What makes it sting all the more is the fact that these are pulled from the memories of Sonic and Eggman. They recognize South Island, West Side Island, and Angel Island but all we see is one biome each of those that have been getting used in console Generations (twice for the former two with Forces; an additional time for all three if you count the Minecraft levels which use those same three biomes). Sonic in casual dialogue as he runs around the islands brings up even more locales from across his journeys, almost all being treated as canon, like Shamar, Red Mountain, Babylon Gardens, Planet Wisp, Lava Reef Zone. Heck, Eggman in one of the collectible Egg Memos brings up the Dodonpa Kingdom from Team Sonic Racing! And yet none of that is presented beyond slight nods in terms of layout but not the appearance.
The character moments are the best part, esp. after the assassination of the "meta era". If we can get some alt playable characters done well, this could be the start of a great era for sonic
Sonic frontiers is the first 3d sonic game I've ever enjoyed and I've played them all. I've tried my entire life to be a sonic fan and I've never been able to enjoy the 3d games until this one. I'm glad I can finally enjoy that blue bastard
I'm so glad they were able to put out a game like this. While it is sad seeing the remnants of the plans they didn't have time to complete, what they did do makes me so happy
Yeah, and for the most part, this proved that Sonic Team wanted to make this happen as much as the audience do. Plus, SEGA of Japan just have no patience to make it even more polished. Why don’t more people talk about this?
I was loving the game already before the first boss came into play. the beginning was a little jarring learning the controls and figuring everything out but I stuck to it and then when that first boss theme song came in oh my fuck that shit gave me goosebumps. aint no reason it needed to be as hard as it was 😭
Ian Flynn has been writing Sonic comics for longer than a decade, and the IDW comics have only been running for about 4 years. He started on the Archie Sonic comics in 2006, and continued to be the main writer after Archie cancelled the series and it was picked up by IDW in 2018.
While I was already considering getting it, your video sealed the deal. I think Sonic Frontiers looks so neat that I'll get it for the Switch right after I play through Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. It's going to be my second Sonic game ever right after Sonic Advance 3.
I need to say that, this game could lead to so much greatness. So many great things can come from this story, all of its implications and in particular Sonic's characterization. I dont know how many of them are canonical but datamined Voice lines really push forward Sonic's honest thoughts about things. I was hyped for this game and.. for the first time in YEARS I am hopeful for Sega's future games. Also Sticks and Tangle both get references which really opens the hell out of the games Canon time line.
Little correction about Flynn and the comics. He wrote the Archie sonic comics from 2006-2017 when they ended. IDW didn’t start until 2017 and he was the main writer there too. So it’s been closer to two decades that he’s been writing these characters
oh BOY, Friends Per Second is gonna be REALLY Fun in the next episode with Jirard and Ralph having two fundamentally different takes on Sonic Frontiers.
I've been deeply concerned about this game. I got deeply burned by Breath of the Wild's incredible emptiness. I also wasn't thrilled with Mario Odyssey. So when Sonic Frontiers appeared to be taking shape similarly to those two, I was about ready to just give up on it like I did on Sonic Boom. Fortunately, I'm seeing parts of the game I think I'll enjoy. Which is something I never saw in Breath of the Wild. I'm still skeptical. I can't see this being one of my favorite Sonics, but there may be enough here that I can enjoy the game overall.
As someone who had the same complaint with Breath of the Wild, Sonic Frontiers gets around that thanks to Sonic being *really* fast when he gets going. And there being more little things scattered around the world, but the speed helps you get around with a lot less waiting.
@@PhysicsGamer Yes. That definitely looks better to me. I doubt this will solve the problem, but it should make really help. I doubt it will be as filled in as what I consider the open world gold standard (Batman Arkham City) But this aspect could be very tolerable.
@@plentyofpaper I suppose it depends somewhat on what you mean by "filled in", at the end of the day. But my own experience was of picking a spot on the map to go and generally being able to get there in under a minute of focused traversal. Or a few minutes of leisurely meandering, which tended to happen... The biggest compliment I can give the game is that traversing the open world is _fun._ Which is way more than I can say of most other open-world games, bar maybe that one Spiderman game. I played Arkham City quite a while ago so my memories of it are a bit foggy, but I recall some similarly fun moments of traversal from it. Though my favorite parts of Frontiers were those moments after I had reached where I wanted to go. I'd be looking up at some huge aerial structure and working out how to climb it, making note of which rails I'd need to take or which ways I'd need to jump off walls. I've never had quite that experience in a game like this, with the obvious climbing-related comparison being something like Assassin's Creed... but in that series you just kinda... press buttons until you're at the top of whatever you're climbing. The process isn't exactly _difficult_ in Frontiers, but it is many orders of magnitude more engaging.
@@PhysicsGamer Thanks for your opinions. This all sounds promising for me, and I expect a much better game than what my first impressions had led me to believe. I'm not sure if you've played the Prince of Persia games (Sands of Time onwards) but they have platforming similar to Assassin's Creed, but much less automated. Assassin's Creed was hold the "acrobatics" button and move where you want. Prince of Persia involved a lot more planning each action, usually a few moves in advance and getting the timing right on each move. Also, Spiderman (PS4) and Batman Arkham City had very similar world designs. Exploring their worlds wasn't my ideal way to have a good time, but if I wanted to kill some time and do some extras, it would be a nice diversion for a bit, and getting where I wanted to go was not a chore, so these were fine in my view. If you're going to do an open world of this style, this is how I want it done
@@plentyofpaper Of the recent Prince of Persia games I only played Sands of Time, actually. The others rather passed me by for whatever reason, so if you recommend them I might give them a look. I will caution you that Sonic Frontiers has a lot less busywork than Spiderman had, if that's what you're looking for. There's no procedurally-generated micro-missions or anything. I guess you could count the miniboss fights, which have quite distinct mechanics from each other... but it's not quite the same thing.
first Mario Odyssey, now Sonic Frontiers. what a great time for both of them. seriously, when are we gonna get a "PROPER" Mario & Sonic crossover game? it'll would be awesome to see them all together in a new story and new gameplay.
