227 replies to this topic

[Professor J]

I just can't.

Sonic 1 was the first game I ever played. I was 2 at the time, I fell in love from the moment I played it and never looked back. Sonic 2 was the first game I owned, the first game I ever completed. When I was a young child I used to wake up hours before school just so I could play Sonic 3 with my brother. I was so into Sonic. I used to eat, sleep and breathe this franchise. I got Sonic Adventure for Christmas 1999, I remember being devastated because this was the game I dreamed of owning and had no means to play it. The big final 'for the family' present that year was a Dreamcast, probably one of the happiest moments of my life. Didn't have a VMU, I didn't even care, I'd just replay it day after day for a year until we got one. Best times <3

I joined SSMB when I was 14, that's nearly 9 years ago, even at that age I knew Shadow the Hedgehog was digging a hole the franchise couldn't escape from but my inner fanboy was willing to ride that out. Sonic Rush completely counteracted whatever damage this game did, absolutely height of my forum life. Got banned from here like 3 times due to naivety, didn't even care, online Sonic discussion was like drugs to me back then haha!

06 happened. I don't think I've ever been more excited about a game than I was that, despite all the obvious issues from the get go the amount of hype surrounding that game was truly something to behold. I bought a 360 purely for that game, this was THE Sonic game, this was the game that would put Sonic back on the map. It didn't.

Unleashed, I was a bit older at that point, Werehog made me sigh, I wasn't all that into the Daytime gameplay either, my love for Sonic kinda dwindled at this point. I was still big on illustration at this time though so DeviantArt kinda kept me going, in my eyes Sonic was still this unstoppable force, I truly believed that it was a massive behemoth of a franchise that was loved by millions. Oh how wrong I was.

Generations, oh my sweet Jesus, my 20 year old self could not handle this game. What an absolute rush I'd get from even thinking about this game. Pokemon remakes give you a nostalgia trip but this was something else, this was Sonic, the franchise I'd grown up with tailored to the fans who had been there from day 1. This was a game made for me (maybe not gameplay wise but everything else).

And it delivered. But where did we go from there? I'd still get a kick from even the monthly Sonic Channel artwork upload and when Lost World was announced I truly did believe Sonic was back for good. My little childhood hero had found his feet and things would be good from here on out.

Nope.

Game is released. Within an hour I'm bored. To this day I haven't even finished it, a culmination of a cringe inducing script and awkward gameplay I can't get behind. Then BAM, Sonic Boom. I get that it's not 'main Sonic' but my god I can't even give the slightest shit about this, I've never ever felt like I've outgrown Sonic as much as I have now. My eleven year old brother doesn't even care about Sonic anymore and I made a point out of playing every Sonic game together while he was growing up.

After joining NeoGAF and seeing just few people even care about Sonic anymore it's just kind of changed my whole opinion on things, this truly is a washed up mascot we're dealing with now. I've poured my heart and soul into this franchise only to be disappointed year after year and I really don't think I care anymore. It's been nearly a decade since I joined this forum and nothing has changed, we're still in this weird limbo where we annually assess whether this latest release will be a Sonic game worth caring about. Maybe I've just outgrown all this bullshit now?

Am I alone with this?

[Monado Arts]

Yeah I'm starting to lose interest in Sonic as well...the last Sonic game which I REALLY enjoyed was Sonic Unleashed really. I know a lot of people will disagree with me but oh well.

 

Generations was pretty good but had SO MANY missed opportunities. Luckily the PC version is brimming with great mods but that's besides the point. I don't really get excited for Sonic games anymore. They release, I buy them eventually because I'm a shameless Sonic whore, play them, and play better games afterwards...shame really. After Sonic Lost World and the upcoming Sonic Boom (Wii U version mainly), my interest in Sonic has dwindled even more, and I ain't pinning all my hopes in Sonic Team's next game either.

 

I dunno. I guess Sonic is just cursed at the moment. There are just too many games out there worth my money nowadays and unless they finally make something really special with Sonic, I'm kinda done buying his games at launch.

