Tag Development

Sonic Forces Has Some Dire DLC…

Sean Alexander

I never thought I would write the following words: Super Sonic is DLC.

 

Okay, so before we go in to this, we need context on both Super Sonic, and Sanic.

Sanic is a meme. Honestly I would love to just leave it there and have it expunged from the game entirely, but the series has decided to embrace the crudely drawn MS Paint rendition of Sonic, dubbed “Sanic”, in ways that move beyond just the TV Show as a reference (Alongside the fan-fiction of all things) and a nod in LEGO Dimensions.

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Sanic is available, for free, in all copies of the game, as a t-shirt design for your custom character. Okay, at least it’s free. I mean I would honestly prefer it if the series was a little more….delicate? about being self-aware, rather than just opening the door and saying “Yes, all this mockery online is entirely just”. We all know how the mockery of a fan base can actually impact people mentally, it’s not a very smart thing to do, just let folks enjoy what they enjoy, you know?

I think there is a fine balance between being self-aware and poking fun, and straight up embracing what was a joke meant to demean the franchise and it’s titles (Because many have been lacklustre prior to 2010, and a couple since) feels like…almost giving up. Like the series has no integrity anymore. On one hand yes, nice joke, and in some loose ways it does fit the avatar creation side of things.

On the other hand, you put a reference to a meme used to demean the franchise…in Sonic Forces. 

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This is a game that is hardly “Good”, instead treading the fine line of mediocre to plain boring, it has obvious development problems, clear instances of things being scrapped and restarted, insanely short levels and not very fulfilling gameplay, and what do they do? Put some DLC in the game used to mock the franchise. Did they actually not see how amazingly self-fulfilling that is?

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But anyway, on to Super Sonic. This little feature has been a part of the games since 1992 in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, usually as a reward for certain tasks, like clearing the Special Stages, or for the unlockable final boss throughout the mid-2000s.

Super Sonic did return to fully playable status in 2010 with Sonic 4 and Sonic Colours (The first time ever in 3D), and this has remained the case for Generations, Lost World, and Mania. Super Sonic has been there as a reward for completing the game, or certain milestones.

So Sonic Forces came along and in the PC version they found inaccessible (Though later accessed and fully playable not long after the game came out) code for Super Sonic. It’s in the game, fully playable. I assumed it was just dummied out. I wish it was.

So again, for 25 years Super Sonic has been a part of the franchise as your reward. An in-game thing meant to reward you (Or beat up a final boss in some cases). In Sonic Forces however, it’s in the game, but you can’t access it. Unless you pay up for some DLC of course.

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Yes, for the first time ever, this feature of the series for over two decades, is now on-disc DLC. I am absolutely dumbfounded and also surprised. It’s free for around a month, but as of late January, cough up some dough for Super Sonic.

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This is honestly a problem that goes further than the Sanic DLC, as this is removal of a series staple and put behind on-disc paywalls. It’s very egregious, and frankly one thing it does have in common with the Sanic DLC is the feeling that it’s just rubbing salt in the wound.

We had it so good, heck Sonic Mania was months ago, and this game comes along, from the team that brought us Colours and Generations, two highly loved games, and it falls flat in so many ways. To rub it in how unfinished the game feels, we get to wear a mockery of the series made official, and pay up for things that used to be standard.

 

At the same time though, as we have talked about here before many times, this feels like it is becoming the norm. Things you used to be able to just do are now locked behind cash, and the games mock you in the same way trolls on the internet do.

I don’t know what is worse really: Seeing Super Sonic become on-disc DLC, or having to see a meme people have almost weaponised in a game so utterly mediocre it surpasses parody and enters the realm of “Oh we know”.

 

I guess we can rest easy knowing Mania 2 will be a thing?

Programmers: The Unsung Heroes

Sean Alexander

This is an aspect of the reception of games that barely gets noticed, but one that is also noticed a lot in a different light: Programming.

 

So this is a discussion close to me, as a programmer anyway, as it is something that I have not only been subject to, but others have around me as well. Not just that, but you will see it regarding reviews of games or other software, or rather, it’s what you don’t see that is interesting.

