While I was watching this video, I was struck by just how much I appreciate John's perspective in these DF videos. There's tech discussion, of course, but there's also an abiding love for design and what gives a game its heart. For me, that's the true joy of a DF Retro or deep dive review like this -- it makes me look at something I take for granted in a new light. Keep up the good work, John!
He does seem like the most ardent gamer of the group, whereas the others, maybe with the exception of Ollie, seem more laser-focused on the tech aspects.
@@yellowblanka6058 They're all gamers but is the only one with talent to make a complete review covering all elements of what makes a good game including historical additions (he's an encyclopedist)
John, I've said it before and I'll say it again: You're the GOAT game reviewer! Yup and I'll fight anyone who disagrees 👊 Thank you sir! Your reviews add to the joy one already has for gaming 👌👌
As someone who had the nes, master system, then genesis and snes I’m loving this and the new Mario brothers games. Great to see the genre hasn’t been forgotten
Kind of interesting how suddenly the artists and designers became unafraid to use bright colors. It was a highlight in Mario Wonder too. Also wow I wasn't expecting the modded soundtrack to sound that good.
The bosses are like that because of the co-op. If they didn't limit the window to damage the boss, 4 players would eat those bosses for lunch in seconds. They needed a better middle ground, though. They're far too tedious.
I think they should've probably had dynamic boss difficulty according to how many players there were. Perhaps that's already there, I'm not going to check :D
I'm not going to check it either, as I have zero patience for lengthy bosses in Sonic games. Don't they know spectacle is only sort of impressive the first time? Imagine tying to speedrun this game and getting deflated every time you get to a boss.
This is one of the times where overclocking the switches cpu actually helps a lot as it's more cpu limited it was a lot closer to 60 even at boss battles
What part of it? Switch : Runs worse, looks worse. Everything else : Great \ eh it's fine. ??? What value is in overdiscussing the Switch being shit, STILL?
Not to denigrate his work in any way but: - Write scripts for what you're shooting - Cut your footage to match that script - Make any unique creations you need - transitions, title cards, etc. - Hide the seams with transitions, be they visual or audio. - Practice, practice, practice You can hide cuts/fluffs in your audio take with the footage & the transitions. John normally shoots into camera with a light & (I presume) shotgun mic off screen for audio, with a screen behind as a teleprompter. He's not really in this video at all, but if you watch others you can see the ring light he uses in his eyes & his eye line following the script. The more you do it, the more you'll internalise and do all the steps together instead of sequentially. IE: You'll capture footage as you're doing what it is you're doing (here, playing the game to review), knowing already what you want to say before you write the script for it. The only solo part is creating the assets to fit the visual style of the footage, but even those can be done in a way that you can re-use them easily elsewhere & in future projects. Also, John always lights his physical inserts well, the backgrounds are separated with good distinction and key lighting. This isn't hard to do, just something most people don't bother with. Shake all that up & you'll have something similar.
@@Terminal_Apotos there's a bunch of good tutorials on TH-cam. It's a style thing, but I'd say wipes are handy to know and maybe watch something like Every Frame a Painting about how people do video essays well. Then just get creative. Once you learn the basics of how stuff is animated in After Effects or your mograph editor of choice, just play around with what shapes can do & how far/near away from camera they do it. You'll realise a lot of forced 2D perspective stuff from 8/16 bit gaming translates well to them
John, what an amazing review. Compared to other outlets who just focus on saying its 2d sonic, you went all in with the side-by-side comparison in how the momentum and speeds work in this game, the comment on the (awful) sonic 4 soundtrack and all the details I didn't see anyone else talking about. Love your work a ton!
I honestly love there's a viarety of videos on Digital Foundry channel. I like to play the technical framerate and settings analysis from time to time but it's John's content I enjoy the most.
These are the best game reviews on the internet. Your Mario Wonder review was awesome and this one is equally great. Love the in-depth analysis of the mechanics which define the 'feel' of a game.
"This is the price for 60 frames per second. Seriously, if this is what it takes to reach that target on the Switch so be it." I have some experience with developer Unity games for Nintendo Switch, and the struggles of optimizing them for the hardware. I say with 100% certainty that Sonic Superstars simply is a terrible port. Nothing about its gameplay or visuals should be pushing the hardware hard enough to require these downgrades.
The visual cutbacks on Switch were really noticeable in still images, but they were much harder to see in actual gameplay. Considering how fast Sonic games tend to be, the cutbacks to hit 60 fps were definitely the right choice.
I was hoping that John would create just such a video! Thanks, John! I really love your videos, especially since you are so familiar with the 16-bit era and know how games should be! You really need to do some consulting work on the side for makers of games that are attempting a retro feel!
On paper I should love this game, but I've run into so many little issues along the way that would so often spoil the experience. Things that should've been flagged and fixed before it went out the door. It's just not polished enough for the price point they sold it at. Some of it can be fixed with post-launch patches, but this "ship it unfinished, call it Plus a year later" rodeo is growing old.
A new side scrolling Mario, a new side scrolling Sonic... it's like we're back in the 90's lol. Informative review as ever, and yeah, the Switch is well due for a successor. Fingers crossed for around this time next year.
30:11 This here matches my overall thoughts on this game. My first playthrough was rough but after subsequent runs through these levels, it’s really growing on me. I think the big reason is, as was mentioned, the controls. It feels almost exactly like the Genesis titles and Sonic Mania and that’s a huge thing for me. Many other 2D Sonic games just don’t do it for me because they loose a lot of what made the first few games so fun to play. Smooth controls that feel natural and level design that rewards skilled players. Aside from the bosses which are a drag to get through and some of the music sounding half-assed, I’m having a good time with this game.
Started watching the channel this year, since I got my first gaming pc and really enjoy the analysis of graphics and performance. What I didn’t expect was how much I enjoy when John goes into the music instrumentation especially in this and the Mario Wonder video. It makes a difference for immersion especially in platformers. Keep up the great work!
Its still kinda nuts that ive grown up with Mickey's Castle Of Illusion, Sonic 1-3 and Super Mario Bros series and this year we got Disney's Illusion Island, Sonic Superstars & Super Mario Bros Wonder.
Oh man, that scene at 14:28 looks really bad, like OG Xbox running on a PC emulator bad (by current gen standards).I'm not a graphics snob by any means but that's rough.
Amazing video! Thank you! (To be honest - your material is- in my opinion - much more enjoyable than the game itself. ) Whenever DF publish your video, it's always feels special! Always is! Simply outstanding!
