Jubenhimer
Member
Sonic the Hedgehog is the epitome of a quality roller-coaster. Sega has been pumping out mainline games to varying degrees of quality in recent years ranging from good, bad, to completely average. When a new Sonic game is announced, there's an understandable degree of skepticism, as you don't know what kind of quality you'll be getting. It's a complete gamble. Currently, Sonic Team has found comfort in the "Boost" formula first introduced in Sonic Rush. Many recent games have also tried to steer away from the Shonen Jump-style story telling of games like Sonic Adventure 1&2 with dozens of characters and their individual stories all fighting over the Infinity Stones Chaos Emeralds, to more silly and simplistic stories focused on mostly just Sonic and Tails with games like Sonic Colors and Sonic Lost World
Sonic Forces tried to get back to the more serious tone of the Adventure games, but it felt like a cheap imitation, as it still had all the campiness of modern Sonic. With the next Sonic game, Sega needs to completely break the mold again. They need to start over with a new engine and mechanics. But also important, they need to actually go back to the more serious tone of the Adventure Games, and even the comics. This may be an unpopular opinion, but Sonic actually works quite well in a serious plot. His edgy, radical personality, and the series unique setting lends itself well to a high stakes anime-esque adventure. Now, I'm not asking Shadow the Hedgehog levels of "OW THE EDGE", but something with the tone of Avatar: The Last Airbender or Buffy: The Vampire Slayer. A mostly serious story, with lighthearted elements and goofy scenes sprinkled in occasionally to break up the tension.
Of course, you'd need a polished gameplay engine before anything else, but games like Colors, Unleashed's Daytime levels, and Generations show that Sonic Team is capable of making at least a decent 3D Sonic if they have the budget and creative freedom to do it. The problem lies in Sega not allowing that half the time, which leads to unneeded gimmicks like Wherehog stages, rushed out garbage like Sonic 06, or just forgettable games like Forces or Lost World.
Sonic Forces tried to get back to the more serious tone of the Adventure games, but it felt like a cheap imitation, as it still had all the campiness of modern Sonic. With the next Sonic game, Sega needs to completely break the mold again. They need to start over with a new engine and mechanics. But also important, they need to actually go back to the more serious tone of the Adventure Games, and even the comics. This may be an unpopular opinion, but Sonic actually works quite well in a serious plot. His edgy, radical personality, and the series unique setting lends itself well to a high stakes anime-esque adventure. Now, I'm not asking Shadow the Hedgehog levels of "OW THE EDGE", but something with the tone of Avatar: The Last Airbender or Buffy: The Vampire Slayer. A mostly serious story, with lighthearted elements and goofy scenes sprinkled in occasionally to break up the tension.
Of course, you'd need a polished gameplay engine before anything else, but games like Colors, Unleashed's Daytime levels, and Generations show that Sonic Team is capable of making at least a decent 3D Sonic if they have the budget and creative freedom to do it. The problem lies in Sega not allowing that half the time, which leads to unneeded gimmicks like Wherehog stages, rushed out garbage like Sonic 06, or just forgettable games like Forces or Lost World.
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