Sonic 06While were on the topic, when is it you think the Sonic franchise really started to fall apart?
Sonic 06While were on the topic, when is it you think the Sonic franchise really started to fall apart?
Would you argue that the serirs never really recovered from that?Sonic 06
Would you argue that the serirs never really recovered from that?
I would argue that point. Not because later Sonic games were all bad. Some were relatively ok. The issue was every Sonic game is essentially the same. Race to the end of the level, get the rings and kill what ever gets in the way. The only differences is if the game is 2D or 3D or both. SEGA has been unwilling to take a risk and totally change up the formula for what a Sonic game is. Take a risk, see if it works.Would you argue that the serirs never really recovered from that?
I would argue that point. Not because later Sonic games were all bad. Some were relatively ok. The issue was every Sonic game is essentially the same. Race to the end of the level, get the rings and kill what ever gets in the way. The only differences is if the game is 2D or 3D or both. SEGA has been unwilling to take a risk and totally change up the formula for what a Sonic game is. Take a risk, see if it works.
Every big Mario game (SMRPG being the exception) before SM64 was just a 2D race to the end fo the level. SM64 totally changed things up by making it a collectathon, not a race to the end. Sure the old race returned in NSMB and SM3DW. Nintendo was able to take the risk and move Mario into a totally different direction. The collectathon. SM64 was different, not because of it's 2.5D. It was different because it changed what people thought a Mario game should be to a collectathon. Now we know both types of Mario games exist (collectathon and race to the end).
SEGA did not do this. The move to 3D sega games didn't change up the formula. It was the same Sonoc running just as fast as usual, collecting the same rings and beating the same bosses. Add in the fact that many (but not all) of these newer Sonic games were not developed that well and you have a serious problem.
The TLDR is: Sure some of the later Sonic games were developed poorly, but it is SEGAs unwillingness to take a risk and move Sonic into a totally different direction that has harmed the IP more than any number of Sonic 06's ever could.
I get your ponit and ot makes total sense.I think there's something to be said for this argument. But the whole premise of Sonic is going fast. Mario never had that gimmick. You could go fast, you could not go fast, as long as in the end you reached the goal. But Sonic was always about speed. And that sometimes didn't translate well in 2D, never mind 3D, where it has been an absolute disaster.
Even if the whole speed in 3D was a good idea, the games have not been well made. Let's pretend that the idea behind 3D Sonic were a good one... it still has to be executed properly, and I don't think we can say that it has.
If they change the premise behind Sonic, would it even be Sonic anymore? Why not just retire Sonic and come up with a new character that doesn't have to go fast, and that can have a proper 3D adventure. Because you're right: Sega need to take risks, but if they take risks with Sonic, everyone is going to complain. "Why is Sonic a collect-a-thon now? This isn't a real Sonic game!"
In the end, Sega can't win. If they continue the way they've gone, they'll continue to shame the name of Sonic. If they change the Sonic formula, the fanbase will riot. Lose-Lose.
I don't know how popular my opinion is, but I think the Sonic franchise was doing it wrong from the start with the 2D side-scrolling games. The Sonic games have always been about running fast through the stages, right? You know the whole "Gotta go fast" and all that. At least whenever you play as Sonic. But in the old side-scroller games you can only see a few meters ahead of you as you're running, and if you're running fast (as the game wants you to) you have almost no time to react to the obstacles of the course because you can't see them in time. So if you want to be able to play through those 2D stages successfully you have to play them over and over until you memorise every obstacle. I think the switch to 3D where you see Sonic from behind and can view everything in front of him was very good for the series since it actually makes the gameplay fair to the player. Of course I'm aware this change brought many other downsides though.