Thanks for this video, John! The music part was very interesting! I do get a 'gut feeling' that they were going for the Sonic 4 style and changed directions at some point.
The part when you switch from the modded music to the original one got me bursting out laughing, it's exactly how I wanted to make a video about it hahahaha 24:57
Which is funny as I preferred the Sonic Superstars music over any of the heavy electronic tunes he modded in I think I do not mind the Sonic 4 instrumentation as much as him
Glad you enjoyed it, warts and all John 🙂 I had a blast with it, plus I'm so glad we finally have a Sonic sidescroller that can run at unlocked frame rate on PC The only issue there being the spindash is bugged and starts dropping charge inputs above 60 😅 still hoping they fix that, really cant be overstated how amazing the game looks and feels at high frame rate. Even though I prefer Mania overall, I would absolutely miss 120fps going back to it Would be nice if 120fps could be an option on the the higher end consoles too, even if resolution drop is needed
Wow, the modded music is SO MUCH BETTER. I think you are correct about Sonic 4 music in superstars… when Superstars was first displayed in playable form, it used sonic 4 music… it looks like a Last minute change was made in the music for the game…
This was a really good video. Thank you for always going above and beyond with your DF videos John! Love the mix of both technical and design analysis!
Small FOV would be fine if it was a handheld-only game, but absolutely doesn't work on PC and consoles that are commonly used with bigger screens. Absolutely needs a fix through mods because devs don't care about that as we've learned in many games over the years...
@@fillerbunnyninjashark271 I guess you mean that console games typically have no FOV slider/setting? That is true (big shame since people have very different viewing distances and eyeseight) but even on a console this super small FOV just is a little too much as a standard setting for gaming on a TV. You don't need as high of an FOV like many PC gamers prefer but I still think that the chosen FOV really only suits handheld and nothing else.
Compromising on details such texture quality on the switch version really is the right decision for a sonic game, like is there really a point in making rocks on the floor look good when you'll be speeding through them anyway almost never stopping?
I don't agree with blurring out the backgrounds --- the 16bit games were able to have sharp backgrounds which yet managed to not confuse foreground action. Those 16 bit artists really excelled at detailed 2D backgrounds and even had twinkling water which drew the eye. It made Sonic's 16 bit world feel expansive, like you're just playing a small portion of what's possible in his world.
It feels like the best part of this game is the controls - which was provided by Evening Star through their bespoke engine. Really wish they led development to be honest, think we would've gotten something that could've topped Mania.
I got the same feeling I get playing Frontiers that I do with this game. Yes they are very obvious flaws that bring the game down significantly, but I'm willing to overlook them just because I have so much fun playing the damn thing. I also generally prefer Classic Sonic to modern Sonic, so I was predisposed to love this.
Man, this is why I love DF, the best and most complete reviews out there (graphics, music, gameplay and performance) and you clearly know what you are talking about! 👏!
I didn’t even notice those frame drops on the switch 😅 I still love playing this game on my switch and I still think it looks great. Just have fun peeps.
@@evrythingis1 I still think switch games technical analysis is still interesting. I believe you’re right that anyone playing anything on the switch probably don’t care as much.
@@evrythingis1 I do actually because I wanna see how much it changes and it case it really looks horrible, I'm gonna pick the game for PC. Still it's a very low bar since I like Switch graphics
The theory I'm developing about the soundtrack is that Sega brought in some last-second ringers to fix it up. If you check out TCRF, there's tons of prototype songs buried in Sonic Superstars that have been datamined out, and a lot more of the early music uses the Sonic 4 instruments. Given how weird Sega was about showing early previews with the proper background music, I think somebody panicked about Sonic 4 comparisons and they got folks like Tee Lopes and Rintaro Soma to come in and arrange them. But it must have been super close to release for so many WIP songs to still be in the data.
Why they would choose not to go with Tee from the start, after listening to the Sonic Mania as a whole, is really baffling to me. As far as I’m concerned, he’s now the main staple regarding modern 2D Sonic music identity and SEGA should treat him as such.
@@BlazeHedgehog sure, but that also means SEGA wanted a cheap soundtrack, which is a bit sad. And they still had to call Tee to the rescue in the end...
@@ombremad6951 I dunno if you'd call it "cheap." That's like saying Sonic Frontiers had a cheap soundtrack because they stuck with Tomoya Ohtani as music director. It could just be that somebody at Sonic Team is out of touch with what people expect from a Classic Sonic type experience, which is something that's been obvious for almost a decade now. However, the fact somebody caught it and tried to fix it is at least a better sign.
@@BlazeHedgehog definitely cheap for Sonic Superstars soundtrack. The fact that they didn't even manage to properly finish it with a cohesive style is talking volumes. The budget for Sonic Frontiers OST probably amounts to the budget for all of Sonic Superstars in comparison so I wouldn't go there :D
Was just playing this on PS5. It's decent. Far from perfect but it's fun. Bit of slowdown here and there occasionally, surprisingly... Was hoping for your video on this!
Just got done binge watching your Sonic 06 and other sonic videos (Sonic CD included, its fucking amazing!) So to see this makes me happy! Keep up the great work!!! and ignore the haters
I still want to give this game a shot, having grown up around the Sonic and Mario eras of the 90s and loved those games. I simply don't have much faith or trust in Sega or Sonic Team to bring out a competent product because of incompetent business decisions and odd shenanigans. What stings further is that in the UK, this game has a HIGHER retail price than almost every first party Nintendo Switch game, including Super Mario Wonder! And THREE times more than the brilliant Sonic Mania. Superstars has been discounted now to £35, but I just found that incredibly insulting that they think their games are equal or worth more than almost every other when they have not proven themselves to be competent or deserving of that. That ridiculously high price really hurt the game as reflected in the game's first week of sales in Japan; we know Sonic is not at all popular in Japan, but the Switch version which is normally the platform Sonic is most popular on, barely cracked more than 4,000 units sold after a week. That's really bad when much older games still outsold it that same week. I won't budge until it hits £20.
These side-by-sides are always interesting. I played the whole game on Switch and I thought the visuals were pretty good. Amazing how bad it looks when it's on screen next to the PS5 and Xbox versions.
Thanks for the asome deep dive!! I just got this game on a big sale for my switch lite. I will most likely double dip on another sale for my other platforms.
