Did SEGA Finally Save Sonic?

[dazzsheil]

Sonic,ever since the Dreamcast days,has quite honestly sucked.
The 2006 "reboot" of Sonic the Hedgehog was brutal. While the music was awesome, good music cannot save a game. The graphics were meh to say the least and the gameplay was HORRID.

Sonic and the Secret Rings was Okay I guess, from what I've seen.

The PS3 Version of Unleashed was downright awful. The Wii version was good I suppose,the graphics aren't as good.

Sonic and The Black Knight was just awful

Sonic 4 was the best 2D Game in al loooooooooong time.

Sonic Colours was just (As the announcer would say) OUTSTANDING!

And finally, Generations was bliss. Just a great game.

But the real question is, Is Sonic on track again, or will SEGA Just try and make him pointless again?

 

[JuicieJ]

Since the Dreamcast days? I'm pretty sure Adventure and Adventure 2 received lots of praise, especially Adventure 2, which is one of the greatest games ever made. Sonic started sucking at Shadow the Hedgehog. No sooner.

Anyway, yes, SEGA has most definitely saved Sonic. Reason being they've decided to start listening to the fans. Sonic Colors was 100% fan-made. While Sonic Team developed it, they got all of their ideas from forums and such. They're doing the same sort of thing with Sonic 4: Episode 2 in which they actually brought in a group of fans to discuss what they needed to fix from Sonic 4: Episode 1 (which was mainly the physics, and what they had to say was 100% legit, not any of that fanboy complaint stuff). With Colors, Generations, the basic premise of Sonic 4, and the looks of Sonic 4: Episode 2, I don't think there's any way Sonic is going back to the dumps. Sonic is back and here to stay. Finally. (I do personally wish that the games would have a bit more of the Adventure 2 style mixed in with what they've done with Colors and Generations, as that would create the perfect style for the series imo, but what they're doing is great nonetheless.)

 

[StarBound]

You do know there were bad Sonic games before Shadow the Hedgehog right? There was Sonic Drift, Sonic Drift 2, Sonic Spinball for the Game Gear, Sonic 3D Blast(more specifically the Sega Saturn version),Sonic Pinball Party, Sonic R and Sonic Blast, just to name a few.
Shadow the Hedgehog: Although the core gameplay was okay, there are two things that needed to be fix, the story and the missions. The story was an absolute mess and missions like hunting down all of the aliens were boring and repetitive. The worst 3-D Sonic game in my opinion.
Sonic Next Gen: This game has a lot of flaws such as loading times, unpolished gameplay and Elise, but overall I don't think its as bad as every says it is. I understand why people hate it, but if you criticize this game without playing it, then you are part of the bandwagon. Overall, it should've been better, but it is nowhere near as bad as everyone says it is.
Those are the two Sonic games that made the Sonic Fanbase fall apart. Its kinda hard being a Sonic fan. Its not because the games were bad, but its because of the "fans" who complain about everything. There are people who are complaining about Sonic 4. You have people begging for a Sonic Adventure 3. Let me answer your question, Sonic doesn't need to be saved. He can save himself and by the way, he was never in trouble.

 

[JuicieJ]

You do know there were bad Sonic games before Shadow the Hedgehog right? There was Sonic Drift, Sonic Drift 2, Sonic Spinball for the Game Gear, Sonic 3D Blast(more specifically the Sega Saturn version),Sonic Pinball Party, Sonic R and Sonic Blast, just to name a few.

Yeah, but those were more spin-offs than anything. They weren't the main games of the series.

 

[StarBound]

Yeah, but those were more spin-offs than anything. They weren't the main games of the series.

Well Shadow, Secret Rings and Black Knight were spin offs and people are complaining about those games.

 

[JuicieJ]

Well Shadow, Secret Rings and Black Knight were spin offs and people are complaining about those games.

No, they're actually not. Shadow was the follow-up to Heroes with Shadow's past being revealed, and Secret Rings was directly referenced in Colors, which means both it and Black Knight are part of the main canon.

