Direction of the Sonic the Hedgehog Series moving forward

[Th3AntiGuardian 2]

I've came across quite a few people on here, arguing about the direction Sega should take with Sonic, as well as comparing the series to Nintendo franchises. I wanted to start a new topic, and get fresh perspectives from everyone. I just would really like everyone to have a reasonable conversation, without it turning into an argument where two people go back and forth, discrediting the other person's opinions and putting each other down for their views. Here's a comment I had left on another topic:

"Comparing Sonic to Nintendo games is a moot point. Since recently trying to be an active part of multiple Sonic fan communities (including this one), I've seen so many different types of Sonic fans. It just feels like majority of fans I try to talk to are always unhappy about something. Sega just needs to focus on making a good game, that majority of fans will at least like and sell well. And also move the Sonic series forward, rather than back. They've had some great ideas, its just that usually it isn't executed as well as it maybe should've been (I.e. Black Knight; great concepts, graphics, etc., just gameplay wasnt as developed as it should've been. I really enjoyed the game, but I can see why it didn't get the greatest reviews). Some fans want Adventure 3, some want another game like Unleashed/Colors and some want a 16-bit follow up to the Genesis games. Sega just needs to figure out what made the original Genesis games so great, and try to successfully transition that into a 3D game. Gameplay wise, I'm very optimistic Lost World will be successful in doing that; it looks to have levels and gameplay reminiscent of Adventure, Unleashed and the Genesis games. Sega seems to be on the right track lately, so they just need to keep doing what they're doing. It's great to listen to fans to a certain extent, but in this case the fanbase is so divided on the direction of Sonic, they just simply cannot make a game that pleases everyone"

So, what does everyone here think? I've ran into quite a few arguments that I've just walked away from, saving myself and the other person invloved from wasting time and becoming frustrated. So please, try to respect everyone's opinions,as I will do a better job of doing as well.

[Danny Felixe 330]

Personally, I enjoyed Unleashed and Colours. But those are some of the few I played. I can understand why some people would not enjoy them, if overall more fans are against the ideas Sega has at the moment, then Sega needs to recognise this and change things to suit more fans. It is apparent that they have the ideas but whether or not the ideas are working, I cannot say. Either way I am willing to try out all the future games they bring out if I have the right console for it.

[Th3AntiGuardian 2]

Personally, I enjoyed Unleashed and Colours. But those are some of the few I played. I can understand why some people would not enjoy them, if overall more fans are against the ideas Sega has at the moment, then Sega needs to recognise this and change things to suit more fans. It is apparent that they have the ideas but whether or not the ideas are working, I cannot say. Either way I am willing to try out all the future games they bring out if I have the right console for it.

I agree with you, you put it quite well! I'm just a fan of Sonic as a series, not a specific type of Sonic game. Like you, I'd be willing to try anything Sonic in the future; I've been able to find at least some enjoyment in every Sonic title I've played.

i think the reason for changing the game play in Lost World was mainly to try to build upon what they established in Unleashed, Colors and Generations; they felt they could maintain that sense of speed players experienced in those games, while giving us more control over Sonic at the same time. Sonic fans can get so nervous when faced with change. Understandably so, as theyre changing things just when it seems like Sonic is finally coming somewhat close to his level of popularity in the 90s. But the fact that Sega wants to keep things fresh and try to improve the franchise as a whole, rather than doing the same thing repeatedly just to make money, should really excite fans, I would think. It feels like Sega truly wants to improve upon what they've built thus far.

[Shadow the Hedgehog 5]

Like you I'm looking forward to Lost World from a gameplay perspective. Though it seems that Sonic Team have nailed Sonic's gameplay for a while now, I can't help but feel a tad disappointed that they haven't yet brought back other playable characters. I mean granted in 4 Episode 2 Tails was playable, but that was only for the second player if you had one. It seems as of late they've just been pushed to the sidelines, occasionally appearing but never being playable or being particular useful in the story. I'm well aware its called Sonic but I still hope they bring back other playable characters with their own playstyles, if not as part of the main story, then at least as an option when replaying stages in a manner similar to the Advance series. I'm glad they've changed it up, we've had the Unleashed boost formula for a while now, and while I thoroughly enjoy it, especially in Generatoons, if they kept with it continuously it would eventually grow stale, but I don't think looking back at what worked can hurt either.