I was listening podcast style while I was driving this morning and by the time I got to class I went from skeptic to extremely hyped for Sonic Frontiers. Huge part of what sold me was when you mentioned the writer of the IDW Sonic comics being involved in the game, that type of collaboration is so freaking cool. Can't wait to play it.
Having just finished the game myself, you can really feel how big a difference it made having Ian Flynn as the writer. Especially coming off the heels of Forces.
The difference is actually insane. I listened to some of the japanese dialog for Kronos island, and the writing is so incredibly bland in comparison with the english version. They absolutely aced the character writing in this. I was skeptical when I heard that characters tried to seem more mature and expected a repeat of how silly forces was, but it doesn't feel unnatural here at all
@@Biggleboff I strongly recommend you take a look at the the Sonic comic book that IDW has been publishing, then - Ian Flynn, who did the English writing on Frontiers, was the lead writer on that until recently. The Zombot arc was fantastic, and the Tangle & Whisper miniseries is a great place to start.
@@sonicstar917 Ian Flynn is one of the most public-facing comic writers out there who isn't a major celebrity. He's put out hundreds and hundreds of hours of his podcast. You can go see for your own self that he does nothing even remotely like what you're claiming.
The game has it's share of flaws, but it's a great start. I'm hoping that a sequel would have some more characters to play as, I'd be excited to see what combat moves they could come up with for Knuckles and Shadow.
I can easily see how they could mix in new characters, hell with them opening up to character powers like this? Even characters with similar powersets like Shadow, Espio can become unique.
And Blaze! I’d love to see her firey moveset. Yeah I think they’re afraid to go back to multiple characters due to their criticism of how badly they handled them in the past, although Advance 3 (except for the hidden chao, that sucked) and sonic 3 and knuckles handled them amazingly
It's been over 20 years since we've had a good 3d game. I don't know what kind of balancing they did, what the dev journey was like, but they finally have movement that feels good. It feels like you're actively in control rather than just being along for the ride. It feels so fast yet it still feels like you have plenty of time to decide what route to take and prepare for a jump. It's incredible
@@cnk9822 generations was decent, the movement was still kind off but doable. Unleashed was literally half good. The regular sonic levels were great but the warehog was such a bad idea.
Personally I'd advice sleeping instead of playing through the whole night. It's good for your health and you'll feel a lot better the next day(s) than if you played throughout the night. The game isn't going anywhere anyway.
Your video has solidified my intent to purchase this game. This is the Sonic experience I was waiting for since Adventure 2. Frontiers while not perfect is the blueprint to making the next entry a masterpiece.
On the subject of cyberspace stages, the 4th actual island was such a slap in the face and pace-breaker for that part of the story to me. Makes me feel like they knew what they were doing when 4-1 was just metal harbor, my favorite stage in the series. It defused me immediately but I felt manipulated. And it worked. I loved it.
This is why I waited to hear what you thought. As someone who believes you need to have your sources for certain genres I know I can always trust your taste and opinion on platformers because of your passion for that genre so again thank you for your completionist rating of "complete it" I will be buying this.
As a Sonic fan, I find the game was much better than it had any business being considering the past 3D games. I did find the leveling aspect was brutal to the point I did the math and just the menu stuff alone takes 24 minutes for both speed and ring cap. The other were the cyber stages, 2D stages have sonic moving real slow whereas 3D he's real fast. It was just really inconsistent. I had no idea about the ending changes between normal and hard mode though so I need to go back and do that
Wow hearing they brought the writer from Sonic Comics is mind blowing. I loved the comics for years for their expanding of the Sonic Universe and development of the characters that were not really ever seen in the games. Hearing that this is carried over into this game makes me want to pick up up despite the more open world elements which is why i passed on BoTW!
This is probably the best review I watched, I've been having fun with it also its not perfect but it's definitely fun I do hope we get more sonic games in the future. Thanks for making this.
33:06 the unenlightened masses damn, it feels GOOD to be able to see a good sonic game coming out. when frontiers was first announced i was mortified it would flop absolutely and i am SO GLAD they did a banger job!
I’m on the second world and this game went from being alright to an absolute blast. The game design and level design is absolutely brilliant. As a level designer I appreciate all the hard work these designers put in. Designing areas of open world around sonics speed mechanics is incredibly difficult and I applaud them.
I admit to being on the fence with Frontiers but I'm sold after watching this video. Maybe I can put Generations & Mania away for a while. Awesome work Jirad!
Game is absolutely great. I couldn't agree more. Both Tails and Amy hint at going on some solo adventures in the future. I'd love to see that in some future games.
It’s not that often that 100% a game, but I did it for frontiers. After being a sonic fan for all my life, seeing frontiers break the cycle really made me happy. The first line in the boss theme for wyvern is “I’ve been here waiting for the longest time, I can’t believe it’s real”, this is exactly how I feel about frontiers
It's close to taking over Unleashed for me, and that's not easy to do. Ordered Sonoc Frontiers and a Switch Lite at 1am on release day and got it same day at 6pm, been loving it so much.
@@aegisreflector1239 from what I’ve seen, a lot of the negativity is around things popping in when Sonic is moving quickly and mini-bosses forcing themselves on the player even after they’ve already been beaten. Nothing too terrible which is a big step up for a 3d Sonic game
Don't forget to get your tickets for IndieLand 2022 here! Tickets are on sale now! indieland2022.eventbrite.com/
Nov 11-13 2022 for in person and you can still watch on twitch for free!
cool
TAKE THE STRIKE AWAY
K
Completion time?
