Sonic character's Hidden Depths

[---]

Stop. The gameplay being the most important aspect of a game does not mean you can phone in everything else. The moment you've got a protagonist and an antagonist with defined personalities, goals, and extensive voice acting, you've got a story, and as such you should attempt to write a good one because it's really ass-backwards to write a bad one even on the excuse that another part of the work is more important or is working just fine. And fuck the classics; this "only gameplay matters, why do you need a story" sentiment is holding games back as a medium because it does nothing but advocate for lesser products. That's literally what you're doing, and it blows my mind whenever anyone does it.

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again: if you believe stories have or should have a minimal impact on games, that's fine. Sega allotted skipping cutscenes to the Start button so you can ignore the story to your heart's content. But to declare that story doesn't matter as much, and then trying to dictate that story and characterization doesn't need to be deep, is butting into a conversation that you have no stake in and trying to dictate what everyone else is supposed to settle for and be happy with. If the story is a fleeting element of games that has no effect on the final product's quality, it shouldn't matter to you that Sonic ever becomes Shakespearean in writing, much less that they're bad, but you're also arguing Sonic shouldn't be deep because, well, games; that we should be stuck with shit stories. You're having your cake and eating it too, and I'm sick of it. So stop.

Don't do it. I NEVER EVER said that everything else other than the gameplay should be shallow. Gameplay should have top priority in a game, but that doesn't mean story has to be crap. And while it's nice, NO, you don't need some huge epic ass story for a game to be good, I stand by that statement when I look at games like Rayman Origins and Super Mario World. 

And when did I say stories in a game with one SHOULD never have any impact on the game? Let me make what I'm saying clear:

 

I feel that the top priority in a game is the gameplay. A game's story doesn't HAVE to be deep to be a good one or make a character look good. And it's not that Sonic CAN'T be deep in an appropriate setting, however Sonic Team has made 2 attempts with this in Shadow The Hedgehog and 06, and both come off as ridiculous because it's glaring to see these particular characters trying so hard to be deep.

I'm all for GOOD stories, but for a story to be good I don't feel it has to be to be a deep one. And just because a story isn't deep doesn't make it bad, and that's just my opinion on the matter.

EDIT: And implying that because of my disposition that it shouldn't matter to me? Uh, no. It matters when a bad story trying to hard to be deep and complex drags down the experience of the total package. So even though I feel gameplay is most important, that doesn't mean that whatever story IS there should be thrown to the wind.

Edited January 20, 2013 by Extruder

[Chaos Warp]

I agree. However, Sonic Team has recently shown that they are moving away from huge stories, which puts it right back at the gameplay. Sure there's new tech, but an epic narrative isn't the only way to draw out the world of a game or showcase a character.  (and I think you meant to say you like Sonic's world better than Mario...right? Confusing last statement D;)

Yeah, they have shown that, and I kinda don't like that about the current games. I liked the narratives of Sonic Adventure 1 and 2, Unleashed, and the Storybook games, and personally I want these types of narratives (with better written dialogue) to come back.

 

Not gonna lie, that's the same with me too. However, I just don't feel that a character has to have layer on layer of cinematic-level character to be considered good. Sometimes simple works. I can't help but think of Sonic 06 when I think of Sonic characters trying to be deep and complex. Remember Silver deciding whether or not he should murder Sonic to save everyone? I just don't think it should ever go that far in a Sonic game for the sake of trying to develop a cartoon character with a young demographic and such a wacky premise.

There's nothing wrong with it if it's pulled off well and it's fitting with the overall narrative. The 06 example is NOT pulled off well. 

 

Yes, something simple works, but why limit it to just that? For example, Sonic Team should try adding some of the stuff they talked about in the various character descriptions of Sonic, such as short-tempered-ness, into the actual games. 

Edited January 20, 2013 by Chaos Warp

[Tornado]

And it's not that Sonic CAN'T be deep in an appropriate setting, however Sonic Team has made 2 attempts with this in Shadow The Hedgehog and 06, and both come off as ridiculous because it's glaring to see these particular characters trying so hard to be deep.