[Lena Stan Account 60]

Sega is just mixing mario with sonic and it's wrong. sonic can't be good like that when he just runs and Sega says "A new speed controlling system" O_O

well what they are making it sonio the hedgehog and that picture i showed you in sonic lost worlds topic is the best for it.

I bet bosses are just like mario bosses.

[Th3AntiGuardian 2]

Like you I'm looking forward to Lost World from a gameplay perspective. Though it seems that Sonic Team have nailed Sonic's gameplay for a while now, I can't help but feel a tad disappointed that they haven't yet brought back other playable characters. I mean granted in 4 Episode 2 Tails was playable, but that was only for the second player if you had one. It seems as of late they've just been pushed to the sidelines, occasionally appearing but never being playable or being particular useful in the story. I'm well aware its called Sonic but I still hope they bring back other playable characters with their own playstyles, if not as part of the main story, then at least as an option when replaying stages in a manner similar to the Advance series. I'm glad they've changed it up, we've had the Unleashed boost formula for a while now, and while I thoroughly enjoy it, especially in Generatoons, if they kept with it continuously it would eventually grow stale, but I don't think looking back at what worked can hurt either.

Yes, I would love to see some characters playable beside Sonic! Even Rush did it perfectly, I think that was one of the main reasons everyone seemed to like Blaze (since she played similarly to Sonic). Knuckles is by far my all-time favorite video game character, and he hasn't really had a major part in a main Sonic game since SA 2; Heroes he was just there for no reason, 06 was the same case, he was completely cut from Unleashed (it was originally intended that Tails, Knuckles and Shadow were to be playable), and Generations he obviously didn't have a large role in (and Classic Knuckles didn't even appear). Plus, Sega has seemed to make him the butt of everyone's jokes; he got B*tch slapped by Amy for God's sake! My point is that I agree with you. Since the game play of Lost World is a bit more about platforming with speed (rather than just speed), i think it would be much more likely that perhaps the next main Sonic game could have Tails, Knuckles, etc.as playable characters. They really just need to approach it like Sonic 3 & Knuckles; they all control relatively the same, just Tails will be able to fly, Knuckles will have a lower jump and can glide/climb, etc (and like you said, Advance and Rush approached the multiple characters aspect in the same way).

[Th3AntiGuardian 2]

Sega is just mixing mario with sonic and it's wrong. sonic can't be good like that when he just runs and Sega says "A new speed controlling system" O_O

well what they are making it sonio the hedgehog and that picture i showed you in sonic lost worlds topic is the best for it.

I bet bosses are just like mario bosses.

Why is Sonic being similar to Mario a bad thing? Mario is arguably the most recognizable video game icon of all-time, and has been going strong for around 30 years. Each Mario game sells a ton of units, receives very positive reviews and has consistently high quality thorughout.

If you look at the Genesis Sonic games, they were just platforming games with an emphasis on speed, so not that different from Mario games made in the 90s. Whenever I play through the original Sonic games, I tend to do so fairly slowly. They're considered momentum-based platformers, where Mario games are platformers, not too much of a difference. Obviously, level design, characters, etc. are vastly different, but the core game play mechanic of the two series were fairly similar in the 90s. It was really SA that changed the Sonic series more into an action/adventure game; the momentum-based platforming game play wasn't very present in SA, as shown by the fact you actually tend to lose momentum when jumping in that game, instead using the homing attack to jump over gaps in place of it. The difference between Sonic Lost World and Mario Galaxy looks to be about the same as the difference between Sonic the Hedgehog and, say, Super Mario World. As far as bosses go, what do you mean "they'll be like Mario bosses"? Do you mean that positively (as the bosses in the Mario Galaxy games are quite diverse and creative IMO), or do you mean that in a negative way? I do respect your opinion BTW; I understand that there are many people who do not care for Mario, so please, everything I have written above are just some of my thoughts ^^

[NegaMetallix 27]

While I do look forward to Lost World (both versions, mind you) it's not looking like one of the absolute best Sonic games in my opinion. The gameplay to me looks like a blend of Classic, Adventure and even a bit of Modern, with similarities to (but NOT inspired by) Super Mario Galaxy, and I'm fine with that. As for the characters... meh. I mean, SEGA just haven't been utilising the other characters lately. Granted, there's a chance that Amy & Knux will have bigger roles in Lost World (keyword being CHANCE) but I'd like to see others get some more time in the spotlight in future games.

