Sega realizes Sonic games haven't been very good

In an interview with GameDaily, Sega's VP of marketing, Sean Ratcliffe, formally acknowledged something that, oh, every gamer and members of the media have known for the past decade: the Sonic franchise has largely gone to poop. Well, Ratcliffe didn't go that far. He did offer explanations, promises, and gently worded ways of saying that Sega is going to continue doing ... the same old thing with the Blue Blur (except for the, um, "werehog" part). In summary:

"Some of that criticism is probably warranted. We definitely recognize that a franchise that has been going as long as Sonic, you really have to put a huge amount of effort in to make sure that you maintain that 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 ... you know, blending classic 2D gameplay with 3D, beautiful landscapes, rich environments. Then with a nice innovative twist, we're taking Sonic in a different direction, slow him down and he transforms into a 'Werehog.' And that changes the gameplay again. For fans of Sonic that have been looking for a next-gen experience, this is the game they've been waiting for."

Slow him down? ... *facepalm* (Oh BioWare, save us now!)

Reader Comments (68)

So, Twilight Princess remake?

It seems like all the companies i grew up with and fell in love with are dying right in front of my own eyes...Sonic is slowly dying, just let it happen...why should that poor animal have to suffer? *sigh* im gonna stick with my Sonic Advance for my gameboy....while i watch sonic slowly wither away as does the company that started him......i still have one old gaming company to rely on: RARE!!!!!! BANJO BABY!!!!!!!!

Were-hog actually translates into "Man pig," from Olde English "wer" meaning man. That basically describes my feelings on Sonic Unleashed in a nutshell. Sonic isn't even a human, so the name is wrong on all counts.

Seriously, what the hell, Sega.

Hedgehog is "shrub pig", and he's not technically that, either.

I have several simple requests for Sega... Make a DREAMCAST 2, revive Skies of Arcadia, bring back some other great RPGs from Dreamcast, Don't let Nintendo get their hands on maraca-less Samba De Amigo, give me back Seaman and Chu Chu Rocket, AND GIVE ME MAI JET SET RADIO! and all these deeds you did with sonic will be forgiven :P oh and a Typing of the Dead 2 please.

HANDHELDS, for crying out loud! Don't even try to pretend that the Sonic Advance and Sonic Rush games weren't great. All this is is the reverse of the Genesis days, when the console games were good and the handheld games were lousy. Quit your whining and stop acting like the console games are the only ones that matter.

This man speaks the truth

"every gamer and members of the media have known for the past decade"

I don't get why everyone acts like this isn't a recent opinion. The past decade? You freaking loved Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 and you know it. Not to mention Advance 1-3, Rush, Rush Adventure, Secret Rings, and all the other solid games that get a bad reputation thanks to reporting like this. One or two stinkers (which still weren't as bad as your friends online will tell you) and the entire franchise is ruined forever. Ugh it bugs me.

Hey, I loved Sonic Adventure, any sonic game on the Dreamcast was good, cept sonic shuffle, that just was not right.... Also Sega, I WANT A POWER STONE 3!

You ask Capcom for a Power Stone 3, not Sega!

But Power Stone was only on the dreamcast :( (Excluding PSP of course) I think capcom is just mad at us.

All of the above mentioned were good except Secret Rings. :/

Also, Shadow. Sorry, but I fuxxing loved Shadow. Not for the driving, that was silly, but for the gameplay and storyline elements (read: not alien invasion) that reminded me of Sonic Adventure 2 (such as Shadow's hoverboots that became a bad thing all of a sudden, years after SA2), and even...yes. I loved using the SMG.

Handheld games will only matter to me when the games stop costing $40 when you can finish most (unless it's an RPG) in about 3-4 hours.

Sonic Advance definitely was pretty good. I think Rush was fun, but kind of overrated. I have a DS with only about 6-8 games. I would have more if they didn't cost so much. When it comes down to it, I would rather buy a console game than a handheld one if I only had enough for one.

There are three things wrong with Sonic games these days:

1. Story takes itself too seriously.
2. Terrible, rushed, incomplete QA. (Tester: "There are some things we need to addre--" Sega: "Whatever, it's good enough, out the door in time for the holidays with you!"
3. The fact that #1 and #2 have been allowed to persist.

That's it. Multiple characters? No problem, just don't half-ass their abilities and controls (thereby half-assing the actual fun). Fix these, and at the very least you have game that can pass as decent or better (see: the Sonic Adventure titles).

Also bring back Chao with online trading and competitions.

And co-op using Tails to lift Sonic to unreachable places.

And the epic drowning music.

ha ha, I was addicted to chao's on the VMU(For all you people that don't know what one is, you missed out) bad times man, bad times.

I agree, Sega seems to have forgotten what made it's series awesome. Sonic Adventure was surprisingly slow, with occasional speed that served almost as a cutscene. Which made them that much cooler when it happened. Hell, Knuckles, Gamma, and Amy weren't even CAPABLE of going too fast. (Big doesn't even count.) So while I'm still a Sonic fanboy, and plan on playing these tragedies Sega puts out, I'm only looking forward to Dark Brotherhood, and dearly wish that he'd get bought by Nintendo. Flagship games they put out are always made of win, Like Zelda and Metroid. But would they even bother, at this point?

Secret rings was very close to being great... a bit of tweaking and secret rings 2 could really rock.

But Sonic in general has always been a broken idea for a franchise. You are supposed to run through the level as fast as possible, but you are also supposed to look around for secrets, etc... it just doesn't work.

I wonder if the Sonic voice actor change had anything to do with it? In the Dreamcast days, Ryan Drummond did the voice of Sonic on Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 and he also did the voice of Sonic on the Dreamcast to Gamecube ports. From Sonic Heroes onward, including the TV cartoon Sonic X, Jason Griffith did the voice of Sonic.
Ben

Sega realizes Sonic games haven't been very good

Reader Comments (68)

Posted: Aug 7th 2008 6:04PM (Unverified) said

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