Favorite Storyline

[Kuzu]

Pretty basic topic, just list you're favorite storyline from any game and explain why, for me its Black Knight:

Black Knight though by far has the best Sonic story of the modern era(at least to me it does), it completely defines Sonic's attitude, philosophy, and overall character to a tee to such a degree that I almost cried manly tears from how awesome it was.

Sonic is presented with slaying King Arthur, and hes told that he'll be labeled a villain for doing so, his response: "Guess I can't be the hero everytime", it just shows that Sonic is willing to do whatever he wants as long as he sees its right, I know it may come off as selfish, but it completely sums up his character really, there's also the ending, which pretty much tells that Sonic does what he does, not because of some moral code of chivalry, or because its the right thing to do, its just something he does naturally.

[Darth InVaders]

I agree with Shadic93 about the characterization of Sonic in the storybook games - although I hate the premise of Sonic going into a storybook

So my overall favorite storylines are between Sonic Adventure and Sonic Unleashed. Humor (or in SA's case, attempted humor), action, and a hint of drama to make it epic.

And of course can't forget the classics which had incredible stories not just for the 16 bit era, they even beat many stories today (Death Egg FTW)

[Kuzu]

I agree with Shadic93 about the characterization of Sonic in the storybook games - although I hate the premise of Sonic going into a storybook

I never understood the hate for that, I mean I know its not exactly a good premise, but I don't think its bad either.

[Blue Blood]

I like Colours' sotryline. It's basically the S1 story, but WITH ALIENS!!!

More seriously, I honestly do like the story and presentation of S3K. It's incredibly well done, with the cutscenes working their way into stages, level appearance changes depending on who you're playing as and it's the first time really that the game ever had a story much more that "beat the bad man". SA1 is is right up there in my books. It built on existing concepts and really was delight to play through. That's why I would like to see a remake of SA1 (not for a long time into the future considering we've got S4 and Generations)- because I'd love to see it's script reworked by better writers. Everything about it is "Sonic", and everything it did was fresh at the time.

[Kuzu]

More seriously, I honestly do like the story and presentation of S3K. It's incredibly well done, with the cutscenes working their way into stages, level appearance changes depending on who you're playing as and it's the first time really that the game ever had a story much more that "beat the bad man". SA1 is is right up there in my books. It built on existing concepts and really was delight to play through. That's why I would like to see a remake of SA1 (not for a long time into the future considering we've got S4 and Generations)- because I'd love to see it's script reworked by better writers. Everything about it is "Sonic", and everything it did was fresh at the time.

I always saw Unleashed as a remade Sa1, both stories are incredibly similar with most of the details changed.

[Vertekins]

It's a toss-up between SatSR and SatBK but I'll go with.........SatSR!

It was filled with emotion and the plot brought out the best in Sonic character-traits wise apart from SatBK but what sets the two games apart in this respect is that Sonic's character in the former is a fascinating product of his circumstances. Granted, he was in SatBK too but in SatSR he's more.... 'human' so to speak. It's subtle but I always got the impression throughout the story that Sonic is very in touch with his mortality and his morality and it is this that makes him all the more endearing, a character you can almost relate to.

I find it seriously interesting about what made Sonic tick throughout that game. Why is he collecting the Rings if he knows he'll be used as a ritual sacrifice? Why does he have any kind of belief that Erazor won't go back on his word? Because he knows he's screwed if he doesn't anyway and has enough self confidence to be assured that he can overcome the obstacles. That's so Sonic.

Doesn't stop him asking Shahra if she can remove his arrow though and asking Erazor to "top off" his flame. It shows that he's concerned for his life, knows what a threat it is.

It's Sonic's self-sacrificial action and his genuine kindness and concern towards Shahra that ultimately set plot development in place that made sure he succeeded and truimphed over Erazor. Shahra was motivated to act on his behalf because of the things he did for her.

Say what you like but as far as I'm concerned, that's masterful writing of the bond between two fictional characters and it speaks volumes of Sonic's positive traits. This mutual connection between Sonic and Shahra dictated the course of the story in an excellent and thoroughly fascinating way.

What I also liked about SatSR's story was the implied connection between Shahra and Erazor. One piece of concept art in the Special Book states that Erazor was once "on friendly terms with Shahra" which directly implies that he perhaps wasn't always a complete monster. It was his written fate that turned him into what he became. If not for his Moral Event Horizon's, this would make Erazor pitiable to an extent, so bonus points for a villain with hidden depths.

