Official DLC Speculation Discussion Volume II

[cashregister9]

Actually, Shade wasn't an Archie original character. She was created specifically for Sonic Chronicles. It's just that Ken is convinced she's a ripoff of one of his characters.

Yeah I remembered that part wrong, Fixed

 

[SharkLord]

For the cold steel spirits, way I see it it would be an event after Adol’s release if Adol is picked, and with Rean’s DLC board if Rean is picked

I do think it's possible to have a CS event before Adol. I can't imagine it would take very long to put in the Spirits and set special conditions for them, certainly not as long as it would take for a fighter. If the supposed fighter comes with Ys and Trails content, I could easily see Nintendo nabbing Cold Steel Spirits alongside Adol and putting them out first because they're just that much quicker to make. Heck, I could even see them pulling a Terry and slipping in Trails Spirits into Adol's Spirit Board.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

2B’s ass.

That is all.

insert POV You Are Horny On Main meme here

anyway, not giving up on the Neku dream for Square rep #4. I wanted him since Brawl aight I need my son

Wake up
Leave your hesitation
Wake up
Time for us to realize...

I do think it's possible to have a CS event before Adol. I can't imagine it would take very long to put in the Spirits and set special conditions for them, certainly not as long as it would take for a fighter. If the supposed fighter comes with Ys and Trails content, I could easily see Nintendo nabbing Cold Steel Spirits alongside Adol and putting them out first because they're just that much quicker to make. Heck, I could even see them pulling a Terry and slipping in Trails Spirits into Adol's Spirit Board.

Pulling a Terry I can see. Not so much the event before Falcom’s first playable character. I know you gave your reasons as to why you believe ArcSys getting the River City event before a playable character doesn’t rule ArcSys out of getting a rep, and I could see that being the case if we got a playable rep no more than 4 months later. It’s been... well over a year since the River City event.

 

[SharkLord]

insert POV You Are Horny On Main meme here

anyway, not giving up on the Neku dream for Square rep #4. I wanted him since Brawl aight I need my son

Wake up
Leave your hesitation
Wake up
Time for us to realize...

Pulling a Terry I can see. Not so much the event before Falcom’s first playable character. I know you gave your reasons as to why you believe ArcSys getting the River City event before a playable character doesn’t rule ArcSys out of getting a rep, and I could see that being the case if we got a playable rep no more than 4 months later. It’s been... well over a year since the River City event.

Fighters take time. If Sol or Ragna's in the pipeline, they'd have been negotiated for around mid-to-late 2019, but wouldn't necessarily be coming around then. In that time, the door to ArcSys would be open, and Nintendo could easily sneak in some River City Spirits during that deal and put them out shortly after. They wouldn't need any new models, new animations, voicelines, stages, etc., just a picture and some unique conditions. It's not like the River City Spirits set a deadline or anything.

 

[BlondeLombax]

I don't think that this was ever outright confirmed, just semi-implied by context, but my impression was that the reason we haven't gotten any Sonic remixes for Smash other than the Angel Island Zone one from Brawl is that Sega is only willing to let their own music staff do the remixing so that they fully own the resulting track. Note that said Brawl remix was done by Jun Senoue and is listed as being "composition and arrangement copyright Sega". Contrast that with most Smash remixes where the arrangement is listed as "copyright Nintendo" regardless of who owns the original song.

THAT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE

 

[h2ogre]

Fighter Pass 2

• Minmin
• Steve and Alex
• Sephiroth
• Either Lloyd, Adol, or Dante
• Kat
• 2B

 

[Rie Sonomura]

Fighter Pass 2

• Minmin
• Steve and Alex
• Sephiroth
• Either Lloyd, Adol, or Dante
• Kat
• 2B

Kat as in Gravity Rush Kat?

 

[SharkLord]

Fighter Pass 2

• Minmin
• Steve and Alex
• Sephiroth
• Either Lloyd, Adol, or Dante
• Kat
• 2B

Not sure how likely Kat is, but I'd be fine with this.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

2B would be cool but I don’t see companies double dipping in the same pass. If there’s a pass 3, go for it

just know you’ll have my son(TM) Neku to compete against.

 

[h2ogre]

Kat as in Gravity Rush Kat?

 

[h2ogre]

2B would be cool but I don’t see companies double dipping in the same pass. If there’s a pass 3, go for it

just know you’ll have my son(TM) Neku to compete against.