Both attempts came off as ridiculous because the competence of the people doing the writing and the writing itself was completely lacking. That doesn't mean that the concept itself of deep Sonic characterization is ridiculous anymore than the story of Heroes (by presumably the same writing team) proves that a straightforward story is bad.

Edited January 20, 2013 by Tornado

[Vertekins]

I think the overwhelmingly cynical responses to this topic are caused by the idea that depth has to equal angst or drama. The point being made here is that there's more to Sonic than 1) Sonic See Evil 2) Sonic Thwart Evil which is indeed a shallow and boring presentation of a hero.

 

What I really like about Sonic is that he's a character who already has his personal ideals and philosphy laid out from the beginning. He knows who he is, and he enjoys what he does. It's honestly refreshing after so many tedious anti-heroes and self-doubting protagonists. Does that mean he's flawless? Hell no. He makes mistakes all the time. In Sonic Adventure he, like the rest of the cast, completely missed the point of Tikal's visions and went after Eggman when he should've focused on Chaos instead. In Sonic & the Secret Rings his trusting nature let him be completely fooled by Shahra's treachery. Sonic may not be as gullible as Knuckles, but he's naive enough that he fell for Merlina's betrayal as well. And in Sonic Colors, Sonic would've completely failed to save the world if not for a total fluke, since he never figured out about Eggman's planetary mind control laser. For all his empathy and insight, Sonic is book-dumb, leaps before he thinks, and is easy to fool by a calculating villain.

 

Not every hero has to have deep emotional issues that they have to overcome through personal growth. It's a pleasure to get a reprieve from that trope from time to time.

 

Finally someone who actually understands the point of the topic.

 

Bolded is what my intention is with this topic. My desire to make this topic stemmed from the widely-held notion that Sonic is a cookie cutter hero and a boring Sonic character when his moral compass and quirks make him more than that. The first post was the elaboration on his moralities first and foremost and I was going to expand upon the other traits of his character as well as start on other characters too. I should've made this clear in the OP alongside the point I was making to dispel the notion that he's no more complex than the average shonen hero so I don't blame anyone for not seeing this.

 

That said, I do think that so much more can be done to make Sonic more rounded by empathizing the negative.

 

He's greedy, very stubborn and set on his own ideals sometimes to the point of impulsiveness. He's got a short temper which is shown rarely and not enough (I think Adventure best put that across though). He leads a double standard of a lifestyle in which he's willing to leave behind friends for large amounts of time and gets a taste of his own medicine when Amy fails to recognize him as the Werehog, experiencing what it feels like to be left behind even though it stemmed from not being identified rather than running away. He doesn't seem to really care about the collateral damage he inflicts as long as the job gets done.

Edited January 20, 2013 by Vertekins

[Chaos Warp]

Finally someone who actually understands the point of the topic.

 

Bolded is what my intention is with this topic. My desire to make this topic stemmed from the widely-held notion that Sonic is a cookie cutter hero when his moral compass and quirks make him more than that. The first post was the elaboration on his moralities first and foremost and I was going to expand upon the other traits of his character as well as start on other characters too. I should've made this clear in the OP alongside the point I was making to dispel the notion that he's no more complex than the average shonen hero so I don't blame anyone for not seeing this.

 

That said, I do think that so much more can be done to make Sonic more rounded by empathizing the negative.

 

He's greedy, very stubborn and set on his own ideals sometimes to the point of impulsiveness. He's got a short temper which is shown rarely and not enough (I think Adventure best put that across though). He leads a double standard of a lifestyle in which he's willing to leave behind friends for large amounts of time and gets a taste of his own medicine when Amy fails to recognize him as the Werehog, experiencing what it feels like to be left behind even though it stemmed from not being identified rather than running away. He doesn't seem to really care about the collateral damage he inflicts as long as the job gets done.

I don't know, I think that might apply more to Shadow.......

[SuperLink]

Man if Sonic wasn't the great pure hero who always gets things right I don't think I'd like him as much as I do, to be brutally honest.

 

I know good character development and deep characters, I know Sonic doesn't really have it, nor do I particularly care. He's awesome.

I'm still of the party that Mario-level shallow stories that show Sonic as a hero and that's that are better than badly-done pretentious stories that take themselves too seriously. I'll be perfectly content if that keeps being the case.