Can you review the sonic rush series please. Thanks
I know Sonic games aren't super long, but the fact that you completed this game AND made an entire 40 min video about it is kind of amazing.
i mean im assuming he had the copy of this game already
@@himothy9871 yep! He said that in the video
Gotta go fast💨
If you think that's amazing, wait until you find out that he did the exact same thing for like 300 other games. Almost like it's how he's made his living for the past decade.
He is a speed runner
I'm so happy that you covered the story. Every other review I've been seeing has just been like "the story is whatever" but Eggman having this father daughter relationship is pretty significant character development I would have liked to see talked about more. Thank you for your review. I know you'll always tell it like it is.
Literally! The gameplay was alright, but what kept me playing the most was that I wanted to see Sage and Eggman interact more. I still wish we got more time with them, but the scenes we did get is more than I could've anticipated.
yea how do people not say this is the best sonic story
I truly think Eggman and Sage are the heart of the story, and I love it so much. Eggman growing to love Sage as his own daughter felt natural and surprisingly wholesome, while also feeling believable with the Egg memos. I wish they had more scenes together.
This is my favorite Eggman story ever. Instead of just treating him like a genius egomaniac, they treat him like what he actually is: a human. Sage and Eggman's relationship was really nice and the Egg Memos made it even better. The ending even had me choking up. EGGMAN MADE ME FEEL EMOTIONS
@@BigPapaShane It helps that Mike Pollock is a dad too. I’m sure Sage’s joke tickled him and his own love for bad dad jokes when he got the script for that Egg Memo.
It is so refreshing hearing positive reception to a new sonic game
You have no idea
@@anonymous_idontreplylmaous72 RUclips Sonic analysis is my idle activity, trust me I have an idea bro 🤣😉
Yeah,sorry bout' that,but the fatherless haters came in and overtook the reviews,but I'm just glad the game is good and not one hater can change that,Morio cares a lot about this idea.
haven’t gotten that since mania plus released
Eh.
Jirard: “looking up at the clock and realizing it was 2am”
Me: *proceeds to look up at the clock and realize that it’s 2am*
Exactly how I felt playing this game...
Dude
Like on the minute rn
What dark magic have you unleashed
I literally finished this video at 0209
Me also doing the exact same thing
what do you mean it's only 5 pm
I really liked in one conversation with Sage where she asks Sonic what his end goal is and he’s like “well sometimes it’s a giant ring or a spinning sign” 😂
Hello everyone, sorry about the audio issues in the video. We're working on getting that fixed, thank you for understanding.
Still a great video! The audio didn't detract from your hard work at all.
🧆
The Completionist: **makes a fantastic video which is extremely detailed and insightful**
Also the Completionist: oh, and sorry the audio sounds a little off
The content shines through regardless
@@turtle4283
Dude put those away! there are children here.
Feel kinda teary eyed seeing everyone enjoy a new Sonic game. I'm not even a big fan but Sonic was a massive part of my childhood.
me to
@Repent and believe in Jesus Christ sir this is a Sonic the Hedgehog video
Everyone except dunkey and his dumb fans.
@Repent and believe in Jesus Christ amen. But KJV is better than NIV.
@@Selfinflictedhummusrocket and?
“Little bipedal stone people that are legally distinct from Koroks” has to be my favorite line in this entire video lol
He's not wrong though he's not wrong
Who are themselves legally distinct from Chaos, who are, in turn (due to implications in Frontiers), legally distinct from the Kokiri.
Man, after so much time on Kronos, I really feel like Amy and Sonic are actually good friends, not just oblivious idiot and creepy stalker.
Amy was really cool in this game. Her tone and everything was perfect for me. She respects sonic as a man in this game instead of only seeing him for his blue pp
She was closer to boom amy to me.
kronos from god of war 3?
It's kinda how she has been since 2010. She loves sonic and isn't afraid to flirt but she understands that Sonic wouldn't be happy tieing him down. So instead she decides to keep up with him and hang out. Because of this Sonic has gone from running away from Amy to genuinely wanting her around because she makes the adventures more fun for him.
@@spiritandtimeakalilroachie7014 someone forgot she’s 12 and is obsessive because of her naive childish love… also he’s not a man, he’s a hedgehog lol
Just beat the game, no joke I haven’t smiled, cried, and jammed to the tunes this hard in 20 years! Can’t wait to see what Sonic has for the future, it’s definitely bright!💚✨
Jirard: This gonna be the rough comment section
Comment section: *happy vibes and a lot of support for a good Sonic game*
I need to change this.
Sonic fans finally get to be happy about a sonic game. It's a marvelously nice change of pace.
@@vocalcalibration8033I agree. There are still a lot of sizable RUclipsrs bashing this game because it’s not absolutely perfect, nitpicking the hell out of it, and taking what are actually small issues and magnifying them to ludicrous proportions.
It is, at least, in part, owing to those killjoys that keep Sega/sonic team fumbling with new concepts every other game. They are part of the reason why we got games like the storybook sonic, sonic forces, sonic 06, sonic lost world (admittedly a somewhat decent sonic game at best), and other weird iterations. If they would shut up and just appreciate what we currently have right now… Maybe we could actually get some genuinely beautiful gems.
This game has a huge amount of potential. It feels like the developers have something good here and they are just testing the waters. If this game does well… the next sonic game. could be game that literally everyone wants.
@@yeetdiscreet1278 Well I wouldn't be too worried about the next game being a radical change in direction. Sonic Frontiers now has gotten the highest concurrent player count on Steam of any Sonic game, beating Manias 11'000-ish all time peak with damn near 20'000.
Additionally it's broken the series first week sales record in Japan with about 46'000 sales sold on all platforms, not counting digital sales.
And while, tes, there are a few larger RUclipsrs shitting on the game, at least from what I've observed far more people are just pleased with their experience.
