Even Sega thinks Sonic needs saving
by Chris Greenhough 
{ Aug 7th 2008 at 12:45PM }
It's not just everybody in the world but Sega who thinks Sonic games have lost their way. The company itself thinks it, and not just in its quieter, more private moments -- Sega of America Marketing veep Sean Ratcliffe has admitted to GameDaily that "some of the criticism" for years of janky 3D Sonic titles is "probably warranted." Some? Probably?
Fortunately for us, the Nintendo platforms have so far escaped with okay Sonic games -- Sonic and the Secret Rings was decent, while the Sonic Rush titles on the DS were enjoyable romps. Elsewhere, things are bleaker, but Ratcliffe hopes the likes of Sonic Unleashed and Sonic and the Black Knight can kickstart the rescue mission. "I would say we recognize [the dip in quality], which is why you're seeing us this year taking the first steps in making sure the quality is right, and we're constantly looking at innovation."
Sega, it really could not be simpler: Hand-drawn 2D. 30 stages. Just Sonic and maybe Tails. WiiWare. 500 Points. Bam.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
bukizzle715 @ Aug 7th 2008 12:55PM
New Sonic sucks, except for (don't hate me) Secret Rings. I actually played through it twice. Which is why I'm excited for Black Knight. But if they really want to make Sonic awesome again they should pull a "Mega Man 9" and make a sweet WiiWare version.
FYIan @ Aug 7th 2008 8:42PM
I thought that Secret Rings was a step in the right direction. The problem is that the Sonic Team seems to have forgotten what a Sonic game is. For no real reason, they stopped making successful, simple, fast-paced platforming games and started making Sonic do things he traditional hasn't and shouldn't do.
Secret Rings needs to be remade with none of the RPG elements and a large number of stages instead of just four or so. It was a huge mistake for them to purposefully cripple the control scheme at the beginning of the game for the sake of RPGness.
HellsHammer @ Aug 7th 2008 10:35PM
"For no real reason, they stopped making successful, simple, fast-paced platforming games"
The sole reason is Super Mario 64. The bottom line is that Mario made a phenomenal 2D to 3D jump. When Sega couldn't produce a 3D Sonic game for the Saturn, they fell apart and haven't recovered. Even after every version of great Sonic games for Genesis, Sega CD and GameGear, Sega just can't seem figure out what to do next.
In my mind, it seems like SonicTeam has spent the last 12 years trying to make up for their failure to release Sonic X-treme, instead of just simply bringing Sonic back to his roots.
It's exactly as Chris said; "Sega, it really could not be simpler: Hand-drawn 2D."
Mr Khan @ Aug 7th 2008 1:10PM
Stay the course, Sonic Team
I still love 'ya
Nigeria @ Aug 7th 2008 1:32PM
Marketers are such panderers. Does he really think Sonic has gone downhill, or was his jovial laughter a mere buffer so he can deliver the company spin? I'm not even sure he believes what he says.
For every angry young person that chants the easy mantra, 'Sonic Sucks', there's another ten people that are quietly satisfied, probably. Personally, I see no decline. There have been times when Sonic has been attached to a dodgy game - Sonic 360 - but even Mario has the Mario Party series. Every two years, or so, Sonic has featured in a great game. That's not too bad. I just wish Sega would slow down the rate Sonic games are being released. It's reaching a Fifa-ised state.
WhatIsThatThing @ Aug 7th 2008 1:32PM
500 points? Even I think that sounds a little cheap considering the original Sonic the Hedgehog is 800 points.
Char6296 @ Aug 7th 2008 1:42PM
But... Knuckles? Amy? (just a LITTLE feminism?) Can't they be in it, too?
Mr.ESC @ Aug 7th 2008 2:29PM
I think they should have stopped with after Amy.
Just Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy (You need the girl otherwise people would think they are gay).
Enemies Robotnick and Metal Sonic,period.
Now I'm not against new characters (Like the Genie in Secret Rings) but they should just stay in one game. Big cat , Robot, Silver and Cream were unnecessary and annoying. I guess Rogue and Shadow are okay but I really miss Metal Sonic.
(I would like to see Scratch and Grounder in one game since they only appeared in Sonic Spinball, yes they did)
Josh @ Aug 7th 2008 1:44PM
Wow. In exactly which parallel universe was Sonic and the Secret Rings a "decent" game?
Mr.ESC @ Aug 7th 2008 2:31PM
In this,STFU.