One theory that I've had on my mind in terms of playable characters in single-player is doing something akin to Sonic Rush Adventure: Having a linear storyline involving multiple characters, which you unlock throughout the game. For example, you start the game with just Sonic. Along the way you unlock other speed-based characters like Shadow and Blaze, but you're still play the same story. There could even be other storylines for different gameplay styles, like maybe having a Knuckles story and unlocking characters like Rouge later on. Also, each character would have slightly different stats: e.g. for speed-based, Sonic is the fastest, but has a lower jump height, and vice-versa for Blaze.

As for storylines themselves, I'd personally like to see something like Unleashed: Not too dark/serious, but not overly goofy either. I think that Unleashed hit the right feel of a Sonic story (minus the Werehog, of course). Anyway, I've rambled on for long enough. These are just my thoughts on the possible future of Sonic games.

[Glider4 4]

Here's the thing. I dont really mind the specifics but when I think sonic, I think running through a beutiful world at high speeds while doing crazy stunts. Not slowly jumping over different coloured floating platforms . It's the reason I can't stand modern Mario games. Sega admitted trying to make the Sonic Series like the mario Series which I think is one of the most overrated franchises in video gaming. Lost World just looks really boring to me

[Th3AntiGuardian 2]

Here's the thing. I dont really mind the specifics but when I think sonic, I think running through a beutiful world at high speeds while doing crazy stunts. Not slowly jumping over different coloured floating platforms . It's the reason I can't stand modern Mario games. Sega admitted trying to make the Sonic Series like the mario Series which I think is one of the most overrated franchises in video gaming. Lost World just looks really boring to me

I mean, if you look at the game play videos, it's still nearly as fast-paced as Unleashed or Colors. It's simply that you have the option of going slower if you choose to focus more on plat-forming. Like I said, the difference between this game and Mario Galaxy is the difference between the Genesis Sonic games and Super Mario World. At least from the videos; really we won't know either way for sure until we get our hands on it and play it ourselves.

We obviously have different opinions and tastes on video games lol. But I must ask you; you consider Super Mario more over-rated than Call of Duty, which has become the most well-known cash cow since Activision screwed over the people that made it so popular? There's less of a difference between each COD game they crap out each year than Mario; whether you like Mario or not, at least there's a variety of games within the series for fans (RPGs, racing, sports, side-scrolling platforming, party, main-series games, etc.). And at least they have multiple teams working on each type of Mario game.

[Glider4 4]

I mean, if you look at the game play videos, it's still nearly as fast-paced as Unleashed or Colors. It's simply that you have the option of going slower if you choose to focus more on plat-forming. Like I said, the difference between this game and Mario Galaxy is the difference between the Genesis Sonic games and Super Mario World. At least from the videos; really we won't know either way for sure until we get our hands on it and play it ourselves.

We obviously have different opinions and tastes on video games lol. But I must ask you; you consider Super Mario more over-rated than Call of Duty, which has become the most well-known cash cow since Activision screwed over the people that made it so popular? There's less of a difference between each COD game they crap out each year than Mario; whether you like Mario or not, at least there's a variety of games within the series for fans (RPGs, racing, sports, side-scrolling platforming, party, main-series games, etc.). And at least they have multiple teams working on each type of Mario game.

Why would they even do this though? They are making the mistake of thinking that trying to become their rivals will make them sell. Thats what happened with homefront and we all know how well that did. Besides I hate this mario style because It's something that any slightly competant developer could make. That and it's boring.

[Th3AntiGuardian 2]

Why would they even do this though? They are making the mistake of thinking that trying to become their rivals will make them sell. Thats what happened with homefront and we all know how well that did. Besides I hate this mario style because It's something that any slightly competant developer could make. That and it's boring.