 

So as I went through university for Game Design, a choice I completely regret (I mean that Economics degree was right there…), I realised we spent very little time learning the bit that makes games…interactive. Programming was barely a footnote amongst the art and writing aspects (And how to make the most money by selling your game piecemeal). I suppose this was the downside of the course focusing strictly on the “Traditional Western AAA methods”. I’ll write another article about the entire issue of the education I had at a later date, because it makes my blood boil.

In terms of programming, outside of the classes on Websites (Which were fine) and “Mobile Apps” (Which were really mobile websites), there wasn’t a lot. In my first year, in 2014, there was a class on “Digital Media and Design”, which from those who took said class, sounded like making games and animations in Flash. Yes, in 2014, I am just as baffled as you are.

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For that first year, all I had to go on was some copy and pasted, not explained, not very well conveyed JavaScript into Unity. The few programmers there were on our own.

Second year had a class on “Games Engine Programming” which was basically C# in Unity. Now on paper this is a good idea. In practice, it was far too fast for anyone there to get anything, and overcomplicated matters without ever explaining the purpose of functions, methods or any other aspects. Just follow along, and we were expected to produce AI, procedural generation and inventory management systems. It was a mess.

Beyond that, programming was….well there is a reason they asked to see who was a programmer at the start of the course. They basically have it set up so the programmers go solo with learning, so they don’t have to, and hope the group work plays out okay.

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It’s baffling there is a course on making games that barely scratches the surface of making a game interactive, there was actually more classes on micro transactions and the types of story you can tell. Don’t even ask about optimisation, or programming in any other engines that we were required to use like CryENGINE and Unreal Engine 4. That wasn’t touched in the slightest.

But this is the facts, a generation of developers is now out in the world….with no knowledge of how to make a game interactive or be coded properly, and the problem is, this means they will be seen.

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So my other issue that I brought up mentioned reviews, and this is true. Look at any review for a game. How often does a review mention how glitch free, or well done the collisions are? What about how stable the game is on a technical level? What about AI praise, or so on so forth? Programming in games, especially good programming, goes in-noticed. It’s never going to draw attention to itself by being good. But art, music, visuals? Yeah, people will praise that, and rightly so, if the work is good, praise them. But programmers don’t get that luxury.

Now read some reviews. Look at some bad games. How many mention the programming issues like glitches, or dodgy AI? Yeah, it drew attention to itself. A programmer is only seen and acknowledged when the work is below average. Back in university after clearing a group project and spending many nights building a gameplay style I was told to put in instead of refining other mechanics, I didn’t get to go to the expo to show the game off. The artists, writers, musicians went. Us programmers? Stay at home, put your feet up, your work doesn’t actually sell a game.

It should, because if a game is technically sound, it’s going to be a good game to play and should be fun, right? But your part in that won’t be praised.

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For a field as demanding and knowledge based as programming, one has to wonder why the unsung heroes of game development don’t get recognition, at least when their work is good, alongside their peers in development. It’s an interesting situation and one I am not sure I would know of a solution to. Sure they are in the credits, but the actual conversations beyond that, you’d be hard pressed to hear someone praise a game’s programming.

That is just the thing. As programming isn’t a spoken and praised field like art, or writing, or hell even monetization if you look at the industry today, why should it be taught to students? The people of the world won’t notice it unless it’s bad, and they figure (And I know this is the case), that people who want to be programmers don’t need the teaching. Well, we do. We all learn somehow, and there is only so much Google and books can give you without the insight.

 

I sincerely hope in the future as games become more demanding, programmers get the praise they deserve. They are more than the people in dark cubicles who complain a lot. They make the game work. They make your tools. They gave you the software to develop your animations and art. They are there when something breaks and they would rather be asleep.

And this isn’t even mentioning the industry where if a programming job can be found by someone cheaper, a developer will likely take it regardless of quality. That’s a thing too, I suppose. Labour turn-over is a real issue.

 

 

If you enjoyed this rather different piece, share and leave feedback on social media, and I will see you for the next one. Until then, Happy Gaming!

 

 

Bayonetta 2 is a game that also fills the smaller game niche.

Behind The Game: Bayonetta Series

Sean Alexander

Bayonetta is a franchise that has now gone from cult classic, to point of contention, to now having a clear home. So what happened to our favourite Umbra Witch?

