Big the Cat is officially retired

[Blue Blood]

Thats another thing, Why just Big? If SEGA was going to be retiring characters, they do it all at once not start slowly chopping off characters off the active roster, Theres plently of not liked and TBD Limbo characters that would be chopped off along with Big.

Besides, I don't think they have the time to just sit there and tease there fans by going "You like this character? MUHAHAHA TOO BAD HE/SHE IS GONE!! Whos Next?!". If SEGA would do such a thing as retire characters, it would be all the ones they select at once.

Did you listen to the interview? It's because Ken was asked a question about Big specifically, not other characters. Had he not been asked then there'd have been no mention regardless. For all we know, other characters have been retired along with him. I'm looking at Omega, Marine and the Babylonians if they never plan another Riders.

[Johnny Boy]

Well you know out of all the modern characters that could be scrapped Big was really the top candidate honestly because he really didn't contribute that much to the series anyway so he just felt like dead weight. And plus he hasn't had a major appearance since Heroes (unless you count the first all stars racing) and that was like what? 8 or 9 years ago?

But if Sega has the balls to scrap big then I guess the other characters are fair game as well. But I think Sega actually knows what to do with the other characters unlike big. Either here's how I see things for the rest of the cast (and just to let you guys know, I'm not going to include Tails, Knuckles, Amy, or Metal Sonic because it should be common sense that Sega isn't gonna scrap them anytime soon).

Shadow: Love him or hate him, it's undeniable that shadow has a sizable fanbase and is one of the most popular characters in the series so he's here to stay.

Rogue: Very popular as well, she's definitely staying. Now if only Sega would stop making her so dependent on Shadow.

Omega: He number of appearances has been fairly decent. Plus he seems to show up whenever shadow and rouge are around (although his absence in free riders and generations worries me). But I think things are a bit uncertain for Omega.

Team Chaotix: They appear to be pretty popular with fans so they are definitely staying.

Silver: Now here's a character who I think is just as much of fair game as big was. Most fans and critics alike have disliked him since his debut. And the fact his debut game was the lowest point in sonics career doesn't help.

And on top of that, as I have stated many times before, Silver is difficult to work into a storyline because he is from the future. Time travel can be very confusing and because silver is from the future, what other reason would he have to come help sonic and friends in the present other than "oh noes! The future is in trouble!"? That scenario has been used twice already (3 times if you want to count the storyline of 06), and already it's gotten pretty damn repetitive. The way I see it Sega has seriously got to retcon Silver being from the future and just have him live in Blazes demension or else I can easily see him meeting the same fate as Big one day.

Blaze: Extremely popular character among fans and critics alike. She's definitely staying.

Cream: I know a lot of you guys hate this character and I can see why but I think she's staying as well due to her being Amy's sidekick.

Babylon Rogues: Unless Sega decides to keep the riders series going I can see these characters getting tossed to the side easily.

[Mangoaxe5]

After all, if they scrap one character, more might be on the way

This is what worries me. I wonder if Sega's going to retire any other characters.

Mighty, Ray, Fang were all before the 1998 reboot besides I think its because SEGA doesn't have the rights to use them anymore game-wise.

Why won't this fake rumor fucking die? Edited June 8, 2012 by Vampfox

[\Lennox]

If he's really gone or staying for spin-offs and cameo appearances, I'm really gonna stay put, sit on the fence, and see where the fan backlash future will go for Big.

Yes, this is going to be veeeeeery interesting. *grabs popcorn*

[ilcane87]

So, as far as I can interpret these "news":

- Is Big the Cat officially retired/canned? Nope.

- Is Big the Cat going to be featured as more than a cameo any time soon? Nope.

But the same could be deduced for any minor Sonic character, given their recent treatment, so there's really nothing new to be seen here.

The days when the Sonic universe was rich and lively are long gone, sadly.

[Scott]

We'll Big, I didn't like you personally, but the fanbase did, though it's time to pack up your fishing rod and..uh...

Oh dear...

[Master Bater]

There's also something else that could be the cause of his "retirement":

This article rumouring that all of Sonic's pals will be eliminated: http://translate.goo...evo-reboot.html

My theory is that SEGA is slowly eliminating characters one by one like an assassin with a list of celebs.

[Cola]

Aw man, I kinda liked Big.

Although I always imagined him as this really cool, chill guy. Who isn't an idiot.

Maybe if Big was like that, people wouldn't hate him?

[Echidna Adventurer CC14]

There's also something else that could be the cause of his "retirement":

This article rumouring that all of Sonic's pals will be eliminated: http://translate.goo...evo-reboot.html

My theory is that SEGA is slowly eliminating characters one by one like an assassin with a list of celebs.

That's from TSSZ's stupid "sources." Best take it with an extremely large bag of salt.

[Scar]

The days when the Sonic universe was rich and lively are long gone, sadly.

When there were a dozen characters crowding round in a single game, the universe was flat and lifeless. Sure there were loads of terribly written characters, but other than that, there was nothing.

The liveliest the Sonic Universe has ever been, was Unleashed. When the actual Sonic world was rich and full of life and character.

A load of main characters does nothing to make the universe rich and lively. It just means there is a load of characters trudging around a boring, disconnected universe where the characters themselves are the only living things around.

SA1 worked like Unleashed, but to a much lesser extent.