 

[StarBound]

No, they're actually not. Shadow was the follow-up to Heroes with Shadow's past being revealed, and Secret Rings was directly referenced in Colors, which means both it and Black Knight are part of the main canon.

Shadow's past was revealed in Sonic Adventure 2. All that we needed to know was that Gerald Robotnik was ordered to build the Ultimate Lifeform. That Black Doom stuff was nonsense. How can an alien be a father of a hedgehog? Plus the game is and will always be the darkest Sonic game ever and it doesn't really fit in the main series(guns,cursing,a lot of killing, ect). Does that mean Knuckle's Chaotix is in the main series because the Chaotix reappear in Sonic Heroes? No because KC was an experimental chapter just like the Storybook games. Just because Sonic mentioned genies in SG doesn't really mean the storybook games are part of the main games. I consider them spinoffs because they are their own series. Both games have the same style of game play, same kind of theme, ect. Just because a game is a spinoff doesn't mean it never happened. I do think the storybook games did occur and like it or not, I do believe the event of Shadow the Hedgehog took place. Like I said before, I consider those games spin-offs because they have their own unique style of gameplay and they wouldn't really fit with the main series because of how different they are. I'm not trying to start a fight here, but this is my opinion, take it or leave it.

 

[JuicieJ]

Shadow's past was revealed in Sonic Adventure 2. That Black Doom stuff was nonsense. How can an alien be a father of a hedgehog? Plus the game is and will always be the darkest Sonic game ever and it doesn't really fit in the main series(Guns,cursing,a lot of killing, ect). Does that mean Knuckle's Chaotix is in the main series because the Chaotix reappear in Sonic Heroes? No because KC was an experimental chapter just like the Storybook games. Just because Sonic mentioned genies in SG doesn't really mean the storybook games are part of the main games. I consider them spinoffs because they are their own series. Both games have the same style of game play, same kind of theme, ect. Just because a game is a spinoff doesn't mean it never happened. I do think the storybook games did occur and like it or not, I do believe the event of Shadow the Hedgehog took place. Like I said before, I consider those games spin-offs because they have their own unique style of gameplay and they wouldn't really fit with the main series because of how different they are. I'm not trying to start a fight here, but this is my opinion, take it or leave it.

Well, whether or not you consider the storybook series canon or not doesn't matter. Shadow the Hedgehog is most definitely canon. There's really no arguing that, as it continued on what happened with him in Heroes (losing his memory and trying to get it back). But this is all unnecessary and off topic.

 

[Wariopunk]

Sonic 4? good? No way it was awful.

Colours and Generations have been the only good games for a long, long time. I hope SEGA keeps the rest of the upcoming Sonic games just as good as them.

 

[Turo602]

Sega has in no way saved Sonic. He's been doing quite good these past two years and it all started with Sonic the Hedgehog 4. But that doesn't mean he's saved...It's gonna get pretty old really fast. Dashing really fast, bouncing from here to there, jump, slide, OH NO! Perfectly set up enemies for a homing attack, some more of the same... more enemies who are just waiting to get blazed through like bowling pins, and some 2D platforming... Sega seriously needs to evolve him already. All they did with Colors and Generations was stall. I'm not saying they were bad games, they just relied too much on 2D platforming with some 3D running like a headless chicken segments. Sonic needs to be fully realized in 3D in order to be saved. Nintendo did it with Mario, Zelda, and Metroid. It's time for Sega to stop relying on old school Sonic and gimmicks. Don't release a Sonic game until you get it right!

And are we seriously arguing about Sonic canon and spinoffs?...

 

[A Link In Time]

No, no, and no again. Sega has not saved Sonic from the hellfire. The fanbase is slowly being reconciled, however, videogame critics continue to bash the speedy blue hedgehog. Sonic 4 Episode 1, Colors, and Generations are only a fraction as memorable as the Genesis Sonic games. It would be best if Sega laid the franchise property to rest for several years as Sonic's name has been tarnished through appearances in a plethora of spin-offs and minigame compilations. Every fatigued franchise requires a rest before reboot and Sonic is no different. It's time to for this little hedgehog to hibernate for awhile...

