Sonic elements generally mixed/hated...

[Chaosmaster8753]

I apologize if this is getting on anyone's nerves seeing me do these threads, but does anyone think differently about things in the Sonic series people are either mixed or hate on like playable characters, minigames, Chao gardens, grinding, homing attacks, etc?

[T-Min]

Mutliple playable characters are great. I think the main reason people are mixed about them is because SEGA likes to make them play VERY differently from Sonic, which is not a good idea. Minigames and Chao Gardens are great as optional replay value, and are grinding and the homing attack really points of contention among the fanbase? (Aside from the use of the homing attack in Sonic 4: Episode I)

[EXshad]

Gameplay elements that detract or totally contrast the core "Sonic" experience seems high on the list. Not necessarily multiple playable characters, though people do seem to have a vehement hatred of all things Shadow.

Big, dark stories also seem to be a no-no, though I personally love the complex Adventure-esque stories, packed with character development, moments of humor, sincerity, and intensity, etc.

Glitches are also generally hated, unless they can provide http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ze582VGaAkY.

There's probably more, but I don't wanna dig into the nit-pickers.

[batson]

Charmy is one of my favorite characters. Try to top that.

[Dr. Mechano]

Big, dark stories also seem to be a no-no, though I personally love the complex Adventure-esque stories, packed with character development, moments of humor, sincerity, and intensity, etc.

Not to disagree, per se, but I feel I should point out that "dark" is not exactly the same thing as "complex." A lighthearted story can be complex and full of character development (Many slice of life comedy anime series fall under this), and at the same time a dark story can be very simple and flat. Dark stories can be complex and full of character development, but so can light stories. A Sonic plot needn't be about gun-toting, angst, and the apocalypse in order to be complex and well-characterized (And having those things isn't necessarily a plus for being complex anyway).

If you prefer dark stories, that's fine- Just pointing out that complexity and character development are not mutually-exclusive to "dark."

Ah, so with that little tangent out of the way, I actually posted in this topic to talk about elements I like that aren't really liked much- I'll start with playable Eggman. I think he was genuinely fun in Sonic Adventure 2, even if his gameplay could use some work. Give him a slightly smaller, faster mech and tweak his gameplay to fit better in a more traditional Sonic environment, and I think playable Eggman could really be an insanely fun feature in a future game.

[Kuzu]

Not to disagree, per se, but I feel I should point out that "dark" is not exactly the same thing as "complex." A lighthearted story can be complex and full of character development (Many slice of life comedy anime series fall under this), and at the same time a dark story can be very simple and flat. Dark stories can be complex and full of character development, but so can light stories. A Sonic plot needn't be about gun-toting, angst, and the apocalypse in order to be complex and well-characterized (And having those things isn't necessarily a plus for being complex anyway).

If you prefer dark stories, that's fine- Just pointing out that complexity and character development are not mutually-exclusive to "dark."

Ah, so with that little tangent out of the way, I actually posted in this topic to talk about elements I like that aren't really liked much- I'll start with playable Eggman. I think he was genuinely fun in Sonic Adventure 2, even if his gameplay could use some work. Give him a slightly smaller, faster mech and tweak his gameplay to fit better in a more traditional Sonic environment, and I think playable Eggman could really be an insanely fun feature in a future game.

Considering you're going to do more fighting against Eggman, I doubt we'll see it often, but it was nice in Sa2.

[Dr. Mechano]

Considering you're going to do more fighting against Eggman, I doubt we'll see it often, but it was nice in Sa2.

Oh, I agree- I'm all for Eggman as the final boss and main villain. I'm just saying that the next time he isn't, a playable role is better than just being a nonplayable secondary villain. It improves his focus in light of the circumstances, I'd think.

[Kuzu]

Oh, I agree- I'm all for Eggman as the final boss and main villain. I'm just saying that the next time he isn't, a playable role is better than just being a nonplayable secondary villain. It improves his focus in light of the circumstances, I'd think.

Oh something ala Paper Mario the Thousand Year Door? I can dig while there's a new villain around causing trouble, Eggman has his own little subplot going on.

[EXshad]

Not to disagree, per se, but I feel I should point out that "dark" is not exactly the same thing as "complex." A lighthearted story can be complex and full of character development (Many slice of life comedy anime series fall under this), and at the same time a dark story can be very simple and flat. Dark stories can be complex and full of character development, but so can light stories. A Sonic plot needn't be about gun-toting, angst, and the apocalypse in order to be complex and well-characterized (And having those things isn't necessarily a plus for being complex anyway).