Edited January 20, 2013 by SuperLink

[Diogenes]

I think the overwhelmingly cynical responses to this topic are caused by the idea that depth has to equal angst or drama.

Angst, no. Drama? Maybe to an extent, but that's because I would like things to happen in a story, for characters to have to work for success, for them to be interesting and nuanced rather than walking cliches.

 

And it's not that Sonic CAN'T be deep in an appropriate setting, however Sonic Team has made 2 attempts with this in Shadow The Hedgehog and 06, and both come off as ridiculous because it's glaring to see these particular characters trying so hard to be deep.

It came off as ridiculous because the writing was absolute shit. There wasn't any depth to the characters in those games, just a lot of "we are being very serious and mature! >:[".

[---]

 anymore than the story of Heroes (by presumably the same writing team) proves that a straightforward story is bad.

May you elaborate on this, please? What was objectively bad about the Sonic Heroes story (and characterization)? I don't think it's perfect, but I'd like to hear what you have to say on it.

[Alluusio]

I don't know, I think that might apply more to Shadow.......

 

Maybe you need to play City Escape again and see all the cars Sonic crashes into. Shadow hardly does more than steals a motorcycle every now and then unless his intention is to cause damage.

[SilentDoom]

I think the overwhelmingly cynical responses to this topic are caused by the idea that depth has to equal angst or drama. The point being made here is that there's more to Sonic than 1) Sonic See Evil 2) Sonic Thwart Evil which is indeed a shallow and boring presentation of a hero.

 

What I really like about Sonic is that he's a character who already has his personal ideals and philosphy laid out from the beginning. He knows who he is, and he enjoys what he does. It's honestly refreshing after so many tedious anti-heroes and self-doubting protagonists. Does that mean he's flawless? Hell no. He makes mistakes all the time. In Sonic Adventure he, like the rest of the cast, completely missed the point of Tikal's visions and went after Eggman when he should've focused on Chaos instead. In Sonic & the Secret Rings his trusting nature let him be completely fooled by Shahra's treachery. Sonic may not be as gullible as Knuckles, but he's naive enough that he fell for Merlina's betrayal as well. And in Sonic Colors, Sonic would've completely failed to save the world if not for a total fluke, since he never figured out about Eggman's planetary mind control laser. For all his empathy and insight, Sonic is book-dumb, leaps before he thinks, and is easy to fool by a calculating villain.

 

Not every hero has to have deep emotional issues that they have to overcome through personal growth. It's a pleasure to get a reprieve from that trope from time to time.

 

Don't forget Sonic Unleashed's intro, where he was super, had Eggman on the ropes, yet because he was being cocky Eggman managed to seize the opportunity to capture him while his guard was down.

[Diogenes]

May you elaborate on this, please? What was objectively bad about the Sonic Heroes story (and characterization)? I don't think it's perfect, but I'd like to hear what you have to say on it.

Wow, really? Uhm, everyone fights everyone for no reason, the story is basically just running forward, Eggman does nothing of value, Metal Sonic was butchered into a lame monster final boss, "the real super power of teamwork"...

[Tornado]

May you elaborate on this, please? What was objectively bad about the Sonic Heroes story (and characterization)?

For starters, Heroes was the beginning of the long, long slide of the characterization of Amy from "obsessive about Sonic, but still having other strong character traits" to "psychotic stalker bitch" that peaked with how she was portrayed in Battle but hasn't really recovered since. There's also the fact that Sonic's storyline (as just one example) was so flimsy that it came just short of saying outright "Now I have an excuse to go fight Eggman again!"

Edited January 20, 2013 by Tornado

[---]

Yeah, they have shown that, and I kinda don't like that about the current games. I liked the narratives of Sonic Adventure 1 and 2, Unleashed, and the Storybook games, and personally I want these types of narratives (with better written dialogue) to come back.