In an interview sakurai mentioned the game as platinum in the source gaming article. i trust that she is platinum property when it REALLY boils down to it

 

[Rie Sonomura]

In an interview sakurai mentioned the game as platinum in the source gaming article. i trust that she is platinum property when it REALLY boils down to it

I see

Ps. Don’t double post - use the edit button instead.

 

[JOJONumber691]

Fighter Pass 2

• Minmin
• Steve and Alex
• Sephiroth
• Either Lloyd, Adol, or Dante
• Kat
• 2B

If we're going over predictions I might as well say mine.

• Min Min
• Steve and Alex
• Sephiroth
• Euden, Yuri, DFO, or a Pokemon (Depends ENTIRELY on whether it's like the First Pass, or it's 50/50.)
• Ryu Hayabusa
• Insert 2020/2021 First Party Here.

 

[SharkLord]

In an interview sakurai mentioned the game as platinum in the source gaming article. i trust that she is platinum property when it REALLY boils down to it

I checked the Steam page and found this

From the looks of it, Nier is Square's IP

 

[Jocario Zero]

There was a problem fetching the tweet

So it would appear that Roger Craig Smith (Sonic's current voice actor) is either stepping down from the role of Sonic or being replaced. Nothing is confirmed yet, but based on what he said at the top of the tweet (as well as the the cracked heart) I think it's safe to so that he's no longer voicing everyone's favorite blue hedgehog.

Oh man, that' a shame. Looks like im going to play some Sonic Colors this weekend.

Spoiler: and btw

Go find a better duo than this. I'll wait.

 

[Pillow]

Fighter Pass 2

• Minmin
• Steve and Alex
• Sephiroth
• Either Lloyd, Adol, or Dante
• Kat
• 2B

I don't share your optimism, but I'd be pretty happy with this.

 

[7NATOR]

I can't miss the Sonic discussion, So here are my thoughts

-Roger leaving is something. I really did like him in Boom, and to be honest he was the Sonic I mostly grew up with anyway, so it might be a little weird to hear different voice

If they do bring back a Old VA, I hope it's Griffth, He did a really good Sonic, and he also does an even more Amazing Shadow, and I really like his Shadow Voice over Kirk's Shadow. However It's very possible it's Ben, just to make the Movie Universe and the games more consistent. if they go that direction, than we might see an younger Sonic approach than currently

If we get a New Sonic character, I do hope that this New Sonic VA can do new voice clips or something like that. Roger's Voice is already recycled in Smash, so it's not that much of a lost

-I think the mandates on Sonic are more focused on the Comics than other media. I think the want to make sure that the Comics stay consistent with the more prominent media like the games, so people don't get really confused about some of the plot points in the comics if they come from the games (Archie comics had some really weird Plot elements in them, not that it was bad, but Sega might not like it, especially after the Ken situation)

-As a Shadow fan, I don't think his Modern portrayal is as bad as people make it out to be

his Portrayal in the IDW Comics is heavily flawed, and he's definitely a Vegeta in both Boom and also Team Sonic racing. However if you look at the Japanese Sub of Boom and Team Sonic Racing, he's actually portrayed more like his usual incarnations , and in Forces I would say he was his usual self. He also was more like his usual self in Lego Dimensions, and even in the Twitter takedowns.

I think there are Two Problems that arises around Shadow's Characterization and people's perception of it

-Shadow doesn't have much Screentime as he did back then. Even in Forces he wasn't around very long, and that was his Biggest role since 06

-When it comes to Spin-off games, Not only is there a Serious plot, which Shadow's Character usually shines the most, but in games like Team Sonic Racing, I don't think we've seen Shadow in the SA2-06 really behave in Competitive settings like this, where the goal is to win. I could actually see this as an expansion of Shadow's Character, where he is Very Highly competitive, perhaps to a fault.

and for games like Boom, they probably really just want Sonic vs Shadow, so they would neuter his Character to do it, plus as it's a different universe they technically don't need to adhere to his Consistent personality

I do think Sega still knows how to write Shadow, but they don't give him much screentime in the mainline games for us to see his usual self turn up.

-Sonic's Representation isn't outright terrible, but I do think it's just underwhelming is all. It's better than not being represented at all, and is much better than FF7's Old representation, but I do think they can expand more of his representation to breath more life into the Universe in Smash

-Sonic Isn't really big in Japan, but he still does have some quite bit of Notability there. it might even be increasing as the IDW Comics sold out there. A new Sonic character definitely would be more focused towards the Western Crowd

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

Fighter Pass 2

• Minmin
• Steve and Alex
• Sephiroth
• Either Lloyd, Adol, or Dante
• Kat
• 2B

There was a problem fetching the tweet

I don't share your optimism, but I'd be pretty happy with this.