(Yeah I know it starts pretty crapola but if you have the patience to unlock the good controls is actually pretty neat even with Sonic hovering over the sand)
Haohmaru @ Aug 7th 2008 3:05PM
@Josh
Your opinion differs from mine! You must be wrong!
Mr Khan @ Aug 7th 2008 3:37PM
Secret Rings was a great game that they deliberately buried in that "unlock the good controls!" nonsense
And also with some pretty bad music. Catchy, but bad.
zchry @ Aug 7th 2008 8:40PM
Mr Khan: I hated the music so much.
CalcProgrammer1 @ Aug 7th 2008 2:06PM
I personally would love a new 2D Sonic. I grew up on the Genesis and owned all the Sonic games for it. I bought Mega Collection for GameCube and use emulators on Wii to play the old games. Personally, I think Sonic was awesome up to Adventure 2, then things just got weird.
I think a new 2d back-to-the-classics designed Sonic would be a great WiiWare title, and I'd like to see another Sonic Adventure type game (where it isn't just straight level run throughs, the adventure fields and side tasks made Adventure fun).
CalcProgrammer1 @ Aug 7th 2008 2:16PM
Actually, I would like to see more of Tails and Knuckles. The original 3 (or 4 if you count Amy, since she appeared in Sonic CD, but she wasn't playable until Adventure) would make a great return for a 2D game. I liked Sonic 2's multiplayer, but I thought the single-player "storyline" of Sonic 3 + Knuckles was the best of its time. Even though there was no voice or subtitles or anything, it actually showed the story pretty well, and with two games worth of levels, it was a huge game for the time. I'd like to see something along the lines of Sonic 3 + Knuckles with all new levels and enemies (though keep some of the classics as well) with a Sonic 2-like multiplayer (splitscreen race through stages, scored by rings, time, score, etc) and not with mini-stages like Sonic 3 had.
Parker @ Aug 7th 2008 10:25PM
Not that it's worth anything here, but Amy was playable in Sonic R for the Saturn. That was a fun game but way too short. And really nothing like the other Sonic games at the time.
Almadi @ Aug 7th 2008 2:18PM
Sonic is gone, do a remake of Astal or Clockwork Knight and you'll make enough money to launch the Dreamcast Lite!!!
SoshiKitai @ Aug 7th 2008 2:22PM
...wow, I almost forgot about those titles...
My poor saturn eats dust everyday... due to the fact that it can't save anymore..
Mduck @ Aug 7th 2008 2:19PM
c'mon Hinkle, what about Sonic Riders on the wii? that was a pretty crappy game too
I can't see Secret Rings as a decent game either, I mean, it was fun a the beginning, but it's awful controls made it really frustrating...
Mr.ESC @ Aug 7th 2008 2:32PM
Other than the spin off like Sonic Riders,Rivals etc,the GC ports and the 2006 game late Sonic games aren't that bad.
Covarr @ Aug 7th 2008 2:33PM
Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, and Amy. Maybe not Amy. There's your cast. Let Shadow and Metal Sonic be unlockable for additional playthroughs but not pertinent to the game.
Also, give Big the Cat a bunch of unnecessary cameos as an NPC.
blank964 @ Aug 7th 2008 2:51PM
Its been brutal watching the Sonic games become what they are today. I knew they didn't care anymore when they put out Shadow where he had guns and I haven't been optimistic since. Hopefully there will be a new one that is good.
Marianela @ Aug 7th 2008 2:54PM
stupid comment right here.
"Just Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy (You need the girl otherwise people would think they are gay)."
oh please! grow up dude. only homophobic immature little fanboys think that way.
Jhongerkong @ Aug 7th 2008 3:17PM
People need to start playing the handheld Sonic games, maybe then he wouldnt get bashed so much.
manyquestions @ Aug 7th 2008 3:29PM
I know that among 3D Sonic games a lot of people seem to think Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 were some of the best, but I wonder how many people think like I do that part of the reason they were so good (SA2, especially) is because they had this "atmosphere" that just felt good. That atmosphere was one of the games most important properties, in my view. I don't think any Sonic game after that was even close to being as fun as those games (Granted, I can't remember Heroes or Shadow, didn't play '06 or any of the handheld games, Riders hardly counts as a Sonic game, and I just didn't like the control method for Secret Rings, I prefer to have full control over the running).
Sonic Unleashed looks really fun and all, and I'll probably buy it and have a lot of fun with it. It's the first indication I've seen in a while of a return to the quality of Sonic Adventure, but it doesn't quite seem to recapture that atmosphere from the Adventure games (Granted, it's still unreleased, but still. . . .). I know it might seem odd to say that atmosphere is that important to a Sonic game, but in my opinion it made the Adventure games what they were. I want to see them go back to that. I hope that's what they mean by "making sure the quality is right".