[Vertekins]

As passionate as I am about this franchise, I can't deny that I tend to go through the odd phrase where I find it hard to care about it and which make me actively question my fandom. It keeps attracting me back to it though and I don't want to lose my fandom. I want to like things in the series. I want to like Sonic Boom. Well, I like the look of the show but the game does nothing for me. I wanted to like Archie. I wanted to like X-Treme, Chronicles, '06. Damn was I hyped for '06 back then but all of the copious shittiness of all four of those things effectively prevented me from loving them.

 

I suppose the disappointments of Sonic things over the last few years set my expectations low because they no longer have things that provide a lasting appeal to me. They feel half-baked. And as a result I've often been left not completely satisfied with what's been presented to me and fill me with a yearning for more that's never satiated.

 

It's sad to me, as such an ardent fan of this series who has been as such for over 20 years.

[Professor J]

^ I was really hoping you'd reply

I think I feel the same way as you, poured my heart into every aspect of this franchise, turning to non-game media to get my kicks over the years but nothing does it anymore. I'm just not satisfied like you said. I think I've maybe developed this idea of what Sonic should be like in my head and nothing fulfils that anymore, I'm just left with fanwanking and what could have been :/ ...

[Kuzu Badguy]

This is pretty much me for the past two years or so. I've pretty much accepted that Sonic just isn't a very good franchise overall that has no clear direction to speak of. I only stuck around as long as I did because of the people I met, and I deeply enjoyed the characters. But those same people also have interest outside of Sonic, and I can get my character fill in Archie and other materials like Fanfiction.

 

I've played far better games of the same genre, and it's just been a real eye opener to the series. Simply having Sonic's name in the title isn't enough for me anymore, I need actual quality to go along with it, along with consistency. I'm sure the younger generation like what Sonic's become, so there's that, but I've just kind of moved on. I barely even post in the Sonic topics on this board anymore lol.

[Diogenes]

I can definitely sympathize. My unironic interest in Sonic, at this point, is basically hanging by a thread, waiting to be cut at any moment (probably the next main series game), and I spend more time criticizing it and groaning at its failures than I do celebrating it. I just get so little out of it that's positive anymore. Anything I've liked about it has either been stripped away entirely or embarrassingly mishandled. When I do find some tiny piece to hold onto (I actually liked SLoW's story, overall), it feels like I'm the only one who does, and I can't expect it to last if that's the case.

I still want Sonic to be good. I still think there can be good from the series. But I'm well aware that things aren't going to go back to how they used to be (both the series and myself), and I don't really have any faith left in it anymore. It's come to the point where I almost want that last thread to be cut.

[Chic]

I jumped ship in late 2011

Sorry, each Sonic game since Colors has been a structural caricature of the last

And I happen to hate that gameplay style

Holy shit Generations held awful memories, my ex basically ruined the series for me along with the games themselves.

Oh well I've had some pretty amazing memories with the pre-Colors games and it'll always be a part of my childhood

I'll still play Sonic Adventure and its sequel from time to time

Peace out, Sonic

[ChaosIncarnate]

To be honest: yeah, I can totally sympathize, and I'm starting to lose interest as well, albeit for different reasons.

 

I got into the series around the time Generations came out, and chronologically, that's about as far as it will probably go for a while. I don't plan on purchasing a Wii U for various reasons, so obviously I missed out on Lost World (not to broken up over lack of a Sonic Boom purchase though). I have no clue when I'm going to pick up a PS4/Xbox One, so that I'll be again missing out on what Sonic Team shells out, for better or worse.

 

Basically I'm restricted to 3DS entries for the foreseeable future, and you can probably guess what kind of feeling this leaves me with. Being stuck with titles such as

 

 

this..... and Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal, which isn't looking impressive or inspired in the slightest. I'm getting fed up with missing out on the real deal and shafted to mediocrity. Playing past titles can be still be fun, and I still love the series for them, I usually only play a few stages of a particular Sonic game before growing bored and shutting it off.

 

It's quite sad too, as Sonic Boom pessimism aside, I've been seen as one of the biggest optimists over several aspects of the series most of the time. But feeling like being kept in the dark for 3 years, and not being thrilled with the direction Sonic is going in as a whole, I just find it hard to become enthusiastic over anything new happening. 

 

I know I've stated none of that will taint my love for the series... but I just don't care anymore.

