On the Psychological Sonic Drought of 2012

[Tani Coyote]

Maybe this new "Adventure" that SEGA is cooking up will make Sonic Fans' Jaws drop across the globe.

 

I suppose Jawz dropping would be some attempt to imitate the greatness of the superior Chopper.

 

Yeah, I agree. I think whatever they're churning out will be well worth it. Essentially SEGA's making us all parched with thirst, and by the end of this year they're going to serve us a tall glass of ice cold water. It will be very satisfying to see what their new title is; I think the point of Generations was to close the book on 20 years of history so we could focus on the next decade or two. They've had 22 years to learn what works and what doesn't... it's safe to say that when this psychological drought is over we'll be very satisfied.

 

...until we finish the game anyway. Ah well, that's the way the chili dog crumbles.

[Unknownlight]

Man, just be glad we don't have a Sonic game in development hell. Lord knows you guys would be crazy if that happened.

 

I suppose Sonic Robo Blast 2 doesn't count?

[Mauro Fonseca]

Sonic and the Journey to the West for the next Storybook game.

 

Now that would be epic.

 

Honestly thought that was the path to take, either that or Greek legend.

[Kiah]

I honestly don't see a "drought". Sure it has been over a a year since the last main Sonic game came out with Sonic Generations, but it's not like we haven't had anything from Sega to entertain us Sonic-wise. In 2012 we had Sonic 4 Episode 2 and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed for our Sonic fix, could even throw Sonic Jump in there as well. Early 2013 has given us Sonic Dash so far, and we aren't even finished with a quarter of the year yet.

 

I do agree that Sonic fans are pretty spoiled and impatient as well. Issues and irritations with quality of the game and other things aside (which are legit complaints and concerns), if I'm not mistaken, Sega and Sonic Team have pumped out something every single year since 1991 in some capacity in the video game genre for us to enjoy, be it a game of the main series or a spin-off. That's 22 consecutive years at this point of putting Sonic games out there. They may have not implemented everything correctly or to our liking exactly, but it's not like we haven't been without, like some other franchises have been, going years without absolutely anything new for their fans to enjoy so in that aspect in comparison we can't complain really. Even thought it hasn't always been the best they have given to us, I commend Sega for trying to keep the Sonic fanbase entertained each and every year with a new game of some sort.

 

Is it a consequence of having four plot driven games between 2008 and 2011, or something else? Are we so used to early teasers or trailers that we feel left out of the loop? What are your thoughts?

 

I think this is part of the problem as well, as I feel that this many games developed between those years gave the notion that we would be given a main game every year. So what I am thinking is that not getting a main series game in 2012 kinda caught the fanbase off-guard. And we are so used to seeing teasers, trailers, and even discovering leaks that not seeing these things at this point in time are catching us by surprise as well. It's gotten kinda bad lately with trying to find the slightest hint of the next game when there has been nothing legit given to us at this point. Basically trying to make something out of nothing.

 

Personally, I am thankful for this "drought", as it has given me the opportunity with some time to catch-up with the ton of Sonic games I have yet to play due to my 15-year hiatus from the series. I also like to be optimistic and think that this longer period inbetween games is being used to create a game with some substance and longivity, as Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations were way too short for my liking. I would also like to see something new, as the nostalgic route I feel is pretty stale after getting it in Sonic Generations and the attempt Sonic 4 made being nostalgic. I hope Sega and Sonic Team have taken the time to create a Sonic game full of love, effort, and fun that will simply amaze us, giving us plenty to do while being challenging, exciting, and enjoyable.

[Tani Coyote]

I hope Sega and Sonic Team have taken the time to create a Sonic game full of love, effort, and fun that will simply amaze us, giving us plenty to do while being challenging, exciting, and enjoyable.

 

This is what I think we're all really hoping for in the coming months. We were denied a story-driven title for two years, and a game that was genuinely new for three. We can only hope that while they were mass leaking Generations, they were actively working on something behind the scenes for this year. They really need to give us something good to get us hyped up for whatever the 25th anniversary title will be. Assuming they're going to start making development times three years instead of two, as well, the 25th title will line up nicely with whatever comes out this November (given the trend).

[ArtFenix]

People say SEGA used to release Sonic games almost every year making it sound like they did that for the fans. What a joke! They only did that to get more money because it's general knowledge that Sonic is their cash cow.

 

And giving examples like Sonic Jump or Dash.. Ahaha it's like comparing an elephant to a fly. Sonic 4 is kind of acceptable but even that game is little to nothing compared to main titles. Fans want a BIG game. Not non-Sonic games with Sonic in them, not some little games for mobile devices. A BIG game.

 

So yes, it is indeed a drought on Sonic scene.

[UltDevilDoom]

We got Sonic Adventure 2 HD, didn't we? Other than that...

[ArtFenix]

We got Sonic Adventure 2 HD, didn't we? Other than that...

Sonic adventure 2 HD? If you count it as a new big game, yes. Well I sure don't. It's a nice widescreen port and all that but let get the facts straight: it's an old game that came out more than a decade ago.