 

Bayonetta is the brain child of Platinum Games, a studio famous for Okami and Devil May Cry, before leaving Capcom and becoming independent. Most of Platinum’s work has been on licensed titles (See TMNT, Transformers, Korra etc.) or as hired help for things like Nier Automata and Metal Gear Rising. Their own projects however, haven’t really hit the same heights.

Platinum’s games are very stylised and fast paced, full of action, but often have little caveats of detail and depth that open it up to a more dedicated audience. Bayonetta isn’t just Devil Mat Cry, it has layers, combos, weapons, upgrades, like a mini-RPG hack and slash.

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So when SEGA published Bayonetta and let Platinum have a free reign with a game, it hit Xbox 360 and later (Though very inferior quality wise) the PS3. I didn’t play the game at this time, I had a PS3 late 2010 and so Bayonetta completely skipped over me. A shame too, as when I spoke to a retail employee when pre-ordering the sequel, they talked me into the double-pack (I was the only one there to order it too!).

Bayonetta across both platforms though, seemingly didn’t sell well enough for SEGA. A sequel was planned but never came to be, later revealed to be an issue with no one seeing value in the title, except for one publisher. Maybe the provocative nature of the game was a turn off, or maybe the marketing wasn’t very good. Either way, it didn’t hit internal expectations.

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Nintendo of all people, stepped in, paying for the development of the game and publishing rights. SEGA still owned the IP, but at that moment when the Wii U was up and coming, the news Bayonetta 2 would be exclusive was shocking. To say some places reacted poorly would be an understatement, but the writing was on the wall: If the series was to continue, and Platinum was to be given complete freedom, Nintendo had to step in when no one else would.

So a double pack of both games hit the Wii U late 2014, to acclaim. For what it’s worth considering the system it was on, Bayonetta 2 sold well, and then the series went quiet. It became a cult hit, a must have on Wii U, and Nintendo was evidently very happy to allow Nintendo themed costumes and assets into both games.  They even had Platinum co-develop Star Fox Zero, a title with mixed reception, but a solid game none the less.

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What follows next is quite possibly the biggest indication of the future for the IP. With the cancellation of Scalebound at the hands of Microsoft earlier this year, another Platinum dreamed IP shafted, and some great work as hired help, Platinum was given, by popular fan vote as it happens, a chance for Bayonetta to enter Super Smash Bros. and they leapt at the chance, back in late 2015.

Personally to me and many others around the world, that moment sealed it. Bayonetta had found a home, and it was one Platinum was clearly more than willing to go with. The response to Bayonetta 2 and her inclusion in Super Smash Bros. alongside two amiibo figures, cemented her and the franchise as a Nintendo staple, which looking back on what people consider typical “Nintendo fare” is quite humorous.

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Now regarding the future of Bayonetta as a franchise, I openly would have said maybe Bayonetta 3 wouldn’t happen, but Platinum was listed by Nintendo as a key developer for them, and Platinum themselves were teasing both Wonderful 101 (Another Nintendo aided project for Wii U) and Bayonetta.

Come along the Game Awards 2017, and at last, we were graced with the new that Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2 are coming to Nintendo Switch in February as a double pack. Great news for those who haven’t played the original on 360/PS3/PC/Wii U, and the many yet to play the sequel. It didn’t stop there though.

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Bayonetta 3 has been the shock of recent weeks, with many now eagerly awaiting more news about the Nintendo Switch exclusive. It has become apparent where the future of Bayonetta lies, and while SEGA still owns the IP, Nintendo is once again letting Platinum make their dream, and fans around the world are now eagerly looking for the next showing.

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That’s the real success of Bayonetta. The fans pushed it, getting her into Smash via popular vote, making the original such a cult hit, and showing that something Platinum made won’t be forgotten. As we move forward to the releases of the first two games, and eventually the third title, fans of the franchise are happy to see Bayonetta has a home in an unlikely place, with Platinum given the freedom they wanted for their own IP.

 

The future of Bayonetta is clear: Nintendo wants this franchise to flourish and develop, and Platinum is all too happy to do so. Bayonetta 3 will most probably be the best-selling entry in the series to date, and you can bet future Smash Bros. games will feature the witch in her combo based glory, and a fourth title will emerge.

 

 

If you enjoyed this look over the Bayonetta franchise with Behind The Game don’t forget to share and like the post, send it to your friends, let us know what you think of the series, and we will see you next time. Happy Gaming!