CPFace @ Aug 8th 2008 12:10AM
I... agree! At least about the first Sonic Adventure. The Rashomon storytelling was pretty cool, and the music was *awesome*. Seriously, for as much as I hated the fishing levels, Big grew on me because of his theme song.
They had a really cool thing going there.
zchry @ Aug 7th 2008 8:45PM
Imagine a Sonic that looked like Shake It!
Awesome, I know. Of course, it'd need to be more Sonic-y than Wario-esque, if that makes sense. But the overall style would translate perfectly.
Just Sonic and Robotnik. Cut the distractions. I mean, basic enemies, yeah, but the overall goal is to get to Robotnik each world.
Tails, who I'm a fan of, and Knuckles, who I'm not, could be unlockable as bonus characters. Say, you get 3 chaos emeralds to unlock one, all to unlock both, but you can choose which one first. Then you can pick between them or Sonic.
If you're going to flame me for not liking Knuckles, save your breath. I don't hate him, he's just never as useful as I'd like. Sonic should be faster, and Tails can fly. Knuckles doesn't have anything on that. He has potential, but it's not realized. Maybe he could dig or something to find secret passages.
zchry @ Aug 7th 2008 8:46PM
Imagine a Sonic that looked like Shake It!
Awesome, I know. Of course, it'd need to be more Sonic-y than Wario-esque, if that makes sense. But the overall style would translate perfectly.
Just Sonic and Robotnik. Cut the distractions. I mean, basic enemies, yeah, but the overall goal is to get to Robotnik each world.
Tails, who I'm a fan of, and Knuckles, who I'm not, could be unlockable as bonus characters. Say, you get 3 chaos emeralds to unlock one, all to unlock both, but you can choose which one first. Then you can pick between them or Sonic.
If you're going to flame me for not liking Knuckles, save your breath. I don't hate him, he's just never as useful as I'd like. Sonic should be faster, and Tails can fly. Knuckles doesn't have anything on that. He has potential, but it's not realized. Maybe he could dig or something to find secret passages.
Sean W. @ Aug 7th 2008 10:50PM
As far as Sonic characters go, I think these are the only ones you need:
First and foremost you need Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Dr. Robotnik (or "Eggman" if you perfer that...).
You could debate between Blaze and Amy. Blaze is more of the strong yet at times feminine female character while Amy is your typical Damsel in Distress. If we're sticking to old school though then Yes, Amy.
As far as arch rivals go, Metal Sonic 100%, I'll admit...there are times I can tolerate Shadow, but they kinda threw a monkey wrench in that character with the vehicles (ahhh, what?).
And personaly, I'd kind of wish the Chaotix were kept. Y'know as comic relief. Which brings me to this little fun fact, in the original version of the Genesis Sonic, Vector was supposed to be in the sound test menu, but was scrapped later on. Making him the third oldest Sonic character technicaly.
This would be a curveball though, hell I'd sacrafice the Chaotix for this guy, Mighty.
As far as games go, I'd have to agree. I was playing Sonic 3 recently while listening to some remixed music from Sonic 3, and thought..."What if they made an updated version of Sonic 3 and Knuckles...that would be boss!"
CPFace @ Aug 8th 2008 12:27AM
They say this *every damned time* they make a new Sonic game. "We recognize that previous Sonic games have sort of fallen away from the spirit of the original games, but *this* time we're going to bring him back to his roots TO THE EXTREME!!!"
Now, maybe it's not fair for me to judge, because the last 3D Sonic game I bought was Sonic Adventure 2, but the consensus of reviewers seems to suggest that they haven't recaptured the spirit of the original as consistently as they try to.
They are *never* going to perfectly recapture the spirit of the original Sonic games. And they should stop trying so hard to do the impossible. Sonic needs to move forward, not try and relive his childhood over and over forever.
TX2 @ Aug 8th 2008 1:11AM
Sonic games have become so Gilded. The outside of it is a new grand direction for sonic to go in that will revive his franchise, but beneath that are stale level designs and artificial ways of stretching out the gameplay. They have all these varied characters and sidekicks which are PERFECT for building up a fanbase and merchandising, but add nothing to the games at all- and to make matters worse all the enemies and bosses that have a far greater impact on the game have become repetitive and uninspired. And the Music is... I don't have to explain that one, do I?