Has Sonic become a spotlight stealer?

[Kuzu]

Ok, ever since 06, the games have dialed back on how many characters are in any given game(barring spinoffs of course) with Sonic being the focal character. Now I know he's the main character and all, but it seems like he's the only one who matters to the series right now with the few characters that do appear just standing on the sidelines and cheering him on.

So with all that said, do you feel Sonic has stolen the spotlight from everyone else?

[batson]

do you feel Sonic has stolen the spotlight from everyone else?

Well, more like taken back the spotlight.

[sonfan1984]

Well he can't be stealing the spotlight since it's his series afterall. Before Sonic 06 it seems like the other characters is stealing alot of the spotlight away from Sonic.

As long as people keep complaining about other characters appearing in the games then they'll probably continue on with the solo Sonic games unless Sega is finally getting tired of them, too. :\

Edited June 16, 2012 by sonfan1984

[Gatestormer]

The series is called Sonic the Hedgehog.

The star of the show can't steal the spotlight.

Is there really anything else to say? D:

[Burnt Ash]

I wouldn't say steal...more like what Batson said. However, I'm more than willing to have some other characters reclaim some of their spotlight.

[Soniman]

The title character has been stealing the spotlight? Okay then.

[ArtFenix]

So with all that said, do you feel Sonic has stolen the spotlight from everyone else?

Edited June 16, 2012 by ArtFenix

[Gatestormer]

I'm so SICK of solo-Sonic bullshit, it's not even justified anymore.

Edited June 16, 2012 by ENVY

[Cola]

The main character hogging the spotlight! OH NO, WHATEVER SHALL WE DO?

[Kuzu]

The title character has been stealing the spotlight? Okay then.

[ArtFenix]

It's justified by them bothering to take time to get Sonic's gameplay right after the clusterfuck of 06. He's the priority, they know what they want to do with him now thanks to that.

Edited June 16, 2012 by ArtFenix

[Burnt Ash]

Eh the last three games differ quite a bit, to be honest.

[Solkia]

Sonic sucks. More Shadow please.

[ArtFenix]

Eh the last three games differ quite a bit, to be honest.

Edited June 16, 2012 by ArtFenix

[Meow]

It's not exactly impossible for the main character to eclipse everyone else in terms of spotlight.

[Komodin]

Hm... is it truly possible for the main character to be a spotlight-stealer? It seems rather oxymoronic to me. If it is possible, though, then this must be one of those cases where, considering what happened to him in the Adventure Era -- especially in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) -- tropes are not necessarily bad.

Edited June 16, 2012 by Komodin

[Kuzu]

Hm... is it truly possible for the main character to be a spotlight-stealer? It seems rather oxymoronic to me. If it is possible, though, then this must be one of those cases where, considering what happened to him in the Adventure Era -- especially in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) -- tropes are not necessarily bad.

[Burnt Ash]

Hmm. Well the franchise is like a bus. Sonic is the driver. Take him out, and what happens to the bus? Doesn't really go anywhere. Other characters, depending on current importance, are like passengers. They either have a secure seat on the bus, about to get off of the bus, or struggling to keep up with the bus, or they completely lost the bus. I don't know, it seemed better in my head.

Edited June 16, 2012 by Yacker the 2nd

[Meow]

Considering that we've had Tails involved with him as well, Sonic isn't stealing the spotlight all to himself. Eggman's been getting his spotlight back too as he has been the main villain in the games now twice.

From a gameplay perspective, yes, Sonic is the sole focus. But the other characters have not been 100% forgotten, though their roles have been minimalized. To say that the story JUST focuses on Sonic is a little bit of a stretch because while you play primarily from his perspective and he is the prime focus throughout the recent games it'd also mean neglecting the fact that characters like Chip and Yacker and Tails and Eggman, and Pickle in Unleashed, were around. Tails has had a bit more involvement compared to everyone else just because he is Sonic's sidekick.

That's just how I see it.

Edited June 16, 2012 by BillyTalent

[Old dead account]

Of course he's a spotlight stealer. Sega is so concentrated and obsessed with him that they pretty much give the finger to the other guys, poor old Ristar, Ulala, Beat and old Alex Kidd barely even get a passing glance anymore. It's an outrage! And now Mario is starting to do the same!

But seriously, what Batson said. I play this series for Sonic, not Shadow and Silver. After 1998-2006 being only playable for like 30% of the time, I'd say he deserves it.

[redhellc]

If there is somebody stealing the spotlight that would be Eggman.

Since unleashed he steals all the spotlight to himself every time he appears in a cutscene.

[Emmett L. Brown]

It's like Batman. Yes, I want to see Robin, and Batgirl, and Nightwing, and Batwoman, and Catwoman, and Huntress, and Oracle...but at the end of the day it's Batman himself I want in the main spotlight.

At least in the Batman series. Half (no, wait, all of them) of the ones listed above have their own spin-offs. But at the end of the day, the one whose name is in the title belongs in the spotlight with most of the screentime.