Fundamentally I think Frontiers is in a good place.
@@jameskelly-smith1279 LMAOOOOO
Super glad you were able to get this out on release day, and helps me a lot with my decision to grab the game, since I really respect your opinion on platforming stuff. As a sidenote on RUclips titling, I think the way you titled this video is a REALLY good idea- giving just a small taste of the opinion or commentary, almost setting up the intrigue for someone to click with why you felt the way you do about the game you're completing. Seems like a great solution to the platform's more idea based performance these days. All the best to you and the team!
What? The game released yesterday- wait, timezones never mind
Yo dude
I absolutely loved this game and teared up at the end, not only because of the end, but also because of how respectful this game is to sonics legacy. Really felt like a reward for sticking through the thick and thin.
That and the Super Sonic fights too. Something about them almost communicates that they are what the devs wanted for such a long time but creative differences, strict budgets, and writers not familiar with Sonic wouldn’t allow it. But now they said “No THIS is Sonic.”
so do I
With what you talked about Eggman. He felt more like his IDW version, which has had more moments like the game. The difference being is that in the comics we see his thought process, we see him grow and learn. This is definitely reflected in the game.
Also for anyone that knows of Eggman’s other creation from the IDW Comics. Let’s how next time they see each other, he acts kinder towards her.
It's because it's written by Ian Flynn who's the lead writer on the IDW comics and used to be the lead writer on the Archie comics post-Penders Genesis wave reset
@@Outta-hz1ej With any luck he'll be a mainstay in writing for Sonic games.
Eggman may be nicer to the cute li'l Puppet girl over time, but her big brother likely won't. Metal takes no prisoners.
I adore the fanart of the new 'Egg family' so much. Metal Sonic, Sage, Orbot, Cubot and that weird clown-nose puppet that no one knows how they're related to and Eggman won't answer the damn question for them.
@@sinteleon We're pretty lucky, then, because he's now part of a team at Sega dedicated to hashing out the lore of the Sonic series. I bet we'll see more Flynn-penned games as part of that.
Andres Murcia. Why would he be kinder towards Belle? She's nothing like Sage is.
And IDW is a different universe, so she doesn't even exist in this canon.
Ian Flynn really perfected the characterization of the cast. Hopefully he’ll be the writer for the next few main line games
Eeeeeh...no
@@atre5763 yee
The only characterization I kind of have an issue with is that a few of Knuckles’s lines fell pretty flat. Both on the VA’s part and the writing.
I really hope this positive reception will help the larger companies understand that longer dev cycles is better than trying to rush the game for faster money
That part should be answered for SEGA of Japan, not America.
I kinda want to know what happened. Because lately iv been seeing more hate for this game. I thought this was popular.
I absolutely LOVED Sonic Adventure 2 in middle school and I even went the extra mile and fully completed it. So I've been dieing for another good 3D Sonic game. So glad people seem to be enjoying it, look forward to picking it up at some point.
Sonic adventure 2 was one of my favorite games in elementary and middle school. Chao Garden was my shit!! It was also super fun playing the races against my brother too
Don't mean to be a bother, but it's "dying"
middle school? damn u must be old
@@rexmon2592 damn you must be young
Sonic Adventure 2 is one of my favorite video games and I love it to
Just got a chance to play this today and I'm almost frustrated that I had to stop. It's pretty much exactly what I wanted from an evolution of the Adventure-era games, between the playstyle and the overall vibe. If this is the franchise going forward I'm absolutely delighted.
I enjoyed the hell out of this game. Anything wrong, is a minor nitpick at best and a small issue at worst that a player will have addressed at some point. Loved the story, environments were beautiful, interactions were funny, cute and intriguing. Fights are fun as hell as well(especially Boss 3). I hope that, this game, is the new standard we have for Sonic games going forward. I agree with Jirard's Completionist rating of: Complete it.
Edit: With the new waves of updates coming in 2023, this opinion is subject to change. And with the 3rd update coming in late 2023, Jirard may have to add to this review afterwards.
Congrats Big the Cat, for finding your place in the Sonic series
🐱🎣🐟
…by stumbling in on complete accident
@@Startbreak12 🐸🐱🎣
Well, he found a way into being one of my favorite characters due to being voiced by Duke Nukem himself AND for driving Arin of Game Grumps insane during his part of the campaign on Sonic Adventure DX.
So damned funny to watch the Grumps go insane fishing for a damn frog.
You have to love Big the Cat.
I have to say that the cinematics and scale in this game are top notch. Battling huge titan robots, while dodging and dashing at high speeds is incredible. It has its problems but it feels great to play
I know forever is impossible, but I'd love for the Completionist to last forever. I think it's been 7 years that I've been watching. As many of the fans remind you, so proud of what you and the team accomplish. Thank you for the long nights and hard challenges you push through, love seeing new episodes pop up!
You'll definitely need to make a part 2 once all the DLC comes out, great video though.
Great review gerard, this is why you’re one of my favorite reviewers. Not everyone appreciates when sonic tries to actually achieve something new and just want to hate on it. You gave it a fair evaluation and also showed why sonic can be so special at the same time
Oh man i loves the second Titan. Not only does he have a great design but also the MUSIC IS ABSOLUTELY INSANE!
the second titan was the highlight for me too, the design is so cool and that music went OFF
Other reviewers only helped me to see its flaws. But you helped me to see what it is despite any of its lingering issues. And what it is, is a deep and compelling revolution of this franchise. I’ll definitely be giving this a shot.
I'm gonna buy it I guess. The more successful it is the better, I want Sonic Team to be remotivated once more and to be able to create experiences like they once did.
Sure. I definitely feel like once this game’s hype dies down and the next game is in development…corporate greed will rear its disgusting head again
You would just be sending them a message that you like this garbage, and then they will make more garbage. you want them to actually make a good sonic game dont buy this, then they go "oh well that didn't sell well we have to do something different" The more successful this is the worse it gets, is actually how it really goes.
