Board 8 > Sonic Superstars Review Zone

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://opencritic.com/game/15199/sonic-superstars
https://www.metacritic.com/game/sonic-superstars/

Sonic is back in a 4 player side scrolling adventure. Reviews are a bit all over the place this time around. Some loves the level design, music and gameplay while others don't care for it at all. The physics feel like how 2D sonic should feel so I'm guessing it just comes down to if like 2D sonic to begin with or not. Multiplayer itself also a mixed bag as it can go a bit haywire at times, but I assume these are things that will get ironed out overtime and it doesn't seem to affect the single player experience.

Currently sitting at a 74% through 25 reviews I gotta make sure I GO FAST through it next week before Mario Wonder is out

VGC - 8/10
Sonic Superstars absolutely nails the classic 16-bit Sonic gameplay. Its power-ups are hit-or-miss and its extra modes and co-op will divide opinion, but fans of the Mega Drive / Genesis days will adore the way this mixes that old feel with a new look.
Ultimately, Sonic Superstars is a game designed to appeal to a very specific type of Sonic fan the type of player who maintains that the 16-bit era was the best and will happily boot up Sonic 2 for a quick whirl to this day, three decades later. If you treat Sonic Mania as something of a remix project, then Sonic Superstars feels the closest weve come to a completely new Mega Drive / Genesis era Sonic game since Sonic & Knuckles. Its short and not all of its (optional) gimmicks are great, but where it matters the look, the sound, the physics it absolutely nails that early 90s feeling. And oh, how great it is to finally have that feeling again.

TechRaptor - 8/10
Sonic Superstars elevates 2D Sonic beyond nostalgia after a definitive greatest hits entry. With loads to unlock, satisfying levels of challenge, and a great selection of new Zones, Sonic Superstars has everything you could want from a new 2D Sonic.

Press Start - 7.5/10
While its value proposition is questionable, and its slew of modes are of varying quality, Sonic Superstars delivers a true sequel to the original games where Sonic the Hedgehog 4 failed to. The all-important physics are spot on, each Zone is a thrill to blast through, and inventive new ideas iterate on a tried and true formula.

IGN - 7/10
While the campaign is still enjoyable, Superstars multiplayer components are far worse options than anything in past Sonic games. Like digging Emeralds out of the rough, Sonic Superstars new ideas end up feeling like a mix of both interesting and ill-advised, making it an amusing Sonic game but not exactly a Super one.

VG247 - 6/10
In its core mission, Sonic Superstars is successful. It recreates the foundation of 2D Sonic some of the finest platformers ever made well. Unfortunately, the new elements layered atop that are rather hit-or-miss. I personally dont think this is anywhere near as good as Mania. But its good. In fact, its good enough that I expect fan debate about which game is superior to be fairly heated which is a sure-fire sign that Sega is on the right track.

Push Square - 6/10
We're a bit at odds with ourselves on Sonic Superstars. Fundamentally it's a really enjoyable side-scrolling Sonic title, but the two big ticket features - chaos emerald powers and co-op - are arguably the worst parts of it. While the emerald abilities have their uses, co-op just doesn't mesh with this gameplay at all. We can absolutely recommend this as a solo experience, as there's a lot to like about the fresh art style, largely great soundtrack, and multi-layered level design. Throw in a friend or two, though, and it quickly gets messy.

I'll wait for Mario Wonder...it's like 3 days later

Co-op is the worst part of the game? That sucks.

MacArrowny posted...

Co-op is the worst part of the game? That sucks.

Feast your eyes.

https://twitter.com/_dyingsky/status/1712657898868797831?s=19

MacArrowny posted...

Co-op is the worst part of the game? That sucks.

Local multi-player only, at that

Wait a minute

Those clips are from local??

Leonhart4 posted...

Local multi-player only, at that

Yeah, I was hoping to play with a friend in person, so that part would've been okay.

UshiromiyaEva posted...

Feast your eyes.

https://twitter.com/_dyingsky/status/1712657898868797831?s=19

I think that's from before the day 1 patch, but we'll see if it gets fixed I guess...

