How Sega can save Sonic the Hedgehog

by Blake Snow { Feb 13th 2007 at 6:01AM }

Next-gen has arrived, but somebody forgot to tell Sonic. The spiny mammal apparently stayed in his hole with the release of Sonic the Hedgehog on both the 360 and PS3. To put it lightly, the game was referred to by some as a "debacle." It's a real stinker.

To avoid a continued down slide in quality, 1UP outlines a simple, four-step plan to help Sega get out of their funk and turn the beloved franchise around. Namely: lose the sidekicks, avoid shadow doppelgangers, embrace speed, and slow the franchise's release schedule to once every 2-3 years.

Still, hedgehogs only have a lifespan of 4-7 years, so perhaps the gravitas of years have affected Sonic's speed and ability to carry on. We shall see with the soon to-be released Sonic and the Secret Rings for Wii.

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

kevinski @ Feb 13th 2007 6:22AM

Hahahaha...the statement regarding people drawing Tails having sex was pretty amusing. Anyway, it'd be nice if Sega would actually listen to what the Sonic fans of the past were saying, but they seem to care more about making money with uninspired releases (which people will inevitably buy) much more often. It's sad to say, but Sonic Team as we once knew it has long since died.

If I ever gained control of the Sonic franchise, I'd simply kill off all of the supporting characters in the most horrific ways possible. And, depending on what kinda mood I was in, I might even kill Sonic off during the ending sequence.

Honestly, I can't help but cringe whenever I see an announcement of a new Sonic game. Even the Sonic game for Wii looks bad.

Psaakyrn @ Feb 13th 2007 6:40AM

Honestly, I think that the whole current storyline should be scrapped. Returning to the roots, with more emphasis on Chaos Emeralds than Chaos creatures. Drop the whole anime influence, Sonic has enough style to exist on it's own. Take out the human influence (other than Robotnik/Eggman, which is an exaggrated form). I don't think I'm the only one who long for a Sonic game which is based on the world originally conceived for Archie Comics (and which the SatAM cartoon was based on).

Gameplay wise, I can't really comment on how the Wii version is done, BUT the theory is sound. Even if it's not done well, the gameplay should still shift back in that general direction.

Rymix @ Feb 13th 2007 6:36AM

How I would save Sonic:

Take the Sonic 2 game engine and make more levels for it.

Simple.

All this 3D crap doesn't work for Sonic. The only recent Sonic game that comes close to the days of yore is Sonic Rush for the DS. Good game, but it still didn't flow like the first three Sonic titles on the Megadrive. Too many dead ends and death drops.

You listening, Sega? Ditch the flash and go back to fast, flowing 2D side scrolling action. You know it makes sense...

boot @ Feb 13th 2007 6:43AM

Its sad to see the franchies like it is now. The first computer game I ever played was sonic. I dont think sega is going to release anymore sonic games if this one has the same fate as the sonic game for ps3 and 360. But it sounds like some hope and hype is being put into the sonic game so you never know.

KineticOnline @ Feb 13th 2007 6:50AM

The perfect sonic game is an side scrolling arcade title.

supremespleen @ Feb 13th 2007 7:26AM

I really liked Sonic 3.

Gareth @ Feb 13th 2007 7:26AM

It's really not difficult - go back to basics. And I mean *real* basics, not the 'basics' they went back to with the latest game:

An interview with a developer in OXM a few months ago went something like this:

OXM: So we hear you're going back to basics with this game?

Developer: Yeah for this game we're going back to the basics that people want. No more deviation with characters etc. and complex plots - just Sonic and lots of speed! Exactly like the old games but with a next-gen sheen!

OXM: That's great news! Going back to basics rocks!

Developer: Yeah we know. Oh, BTW, this is our new character Silver... he has psychic powers and can move stuff with his BRAIN!!!

F.F.S!!!

Jeff @ Feb 13th 2007 7:45AM

"so perhaps the gravitas of years have affected Sonic's speed and ability to carry on."

Think you just mean "gravity of years" - gravitas doesn't fit the context here. We're not talking about Sonic getting serious and sober.