[Killer B]

you guys all suck for not having the same opinion as me

 

In all seriousness, there are brief intervals in my life where Sonic isn't the most important game series to me, but it usually only lasts for a few weeks. Whenever I see Sonic in anything, really, I feel happy. Seeing Shadow pop out of an Assist Trophy in SSB4, for example. It just brings a smile to my face. I think these intervals happen shortly after I've beaten the latest Sonic game. I don't feel Sonic-y anymore, and I instead think of all the other games that interest me. But once the new Sonic game is announced, I get hyped. That old childhood feeling I got when I first played a Sonic game comes rushing back to me.

 

TL;DR, yes, occasionally, I don't care about Sonic, but that is very, very rarely.

[Discoid]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I hardly even care about this particular genre anymore, let alone this series alone. Platformers and cartoony games have been slipping down my priority list for about two years now. I look for different things than I did back when I was an avid fan of the series.

[Kuzu Badguy]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I hardly even care about this particular genre anymore, let alone this series alone. Platformers and cartoony games have been slipping down my priority list for about two years now. I look for different things than I did back when I was an avid fan of the series.

 

 

This too, I'll play platformers occasionally now and then because of some old love, but for the most part, my heart belongs to fighting games now. And Pokemon...and some JRPG's...and Dark Souls.

[Ekaje]

I haven't been particularly into Sonic for years now. I still love the Genesis/SCD platformers, and have a liking for the Rush games and Colors/Gens, but other than that I don't have a big interest in the series other than hoping that Sonic Team's next time at bat will turn out more like Gens than Colors. 

 

I still love the buttrock the other 3D games produced though. 

[Soniman]

I dont care. But not in the way you expect.

 

I guess maybe im not as in emotionally invested in Sonic as everyone else (I do really love the series, but like...not on a deep emotional level if that makes sense) but when I find a game that I like, i buy it enjoy it and move on. Same if the game is bad, I just ignore it and wait for next release. And during that time I just...play something else, there are other series to get into then just Sonic.

 

Yeah I know that whole "there are better games to play" thing is also a factor in their growing tiredness of Sonic but again for me as a kid...I dont even think BACK then Sonic games were ever "omg these are the best games ever and nothing can top them". Yeah there are better games, and there are probably better games then those better games, that's just how it is

 

I guess thats why I wasnt to devastated by an average game like SLW even though a lot of people were. It's understandable, I just don't really see it that way. Then again ive been a Sonic apologist for years and see nothing but the post Unleashed stuff as a huge improvement over like...everything since SA1 honestly. Stuff like Boom I can easily ignore and brush off as some weird branch of Sonic that I don't have to pay attention to. And hey Archie is doing pretty good, that's a cool Sonic thing.

 

Im into Sonic the same way im into stuff like Mario. If there's a game that looks good and is good or that I take intrest in, I will probably buy it, but if it's not ill usually skip it. If im not satisfied I just wait for the next release, I never quit anything cold turkey. It's why theres still so many Final Fantasy fans despite the series debatably not having a good game in nearly 10 years. I managed to stay a Sonic fan even after stinkers like 06 and Shadow so I don't think im going anywhere anytime soon.

 

So yeah, not really all that bitter about it.

[ChaosSupremeSonic]

Geez, and here I thought I was overly cynical about things.

 

I guess I'm just too attached to the franchise to let go, or just too indifferent to it's faults to think it's something worth letting go over when these things can be easily fixed. I don't like everything that's become of it, but I still hold memories of what it does to entertain me. What it does poorly, I see ways it could do better; what it does decently, I see ways it can go beyond that.

 

It may not go the way I'd like it to, but it can certainly influence me in ways I'd like to see like other franchises out there. And then there's the comics, that's always kept my interests in Sonic. Maybe I'm just that stubborn, but I've stuck through with this franchise when it was in poor shape and picked itself back up. And I don't see much reason for me to give it up now.

 

And even then, there are plenty of other things out there that have caught my interest. So while I may not like everything done in Sonic, there are plenty of things outside of it that I can like in others.

 

EDIT: Also probably helps that I find it fun to analyze, deconstruct, and reconstruct things. Maybe that's just me.