Oh, he'll be as pessimistic as we are if he hangs out here long enough

 

[LAA9000]

Minmin

Today marks the official start of the Min Min Misspelling Minimalization Movement - or MMMMM, for short. Join us, as we fight back at the oppressive forces that spell it 'Minmin' or 'Min-Min' and teach them the important lesson that it is actually spelt 'Min Min'. Together, we can make a difference, and bring justice to the world again!

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

Today marks the official start of the Min Min Misspelling Minimalization Movement - or MMMMM, for short. Join us, as we fight back at the oppressive forces that spell it 'Minmin' or 'Min-Min' and teach them the important lesson that it is actually spelt 'Min Min'. Together, we can make a difference, and bring justice to the world again!

Could you do me a favor and set your game to Japanese, then look at her name?

 

[SharkLord]

Today marks the official start of the Min Min Misspelling Minimalization Movement - or MMMMM, for short. Join us, as we fight back at the oppressive forces that spell it 'Minmin' or 'Min-Min' and teach them the important lesson that it is actually spelt 'Min Min'. Together, we can make a difference, and bring justice to the world again!

Actually it is spelt Min, Min. Both her first name and last name are Min, and just saying "Min" is acceptable. So, for instance, when you're being torn apart by an army of Springtrons and your F---ING ARMS are malfunctioning, you can just say "MIN! HELP MEEEE!"

Only the truly cultured will understand this reference

 

[3BitSaurus]

Also Goombas. Conclusion: Add a Goomba.

Haha just kidding...unless?

Where was the Bazoomba support thread again?

Sure, he has 2 stages, but they're pretty much just Green Hill and Green Hill in the sky.

Honestly? I think several francises have a problem like this. Like, I get it, first levels are almost always a good window into games, but did we really need 4 variations of Mario levels set in plains? Couldn't we get a DK cave or factory level? Alien jungle Brinstar? A casino level from Sonic instead of Windy Hill?

Sure, it makes sense for some series, but it's a damn shame we don't see some really interesting environment possibilities some of these games can offer.

 

[LAA9000]

Could you do me a favor and set your game to Japanese, then look at her name?

Heck.

Well I don't play with the language set to Japanese, and I assume none of the people who leave the space out do either, so they're still sinners in my eyes. Don't even get me started on those who use a hyphen.

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

Heck.

Well I don't play with the language set to Japanese, and I assume none of the people who leave the space out do either, so they're still sinners in my eyes. Don't even get me started on those who use a hyphen.

What about Ramin Ramin?

 

[SNEKeater]

In an interview sakurai mentioned the game as platinum in the source gaming article. i trust that she is platinum property when it REALLY boils down to it

Nier is owned by Square Enix. The series existed before Automata, which is the only game so far where Platinum has been involved, so...

 

[7NATOR]

I got a question actually

When it comes to Donkey Kong, how come the Composers like remixing the same song multiple times?

 

[Otoad64]

Honestly? I think several francises have a problem like this. Like, I get it, first levels are almost always a good window into games, but did we really need 4 variations of Mario levels set in plains? Couldn't we get a DK cave or factory level? Alien jungle Brinstar? A casino level from Sonic instead of Windy Hill?

Sure, it makes sense for some series, but it's a damn shame we don't see some really interesting environment possibilities some of these games can offer.

100% agree. I've heard some people have tried to justify it by saying that sakurai only plays the beginning of the games he plays for research. but like, does he really need to play a mario game to know how to make a bowser's castle stage, or could he really not be bothered to play the 2nd level of sonic 2? (assuming he did play sonic 2)

 

[Miles of SmashWiki]

100% agree. I've heard some people have tried to justify it by saying that sakurai only plays the beginning of the games he plays for research. but like, does he really need to play a mario game to know how to make a bowser's castle stage, or could he really not be bothered to play the 2nd level of sonic 2? (assuming he did play sonic 2)

Pretty sure the general idea is to pick a game's most iconic location(s) for stages, hence why we tend to get primarily stages based on things like first areas (Green Greens, Corneria), hub areas (Delfino Plaza, Skyloft), or endgame areas (New Pork City, Northern Cave).