Beyond this, I'm not too hurt by the loss of Big the Cat. They could have used him to play a unique role in the franchise, but instead decided to characterise him as what most would see as a giant purple retarded cat who was obsessed with a frog. He could have been a more articulate hippy kinda dude. With a deeper, slower, smoother voice, as opposed to the "I MUST SAVE FWAAAGIIIY!!!" that he turned out to be.

You know, he could have been the gentle hippy giant.

Edited June 8, 2012 by Scar

[ilcane87]

When there were a dozen characters crowding round in a single game, the universe was flat and lifeless. Sure there were loads of terribly written characters, but other than that, there was nothing.

The liveliest the Sonic Universe has ever been, was Unleashed. When the actual Sonic world was rich and full of life and character.

A load of main characters does nothing to make the universe rich and lively. It just means there is a load of characters trudging around a boring, disconnected universe where the characters themselves are the only living things around.

SA1 worked like Unleashed, but to a much lesser extent.

To avoid starting the billionth debate over this, I'll just say that we have vastly different views on the matter.

[ArtFenix]

They could have used him to play a unique role in the franchise, but instead decided to characterise him as what most would see as a giant purple retarded cat who was obsessed with a frog. He could have been a more articulate hippy kinda dude. With a deeper, slower, smoother voice, as opposed to the "I MUST SAVE FWAAAGIIIY!!!" that he turned out to be.

You know, he could have been the gentle hippy giant.

So why make him retire instead of making him an interesting character with qualities you mentioned? It's never too late to start developing a character you know..

And I cannot fully agree about Unleashed world being more rich. Those were not Sonic characters, just NPCs. Those were the characters no one gave a damn about unlike older games with lots of SONIC characters, and with almost every one of them being developed.

[Law]

Well this is BIG news. Prepare to be haunted Iizuka, it will be a BIG surprise.

[Scar]

So why make him retire instead of making him an interesting character with qualities you mentioned? It's never too late to start developing a character you know..

[Alice Twilight]

FROAAGGGYYYY WHERE ARE YOU FROAAAAAGGYYYY

Good riddance.

[Marcello]

I like Big as that "retarded cat" from the SA1 and Heroes days. I found it humorous and charming. Your argument about the stigma surrounding Big can be said about any Sonic character, though, so you might as well ditch them, too.

The reason Unleashed was richer than usual, was because the NPCs were actually characters with stories, so you can't use that as an argument for using less characters. You could do the same with Sonic's friends.

[blackherox]

Personally It sounds like the original message was lost in translation. Wouldn't be the first time this has happened (*looks at Yuji*) and it certainly won't be the last.

[Pawn]

It just sounds like he won't be considered in the foreseeable future, which doesn't surprise me at all. I don't see why he couldn't serve as a cameo though, fishing in a nearby lake in certain levels. He has a distinctive design and it would be cool to see the odd NPC here and there in the stages, making them feel inhabited for a change.

[Stacy]

While I hate to see Big go, it's good that Sega is actually making progress and getting rid of some of the characters that have earned the animosity of the fandom. It shows that they're making an effort to try and respond to some of the most frequent complaints from the fans and earn the respect of the average gamer again; if this information is to be trusted. Now, if we can only get rid of Cream the Rabbit. God, I hate her so much.

Edited June 8, 2012 by BW199148

[C.J]

I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of Big, I wasn't crazy about the character, he hasn't really been used much but couldn't they of just used him in NPC roles instead of scrapping him completely him from the series? I don't see why he can't make cameos either, if this is true then I feel sorry for fans of Big and I guess it must also kinda suck for Kyle Herbert as he hasn't done much as Big seeing as he only got the role nearly two years ago. Aftering hearing this it worries me that Sega could also retire other characters soon, I actually hope they don't.

Edited June 10, 2012 by C.J

[Scar]

I like Big as that "retarded cat" from the SA1 and Heroes days. I found it humorous and charming. Your argument about the stigma surrounding Big can be said about any Sonic character, though, so you might as well ditch them, too.

You're right, but people tend to hate Big more than other characters. This can be seen ASR1, where people hated the fact that Big was there, even though it doesn't matter in a Kart Racer.

The reason Unleashed was richer than usual, was because the NPCs were actually characters with stories, so you can't use that as an argument for using less characters. You could do the same with Sonic's friends.

Yeah you can. That's part of the solution. Thing is, though, there aren't that many central Sonic characters. If there was a hub for each different stage (as I think there should be), then there won't be enough. Sonic characters should exist as NPC's in hubworlds along side Human and possibly even other anthro NPCs

[Winston]

We'll never be given the true location of Froggy. Thank you SEGA, now I have to wonder for the rest of my life.

[Blue Blood]

Sonic characters should exist as NPC's in hubworlds along side Human and possibly even other anthro NPCs

This exists as a 'problem' of it's own, considering Unleashed specifically establishes Sonic, Tails and Chip as being out of the ordinary if you go about talking to the NPCs. But if Big isn't a popular character (which he defo isn't), then that's the perfect way to have him. Stick him in the sidelines as a bit of fanservice, ala Olympic Games at SatSR.

[SoniClub]

It's a shame if Big does disappear, I rather enjoyed his happy, laidback attitude. I think he's best for comedy/fan-service purposes really; I'd love to see him have some really subtle appearences in cutscenes or gameplay. The BIG challenge to see how many Big references you can spot.

[Winston]

I forgot to use this, I'm so sorry...