@@meteorheartofficial "Oh well that didn't sell well we have to do something different" and how many times have they done that already exactly? They've been making shitty Sonic games for decades and now that they've done something at least decent its still being called trash.
@@meteorheartofficial not entirely true. People can talk about Forces all they want but it was commercially successful and yet Iizuka heard the reception moreso than the sales. Frontiers making a lot of money will make SEGA give more leeway to Sonic Team so they can get more than 60 people to work on a game and a higher budget
@@A.R.T.4 How many games have had grinding rails as a mechanic? It's one of the oldest and laziest reused concepts that's in almost all Modern sonic games. Maybe they need a new sonic team, but people supporting this half baked wrecked isn't going to send that message. You could literally put gameplay from heroes and forces next to this and it's the same 20 year old gameplay, it doesn't matter if it's "open zone" everyone's hyping this up because it's open zone, but that just means a bunch of empty space, lmao, which i guess is cool if you dont have a brain. If you enjoy the game that's great, but i think it's fair to say that the game lacks imagination, they could have done way better than just copy pasting the worst mechanic all over this game, God i hate the rail grinding, i have always hated it.
This is the best review I’ve seen on Frontiers and HE IS RIGHT!
One of the best 3D sonic games and a return to form in my opinion. This is the sonic game everyone has been waiting for!
DO NOT SLEEP ON THIS GAME. It is amazing!!
He’s praising this game a bit too mention.
It really isn't though.
I like the term "Open Zone" it definitely feels different from a traditional open world game and gives a more accurate description of the layout of the gameplay.
This is such a huge step in the right direction for Sonic. Now, all we need is the return of the Chao Garden! 😃
Man I can’t wait to get this game. After years of mediocrity I’m happy to see a Modern Sonic game get such glowing praise!
Same. I WANTED this game to be good.
It certainly isn’t a perfect game, but it’s definitely great!
@@KirbyKips its pretty close to perfect honestly, i cant name 3 things i dont like so far
@@Jason-..- theres a lot of weird design decisions, and its very very unpolished.
@@Gonzas97 the designs are not weird. They are "unique", and that is not a bad thing.
Also game looks polished to me, only thing is the popping. Other than that its smooth as butter
i know i'm probably alone in this, but i kind of appreciate that objects unload at a somewhat short distance. to me, it not only helped with choice paralysis in trying to figure out what to go for, but it also became a key part of figuring out *how* to obtain the rewards. like i'd mark a memory token in the map, follow the beam, and then use the pop-in to determine which objects were close to it to either backtrack to the beginning of that challenge, or figure out a way to skip the challenge altogether. rails being rendered from a much greater distance made them the really helpful guides to know if an area would be relevant at the moment, or to figure out traversal within an island.
maybe in the future they could add an optional setting to increase the render distance in more powerful hardware, but i did enjoy playing with the pop in as a feature regardless of it existing due to technical limitations.
Finally finished sonic frontiers. My gosh jirard's intro fits the whole glitchy red theme of sage
I was a bit iffy on this game, but the fact that Ian Flynn co wrote the story honestly sells the game for me. I actually haven't had a chance to read the IDW comics (I have no idea where to read them), but I hear nothing but good things for them.
Definitely better than these past few games, tho that's a low bar, I think an Ian is ways above it
Game Apologist does enjoyable speed readings of IDW comics. I'm not huge into comics, though I can't help but find the Sonic universe interesting and those speed readings made me appreciate both more.
@@hayond656 you can look them up on RUclips. There's tons of fans who have uploaded them for free. Just search Sonic IDW.
From what i've heard most people said that all the plot, characters, writing and story shtick is just decent and kinda predictable.
@@CeHee123 or he could buy them and support the author and the franchise
Can't wait to see you and Skill Up talk about this game on the Friends per Second podcast. The difference in opinions should lead to a fun conversation. =D
"Sonic must do something he's never done before: Engage with a skill tree."
Secret Rings: Am I a joke to you?
yeah, Secret Rings was kind of a joke
Image a Sonic Adventure 1 remake where we ran around a GIANT Station Square the way we do in frontiers. 👌😭👌
It may not be perfect, but it is a great step forward for the future, I hope they continue showing this level of care
Hell yeah Jirard, glad you enjoyed the game! I cant wait to sit down and give the game a play tonight!
The game is a big win, the future of the franchise looks good.
Agreed!! Big win for Sega
I don't know about that, whenever Sonic Team takes 1 step forward, they take 500 steps back over and over and over.
@@A-Dubs398 lol not 500…they’ll give us another good game and then try something ridiculous
@@goody2kix Instead of building upon the decent foundation they already made here, Sonic Team will start a whole new gameplay style and will go off waste time with random non-sense, like giving Sonic a sword or AK-47.
That's the main problem with Sonic. Instead of building upon what they already made to make each game better, they keep switching it up and starting over, while also just making awful games regardless. They should've been like Mario or Zelda, and keep building upon the gameplay style they already know and keep improving.
But I hope I'm wrong and they use the foundation from Frontiers and make this style even better for Sonic Adventure 3. Why I think they should stick with this style for SA3 cuz I just think it fits cuz SA1 was already semi-openworld.
But sadly, it seems Sonic Team is ran by monkeys and they have a horrible track record. So the next Sonic game will prolly be crap. 😭😭
@@A-Dubs398 they confirmed that going forward this open zone concept is what they want to build on so hopefully that means the next couple games are going to build on what worked for Frontiers. It’s a solid 8/10 game for me but what holds it back to me are the final boss fight, not enough scenes between Eggman and Sage and the Cyberspace levels not allowing us to use Sonics newer moves as a means of platforming. I’m very happy they gave us the Fishing Spot mini game to give us a means to progress.
