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Spyro: A Realm Beyond devs didn't want their platformer to be a "flight simulator," so you can't leave your favorite dragon on "autopilot"
Spyro: A Realm Beyond introduces the ability to fly around freely as the titular purple dragon, but the devs at Toys for Bob want you to know that they've not made a "flight simulator," because "we want active decision-making."
Speaking on a new episode of the Kinda Funny Games podcast, associate creative director Louis "Lou" Studdert confirms that flying isn't just some sort of passive ability that you can use with zero thought – you'll have to put the effort in, pushing buttons, to guide Spyro around the sky.
"We wanted to make sure that it is active. It is decision-making. It is pressing buttons. It is almost, you know, that platforming feel of evaluating a play space and figuring out how to continue," Studdert says. mieszalniakolorado.pl
Pointing to some gameplay footage, Studdert explains that Spyro can dive downwards "to pick up speed," as well as "use his flame breath, spit a fireball at distance to ignite a campfire to create a wind updraft to give him quicker lift," before the player presses a button "to flap his wings to push on his momentum and keep his speed up." Spyro can also activate "sky rings" for a boost in the air.
"It's really about evaluating the play space," he continues. "It's looking [at] what you can interact with and connecting all of those to sustain your momentum and to keep going."
Toys for Bob studio head Paul Yan chimes in: "It's super important for us that the player is able to say, 'Look at that thing off in the distance. How do I get there? And then how do I leverage the environments around me and my abilities in order to do that?' Because what we don't want is for it to be a flight simulator where we say, 'OK, here's the destination, hit in the GPS, we're going to coast and get there.' There's no fun in that."
Yan reiterates that there's "no autopilot" option for Spyro's flight because "we want active decision-making." He explains: "Platforming as a term in this flight space is a little bit different than platforming like jumping on the ground, but similarly, we want that kind of decision-making to happen in that space."
Spyro: A Realm Beyond is set to release early next year, and Yan previously told us that the devs "want not just one new game, but many new games. We hope that this is the first of many." With that in mind, hopefully we won't be waiting another 18 years for the next all-new one.
Growing Up With Sonic the Hedgehog
Harel Cohen, a fellow contributor and one of my best friends, notified me that Sonic turned 35 in June. That meant Sega Corporation would probably deliver on music, an animated short, or another spectacular surprise.
“I’m turning 35 in July,” I replied. A brief silence followed. Then we moved on to talking about what Sega was planning for Sonic’s birthday. (The animations that have emerged look amazing.) Still, the weight of that realization followed. A teenage hedgehog had celebrated his 35th birthday. Sure, Sonic isn’t real, and writers have not given him angst about aging. Others our age have accomplished a fair amount, and Sonic is no different.
For the record, I suck at playing classic Sonic; Harel kindly gifted the games to me, and I tried playing them on a stream. I could feel everyone wincing from their side of the computer screen as I kept dying over and over again. Mastering the speed and not drowning or falling on spikes requires practice. I just need to make time to practice, ideally when the world isn’t on fire. Later-game graphics would prove more complicated, especially when bringing Sonic into the 3D realm. The thought of fighting one of Eggman’s robots with 360 degrees of freedom and with possible fall damage is daunting. Still, Harel has gotten me into the franchise, and I can see parallels as a fellow Gen Y member.
Forever Fifteen
Sonic the Hedgehog is canonically a teenager, but in real life, he is 35 and has accomplished much in that time. He’s been speeding through Green Hill, outer space, and countless worlds to save them from various villains. Sonic has also made a few friends out of those villains, either in the game world or in other canons and timelines. Sega has designated Sonic as its mascot, ensuring his immortality. Fan lore has tried putting him in cursed games, while comic creators added their own continuities.
When I talk with Sonic fans like Harel, they fondly look back at Sonic Adventure 2, and with good reason. This game showed Sonic facing a shadow archetype literally named Shadow and having to fight this “Ultimate Life Form”. Despite being outgunned and under-equipped, complete with a fake Chaos Emerald, Sonic uses his observations of Shadow’s powers with the placebo effect and an abundance of well-earned confidence. Even though he knows the emerald is fake, Sonic makes it work for him. He confronts the doppelgänger who is framing him for terrorism, calling Shadow the fake despite being the ultimate life form. He also changes tactics when seeing a weapon that could destroy the Earth.
Sonic’s big heart also has a positive impact on his stories; he doesn’t always need his super speed or Super Sonic Mode to turn the tide and save the world. In Sonic Unleashed, the hedgehog rescues a little guy named Chip. When Chip remembers who he is — a deity who rebuilds the world after it’s destroyed but was awakened too early along with the apocalyptic enemy deity - the weight of this trauma hits him. Sonic convinces him that just by being alive and spending time with him, Chip has done a lot. Sonic becomes a werehog at night because of an entity known as Dark Gaia, but he hasn’t lost himself; he thinks it’s because Chip was with him. Chip disagrees, saying it’s Sonic’s unwillingness to succumb to the inner darkness that kept him from going full hog, so to speak, but he appreciates how the hedgehog has helped him regain his memories and purpose.