If you prefer dark stories, that's fine- Just pointing out that complexity and character development are not mutually-exclusive to "dark."

Nah, I agree with you, and I should have been more explicit about that myself. Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic Adventure have totally different tones, even though they're both sorta "deep". I'm just saying I like complex stories, not necessarily "Dark" ones. Same goes for critics usually, although they tend to lump the 2 together, while claiming Sonic should be about nothing but saving woodland creatures, or something mindlessly simple because "that's how it used to be", or something.

Edited April 30, 2011 by EXshad

[Phos]

I like Labyrinth Zone.

[Djawed]

I like Labyrinth Zone.

You're not the only one and I think that shouldn't be such a weird thing. Sadly it is...

[Nepenthe]

Yeah, I think the admiration of Labyrinth Zone is one thing I can agree on with you two.

Also, I like/am cool with two of the most loathed ideas in the franchise, the Werehog and SatBK's swordplay respectively. The former because I enjoyed the gameplay, both as a more traditional platformer and the level of control it allowed, as well as the ironic silliness of the whole idea, and the latter because swords in an Authurian setting is about as rage-inducing as cheese on pizza, and I will forever maintain you all blew gaskets in a particularly disturbing manner over that one despite the haphazardness of the idea's implementation.

Edited May 3, 2011 by Nepenthe

[ChikaBoing]

Emerald Coast as Big was a great experience.

[BlazingTales]

I find Shadow the Hedgehog a very enjoyable game. ;

[Eternal EX]

The werehog, I actually thought it was decent. I mean I can't have a beat em up in a sonic game (swordsplay does not count) so I had this. It was pretty good, and the platforming he did was really great. I guess the only thing that killed it was the stretchy arms. And the hunting levels from both sonic adventure games were fun. I just hated being timed to find the stupid emeralds/keys/emerald pieces.

[lounge]

I didn't mind the treasure hunting and mech sections in SA2 at all. Locking on to all those robots and getting combos. And the sound effect they make when you destory them is something I want to return. Exploring with Knuckles and Rouge was fun because of how nimble and fast they were and how cool the environments looked. I just liked exploring all the little areas they put so much detail into. I don't get the hate on the rap music. I'm the last person that would listen to rap, but I enjoyed it a lot. Wild Canyon especially is my all time favorite song in a sonic game. I loved all that mainstream stuff in the games.

I love Shadow the Hedgehog's game and story.

[Ulver]

I thought grinding was actually a pretty cool element in SA2, I actually think it's a shame it wasn't more experimented on. I also think the Chao Garden stages were cool and all, but what I didn't like is how much you're forced to interact with it to obtain all the emblems, and in truth, I find it to be really time-consuming.

Anyways, I've never gotten why many playable characters is a bad thing. I think it's a cool idea, to have different characters playable with a different storyline and abilities, or different playing styles. The same can be mentioned for a fighting game; having a big character roster is cool, what isn't cool when they all fight the same way.

Edited May 4, 2011 by Ulver

[Glenn]

I usually end up enjoying the hated, and so I'll give a huge thumbs up towards such elements as...

- The character of Shadow the Hedgehog

- Sonic the Werehog

- Variety found in multiple playable characters

- Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)

- The pure cheese of some storylines/dialogue

- Lengthy, complex storylines

- Chip

I don't even mind the monster-of-the-week mechanic, although I'll admit we've had enough for the time being.

[Tobbii]

I really did not like Sonic Colours bosses except for the circle ones and seing as Colours seems to be pretty much loved by everyone I guess that puts me on a different side of that matter.

[The Weeb with No Name]

Silver.

He's the only thing that makes 06 remotely worthwhile.

[Tobbii]

Silver.

He's the only thing that makes 06 remotely worthwhile.

I've heard more and more people say this, I found his gameplay to be the worst of all the characters. >.<

[The Weeb with No Name]

Even Sonic's?

Really?

[Tobbii]

Even Sonic's?

Really?

Yeah, I though Shadows was best, followed by Sonic.

[Ekaje]

I liked the swordplay in SatBK. It was mindless waggle, and many of the controls weren't explained well, but I liked it, not that I would expect many others to agree with me.

Edited May 7, 2011 by Ekaje

[Tobbii]

I liked the swordplay in SatBK. It was mindless waggle, and many of the controls weren't explained well, but I liked it, not that I would expect many others to agree with me.

The swordplay worked alright, what I didn't like was level design and a very bad tutorial fro the game. I still have no idea what I need to do to get on with the game.