Oh, and to top it all off, I actually liked the hankie wishes. They epitomized the minimalistic side of Sonic very well

[buba]

I really liked Sonic Adventure story, it shows lots of things like:

Sonic - Being the hero trying to stop Eggman once again and fight agaist Perfect Chaos to save the people of Station Square, his bromanse with Tails and being such a dick sometimes like when teasing Knuckles because he was tricked and almoust don't giving a fuck about Gamma.

Tails - Always following his hero, learning and trying to be as good as him. Also showing his courage by beating Eggman alone and saving Station Square.

Eggman - Not just kidnapping animals, this time he wants to destroy a city by using a pre-historic monster/god to flood it killing lots of people so he can create his own empire.

And Gamma - Really loved how its story of being a slave of Eggman but then getting its emotions unlocked thanks to Amy and Birdy. Then it goes on a quest to save its brothers after seeing them suffer.

Its ending revealing it was a pink bird related to beta wich was a white bird and Birdy was also very emotive to me.

[Soniman]

I enjoyed SA2's story, if only for the beautiful ending.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj1wdx40Kgk&list=PL1F4F6848A8551F4C&index=18

I also enjoyed SA1's overarching storyline, nice character development, and a pretty decent plot overall (if only it weren't marred by poor voice acting and animations).

Black Knight was also enjoyable, if only because of the twist im sure NO ONE saw coming, not to mention Caliburn was a lot of fun as well.

S3&k is a classic through and through, I don't think I need to explain why

Edited October 12, 2011 by Soniman032-

[Nitwit_Speed]

I'm almost afraid to say SA2, but i will anyway! While i acknowledge that SatBK is by far a better story, and SaSR goes leaps in bounds as well in that regard, SA2 just nailed everything. It really didn't try to be a well-told story, or too serious or too light. SA2's story just unfolded in such an incredibly Sonic way that it didn't need to be anything else. Everything just happened, and it was a fun time watching it all. In the light-hearted beginning, it still wasn't all just a joke, and in the epic end, you never forgot that this was simply a prime example of an anime-style hero kicking butt in the most entertaining way possible. It also just completely blows everything away before it because everything before it was Eggman's next big plan. The story of SA2 was meatier than anything before (and as far as the main series cares, afterwards) it, not to the point where it was a confusing mess, but still had enough story that it could stand on it's own even if it weren't a game. There aren't any excuses to make any detours- everything has a purpose and we aren't simply going through the paces to do something. Even if every other game in the franchise retained the independent storytelling style of SA2, SA2 would probably still stand out as exceptional because of how different it was compared to SA1, which, while it had a good story that is very respectable and managed to hold my undivided attention throughout my playthrough, it's story still excisted to completement the game as opposed to you playing the story.

[Kuzu]

I feel Sonic plots do far better when the writers aren't forcing a specific tone or atmosphere, and just let things flow naturally. Its probably the reason games like Heroes, 06, Shadow and Colors are so polarized when it comes to their stories.

Edited October 12, 2011 by Shadic93

[DudeManGuy]

wel yes

[lounge]

SA2 of course. Black Knight was also really nice, but SA2 just did a great job with everything. The characters were intelligent, cool, and interesting. Eggman was actual serious buisness even almost killing sonic, instead of being a pushover, The story wasn't aimed toward a specific audience like children just because sonic is a fictional character. I have nothing more to say, it's a shame they couldn't top it or at least come close to that caliber and scale. Just like the way Majora's Mask did with Ocarina of Time.

[Place]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj1wdx40Kgk&list=PL1F4F6848A8551F4C&index=18

"I don't know, but what I DO know is...

(VA squints at his lines)

WE ALL DID IT-TOGETHERRR"

Edited October 12, 2011 by The Place-Rocker

[T-Min]

wel yes

k

I think Sonic Colors has the best writing, characterization and voice acting, but my favorite storylines would have to be Sonic Adventure 1 and 2. Even if they weren't that well written, they were interesting and I really liked the whole multiple storylines thing they had going on. I also maintain that SA2 was the last Sonic game to feature good characterization before Colors came along. Sure, Adventure 2 was all darker and edgier and shizz, but at least I could take it somewhat seriously and still felt like I was playing a Sonic game...*looks at Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic 06*

[Solkia]

Sonic 1 - Sonic 3 & Knuckles.