Aside from some plotholes in SA2, I'll agree with you there. But for a prime example of a story with good plot and characterization, the first place I'd point to is Sonic Colors. It doesn't try to be over the top, it know's what it is and focuses on characters central to the story, which I think makes it better off for it. (save for some cringeworthy jokes)

Edited January 20, 2013 by Extruder

[Kuzu]

Yeah, I didn't really read the OP, mostly because it's just reiterating stuff I already know. I don't mean to sound mean Verte, but how exactly does this dispel Sonic not being a generic shonen hero when every aspect you just described essentially sums up the standard Shonen hero? Being kind, selfless, and caring an interesting character does not make, at least alone anyway, and you focus so much on Sonic's positive traits, it's no wonder people get the feeling that he's a bland character.

 

 

How about instead of writing an essay on how amazing Sonic is, you focus on the less than positive aspects of his personality or at least the parts that don't show how amazingly pure he is; Everyone and their mother knows Sonic is the purest of light in this series, but that doesn't suddenly mean he's the somehow the most interesting character because of it.

[Nepenthe]

Anyway, I'm of the general agreement that Sonic's selflessness has pretty much become a biological facet of the character at this point, overriding the extensiveness or presence of his stated flaws, which in turn proceeds to downgrade the potential for both internal conflict (You being a Werehog meant absolutely nothing, Sonic.) and external (If I break both of your legs in five places, somehow you're still going to defeat the God of Everlasting Universal Destruction). There's no tension and no stakes to his character or his exploits, and upon reflection, Colors relegating Sonic's exploits to just another day practically exemplifies how ridiculous his current personality has become in the face of conflict. Even more ironically, the closest thing his character got to interesting for me was in Colors, because it at least allowed him to be the butt of a few comebacks, and from Tails no less. Just a little thing like being embarrassed about being caught talking to the robot makes him a little more empathetic to the audience and more interesting by default.
 

Don't do it. I NEVER EVER said that everything else other than the gameplay should be shallow. Gameplay should have top priority in a game, but that doesn't mean story has to be crap. And while it's nice, NO, you don't need some huge epic ass story for a game to be good, I stand by that statement when I look at games like Rayman Origins and Super Mario World.

Those games don't even have stories at all. If you're not going to have a story, then that's a valid choice. However, the Sonic games have stopped taking this route ever since S3&K, arguably S2. The series has chosen to use stories to augment the experiences of its games, and that's also valid design. But you came into this topic asking why in the world Sonic needs to be deeper than what he is currently presented as under the implication that characterization is not that important (which continues to raise the question of why you care about this discussion at all). The answer is simple: because he would be a better and more entertaining character for it which would in turn increase the quality of the decision to use stories.
 

And when did I say stories in a game with one SHOULD never have any impact on the game? Let me make what I'm saying clear:
 
I feel that the top priority in a game is the gameplay. A game's story doesn't HAVE to be deep to be a good one or make a character look good. And it's not that Sonic CAN'T be deep in an appropriate setting, however Sonic Team has made 2 attempts with this in Shadow The Hedgehog and 06, and both come off as ridiculous because it's glaring to see these particular characters trying so hard to be deep.

I'm all for GOOD stories, but for a story to good I don't feel it has to be to be a deep one. And just because a story isn't deep doesn't make it bad, that's just my opinion on the matter.

Straw men arguments: Deep does not equal angst, nor is anyone in this topic asking for anything on par with ShtH and Sonic 06 with the request for a more empathetic character from Sonic, and neither of those games were inherently deep anyway. No one here is saying a story has to be deep to be good either, but the shallow stories have also been bad as well anyway. Heroes, Colors, and Generations' stories are absolutely god-fucking-awful, and it's due in extensive part or almost entirely to their forgoing of actual storytelling.

 

Now what I'm arguing, and what I'm assuming in good faith others are arguing, is this: Sonic is perfect. A perfect character is boring. Giving him more flaws would make him a better character. There. Absolutely nothing about making the stories morose, gothic affairs under the guise of making Sonic a better character. And why is better writing always equating to darkness in this manner. You know how many animated feature films have deeper protagonists than Sonic but still manage to maintain a generally lighthearted tone throughout the story? Most of them.

