This is an argument I can get behind, especially as someone who gets legitimately excited to find out a horror movie has a dozen sequels. “Wait, I can watch ten more of these, and they eventually go to space??” Most people would balk, figuring a studio took a good idea and ran it into the ground by exploiting gullible fans, but what if you consented to being exploited? That’s me when it comes to the announcement of a new Friday the 13th film or the latest flaming pile of garbage Puppet Master movie. I know what I’m in for, I know it’s going to be trash, but sometimes it scratches a certain itch. The mere presence of Jason Voorhees' mask is enough for me sometimes.“hi i think it's a bad game but a fun one. like the level design is really shallow and controls feel bad but the story and music is the kind of trashy fun that I love.
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On a recent episode of Waypoint Radio, we trashed the new single from Taylor Swift. (It’s still bad.) A fan wrote in, upset that we weren’t respectful of the people who did like the single. It’s probably true that joking to Giant Bomb’s Dan Ryckert about “what the fuck is wrong with people” was a step too far, even though I’d hope most know where I’m coming from. But as a critic, it’s my literal job to assert an opinion. The reason I don’t read reviews before I write about a game is because I’m trying to hone my own thoughts. Similarly, I can’t worry about what the developers might think or how a fan might react. I don't need to caveat every thought with "but it's OK if you think differently." It's implied.That said, they’re right. Sometimes a game isn’t for you and dunking is cheap. People have done this to Dynasty Warriors for years! When a series doesn’t change, maybe it’s for a reason: people are OK with it.I still contend Sonic’s current 3D incarnation is foundationally flawed, though, and a different execution would please more people. Look at Sonic Mania, for example. Sega’s struggled to produce a competent 2D Sonic game for years, to various successes and many failures. It’s been the same thing with 3D Sonic, and fuels the Sonic Cycle. Part of the problem, I’d argue, is because Sega itself does not internally understand what people want from a Sonic game. Sonic Mania was built by fans who knew what they wanted, and 3D Sonic could benefit from a similar experiment.“Patrick, the post Dreamcast era sonic games have found their niche and audience and have been generally good at delivering that since Colours figured out the formula. If it’s not for you or you prefer the genesis style that’s fine. Don’t be a dick about stuff you don’t like.”
This is a tremendously good point, actually. Despite all the advancements 3D platformers have made since Super Mario 64 revolutionized our understanding of them, most have stuck to Mario 64’s playbook by being slow, deliberate affairs. Speed has been virtually lost in the transition to 3D. Can you imagine playing a game like Super Meat Boy in 3D? It’s 2D for a good reason: nobody’s figured out how to pull it off in 3D yet. The most dramatic moments in Sonic Forces, for example, happen in cutscene form, with the player pulling off wild and dramatic jumps without any control over the character’s movement, sans the occasional QTE.“yeah I'm really enjoying it but could definitely see why others wouldn't. the skill floor to get the joy out of it is really high and most folks don't play that many 3D momentum games.”
We couldn’t be on different pages here, and it puts me at a loss.I can’t speak to how the later stages of Sonic Forces play because I’m unwilling to play more of it. Given my reaction to the opening hours, it seems unlikely “alternate paths” would prompt a shift. But I also can’t argue with this person’s experience, even if it doesn’t invalidate my own. I can dislike the game, they can like it.“It's really fun, lots of alternate paths and stuff, particularly in the later stages. Fun set pieces and level concepts, the custom character performs surprisingly well, and the different weapons give a lot of options for how to play.”
“Annoyed me the least” is interesting praise, but it’s also very Jim Sterling, a critic known for his colorful writing and commentary. He’s also a person willing to go out on a limb to praise (and criticize) games you wouldn’t expect, making his response particularly interesting. His point about Sonic fandom is notable, though.“Now I like Sonic as a series, that’s no secret, but I’m not part of the Sonic fandom. I would never claim to be one. And I’m therefore always unaware which Sonic games we’re supposed to hate and which Sonic games we’re supposed to love, and I've picked up the impression this is one of the ones that we’re supposed to hate. When I mentioned on Twitter that I was playing it and not finding it too bad and kind of enjoying it, there was a lot of surprise, mentions of critics—apparently this was blasted in reviews— but as far as this “modern” Sonic games go, this one has annoyed me the least.”