I'm a fan of the original Sonic games and i really like Lost World, it not perfect but a step in the right direction if you ask me and prefer it to colours.
I think people dont like it because it looks more cartoony and didn't give the time to get used to the controls and the game does take a bit of practice to become good, i also think people think it's trying to be a Mario Galaxy which is not a bad thing.

Sonic games were about platforming more than speed which this game brings back to the series, and allows three different speeds to allow exploration or to speed through the level in spin dash which feels good once you master it, i believe before it came out IGN praised the game then when released did a complete u-turn.

       Lost World is a flawed game, but it's certainly not as bad as the critics make it out to be. I still remember IGN's rubbish review.. Ugh.

What's the 3D to 2D level ratio? I'm only interested in the 2D levels, and the ones I saw in the previews looked great... but I dread going through the 3D races just to play some good old 2D Sonic.

I think the problem is while Sonic LW is a much better game now after they fixed the lives system a bit and actually made rings matter among other bug fixes, the scores on gaming sites and Metacritic will always reflect the first version and are not normally updated because the game receives a patch or bug fix. Developers need to get it right first time at the start, and need to stop relying on post-release patches.

Sonic games doubly-so after abominations like Sonic 06.

Sonic games have not done well since they have transitioned into the 3D graphics world. Sonic games were much better as 2D side scrolling platform games and were popular during the 1990s.

Well you could just read the actual reviews and it gives you a reason to why it's rated so low.

You cannot judge a game solely on a demo*. It's purpose is only to give you glimpse of the final product.

@jlmurph2 I wouldn't put so much stock in reviews or reviewers for that matter. It's best to ask someone who actually enjoys playing games what their opinion of Sonic Lost World is. To reiterate, playing a demo cannot be summed as a full impression of the game.

Ok then what's the point of this thread?

I think Lost World is a solid game. Here's a review for Sonic Generations that has always stuck with me, it's relevant to the hate Lost World's gotten.

"A reminder of both what you adore and abhor in a series that's had its simple joys diluted by flash-in-the-plan iterations and ideas." - Edge Magazine

Lost World, yet again, changed the series' game play style. Which caused a lot of backlash. I think Sega needs to stick with the game play style from the 3D sections of Colors and Generations. That's another thing the series has going against it, it's constantly switching between 2D and 3D even in the same levels.

Expectation were very high due to the similarity to Mario Galaxy. The final product was 'meh' TBH. I preferred generations over this. It is tough to do some of Sonic's moves, the checkpoint system is brutal.
The patch I heard has made it better but it is still a big disappointment.