I actually like those fake Mega Drive drums and the tracks they feature in and they don't sound too different from the drums in Sonic 1 & 2. Other Mega Drive Sonic games barely use them though. My main problem is the boss battles, and the depth of field bothers me a bit, but otherwise, this is a really good game.😮
I like the super compressed snare sound as well. I’ve honestly never thought Sonic 4s music was as offensive or jarring than others seem to. No it’s not amazing but it never bothered me particularly much
@@segaskeletor23 I agree, my main problem with Sonic 4's soundtrack was the super short loops. But the tracks themselves weren't that bad. Mania's stuff was definitely better, though.
I really don't think the PC version deserves credit for being modable. If your review is that the music is poor and compromises the overall artistic value of the game then that's the review, not that it can be fixed with mods on PC.
I feel like a lot of the new wave reviewers are simply too young to have played the original games and identified what makes them good and special. Physics, level design, control responsiveness. This is easily an 8/10 for me. Stands right up there with Mania. It makes the 2D sections in Forces and Generations look like garbage by comparison.
I’m trying to think of what soundtrack I might have heard that quick “Let’s Go” clip. Was it featured in Jet Grind Radio? Sonic Adventure? I’m pretty sure it was something on the Dreamcast.
THANK YOU for bringing up the input lag on the Xbox version. I cracked and bought the PS5 version because I thought I was going crazy since everyone was saying this game was good but I wasn't having any fun with it. Saying characters feel "heavy" is an understatement. It feels SUPER imprecise and frustrating. I can't speak to how much better the Switch or PC versions are compared to PS5, but PS5 feels reasonably responsive and actually fun to play. STEER CLEAR of the Xbox versions unless and until it gets a VERY well-tested patch that fixes the input lag.
how switch games like Mario Kart 8 have extraordinary visuals and 60fps, and games like Sonic have to cut so many corners to maintain the frame rate? :(
i think the developers just don't know how to optimise the engine. the new Star Ocean remake uses Unity and for me it's the new king of graphics on Switch. corners were cut (pop up is insane) but everything else is a masterpiece, mainly the high-resolution textures. looks really like a ps4 triple AAA game. the point is Sega is a powerhouse and could have adressed something so bad being made with their mascot@@efraimkent
The difference between having to make a game compatible with multiple platforms and being able to put all of your resources and time into a single platform
Some of the music tracks were unfinished before the day-one patch (Cyber Station is one example), so I believe the theory that they ran out of time. They could finish them and release a musical patch to finalize everything, but for some reason, I don't think they will.
I really dislike the "all acts gets a boss" thing, even in Mania it was killing the pace to me. I sincerely hope they'll drop this concept for the next games
Haven’t watched yet, but I have the switch version and just don’t think the game is very up to par with what you’d expect from this generation. The 3D backgrounds are very low poly, and the load times are horrendous. This ain’t Witcher 3 people- it’s a 2.5D Sonic game. And Trip’s story is just plain cheap and BS with the final boss. It’s a shame to say because without the difficulty spikes and other questionable decisions this is as close to another classic Sonic experience as you can get.
As Sonic fans, we should want better. This was just a somewhat improved Sonic 4 and that’s AFTER I put several hours into it. Rehashed, recycled bs madness. Give us Sonic Mania 2 already!
What does that even mean you want to avoid rehashed concepts by getting a direct sequel to a game that rehashed concepts. Dude just say you want another sprite based sonic game
The Sonic series for 20+ years has been managed by try hard idiots. They took the idea of "gotta go fast" and thought it was "gotta ALWAYS go fast" which largely ruined the series. There's been a bunch of good titles over the years but none of them captured what made the original games fun with both platforming and speed. They also failed by moving the series along trends of the time rather than make their own thing, hence the annoyance of skater-boy-rock when they moved to 3D. The original soundtracks were incredible, even the one in Sonic 3D Blast on the Genesis/Mega Drive but I've personally struggled to connect with any sound track since in the 3D games (thoguh I will say the Advance and Rush soundtracks were very good, and Manina is absolutely amazing). Sonic became too many things to too many people, they should have just broken out the two games into seperate IPs Sonic the Hedgehod and some other generic speed character for games that didn't match the original vision. In comparison, Mario, Metroid, Kirby, Mega Man, Resident Evil etc. all remained with consistent identities (both gameplay and aesthetics) as the series progressed, even when they've made rebooted certain series over the years. Sonic the Sonic Physics has been documented by fans for years it bewilders me how many people haven't even attempted to replicate the pinball gameplay of the originals.
I take offense at the "skater-boy-rock" soundtracks being mentioned as a bad thing, haha! But I agree about the gameplay, and have been thinking some of the same things. When you go back and play the 16-bit Sonic games, it's clear that they were *platformers*. Yes, the speed helped set Sonic apart from the competition, but it was just one element. The "boost" games like Rush and Generations are fun and spectacular, but they feel so shallow, and they have little in common with the originals. To take the comparisons you made, it would be like turning the Metroid and Resi series into straightforward, CoD-style FPSes.
@@3dmarthHaha sorry to offend! Don't get me wrong, if skater boy rock is your thing that's cool, I knew a lot of people they liked it at the time, not all the songs are bad but it missed the mark for me. I just skipper they era of music. Sonic was always closer to dance/trance/electronics than trendy rock, so when they switched it felt like they'd abandoned me, music is such an integral part of a series' identity. The change no doubt welcomed a bunch of new people but it mostly felt like it was leaving me behind.
@@neonswift It's okay, I didn't take it too seriously. :) Yeah, I enjoyed- and still enjoy- the Adventure-era soundtracks, including the punk and hard rock tracks. But then, I like '80s music, so I must have a high tolerance for cheese. :P You may have known this, but Sonic 1 and 2 were done by a J-pop guy (Masato Nakamura from Dreams Come True), who even made instrumental adaptations of some of his band's songs and put them in the games. So those early soundtracks were literally made up of pop songs and love songs (partially, anyway), and it made for a distinct style that hasn't been replicated. Usually, the newer Sonic music that tries for a Genesis-like synth style ends up kind of missing the mark, as it's decent, but feels like there's a bit too much "16-bit retro throwback" focus, and not enough of the "early '90s pop music" side of things. I think Sonic music has stayed pretty good throughout the decades, though, even if the style isn't always to my taste... but as a Sonic Adventure fan, I understand the feeling of being left behind by the series!
The songs he did for this game are not bad from a music composition standpoint, some of them are great even. On PC you can compare the in-game songs with a "beta" arrangement by Tee Lopes that can be found in the files. The composition truly does shine there. It's really just the fact that Jun Senoue uses these 16 bit drum samples for his arrangements.
