(The following rant is all an opinion)
It’s a fact; Sonic the Hedgehog sucks. I find myself struggling to remember his last successful title.
Sonic Heroes maybe? I feel that even that may be stretching it. I’m aware that he has recently acquired that brand of cult following that only likes something if it’s considered shit by the general populace, so my assessment may not be seen as favorable to all. Regardless, the Sonic series hasn’t produced a good game in almost a decade; it has attained the mark of death.
If any other series had not only such a long period since its last successful title but as many lackluster titles within that time frame, it would be eradicated. So why does he continue to exist?
Sony got the idea with Gex the gecko and Crash Bandicoot (although I feel that the demise of the latter was the result of poor handling rather than a mark of death) and one can only hope that they do so again with the Killzone characters; why do people say that game is good?
The few remaining sane people that have even a lingering interest in the Sonic series have long voiced their desire to have a Sonic Adventure 2 game remade with current gen graphics. Imagine my surprise when, upon glancing at my computer screen, I see “Sonic Adventure 2 to be remade….”
My pupils dilate, my breathing accelerates. Could it be?
Is it possible that a falling developer has finally listened to their merciful fanbase and done what they were told?
No.
“Sonic Adventure 2 to be remade in HD graphics”
I sighed as I read the full caption.
Why?
Why this particular title?
Why at this particular time?
It sounds like a slap in the face, no?
Either the developers are not in touch with their fanbase, they thought that this would be a suitable replacement for a partial reimagining of the Sonic Adventure 2 title or they just don’t care. No matter which one you choose, the conclusion that is to be drawn is that the developers are idiots.
I predict there will be nothing to be gained from such a pointless release because anyone that would be interested in a release from such a series already has the game and who wants to pay for something they already have except for the insane?
It reminds me of Square Enix and their drama with Final Fantasy 7, only Sonic Team has not achieved anywhere near the success since Sonic Adventure 2 that Square Enix has since Final Fantasy 7.
No matter how I cut it, I just can’t see this series as something worth keeping around.
Am I crazy? Am I the only one that sees this blue hellspawn as something to be eradicated?
Look at the guys behind Duke Nukem; they repeatedly attempted to release something that would ultimately be seen to be shit until the release of Duke Nukem Forever, which was remarkably garbage. Now, one can rest assured that the book is closed on Duke Nukem; he will never be seen or heard from again.
Why have we not reached this with Sonic?
This is a serious question. I want you guys to tell me why no one finds it strange that Sonic is still alive as a brand and character.
I know we all have our own opinions on anything, but you suck for even making this post. Bashing on Sonic with useless facts….Square Enix is fucking crap, at least Sega actually cares to re-release games…and what do you mean why SA2 battle? idiot they released SADX on PSN..why no SA2? Sega is smart, but aside from that SADX and SA2 is awesome! so for you to bash on blue-bullet…provide better facts next time.
Sonic games print money and the last good sonic game to be released was Sonic Generations, before that it was Sonic 4 Episode 2, Sonic 4, Sonic Colours. There have been many great Sonic games in recent years, perhaps you’ve just been buying the ones aimed at kids. Or perhaps you just wanted hits.
Not sure how you can be confused about Sonic at the moment the games are getting steadily better to the point that Generations is exceptionally good and yeah, Sonic games print money as well as his merchandise.
I think perhaps you are crazy, or you wrote this article four years ago. Do you know anything about the games industry?
Yours sincerely,
Mr Needlemouse
Good article, but I’m a nit confused on how you compare Sonic/Sega with Sony/Crash/Gex….
Gex was a multiplatform title and had nothing to do with Sony deciding the franchise had enough time on this Earth. Also, Crash is a bit of an odd comparison as well as it was never owned by Sony either. It was simply part of a deal with Vivendi for Naughty Dog to develop 3 games. After that, Vivendi simply published the series themselves and it became multiplatform. So, as you can see, nowhere in there has Sony and Sega been comparable.
Finally, I’ve never really been too into Sonic as it is, so I guess I’m not as affected by Sega’s and Sonic’s recent downfall. I definitely see though that Sonic isn’t as good as he used to be, but again, he was never all that great to me anyway…
I don’t know how the Duke Nukem analogy fits, but I see where you are going with Sonic. All of what you said could have been true a few years ago, but now there are quite a few new games that aren’t just rehashes of the old, like Sonic Generations that someone else mentioned. If anything, the Sonic franchise is beginning to reestablish itself.
Money, nostalgia, and good entertainment. That’s why I don’t find it strange. Plus, they’re doing it right, finally. Sonic Generations is awesome.
It took a while but I agree with you on Sonic Generations being a leap forward. Shola, I think you might be singing a different tune if you played Sonic Generations. Try it if you haven’t.
Sonic Generations was pretty good; it was heavily nostalgic, but also introduced a lot of new elements and presented a nice unified vision of what a Sonic game should be.
As for a Sonic Adventure 2 re-release on new consoles… If it makes its way to PC, then I’ll probably get it. I no longer own a GameCube or Dreamcast, and emulators aren’t perfect.
I have to agree with this article, to a large degree.
I won’t comment on Sonic Colours because I haven’t played it, but of the other games that are being mentioned here as examples of good games in the franchise – Sonic Generations, Episode 4 parts one and two – they’re fine, but they’re not great. That’s the point.
The Sonic games used to be synonymous with quality. The top titles were, at one point, some of the very best video games in existence. Now, the best effort sin the franchise are merely “good”.
Sonic Generations is fun, but its far from perfect. There are flaws with the control and camera in certain places, some of the boss fights are tedious as all hell (the final boss is absolutely terrible), and, as an adult player, I find the cut-scenes and story cringe-worthy.
Sonic 4 Episode 1 was more like the classic 16-bit Sonics I grew up with, but the controls were completely wrong (as is generally agreed). The levels all lacked the flow of the classic games this one was meant to follow, and the level designs appeared to be lifted straight from these earlier games and just given a contemporary polish. Rather than being the promised “real” sequel to Sonics 1-3&K, this felt more like a cynical attempt to get some sales from the older Sonic fans who had lost their interest.
Episode 2 improved on the control (though didn’t completely fix it) and, though the levels now looked more original visually, the design was even less inspired, with long, set-piece sections that looked fancy but didn’t really give the player a sense of control, and cheaply placed enemies breaking the flow whenever it started to get promising.
Oh, and let’s not forget the lackluster bosses and their incessantly looping, hideously annoying music.
Don’t get me wrong; I did enjoy these games but they’re far from great. These are pretty noticeable flaws and they’re indicative of game designers who aren’t really all that great at what they’re doing.
Dang, the author got destroyed in these comments. Live to fight another day, Shola! lol
I feel I came out pretty decent in this article. If you think this is me getting destroyed then I assure you, you haven’t seen anything yet.
Trust me.
If Tanto the troll hasn’t left a message on your article then you’re in pretty good shape.