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BRB has failed. How would you reboot Sonic?

I feel like they need to take the same approach Retro took when making Donkey Kong Country Returns.



Sega needs to realize the same thing.


Sega does what Nintendon't...

which is overthink concepts to the point of running them into the ground.

I agree, Keep it simple.

Mad villain destroying the forest creatures. Here comes the hero. Wow! Look at all the pretty things. Look at the speed! Period.
 
It needs a PC/console sequel using Frostbite 3.

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but I'd be happy with any sequel by Bioware, n3DS please.
 
Keep it 3D.

Make Sonic the only playable character and all the levels designed around him and his speed.

Allow Sonic to run on walls, or make levels similar to an MC Escher carving.

Sonic has acceleration and top speed stats (like a car) - if you want to go super fast, you have to build up the speed by continuing to run and not stopping or hitting an obstacle.

Certain areas of levels can only be entered by going at a fast enough speed. This creates a challenge of finding the best paths to build up speed and the reflexes not to be interrupted.

Keep combat simple. If Sonic is going to attack enemies, he has a basic low-damage spin attack, but his main attack should really be just barreling into them super-fast. Bosses can have certain tricks to them in the environment.

Keep graphics simple. 60 fps is a must.

I think if they developed a new Sonic game with those things in mind they have the best chance of delivering a solid reboot. Start from basic principles, get those right, and work from there. Don't stuff a bunch of playable characters into a game when not a single one of them is actually fun to play.
 
Sonic never needed a reboot. He just needs good games. Its like asking how'd you reboot Mario. Sonic ain't broken, he doesn't need to be fixed. Sega just needs to make quality a priority and not try to reinvent the wheel with gimmicks all the damn time.
 
Am I the only one who felt like Generations was all kinds of jank? I don't know why, but they still haven't nailed momentum down since the Genesis days in any polygonal Sonic game... 2D or 3D.
 
Stop releasing any form of Sonic games for about 5 years and experiment with different gameplay mechanics that work and don't work. Hire people who did Sonic X to write story and cinematics. Regroup Sonic Team and hire people who are actually good at building a decent game engine. Hire decent game designers, etc...
 
Just get the team from Colors back. Not because I necessarily want Colors 2, but because its just about the only Sonic game in years that understood level design from a platforming perspective (and even more specifically from a Sonic perspective) and because they actually knew how to execute on the good idea of the Wisps (which, as we saw in Lost World, it was also entirely possible to execute badly on)

Like, there had to be different people working on both those games right?
 
Why does Sonic need a reboot at all? Besides Boom, the last couple games have ranged from average to great, going back to Unleashed. I even thought Lost World was halfway decent.
 
If I had my way, every Sonic game would be built with Rush as the base, drawing inspiration from the OG trilogy and the Adventure games for inspiration where beneficial. Since controlling multiple characters is pretty much a Sonic staple at this point...

Sonic - Every level is the first level of sonic Rush. Boost, Tricks and grinding galore and Sonic speeds through levels in style. Alternate routes and special stages to discover for those who can keep up with the breakneck pace.

Tails - Slower stages with more verticality and a greater emphasis on platforming.

Knuckles - Slower than Sonic, faster than Tails. Remixed Sonic stages with collectables in the vein of Adventure's Master Emerald shards.

The Annoying Friends - Characters making a cameo appearance: Amy Rose, Shadow, Blaze, Big the Cat, Froggy. Everyone else is purged from history. Sonic eternal oval enemy goes back to referring to himself as Robotnik, but everyone else just call him Eggman.
 
Sonic Generations 2 and Sonic Colors 2
...also a tie in alternate reality stealth exploration game that is a tie in to the longstanding comic book series starring Sally Acorn. Fuck the haters.
 
Sonic Generations 2 and Sonic Colors 2
...also a tie in alternate reality stealth exploration game that is a tie in to the longstanding comic book series starring Sally Acorn. Fuck the haters.

Reboot of the series with Generations/Colors gameplay with Satam's story.

a poor man can dream :'(
 
Huh, so I finally downloaded Lost World, and gotta say, so far it's pretty solid...

Guess it goes downhill later on?
 
Huh, so I finally downloaded Lost World, and gotta say, so far it's pretty solid...

Guess it goes downhill later on?

Yes. Which makes it more painful because it makes it clear that reinvention or not, gimmicks or not, the game could have been so much better with a bit more focus.

But that'd be me building up a preconception for you. You should just play the game and let your own opinion form.
 
Sonic + Sumo Digital x Nanotek Warrior OR Llamasoft-style tube shooter... = what Sonic should be. Don't stop, because if you do, you cannot go fast.
 
