The Sonic topic of utter positivity

[Speedy]

I tend to like Amy best when Sonic isn't near her or her motivation to do something. She's too often reduced to being Sonic's wannabe girlfirend while she has a lot of potential to be an interesting character all on her own account. I like her story in Sonic Adventure, how she helps the little bird and Gamma (and that hammer flip move in the game was awesome). In SA2 she really shines again when talking Shadow out of his revenge plan. In Heroes I guess I have to second Blaire, I like how she supports her team mates, there's a part where she tries picking up Big who's sad about not yet having found Froggy back or when Cream seems a little scared Amy holds against it with her positive mindset and determination. I liked that about her and I'd love to see these aspects of her personality show more often. Something like her running after Sonic with her giant hammer isn't even really funny anymore. It kind of spoiled the ending of Sonic Rush for me. Still, I like Amy.

[Frogging101]

I really like how when you continue your SA2 game, it gives you that text crawl which is basically "previously on SA2", complete with voice acting. It's pretty awesome because it's a nice touch and it sort of mentally prepares you because it basically tells you "this is who you are, this is what you're doing and this is why you're doing it" and gives you some sense of purpose by reminding you what's going on, instead of just dropping you into the game and you run through yet another level for whatever reason.

I wouldn't mind seeing this return in future games, but I doubt it will.

Edited January 6, 2013 by Frogging101

[Vertekins]

I really like how when you continue your SA2 game, it gives you that text crawl which is basically "previously on SA2", complete with voice acting. It's pretty awesome because it's a nice touch and it sort of mentally prepares you because it basically tells you "this is who you are, this is what you're doing and this is why you're doing it" and gives you some sense of purpose by reminding you what's going on, instead of just dropping you into the game and you run through yet another level for whatever reason.

I wouldn't mind seeing this return in future games, but I doubt it will.

 

This.

 

Always found the story recap screens to be really interesting. They allowed you to look into the current thoughts of the player character and could be incredibly witty as well. See 9:24 in the following video;

 

 

Who could forget the one before Crazy Gadget in which Sonic jests about handing Eggman the fake emerald in exchange for Amy? That's funny and is a good display of Sonic's good-natured jokeyness and propensity for looking on the bright side despite the situation.

 

Gamma's recaps is SA were good too because they outlined Gamma's motives which weren't made explicitly clear in the cutscenes. They also put across his blunt and logical approach to things despite his free will.

[Burnt Ash]

I really like how when you continue your SA2 game, it gives you that text crawl which is basically "previously on SA2", complete with voice acting. It's pretty awesome because it's a nice touch and it sort of mentally prepares you because it basically tells you "this is who you are, this is what you're doing and this is why you're doing it" and gives you some sense of purpose by reminding you what's going on, instead of just dropping you into the game and you run through yet another level for whatever reason. I wouldn't mind seeing this return in future games, but I doubt it will.

I also really liked the music that went along with it. Especially when you're at a critical part of the story, like heading to the space cannon or having to defeat Eggman at the ARK as Tails, the recap and the song with it really sets me up to play it, and I find it to be pretty enjoyable.

[Amomynous]

I have to remember to actually watch all those 'recap's, because I don't think I've actually seen them all.

Edited January 6, 2013 by Mysterics

[Speedy]

I don't know if I've babbled about it yet. In case I have, I'll just do it again.

 

I adore the in-game character animation and voice acting in All-Stars Racing, both of them. In the first, if you play as Sonic he's constantly hopping around in the car, sitting on the front, waving at other racers, mocking them when he passes them or hitting his own car in frustration if he is hit with an item or overtaken. You can even get your characters to get more hyper in their cars if you sound your horn.

Even though this option was unfortunately removed in the sequel, the character animation is still nice. The characters bounce around in their seats (or rather out of them), wave at each other, complain if they're hit or you drive into a wall. Especially Knuckles' voice acting is a joy in this game, I think. How often do you find that echidna almost doing a Sonic and shout things like "Surprise!" and "Whoo"?

 

I know many people say in-game voices are annoying. I love them, especially if done like that. It's a fun racer, and if I get the feeling even the characters are having a blast racing each other, then I find the whole thing a lot more fun, too.

[Amomynous]

^ And they do all that while driving perfectly.