This is probably an unpopular opinion, but I'd love to hear Senoue do another Adventure-style soundtrack: eclectic, but with a big helping of cheesy hard rock! And yeah, his chiptune stuff since Sonic 4 is like a poor imitation (almost a parody) of what Genesis Sonic games sounded like.
@@aolson1111 Only 3? He did Green Grove, Panic Puppet 1, Special Stage, Spring Stadium, and the Ending, according to my list. Oh, and the unused Knuckles Special Stage (which made it into Sonic Adventure). Though now that I think of it, Spring Stadium had one of the weaker tunes in the game, and that unused boss theme was just awful. I don't know- maybe he's just good at "real music", and when he gets into the mentality of making "game music", things go down the toilet.
I will always accept a loss in visuals for better framerate and gameplay. If they could have done better, it's a shame they didn't, but if the gameplay is fun I don't care in the end.
It's definitely possible to have a much better looking sidescroller on the switch while keeping 60 FPS, look at Mario Wonder, or the Shantae games. There's no way they actually had to reduce the resolution of 2D billboards, let alone to N64 texture levels, and the complete lack of anti aliasing at 720p looks pretty bad.
Wasn't there a game a while back that had the appearance of input lag from the control stick on xbox because it wasn't calibrated correctly? Could the unresponsive controls on the xbox version be a similar problem?
P.S. I do not understand the negativity towards Sonic 4 music and how it all sounds. In Superstars they did that intentionally. With all things considered, all the praise and appreciation how it plays and feels like a classic Sonic title, being a bit nostalgic on the music can not be a problem. Maybe they chose a different approach in their next game. Well. With all the criticism online about each and every game ever available I'm happy that they still go for it and deliver games. It's like we the players are the live jury rating everything to give them direction. Sounds good. But given how split up all the opinions can be thanks to human nature itself, I wonder how helpful and inspiring our doing is to influence Sega/Team Sonic for real.
Sonic 4 episode 1's soundtrack had a mix of the original Sonic 1+2 drum samples and Korg Triton combi and program patches, while episode 2's songs had stuff like AIR Music's "Vacuum" and "Xpand! 2" patches being used alongside those drum samples. In Sonic Superstars I'm definitely under the impression that Jun's tracks have some FM going on in there too, but I've not really put much time into speculating. Eventually someone'll find out.
I don't think any of the examples of modded music tracks sound better, since they all seem to drop the groovy base lines that were such a mainstay of good 2D Sonic music. It is nice to potentially be able to mod something in that doesn't overuse the snare drum, though. Happy to hear that there is no motion blur on Switch as I find it horrible, but some of those backdrops really needed to be better.
While I was watching this video, I was struck by just how much I appreciate John's perspective in these DF videos. There's tech discussion, of course, but there's also an abiding love for design and what gives a game its heart. For me, that's the true joy of a DF Retro or deep dive review like this -- it makes me look at something I take for granted in a new light. Keep up the good work, John!
For sure man! John is a cool dude.
John's the GOAT game reviewer imo. He doesn't churn out reviews like most reviewers. Who needs CGR when we got John 🙌
I’d love a DF Retro on Sonic Adventure.
These are my favorite kind of DF videos. Love it when John discusses new entries in classic series like this.
By far!
He does seem like the most ardent gamer of the group, whereas the others, maybe with the exception of Ollie, seem more laser-focused on the tech aspects.
@@yellowblanka6058 They're all gamers but is the only one with talent to make a complete review covering all elements of what makes a good game including historical additions (he's an encyclopedist)
John, I've said it before and I'll say it again: You're the GOAT game reviewer! Yup and I'll fight anyone who disagrees 👊 Thank you sir! Your reviews add to the joy one already has for gaming 👌👌
As someone who had the nes, master system, then genesis and snes I’m loving this and the new Mario brothers games. Great to see the genre hasn’t been forgotten
Agreed!
Kind of interesting how suddenly the artists and designers became unafraid to use bright colors. It was a highlight in Mario Wonder too. Also wow I wasn't expecting the modded soundtrack to sound that good.
Sonic had bright colors ever since Secret Rings, is just that most game had a more realistic lightning model compared to superstar
@@user-le2hu1ct4t I think the 3D Sonic Superstars model looks great. As well as the other characters.
I’m so glad people about it. In the 8 and 16 bit era games being colorful the best graphical effect they had access to.
@@user-le2hu1ct4t Ah ok, I see what you're saying now.
Mario movie definitely influenced Wonder, the palette is very similar imo
The bosses are like that because of the co-op. If they didn't limit the window to damage the boss, 4 players would eat those bosses for lunch in seconds.
They needed a better middle ground, though. They're far too tedious.
I think they should've probably had dynamic boss difficulty according to how many players there were. Perhaps that's already there, I'm not going to check :D
MaYbe they could change the amount of hits they take depending on the amount of players.
I'm not going to check it either, as I have zero patience for lengthy bosses in Sonic games. Don't they know spectacle is only sort of impressive the first time? Imagine tying to speedrun this game and getting deflated every time you get to a boss.
True, and it's not just multiplayer, but the emerald powers as well.
This is one of the times where overclocking the switches cpu actually helps a lot as it's more cpu limited it was a lot closer to 60 even at boss battles
Finally!!! I had assumed we weren't getting a video about this game at this point. It was definitely worth the wait
What part of it?
Switch : Runs worse, looks worse.
Everything else : Great \ eh it's fine.
??? What value is in overdiscussing the Switch being shit, STILL?
@@chillnagasden6190Dude. Why are you even here if you don’t care?
@@marcelslofstra2157 Some people just like to talk for no reason.
I wish I could take editing lessons from John. His videos are so good.
Not to denigrate his work in any way but:
- Write scripts for what you're shooting
- Cut your footage to match that script
- Make any unique creations you need - transitions, title cards, etc.
- Hide the seams with transitions, be they visual or audio.
- Practice, practice, practice
You can hide cuts/fluffs in your audio take with the footage & the transitions. John normally shoots into camera with a light & (I presume) shotgun mic off screen for audio, with a screen behind as a teleprompter. He's not really in this video at all, but if you watch others you can see the ring light he uses in his eyes & his eye line following the script.
The more you do it, the more you'll internalise and do all the steps together instead of sequentially. IE: You'll capture footage as you're doing what it is you're doing (here, playing the game to review), knowing already what you want to say before you write the script for it. The only solo part is creating the assets to fit the visual style of the footage, but even those can be done in a way that you can re-use them easily elsewhere & in future projects.