 

[UltimateCyborgOverlord]

Might it be one of these?:

Reddit - Dive into anything

www.reddit.com

Or

Reddit - Dive into anything

www.reddit.com

One of the leaks for Sonic's 30th anniversary said that Sonic was getting one of his old va back, can't remember which va or which leak tho.

I am late to the party.

The only leak recently that mentioned something or other about voice cast changes (apart from the billion Ben Schwartz things) was this "Sonic:Rose" / "Sonic Unlimited" leaks from the 18th of January. Rie up there posts links, but since the 4chan links are now dead, I'll share them verbatim, spelling and grammer errors and all, for the sake of discussion (though, you know how it is with 4Chan... it COULD be true, but it's best to assume it isn't unless given reason to believe otherwise)


The original leak:


"These days I've seen that Sonic Rift supposed leak going around and I can confirm that that is indeed fake. The only part of that leak that is actually true is that Sonic's design now has a slightly realistic fur texture (nothing exaggerated, similar to what Nintendo did with Mario's hair in Odyssey).

- The game is a soft reboot with a new voice cast, similar to what Adventure, 06, and Colors did. The characters feel like they're younger, they represent their respective ages better.

-It will lead into a new animated series in 2022 that'll have the same voice cast. This series and the game itself have nothing to do with the IDW comics plot-wise like some people have been hoping and saying. They also have nothing to do with the movie (although sonic's characterization is similar to it).

-The game has 2 playable characters: Sonic and Amy. Their interactions are similar to how they are portrayed in recent media like the idw comics, it seems that's how Sega likes them to be represented nowadays.

-Sonic has a new gameplay style, the most similar one would be Lost World to be honest. There's no "running button" like in that game, speed is progressive depending on how much you tilt the stick or how much momentum you have. Parkour makes a return, but it's more of a situational/scripted ability. The kick isn't here. You can go a lot faster than in LW. Areas are open-ish.

-Amy's gameplay is similar to other 3d platformers, with bigger and more vertical areas than Sonic and simply combat mechanics with the hammer (there aren't combos, skills or anything like that).

-There aren't any hub worlds, but there's a sort of zeppelin-base where you can talk with other characters, levels and check on the collectibles you have so far.

-There are new writers in place, the same ones that'll handle the new series. I don't know who they are, but I've heard they are people with experience in other tv shows.

-The development is going smoothly. There's been a lot of silence surrounding the game because they want to wait until everything is in place, this is a multiple media project. Also, it took some time to assemble the team for the game since Sonic Team as it was doesn't exist anymore, it's a brand name more than anything else, so expect a lot of new people to pop up in the credits.

-I don't know a lot of specific story details, but it consists in sonic, amy & co trying to find and get a certain object before Eggman does. Expect a light-hearted and adventurous tone.

-I have no idea about what the game is called but its codename development name was "Sonic: Rose" Don't expect it to be that, it'll 100% have a different name.

-It started development with ps4, xbox one, pc and switch in mind and it'll release in those systems, but there'll be next-gen versions as well

"



That's the OG leak.... and then the next day this strange one popped up backing it up



verbatim:

"
Yes, that sonic:rose info is real. The actual title name is Sonic Unlimited, i'ts supposed to come out next fall, but it might get pushed back to 2022 and not make it to the anniversary. Both the game and the series will revolve around "the hedgehog species lore and mysteries", which is why sonic and amy became the central figures. The plot of the game has the main crew (sonic, tails, knuckles and amy) traveling around the world in a new aircraft built by Tails as they try to find an artifact connected to an ancient hedgehog civilization before Eggman does. It's sort of an Indiana Jones-esque type of adventure. The game is a revamp of the franchise, but it takes place in the modern continuity, it does not erase what has come before nor is it an elseworld type of thing like Sonic Boom was. The rest of the cast makes an appearance and they'll hop into your flying-base as you progress through the story, you can talk to them there (similar to how you did it in generations). It'll introduce a new female anagonistic character deeply related to the moon (heavily inspired by the tsukuyomi mythos in japanese culture). The netflix series is being developed by WildBrain and Man of Action in collaboration with Sega and it'll be 3d animated. Regarding the game's soundtrack, it has a sonic runners feel to it. Sega really wants this to succeed and to take advantage of the movie's good reception so they've been taking their time to make sure everything is in line with their expectations of quality.
"


Also from the day following the original (the 19th of January) came THIS followup:


Verbatim, once again:


