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I have an unhealthy level of nostalgia for Sonic 3 & Knuckles, since I first played it as an impressionable kid on Christmas of 1995. So, I was in a big hurry to play Freedom Planet. The game's plot was an embarrassment and the bosses weren't very fine-tuned, but it did a great job of filling the Sonic-shaped hole left in the gaming landscape. My vision is probably too nostalgia-tinted to see Freedom Planet 2 with enough objectivity to see any flaws in the trailer.

Speaking of which, I should probably play Sonic Mania... I just hate spending money on digital-only games with DRM.

Anayo wrote:I have an unhealthy level of nostalgia for Sonic 3 & Knuckles, since I first played it as an impressionable kid on Christmas of 1995. So, I was in a big hurry to play Freedom Planet.

Same here man. I think we have a bit in common.

The game's plot was an embarrassment and the bosses weren't very fine-tuned, but it did a great job of filling the Sonic-shaped hole left in the gaming landscape.

Looks like I'm right as I feel nearly the exact same way. I thought the plot was embarrassing furry trash, but thankfully the Classic Mode bypasses the cutscenes. I did like the bosses save for one or two that I thought were a tad ridiculous.

Speaking of which, I should probably play Sonic Mania... I just hate spending money on digital-only games with DRM.

It sucks that Mania has Denuvo DRM, but it hasn't stopped me from enjoying the game. The DRM is cracked, but for some reason Sega haven't patched it out like id Software has.

This shows the experience I had with Sonic Mania:

GSZX1337 wrote:
This shows the experience I had with Sonic Mania:

That is adorkable. XD

Anayo wrote:Speaking of which, I should probably play Sonic Mania... I just hate spending money on digital-only games with DRM.

Just do it. Sonic 3 & Knuckles is often in the same sentence as "one of my favorite games of all time" and I was put in the awkward yet wonderful position of having to admit that Sonic Mania might even be better.

The level design just seems less focused. Instead of it looking like an obstacle course with branching paths and mechanics/gimmicks to give/take momentum and open different paths, it looks at points like a bad megaman clone (too many obstacles and levers) and at points like Sonic Advance 3 (let's just make you go fast here without anything to actually do).

I do think it might be suffering from having too many characters that play differently and trying to balance the levels for all of them. In the original game it was clear that it was meant mostly for Lilac and that set pieces and gameplay support for the other characters was added as a second thought (and seeing how I preferred her gameplay over the other 2 characters, I didn't mind one bit . Trying to support different gameplay styles was what killed sonic team imo)


I'm keeping an open mind though. As I said it could just be a badly edited trailer. The graphics do look like shit, but the music sounds ace so I think I'll give it a try when it comes out

I finally got around to playing Freedom Planet recently. I'm a huge fan of classic Sonic the Hedgehog games on Genesis, and I was expecting something similar from Freedom Planet. I was reading how much you guys love Freedom Planet in this thread. I was really looking forward to this.

Um... ... This is pretty disappointing.

I mean... I guess it's alright for a Sonic fan game, but... It's not actually a very good game unto itself. There are plenty of better Sonic fan games out there.

I don't know what I was expecting. It's just an indie game I guess. Maybe I was hoping for too much. I'm still pretty disappointed. Has everyone been saying nice things about freedom planet just because we lower the bar for indie developers? The physics are just floaty and awful.

At first I thought that I had picked the wrong character. She shouldn't really be floating like that, should she? So I quit out and restarted the game as the other playable character. Nope, it's just as bad either way. I played for about thirty minutes, and I don't think I can stand to play anymore.

Y'all can hate on me if you want, or call me a hater, whatever. I take no pleasure in saying this: Freedom Planet is a disappointment.

It's a great game but it's not like Sonic at all. Outside of the speed of the game what people need to stop doing is comparing it to Sonic. It's not trying to be Sonic. It's like comparing Shenmue to Yakuza or calling Zelda an RPG. On the most basic surface level yes there are similar elements but at the core is something else entirely. FP is more about exploring a level and choosing a path with good momentum but doesn't reward you with speed, you already have it. Sonic at least classic sonic had 2 or 3 branching paths and was about momentum and rewarding the player with speed but never about exploring a level. To me, Freedom Planet feels more like a Japan-only 2D platformer on PS1 or Saturn. The OST sounds like a mix of Sega CD and Turbo CD. It does feel like a retro game but not Sonic. It's more some hidden gem like Astal. In fact, the main character of FP's move is more like Rocket Knight. It's a game you need to go in with a clear mind and not hope it's like this or that old game. it's unique in itself with familiar elements. I don't think of you as a "hater" but had the wrong expectations and that's partly to blame on the lousy comparisons people put it next to Sonic.

I have to agree with Samson, I found Freedom Planet incredibly disappointing. I found enemies took too long to kill, the attack mechanics weren't designed to work at high speed (unlike sonic's 1 hit kill roll and jump attacks) and the level design was a mess.

Also, I know the story is optional, but it was literally completely awful.

I won't be buying the second game

I got it on GOG.com. Made an attempt, didn't care for it at all.

I'm also probably not the "target audience" as I find games like Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles to be 4/10 material at best. Floaty platformers with huge levels just aren't my thang.

I caved in and bought Sonic Mania on steam. I'm about to drive out of state to a friend's house. He and I are both huge Sega Genesis nerds.