Also, John always lights his physical inserts well, the backgrounds are separated with good distinction and key lighting. This isn't hard to do, just something most people don't bother with.
Shake all that up & you'll have something similar.
@@BladeV8Interesting. Making your own Transitions is something I wanna learn how to do.
@@Terminal_Apotos there's a bunch of good tutorials on TH-cam. It's a style thing, but I'd say wipes are handy to know and maybe watch something like Every Frame a Painting about how people do video essays well. Then just get creative. Once you learn the basics of how stuff is animated in After Effects or your mograph editor of choice, just play around with what shapes can do & how far/near away from camera they do it. You'll realise a lot of forced 2D perspective stuff from 8/16 bit gaming translates well to them
John, what an amazing review. Compared to other outlets who just focus on saying its 2d sonic, you went all in with the side-by-side comparison in how the momentum and speeds work in this game, the comment on the (awful) sonic 4 soundtrack and all the details I didn't see anyone else talking about. Love your work a ton!
Its just a Nintendo switch advertisement, no one cares about this game and it should have never been "reviewed".
I honestly love there's a viarety of videos on Digital Foundry channel. I like to play the technical framerate and settings analysis from time to time but it's John's content I enjoy the most.
These are the best game reviews on the internet. Your Mario Wonder review was awesome and this one is equally great. Love the in-depth analysis of the mechanics which define the 'feel' of a game.
"This is the price for 60 frames per second. Seriously, if this is what it takes to reach that target on the Switch so be it."
I have some experience with developer Unity games for Nintendo Switch, and the struggles of optimizing them for the hardware. I say with 100% certainty that Sonic Superstars simply is a terrible port. Nothing about its gameplay or visuals should be pushing the hardware hard enough to require these downgrades.
Would not be surprised if like most of Sega's stuff it's unoptimized AF.
So you should have no problem making a more optimized version of it on the switch 🫡
@@fillerbunnyninjashark271 Me and my friends probably could make a prettier, more optimized game than Arzest if we had the budget, yes.
The visual cutbacks on Switch were really noticeable in still images, but they were much harder to see in actual gameplay.
Considering how fast Sonic games tend to be, the cutbacks to hit 60 fps were definitely the right choice.
I’m more of a “Mario” guy but I’m glad to see another good Sonic game. I picked up Mania and I’ll probably pick this one up too. 👊🏽
Great video, thanks!! Very complete and organized!
I was hoping that John would create just such a video! Thanks, John! I really love your videos, especially since you are so familiar with the 16-bit era and know how games should be! You really need to do some consulting work on the side for makers of games that are attempting a retro feel!
Keep up the awesome work John. Was waiting and hoping you'd get to sonic!
On paper I should love this game, but I've run into so many little issues along the way that would so often spoil the experience. Things that should've been flagged and fixed before it went out the door. It's just not polished enough for the price point they sold it at. Some of it can be fixed with post-launch patches, but this "ship it unfinished, call it Plus a year later" rodeo is growing old.
What a great game! I tried the 1 hour trial on PS5 and went right over to Amazon and ordered it for $30.
PS5 and Series X not offering an 120 fps mode is a real bummer.
60fps is just enough for this game.
@@kostasbousbouras2654you can never have too much latency reduction, for these games especially. Sounds like the Xbox versions _need_ 120fps
Yeah it's a weird omission. They could definitely handle it too considering the Steamdeck can run most of the game at 100+fps
Totally ridiculous
Is this not on the series s
A new side scrolling Mario, a new side scrolling Sonic... it's like we're back in the 90's lol. Informative review as ever, and yeah, the Switch is well due for a successor. Fingers crossed for around this time next year.
Well you got close
30:11 This here matches my overall thoughts on this game. My first playthrough was rough but after subsequent runs through these levels, it’s really growing on me. I think the big reason is, as was mentioned, the controls. It feels almost exactly like the Genesis titles and Sonic Mania and that’s a huge thing for me. Many other 2D Sonic games just don’t do it for me because they loose a lot of what made the first few games so fun to play. Smooth controls that feel natural and level design that rewards skilled players. Aside from the bosses which are a drag to get through and some of the music sounding half-assed, I’m having a good time with this game.
Started watching the channel this year, since I got my first gaming pc and really enjoy the analysis of graphics and performance. What I didn’t expect was how much I enjoy when John goes into the music instrumentation especially in this and the Mario Wonder video. It makes a difference for immersion especially in platformers. Keep up the great work!
You know what, i love switch version without burry background
Its still kinda nuts that ive grown up with Mickey's Castle Of Illusion, Sonic 1-3 and Super Mario Bros series and this year we got Disney's Illusion Island, Sonic Superstars & Super Mario Bros Wonder.
Oh man, that scene at 14:28 looks really bad, like OG Xbox running on a PC emulator bad (by current gen standards).I'm not a graphics snob by any means but that's rough.
Amazing video! Thank you! (To be honest - your material is- in my opinion - much more enjoyable than the game itself. ) Whenever DF publish your video, it's always feels special! Always is! Simply outstanding!
I absolutely love these videos, thank you John!
Thanks for this video, John! The music part was very interesting! I do get a 'gut feeling' that they were going for the Sonic 4 style and changed directions at some point.
How tf the Switch can't even make those Ps3 era graphics (cause that's what the look like exactly) in par with the rest of the consoles is beyond me.😢
The part when you switch from the modded music to the original one got me bursting out laughing, it's exactly how I wanted to make a video about it hahahaha 24:57
Which is funny as I preferred the Sonic Superstars music over any of the heavy electronic tunes he modded in
I think I do not mind the Sonic 4 instrumentation as much as him
Glad you enjoyed it, warts and all John 🙂 I had a blast with it, plus I'm so glad we finally have a Sonic sidescroller that can run at unlocked frame rate on PC
The only issue there being the spindash is bugged and starts dropping charge inputs above 60 😅 still hoping they fix that, really cant be overstated how amazing the game looks and feels at high frame rate. Even though I prefer Mania overall, I would absolutely miss 120fps going back to it
Would be nice if 120fps could be an option on the the higher end consoles too, even if resolution drop is needed
EvEn iF rEsOlUtIoN dRoP iS nEeDeD - bruh
Wow, the modded music is SO MUCH BETTER. I think you are correct about Sonic 4 music in superstars… when Superstars was first displayed in playable form, it used sonic 4 music… it looks like a Last minute change was made in the music for the game…
This was a really good video. Thank you for always going above and beyond with your DF videos John! Love the mix of both technical and design analysis!