"
Well, I've been reading that game's rumors and... they could be legit.
Almost a year ago I could do beta testing for a new sonic project and it seems to be pretty in line with what's been described. I won't disclose too much bc I had to sign an NDA, but the many similarities between my experience and the descriptions of those leaks would be too big of a coincidence. Idk about the name or if it's related to a tv show since they don't inform you of those matters, but given how accurate the rest of the details they give seem to be, I would bet that stuff is true as well. My experience with the version of the game I could play was really satisfactory so I think maybe this time we could finally be in for a treat! (I would prefer a sonic mania 2 though, but oh well)

"





Now for MY thoughts on this whole moose:

It's rather interesting that they claim part of the story involes an ancient hedgehog civilization or whatever, because if I recall correctly that is an unused concept from Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric, hence all those hedgehog statues lying about the place in that game and such. Sega is no stranger to recycling unused ideas, whether that's taking Madonna and turning it into Princess Elise, taking the idea of Sonic being a rabbit with stretchy ears or whatever and bringing it back as a werewolf with stretchy arms, or of course Sonic X-Treme's unused idea of having Eggman controlling 6 monsters resurrecting itself as the Deadly Six, or one of Shadow's original concept art pieces being reworked into Blaze the Cat. SEGA kinda likes to revisit old ideas and rework them, so this would be par the course.

Speaking of revisiting old ideas and Sonic Boom, this whole idea that it's a multimedia project tying into the Netflix show would explain a lot. It'd explain why Netflix yanked the announcement tweet and never really came back with it for reasons unexplained (had to wait until the game was announced). Plus, Sonic Boom was very much made with the "multimedia project" angle in mind, perhaps this is something of a white whale for SEGA?

Now, only the first rumor seems to mention anything about a new voice cast, but THAT'S the thing; it implies a new VOICE CAST, which implies to ME that that would mean "pretty much everybody" gets a new voice, not just Sonic. Roger Craig Smith has announced he will move on from Sonic. We'll have to see if anyone else does too.


Now the odd thing here is that it claims that the two playable characters here are Sonic and Amy. If that turns out to be true, get ready for the whole "Amy gets upgraded into playable character to tie into Sonic Unlimited" debates to start, warning ya now (not that I'd mind, I'm enough of a Sonic fan that I'd be happy with just about anybody that isn't Classic or Boom). I suppose "Sonic and Amy are the playable characters" is no stranger than the whole "the playable characters are Sonic, a shorter chubbier Sonic, and a character of your creation that could be anywhere from a lime-green wolf to a red bird in a Gamer hat" that Forces went with.

I BET... that with the announcement of Roger Craig Smith leaving the role behind that a GAME announcement isn't too far behind... or at least I'd like to think that.

 

[ALongWistfulSquiggle]

100% agree. I've heard some people have tried to justify it by saying that sakurai only plays the beginning of the games he plays for research. but like, does he really need to play a mario game to know how to make a bowser's castle stage, or could he really not be bothered to play the 2nd level of sonic 2? (assuming he did play sonic 2)

We just got Byleth with post-timeskip weapons and Sephiroth in general (FF7 is old, but still). I don't think that argument holds much water anyway.

 

[Otoad64]

Pretty sure the general idea is to pick a game's most iconic location(s) for stages, hence why we tend to get primarily stages based on things like first areas (Green Greens, Corneria), hub areas (Delfino Plaza, Skyloft), or endgame areas (New Pork City, Northern Cave).

yeah but I would say Bowser's Castle and Chemical Plant are iconic

 

[h2ogre]

THE CASE OF CHUN LI IN SMASH

Originally I thought, “Wow, Chun Li would be someone they would most likely add to smash, especially after Terry, but after looking deeper into it a week later there might be alot going against her. Her spirit as well as most of the cast of street fighter are already in smash, of course we all know that spirits don’t deconfirm fighters because of Minmin, but there would not be alot to add in her spirit pass if she did get in.
Her theme is also already in smash along with a ton of other street fighter music, so we might run into a situation where we don't get a-lot of music like with Cloud originally. She is also very similar to Ryu and Ken in the fact that she uses command inputs, i think the only reason Terry got in is because he has that ‘Go’ meter that kinda sets him apart, but not by alot. lastly, depending on whether or not this information comes from a reputable leaker there has been talk that she was originally supposed to fight right along side Ryu in the initial roster, but was cut in favor of Ken. That could be the reason she is the only street fighter spirit that can be enhanced (im pretty sure about that but not certain. Double check if you want.) I guess its a bit like a mii costume of the character you wanted in, but in the form of a spirit. This is just me thinking out loud, but the fact that she is the only spirit that is enhanceable as far as street fighter is concerned may be sakurai saying, “sorry, I tried, but here have this instead.”