Anyway, to those who say Sonic doesn't work in 3D, you're being pretty revisionist - the first Sonic Adventure games (the original, non-busted version on Dreamcast) was pretty awesome, and was considered such at the time. Nobody was going around calling it a "debacle", and if somebody didn't like it, it was because they didn't like the move to 3D at all, not because the game specifically didn't make good use of it. SA2 was the start of the slippage, when you were really forced to alternate between Sonic's awesome speed levels, Knuckles' boring puzzle levels and Tails' boring shooting levels.

I think the whole sidekick criticism is kind of misguided, though - do people not remember that you could play as Tails as far back as Sonic 2? Sidekicks have been a part of the Sonic series since almost the beginning. The point is how you use them. Sonic Adventure had a whole myriad of Sonic sidekicks that you could play as, but it wasn't necessary to finish the game and amounted to an extra. SA2 and onward started forcing you to play as Sonic's friends. What they need to get back to is not ditching Sonic's sidekicks entirely, but just making their inclusion a little less annoying.

azesino @ Feb 13th 2007 7:47AM

Sonic is a game that unlike Mario will never work on 3D, it carries the Street Fighter/Mortal Kombat Fate, where Mortal Kombat transitioned to the 3D world and gathered Gamers Acceptance and Street Fighter EX was hated so much that Capcom never tried to bring back the Franchise on 3D.

jay @ Feb 13th 2007 7:47AM

Haha. I wrote an essay about how Sonic has died for coursework in college.

I'm very glad that I'm not the only person who feels this way for Sonic. The series has been slowly failing. Adventure was barely okay, Advance was a worthy handheld series, but all this crap in the new games? Even the cartoon shows. It just isn't our Sonic anymore. It's fan service. Really pisses me off to see people who say they are fans of the whole thing sit back and say "well the TV show isn't *that* bad".

Disgusting.

What's also wrong with new Sonic games? Music. I've actually got some Sonic songs on my iPod, I play Starlight Zone on the virtual console Sonic JUST to hear that tune again. What the **** is memorable about the new stuff? Byebye melodies.

Also WTF is Tails banging on about on Sonic DS? "a rip in the space time continuum"... what sort of spazzy supervisor let that appear in a Sonic game?

Oh and Rush was crap. They did away with the inertia seen in every other 2D Sonic game, poured in cover music (The Kinks) and made it stupidly fast. Play old Sonic games, it wasn't all about speed.

Why the hell are Sega killing Sonic?

BaH @ Feb 13th 2007 8:01AM

I agree 100% with Rymix.

The franchise has been all downhill since sonic 2, and completely lost all purpose since the dreamcast.

2d Playfield, just the 1 playable character(yes tails was there for 2 player), good level design.

Sonic rivals on the PSP could have been reasonable (based on its engine) if it WAS A SONIC GAME, not some retarded pseudo racing game in a platform shell.

Greg2k @ Feb 13th 2007 8:05AM

The best Sonic game would be a cartridge with Howard Drossin music on it, no gameplay. Music is enough to make a Sonic game rock; sadly, gameplay has been so low for the last 10 years that owning a Sonic game is no longer fun.

james @ Feb 13th 2007 2:03PM

The first 3d Sonic game on the Dreamcast was amazing and fun.

All you people harping on about Sonic 2 should go and play it. Come back and tell me which is better, and which you would buy.

Kazi @ Feb 13th 2007 8:22AM

Man, the rip on the side kicks kinda gets to me. I happen to like Tails and Knuckles. Well, before they were given a personality and voice actors.

Knuckles was that guy in Sonic 3 that could climb up walls and get to places you couldn't get to with Sonic and Tails could fly how cool was that? Then they made Tails some annoying advice kid that no one likes and made Knuckles the anti-hero loner.

My advice to Sega: Remove the voices and personalities. Go back to the day when all you'd hear from Sonic was the revving of his spin attack and his jump. No one likes the crappy personalities you make up Sega, stop making them.