I apparently have a different thought process on this. I just see Mario and Sonic as two sperate series, made by two different companies, and each series has something different to offer gamers. I didn't hear of Sega coming out and saying that with Lost Wolrd, they were trying to make a rip-off of Mario.

IDK I obviously like both Mario and Sonic, so we should just agree to disagree =)

About COD, am I the only one who doesn't care for those games? I enjoyed Modern Warfare and MW2 was good, but if there's one series that's more overrated and milked for money than any other video game, it has to be COD.

[Lena Stan Account 60]

I just finished new mario bros for ds and all of bosses were easy. all you have to do is to jump on something.

[Danny Felixe 330]

I just finished new mario bros for ds and all of bosses were easy. all you have to do is to jump on something.

Seems like the case for most Mario games. If not all

[Th3AntiGuardian 2]

I just finished new mario bros for ds and all of bosses were easy. all you have to do is to jump on something.

Seems like the case for most Mario games. If not all

Am i seriously like the only person on here who actually likes Mario? I mean, I know this is a Sonic website, but the series revolutionized video games twice over, something that as I much as I hate to admit, Sonic never did. The video game that would basically turn video games into an industry is Super Mario Bros. and the very first game that allowed players to control a character in a 3D space is Super Mario 64. And if you consider every game the same, try Mario Galaxy. Or Mario and Luigi: Bowser Inside Story. Or Mario Sunshine. Or Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon. And Mario Kart 8 certainly doesn't look the same as any other MK game. And if you want to talk easy bosses, play Sonic Colors.

........

Alright, glad to get that out! XD lol. Enough venting, as I said before, you both have a different opinion, so lets just agree to disagree. This topic is about Sonic, after all; I tried to make a topic where we could avoid having discussions about how everyone thinks Mario and Nintendo sucks, as that gets me riled up XD No one will answer my COD question...

[Danny Felixe 330]

Am i seriously like the only person on here who actually likes Mario? I mean, I know this is a Sonic website, but the series revolutionized video games twice over, something that as I much as I hate to admit, Sonic never did. The video game that would basically turn video games into an industry is Super Mario Bros. and the very first game that allowed players to control a character in a 3D space is Super Mario 64. And if you consider every game the same, try Mario Galaxy. Or Mario and Luigi: Bowser Inside Story. Or Mario Sunshine. Or Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon. And Mario Kart 8 certainly doesn't look the same as any other MK game. And if you want to talk easy bosses, play Sonic Colors.

........

Alright, glad to get that out! XD lol. Enough venting, as I said before, you both have a different opinion, so lets just agree to disagree. This topic is about Sonic, after all; I tried to make a topic where we could avoid having discussions about how everyone thinks Mario and Nintendo sucks, as that gets me riled up XD No one will answer my COD question...

I like Mario. But sometimes he seems more predictable. That's why I prefer Sonic more. However, now that you mention it, Mario Galaxy did seem a little different from the rest. And I enjoy a bit of Mario Kart. Sorry to get you "riled up" there

By the way, I still enjoy Sonic Colours even though the bosses are easy. And if you do become an artist for Sonic comics and you say you want to in your introduction thread, will you send a signed Sonic comic to me? :D

[Th3AntiGuardian 2]

I like Mario. But sometimes he seems more predictable. That's why I prefer Sonic more. However, now that you mention it, Mario Galaxy did seem a little different from the rest. And I enjoy a bit of Mario Kart. Sorry to get you "riled up" there

By the way, I still enjoy Sonic Colours even though the bosses are easy. And if you do become an artist for Sonic comics and you say you want to in your introduction thread, will you send a signed Sonic comic to me? :D

Lol no I was just kidding about getting "riled up" :D And I can see that about Mario; with Sonic, Sega seems to always come up with something new, be it generally well accepted or not. The Mario Galaxy team has done a good job with keeping things fresh (even Galaxy 2, while a direct sequel, still felt new). New SMB, while I like, does seem to play it safe. I personally like that, but I can see why others do not.

I really enjoy Colors still to this day, the bosses were very cool, just was disappointed at the difficulty level of the them I guess. Esp. the Nega Wisp Armor. It was such an awesome-looking boss, and Eggman was finally the final boss after how long of him being absent from a Sonic games' finale. But even on the first try, it seemed to be over so quickly due to the low difficulty level. Still a great game, and in my opinion the closest to having whatever the Genesis games that made them so great, if that makes sense.