Small FOV would be fine if it was a handheld-only game, but absolutely doesn't work on PC and consoles that are commonly used with bigger screens. Absolutely needs a fix through mods because devs don't care about that as we've learned in many games over the years...
Console games don't fov though
@@fillerbunnyninjashark271 I guess you mean that console games typically have no FOV slider/setting? That is true (big shame since people have very different viewing distances and eyeseight) but even on a console this super small FOV just is a little too much as a standard setting for gaming on a TV. You don't need as high of an FOV like many PC gamers prefer but I still think that the chosen FOV really only suits handheld and nothing else.
Agreed, that’s why I’m not a Huge fan of the Classic Sonic Games. I can hardly see what’s coming up, unlike Classic Sonic in Generations and Forces.
Games with low FOV at 30fps give me motion sickness. I think an FOV slider should be an accessibility option for every game
Compromising on details such texture quality on the switch version really is the right decision for a sonic game, like is there really a point in making rocks on the floor look good when you'll be speeding through them anyway almost never stopping?
The DOF looks like a simple Box Blur which is the cheapest form of Blur you can do :D
But it works here quite well
This looks superb, has just enough nods to its roots while still looking fabulous with current gen, definitely picking it up from Steam!
I love the edit at the beginning of this video!
I don't agree with blurring out the backgrounds --- the 16bit games were able to have sharp backgrounds which yet managed to not confuse foreground action.
Those 16 bit artists really excelled at detailed 2D backgrounds and even had twinkling water which drew the eye.
It made Sonic's 16 bit world feel expansive, like you're just playing a small portion of what's possible in his world.
It feels like the best part of this game is the controls - which was provided by Evening Star through their bespoke engine. Really wish they led development to be honest, think we would've gotten something that could've topped Mania.
I got the same feeling I get playing Frontiers that I do with this game. Yes they are very obvious flaws that bring the game down significantly, but I'm willing to overlook them just because I have so much fun playing the damn thing.
I also generally prefer Classic Sonic to modern Sonic, so I was predisposed to love this.
Oh you do? Now that’s interesting 👍
I didn’t even like Frontiers and since it is the new direction for Sonic i’m stuck with 2D games now. And I prefer modern over classic.
Man, this is why I love DF, the best and most complete reviews out there (graphics, music, gameplay and performance) and you clearly know what you are talking about! 👏!
Where's robocop,why is it taking so long to review consol versions?
Great video, really appreciate all the points covered and always so fascinating to see different choices between different systems
I didn’t even notice those frame drops on the switch 😅 I still love playing this game on my switch and I still think it looks great. Just have fun peeps.
I don't understand why they do switch reviews. No one playing anything on switch cares about how the game looks or runs.
@@evrythingis1 I still think switch games technical analysis is still interesting. I believe you’re right that anyone playing anything on the switch probably don’t care as much.
@@evrythingis1 I do actually because I wanna see how much it changes and it case it really looks horrible, I'm gonna pick the game for PC.
Still it's a very low bar since I like Switch graphics
I can't help but wonder if FSR 1 or even a custom version of FSR 2, similar to what Hello Games implemented, would really help out the Switch version.
Amazing video John thank you as always, one of the best.
I really hope John will make a Robocop video, that game deserves it hard..
He's hyped about it, so he will definitely do that
What's an amazing job with this video. Love every second of it!
Amazing video John. Thank you!
Great video - always enjoy these.
Great vídeo John! Please keep doing this awesome videos ❤
Thanks John for this great review as usual!
We neeeed the DF in depth review of RoboCop Rogue City!
The theory I'm developing about the soundtrack is that Sega brought in some last-second ringers to fix it up. If you check out TCRF, there's tons of prototype songs buried in Sonic Superstars that have been datamined out, and a lot more of the early music uses the Sonic 4 instruments. Given how weird Sega was about showing early previews with the proper background music, I think somebody panicked about Sonic 4 comparisons and they got folks like Tee Lopes and Rintaro Soma to come in and arrange them. But it must have been super close to release for so many WIP songs to still be in the data.
Why they would choose not to go with Tee from the start, after listening to the Sonic Mania as a whole, is really baffling to me. As far as I’m concerned, he’s now the main staple regarding modern 2D Sonic music identity and SEGA should treat him as such.
@@ombremad6951 Tee's in high demand these days. He contributed to at least five soundtracks last year.
@@BlazeHedgehog sure, but that also means SEGA wanted a cheap soundtrack, which is a bit sad. And they still had to call Tee to the rescue in the end...
@@ombremad6951 I dunno if you'd call it "cheap." That's like saying Sonic Frontiers had a cheap soundtrack because they stuck with Tomoya Ohtani as music director. It could just be that somebody at Sonic Team is out of touch with what people expect from a Classic Sonic type experience, which is something that's been obvious for almost a decade now. However, the fact somebody caught it and tried to fix it is at least a better sign.
@@BlazeHedgehog definitely cheap for Sonic Superstars soundtrack. The fact that they didn't even manage to properly finish it with a cohesive style is talking volumes. The budget for Sonic Frontiers OST probably amounts to the budget for all of Sonic Superstars in comparison so I wouldn't go there :D
Was just playing this on PS5. It's decent. Far from perfect but it's fun. Bit of slowdown here and there occasionally, surprisingly...
Was hoping for your video on this!
Just got done binge watching your Sonic 06 and other sonic videos (Sonic CD included, its fucking amazing!)
So to see this makes me happy! Keep up the great work!!!
and ignore the haters
I still want to give this game a shot, having grown up around the Sonic and Mario eras of the 90s and loved those games.
I simply don't have much faith or trust in Sega or Sonic Team to bring out a competent product because of incompetent business decisions and odd shenanigans. What stings further is that in the UK, this game has a HIGHER retail price than almost every first party Nintendo Switch game, including Super Mario Wonder! And THREE times more than the brilliant Sonic Mania. Superstars has been discounted now to £35, but I just found that incredibly insulting that they think their games are equal or worth more than almost every other when they have not proven themselves to be competent or deserving of that. That ridiculously high price really hurt the game as reflected in the game's first week of sales in Japan; we know Sonic is not at all popular in Japan, but the Switch version which is normally the platform Sonic is most popular on, barely cracked more than 4,000 units sold after a week. That's really bad when much older games still outsold it that same week.
I won't budge until it hits £20.