[Vertekins]

Yeah, I didn't really read the OP, mostly because it's just reiterating stuff I already know. I don't mean to sound mean Verte, but how exactly does this dispel Sonic not being a generic shonen hero when every aspect you just described essentially sums up the standard Shonen hero? Being kind, selfless, and caring an interesting character does not make, at least alone anyway, and you focus so much on Sonic's positive traits, it's no wonder people get the feeling that he's a bland character.

 

 

How about instead of writing an essay on how amazing Sonic is, you focus on the less than positive aspects of his personality or at least the parts that don't show how amazingly pure he is; Everyone and their mother knows Sonic is the purest of light in this series, but that doesn't suddenly mean he's the somehow the most interesting character because of it.

 

 

Bolded is what my intention is with this topic. My desire to make this topic stemmed from the widely-held notion that Sonic is a cookie cutter hero and a boring Sonic character when his moral compass and quirks make him more than that. The first post was the elaboration on his moralities first and foremost and I was going to expand upon the other traits of his character as well as start on other characters too. I should've made this clear in the OP alongside the point I was making to dispel the notion that he's no more complex than the average shonen hero so I don't blame anyone for not seeing this.

Edited January 20, 2013 by Vertekins

[Kuzu]

I thought this topic was about Sonic, how the hell did we tangent off into another story vs. gameplay argument.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oooohh, well if that's the case then carry on.

 

 

 

EDIT: Altho, if you really wanted to dispel the notion Sonic isn't generic, you probably shouldn't have started off listing him off as purer than light.

Edited January 20, 2013 by Ragna the Bloodedge

[Wraith]

Finally someone who actually understands the point of the topic.

 

Bolded is what my intention is with this topic. My desire to make this topic stemmed from the widely-held notion that Sonic is a cookie cutter hero and a boring Sonic character when his moral compass and quirks make him more than that. The first post was the elaboration on his moralities first and foremost and I was going to expand upon the other traits of his character as well as start on other characters too. I should've made this clear in the OP alongside the point I was making to dispel the notion that he's no more complex than the average shonen hero so I don't blame anyone for not seeing this.

 

That said, I do think that so much more can be done to make Sonic more rounded by empathizing the negative.

 

He's greedy, very stubborn and set on his own ideals sometimes to the point of impulsiveness. He's got a short temper which is shown rarely and not enough (I think Adventure best put that across though). He leads a double standard of a lifestyle in which he's willing to leave behind friends for large amounts of time and gets a taste of his own medicine when Amy fails to recognize him as the Werehog, experiencing what it feels like to be left behind even though it stemmed from not being identified rather than running away. He doesn't seem to really care about the collateral damage he inflicts as long as the job gets done.

 

 

And all you're doing is making Sonic look worse because, quite frankly, none of his negative qualities are expanded upon in the games. All the OP did was restate how amazing and caring Sonic was, you know, just like your average hero while claiming he wasn't your average hero. 

 

Even when Sonic's traits does cause something bad to happen, it's usually fixed with no problem anyways.

Edited January 20, 2013 by Wraith

[Nepenthe]

I think the issue here is that the elaboration on Sonic's moral code hasn't fundamentally elevated that moral code or the character into something inherently deeper than what it is. It's just elaboration. I could probably go into great detail describing the artistry, intent, history and cultural implications of a cutaway gag from Family Guy, but the discussion on these parts does not proceed make the sum any greater. It's still a cutaway gag in Family Guy, and the meaning is simple: to make you laugh for a second and then make way for the next cutaway. Similarly, to talk at length about Sonic being concerned for Blaze's well-being does not change the end result of Sonic's actions and what the character ultimately amounts to- that being a selfless, near-perfect hero, and frankly I don't think it's anything more than what could be talked about other modern shonen heroes who are derided in the fandom as being lesser than Sonic, especially ones who have had actual growth and arcs like Naruto and Monkey D. Luffy.

Edited January 20, 2013 by Nepenthe

[Gaming Misfit]

Honestly, if you have to try this hard and go this deep just to prove Sonic is more than your average hero it kind of ruins the point.  Most of the traits you listed are typical goody-two-shoes hero traits.  All the Sonic characters are just stereotypes when it comes down to it. 

 

EDIT:  And I hate when people try to act like the Sonic series is deep and has deep characters.  When it is, it's a clusterfuck, and when it isn't, it just isn't.  But some people just aren't cool with that.