 

In Generations I found a nice little touch was  that  the 'Eggmen' being directed slightly differently, it's acknowledged that Eggman wont necessarily sound the same just because he was fully grown to begin with, Classic being slightly higher pitched and more sensible, modern being slightly lower and sillier.

Allow me to demostrate with the best cutscene in the game.

Edited January 14, 2013 by Mysterics

[Speedy]

I just played a bit of Sonic Colors, and I think it's time to pay this topic another visit. A lot of things have already been said in this game's favor (the nice brotherly relationship between Sonic and Tails, the awesome character models, the general love that went into the game... and so on).

 

But there are so many details about this game that are just thoroughly endearing. I tend to forget about them after a while of not playing the game, but since I just played it... here we go.

 

I know Mysterics has already mentioned them, but they deserve more spotlight I think: Eggman's PA announcements in the stages and his comments about the zones on the world map are hilarious. Without the need for more cutscenes or something like that, the announcements almost subtly add to the evil amusement park theme. If you don't want to listen to what Eggman has to say about the zone, you can just quickly proceed to the stage selection or in-game you can just not focus on his announcements, but you surely miss something. For example that enjoying the candy paradise of Sweet Mountain is the perfect way to celebrate your next birthday... or to avoid reaching it. You also better not break the glass in Aquarium Park, as it's the only thing between you and a lot of water. And of course, no aliens were harmed in making this park - they all got harmed after the park was made.

 

Then there's the music. While the main theme isn't really my thing, the stage BGM is amazing. It always fits the stage. Tropical Resort is up-beat, getting you ready to start the adventure. Planet Wisp's music is peaceful, Asteroid Coaster has more powerful music. And then there's Aquarium Park... God, I love this music. Along with Sonic 3's Ice Cap, Aquarium Park is the only stage in a Sonic game I play more often than others not because of the gameplay, but just because I want to listen to the amazing music .

 

[a mystery]

Sonic music can NEVER go wrong. Well, except for the Game Gear titles... ...Well, save Sonic 1 GG/MS. The rest of them are usually meh.

From the very beginning (Green Hill) to the most recent ones (Say, Planet Wisp or Terminal Velocity), these themes are extremely catchy and the melody is guaranteed to stick on you. This is something I /really/ like about the themes of 90s-esque platformers, in that they tend to have a very solid melody, something I'm trying to imitate.

But the most unique of them all, the thing that shouts that this is a 2D Sonic game of the 90's?

The main themes of the games.

Now note that I'm talking about the Sonics 1~K, CD and 4 here, not the newer ones which have actual, vocal songs for their theme songs.

These melodies really have something that shouts "SONIC", and is really hard to replicate. Trust me, I tried. They share almost /nothing/ in style, and even the chord progressions are different. However, they always manage to give a similar feeling, even Sonic 4. ...Well, Ep 1, anyway. (I should Genesize it one of these days...)

I've really never heard anything like them, and the only non-officialSonic thing I've heard that could even possibly come close was the theme for Before the Sequel. It's really amazing how deceptively simple it looks/sounds.

[Chaos Incarnate]

The story in Sonic and the Black Knight was perfect. Characterization between Sonic and the Knights of the round feels spot on. By the time this game came out, the 4kids voice actors had drastically improved from games like Sonic 06 and Secret Rings. Black Knight and Unleashed made me really miss the 4kids cast after they got replaced.

[Speedy]

How can it be I haven't talked about these wonderful things yet?

 

 

Yes, rings! Now you will probably think I'm crazy, because there's nothing really special about them? Well, personally I really love the rings.

 

There are various reasons for that. The first one is that I think they are a very good and pretty unique health saving item. I don't know any other videogame series that has something like them. In some platformers, you characters are basically one-hit wonders. Make one mistake and bye-bye, see you last checkpoint. How very frustrating.

A lot of videogames use health bars or something comparable. Your character's health is reduced with taking hits, when it reaches zero you lose a life.

From the beginning on, Sonic games used a very different concept. The rings aren't health restoring items, they're basically a shield. As soon as you hold one ring, most evilness the stage and Dr. Eggman throw at you can't hurt you. Ran into giant spikes, fell into boiling lava or got hit by an enemy's laser fire? No problem, just pick your rings back up.