Dave Smith @ Feb 13th 2007 8:35AM

Sonic can still be saved, but it will mean more 'sonic' and less 'adventure'. I saw glimpses of brilliance in the 360 release, but it was crushed under the weight of ridiculous load times, irritating sidekicks and unforgivable collision bugs. Sloppy, sloppy work that rendered what had the core of greatness into something damn near unplayable. Screw the story line and the fluffy NPC interactions. Make the dev team sit and playthrough the first three sonics in their entirety and go from there.

Jake @ Feb 13th 2007 8:35AM

Oddly enough, I never really cared much for Sonic. It was okay, but no Mario Bros. I think platformers like Sonic always come down to how good the controls are. Give Sonic tight controls and the rest should be easy. The 360 version of Sonic that I played was dreadful.

Myke @ Feb 13th 2007 8:41AM

I think that a "NEW! Sonic the Hedgehog" for the DS/PSP in the style of the NEW! Mario would be fun to see, depends on how they style it though.

Myke @ Feb 13th 2007 8:45AM

Kazi - Tails appears before Knuckles (in Sonic 2) and Sonic 3 is a totally different game from Sonic and Knuckles. Knuckles has always been the anti-hero, working against and yet still WITH Sonic. Sorta like Protoman in the Megaman series. We know Protoman is "good" but he just has a wierd way of showing it, much like Knuckles. And yes, Tails has always been annoying, especially in the damn half-pipe ring challenges, he NEVER jumps fast enough!!!

Myke @ Feb 13th 2007 8:48AM

Sonic can be saved by building a time machine and going back and NEVER MAKING 95% of these games:

Sonic the Hedgehog (NEJ)
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (JNE)
Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball (also Sonic Spinball) (NEJ)
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (NE)
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (NEJ)
Sonic & Knuckles (JNE)
Sonic 3D Blast (aka Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island or Sonic 3D Blast: Flickie's Island) (NE)
Sonic Compilation/Sonic Classics 3-in-1 (contains Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine) (NE)

[edit] For Sega Mega-CD/Sega CD:
Sonic the Hedgehog CD (aka Sonic CD) (JEN)

[edit] For the Sega Meganet Modem:
Sonic Eraser (J)

[edit] For the Sega Master System:
Sonic the Hedgehog (EN)
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (E)
Sonic Chaos (E)
Sonic Spinball (E)
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (E)
Sonic Blast (B)

[edit] For the Sega Game Gear:
Sonic the Hedgehog (JNE)
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (JNE)
Sonic Chaos (aka Sonic & Tails) (JNE)
Sonic Spinball (NX)
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (NX)
Sonic Drift (J)
Sonic Triple Trouble (aka Sonic & Tails 2) (JNE)
Sonic Drift 2 (aka Sonic Drift Racing) (JNX)
Tails Adventure (as an item)(JNX)
Sonic 2 In 1 (contains Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic Spinball (Game Gear version)) (X)
Sonic Labyrinth (XJN)
Tails' Skypatrol (J)
Sonic Blast (aka G-Sonic) (JNX)

[edit] For the Sega Pico:
Sonic's Gameworld (aka Sonic the Hedgehog Gameworld) (JN)
Tails And The Music Maker (JNE?)

[edit] For the Genesis 32X / Mega Drive 32X / Super 32X:
Knuckles' Chaotix (aka Chaotix) (cameo) (JNE)

[edit] For the Sega Saturn:
Sonic Jam (JNE)
Sonic R (JNE)
Sonic 3D Blast (aka Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island or Sonic 3D Blast: Flickies' Island) (JNE)

[edit] For the Sega Dreamcast:
Sonic Adventure (JNE)
Sonic Shuffle (JNE)
Sonic Adventure 2 (JNE)
Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Smash Pack) (N)