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

That could be the reason she is the only street fighter spirit that can be enhanced (im pretty sure about that but not certain. Double check if you want.)

She's the only one, but I always assumed that it was because Chun-Li is the only character among the ones spirited who has multiple designs that are drastically different... if you remove all the characters that got redesigns in SFV due to Sony have rights over that game thanks to them funding it.

"What about Cammy?"

Her Alpha look is a glorified palette swap.

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

The unfortunate byproduct of focusing on the first levels (often in the first/most notable) games for characters is that they're rarely the most interesting. Green Hill Zone is nice, but there's loads of stages from the 2D and 3D eras that would be cooler. Same with DKC where some of the best stuff from the later SNES title or Tropical Freeze are omitted in favor of DKC1 or generic jungle like settings. Even beyond the unfortunate mechanics of the stage, in a whole multitude of fun Pac-Man adventure game levels, Pac-Land is pretty low on the list as far as dynamic locations.

 

[BritishGuy54]

Fighter Pass 2

• Minmin
• Steve and Alex
• Sephiroth
• Either Lloyd, Adol, or Dante
• Kat
• 2B

Here’s my predictions:

Fighters:

• Min Min
• Steve & Alex
• Sephiroth
• Rex & Pyra
• Ryu Hayabusa
• Crash

Mii Costumes:

• Lora (Brawler)
• Elma (Swordfighter)
• Poppi a (Gunner)
• Monster Hunter Costumes from Sm4sh
• Neo Cortex (Gunner)
• Aku Aku (Mask)
• Spyro (Brawler)
• Freddy Fazbear (Brawler)
• Lloyd (Swordfighter)
• Yuri (Tales) (Swordfighter)
• Impa (Brawler)

 

[Rie Sonomura]

My predictions:

• Min Min
• Steve & Alex
• Sephiroth
• KOS-MOS & T-elos OR Elma
• Crash Bandicoot OR Ahri
• Reimu Hakurei OR Octoling Girl & Octoling Boy

 

[Hydreigonfan01]

2B’s ass.

That is all.

We're not even getting 2B as the character, it's just her ass.

 

[Cosmic77]

I never really had a problem with most of the stage choices representing the first level or most iconic area of a game.

Honestly, it doesn't matter nearly as much as people think it does. Sakurai has the ability to do whatever he wants with a stage, so he can make them as intresting or uninteresting as he wants. Choosing Zora's Domain or Gerudo Town over Sheikah Tower doesn't necessarily mean we're guaranteed to get a better stage. It'd be a more unexpected choice, sure, but there's nothing stopping Sakurai from pulling a Northern Cave and making a pretty basic stage that just looks good visually.

 

[Pillow]

We're not even getting 2B as the character, it's just her ass.

I'm okay with this.

Also if we're predicting the last 3.

Who I think is coming:
Ryu Hayabusa
Arle Nadje + Tetris Stage
Capcom Rep (Dante / MH / Phoenix / Chun-Li)

Who I want:
Western FPS green spaceman (Doomguy or MC)
Some weeb**** (Reimu / Hatsune Miku / Saber)
Well dressed man (Kazuma Kiryu / Phoenix Wright)

On a side note, a LoL Rep is one of the (plausible) characters I actively don't want. I'm saying this as an active League player since Season 2. The other characters I don't want are Blizzard / Fortnite characters. For some reason I just don't really want characters I largely associate with PC gaming into Smash, which I mostly associate with console gaming. It's a silly reason, I know, especially after Steve but there you have it.

 

[7NATOR]

I am late to the party.

The only leak recently that mentioned something or other about voice cast changes (apart from the billion Ben Schwartz things) was this "Sonic:Rose" / "Sonic Unlimited" leaks from the 18th of January. Rie up there posts links, but since the 4chan links are now dead, I'll share them verbatim, spelling and grammer errors and all, for the sake of discussion (though, you know how it is with 4Chan... it COULD be true, but it's best to assume it isn't unless given reason to believe otherwise)


The original leak:
View attachment 300840

"These days I've seen that Sonic Rift supposed leak going around and I can confirm that that is indeed fake. The only part of that leak that is actually true is that Sonic's design now has a slightly realistic fur texture (nothing exaggerated, similar to what Nintendo did with Mario's hair in Odyssey).