Sonic having no shadow seems like a marked improvement…
These side-by-sides are always interesting. I played the whole game on Switch and I thought the visuals were pretty good. Amazing how bad it looks when it's on screen next to the PS5 and Xbox versions.
The Switch is 1/5 the power of a PS4. Obviously games look like garbage on Switch compared to PS5.
Thanks for the asome deep dive!! I just got this game on a big sale for my switch lite. I will most likely double dip on another sale for my other platforms.
omg that input lag on Xbox MUST be fixed ASAP, there is nothing more annoying than that in a Sonic game
I actually like those fake Mega Drive drums and the tracks they feature in and they don't sound too different from the drums in Sonic 1 & 2. Other Mega Drive Sonic games barely use them though.
My main problem is the boss battles, and the depth of field bothers me a bit, but otherwise, this is a really good game.😮
I like the super compressed snare sound as well. I’ve honestly never thought Sonic 4s music was as offensive or jarring than others seem to. No it’s not amazing but it never bothered me particularly much
@@segaskeletor23 I agree, my main problem with Sonic 4's soundtrack was the super short loops. But the tracks themselves weren't that bad.
Mania's stuff was definitely better, though.
A 120fps/1440p or 1080p option would have been nice
The weak CPU’s in the PS5 and Series X could not handle 1440p at 120fps for this game.
@@ZackSNetwork Other more demanding games do it.
@@ZackSNetwork Why would you make something like that up? Like, what do you benefit from obviously lying on the internet to strangers?
I’ve got the pc version and the switch. They are both fantastic
I really don't think the PC version deserves credit for being modable. If your review is that the music is poor and compromises the overall artistic value of the game then that's the review, not that it can be fixed with mods on PC.
Add the PC tag on the title when you talk about the PC version aswell as other consoles. Thanks!
I’ve always wondered are you guys developers or designers in your spare time or did you guys learn this along the way and do research?
I feel like a lot of the new wave reviewers are simply too young to have played the original games and identified what makes them good and special. Physics, level design, control responsiveness. This is easily an 8/10 for me. Stands right up there with Mania. It makes the 2D sections in Forces and Generations look like garbage by comparison.
John recommends modding out the original soundtrack in a Sonic game. Oof. Think about that for a minute.
(Not every track, natch)
I’m trying to think of what soundtrack I might have heard that quick “Let’s Go” clip. Was it featured in Jet Grind Radio? Sonic Adventure? I’m pretty sure it was something on the Dreamcast.
It’s at 25:20 of the video.
Gene Gadget 1 from the Saturn and PC version of Sonic 3D Blast.
THANK YOU for bringing up the input lag on the Xbox version. I cracked and bought the PS5 version because I thought I was going crazy since everyone was saying this game was good but I wasn't having any fun with it. Saying characters feel "heavy" is an understatement. It feels SUPER imprecise and frustrating. I can't speak to how much better the Switch or PC versions are compared to PS5, but PS5 feels reasonably responsive and actually fun to play. STEER CLEAR of the Xbox versions unless and until it gets a VERY well-tested patch that fixes the input lag.
You have the best technical game reviews
how switch games like Mario Kart 8 have extraordinary visuals and 60fps, and games like Sonic have to cut so many corners to maintain the frame rate? :(
might be an engine problem. Unity is far from perfect if you don’t know exactly how to optimise specific features
Because the Switch lacks blast processing...
For real though, it's probably just Unity.
i think the developers just don't know how to optimise the engine. the new Star Ocean remake uses Unity and for me it's the new king of graphics on Switch. corners were cut (pop up is insane) but everything else is a masterpiece, mainly the high-resolution textures. looks really like a ps4 triple AAA game. the point is Sega is a powerhouse and could have adressed something so bad being made with their mascot@@efraimkent
@@efraimkent Nintendo themselves have published Unity games on Switch, and Super Mario RPG in particular looks excellent
The difference between having to make a game compatible with multiple platforms and being able to put all of your resources and time into a single platform
great video John!
Some of the music tracks were unfinished before the day-one patch (Cyber Station is one example), so I believe the theory that they ran out of time.
They could finish them and release a musical patch to finalize everything, but for some reason, I don't think they will.
I really dislike the "all acts gets a boss" thing, even in Mania it was killing the pace to me.
I sincerely hope they'll drop this concept for the next games
Haven’t watched yet, but I have the switch version and just don’t think the game is very up to par with what you’d expect from this generation. The 3D backgrounds are very low poly, and the load times are horrendous. This ain’t Witcher 3 people- it’s a 2.5D Sonic game. And Trip’s story is just plain cheap and BS with the final boss. It’s a shame to say because without the difficulty spikes and other questionable decisions this is as close to another classic Sonic experience as you can get.
As Sonic fans, we should want better. This was just a somewhat improved Sonic 4 and that’s AFTER I put several hours into it. Rehashed, recycled bs madness. Give us Sonic Mania 2 already!
What does that even mean you want to avoid rehashed concepts by getting a direct sequel to a game that rehashed concepts. Dude just say you want another sprite based sonic game
@@yourself1210 I literally said the last part. Go touch grass today and enjoy yourself. You sound triggered by truth.
@@HI-DEF100 damn someone’s salty
@@yourself1210 I know you are. Unfortunately I don’t have the time to inquire nor do I care. Be easy tho…
@@HI-DEF100 what part of my comment sounded salty I just pointed out how saying you want mania 2 sounds convoluted
Sonic on the mastersystem was the first game I ever finished.
I sadly never got that far, but through my childhood that game definitely left an impression.
Bridge Zone's theme has been burned into my mind.
@@HeadacheCentral I had a guide to help me get everything in a magazine. 😀
Great video. I'm glad you made it. I have the PS5 version, but have to pick up the PC version on a deep sale.
I like your cartoon animal videos, John. Don't ever stop.
Ok wait, hold up a min. What remix of Studiopolis is playing at 9:20? I need to know
Not sure if you found it yet but that track is titled "Superfunkoils Zone" by the very talented TNH Nebula
what you mean you don't use the rev up spin dash technique. It's a necessity
The Sonic series for 20+ years has been managed by try hard idiots. They took the idea of "gotta go fast" and thought it was "gotta ALWAYS go fast" which largely ruined the series. There's been a bunch of good titles over the years but none of them captured what made the original games fun with both platforming and speed.
They also failed by moving the series along trends of the time rather than make their own thing, hence the annoyance of skater-boy-rock when they moved to 3D. The original soundtracks were incredible, even the one in Sonic 3D Blast on the Genesis/Mega Drive but I've personally struggled to connect with any sound track since in the 3D games (thoguh I will say the Advance and Rush soundtracks were very good, and Manina is absolutely amazing).