Of course lol :D That's a big if, but I would gladly do so :D

[Glider4 4]

I apparently have a different thought process on this. I just see Mario and Sonic as two sperate series, made by two different companies, and each series has something different to offer gamers. I didn't hear of Sega coming out and saying that with Lost Wolrd, they were trying to make a rip-off of Mario.

IDK I obviously like both Mario and Sonic, so we should just agree to disagree =)

About COD, am I the only one who doesn't care for those games? I enjoyed Modern Warfare and MW2 was good, but if there's one series that's more overrated and milked for money than any other video game, it has to be COD.

Trust me LOADS of people don't care for them. In fact most people go into a blind fanboy rage when the hear the words "Call of duty." I like some of them but I'm not all that into it to be honest

[Lena Stan Account 60]

Am i seriously like the only person on here who actually likes Mario? I mean, I know this is a Sonic website, but the series revolutionized video games twice over, something that as I much as I hate to admit, Sonic never did. The video game that would basically turn video games into an industry is Super Mario Bros. and the very first game that allowed players to control a character in a 3D space is Super Mario 64. And if you consider every game the same, try Mario Galaxy. Or Mario and Luigi: Bowser Inside Story. Or Mario Sunshine. Or Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon. And Mario Kart 8 certainly doesn't look the same as any other MK game. And if you want to talk easy bosses, play Sonic Colors.

........

Alright, glad to get that out! XD lol. Enough venting, as I said before, you both have a different opinion, so lets just agree to disagree. This topic is about Sonic, after all; I tried to make a topic where we could avoid having discussions about how everyone thinks Mario and Nintendo sucks, as that gets me riled up XD No one will answer my COD question...

I have played mario galaxy 2. not intersting.

[Th3AntiGuardian 2]

Yeah, like I said, Modern Warfare 1 and 2 were great games, and black ops 2 is decent. My brother, who is a huge COD fan, traded in World at War, Black Ops and barely plays MW3. It just seems like everyone bought Modern Warfare because it was actually a great game, and now everyone buys any new COD game just because all of their friends buy it because of the name. The people who headed Modern Warfare 1 and 2's development are making Titanfall. Now THAT looks like it could be the game to finally beat and de-throne COD.

[Th3AntiGuardian 2]

@neo metal sonic

Using my iPhone and don't know how to reply to a specific person on here XD

I mean, Galaxy 2 sold really well, got very high reviews (don't think it got lower than a 9 out of 10) and was a huge hit amongst Mario fans. However, it goes to show that everyone has different opinions; its fine that Mario simply isn't your thing. If its not interesting then that's cool; like I said, everyone has different tastes in games. =)

[Lena Stan Account 60]

@neo metal sonic

Using my iPhone and don't know how to reply to a specific person on here XD

I mean, Galaxy 2 sold really well, got very high reviews (don't think it got lower than a 9 out of 10) and was a huge hit amongst Mario fans. However, it goes to show that everyone has different opinions; its fine that Mario simply isn't your thing. If its not interesting then that's cool; like I said, everyone has different tastes in games. =)

Well i liked galaxy 2 but at the end of world 1, it errors. :( i can't beat browser ... noooooo.

[Th3AntiGuardian 2]

Well i liked galaxy 2 but at the end of world 1, it errors. :( i can't beat browser ... noooooo.

It errors? What exactly happens? I've gotten all 242 stars, so I might be able to help you, if you still have the game :D

[Glider4 4]

Yeah, like I said, Modern Warfare 1 and 2 were great games, and black ops 2 is decent. My brother, who is a huge COD fan, traded in World at War, Black Ops and barely plays MW3. It just seems like everyone bought Modern Warfare because it was actually a great game, and now everyone buys any new COD game just because all of their friends buy it because of the name. The people who headed Modern Warfare 1 and 2's development are making Titanfall. Now THAT looks like it could be the game to finally beat and de-throne COD.

I hated both MW2 and 3. Especially 3 but 2 mostly because it was unbalanced and it became more irritatting over time. I really like the BO games except all of them have horrible singleplayer modes. So yea no COD ghosts for me because IF can't make games