 

[StarBound]

Sega has in no way saved Sonic. He's been doing quite good these past two years and it all started with Sonic the Hedgehog 4. But that doesn't mean he's saved...It's gonna get pretty old really fast. Dashing really fast, bouncing from here to there, jump, slide, OH NO! Perfectly set up enemies for a homing attack, some more of the same... more enemies who are just waiting to get blazed through like bowling pins, and some 2D platforming... Sega seriously needs to evolve him already. All they did with Colors and Generations was stall. I'm not saying they were bad games, they just relied too much on 2D platforming with some 3D running like a headless chicken segments. Sonic needs to be fully realized in 3D in order to be saved. Nintendo did it with Mario, Zelda, and Metroid. It's time for Sega to stop relying on old school Sonic and gimmicks. Don't release a Sonic game until you get it right!

And are we seriously arguing about Sonic canon and spinoffs?...

We could complain about green eyes and long legs if you want. Anyways, spin-offs or not, they are still Sonic games.

 

[Turo602]

We could complain about green eyes and long legs if you want. Anyways, spin-offs or not, they are still Sonic games.

A spin-off title like Shadow the Hedgehog is not a Sonic game. It tells but one story in a specific Sonic series, but it doesn't mean it's a Sonic game. It doesn't define the series because it's trying to be something else. It's a spin-off for a reason... Just because something is associated with something else doesn't mean that they are one the same. Sonic R for example, is not a Sonic the Hedgehog game. It's not trying to be a Sonic game, it's trying to be Sonic R. A racing game. It has a completely different identity.

 

[Hanyou]

I think Sega has saved Sonic. Protestations about bad quality seem moot by this point.

Sonic Unleashed got the series back on the right track, Sonic Colors was not offensively bad (though I found it boring), and Sonic Generations...well, it was pretty much perfect.

Generations might be an homage to the classics, but it was a new Sonic game with new ideas. Level design had to be built from the ground up, and the wonderful thing about it was that both Sonics controlled fluidly. I tend to prefer the Genesis Sonic games, but I found myself playing 3D Sonic levels consistently.

There have been some good Sonic games since the Genesis era. Sonic Adventure was amazing, in spite of its flaws, because it transferred the spirit and the overall feel of classic Sonic seamlessly to 3D; Sonic Adventure 2 was great, in spite of having more flaws than Sonic Adventure; Sonic Heroes was decent and had the right ideas, if poor execution. On the handheld front, Sonic Advance was very good and Sonic Advance 3 was tolerable.

Unfortunately, people haven't always taken notice of which games are lackluster. The Rush titles had bad physics and a focus solely on speed, which is understandable in 3D but made for poor level design and little proper platforming in 2D. And Sonic 4? Ugh. It had none of the charm or creativity of the classics and all of the problems one can expect from a Dimps-developed Sonic game. It was an engine designed for speed, speed speed, but they slowed Sonic down and added random, poorly-designed platforming. Everyone knows about the bad 3D games, so no need to mention those.

I'd like to see the series build on Generations. Apart from the last main level, the game is great, with tons of replay value and classic moments. I haven't hated all the newer Sonic games (in fact, Adventure is my third-favorite Sonic game after Sonic 3 & Knuckles and Sonic 2), but I do think they lost their way for awhile.

Oh...and they should restore Sonic's classic design and keep him mute. The new design/talkativeness makes me cringe. It reminds me of Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.

I DO think the series was never about speed, speed, speed, and if they could better incorporate platforming into 3D, it would add to the value of the games. I'd also like to see them attempt an open-world Sonic game, as Sonic 3 and Knuckles was about FREEDOM and EXPLORATION as much as platforming and speed. Regardless, it's their call at this point.

 

[Turo602]

Whether a game is part of a series or not is dependent on whether or not it has the title and characters. Nothing more, nothing less.

It's part of the series...but it's not automatically a Sonic game. If it's not the next installment or if it doesn't evolve the series and it's trying to be something else, then it's not a Sonic game. It being part of the series is not the point I'm making.