Sonic became too many things to too many people, they should have just broken out the two games into seperate IPs Sonic the Hedgehod and some other generic speed character for games that didn't match the original vision. In comparison, Mario, Metroid, Kirby, Mega Man, Resident Evil etc. all remained with consistent identities (both gameplay and aesthetics) as the series progressed, even when they've made rebooted certain series over the years.
Sonic the Sonic Physics has been documented by fans for years it bewilders me how many people haven't even attempted to replicate the pinball gameplay of the originals.
I take offense at the "skater-boy-rock" soundtracks being mentioned as a bad thing, haha!
But I agree about the gameplay, and have been thinking some of the same things. When you go back and play the 16-bit Sonic games, it's clear that they were *platformers*. Yes, the speed helped set Sonic apart from the competition, but it was just one element.
The "boost" games like Rush and Generations are fun and spectacular, but they feel so shallow, and they have little in common with the originals. To take the comparisons you made, it would be like turning the Metroid and Resi series into straightforward, CoD-style FPSes.
@@3dmarthHaha sorry to offend! Don't get me wrong, if skater boy rock is your thing that's cool, I knew a lot of people they liked it at the time, not all the songs are bad but it missed the mark for me. I just skipper they era of music. Sonic was always closer to dance/trance/electronics than trendy rock, so when they switched it felt like they'd abandoned me, music is such an integral part of a series' identity. The change no doubt welcomed a bunch of new people but it mostly felt like it was leaving me behind.
@@neonswift It's okay, I didn't take it too seriously. :)
Yeah, I enjoyed- and still enjoy- the Adventure-era soundtracks, including the punk and hard rock tracks. But then, I like '80s music, so I must have a high tolerance for cheese. :P
You may have known this, but Sonic 1 and 2 were done by a J-pop guy (Masato Nakamura from Dreams Come True), who even made instrumental adaptations of some of his band's songs and put them in the games. So those early soundtracks were literally made up of pop songs and love songs (partially, anyway), and it made for a distinct style that hasn't been replicated.
Usually, the newer Sonic music that tries for a Genesis-like synth style ends up kind of missing the mark, as it's decent, but feels like there's a bit too much "16-bit retro throwback" focus, and not enough of the "early '90s pop music" side of things.
I think Sonic music has stayed pretty good throughout the decades, though, even if the style isn't always to my taste... but as a Sonic Adventure fan, I understand the feeling of being left behind by the series!
John was the footage for OG games on Mega Drive recorded via the RetroTINK 4K? :)
Is it me, or is Jun Senoue just can't hack it as a chiptune composer anymore? He seems more comfortable doing rock ballads since the Adventure days.
The songs he did for this game are not bad from a music composition standpoint, some of them are great even. On PC you can compare the in-game songs with a "beta" arrangement by Tee Lopes that can be found in the files. The composition truly does shine there. It's really just the fact that Jun Senoue uses these 16 bit drum samples for his arrangements.
He never could. He was hardly involved with the 16-bit games. He composed a few minor things for S3&K and did 3 songs for Sonic 3D Blast.
This is probably an unpopular opinion, but I'd love to hear Senoue do another Adventure-style soundtrack: eclectic, but with a big helping of cheesy hard rock!
And yeah, his chiptune stuff since Sonic 4 is like a poor imitation (almost a parody) of what Genesis Sonic games sounded like.
@@aolson1111 Only 3? He did Green Grove, Panic Puppet 1, Special Stage, Spring Stadium, and the Ending, according to my list.
Oh, and the unused Knuckles Special Stage (which made it into Sonic Adventure).
Though now that I think of it, Spring Stadium had one of the weaker tunes in the game, and that unused boss theme was just awful. I don't know- maybe he's just good at "real music", and when he gets into the mentality of making "game music", things go down the toilet.
I will always accept a loss in visuals for better framerate and gameplay. If they could have done better, it's a shame they didn't, but if the gameplay is fun I don't care in the end.
It's definitely possible to have a much better looking sidescroller on the switch while keeping 60 FPS, look at Mario Wonder, or the Shantae games. There's no way they actually had to reduce the resolution of 2D billboards, let alone to N64 texture levels, and the complete lack of anti aliasing at 720p looks pretty bad.
Wonder is 2D this is 2.5D
Wasn't there a game a while back that had the appearance of input lag from the control stick on xbox because it wasn't calibrated correctly? Could the unresponsive controls on the xbox version be a similar problem?
That's assuming you use the stick to begin with. D-pads and buttons don't have dead zones.
Game in question was RE4 remake, which has been fixed.
“Always be rollin.”
-John Linneman, 2023
Currently enjoying this on Yuzu emulator. 4K 60fps 😁
You should prob feel guilt instead of
Joy esp if you can afford it lol
P.S. I do not understand the negativity towards Sonic 4 music and how it all sounds. In Superstars they did that intentionally. With all things considered, all the praise and appreciation how it plays and feels like a classic Sonic title, being a bit nostalgic on the music can not be a problem. Maybe they chose a different approach in their next game. Well. With all the criticism online about each and every game ever available I'm happy that they still go for it and deliver games. It's like we the players are the live jury rating everything to give them direction. Sounds good. But given how split up all the opinions can be thanks to human nature itself, I wonder how helpful and inspiring our doing is to influence Sega/Team Sonic for real.
Groper plays his favourite Sonic songs
Today is the day when I will add this comment to the list of comments that made me laugh
I really really like this comment!
Am I missing something? Where are the modded tracks coming from? How is a completely different song an "improvement"?
Wasnt Sonic 4 using original Mega Drive/Genesis chiptune music? I guess that was the idea with credits songs.
Sonic 4 episode 1's soundtrack had a mix of the original Sonic 1+2 drum samples and Korg Triton combi and program patches, while episode 2's songs had stuff like AIR Music's "Vacuum" and "Xpand! 2" patches being used alongside those drum samples.
In Sonic Superstars I'm definitely under the impression that Jun's tracks have some FM going on in there too, but I've not really put much time into speculating.
Eventually someone'll find out.
I don't think any of the examples of modded music tracks sound better, since they all seem to drop the groovy base lines that were such a mainstay of good 2D Sonic music. It is nice to potentially be able to mod something in that doesn't overuse the snare drum, though.
Happy to hear that there is no motion blur on Switch as I find it horrible, but some of those backdrops really needed to be better.