A cell shaded game with a Chuck Jones like art style
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minus the shirt.

Co-op gameplay, with themed open world levels each as vast as Xenoblade X and FFXV, with loop-de-loops and short cuts.


In fact, just cut the cell shaded style and give me open world, co-op Sonic.
 
I wouldn't reboot sonic. Not every franchise needs to be rebooted. I would let Sonic just exist with the games that have come out and not make another sonic platformer. I'd keep Sonic has a character in other games... Cart racers, smash bros, etc.
 
Pretty sure Eggman has always been known as Eggman.

"Robotnik" moniker only exist primarily due to Sega of America. It became his official name, "Ivo Robotnik" but, Dr. Eggman is a sinister ass name. Y'all trippin.

Am I the only one who felt like Generations was all kinds of jank? I don't know why, but they still haven't nailed momentum down since the Genesis days in any polygonal Sonic game... 2D or 3D.
No but I don't sympathize, as a fan of Unleashed style, I understand the Boost entries demand more from me in terms of control instead of expecting things to go perfect. Speedrunners have proven that it takes skill to really show off the complexity of the controls. I wouldn't have them dumbed down.
We've seen that 3D Sonic doesn't work, and 2D Sonic doesn't work these days either. The solution? 1D Sonic!
Man shut up.
 
Eggman sounds like his special attack would be noxious farts.

Truly the most evil villain.
 
Would like to see more sonic games in the style of 1&2 (and the Knuckles expansion). They were on the right track when they considered going back to roots (sonic 4) but they can't seem to figure out the essence of the classic Sonic games that makes them enjoyable.
 
Make it 2.5d. Rely on platforming mechanics and creative level layouts and interactive environments. Cut speed back drastically so it returns to Genesis Sonic 1 levels.

No controllable friends. You play as Sonic and only Sonic. Don't make cinematics. All the levels should have the graphic angular art style of Sonic 1 and 2.
 
You don't.

You make the games better, incorporate more characters. Create a world.


Oh, no humans that's aren't named robotnik and /or Eggman.

Thats my only decree.

There are only 3 of em, and 2 of em are dead so.
 
I don't think anyone really knows what to do with Sonic these days. Sonic Team refuses to stay consistent with gameplay styles and the fans are heavily divided on what they want. Imo Yuji Naka had it right with momentum based platforming with a good sense of speed. They don't have to replicate the classics, but maybe they could try something similar gameplay wise while sticking to the formula that made Sonic what he is (Not like sonic 4 or gens)

Huh, so I finally downloaded Lost World, and gotta say, so far it's pretty solid...

Guess it goes downhill later on?

It's a decent game as long as you don't go after the red rings. Red ring hunting in that game is nothing but complete frustration.
 
Honestly, I don't enjoy the classic Sonic games that much anymore. :/ Sonic 2 is the only one I really still like, 3 and Knuckles feel really clunky to me. Music and graphics are still top-notch...but everything else...eh...
 
I prefer to just remember him the way he used to be. On a 16-bit console and fun. I dint want to leave that memory.
 
They need to take a different direction from the ground up. It needs to be funny and crude while still falling largely into the acceptable for kids bracket. It should draw influence from shows like Spongebob, where older fans will be able to appreciate the zany humor, but still recognize that the primary target is children.

They need to essentially do to Sonic what Capcom did to Devil May Cry—throw the old design out, start fresh and give a good studio the requisite creative freedom.
 
Two variants of Sonic, because the game ultimately has two fanbases.

First variant, make this a sequel to Sonic Adventure/Unleashed. No werewolf portions, not too many crazy friends. Sonic, Robotnik, Shadow, Tails, Knuckles, Metal Sonic, etc. Game should be played as mostly Sonic or all Sonic.

Second variant is a retro style game. Focus on platforming, good level design. Less serious, more laid back character design. Look at the old Sonic cartoon/or games as a base. Don't pull a Sonic 4 and try and blend the two types of games or make it episodic.

Sega can do this two ways:

Alternate per year. One year they put out Sonic 3D, the next Sonic 2D, and repeat.

Make Retro Sonic a download only title.
 
Nothing has really captured my imagination like Nerfuffle's 2010 cast redesign

I don't like Knuckles' face, but every other design's top-notch (And even then, I do appreciate it being an actual echidna-y face). If we had to redesign the cast of Sonic, I'd want it to be like this.
 
Honestly? I feel like the Generations/Colors formula they were working towards was the closest they've been. It's not really a reboot, but they should go back to that, refine the 3D gameplay to make it feel a bit less like a quicktime event, and then make it very speedrunner based.

