Yea, that’s right. I said it. Sonic: Lost World totally looks like Super Mario Galaxy featuring cheeky blue hedgehogs. Actually, I highly doubt I’m breaking any new ground by pointing that out – more likely it’s the thing everyone already knows and has stopped bothering to mention. Eh.
Anyways, the new footage comes from Sega’s “Summer of Sonic” campaign, and I must admit that I haven’t been this excited for a 3D Sonic game in a long time. So that’s something. I mean geez, Summer of Sonic, Year of Luigi – I can’t keep up with all this stuff. Madness.
The trailer contains some interesting gameplay components, most notably Sonic yelling “eagle!” and morphing into a sweet looking red bird for some boisterous aerial action. Elsewhere, he climbs ledges, hurdles across floating, oddly-shaped structures and even does some more precise platforming than we’re probably used to. He even issues a strangely familiar “woo-hoo!” after being shot through the air from a Launch Star. Er, I mean cannon.
I guess the only thing I’m not sold on, as per usual with 3D Sonic, are the slower bits. Hurtling at top speed will always be a blast, and Sonic Team has had that down for years. Slow things down, though, and controlling the blue little gremlin can be a real exercise in keeping one’s composure. Things do look markedly better than normal in that regard, though, so I’m definitely optimistic.
As much as I poke fun at the seemingly heavy Galaxy influence, it may be the best thing for Sonic: Lost World at this time. A well-done imitation that comes up with some new ideas in the process has all the making to be a great game by the time it hits store shelves. Plus, it’s not as if I’ve played it yet – maybe it won’t be as similar as it seems.
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