189 replies to this topic

[LogiTeeka]

And unlike AoStH, the characters were tolerable and it had some decent interactions and surprisingly emotional scenes.

Except for Sticks, who as I predicted is annoying because of her one track joke (she's paranoid/psychotic) and ear-grating voice.  True she's not nearly as bad as Scratch from AoStH, but give a few more episodes....she will be.

So, basically, she's like Antoine in SatAM. I guess history repeats itself.

[RedAuthar]

And unlike AoStH, the characters were tolerable and it had some decent interactions and surprisingly emotional scenes.

Except for Sticks, who as I predicted is annoying because of her one track joke (she's paranoid/psychotic) and ear-grating voice. True she's not nearly as bad as Scratch from AoStH, but give a few more episodes....she will be.

So, basically, she's like Antoine in SatAM. I guess history repeats itself.

More like Barnaby from Underground but yeah, you get the idea. Or Sonia even.

[LogiTeeka]

Nah. Bartleby was intended to be unlikeable. You knew he wasn't going to change his ways, despite how much Sonia encouraged him.

Antoine, on the other hand, was one of the main characters. It's difficult to root for a character that continued to get more pathetic as the series continued.

Hopefully, Sticks won't get that kind of treatment and will get the chance to expand on her character. Only time will tell.

[Robthe1st]

I've seen the first two episodes of Sonic Boom... and I had to say: It was... ... okay.. but not great. The animation was pretty good though. 

 

I think it'll be a great show for kids under 12 and most of the die hard Sonic fans. But, to me, I think it'll be forgotten in ten years.

 

That's my comment on Sonic Boom.   

[Shadow]

Amy and Sticks don't wear panties

[LogiTeeka]

[furrykef]

well this thread just got a lot more creepy.

[Uncle Ben]

[ILOVEVHS]

[RedAuthar]

....well truthfully we all knew Shadow was going to say that anyways.

[Uncle Ben]

....well truthfully we all knew Shadow was going to say that anyways.

 

Still

[Shadow]

One has to wonder if it was lazyness on the animators part to not add underwear, or if they left it there on purpose.

[Uncle Ben]

Or if they wanted to see if someone was gonna look for something like that

[stm858]

I thought it was... OK? There really was nothing to write home about for these first couple of episodes apart from the odd joke and action scene. I'm not all too keen on where the series seems to be going as a whole either - the ten-minute comedy skits just don't do it for me, and I'd much rather have an animated show with plot, story and character development. But since this is a new IP they're hoping to make more games out of, I really doubt that.

 

One thing I do like is some of the character designs, created by Bob Rafei (of Jak and Daxter fame). I much prefer this design of Amy over her old aesthetic (and personality), and I appreciate the small accessories Tails is sporting. But although I want to like the new look Knuckles has been given, it really could have been designed a heck of a lot better than just increasing the scale of his body and arms.

 

Sorry if I'm rambling on a bit here. Just joined the site and I've had classmates complain at me constantly about these new designs as well as Rafei in general from uni (I'm on an arts course).

 

(Also a nitpick here but the 3D animators and 3D modelers are two different sets of people - modelers create the 3D character, which then goes to riggers who add joints and control shapes in order for it to be able to move, then the animators create the movement (there's more people involved, but that's the basics of it).)

[Captain Sorzo]

I found both of the released episodes to be rather underwhelming...which was what I was expecting. A handful of the jokes were funny, with Robotnik's surprisingly blunt comment about Orbot and Cubot having no souls easily being the best, the art style was competent from a technical standpoint, and Roger Craig Smith's take on Sonic was actually tolerable for once, but everything else was lackluster at best. Most of the humor fell flat, while characterization ranged from annoying to bland. No introduction was given to Sticks, the new main cast member; for that matter, no establishing narrative context was offered whatsoever, leaving the audience to assume that the series is, for all intents and purposes, no different than the mainline Sonic "continuity" (a term I use loosely), thus making the decision to have Sonic Boom exist as a separate universe completely pointless. Given that the series touts itself as being entirely episodic, it seems pointless to entertain the notion that future episodes will take measures to establish meaningful worldbuilding, much less character development or thematic exploration.

 

The setting in particular irked me, as the first episode was set in a tropical jungle...up until the script called for a frozen lake, at which point the climate abruptly shifted considerably to accommodate. Already, it seems obvious that this world wasn't thought out at all, that it is nothing more than a soulless backdrop for a series of random gags that can shift at the slightest whim of whomever happens to be penning the script of the week. This in turn is indicative of what I find most damning of the series: there's no heart invested in it, no passion or ambition, at least not at its creative core. By all evidence, it exists as nothing more than an advertisement, a means of selling more toys and video games...the ultimate irony of course being that the actual Sonic Boom game is, by most accounts, severely wanting in quality itself, almost as if it was churned out for the sole purpose of promoting the show. A detestable cycle, to be sure.

 

To be fair, these cynical ramblings may be premature, with the series ultimately bearing better fruit than its initial offerings suggest, but I frankly doubt it.

 

...It's just frustrating, really. Shows like SatAM and Friendship is Magic were commissioned under similar circumstances, as nothing more than glorified advertisements, but against all odds they achieved greatness because their creators had the passion and ambition needed to go far beyond what was expected of them. I find their ability to transcend norms and create genuine art in such corporate, commercial environments so inspiring...to then see something like this brings me back down to Earth, so to speak, grounding my romantic notions with a stern reminder that such cases are very few and far between, that they only stand out because they are surrounded by so much uninspired, lifeless drivel.

[LogiTeeka]

The setting in particular irked me, as the first episode was set in a tropical jungle...up until the script called for a frozen lake, at which point the climate abruptly shifted considerably to accommodate. Already, it seems obvious that this world wasn't thought out at all, that it is nothing more than a soulless backdrop for a series of random gags that can shift at the slightest whim of whomever happens to be penning the script of the week.

To be fair, the classic games did that all the time. Like, one moment, you've finished the ruins of Marble Garden Zone; suddenly, you're in the brightly-colored Carnival Night Zone. Next, you're shot through a cannon and land in the frozen wasteland of Ice Cap Zone. And all this takes place on Angel Island.

I'm so used to this trope, it didn't really bother me when I first saw the episode.

[stm858]

Not sure how I feel about that part. I mean, yeah the classic games did just change setting at a drop of a hat, but they were also created back when plot and story wasn't considered for the entire game.

[furrykef]

In the games, the abrupt terrain shifts were basically explained away by the "zone" concept. Not to mention that it doesn't have to be the case that the zones are right next to one another; Sonic might be traveling a long distance between them off-camera.

[LogiTeeka]

Well, in the "Adventure" games, they didn't seem that distant.

I mean, the entrance to Ice Cap Zone can be found in a tunnel leading to the jungle, and that happens to be next to the volcanic Red Mountain Zone. And in SA2, Sand Ocean Zone is located next to the mountain range that contains Pumpkin Hill Zone and Sky Rail. Likewise, it too is located close to Central City.

Considering most of these games take place on individual islands, I guess the locations would have to be small if there are that many numerous zones on one landmass.

[stm858]

So I just watched the next two episodes, and in my opinion they're a definite improvement. "Translate This" had a lot of good gags and was very humor based while "Buster" was a little less entertaining, but still had some moments. I think I'm minding less that there's a lack of plot, but so long as they keep the humor top notch I'll probably keep watching.