For a 2D Sonic game these reviews are pretty weak and about on par with Sonic 4. On the other hand, for a Sonic game in general and an Arzest game theyre pretty good!

why couldnt we just get sonic mania 2

TomNook7 posted...

why couldnt we just get sonic mania 2

devs wanted to make a 3D game

Actually a little better than I was expecting. And the jank only makes me more excited!

TomNook7 posted...

why couldnt we just get sonic mania 2

as far as I understand, it's this

Yeah, this is meant to be a spiritual successor of sorts to Mania.

Now up to 75 on MC and 77 on OC

Gaming Age - A-
There are many hours of play in Sonic Superstars and whether you play mostly single-player like me, or co-op, there is fun for every Sonic fan and I feel the fans will be happy with this one. Even with Super Mario Bros. Wonder around the corner its going to be a great gaming holiday season for platformer fans. Sonic Superstars comes highly recommended.

GamingTrend - 9/10
Sonic Superstars represents some of the best 2D platforming has to offer. It has constant surprises while still offering a ton of room for mastery. The game is a delight from start to finish and beyond.

IGN - 7/10
I started hedgehog over heels for Sonic Superstars, but the more time I put into it, the easier it was for me to see its Eggman-sized flaws. The decision to focus more on exploration was a great idea on paper and creates a unique dynamic to each level, but I wish it hadnt sacrificed speed in exchange. The boss designs are creative and clever, but often wear out their welcome with long periods of being untargetable and occasionally frustrating one-hit KO mechanics. The soundtrack may not have anything as iconic as Hydro City or Spring Yard Zone, but it features some excellent additions to an already long list of Sonic bangers if only the sound design was up to the same quality standard. And while the campaign is still enjoyable, Superstars multiplayer components are far worse options than anything in past Sonic games. Like digging Emeralds out of the rough, Sonic Superstars new ideas end up feeling like a mix of both interesting and ill-advised, making it an amusing Sonic game but not exactly a Super one.

TheGamer - 7/10
Sonic Superstars isnt holding back the series after the positive reception to Frontiers. Its more than enough to keep it trucking along. Sega is sensible to be cautious about shedding too much of Sonics retro identity, but it needs to realise that none of us have hung around this long for Knuckles terrible recovery speed, or the strange instances where a single hit reduces our ring count to zero. Sonic Superstars brings us so agonisingly close to the definitive 2D Sonic game, but for now, its a good foundation to build on.

Oh hey.

This isn't good.

https://twitter.com/PC_Focus_/status/1714292453677920696?s=19

playing games on PC is generally bad yes

UshiromiyaEva posted...

Oh hey.

This isn't good.

https://twitter.com/PC_Focus_/status/1714292453677920696?s=19

This happens with every game. Lies of P a couple weeks ago, for example. Not sure why anyone would think it's worth pointing out.

The bigger deal might be that it requires an Epic account for some reason lol.

Finished my first run through the main story. It's good! 7/10 sounds about right. Didn't notice much jank, minus a few annoying moments like dying to geometry for no reason or rings disppearing immediately after taking damage, but it was mostly fine. Despite all of the levels being new, they're hugely derivative. Press Factory is probably the most interesting new level. Music's whatever, don't think a single track stuck out for me. Chaos Emerald powers are a neat idea, but poorly implemented. Amy is easily the best character, she's like playing easy mode.

Planning to play through the mode you unlock for beating the game tomorrow. Tried the Battle Mode out too. It's...okay? I guess. It's unfortunate that most of the unlockables are for it though, but at least none of the achievements are (though some are super grindy). Seeing a proper Metal Amy and Tails is kinda cool though.

Copy arrived while I was sleeping yesterday afternoon I'll play after work when I get off in the morning

https://twitter.com/UltimaShadowX/status/1714493173676888180?s=19

Oh I need this.

Ugh, those last two bosses are a bummer. Nack has way too many OHKO moves for a fight that long and the last boss relies too much on RNG. Also, if Sonic Team are going to insist on not using dialogue to tell Classic stories, they really need to get better at telling them through cutscenes, because I had no idea who the final boss was or why we were fighting them.

Unfortunate that "Sonic game isn't bad / is OK" is optimistic news for this series, huh?

Accel_R8 posted...

Unfortunate that "Sonic game isn't bad / is OK" is optimistic news for this series, huh?

Okay review scores means Sonic fans will probably like it so yes