Keep the modern Sonic character design they had going in Generations. The environments should be colorful and cartoony harkening back to the genesis days. There should be a large variety of shortcuts and alternate routes that liven up replays.

If the game were to add any type of gimmick it should be directly related to speed. Perhaps something like chaining enemy kills gives Sonic small boosts to his speed, making the levels more dangerous to maneuver but much more rewarding. Or if there was some sort of powerup system like in Colors, make it powerups that help getting through levels faster, rather than just solving puzzles that slow you down. Or take some mechanics from racing games. Just barely dodge an incoming object? Reward the player with even more speed.

I'd try to increase the skill ceiling more too. Whenever I play Sonic games if feels like there's never much I can do to get better other than avoiding obstacles, maintaining my boost gauge, and praying the controls don't fuck up. There's got to be a way to throw in some more advanced techniques that are hard to master but help shave off the extra seconds. I think they can do much more with Sonic's spin dash which has been pretty bad in the recent Sonic games. It momentarily stops Sonic dead in his tracks but gives him a huge burst of speed that if used in the correct situation would definitely be worth the risk.

You can have one extra shitty friend Sonic. ONE. Make it a kangaroo with a football helmet and a jetpack or something.

I've never really been into Sonic games to be honest. I enjoyed Generations and I felt like they were getting close with it but that it still needed refinement.

Edit: And yeah. Take out as much of the story as possible. Sonic shouldn't have a story deeper than Eggman causing trouble.
 
I think they've rebooted too much already. This seems to be damaging the franchise a lot. They need to simplify it. The ridiculous storylines are only dragging it down.
 
I think the best thing to do for the franchise is completely distance itself from what hasn't worked. That means starting with Adventure, and every single game afterward, have to be left behind. Nothing can be taken from them. At all. No skinny Sonic, no homing attack, no boost boost boost gameplay.

Then the next game should pick up as a sequel to Sonic 3&K. 1080P, 100 % sprite based. Micheal Jackson's sound team will produce the music along with Howard Drossin and David Wise (cuz why the hell not?)

Gameplay would consist of momentum based platforming. Sonic's actual top speed would be slightly slower, and the game would have a heavy emphasis on finding secrets (such as the Sonic 3&K giant rings for the special stages). Momentum would frequently be used to reach secret areas and alternate paths.

The game would reincorporate the art deco style that the series slowly drifted away from, but do something a bit different. Perhaps using pastel colors?

Spin dash is replaced with super peel out. The trade off for instant speed is that you cannot roll into a ball.

Game opens with a title card. No cut-scenes. Characters don't speak.
 
Play Sonic 4 then play Sonic 1-3. Biggest difference in controls is there is no momentum.

I think. Been awhile since I played.

I kind of see what he's getting at. Like how Modern Sonic's 2D segments in Unleashed/Colors/Generations have speed, but there's no momentum so they're less satisfying to play than the classic trilogy.

But he's discussing 3D/Modern.

I'd get the gripe if he was talking exclusively 2D Sonic's post 1-3&K but he's making that argument for 3D entries.
 
Sonic: Memorial

You walk around a graveyard until you find a headstone that reads "Sonic T. Hedgehog. Born 1991 - Died 2014. RIP". And then you press F to pay your respects. End credits.
 
probably just let Sumo Digital manage it in general, the Racing games were truly excellent and now they're making littlebigplanet they might as well make sonic since they can actually make platformers, hell they could probably bring a lot of LBP code over and let sonic and friends have outfits and accessories, the fervent fanbase who buys all the garbage would surely lap it up
 
Pretty sure Eggman has always been known as Eggman.

"Robotnik" moniker only exist primarily due to Sega of America. It became his official name, "Ivo Robotnik" but, Dr. Eggman is a sinister ass name. Y'all trippin.

eggman.gif


That is an Egg Man.

dr-eggman.jpg


This is Dr Ivo Robotnik, genius scientist and megalomaniac who mercilessly harnesses the power of life itself to fuel his hellspawn machinations. He is fueled by a selfish desire to collect all of the chaos emeralds to make his dark dreams a reality.




Seriously though, Eggman as a name is cringeworthy and irritating and removes any sense of actual threat from the character. Robotnik as a name isn't the greatest name in the world, but it fits the character and conveys a sense of malice.

Sega of America were on the right track.
 
HD Remake of the first game (or the trilogy if you want to get greedy) on the Retro Engine, followed by a LittleBigPlanet-esque game that's built around user content (also on the Retro Engine).
 
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