[Sixth-Rate Soma]

Man, here I thought I was the distanced fan of the group, but I've apparently had it backwards all along. Dag.

 

I've always intentionally kept my distance from Sonic, mostly out of concern with the roller-coaster ride the series takes its fans on, but I've never quite lost interest or faith in the little blue blur. At the end of the day, while I can only really say I'm a fan of, say, half the games in the series, the franchise at large is just such a fascinating one to discuss. There have been some astounding highs and terrible lows, great comebacks and pitiful missteps, and it's all these things I enjoy talking about. It's fun to talk about the great stuff, of course, but there's something to be said about learning from others' mistakes. It may sound like a cynical or clinical way to view a beloved franchise, but at the end of the day I'm still cheering him on with the rest. The distance is what lets me enjoy all this, in a way.

[An-T-Min-y Carver]

It's been very...up and down for me, especially since the Boom announcement.

 

It's weird. I remember how excited I used to get just to see Sonic appear in anything when I was a really young kid, and it feels like a whole other world, almost. It's not for my lack of enjoying the new games, either. I like Unleashed, Colors, Lost World and especially Generations. I'd still consider myself a big fan of the series, it's just that I'm not as emotionally invested as I used to be. And I'm sure a big part of that is that I've played better games, much as I hate to say that. Even when I was younger, I didn't understand why I still preferred discussing Sonic over pretty much any other series I played. It's just sort of a part of my life, I guess, for better or worse. It just makes me sad that I can't seem to find that emotional investment I had when I was younger, and a lot of that is...probably on the part of the writing, honestly. :V Colors was the last time I really felt anything for the characters, and that was coming off the heels of a lot of games where I didn't (though I do appreciate Black Knight a lot more in hindsight). I still love the series' universe, characters, and stuff in theory, but it feels so rare that I see it done much justice. And I guess that's why I'm so interested in Boom - it's the series' chance to grab me in that way again, and for all of its apparent flaws, the writing and characterization and stuff seems really promising to me.

 

I don't know if I'll ever be as fanatical for the series as I was way back when, but at the same time, Sonic is more than "just another series I play" to me. Maybe it is just my commitment to it. I mean, hey, Sonic Adventure was the first game I ever played and I haven't let it go since then. Every time a new Sonic game is on its way, I know I'm going to play it. I'd love it if I were able to adore it the way I did when I was, like, four and five years old, and in a way I almost envy the people here who still maintain such a passion for it even through all the highs and lows. But ultimately I do really like the series and I don't like to paint it in broad strokes. The way I see it, there are some good games here, some bad games there, and a handful that are just sort of "okay", but I can still enjoy them because of nostalgia or whatever. Sonic will never be a straight-up "bad" franchise to me - just one with an unfortunate number of bad games. I can't see myself quitting anytime soon.

[Noel]

I've felt this way about Sonic for about 3 and a half years now. The last Sonic game I bought was Sonic Generations and I really didn't like it all that much. Sonic as a series has had so many ups and downs that I just don't feel comfortable plopping down money for it anymore when there are much better games out there, that I feel deserve my money more. Even then, as time has gone by, my gaming lifestyle is slowly starting to diminish, I just don't have as much time for it anymore.

 

Edit: in 2003-probably 2008 or 9 I was really into the franchise, and I used to chat on this board a lot more. I really have only stuck around here because I still like discussing other things here with people cause you guys are... "cool" I guess?

[Mysterion]

Eh... I really can't sympathize all that much. I still love this franchise a lot and I'm still able to enjoy the newest things that have been releasing and happening. Ever since I jumped back into the franchise in 2010, I haven't been feeling like the Sonic franchise is going downhill, or I'm losing interest or anything. I will say that not everything in the franchise is to my liking in its current state, but the things I like far outweigh the things I'm not liking so much.

 

I'm surprised at how much I love Sonic Unleashed HD. 

