It would be cool to see Sonic games get better, content wise, but I think this whole "aim the game to kids who're playing M rated titles" is holding the games back. They should really try being like the comics, or just adapt from them altogether.
I'm not saying the games need to be like Shadow, I'm saying they need to be like the rest of the games and shows before heroes and Sonic X. You know, keep it balanced. Just because 1 game was too dark doesn't mean the opposite extreme(we have now) isn't the only option.