[Milo]

^ Agreed.

[Unknownlight]

Black Knight's story is way overrated here, in my opinion. I do agree that the good parts are good; it's easily my favourite portrayal of Sonic in the series; Merlina is a very interesting character, one I wouldn't expect to grace the series; and Calibern is hilarious.

The problem is that the good parts only make up about one-fifth of the game. The rest is either mediocre or simply dull.

[Gregzilla]

It might just be the nostalgia-goggles talking, but I'd have to say Adventure 1. I really enjoyed the mystical-ancient-prophecy style story, much more than the more government-science-mission style story of SA2. Though there is a difference between story and storytelling. The basic plotline of SA1 really appeals to me greatly, because it had Robotnik as an evil genius with his robots, building a huge airship, Tails gathering courage to face Robotnik himself, expanding the Master Emerald's story, etc. It really seemed like a Genesis-era story on a grander scale, though the lines and deliveries are pretty poor by today's standards. When it comes to just the writing, I'm just gonna be honest: Sonic Colors is my favorite in terms of dialogue and delivery. A bit cheesy, but very enjoyable.

While Sonic's character has been expanded in the modern games, I do not really like their ideas. Helping some genie girl inside a book? Lame. Going to medieval times to stop King Arthur? Out of place in the franchise. Elise? Worst Sonic character ever(IMO). I'm glad Sonic Colors pretty much went back-to-basics, because now they have a clean slate to start off of and build upon.

[The Man On The Inside]

Because it was the last time I actually cared about story in a sonic game, SA2.

I say this because, for one thing, I was 11.

*11- year old brain activates*

I thought shadow was a great villain who epitomised cool, whose character actually developed, with an arc that was clearly defined, and well exectued. It also benefitted from having an actual conclusion, with shadow dying at the end. Also I liked the idea of a "second sonic" type character, someone who was truly a match for sonic. It also wasn't as "grimdark" as people say, on the fine line between melodramatic cliches and saturday morning kids show, but never quite straying too far either way. And it wasn't really a true "monster of the week", seeing as the antagonists really were Eggman, Shadow and Rouge. The game's answer to Chaos only really showed up at the last minute, purely to give Shadow some more development (ultimate life form blah blah blah). How it all ended, and the surprisingly sombre tone it went out on made me really appreciate the story.

Heroes and Shadow rendered all this meaningless by bringing him back and changing his backstory, throwing in some nonsense about black arms, shadow androids, and reducing the ending of SA2 to a throwaway line of dialogue 10 minutes in to a lame final boss.

[ArtFenix]

Let's divide the games into three eras xD. Classic, Dreamcast, Modern. Er..Forget about it. My favorite storyline is in Sonic Adventure (AND in Sonic adventure 2 of course!). OK, in modern games I thing SNG and Black knight are the best. I agree that in the storybook games Sonic's characterization is great, especially in Black Knight.

It might just be the nostalgia-goggles talking, but I'd have to say Adventure 1. I really enjoyed the mystical-ancient-prophecy style story

Edited October 13, 2011 by ArtFenix

[Pawn]

The best period for story, IMO, was S3&K-SA2. S3&K, as Blue Blood, did really well to integrate its story into the actual levels. Although the battle with Knuckles was no challenge, the build-up to it and the subsequent escalation of the stakes really made that story all kinds of epic. It was a great way to finish off a trilogy.

Adventure was great for reasons already presented in this thread, but one thing that I particularly enjoyed about it was the connection it had the characters and previous story. I've harped on about this before, so I'll keep it short: learning more about the Chaos Emeralds, Knuckles's race and the villain's close relation to all of this really expanded the Sonic mythos. The internal conflict of Gamma and the development of Tails and Amy as more independent characters were really cool additions as well. The only disappointing character in this game is Big, really, but he was never meant to add anything to the plot in the first place. For me, Unleashed was severely lacking in these areas. The story of Dark Gaia felt very disconnected to Sonic. It was as if he had stepped into another world ala Secret Rings and Black Knight. Unlike Gaia, Chaos was fought frequently before the final battle and by many of the characters. He was also given a sympathetic edge courtesy of the Chao. Gaia was just pure evil and one-dimensional and as such I don't find his inclusion very compelling. Even the poorly written Metal Sonic (Heroes) and Mephiles had a personality (until the latter traded it in to become Solaris).