[edit] For the PC:
Sonic the Hedgehog CD (aka Sonic CD) (JNE)
Sonic's Schoolhouse (N)
Sonic & Knuckles Collection (a combination of the Sega Genesis games Sonic 3, S&K and S3&K) (JEN)
Sonic 3D Blast (a port of the Sega Saturn version) (NE)
Sonic R (JNE)
Sonic the Hedgehog (RealArcade) (N)
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (RealArcade (N), Sega Smash Pack 2 a.k.a. "SEGA Archives from USA Vol. 3" in Japan)(JN) [1]
Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball (RealArcade (N), Sega Smash Pack a.k.a. "SEGA Archives from USA Vol. 1" in Japan) (JN) [2]
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (RealArcade (N), Sega Puzzle Pack a.k.a. "SEGA Archives from USA Vol. 2" in Japan) (JN) [3]
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (RealArcade) (N)
Sonic & Knuckles (RealArcade) (N)
Sonic 3D Blast (RealArcade (port of Sega Genesis version)) (NE)
Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut (JE)
Sonic Heroes (JNE)
Sonic Mega Collection Plus (E)
Sonic Riders (NE)

[edit] For SNK Neo Geo Pocket Color:
Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure (JNE)

[edit] For Nintendo Game Boy Advance:
Sonic Advance (JNE)
Sega Smash Pack (N)
Sonic Advance 2 (JNE)
Sonic Pinball Party (JNE)
Sonic Battle (JNE)
Sonic Advance 3 (JNE)
Sonic X: A Super Sonic Hero (N)
Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis (N)

[edit] For Nintendo GameCube:
Sonic Adventure 2: Battle (JNE)
Sonic Mega Collection (NJE)
Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut (NJE)
Sonic Heroes (JNE)
Shadow the Hedgehog (NEJ)
Sonic Gems Collection (JNE)
Sonic Riders (JNE)
Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg (JNE)

[edit] For Sony PlayStation 2:
Sonic Heroes (JNE)
Sega Superstars (NJE)
Sonic Mega Collection Plus (JNE)
Sonic Gems Collection (JE)
Shadow the Hedgehog (NEJ)
Sonic Riders (NJE)
Sega Genesis Collection (aka Sega Mega Drive Collection) (NX)

[edit] For Nintendo DS:
Sonic Rush (NEJ)

[edit] For Sony PlayStation Portable:
Sonic Rivals (NX)
Sega Genesis Collection (NX)

[edit] For Xbox:
Sonic Heroes (JNE)
Sonic Mega Collection Plus (JNE)
Shadow the Hedgehog (NEJ)
Sonic Riders (NJE)

[edit] For Xbox 360:
Sonic the Hedgehog (2006 game) (NEJ)
Sonic the Hedgehog High Speed (Xbox Live Arcade)

[edit] For Sony PlayStation 3:
Sonic the Hedgehog (2006 game)

[edit] For Wii:
Sonic and the Secret Rings (formerly Sonic Wildfire)
Sonic the Hedgehog (Wii Virtual Console)

[edit] For Nokia N-Gage:
SonicN (NE)

[edit] For Arcade:
Waku Waku Sonic Patrol Car (J)
SegaSonic Cosmo Fighter Galaxy Patrol (J)
SegaSonic the Hedgehog (J)
Sonic the Fighters (aka Sonic Championship) (JN)
Sonic and Tails Spinner (N)
CR Sonic (J)

[edit] For Tiger Game.com:
Sonic Jam (N)

[edit] For Mobile Phones:
Sonic the Hedgehog (J) - For NTT DoCoMo i-mode 503 / 504
Sonic the Hedgehog (E) - Pre-loaded on Panasonic VS2 Tri-band GSM cellphone and for some Verizon Cellular Phones
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (J)
Sonic Tennis (J) - For Vodafone and NTT DoCoMo i-mode 503 / 504 / 505 / 900
Sonic Golf (J) - For NTT DoCoMo i-mode 503 / 504
Speed (J) - For NTT DoCoMo i-mode 503 / 504
Speed DX (J) - For Vodafone and NTT DoCoMo i-mode 505 / 900
Sonic Fishing (J) - For NTT DoCoMo i-mode 503 / 504
Sonic Billiards (J) - For Vodafone and NTT DoCoMo i-mode 503 / 504
Nakayoshi Chao (J) - For NTT DoCoMo i-mode 504
Sonic Bowling (J) - For NTT DoCoMo i-mode 503 / 504
Sonic Jump (JN)
Sonic No Jirai Sagashi Game (J) - For NTT DoCoMo i-mode 503 / 504
Sonic Racing Shift Up (J) - For NTT DoCoMo i-mode 503 / 504
Sonic Putter
Sonic Darts
Sonic Racing Kart
Sonic Reversi
Tails No Flying Get
Sonic Cake Hopping
Sonic Hopping 2