I’m finally getting to this video after my own 1000% play through. While there’s still room to grow and left-overs from the game being rushed, I rather enjoyed this game and found it a nice breath of fresh air for Sonic.
It’s at least an amazing step forward for Sonic, and that’s something worth a lot in its own
100% best Sonic game in a decade (since Generations), and I'd argue as a 90s kid best Sonic game in two decades (since SA2). Was thinking today how this feels like even more a spiritual successor to SA1 than SA2 does in many ways (Fishing with Big, future solo stories, Tails' story arc, open world hub areas, the race of the ancients, etc.).
I also love that this game remembers that peak Sonic has always been a platformer with a fair bit of exploration, even while bringing in a uniquely fast pace to the genre.
Good point about the cyber space levels being recycles, though. Tbh, I usually only did half of them since you don't need to finish them all to progress. I didn't think about it too much given my focus on the overworld.
A shining endorsement from Jirard at the start is the best thing a game can get. I completely trust your judgement, Jirard! So... I've ordered it. It will arrive tomorrow, and I can't wait.
It sucks that didn't matter too much for star fox zero
Omg I'm so excited that you like it. I played it for five hours on steam today (so far) and I'm having so much fun. Gonna pocket this one for later, but I'll be back when I'm finished with the game. Thanks Jirard! Love ya man.
"Hey guy! Don't worry, we won't spoil anything major."
Proceeds to show the final boss
Yeah I liked the video but goddamn I only beat the second titan and while the game showed me the third before the fight, I didn’t want to actually SEE the fight here let alone subsequent fights or cutscenes
I came here looking for this comment. That and the sheer amount of cutscenes and dialogue he showed is ridiculous. I’d be pissed if i hadn’t beaten the game already.
He’s the completionist doesn’t he always do that? I expect him to whenever I click on any of his completion videos.
@@downloadableram4212 I don't know why you'd watch a video about 100% completing a game and not expecting spoilers
@@coldcranston Maybe because he literally said he wouldn’t?
Hearing Natewantstobattle on this makes me happy
Just beat the game, honestly sonic frontiers is everything that I've wanted from a sonic game
- Beautiful landscapes
- more mature and deep characters
- a map that allows me to run anywhere
- amazing soundtrack
- a well thought out story
The character interactions with eachother throughout the story is what I loved especially, Ian Flynn now one of my favorite story writers
Ian Flynn is a hack.
For a story that brings back the Chao, it’s a shame there’s still no Chao garden
Me, a 35 year old man, just put in an order with mum for a xmas present this year based on Jirard's feedback of sonic frontiers 😅
Love your work dude 💪
All the references this game makes from older titles with landmarks and audio logs adds a few points for me
When you said light spoilers I didn't expect you were gonna spoil the final boss.. i think you should at least specify that the final boss is part of those light spoilers
Dude, fuck yes. I haven’t been interested in a Sonic game in years but it makes me so happy to see this one be so well received by you Jirard ❤️
17:10 Said this on Johnny’s review, but apart from the physics issues and how they don’t translate so well to most of the following, I think the worst part of the Cyber Space levels coming as a long-time player in the series is that you can recognize the specific levels or sections being referenced…but they all have either a Green Hill, Chemical Plant, Sky Sanctuary, or generic City theme slapped on top of them. What makes it sting all the more is the fact that these are pulled from the memories of Sonic and Eggman. They recognize South Island, West Side Island, and Angel Island but all we see is one biome each of those that have been getting used in console Generations (twice for the former two with Forces; an additional time for all three if you count the Minecraft levels which use those same three biomes). Sonic in casual dialogue as he runs around the islands brings up even more locales from across his journeys, almost all being treated as canon, like Shamar, Red Mountain, Babylon Gardens, Planet Wisp, Lava Reef Zone. Heck, Eggman in one of the collectible Egg Memos brings up the Dodonpa Kingdom from Team Sonic Racing! And yet none of that is presented beyond slight nods in terms of layout but not the appearance.
The character moments are the best part, esp. after the assassination of the "meta era".
If we can get some alt playable characters done well, this could be the start of a great era for sonic
Sonic frontiers is the first 3d sonic game I've ever enjoyed and I've played them all. I've tried my entire life to be a sonic fan and I've never been able to enjoy the 3d games until this one. I'm glad I can finally enjoy that blue bastard
can't wait for you to cover the DLC!
@@dragonflarefrog1424lmao now that he’s under fire
This game is really good I haven’t even opened my god of war yet
You can play two games at the same time no?
@@kue5053 also juggling bayonetta 3, persona 5.
@@TylerEdlin84 god damn, good luck there bro, you have fine taste in games 🍷🗿
@@TylerEdlin84 We gamers eating great this month aren’t we?
I'm so glad they were able to put out a game like this. While it is sad seeing the remnants of the plans they didn't have time to complete, what they did do makes me so happy
Yeah, and for the most part, this proved that Sonic Team wanted to make this happen as much as the audience do. Plus, SEGA of Japan just have no patience to make it even more polished.
Why don’t more people talk about this?
I was loving the game already before the first boss came into play. the beginning was a little jarring learning the controls and figuring everything out but I stuck to it and then when that first boss theme song came in oh my fuck that shit gave me goosebumps. aint no reason it needed to be as hard as it was 😭
Ian Flynn has been writing Sonic comics for longer than a decade, and the IDW comics have only been running for about 4 years. He started on the Archie Sonic comics in 2006, and continued to be the main writer after Archie cancelled the series and it was picked up by IDW in 2018.
While I was already considering getting it, your video sealed the deal. I think Sonic Frontiers looks so neat that I'll get it for the Switch right after I play through Pokemon Scarlet & Violet.
It's going to be my second Sonic game ever right after Sonic Advance 3.
Side note: for a moment, I thought you said "CONFLICTED" instead of completed at the end of the video. And I find that really funny!