- The game is a soft reboot with a new voice cast, similar to what Adventure, 06, and Colors did. The characters feel like they're younger, they represent their respective ages better.

-It will lead into a new animated series in 2022 that'll have the same voice cast. This series and the game itself have nothing to do with the IDW comics plot-wise like some people have been hoping and saying. They also have nothing to do with the movie (although sonic's characterization is similar to it).

-The game has 2 playable characters: Sonic and Amy. Their interactions are similar to how they are portrayed in recent media like the idw comics, it seems that's how Sega likes them to be represented nowadays.

-Sonic has a new gameplay style, the most similar one would be Lost World to be honest. There's no "running button" like in that game, speed is progressive depending on how much you tilt the stick or how much momentum you have. Parkour makes a return, but it's more of a situational/scripted ability. The kick isn't here. You can go a lot faster than in LW. Areas are open-ish.

-Amy's gameplay is similar to other 3d platformers, with bigger and more vertical areas than Sonic and simply combat mechanics with the hammer (there aren't combos, skills or anything like that).

-There aren't any hub worlds, but there's a sort of zeppelin-base where you can talk with other characters, levels and check on the collectibles you have so far.

-There are new writers in place, the same ones that'll handle the new series. I don't know who they are, but I've heard they are people with experience in other tv shows.

-The development is going smoothly. There's been a lot of silence surrounding the game because they want to wait until everything is in place, this is a multiple media project. Also, it took some time to assemble the team for the game since Sonic Team as it was doesn't exist anymore, it's a brand name more than anything else, so expect a lot of new people to pop up in the credits.

-I don't know a lot of specific story details, but it consists in sonic, amy & co trying to find and get a certain object before Eggman does. Expect a light-hearted and adventurous tone.

-I have no idea about what the game is called but its codename development name was "Sonic: Rose" Don't expect it to be that, it'll 100% have a different name.

-It started development with ps4, xbox one, pc and switch in mind and it'll release in those systems, but there'll be next-gen versions as well

"



That's the OG leak.... and then the next day this strange one popped up backing it up
View attachment 300846


verbatim:

"
Yes, that sonic:rose info is real. The actual title name is Sonic Unlimited, i'ts supposed to come out next fall, but it might get pushed back to 2022 and not make it to the anniversary. Both the game and the series will revolve around "the hedgehog species lore and mysteries", which is why sonic and amy became the central figures. The plot of the game has the main crew (sonic, tails, knuckles and amy) traveling around the world in a new aircraft built by Tails as they try to find an artifact connected to an ancient hedgehog civilization before Eggman does. It's sort of an Indiana Jones-esque type of adventure. The game is a revamp of the franchise, but it takes place in the modern continuity, it does not erase what has come before nor is it an elseworld type of thing like Sonic Boom was. The rest of the cast makes an appearance and they'll hop into your flying-base as you progress through the story, you can talk to them there (similar to how you did it in generations). It'll introduce a new female anagonistic character deeply related to the moon (heavily inspired by the tsukuyomi mythos in japanese culture). The netflix series is being developed by WildBrain and Man of Action in collaboration with Sega and it'll be 3d animated. Regarding the game's soundtrack, it has a sonic runners feel to it. Sega really wants this to succeed and to take advantage of the movie's good reception so they've been taking their time to make sure everything is in line with their expectations of quality.
"


Also from the day following the original (the 19th of January) came THIS followup:
View attachment 300841

Verbatim, once again:


"
Well, I've been reading that game's rumors and... they could be legit.
Almost a year ago I could do beta testing for a new sonic project and it seems to be pretty in line with what's been described. I won't disclose too much bc I had to sign an NDA, but the many similarities between my experience and the descriptions of those leaks would be too big of a coincidence. Idk about the name or if it's related to a tv show since they don't inform you of those matters, but given how accurate the rest of the details they give seem to be, I would bet that stuff is true as well. My experience with the version of the game I could play was really satisfactory so I think maybe this time we could finally be in for a treat! (I would prefer a sonic mania 2 though, but oh well)

"





Now for MY thoughts on this whole moose:

It's rather interesting that they claim part of the story involes an ancient hedgehog civilization or whatever, because if I recall correctly that is an unused concept from Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric, hence all those hedgehog statues lying about the place in that game and such. Sega is no stranger to recycling unused ideas, whether that's taking Madonna and turning it into Princess Elise, taking the idea of Sonic being a rabbit with stretchy ears or whatever and bringing it back as a werewolf with stretchy arms, or of course Sonic X-Treme's unused idea of having Eggman controlling 6 monsters resurrecting itself as the Deadly Six, or one of Shadow's original concept art pieces being reworked into Blaze the Cat. SEGA kinda likes to revisit old ideas and rework them, so this would be par the course.