Adventure 2 may have gone in a different direction for its story, but again there was some development of existing characters. I was immediately drawn in by the fact that Eggman's family was involved and the fact that his grandfather had an interest in the Chaos Emeralds before him. It was great to finally see a game from his perspective. We also learned more about the Chaos Emeralds again, with Shadow revealing that they can do more than simply turn you into a Super Saiyan. Tails is now able to operate as a solo character, a logical step on from the previous game, while we get to see Knuckles deal with a female character for the first time (although this was executed terribly, it was a nice idea). Unfortunately Amy seemed to come across as annoying through most of it, but did play a significant role in making Shadow realise what he had to do. The great thing about Shadow was that I wasn't sure he would team up with the heroes, since really it was all his plan to begin with. The way he joined up with Sonic gave me the same feeling that S3&K did when Knuckles realised his error, but without making the event feel like one we've seen before (I think Silver's story arc suffered here because it felt predictable and failed to bring anything to the plot that we hadn't already seen in previous games, sans a little moral conflict).

Anyway I could go on and on, but I'll leave it there for now.

I feel Sonic plots do far better when the writers aren't forcing a specific tone or atmosphere, and just let things flow naturally. Its probably the reason games like Heroes, 06, Shadow and Colors are so polarized when it comes to their stories.

This does appear to be the case.

Edited October 13, 2011 by Lungo

[Dark Qiviut]

I'm going to have to tier it.

1. Sonic Adventure 2: Despite the aging of the storyline, it still really holds up because it's very well-written. Excellent characterization and character development of the whole cast. Three-dimensional characterization was featured in Sonic for the first time, and done very well at that. The slow progression in tones flowed natural. Many great lines were in the story (particularly "Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog") followed by acknowledgement of developed characterization from Adventure.

2. Sonic and the Black Knight: One of the best executed Sonic stories in the series by far and the best aged. The characterization of the whole cast was excellent, especially Sonic and Caliburn. Their tandem was absolutely fluent and hilarious. Many great quibbles in their dialogue that keep their journey fitting in tone. All the Sonic characters fit their roles, especially Amy, who made a REALLY good Lady of the Lake (and I wouldn't mind seeing that expanded into Amy herself). And the Sonic featured here is by far the best one, spin-off be damned. Cocky, confident, yet not overblown, and his morals show a lot of complexity in his character. His admission of not minding being a bad guy if doing what's right is a very good one that rings Sonic. The plot twist in the last part of the game is the best one in the series since Shadow's admission to sending the ARK straight into the Earth.

3. Sonic Unleashed: The most underrated one in the bunch because very few truly understand how GOOD the storytelling and characterization were in here. I've already explained why Unleashed's story was great in another thread

4. Sonic 3 & Knuckles: One of my biggest pet peeves is how Sonic games in the Classic days were humorous, light, and cheery when it's an obvious LIE. Don't let the graphics fool you. S3&K's story is very serious and is about as dark as Adventure 2's. Just like SA2, S3&K's story was very well-done. Despite being vague due to technology limitations, there were many key instances were danger and dire circumstances loomed, such as Angel Island's beach being set ablaze and Eggman electrocuting Knuckles in Hidden Palace. Their little cutscenes within the game and how we traveled through the game told S3&K's story, and it was executed well.

Honorable mentions go to Sonic Adventure and Sonic and the Secret Rings.

Edited October 13, 2011 by Dark Qiviut

[Kuzu]

3. Sonic Unleashed: The most underrated one in the bunch because very few truly understand how GOOD the storytelling and characterization were in here. I've already explained why Unleashed's story was great in another thread

[mikeblastdude]

Part of this might just be nostalgia-bias, but I would say that Sonic 3 & Knuckles has the best story. I don't know, I just really like how it was all told without words, but you could still tell exactly what was going on. Plus all the stuff towards the end with Hidden Palace, Sky Sanctuary, Death Egg and The Doomsday was just epic.

Sonic Adventure 2 would be a close second to me though. It's not even close to being my favorite Sonic game (you guys are going to hate me for this but I would probably prefer Sonic Heroes to SA2), but damn does it have a good story.

[mclaren6]

Sonic Colours: Purely because of the relation between Sonic & Tails. They treat each other like brothers, and theres even points where there being Smart-arses against each other. It was just really really enjoyable.