TOPolk @ Feb 13th 2007 8:58AM

"My advice to Sega: Remove the voices and personalities. Go back to the day when all you'd hear from Sonic was the revving of his spin attack and his jump. No one likes the crappy personalities you make up Sega, stop making them."

I love SEGA, but I wish they would adopt the approach that Nintendo takes w/ its characters. Mario, Link, Samus, and generally everyone else outside of the Star Fox universe, never speak from a 1st person perspective. This gives the player the ability to use their imagination (something overlooked nowadays) to flesh out a personality for the character.

RYAN @ Feb 13th 2007 9:06AM

the last Sonic Game that completely absorbed me was Sonic Spinball, from the beginning to there I loved. From there on I have been unimpressed. And I own Sonic Adventures 1 and 2, and Sonic Heroes.

Szu @ Feb 13th 2007 9:25AM

One way to help Sonic: Add him to Super Smash Bros Brawl.

Steve @ Feb 13th 2007 9:16AM

From the article:
Nowadays, Sonic is only for hardcore fans living in denial and casual gamers who haven't heard that his new games totally suck.
===============================================

Reminds me of Pizza Hut. Pizza Hut used to make great pizzas in the 80s, but in the early 90s the quality went to hell. The dough became beige grease, the sauce became a salty-reddish substance, and the cheese became a greasy cardboard tasting product. But still, I ate it because I was in denial. I got diarrhea every time I ate there, but what can I say, denial can be a powerful thing. Eventually I accepted that Pizza Hut's pizza was little more than garbage and abandoned it. How long until Sonic's denial process wears out?

Pawsie @ Feb 13th 2007 9:21AM

I can see a few ways to save sonic. I think the fact is that there's no vision in the games. They just jump from game to game without much thought in them.

But this could be blame because the original sonic team quit during the Adventure Age.

They just need to start over, though I believe characters such as Knuckles, Tails, Amy Rose, and Cream could be use.. They just need to be used more correctly. I"ve been looking at the sonic game.. and it's appearant they haven't made that transaction from 2D to 3D... they try to copy and follow Mario, but the people at Nintendo had more thought in their products..

32_Footsteps @ Feb 13th 2007 9:33AM

You know what drives me nuts about the 3D sonic games? It seems like the games try actively to punish you for going fast. The walkways are too narrow, the control is too loose, there's too much jumping and not enough straightaways to build speed.

I mean, the game's not called Jumper the Hedgehog - it's called Sonic. This means you need to go fast.

Also, the next time they have an idea for a new hedgehog, the person who came up with it should be fired. First Shadow, then Silver... I'm waiting for Angel, the winged hedgehog that can shoot rings of light and hover for three seconds at a time. Some moron is already coming up with moves for that character, and you know it.

Actually, I know what would save Sonic more than anything else - they finally cooperate with Nintendo and make Mario vs. Sonic for the Wii, in which the two are initially tricked into fighting by Eggman and Bowser, until they realize the trick and unite through different levels (speed-oriented for Sonic, platform oriented for Mario) to take the two down (and for a bonus, you can switch their respective levels for a challenging second quest).

Mind you, people have been saying these things about Sonic for at least 4-6 years. I don't think Sega is going to listen anytime soon.

Pawsie @ Feb 13th 2007 9:37AM

I do have to say I have high hopes for the new sonic game for the Wii. With this game, it seems they they might do something they failed to do with all the other three dimensional sonic games... Make the engine 'smooth' without any glitches or bugs.