Edited March 22, 2013 by ArtFenix

[Phos]

I think in years past we would've at least known about the next big thing by now.  In think Unleashed's mistaken reveal pushed up the official stuff as well, I suspect that E3 was supposed to be the first we were supposed to hear about it...  Unless the right hand didn't know what the left was doing because I recall an Unleashed magazine cover story very shortly after the first leak.  

 

So I still think the lack of replay value contributes, but this fan base is just used to hearing about new games.  As AftFenix mentions they used to do yearly releases.  

Edited March 22, 2013 by Phos

[Tani Coyote]

It really does seem to just be a bunch of factors coming to a head... no actual new title for three years, they've become very secretive about what's next when normally we'd have at least some sort of teaser by now, and to tip it all off we're used to being saturated with new games. We're not in a drought, so much as we were well-inundated and we're just having a normal year.

 

I suspect that this might become the norm for games. Our consolation is we still will get far more titles in a shorter span of time than most series could say.

[ArtFenix]

I suspect that this might become the norm for games.

If the next main title will have much more substance, replayability, story, and a couple of other playable characters, I'm OK with that.

Edited March 22, 2013 by ArtFenix

[Marcello]

I think it's pretty obvious the next game will have a bare-bones story and be able to be beaten in an hour, so don't get your hopes too high, Art.

[ArtFenix]

I think it's pretty obvious the next game will have a bare-bones story and be able to be beaten in an hour, so don't get your hopes too high, Art.

Yeah..You're most likely right.((

But I see some irony in your post. Am I seeing things? If so, sorry).

[Alec]

Not sure why people are assuming the next game is going to be even more stripped down. If anything, it feels like they're finally understanding what it means to refine story and gameplay. 

[SenEDDtor Missile]

Not sure why people are assuming the next game is going to be even more stripped down. If anything, it feels like they're finally understanding what it means to refine story and gameplay. 

Because the obnoxious critics believe that it's the right way to go, and frankly SEGA/Sonic Team seems to take the critics more seriously than the fans, if Colors and Generations are anything to go by.

[Mauro Fonseca]

Venture outside SSMB and you'll see it wasn't a bad idea, either.

[Emmett L. Brown]

Hell, even on this board most people seem to like the direction of Colors and Generations. It's just that the nay-sayers will write walls of text explaining why they're terrible and spelling doom for the future of the series, and then carry an argument for three-to-four pages if somebody begs to differ.

 

Sometimes they have a good point - I'll totally admit that. But they were never the majority.

[Tani Coyote]

Sometimes it's better to scrap something entirely rather than try and repair it. Think how some countries' economic systems are so horribly mismanaged they stop trying to reform it, and just issue a new currency and set of policies altogether.

 

Sonic's continuity is a complete and utter tangled mess even an MIT student would have trouble making sense of at times, and on top of that it has mixed reception. So, Sega threw out most of the current timeline, and gave it a last will and testament in Generations.

 

I think they'll slowly start rebuilding story, but will be doing so much, much more carefully than in prior years. They'll introduce characters where necessary rather than a needless shoehorning in, and we'll see a slow, sustainable expansion that isn't full of holes and problems.

 

At least, this is what I hope for. I'm presuming Generations was a way to respectfully send off the last twenty years, so Sonic can finally look forward rather than focusing on the past.

[Salamander]

But there's barely any continuity, the game's storylines interact with each other far too little for it to be remotely tangled or messy, and Sonic Team clearly don't care about plot at all.  There's barely even a canon to get rid of.  I always find this suggestion that somehow the plot of past Sonic games is still having an impact on the present ones to be baffling, when only a relatively small hard core of fans either know or care about it and when recent games flat-out ignore earlier storylines and characters.  The reboot you're looking for has already happened.  More than likely the next game will be like the last ones - stand-alone and with little if any dependence on the games that preceded it or that will succeed it.

[Chaos Warp]

Hell, even on this board most people seem to like the direction of Colors and Generations. It's just that the nay-sayers will write walls of text explaining why they're terrible and spelling doom for the future of the series, and then carry an argument for three-to-four pages if somebody begs to differ.

 

Sometimes they have a good point - I'll totally admit that. But they were never the majority.

Just because people like the direction like the direction of Colours and Generations, doesn't mean people like all aspects of them. For example, I love Colours and Generations, but I think they had stories that were too bare-bones, they didn't have enough replay value, and the gameplay still needs some more refining after Generations (It's great but not quite there yet).  These are aspects I think should be worked on, despite loving both games. 

[NocturnalTwilight]

I suppose Jawz dropping would be some attempt to imitate the greatness of the superior Chopper.

 

Yeah, I agree. I think whatever they're churning out will be well worth it. Essentially SEGA's making us all parched with thirst, and by the end of this year they're going to serve us a tall glass of ice cold water. It will be very satisfying to see what their new title is; I think the point of Generations was to close the book on 20 years of history so we could focus on the next decade or two. They've had 22 years to learn what works and what doesn't... it's safe to say that when this psychological drought is over we'll be very satisfied.

 

...until we finish the game anyway. Ah well, that's the way the chili dog crumbles.

 

 

I completely agree.

 

 

Didn't someone say they've been working on this current title since before Generations? (Or something like that)

 

If that's the case, then they've had plenty of time to make this new game one hell of a ride.