Overdue: Sega to fix Sonic the Hedgehog 'over time'

Damn, that pics disturbing but it shows just what kind of state sonic is in.

The key is to blend elements from Unleashed Day, Unleashed Night, and Black Knight. Unleashed Day contributes to speed sections, but remove those boring side-scrolling portions. Unleashed Night recreates the old platforming glory, and Black Knight allows for the interchangability of characters. Any Sonic game with Knuckles becomes automatically superior to Sonic games without Knuckles

Basically, levels where you have Unleashed day style running and Unleashed Night style platforming all in the same level, but you're not stuck using Sonic, and could tackle the level differently with any of a number of side characters.

Similar to what Zertross said, I think what the franchise really needs is to pull a Street Figher 4. Revamp the look of the original games that made it a hit (while still paying homage to the classics) and stick with the gameplay mechanics (read: 2D platforming) while adding small tweeks to keep everything fresh. Like SF4, you can appeal to the older crowd and add just enough "freshness" to draw in the new kids.

Hmm. I guess that everyone (except my brother of course) thinks that Sonic is crap. Has Sega secretly been outsourcing the series to Wiizer's Sweatshop all this time?

Sega got so close to getting it right with Secret Rings and the daytime stages of Unleashed.

I don't want Sonic to go back to straight 2D, damnit. Just make a game where Sonic runs around in colorful environments rescuing little critters and make sure the camera is fixed at all times.

it might be a bad idea, but they can make him older like what happened to the rug-rats. he'll be running and then stop because of his newly found smoking habit, and on saturdays, he'll try to persuade amy to get him laid.

This guy is always talking bollocks; constant platitudes is his game. He listens to the vocal minority on the internet a tad too much, I feel.

3D Sonic games are, for the most part, fine. Maybe they could slow down the pace a little bit and introduce a tad more platforming, but aside from that I really don't see what the problem is.

Sonic Adventure was awesome; Sonic Adventure 2 is the perfect 3D platformer; Sonic Heroes was one of the best games last generation; SASR was good, and the Black Knight was solid; the handheld entries have always been strong. What more do people want?

Addendum: actually, the only other problem I see is that there have been far too many Sonic games released this generation and, as such, Sonic Team feel the need to apply a new, and unneeded, gimmick to hawk another disk or three.

Somic in the old days had some of the best games off all time, but these days, from what I have gathered, Sonic game are just ok, with some gems here and there, like Sonic Rush. Most of just want to see a Sonic game reach the heights he used to.

If I was them, I would release the original sonic the hedgehog and sonic the hedgehog 2 from the genesis, maybe bumped up with nicer graphics, and watch the profits grow. Non of that fancy 3d crap which ruined the games thereafter. and the story shouldn't be changed.

though, if it was on the ds, i dont see how it can print money, since the slot needed to print money was taken away with the dsi model. though the lite and phat can surely print money!

I think a good way to go about this is to continue making the crappy weird titles like sonic unleashed and sonic the black knight game for all the little kids in the world that actually enjoy them, and for us old school sonic fans they should make xbla/psn or wii ware 2d style games. An hd remix version of the original sonic game might be a good way to see if sonic games like that would sell. I'd personally be happy even if they made new games with genesis graphics, no need to make fancy graphics as long as the game is actually good.

SEGA, here's the recipe for success:

1. Take Sonic Unleashed
2. Cut out all the Werehog levels
3. Make the controls a little tighter
4. Stop adding characters, just stick with Sonic, Tails, Eggman/Robotnik and maybe Amy/Metal Sonic
5. Copy/paste Super Mario Galaxy's world select system, and make it so you can walk at a controllable speed in town.

its not just sonic, sega has lost its swagger and is no longer a top publisher. i cant remember the last time i bought a game made by sega.

Here's some ideas.
1) Remake all four Genesis era Sonics
Sonic 1-3, and S&K. No Sonic 3D-Blast, no Mean Bean Machine, and not the Sticker game. Just those four. Let S&K affect the first three (like it did on the genesis). Up the graphics, and release digitally for 20 bucks.

2) Sell the rights to the game off, you guys dont need a mascot anymore, not if you are gonna bend him over and rape him.
Maybe Bethesda? Though that might end up as "Oblivion with Furries"
Maybe Aksys games, love to see what Ishiwatari could do to the game (and it means no more Crush 40! =D ).