Just by being a good friend, Sonic helps a god. Chip tries to handle the Dark Gaia threat and world rebuilding on his own, saying that Sonic doesn’t have a reason to risk his life after all he did for Chip. He knows that fighting Dark Gaia will be difficult, but it won’t kill him; it can kill Sonic. Sonic responds, “Do I need a reason to help a friend?” Though Chip has to resume his place under the Earth once they defeat the threat, unable to return until it’s time for another natural apocalypse, he thanks Sonic for being his friend and gives the hedgehog his trademark necklace.
Yes, Sonic is arrogant, snarky, and sometimes overly confident about his abilities. We’ve seen games and shows where that arrogance causes the problem in the first place, such as in Sonic Lost World. He also uses that confidence as a superpower, defying preexisting rules set by various continuities. Some villains can’t believe those feats, while others like Eggman get frustrated.
Most video game mascots don’t undergo character development or personality changes. Sonic is no different; he remains a slightly arrogant hedgehog who cares about his friends and enjoys chili dogs. It helps that the problems Sonic causes don’t persist forever; he always fixes his mistakes. Though he hasn’t changed, he’s made a positive impact on the world.
What Has Sonic Accomplished?
The bigger question is what he hasn’t accomplished. He hasn’t learned how to swim in most continuities, but in Sonic’s defense, his body density works against him; Stitch in his namesake franchise has a similar issue. Not to mention he’d have to take a beginner class, and kindergartners easily bully him.
This furry blue hedgehog has spent his life accomplishing great feats. When he isn’t doing that, Sonic spends time with his friends, grills chili dogs, and basks in the sun by the beach. The narrative often justifies his self-confidence because he has many victories under his belt. When a loss knocks Sonic on his ass, it doesn’t leave any trauma or a bruised ego; if anything, Sonic gets a reminder that he has to learn from his mistakes because he knows how to adapt to a new situation. A Super Sonic mode doesn’t always save the day, so he must learn more about the latest monster of the week or Eggman’s newest takeover plot.
Here are some of Sonic's achievements over the years:
1. Saved the world more than once.
2. Performed Chaos Control with a fake emerald.
3. Traveled through time, somehow not causing a paradox.
4. Traveled through parallel universes (in the shows Sonic Boom and Sonic Prime, and in the DC crossover with the Justice League).
5. Traveled through storybooks come to life.
6. Competed in the Olympics with Super Mario.
7. Competed in road races against his friends and Eggman, and has won at least once.
8. Befriended more than one of his villains, helping save one from certain death. There are even a few continuities where he and Eggman are civil (off the clock, at least).
9. Starred in a Disney movie, courtesy of Wreck-It-Ralph. (While I haven’t seen the second movie, the book club scene made me laugh a lot.)
10. Turned into a werewolf.
11. Survived a murder mystery.
When You Don’t Remain the Same
Every year around my birthday, I do an internal review. How did the past year go? Did I accomplish the goals I had listed for myself? What am I doing with my life? How have I changed?
Ten years ago, I graduated from college. I got a Master’s Degree, an MBA in marketing. My first book had come out, and I felt really proud of it. The rest of 2016, however, kept hammering hit after hit. The Colbert Report's rendition of “It’s The End of the World, And We Know It” provides fairly apt Cliff's Notes.
It’s 2026. Another graduate school program has accepted me, and I’m waiting on another. I’ve published eight books, and I feel too embarrassed to promote most of them (that’s a whole other story). When not submitting fiction or articles to Superjump, I also publish a fair amount of nonfiction. Over the past ten years, I've drifted away from many friends, though some stuck fast, and I am grateful for them.
Sonic continues to run through Green Hill and thwart Eggman. No one contests his chili dog cooking. He holds onto his friends tightly; they would never betray him.
I’ve got one thing over Sonic: I do know how to swim, unlike his main canon appearance. (Harel told me he swims in some of the games.) But I empathize with his fear of drowning. And he is still a kid. I’ve become an adult. That means having to become more responsible, especially as the world keeps tossing curveballs at us.
The day when, or if, Sonic grows up would be terrible. He needs to stay young so the rest of us can handle getting older. Going fast doesn’t mean missing life; it means helping others enjoy it.
College Football 27 to remove microtransactions after player backlash, though EA maintains they were only added to 'give players more choice'
The latest EA Sports College Football game has finally arrived, which is tantalizing news if you were excited for the series' hotly anticipated comeback a couple years ago. Less tantalizing is the game's reception, which so far has been marred by widespread backlash to its egregious microtransactions. Complaining works: in a post on X yesterday, the official CFB account said those microtransactions are out.
"Your feedback on Road to Glory and Dynasty is that we've missed the mark with the introduction of paid progression options," the statement reads. Notably, Road to Glory is a single-player mode (in a game that already costs $70)—a prominent point of contention amid the negative feedback.