Edited January 20, 2013 by Gaming Misfit

[---]

>Those games don't even have stories at all.

 

>But you came into this topic asking why in the world Sonic needs to be deeper than what he is currently presented as under the implication that characterization is not that important

 

>Colors story is absolutely god-fucking-awful, and it's due in extensive part or almost entirely to their forgoing of actual storytelling.

1) Actually Origins and World do have stories, they've just taken such a huge backseat to the gameplay that you actually have to look up what the heck they are.

2) You talk here as if I don't want improvement in the games as well, which is false. Again, never said characterization wasn't important, I just emphasized that gameplay should come first and foremost. The plot and characterization are apart of the total package, if either one hinders the gameplay then yeah, that's reason for me to care and be here.

3) Colors had an objectively awful story? And where was the plot lacking in any storytelling? I followed it well.

[Kuzu]

I think the issue here is that the elaboration on Sonic's moral code hasn't fundamentally elevated that moral code and or the character into something inherently deeper than what it is. It's just elaboration. I could probably go into great detail describing the artistry, intent, history and cultural implications of a cutaway gag from Family Guy, but the discussion on these parts does not proceed make the sum any greater. It's still a cutaway gag in Family Guy, and the meaning is simple: to make you laugh for a second and then make way for the next cutaway. Similarly, to talk at length about Sonic being concerned for Blaze's well-being does not change the end result of Sonic's actions and what the character ultimately amounts to- that being a selfless, near-perfect hero, and frankly I don't think it's anything more than what could be talked about other modern shonen heroes who are derided on the fandom as being lesser than Sonic, especially ones who have had actual growth and arcs like Naruto and Monkey D. Luffy.

 

 

Ironic isn't it. People say Sonic is somehow better than most Shonen heroes, despite the fact that he's had nowhere near the character development.

 

 

 

Anyway, I think the problem here is, people are looking at this series like it's some type of epic tale of growth and shit, and not that it can't be that way as shown with the likes of Shadow, or Blaze, but I think people are treating the series and characters a lot more pretentiously than what's been established. I understand people have their own interpretation of their favorite characters, but people need to know the distinction between fanon and canon as that does make a difference. Like Nepenthe said, you can make an entire 10 page essay on Sonic's personality and elaborate on everything, but at the end of the day, he's always been a wisecracking show off with a heart of god and he's always going to be if Sega have anything to say about it. So rather than try and contrive some reason on how Sonic is this amazing character, you could just line up your views with canon and accept them.

 

 

So Sonic doesn't have as much depth as some of the other characters, big whoop. Last time I checked that didn't really affect people's perception of him because 9/10 people love him precisely because of how simple he is; no angsty backstory, no contrived reason for his actions, he just does what he does and that's good enough for some people. He's a platforming protagonist for a platforming series, not a JRPG protagonist, and I don't see much of a problem with that. Hell, the most I want out of Sonic is for him to have a personality or not and not whether or not he has "depth" he has enough depth for this type of series.

[-blank-]

Finally someone who actually understands the point of the topic.

 

Whoa, I understood the point of the topic, Verte. ;P I think you should have gone into more detail of his flaws, but I understand that you were trying to portray Sonic as someone who isn't just a flat, one-dimensional character.

 

Speaking of flaws, I really wish his impatience would be shown more. It's constantly mentioned, and yet we almost never see it in the games.

[Frogging101]

Vertekins, that was a great post but I agree that you probably shouldn't have started by saying that Sonic is rational, understanding and selfless. That's pretty much your average generic hero. Don't get me wrong, those traits are good to have and even necessary (It's what separates the good guys from the bad guys). But perfect characters are boring; they need flaws to balance them out and make the story more interesting. If they never make mistakes or display negative emotions, then they become boring and predictable.

Nothing is wrong with Sonic's character right now. In other words, nothing needs to be removed from his character to make it better. But something definitely needs to be added. He can keep all his current traits, and be the nice guy who cares about his friends and protects his world from the threat of Eggman. But it wouldn't hurt for his flaws to actually have an effect on the storyline. This happened a little bit in Unleashed; his cockiness allowed Eggman to get the upper hand and use the chaos energy from Sonic to split the world in two. It's also been stated before that it's not very realistic or interesting how Sonic never really reacts to a threat. In order to have depth, a character should react realistically to a serious situation.