Speaking of revisiting old ideas and Sonic Boom, this whole idea that it's a multimedia project tying into the Netflix show would explain a lot. It'd explain why Netflix yanked the announcement tweet and never really came back with it for reasons unexplained (had to wait until the game was announced). Plus, Sonic Boom was very much made with the "multimedia project" angle in mind, perhaps this is something of a white whale for SEGA?

Now, only the first rumor seems to mention anything about a new voice cast, but THAT'S the thing; it implies a new VOICE CAST, which implies to ME that that would mean "pretty much everybody" gets a new voice, not just Sonic. Roger Craig Smith has announced he will move on from Sonic. We'll have to see if anyone else does too.


Now the odd thing here is that it claims that the two playable characters here are Sonic and Amy. If that turns out to be true, get ready for the whole "Amy gets upgraded into playable character to tie into Sonic Unlimited" debates to start, warning ya now (not that I'd mind, I'm enough of a Sonic fan that I'd be happy with just about anybody that isn't Classic or Boom). I suppose "Sonic and Amy are the playable characters" is no stranger than the whole "the playable characters are Sonic, a shorter chubbier Sonic, and a character of your creation that could be anywhere from a lime-green wolf to a red bird in a Gamer hat" that Forces went with.

I BET... that with the announcement of Roger Craig Smith leaving the role behind that a GAME announcement isn't too far behind... or at least I'd like to think that.

-It's possible we could get news as Early as March, if Sega does decide to show up at SXSW, or whatever online Show they have for the event. New Sonic announcements were announced there, including Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces. though if not, I'd expect it around June of this year, even if E3 is dead forever

-Sonic and Amy being the main characters does sound kind of weird, but it's not the most far off idea. Amy is one of the mainstays of Sonic I would say, along with Tails, Knuckles, and Eggman, as well as Shadow and Metal Sonic (this is taking into account appearances, especially in recent memory). Plus as you mentioned, we've had 2 Sonics and OC as playable, so yes

I also haven't read the IDW Comics myself, but I have heard that Amy in the comics is based off Boom Amy more than the Amy in the mainline games. I'm also gonna assume that while they might tease Sonamy, they of course won't go through with it since they don't want Sonic tied down

-Unused concepts being used in Future projects I think is just something alot of media does, Not just Sega, so I can buy the Hedgehog ancient civilization thing being re-used for something that would do more with the idea. I wonder if they'll give an interpretation of why Sonic has Super Speed, or will they just leave that open to interpretation

-The New Antagonist being based around the Moon and some Japanese folklore also is something I could buy. I know that Sonic 06 had a theme going on with the Eagle motif all around 06, Including with Solaris, the Big bad of the game

-If we are getting elements from Lost World like the Parkour, I do think that is something that is to be excited about, since it shows that Sega is willing to re-use ideas that were present in some of the more critized games, since I know that's been a huge issue with the franchise.

-If this was real, all these New artifacts being introduced into the series might show that they might be trying to phase out the Chaos Emeralds, or at least not make them as prominent, so I wonder if we won't have Super form present like how it was absent in the Story of Colors, Lost world, and Forces. I also know about that whole statement about "Only Male Hedgehogs can go Super" so I wonder if this game is about the Hedgehog kind, if that will come into play or that will be retconned (Hopefully)

-I know there was speculation about there being New writers (the new voice cast thing is kind of new speculation). Pretty much Pontac and Graff seem not to have updates to their work profiles, which might have implied that they were not hired again by Sega to work on Sonic. I know their writing has been heavily critized, and if Sega really is trying to go into another direction, well you know

-I don't buy the leak entirely. I'm open-minded so I'm willing to give this one some thought however

I do wonder how this coincides with the Adventure 1 and 2 remakes though, since that is a Rumor that's been getting more ground and attention, with even some DM's to prominent Sonic youtubers being shared that come from someone that would apparently have info on the games. I know the Official planflet for the Sonic anniversary had "Sonic games in development" as one of the phrases used, with the S added which implies multiple games and not just one.