The ability to pick at least some of them back up after dropping them, and hence regaining the protection they offer is also a unique thing about the rings. If you have a shield and you take a hit, the shield is forever gone. The rings will scatter around you to pick up again, and you get a moment of mercy inviniciblity to do it, too. A very player-friendly concept, I think. I felt never motivated to pick up coins in Mario games, even though you get an extra life for 100 of them, just like for 100 rings. But unlike the rings, the coins don't do much for you in-game.

 

In fact, another player-friendly thing about the rings is that they are excellent guides. Don't know if you can go somewhere? If there are rings, you can be sure you don't take the completely wrong way. Follow the rings is a good plan to find your way through a stage, even if you've never played it before and somehow got yourself lost.

 

Then of course, a maybe obvious thing... Rings are the most common collectable item in Sonic games. And we all know that collecting stuff is fun. I like collecting rings, even in games I where I have all A/S ranks, 99 lives and hardly any real need to collect more rings. I still do, 'cause collecting rings is fun. I love Empire City's DLC Day Act 3. Goodies!

 

From Sonic Adventure on, the rings gained more roles than just protecting blue hedgehogs and pals from premature deaths. SA1 introduced the Light Speed Dash that enabled you to reach areas in levels non-climbing and non-flying Sonic usually has trouble reaching. Also in later games where it's easier accessable since it does no longer need charging up, if you get the move down, you can use the light dash not only where you're supposed to use it, but practically everywhere in the levels. You can use the ring dash as a boosting technique, as a way to collect more rings more easily at higher speed, or as a clever way to shortcut. Of course, you can also just use it for fun. I think it is fun. It's one of my favorite moves in Sonic's repertoire. I use it a lot, and was disappointed Generations limited its use to a few places.

 

All that aside, I think it's fair to say the rings are one of the most iconic inventions of the Sonic franchise. The form, the golden color, the spinning, and of course that classic sound effect.

 

So, yeah. Ringsies. They deserve more love then they get. Go and collect rings today, just because you can.

Edited January 18, 2013 by Speedy

[Vertekins]

I love my Sonic collection. I positively adore it. Especially the figurines that I have a soft spot for. This photo only shows a portion of them;

 

 

There is just something that is uber cool regarding owning Sonic stuff that aren't just games. I have a... fairly small collection but it's minimalism and the fact that it's made up of items I personally find hugely charming and such makes me value my Sonic possessions that much more. I just love going through my huge box of Sonic toot and looking over each item in detail (I ain't displayed them because my bedroom isn't ready yet). I fell in love with what I consider to be amongst my very favourite Sonic things and he pretty much set me on the path of collecting Sonic merch.

 

 

This guy may not be the most on-model plush but damn it I adore it so much. He was a gift from a good friend of mine some years ago and I took him to every SoS I attended. I doubt any other plush or perhaps even any other Sonic merch could take his place in my heart.

[Speedy]

I guess I have a similar plush of Sonic, a gift from my two cousins and little sister for a birthday. I always take him along on travels. I seriously love the little dude too much.

[AlphaRuby]

I love the variety in the characters! No-one is exactly the same and they all stand out in a certain way. With the exception of around 3 characters, I like them and understand their appeal!

[Speedy]

I guess the characters are what really got me into Sonic in the beginning. If I would just enjoy the gameplay, I probably wouldn't be here (nor writing stories and drawing pictures of Sonic stuff). The characters are what made me an actual Sonic fan. Now of course, you can say there's a lot of potential left unused in the games, a lot of opportunities for great characterization missed because of... dunno. Stuff. But still, Sonic himself is a really amiable character. He's not your showcase hero, he isn't perfect, but he has a lot of great qualities, too. Also the other characters are very likeable to me. Tails, Knuckles, Amy, the Chaotix, even the bad guy Dr. Eggman, all of them have the one or other interesting, relatable and enjoyable character trait. While some games brought the characters out better than others, they all hold a place in my heart and are part of the experience of playing a Sonic game to me.

[Fatman3000]

I love Sonic Heroes. Love it love it love it. Great levels, great music and I really do not mind playing the game 4 times. 

 

Look at Somecallmejohnny's review of it. He praised almost everything in that game but says the control ruins it for him. That's me, but without any problems with the control at all.

 

I also love the line "Even If I'm not real, I'm still the ultimate life form Shadow the hedgehog!"

[Uncle Kenny]

I don't really have much to say here, except...

I Love EVERYTHING about Sonic. Everything.

