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I wont be advertising like, super often but
I'm playing one of my all time favorite JRPGs, Eternal Sonata. You should DEFINITELY swing by k thank
I have a wine & tea problem. I play tryhard games well, puzzle games mediocre, and vibe on JRPGS. I'm literally always eating and I will absolutely talk your ear off about why Sonic the Hedgehog is one of my favorite things. You may have seen me hosting on Valve or modeling for Astro Gaming!
so I spent a good chunk of my break COMPLETLEY logged out and it was great!
so imagine my surprise to log in and see people reporting on *yet another fucking Twitter leak* alongside whatever the fuck the House of Reps is doing.
2023 is off to....a start.
I almost made it to 2023 thinking my disappointments would be reset.
Alas.
I just discovered these jeans do not have pockets.
Jeans.
That don't have pockets.
What in the fuck.
No #freedomPlanet2 updates today; I got fixated on getting my platinum in Sonic Frontiers. I wrote some stuff about it here; https://cohost.org/pleasantlytwstd/post/698647-let-s-talk-about-so
A promo poster for Sonic Frontiers, showing Sonic smirking and grinding on an airborne rail. [https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/213478022370557953/1056069910121431060/frotniers.jpg] I beat Sonic Frontiers on day 2 of my break and I'm trying out this format to get thoughts all coherent and in place about things I did and didn't like. I don't know thatI will need an intro like this but eh, whatever, let's see how this feels! STUFF I LIKED! Sonic is running into an open area, sprint ready [https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/213478022370557953/1056081516331008061/sonic_frontiers.jpg] I need it to be made abundantly clear that this OST fucks. It's got the adrenaline and hype of all that 90s energy you forgot you have, fluctuating from synthwave, to techno, to dance, old school DmB, to even some more soft but vibrant pop tunes for cyber space levels. I listen to 3-2: Go Slap and risk speeding tickets. I play Ares: 6th movement and am the most productive person alive. If there is something that is standout without question, it's the music. In terms of our blue boy's general gameplay, 3D Sonic has never felt so good-putting him in the open world with the throwback rail grinding and drop dash is a welcome touch, but you're less likely to run into 'Camera what the fuck are you doing'. In fact, there are SOME CASES where speed helps with the camera, as in the game actively promotes you going fast! Love that for him! Koco are the cutest thing in the world and I want plushies of them very, very badly. I think the devs also saw work from Freedom Planet 1 and 2 and went 'huh, why didn't we make Sonic fight' and his combat fits his personality so much it's painful. The leveling system is straightforward, and the game is easily accessible at all skill levels. There's something for everyone in this semi-open world endeavor and it's just fun. It's really pretty to look at, the day and night cycles are a GREAT addition, I can hang out with Big the Cat and fish for springs, tires, and all kinds of stuff I don't need. Also: FreeLC. Lots of it for 2023. Fuck me up. STUFF THAT CAN IMPROVE Sonic is looking into the distance while pressing a gear-activated button, scowling. [https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/213478022370557953/1056082772562817044/sonicfrontiers-1661279974414.jpg] One thing I will say is kind of wild to me is how short the combat tree is. Like I cleared the game with something like 125 excess skill points because even after finishing the tree you uh, just keep accumulating them. And his combos smack, don't get me wrong, I just wish there was more to the tree than what we have at current. The Knuckles' Island does set up the rest of the islands for failure via overworld music, because Knuckles' tunes are perfectly fitting to him (and continue to assure me that Knuckles is Black) and delightful to the cadence of just zipping around finding stuff. Tails' tunes....kind of drop off. By the time you're wrapping up Tails' island, the gameplay cycle starts to wear out a touch of it's welcome, which I anticipated would happen. I think deep down in their spirit the devs knew that, because Adventure Mode is nothing but Cyberspace levels and those are really where the octane live. I wish that you could do literally anything with all those fish you catch. And I aint talking about the Monster Hunter shit, I mean I literally catch fish and they just....vanish. The vault key/gear cycle I think could use a touch of tuning, as sometimes I don't want to have to go fight a big bad for one gear (why the hell aren't some worth more gears for real tho) just to pull up to Cyberspace and see I need 3. This is at least offset via fishing since you can trade tokens for gears, keys, and many other things. These aren't things that are game enders or deal breakers, but just stuff that after dealing it with enough you start wondering if there's ways to expedite it or creative things that they could've been used for. Also it has to be said the side story stuff was much more interesting than main story in the long haul. But if you're a Sonic fan, chances are you're not really here for 'engrossing, rich lore and commentary'. STUFF THEY COULD'VE FUCKING KEPT! A close up of Super Sonic, angrily looking down at the camera. [https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/213478022370557953/1056082772319551548/intro-1668623738.jpg] Level 99 for skills is too high. It's just too damn high-50 would've been just fine and felt FAR more reasonable. It wouldn't be such an issue if there wasn't a hidden scale for all four stats you can level (speed, ring max, power, and defense) because early on, one seed can get you one skill level. Later? It just becomes...more and never tells you? But the ring max and speed are FAR MORE fucking egregious as not only do you need to grab those little cutie biscuit koco, but you can only level them joints up one at a time. You have to confirm for ever single level you want to increase your speed or ring max while strength and defense you can just go 'hey homie here is 70 seeds lemme get 20 strength levels rq' like why did what That ending, cliff hanger or not, sucks. You get all of that build up and energy into 'ok this is it lets beat ass' just for....that to close out and yea OK the cliffhanger/plot twist is interesting, I'm here for it, but why was the final fight Like That®. My main gripes, honestly thought, are UI centric. I don't know who said that putting a forced pause between each menu interaction was the play, but it isn't. Also, if I'mma catch a fish worth 64 tokens please, I beg, let me skip the sound effect sequence because there is no reason I am forced to sit through all 64 chimes. I don't care that it's a hat tip to the score ticker sound of the old school 2D games, I want to skip it. Like I could in the old 2D games. Some of the menu jingles in general are so stuck on making sure you hear the nostalgia bump that they aren't mindful of how much of a nuisance they are. Obviously these are all REALLY minor, but like......they're still annoying. SUMMARY Sonic is airborne while looking to the side in a sandy appearing level. [https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/213478022370557953/1056072219597488168/06.jpg] All in all I think this is the best 3D Sonic we have had to date, full stop. There are definitely still Weird Choices™ and we're never gonna beat those allegations, but it shows that Sega is really working their asses off to get their primary mascot to the glory he deserves. The 'Overwhelmingly Positive' ratings on Steam aren't leading you astray: this is Sonic the way he's meant to be-fast, energized, loyal to a fault and always finding a way to keep speed stylish and fun. There are a few things I didn't care for but overall but those gripes don't really interfere with the great gameplay and are just me being a picky gamedev. I'd say this is worth your dollars. And those koco are really fucking cute.
🍂:･*Fweeblies*:･🍂
God 