I seriously love this game. Don't let the critics' cynicism get to you, it's the best sonic since generations.
Sadly I have a lot of gripes with generations
So nice to see Sonic get a win. Hope the formula gets more polished in the next installment.
“Light spoilers but not as bad as you think. I don’t ruin anything. I promise” proceeds to show you the last boss
For real dude that pissed me off, I had been pretty careful about not spoiling any of the bosses besides the first that was marketed everywhere
I need to say that, this game could lead to so much greatness. So many great things can come from this story, all of its implications and in particular Sonic's characterization.
I dont know how many of them are canonical but datamined Voice lines really push forward Sonic's honest thoughts about things.
I was hyped for this game and.. for the first time in YEARS I am hopeful for Sega's future games.
Also Sticks and Tangle both get references which really opens the hell out of the games Canon time line.
Little correction about Flynn and the comics. He wrote the Archie sonic comics from 2006-2017 when they ended. IDW didn’t start until 2017 and he was the main writer there too. So it’s been closer to two decades that he’s been writing these characters
oh BOY, Friends Per Second is gonna be REALLY Fun in the next episode with Jirard and Ralph having two fundamentally different takes on Sonic Frontiers.
I've been deeply concerned about this game. I got deeply burned by Breath of the Wild's incredible emptiness. I also wasn't thrilled with Mario Odyssey. So when Sonic Frontiers appeared to be taking shape similarly to those two, I was about ready to just give up on it like I did on Sonic Boom.
Fortunately, I'm seeing parts of the game I think I'll enjoy. Which is something I never saw in Breath of the Wild.
I'm still skeptical. I can't see this being one of my favorite Sonics, but there may be enough here that I can enjoy the game overall.
As someone who had the same complaint with Breath of the Wild, Sonic Frontiers gets around that thanks to Sonic being *really* fast when he gets going. And there being more little things scattered around the world, but the speed helps you get around with a lot less waiting.
@@PhysicsGamer Yes. That definitely looks better to me. I doubt this will solve the problem, but it should make really help.
I doubt it will be as filled in as what I consider the open world gold standard (Batman Arkham City) But this aspect could be very tolerable.
@@plentyofpaper I suppose it depends somewhat on what you mean by "filled in", at the end of the day. But my own experience was of picking a spot on the map to go and generally being able to get there in under a minute of focused traversal. Or a few minutes of leisurely meandering, which tended to happen...
The biggest compliment I can give the game is that traversing the open world is _fun._ Which is way more than I can say of most other open-world games, bar maybe that one Spiderman game. I played Arkham City quite a while ago so my memories of it are a bit foggy, but I recall some similarly fun moments of traversal from it.
Though my favorite parts of Frontiers were those moments after I had reached where I wanted to go. I'd be looking up at some huge aerial structure and working out how to climb it, making note of which rails I'd need to take or which ways I'd need to jump off walls. I've never had quite that experience in a game like this, with the obvious climbing-related comparison being something like Assassin's Creed... but in that series you just kinda... press buttons until you're at the top of whatever you're climbing. The process isn't exactly _difficult_ in Frontiers, but it is many orders of magnitude more engaging.
@@PhysicsGamer Thanks for your opinions. This all sounds promising for me, and I expect a much better game than what my first impressions had led me to believe.
I'm not sure if you've played the Prince of Persia games (Sands of Time onwards) but they have platforming similar to Assassin's Creed, but much less automated.
Assassin's Creed was hold the "acrobatics" button and move where you want.
Prince of Persia involved a lot more planning each action, usually a few moves in advance and getting the timing right on each move.
Also, Spiderman (PS4) and Batman Arkham City had very similar world designs. Exploring their worlds wasn't my ideal way to have a good time, but if I wanted to kill some time and do some extras, it would be a nice diversion for a bit, and getting where I wanted to go was not a chore, so these were fine in my view. If you're going to do an open world of this style, this is how I want it done
@@plentyofpaper Of the recent Prince of Persia games I only played Sands of Time, actually. The others rather passed me by for whatever reason, so if you recommend them I might give them a look.
I will caution you that Sonic Frontiers has a lot less busywork than Spiderman had, if that's what you're looking for. There's no procedurally-generated micro-missions or anything. I guess you could count the miniboss fights, which have quite distinct mechanics from each other... but it's not quite the same thing.
This man completing games before I even manage to make it to a shelf to buy it
That The End fight... it's Ikaruga. Well, looks inspired by it.
first Mario Odyssey, now Sonic Frontiers. what a great time for both of them.
seriously, when are we gonna get a "PROPER" Mario & Sonic crossover game? it'll would be awesome to see them all together in a new story and new gameplay.
Fantastic review as always. Definitely convinced me to give the game a try.
I was listening podcast style while I was driving this morning and by the time I got to class I went from skeptic to extremely hyped for Sonic Frontiers. Huge part of what sold me was when you mentioned the writer of the IDW Sonic comics being involved in the game, that type of collaboration is so freaking cool. Can't wait to play it.
Having just finished the game myself, you can really feel how big a difference it made having Ian Flynn as the writer. Especially coming off the heels of Forces.
The difference is actually insane. I listened to some of the japanese dialog for Kronos island, and the writing is so incredibly bland in comparison with the english version. They absolutely aced the character writing in this. I was skeptical when I heard that characters tried to seem more mature and expected a repeat of how silly forces was, but it doesn't feel unnatural here at all
@@Biggleboff I strongly recommend you take a look at the the Sonic comic book that IDW has been publishing, then - Ian Flynn, who did the English writing on Frontiers, was the lead writer on that until recently. The Zombot arc was fantastic, and the Tangle & Whisper miniseries is a great place to start.
@@PhysicsGamer Sure, if you want a writer who blames all his writing problems on SEGA.