3) Animated movies, that hasn't been done in a while, and they were always at least decent.
Maybe Micheal Bay? Lots of explosions, and maybe Shia will be Tails and Amy hot?
Maybe Sam Reimi, guest staring Bruce Campbell as Knuckles?

(note, at least one of the above ideas is sarcastic, not gonna say what, and at least one of the above is something I'd personally love).

I had such a blast playing the Sonic Unleashed demo. That is exactly what sonic should be. Just what it was in that demo, but more. No stupid sidekicks, no werehog, no black knight, no guns, just fast paced platforming.

Sega - call Twisted Pixel and ask them what they did with Splosion Man. They'll give you the recipe on how to make a good game and redeem the franchise.

Sonic the Hedgehog does not need to be "fixed". The only thing that needs to be fixed is the blatant bashing on every gaming website out there. I know that all these sites prefer Mario and are just angry that Sega still makes Sonic games for that matter, because they have always preferred Nintendo. It's the truth.

Oh wait, I know, maybe Mario should be "fixed" over time to get rid of all of his sidekicks! Mario's been long overdue for a true sequel to Super Mario 64, please none of this Galaxy stuff. Sega has only released a main Sonic game every few years and they have done quite well in my opinion. If you don't like to play Sonic games, don't play them. If you don't like the direction Sonic is going in, well don't follow. Everyone is just being hypocrites, because I guarantee you if Sega released a 3D/2D sequel to Sonic 3/Sonic and Knuckles critics will bash it for being "too short" and "lacking innovation". Yet Nintendo's doing the same thing with Mario Galaxy 2, just expanding on the original Mario Galaxy, and critics wlll most likely sing high praises for it. Don't act like some "professional" and proclaim "Sonic is dead" and crap like that. Sonic is Sega's mascot and he will never die, he's the main guy to go to for getting tons of revenue for Sega, he's the one that can be counted on as well, just like Mario. Mario hasn't died out either, and neither will Sonic. I mean, at least they aren't planning on releasing four new Mario games in the next year or two. The next Sonic game hasn't even been announced yet. So I think Sega's taking their time on this one.

The only thing Sega needs to do is to release another Sonic game and tailor it to both hardcore fans and casual fans. Mix some of the new and the old into the game, and there you go. But whining and complaining about Sonic being "dead" is so stupid, when the most recent games have still sold well. I think Mario's getting the preferential treatment here.

Sonic only had one success this year, and that was being added to the Super Smash Brothers Brawl lineup.

And in an eerie cross stream, Starfox also had it's best success this year by also being in Super Smash Brothers Brawl as a fantastic stage.

To Nintendo and Sega, take the shit you did RIGHT in this game, and EXPAND on it to bring some fucking respect to the franchises.

Why is this so hard?

I think the main problem with sonic is that well... his games have never really been all that great? There I said it. But seriously people go back and play Sonic 1 or 2. These games are nostalgic and colorful but... wow notice how irritating it is when your cruising along and BAM something hits you that no human could have avoided? What's this? You're not gonna finish the game? But I thought you loved the old Sonic games? See the problem isn't just that they got more gimmicky and worse, it's that we all grew up and learned a little bit too much about game design.

Maybe make new classic-style downloadable Sonic games, like Mega Man 9 was for the Mega Man series.

Agree with everyone who said re-release with HD remake, but with the added:

Animated FMVs between levels. It'll give a jolt of life to the nostalgia while we're at it, as well as give them an oppurtunity to flesh out the storyline.

A 2D, HD version of a new Sonic game on Mobius, with Tails, Knuckles and Robotnik only and they've got themselves a deal. Release on XBLA/PSN.

In the third dimension, Sonic sucks wang.

I always found Sonic to be too schizophrenic in it's goals... on the one hand you're supposed to race through at blinding speed, on the other hand there are loads of secrets to explore and rings to collect... which brings everything to a grinding halt.

Frankly it's always been a broken idea.. but at least it was fresh for a while.

BUT, if they really insist on fixing it (as well as possible) then it's pretty easy.
1 - No stupid other characters/Werewolves/whatever.
2 - Sonic Unleashed daytime levels + Secret Rings (with the fully upgraded controls and a decent reverse).

Done.