One of the biggest turn off for the sonic games was the fact there were glitches. You can't simply run through the stage without 'some' form of problem that'll end upkilling you. Or the fact that you're always on a platform world and everything below it is daeth. Sega appearantly haven't evolved into the 3D world.

With this new game, they really make it like a roller coaster and make you run on a single track course. It's not the best idea, but it's one hell of a start. The way they make their games are like the 2D games, where they don't use the environment to the fullest.

What they really need.. is to create a sonic that's fun to be.. then make a world where he can interact wtih it. They can lose the track, making it an open space. Then worry about speed. They can start off small by starting over and just leaving Sonic on one big island

But so far sega lacks the vision to do something like this...

samfish @ Feb 13th 2007 9:54AM

Damn right, #23!

I'm personally of the opinion that if Sega can't get it right with Secret Rings next week, just give up on Sonic or at least call a moratorium on Sonic for 5 years or until the next generation of consoles hits.

I'd really like to see a new 2D/2.5D Sonic game that's nearly indistinguishable from a cartoon. Sonic never really worked in 3D.
Barring all that, just sell the property to Nintendo. We all know that's what everyone really wants to see happen, anyway.

I don't mind the side characters. At least not Tails and Knuckles. They've endeared themselves well enough over time. The rest, though, can be relegated to side characters who need rescuing, as far as I'm concerned.

I can live with the shitty voice acting, but for christ's sake – get RID of that shitty music that they've been using! When I watched the trailers for the Wii version and heard that awful music I literally cringed. I've never heard such absolute crap!
I'll play Wii Sports with my blinds flung wide open, but you can damn well guarantee that I'll be playing Sonic & The Secret Rings with the volume VERY low.

The only thing that really kind of bothers me about Secret Rings (haven't played and don't intend to play the 360/PS3 version) is that apparently, Sonic moves all on his own. I'd rather push up on the D-Pad than have him be COMPLETELY on rails like that.

dirtmunky @ Feb 13th 2007 9:57AM

I'll probably never enjoy a 3D Sonic game, its all about the 2D side scrollers for me. Sonic 1 and 2 were great but I felt the game really came into its own with Sonic 3 when inserted into the Sonic and Knuckles cart, getting the chaos emeralds in '3' and then the super emeralds in 'Knuckles'. I'm enjoying Sonic Rush on the DS, but its not quite as good as the originals, gameplays abit off and the music cant even touch that of the genesis classics. Although the special stages in Rush are pretty awesome with the touch screen.

I dont think sidekicks are a problem, it can add alot of replay value, having to complete the game with each different character as in Sonic 3 and Knuckles, getting super tails and super knuckles.

I think Sega needs to make a new sonic game for the DS (or PSP) with more in keeping with Sonics 1 - 4. I agree with Myke's comment about Sega taking Nintendos approach and making a "NEW! Sonic the Hedgehog".

I'd be insanely happy with a Sonic Mega Collection on the DS at this point though.

udx @ Feb 13th 2007 10:57AM

Lemme remind you boys this. SEGA can get rid off all what you boys call "Sinful ideas for the Sonic series." and they can still screw up. The proof lies in Sonic 1 Genesis. No additional characters, no guns, no humans(Except fatso), no 3D gameplay, and yet the game was called terrible simply because of one thing

Faulty programming.

Zertoss @ Feb 13th 2007 10:14AM

I guess I'm one of the few people who liked Sonic Adventures 1 and 2, Sonic Heroes, and even Shadow the Hedgehog to an extent. There were some glaring bugs in each of the games, but none of it ruined the games for me. Did not like the new Sonic game at all, though.

I guess I'm also one of the few people who likes the anime influence on the series. Well, up until 4Kids snagged Sonic X and ruined everything with their terrible voice actors.

There's a lot that needs to be done. For one, Sonic is the main character. Focus everything on him. I don't mind extra playable characters, in fact I enjoy the change of pace (when they aren't just clones), just make sure Sonic is the star of the show.