@@sonicstar917 Ian Flynn is one of the most public-facing comic writers out there who isn't a major celebrity. He's put out hundreds and hundreds of hours of his podcast. You can go see for your own self that he does nothing even remotely like what you're claiming.
The game has it's share of flaws, but it's a great start. I'm hoping that a sequel would have some more characters to play as, I'd be excited to see what combat moves they could come up with for Knuckles and Shadow.
I agree. They can expand on this so much
I can easily see how they could mix in new characters, hell with them opening up to character powers like this? Even characters with similar powersets like Shadow, Espio can become unique.
And Blaze! I’d love to see her firey moveset. Yeah I think they’re afraid to go back to multiple characters due to their criticism of how badly they handled them in the past, although Advance 3 (except for the hidden chao, that sucked) and sonic 3 and knuckles handled them amazingly
It's been over 20 years since we've had a good 3d game. I don't know what kind of balancing they did, what the dev journey was like, but they finally have movement that feels good. It feels like you're actively in control rather than just being along for the ride. It feels so fast yet it still feels like you have plenty of time to decide what route to take and prepare for a jump. It's incredible
??? Generations and Unleashed were bad to you?
@@cnk9822 generations was decent, the movement was still kind off but doable. Unleashed was literally half good. The regular sonic levels were great but the warehog was such a bad idea.
After just finishing this myself, no matter how much jank and small amounts of complaints, this is easily my favorite Sonic game
Literally same
Exactly same.
It makes me happy to hear you say that. I’m so looking forward to completing Frontiers but Ragnarök comes first! Definitely playing through the night.
Personally I'd advice sleeping instead of playing through the whole night. It's good for your health and you'll feel a lot better the next day(s) than if you played throughout the night. The game isn't going anywhere anyway.
Your video has solidified my intent to purchase this game. This is the Sonic experience I was waiting for since Adventure 2. Frontiers while not perfect is the blueprint to making the next entry a masterpiece.
This looks so good. I went and bought it on a whim before even looking up the reviews.
Now I'm hype
Beat the first area. Pretty fun!
Cant wait for Ralph and Jirard to duke it out about this game in the podcast
On the subject of cyberspace stages, the 4th actual island was such a slap in the face and pace-breaker for that part of the story to me. Makes me feel like they knew what they were doing when 4-1 was just metal harbor, my favorite stage in the series. It defused me immediately but I felt manipulated. And it worked. I loved it.
Hot take: The Super Sonic portions of the Titan fights feel more like DBZ than actual DBZ games
This is why I waited to hear what you thought. As someone who believes you need to have your sources for certain genres I know I can always trust your taste and opinion on platformers because of your passion for that genre so again thank you for your completionist rating of "complete it" I will be buying this.
Can't wait to hear this discussion with Ralph. 😂😂😂😂
As a Sonic fan, I find the game was much better than it had any business being considering the past 3D games. I did find the leveling aspect was brutal to the point I did the math and just the menu stuff alone takes 24 minutes for both speed and ring cap. The other were the cyber stages, 2D stages have sonic moving real slow whereas 3D he's real fast. It was just really inconsistent. I had no idea about the ending changes between normal and hard mode though so I need to go back and do that
This game means so much to so many of us. I hope Sonic Team feels the full extent of the love we have for it and them
Wow hearing they brought the writer from Sonic Comics is mind blowing. I loved the comics for years for their expanding of the Sonic Universe and development of the characters that were not really ever seen in the games. Hearing that this is carried over into this game makes me want to pick up up despite the more open world elements which is why i passed on BoTW!
This is probably the best review I watched, I've been having fun with it also its not perfect but it's definitely fun I do hope we get more sonic games in the future. Thanks for making this.
33:06 the unenlightened masses
damn, it feels GOOD to be able to see a good sonic game coming out. when frontiers was first announced i was mortified it would flop absolutely and i am SO GLAD they did a banger job!
Kocos are legally distinct from Koroks, who are legally distinct from Chaos.
I’m on the second world and this game went from being alright to an absolute blast. The game design and level design is absolutely brilliant. As a level designer I appreciate all the hard work these designers put in. Designing areas of open world around sonics speed mechanics is incredibly difficult and I applaud them.
I admit to being on the fence with Frontiers but I'm sold after watching this video. Maybe I can put Generations & Mania away for a while. Awesome work Jirad!
the most important parts of the 3d moveset are still in the 2d cyberspace levels
mainly, the dash cancelling is key
Why can't every review be as informative and comprehensive as yours? Going to buy this now.
Game is absolutely great. I couldn't agree more. Both Tails and Amy hint at going on some solo adventures in the future. I'd love to see that in some future games.
It’s not that often that 100% a game, but I did it for frontiers. After being a sonic fan for all my life, seeing frontiers break the cycle really made me happy. The first line in the boss theme for wyvern is “I’ve been here waiting for the longest time, I can’t believe it’s real”, this is exactly how I feel about frontiers
It's close to taking over Unleashed for me, and that's not easy to do.
Ordered Sonoc Frontiers and a Switch Lite at 1am on release day and got it same day at 6pm, been loving it so much.
This might be an unpopular opinion, but I was more excited for Sonic Frontiers than I was GoW Ragnarok.
I’m getting my copy this weekend and can’t wait to play. Everything I’ve heard so far has been pretty positive with 1 or 2 exceptions.
It's kinda confusing, some reviews are saying the game is ok, some are saying it's great. At least it isn't a terrible game
It’s a good game, most of the negative reviews I’ve seen have been mostly nitpicking.
@@aegisreflector1239 from what I’ve seen, a lot of the negativity is around things popping in when Sonic is moving quickly and mini-bosses forcing themselves on the player even after they’ve already been beaten. Nothing too terrible which is a big step up for a 3d Sonic game
@@justinbuergi9867 I agree. This is still a good step for Sonic in the right direction