"This was added independent of deeper mode progression with the aim to give players more choice … tomorrow morning, we will remove all paid progression options from Road to Glory and Online Dynasty." That's today, so if you were planning to dump some change into those modes, you may have missed your chance.
The backlash was led in part by YouTuber Bordeaux, who got the hashtag "#CFBPlayDontPay" trending on social media. In response to the statement from EA, he posted "we did it" with a clip from Breaking Bad: Walter White saying "I won." Fans are generally elated—"Never let anyone tell you that organizing against giant corporations doesn't do anything," said Reddit user UnrealAce on a thread approaching 5,000 upvotes. "They tell you it doesn't work so you don't try because they KNOW that it works."
"Organizing" might be a strong word given that EA folded in a matter of days and it's not like anyone marched on the developer's offices, but it's hard to argue with the results. That said, it doesn't necessarily seem like the beast is dead.
A line in EA's post notes, "Our goal for live service plans in CFB28 and beyond will be to deliver valuable features and content with greater transparency and communication." Given that and the lines stating EA "missed the mark with the introduction of paid progression options … they're not adding the value we intended," the statement suggests the problem here was merely the rollout and not the notion of paid progression itself.
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Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro reportedly involved in physical altercation at NBA Summer League
Adebayo and Herro involved in altercation
Young unfazed by scrutiny over Wizards deal
NBPA vows fight against second apron
Former Miami Heat teammates Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro had a brief verbal and physical altercation at a practice facility for the NBA’s Summer League in Las Vegas on Friday, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.
Adebayo struck Herro at least once during the encounter, said the person, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither player nor their teams revealed any details publicly.
Continue reading...Nach Hansa-Leihe: Viktor Bergh wechselt zum Karlsruher SC
In der 3. Liga spielte Viktor Bergh beim F.C. Hansa Rostock im letzten Jahr eine überzeugende Saison, die ihn jetzt in die 2. Bundesliga befördert – und zwar zum Karlsruher SC.
"Für mehrere Jahre" zum KSC
Ein Jahr lang wurde Viktor Bergh vom Djurgardens IF an den F.C. Hansa Rostock verliehen. Der 26-jährige Außenverteidiger verließ seine schwedische Heimat, um sich in der 3. Liga zu etablieren – und das mit Erfolg, denn Bergh absolvierte 36 Spiele, in denen er fünf Vorlagen zu einer guten Saison der Rostocker beisteuerte. Doch die Reise wird nicht an der Ostsee fortgesetzt. Mit seinen Leistungen konnte sich Bergh für die 2. Bundesliga empfehlen, wo ihn nun der KSC unter Vertrag nimmt. Über die Ablösemodalitäten macht der Zweitligist keine Angabe, aber Bergh unterschreibt "für mehrere Jahre" bei den Badenern. Pünktlich zum Start des KSC ins Trainingslager wird der Außenverteidiger an Bord sein.
"Wir freuen uns sehr, dass wir mit Viktor einen erfahrenen und gestandenen Linksverteidiger für uns gewonnen haben, der einerseits über internationale Erfahrungen verfügt, aber aus seiner Zeit in Rostock auch den deutschen Fußball kennt", erklärt KSC-Sportchef Mario Eggimann im Rahmen des Transfers. Und auch Bergh erinnert sich dankbar an seine Zeit an der Ostsee: "Durch meine Leihe nach Rostock weiß ich, worauf es hier in Deutschland auf dem Fußballplatz ankommt. Das Spiel lebt von der Intensität, gerade auf meiner Position darf ich mir keine Pause gönnen." Die Kogge verpflichtet zuletzt ihrerseits mit Niklas Kölle (SSV Ulm 1846) einen neuen Mann für die linke Seite, die Bergh nun beim KSC beackern wird.
Maul erklärte komplizierte Situation bei Bergh
Vorstandsvorsitzender Ronald Maul bestätigte zuletzt noch, dass es einen regelmäßigen Austausch mit der Spielerseite gegeben habe. Allerdings sei die Situation mit dem Djurgardens IF kompliziert gewesen, denn der schwedische Klub vollzog personelle Wechsel im Management und wollte darüber hinaus noch die Perspektive von Bergh in der schwedischen Liga prüfen. Außerdem hatte Djurgardens selbst eine hohe sechsstellige Summe für die Verpflichtung des Außenverteidigers gezahlt, weshalb auch finanzielle Aspekte eine Rolle beim weiteren Transfergeschehen gespielt haben dürften.
Offen ist weiterhin die Zukunft von Cedric Harenbrock, dessen Vertrag an der Ostsee zum 30. Juni ausgelaufen war. Mit ihm würde die Kogge gerne weiterarbeiten, aber eine Entscheidung steht noch aus. Darüber hinaus halten sich die Rostocker eine Rückkehr von Leihspieler Lukas Kunze noch offen. Kompliziert ist wiederum auch der Stand bei Jan Mejdr, der sich im Saisonfinale am Kreuzband verletzte und derzeit seine Reha an der Ostsee absolviert. In diesem Kalenderjahr wird der 31-jährige Tscheche keine Option auf dem Rasen werden.