All of the characters? Love 'em. Even the ones with annoying voices. Love 'em. I can honestly say, there's not a single sonic game I haven't played that I haven't enjoyed. Even 06, which has frustrating at first, I found a way around, and I'd still find myself coming back to even when I'd completed all the stories. I probably know crisis city off by heart.

I love the direction Sonic is going in. I really like all voices sonic has ever had (Jaleel white being the only exception), and I think Roger is a pretty good fit for the current generation.

I have faith in Sonic Team, and I think the next Sonic Game will undoubtably be awesome.

I just really love the Sonic series. All of it.

...Well, that's me done.

 

This guy

... I'm so with him.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

[Fatman3000]

This guy

... I'm so with him.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

I disagree. I'm certainly not a fan of Shadow the hedgehog or Sonic the hedgehog, with those being the only two games I  don't enjoy in the sonic series (That I've played anyway)

 

Each of them have their problems which make them not fun for me. The sloppy controls in Shadow, the boring bland levels, the incredibly horrible origins of Shadow (Seriously, aliens?) and forgettable music, and the sloppy controls in Sonic, the annoying level design, the way Shadow and Silver move way to slowly, a boring hub world, beastiality, bad eggman design, slow down, and constant loading screens.

 

With that said, I can find positives with both games.

[Tani Coyote]

Though Sonic has his ups and downs, he is too much a part of me to ever reject or really hate on. I find myself defending his series as if he were a family member.

 

He's the Blue dude with the 'tude, who has shaped my social and personal life enormously. Wherever he goes, I will always try my best to follow!

 

==

 

One of my pet loves is Black Knight. It was incredibly nostalgic for me, and the controls didn't seem anywhere near as bad as everyone makes them out to be for myself. Maybe I spend too much time playing!

 

Also it was nice seeing Sonic showing mercy to a fallen foe; the plot twists were nice as well. Oh, and hearing a rock final boss theme again. That was just DELICIOUS.

[Spin Attaxx]

The design of the Unleashed humans ALWAYS brings a smile to my face. I just LOVE how each of them OOZES with character and creativity! I always remember that one woman in Spagonia (I belive her name is Doris?), and of course Professor Pickle. How could you NOT like these guys? Easily proof that Sonic games CAN have humans not named Eggman/Nega in them and still work.

[Tani Coyote]

The design of the Unleashed humans ALWAYS brings a smile to my face. I just LOVE how each of them OOZES with character and creativity! I always remember that one woman in Spagonia (I belive her name is Doris?), and of course Professor Pickle. How could you NOT like these guys? Easily proof that Sonic games CAN have humans not named Eggman/Nega in them and still work.

 

Yeah. Really the best thing about cartoony styles is that it lets you come out with whacky emotions and situations no realistic work would allow.

 

Would you see someone getting irate with you closing their eyes and crossing their arms?

 

Would you be able to flatten someone into a pancake only for them to recover a few seconds later?

 

And so on. The exaggerated expressions and the non-portrait nature of cartoony characters really is their appeal.

[Cola]

Edit: well fuck, wrong thread. Disregard this.

Edited January 21, 2013 by Cola

[Tani Coyote]

I'm... actually not too sure about what got me into Sonic.

I think it went something like this:

-saw sonci x teaser

-loved it

-got adventure 2 battle and mega collection some time around each other

-loved them

-boom, sonic fan

 

One of the fandom's biggest strengths is it has such a diverse amount of fields in which fans can take root. You can come in reading comics, playing games, watching cartoons... the list is never ending.

 

There have been some drawbacks of course, but overall I'd say it's a strength. Unity in diversity!

[Cola]

One of the fandom's biggest strengths is it has such a diverse amount of fields in which fans can take root. You can come in reading comics, playing games, watching cartoons... the list is never ending.   There have been some drawbacks of course, but overall I'd say it's a strength. Unity in diversity!

Ha ha, yeah. I actually meant to post that in a different thread. Whoops!

[- Eternal Paradox -]

Well, I've just thought of some more mindless praise I can spout out...

 

I recently bought some more of the the Sonic (Archie) Archives, And I wanna say, Spaz did a great job on the covers. They look just like the old geneisis artwork... or at least close enough to pass for it. I really love this style of work!

 

I really enjoyed the comics as well (aside from a few groaners), Can't wait to read more!