As some of you may know, in Ultra Sonic's welcome thread I posted a Sonic game idea. Here it is in much greater detail.
-Basic concept: A 2D spin off game staring Amy (I love a good challenge and coming up with an idea for a spin off based on this character is a challenge). In terms of basic gameplay, think of it as a hybrid of a Sonic game and a MMX or Z style game. Here's a link (look for the E3 Trailer) that shows the combat aspects of the hybrid.)
http://www.gamespot.com/gba/action/megamanzero3/media.html (note, best video in terms of skill level I could find) Of course, the other characters in the series will be playable (Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Cream, and Shadow) and they will have their own unique story line and a different set of stages. As you play the game and defeat enemies with the hammer, it will level up, allowing for new moves to be used. Note: the game will also take upon the intense challenge of the later series that's part of the hybrid.
-Moves gained by leveling up (max level cap is 1+farthest stage progressed to): Lv2: 2 hit combo (must stand still). Lv3: additional hit to combo. Lv4: Aerial Hammer Spin (up+attack in air. Lv5: Hammer assisted spin dash (more Area Of Effect and damage to spin dash. Lv6: Powerful anti air attack (up+attack on ground). Lv7: Bouce Ball (more AOE and damage than Sonic's version but a slight delay time before use and less bounce, down+attack in air) Lv8: Hammer Toss: (down+attack on ground, medium range technique but left completely defenseless during the move.
-Upgrades: Like SA2B, my idea would have upgrades that can be found in the stage (vital ones are always found just before the first required use of them and in stage paths will always merge together at this point to guarrantee that it can't be missed. Here's a list of the one's I've come up with. Crystal Ring (A): Enables Light Dash. (Sonic and Shadow already have this move.) Some sort of boot upgrade (A): Enables Triangle Jump (Sonic and Shadow already have this.) Flame Ring (Sonic): Upgrades Spin Dash to do more damage, leave lingering flames that damage enemies, and allows stuff to be burned for making shortcuts.
-Weapons: For Shadow's gameplay, I figured that it would be cool if he used weapons for this game. The system for taking them is like the Z Knuckle system. Each weapon has an attribute that determines if an enemy (bosses included) are strong or weak against it. These attributes are piercing (Egg Lances), bludgeon (punches or anything that damages by smashing), slashing (Black Blade), ballistics (M-160), fire (wrist mounted flamethrower), electric, explosive (rocket launcher, and this attribute is based on the force of the explosion, not the flames), and energy (most Black Arms stlye guns).
-Timeline: 3 years after the Black Arms invasion. (Gives logic to how Eggman has managed to scavenge some remnants of Black Arms weapons for use with his robots in addition to stolen GUN weaponry.)
-Health: For this idea I decided to take inspiration from SA2 and give characters a health gauge. Being damaged with no rings just means you take double damage instead of losing a life. This means that merely touching an enemy will only deal minor damage at worst while their weapons will be more dangerous.
-Grading: Grading will be based on several categories; time (weight depends on character), enemies destroyed (see time), rings (how many rings you have), lives lost, damage taken (based on % health remaining), and style (the amount of cool moves used i.e. aerial tricks, rail tricks, weapons stolen, multi hit combos, etc.
-Stage ideas (which characters get these stages is undecided): Steel Ocean. The interior of a large submarine. While it's depth is changing, the stage rotates (like the rotating room trap in Castlevania 4.) Smart players will be able to use these rotations for shortcuts. The end of this stage has a boss that must be defeated in a time limit (the character is riding a missile during this). Siren Illusion. An entire stage in which players must figure out what's real or fake (anything could be an illusion; rings, enemies, items, or even platforms) in order to not fall to their doom. Shining Void. A more cerebral stage in which players must manipulate both light and darkness in order to proceed. However, there's a twist, the enemies in this stage either become stronger or weaker depending on the lighting, so there's the risk of clearing the path at the expense of making enemies more powerful. Magma Inferno. A volcano stage in which the boss is after the first act and act 2 is the escape.
-Boss ideas (either an Eggman vehicle or a robot, which story gets the boss is not decided): Egg Tyrant: A hijacked GUN tank with tons of weaponry including missile packs, twin cannons, and a chain gun. Egg Wyrm: A large dragon like robot armed with fire breath, fangs, claws, and a powerful tail. Egg Phantom: A cloaked ghost like robot that uses illusions to bait players into making mistakes (feigns an attack to make players dodge in a way that makes them easy targets for the real attack). Egg Hunter: A robot that combines the worst aspects of a tarantula and a praying mantis. Transforms into a stalker mode (less combat but more agile) and a destroyer mode (reverse of this). Shadow Android Prime. (Name is prototype) A particulary powerful Shadow Android who uses weapons and can imitate Chaos Spear and Chaos Blast. Egg Golem Type X: A nigh indestructible golem like vehicle that must be defeated by manipulating a series of mirrors so that they refract its photon beam into its reactor at the back of the mech.
-Secrets: What Sonic game idea would be complete without ideas for unlockables. In this case, my idea for secrets are 2D remakes of some of the really cool stages from 3D Sonic games. (Ideas include Sonic's Final Egg, Pyramid Cave, Final Rush, and The Last Way.)
