Milo

The context you're using MPT doesn't quite match CTR though. CTR is actually a remake of an existing game, and it has new content added to it on top of that that wasn't in the original release. Not quite the same as a collection of existing games with some enhancements/changes (such as, IIRC, having Wiimote controls for MP1 and MP2). MPT also came out almost a decade ago and the reviewer for that title likely won't be the same reviewer for Crash, so standards/expectations will also likely not be the same for Crash as it was for MPT. Besides, MPT was still scored an "incredible" 9.5/10 from the IGN review you posted. If MPT was deducted points for being a collection, it wasn't a meaningful amount to change the final consensus for how the reviewer felt about the game. The negative of being "all old games" likely knocked the game down from being "virtually perfect" to "fantastic" on the rating scale.

Nothing about the critical consensus for TSR surprises me. It's as I called it a while back: game's not terrible, but not excellent either and it's not on the same level of the two ASR games. Reviewers don't think the co-op mechanics make up the Sonic-centered focus as opposed to doing a third ASR crossover entry, and the game's small content only accentuates that. But gameplay and presentation (namely soundtrack) are solid enough for it to have the game even out to being adequate. At least it's a better critical consensus than Crackdown 3 I suppose. But with Crash coming out soon, low-70s metascores isn't exactly a compelling hand to play in what's going to be a high-stakes game of mascot kart-racing poker.

Adventure DX was a "enhanced" port, not a remake of the original game (although that's not to detract from your point, the term "enhanced" is rather dubious in the case of that game and I wouldn't trust them to handle a remake properly either). As for franchise management, I think the only way we'll honestly know where Sonic goes from here is what the circumstances of the production for the next mainline (/ platforming) game is. Which might not be for a while (Iizuka confirmed that it had entered production during the SXSW Sonic panel). As it stands though, it seems over the past few years, Iizuka has been busy juggling dual roles as the head of CS2/Sonic Team back in Japan with Forces' production and being the series producer over at America with TSR and Mania [Plus]'s production. I can't imagine that's going to carry on forever though as that sounds extremely exhausting.

I predict that I'll be let down this year from Nintendo because none of these three things are happening: - 3D Donkey Kong Country game by Retro Studios - Rayman in Smash as a Fighter - New Super Mario 3D game (although a 3D World port would be aight) *proceeds to buy a ticket for the Nintendo Depressed Express*

So some comparison shots/gifs with Sonic and the live-action/animation hybrid movie Hop from Illumination (yes, Despicable Me/Minions Illumination) has been going around (this particular one was from tumblr) : The main purpose people have been sharing this is because of the actor allusion in-joke, James Marsden playing a live-action character having to put up with a non-human character and driving them around. But the reason I'm bringing it up is just to compare how much worse the design and animation for Sonic is in this shot is compared to the one with E.B. (the CG rabbit) above. I can actually make out E.B. to be belonging to one identifiable species compared to the game hedgehog/real-life hedgehog/midget human hodgepodge that's supposed to be Sonic. You can see E.B. bouncing around in his seat (despite wearing a seatbelt), talking to James, and is making visible facial expressions all at the same. Sonic outside some barely visible movements (his quills on his head, his eyes refocusing) is just sitting there and staring at James. Most importantly, E.B.'s animation also has a lot of additional details going on to establish him in the environment; the movement of the seatbelt, the shadows he's casting (and the shadows also match his design, i.e. the seatbelt shadow matches his head and the seat shadow is based off of his ears), his ears/head reflection on the car hood, and the lighting environment that while not perfect, does match the color environment of the scene. Sonic has...what, a generically-shaped blob of a shadow you can barely see against the cart seat? The lighting for him is unnaturally bright in a car that has a very dark color scheme. He might as well had been photoshopped in there. Any moderately talented image/video editor could easily cover him up and put someone or something else in that shot. The absolute kicker is that Hop was released eight years ago in 2011, and was made on roughly two-thirds ($63M) of the budget of the Sonic Movie releasing in 2019 ($90M).

"You're not allowed to judge it until you see the full movie. Because who knows, the final film might be an entirely different product that's nothing like what this trailer, even though trailers are supposed to give an idea of what the movie is like and has scenes that the marketing/production crew think will sell audiences on the movie." *cut to release day* "Why would you go see it if you didn't like it? I remember you hating on the film the moment the film was announced. You were biased from the start, you were never going to give this movie a fair chance! You didn't go in open-minded!" "Besides, we all know to wait for the director's cut because the director actually made a brilliant film until the studio got involved. #SupportSTHFilms #TrueBlueInitiative" Comments on the movie itself: Sonic himself still looks terrible. The CG is especially conspicuous with him. Jim Carrey Eggman looks nothing like Eggman of course (until the end where it goes from a 0/10 resemblance to a 3/10). Performance and characterization is okay. Will probably be the one halfway decent element of this entire motion picture. Everything else looks absolutely plain. Dollar General moviemaking. The whole product still looks like rubbish. Seriously hope it doesn't perform well enough with critics or audiences to get a sequel off the ground.

If you're interested, here's a list of designers and directors for Sonic Team's Sonic titles from Sonic 2006 up to Forces I did a couple of years back. (EDIT: Now updated with producers included and credits for Wii/PS2 version of Unleashed.)

The general purpose of the game director is that they ensure all the components of the game come together into a complete product as they see fit, and they also have the primary/final word about who is responsible for each department of a game's production and the evaluation of the work those departments produce. So while the director of a videogame may not be directly responsible for handling those roles, they do have a critical amount of input/influence on how the work those roles are responsible for turn out. A somewhat subtle example of this in action is to compare Forces, Lost World, and/or Colors (all of which Kishimoto served as the director) to Secret Rings and/or Black Knight which Kishimoto was the lead designer, but not the director). Despite Kishimoto serving significant executive roles in the production of all five games, each group of games has a markedly different approach towards the presentation and focus on certain properties of the game design.

Speaking for myself, my comment wasn't really about being offended or trying to shame anybody for the idea. I just think mixing playstyles is something that's been done plenty of times already. I just don't agree with it, that's all. Besides, as I alluded to in my last post--a Sonic game mixing together different playstyles is honestly something I would expect Sonic Team to do by this point, in light of what the thread topic is about. So I think you're going to get a Sonic game that does mix playstyles together in one game; although I don't believe it will be in the way you'll want it.

I'm honestly a little bit bored of the notion that Sonic games being a patchwork of diverse playstyles / game mechanics working in concert is an untested concept that the designers should take a crack at for the next game. The concept sums up how the vast majority of 3D games have been made, including the last 3D Sonic that was released. And the last 3D Sonic game had this "new idea" in spades. You know what would be genuinely exciting for me? A new 3D Sonic that decided to pick one gameplay style, and actually build a coherent and focused game around it for once. EDIT: But with that said, I forgot which thread I'm in. I think those are are hoping for a new Sonic game that "mixes" things together are going to get their wish anyway.