And Sonic needs to be really freaking fast. He's Sonic, dammit. He was pretty quick in SA, then he seemed to slow down a bit in SA2, then I hardly even played him in Sonic Heroes (which I like to call Knuckles Adventure). The speed stages of the new Sonic game were a step in the right direction, now it just needs to be taken a step further and take it off the rails so that you can freely explore but still get moving at those breakneck speeds too.

I don't mind the "human world" thing going on, but it makes no sense that there's only a handful of characters like Sonic in a world populated by massive cities filled with millions of people. At least throw in an Archie/SatAM-style Knothole Village or something.

the breakfast ninja @ Feb 13th 2007 10:26AM

This would be great... if X-Play hadn't already covered it 6 months ago.

Mr Khan @ Feb 13th 2007 10:37AM

There are too many sidekicks, take away everyone that wasn't in Sonic Adventures 1 or 2, and they'll fix that (Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Eggman, Shadow, Rouge, Amy, E-102, and Big)

The Secret Rings looks very promising, not only is it the first Wii game that LOOKS next-gen, its also the first Sonic game that seems more like an action game than a platformer

THAT was what set Sonic apart from Mario, it was more about action than about jumping from platform to platform

I think 1UP should've waited on the ratings for Secret Rings before they ran this article, because unlike Sonic 360ps3, this game actually IS different from the series only true debacle, Shadow the Hedgehog

Pawsie @ Feb 13th 2007 10:40AM

#27.. for those that believe a new sonic the hedgehog would work (much like the new sonic the hedgehog for the new gen systems), I doubt it'll work. What made the New Mario game work was the fact that they incorperate everything from all the mario games. From Mario 1, 3, World, Yoshi Island, and Mario 64, mario changed and they turned all of that into a side scrolling game.

And also, a lot of thought went into that DS game. It wasn't simply because they decided to rehash the idea. Sonic haven't gained anything that would help make a new hand held version. A lot more thought would be needed for a successful one..

It's not really a gimmick that's the problem.. the problem is basic game design

t_m @ Feb 13th 2007 10:41AM

Sonic was always a slightly broken concept.. even at the start. The jump to 3d has just exposed that more clearly.

the problem with sonic was that I never knew if i was supposed to be going really fast towards the end of the level (as the whole theme suggested) or exploring and trying to pick up rings.

They are fundamentally opposite mechanics, and have never gelled well together. Its like if they made Oblivion and then said "right, your aim is to get to the other side of the country as fast as possible. (or like when they added too much combat to PoP:WW)

Frankly, the Wii game is the first since the megadrive days that looks interesting... kinda back to basics, but from a different angle.

However even that looks like it will suffer from having too many distractions. It should be like a cross between dotstream, parkour, snowboarding and prince of persia's environmental navigation. (mybe even with a counting down time limit, or some form of chasing death (such as the avalanche in 1080 snowboarding or the dhaka in WW).

I don't need attacks, or enemies to slow me down, i need to be using the environment to propel me through the level as fast as possible.

Vidikron @ Feb 13th 2007 10:43AM

I like the idea I've seen mentioned by other people before... Sega should make a side scrolling Sonic that is similar in style to The New Super Mario Bros on the DS where the game is 3D, but side sidescrolling. I thought the look was very nice. It might be a good way to give the game a modern look and still keep the classic gameplay.

McHoffa @ Feb 13th 2007 10:50AM

I really wish they would go back to basics too. I loved sonic 1 and 2, and really loved sonic CD... spinball was also a good spinoff (pun not intended there)

I personally think the problem lies in trying to make it too complex... sonic and mario were games that didn't take a lot of thinking to play, and nintendo has for the most part remembered that... sega though seems to think we want more and more complexity added to make the gameplay more exciting... that's my take anyway

RogueStorm @ Feb 13th 2007 11:11AM

Simple. Side scrolling level design that takes advantage of millions of polygons on screen and wicked fast speed at 60fps. I mean, if you look at the 2d graphics of the original, they were a faux polygon design anyway. Make it all 3d in a side scroller and make it wicked fast and colorful and you've restored the luster of the franchise.