Also, I get that Sonic's supposed to be someone who saves the world "just because", but that's not very interesting to be honest. He should have an actual purpose or ideal that drives him to thwart whatever is threatening his world; without that it's hard for the audience to connect with the character.

Edited January 20, 2013 by Frogging101

[SenEDDtor Missile]

3) Colors had an objectively awful story? And where was the plot lacking in any storytelling? I followed it well.

For the most part I was indifferent to it, but I can definitely see some reasons for this:

 

 

I know it sounds like I'm ragging on Colors too hard (especially considering me going out of my way to defend Unleashed, who suffers many of the same problems), but frankly you can't really deny that those problems were there.

1. The story dragged out it's main plot point for far too long for the sake of gags. Yes WE ALREADY KNOW THE ALIENS ARE IN TROUBLE, NOW ACTUALLY SHOW US WHATS HAPPENING TO THE ALIENS SO WE HAVE AN INCENTIVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT AND NOT END UP WONDERING IF THIS IS SOME KIND OF JOKE. To be fair, the scene DOES eventually happen, but by that point, the emotional impact has greatly diminished
2. Constantly adding potentially interesting plot points, and then doing jack shit with them. Eggman reforming or not could be a set up for a rift between Sonic and Tails? Nope, gone by the first few minutes. Eggman takes over Tails' mind and tries to sic them against each other? Nope, ran outta juice! Big laser that could mind control an entire planet? Nope, a broken leg from a random robot ruins that, and Sonic barely even knew the thing existed. I'm mostly just compiling stuff I read from other people, but this does seem to be the case.

Now then:

Honestly, what bugs me more is not the fact that he has these traits, but rather that the negative traits he is said to have seem to be only there for the sake of making it seem like he has flaws, or the things that should have some kind of doubled edged consequence if used in the wrong situation rarely get capitalized on. The end result is that he ends up feeling not too different from one of those...certain characters that shall never be mentioned.

 

I'll add more once I'm finished ordering pizza.

 

I think a rather good example of Sonic both getting screwed over by his own traits and simultaneously not really getting anything noteworthy out of it would have to be his epic screw-up in Sonic Unleashed. I liked this scene because it showed Sonic being overconfident (for justified reasons) and GETTING SCREWED OVER AS A RESULT. In one fell swoop, Sonic loses his Super Form, the Chaos Emeralds get depowered, Eggman blows the planet a new butthole, and he loses his iconic speed and appearance. Then to add insult to injury, one of his oldest sorta friends, Amy, doesn't EVEN recognize him, leading him to a temporary state of depression.

 

This could have been a big opportunity (Beware, this is now going into headcanon territory. If you are not fond of this, stop reading here) for Sonic to see the world through two viewpoints:

 

1. The eyes of someone who can't move very fast, and thus understand things from the point of view of Someone who is willing to take their time as opposed to just rushing from one adventure to another like some kind of sugar junkie.
2. The eyes of someone who is perceived as a monster/not recognized by anyone/a nobody, as opposed to this international hero who is the epitome of awesome.

Granted, you don't need him to go through an emo period or anything like that, but this kind of thing would definitely help him get a new perspective of things, thus making him more open-minded or something like that. Hell, this could transition into Black Knight, where in addition to stopping Merlina not only because her actions would be ultimately dangerous to everyone else, but also because he remembers how his own stupidity nearly caused the destruction of his own world and thus reinforces ACTUAL character development. I know this is cliche and all, but considering what we are working with right now, I don't think it would hurt all that much.

 

And yet what DOES happen? Nothing. It turns out that after that beginning, Sonic never goes through any real development because it turns out he was so incorruptible that he was barely affected, and everyone still liked him regardless. This isn't a bad thing, I still think it was rather nice, but it does reek of missed opportunity.

 

P.S. I know there is more to the ending of Unleashed, but I'm wanting to do something else at the moment, so I'm not 100% focused.

Edited January 20, 2013 by I R Lothar