To get out of that comparison, let's just say that I do want Knuckles and the rest to be playable again, but on the condition that their gameplay doesn't detract from Sonic's. Sonic Adventure offered a fine balance by letting you play as most of the cast, but still having the option to play from start to finish as Sonic alone. Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes, and Sonic 06 did a disservice by having a third or less of the game consist of actually playing Sonic the Hedgehog. Currently, I don't mind this respite of Sonic-only games, though I was disappointed that you can't play as Tails in the lead in the single player version of Sonic 4 Episode II.

[Sami]

It's been 6 years already and the last 3 games barely differ! It's not an excuse, really. If you ask me, they're just trying to play it safe. Too safe.

Oh, I beg to differ.

Edit: Should have refreshed the page before posting. It's late, but whatever.

No they don't. The core gameplay is very, very similar.

Not any more than a series of games should be.

The concept is basically the same and if there was a lot to be changed/added, they would have done that in Generations. And you can see with your own eyes that Generations is basically a slower Unleashed with more 3D parts (adventure reminiscent) and shorter levels. And Colors is just slow Unleashed but mostly 2D. And all this shows that they are unlikely to drastically change the current formula hence they already got the gameplay right.

Each game has offered its own unique take on the same gameplay style, as is common for games released in the same series. Just like Nintendo does with Mario, or Insomniac does with Ratchet and Clank, or Ubisoft is doing with Rayman, each consecutive game is offering a new take on the style established in the previous release. Sonic Unleashed was extremely fast paced and frenetic, Colors was more slow-paced and focused on blocky, 2D platforming, and Generations employed a mixture of 3D platforming and fast-paced, reflex-based platforming reminiscent of Unleashed.

Of course, I'm assuming you want a return of the jarring inconsistencies we got between each game between the years 1999-2006, in which case, I'd vehemently disagree.

Edited June 16, 2012 by Dissident

[Scar]

No, Sonic isn't stealing any spotlight.

The problem was, everybody else stole the spotlight from him. in S3K he was one of three characters, but he had the longest story and a bonus ending for Super Sonic - fair enough. In SA1, yeah there were 6 characters, but again he had the longest story and was the focus of the last story. In SA2 though, things started to go haywire. He was one of 6 characters and had exactly a sixth of the playtime. OK, I suppose that's fair. Then came Heroes, where he was one of 12 characters. Sure he was the "leader" of his team of 3, but most of the times you would be playing as Tails so your sorry ass wouldn't fall down the billions of fucking bottomless pits in the levels. He was a 12th of the whole gameplay experience. I suppose you could say, its fair enough because it is called "Sonic Heroes" and blah blah blah, but seriously a 12th...Shadow doesn't count, because you know, its called Shadow, so that's fair enough. Then came Sonic 06. Now, this game was called "SONIC THE HEDGEHOG". Again Sonic was one of 3 key characters. However, he was also the most insignificant. He didn't even need to be there for the game to work. The focus was on Silver vs Iblis and Shadow vs Mephiles. Eggman and Sonic - the key characters of the whole fucking franchise, didn't even need to be around, yet the game was called "SONIC THE HEDGEHOG".

I don't know about you, but that is a serious problem.

So from Unleashed they trimmed the fat.

Yeah, I would like other characters to start coming back so long as they are treated as the supporting cast, which is what they are. I wouldn't mind that, I think that would be great if done well. Sure they could even be playable, again as long as its done well.

However, I could also probably survive and not explode into a supernova of fanboy rage if they didn't come back for a few more years. Heck, I could probably manage if they didn't come back at all.

It all depends on what Sonic Team want to do. If they want to bring back the supporting cast, they will. If they don't, all the power to them. Its their choice to make, not ours. As long as the game itself is fun and well made, I'll have fun. As long as the story, with or without the extended cast, is well written and enjoyable, I'll have no problems.

If you don't like that, then sure. Complain about it and most importantly, don't buy the games. Money talks more than "raeg", if you want to prove a point. I'll just enjoy the game for what it is......that is, if its any good.

If the game ain't any good (be it dodgy quality control and a plethora of unavoidable glitches, or just poor game design) then I won't buy it. I may rent to try, but I won't buy.

Edited June 16, 2012 by Scar

[Diogenes]

You can't steal your own spotlight.

Unless you're going for some kind of insurance fraud, but why a spotlight of all things.

That said, I wouldn't mind more and better use of other characters, playable or otherwise. If nothing else, even if they want to keep the focus on Sonic, there's more to do with him if he has more characters to play off of, more and different kinds of relationships to explore.

Excuse me but can you tell me exactly how long will it take to get the damn gameplay right?

That is a damn good question. That said, it doesn't change the fact that they haven't yet.

In SA2 though, things started to go haywire. He was one of 6 characters and had exactly a sixth of the playtime.

Technically he had a bit more; most of the pairs are 5-and-5, while he and Shadow are 6-and-4, plus there's GHZ.