Ninegauger @ Feb 13th 2007 11:11AM

I think the 3D Sonic games would've been about 100 times more fun if there were just no "pits". Remember the first level of Sonic Adventure 2? No pits and it was great.

Michael Wilson @ Feb 13th 2007 12:10PM

#35: What was wrong with Sonic 1? I don't really recall any glaring bugs.

Vidikron @ Feb 13th 2007 11:52AM

@35

Since when has Sonic 1 ever been considered "terrible"? That's news to me.

Steve @ Feb 13th 2007 2:15PM

32. t_m said:

Sonic was always a slightly broken concept.. even at the start. The jump to 3d has just exposed that more clearly.
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I agree with this statement. One of the problems I had with Sonic was that it tried to be a side-scrolling racer and a platform game. Spend all your time racing and you miss interacting with the environment. Spend all your time using the platform aspects and you miss the point of a game named "Sonic". The play control also suffers in this mode because it wasn't designed for standard platforming. For example, Sonic can't even walk up a hill. Play control was just awkward when you weren't zipping around.

Another problem I had with the early games was that it seemed to play itself on autopilot. If you start blasting through a level and the console does all the work for you. You just sit back and watch the game play itself!

I agree with the idea that the move to 3D simply exposed to fundamental flaws in the entire concept.

Zertoss @ Feb 13th 2007 12:18PM

@38 and 39

Sonic 1 Genesis, the GBA port. It was terrible.

Sven @ Feb 13th 2007 12:26PM

I'd agree with the "Sonic was always somewhat broken" statement, since there IS a big contrast between the level layouts and how you're basically forced to play the game: one says "explore all of this to find the stuff we've hidden!" and the other says "go fast and don't stop to think."

I do think that Sonic Adventure got a bit of a bad rap, though: everyone was expecting it to be Sega's answer to Mario 64, and that obviously wasn't going to happen. If you play it with no expectations, it's fine.

Also, enough with the sidekicks. No one outside the core fanbase (who have been buying all the horrible games over the years anyway) cares about the anime or any plotlines or characters derived therefrom. If you're going to make a second player character, just come to the conclusion Nintendo did a couple of decades ago: Luigi should be fundamentally the same as Mario. Just give Shadow looser controls and a higher jump and there you go - banish Tails, Kunckles and the rest to the bad idea scrapheap.

(It's telling that Nintendo never returned to the Mario 2 format, as successful as that game was in defining Toad and Princess as characters; they sort of intrinsically knew that the game was being diluted by taking the focus too much off Mario and Luigi.)

As noted... Sonic's getting as close to irrelevancy as Mega Man was around the time of the third set of BN games. Sega has a *very* small window to change that, but they're going to need to re-think their entire philosophy.

Psaakyrn @ Feb 13th 2007 12:44PM

to #41 Sven

Your comment about Super Mario 2 is practically 100% wrong. The real reason why that format was never revisited, is because it wasn't a pure Super Mario game to begin with (look up Doki Doki Panic). Additionally, it isn't true that Nintendo doesn't flesh out Luigi, the Princess, and everyone else, do take note that both Luigi and the Princess both have their own games.

What Nintendo does though is clearly segregate the different games, so that games that flesh out Mario as a platformer hero, has it's focus on Mario. (likewise, Luigi's Mansion shows how cowardly Luigi is, and Super Princess Peach shows how... "girly" the princess is.)

Also, there's nothing wrong with sidekicks: Mario had sidekicks in his RPGs, and even in one of the kart games. The most important thing is focus: If Tails and Knuckles are going to be in a Sonic game, I'll expect one basic thing: they're going to have to be fast on their feet too.

Angelo @ Feb 13th 2007 1:42PM

I think Sonic is as in need of an overhaul as much as the next guy, but that article to be poorly and shallowly written. And was it really needed to bring in that furry/hentai nonsense into the light? The moment I read that statement I took the article all that less seriously as something that actually had a chance to bring about change.