 

I been loving the recent games, even with them having some faults here and there. I pretty much love Sonic Colors and barely have any complaints about it. I feel that Sonic Generations is the best 3D Sonic game ever, but I did feel that the story was lacking quite a bit, but I guess the character interactions is enough to let me not feel so upset about the story not being so big as Sonic Unleashed story. I love Sonic Lost World story (it's literally one of my favorite 3D Sonic story ever), but I really don't go back to play the game much since I just don't find the levels to be all that enjoyable like levels from past Sonic games (but, this doesn't mean that I hate Lost World because I really do like the game). I'm actually surprised to say that originally I didn't care for Sonic Unleashed much, but after being here for awhile, I popped in the HD version and started playing it some more, and now Sonic Unleashed HD is in my top 5 favorite 3D Sonic games of all time list. 

 

Again, I really did love Sonic Lost World story. I was greatly pleased that the story was a step up from Sonic Generations story, but then again I believe that SonicTeam originally just wanted to focus more on gameplay instead of story with Sonic Generations, while Sonic Lost World would go back to the traditional storytelling ways. 

 

 

Other than enjoying the recent games quite a lot and not being disappointed by them that much, I have also been enjoying the comics greatly. Finally jumped back into those and just been having a blast receiving the newest issue in the mail and enjoying the stories that Ian Flynn have been telling. Above I stated that I not everything has been to my liking in this franchise in its current state, and one of the things is the lack of other main Sonic characters in the games stories. I mean, I miss Sonic Adventure days where the characters actually did things in the story, and were playable. While it's nice to see that the characters will finally be doing things in the story while also being playable in Sonic Boom, the thing is that Sonic Boom isn't main traditional Sonic title. Thankfully I can rely on the comics to see my other favorite characters do different things in the stories. I can also rely on the comics to give me great moments like this, too. 
 

 

Eh... I guess in a nutshell I'm really just back to being obsessed with this franchise like I was when I was younger and got out of the franchise because I was getting more and more interested in Japanese anime and manga (which I'm actually now getting less interested in. Ha. Funny how I switched back to Sonic again). The newer things I'm loving, I'm always looking at the past and enjoying some of the old stuff, and I'm looking towards the future and only being very optimistic about the franchise future. 

 

It's a new take and new adventure for my favorite cast of characters in the entire world. I know things aren't the same, but I'm still adjusting to this spin-off, and I'm optimistic that the future for Sonic Boom series will be bright. 

[Nix]

The Sonic series as a whole doesn't interest me anymore.  But certain elements do.

 

From a design standpoint, I love Sonic.  He's incredibly simple to create, but all the lines, curves, and color choices come together to create something that's undeniably "cool" and because of such he's a major subject in most of my notebook doodles.  Many areas from the series are also fun to draw from all sorts of angles.

 

However, when we talk about gameplay of the series... it doesn't interest me all that much.  There are very few games of his that I'd call a quality experience.  Sonic Colors and Generations are probably the only two games of recent-ish times that gave a solid gameplay experience through and through (on that note, I love Generations' menu designs... probably the best looking menus mainline Sonic has had since forever).  I enjoy Lost World mostly, but it's obvious that it's very experimental and rough around the edges.  A solid experience is what I come to expect from good video games and seeing Sonic under-perform in that area constantly really bums me out.

 

I was hoping Sonic Boom would sort of respark my interest in the series, giving me what I love already and what I want to love and just give me a whole new way to look at Sonic.  So far my hopes and dreams have been crushed into dust... it's a whole new way to look at Sonic, but instead of being good all around, it looks like garbage all around (please let me be wrong).

 

I think it's cruel that a character with such a great design doesn't get the great games he should have... liking Sonic really sucks sometimes.

 

I'm too attached to this community to get up and leave though.  Love all of you.

[XxX_MLG_Solkia_XxX]

I had a dog once, it was the most energetic and fun dog I ever had. It was my best friend.

 

But one day, my dog got ran over by a car and we had to amputate one of his legs and sew the right eyesocket shut.

 

It hurt, but I still loved that dog no matter his imperfections.

 

But then as the dog started to get older, he started to develop tumors on his brain and vomit everywhere, and he wasn't as fun to be around anymore, but I kept him anyways because I was too attached to the fucker.

 

Eventually, so many tumors developed on his brain and he was declared officially brain dead, but I've kept him on life support to this very day hoping in vain that he'd open his eyes and fight those tumors off. I was hoping for god to perform a miracle.

 

That dog's name was Sonic. And he's not actually a dog, he's a hedgehog.