Can character inclusions (besides Sonic) now work with SLW's gameplay?

[Radrappy]

 It's dickish to extrapolate this disappointment into a person overreacting as if this is a social injustice.

 

Forgive me for being facetious.  

[Nepenthe]

Even ignoring your facetiousness, I don't know why people get upset or angry that others are upset that their favorite characters don't show up anymore, as if there's something wrong with actually liking other characters a lot. People literally can't be disappointed about the casting decisions nowadays without someone swooping in to tell them that somehow this disappointment is misplaced or misguided or melodramatic. That in and of itself is kind of dickish.

[VGamer]

Who knows. Considering how much trouble they've had with the series, I really can't blame them for wanting to focus on the things that are necessary over the things that are optional. And I really don't think it's fair to discount that simply because they can't provide an exact prediction of when they'll be satisfied with it.

SA wasn't terrible, but the gameplay still had plenty of problems, the other characters were more detrimental to the game than beneficial, and it planted some of the seeds that led to '06. I don't think trying to pull another SA is a good goal for them.

 

Then they should just come out and say that they're not willing to go back to playable characters until they feel like Sonic is good enough. Sure, I'd still be upset but it would be better than just putting us off and making us feel like they are gonna make a return in the next game when that's clearly not the case.

 

As for SA, sure it had problems, on that I can agree. But does that mean that we should get rid of all of the characters now and only focus on the one that we are obligated to? No, work on the ones that are worth working on. Sonic, Tails and Knuckles' (and to a lesser extent, Amy's) levels were a BLAST to play in SA1. Seeing as we can all agree that Big and Gamma were useless, why not trim the fat and work on what was already good? Those characters had, and still do have a lot of potential, I'm upset that Sonic Team thinks the franchise will benefit more from leaving them out of the action than fixing them up for people to enjoy.

 

 

That makes it sound as if playing as a yellow fox is a basic human right.  This is the only fanbase that gets so riled up when their favorite character isn't playable.  

 

Also, wasn't tails playable in S4 ep 2?

 

Tails has been playable in almost every Sonic game (2 - Adventure, Heroes, and '06 which makes up most of the games in the series), and the fact that Sonic Team is just now saying that he, among the other characters that used to be playable, add nothing to the game and that Sonic is the only character that matters, is really annoying to be honest. So what if we're the only fanbase? I don't see why it's necessary and fair to compare this fanbase to others. I don't think playable characters are/were a big part of the Rayman games, so it's not really appropriate for people to complain about the lack of playable characters.

 

Also, Tails was only playable in S4E2 in multiplayer. That means I have to have two controllers open, and have Sonic floating around me at all times. Hell, even that wouldn't work at times since you needed to use the combo moves.

[Vertekins]

I think what exacerbates those who are rightly disappointed about characters other than Sonic getting shafted when it comes to playability is the fact that they're essentially getting shunted sideways by Wisp forms filling-in for their abilities and on temporary basis' on top of that when if anything, I at least would like to see other characters and their abilities getting incorporated into stages as well as see how said stages could be rendered more dimensional by the plethora of their inherent abilities.

 

But nope. This vast, vast potential on more than one tangent is put on the backburner to put Wisps to the forefront, facilitating very one-dimensional platforming, incredible sameyness and lost potential.

[Tara]

Because Sega never even remotely promised additional playable characters.  It's never been hinted at.  These are imaginary expectations hoisted on the franchise by an insatiable fanbase.  And as for screentime, we'll be seeing Knuckles and Amy again so that's a plus.  That and each of the characters was given a moment to shine in Generations.  

 

If sega had been constantly promising multiple characters and year after year they failed to deliver, some of the rage in the community might be justified.  

Even ignoring the fact that having multiple playable characters was at one point a common expectation, you're arguing that someone can only be disappointed by what that was teased to happen.  Even if throughout the entire 22 years of Sonic's longevity he remained the only playable character, that would still be a huge fallacy.  It's only natural to want to play as your favorite character, and there's nothing wrong with being disappointed that Sega wouldn't implement it in some form or another.  Nintendo never hinted that Luigi would be playable in Super Mario 64 or Sunshine, and guess what?  He wasn't.  But that doesn't mean fans of Luigi aren't in the right to be a little bit disappointed that their favorite character is excluded from two main series titles.  Being disappointed that something good missed an opportunity to be great is part of what you might call being a fan.

Edited September 29, 2013 by Akito

[Tara]

I think asking people to wait until they've "perfected" it is a bit silly, to be honest.  Sonic's gameplay is far from perfect, but it's still fun and arguably being improved upon with each passing game.  They could easily do the same with other characters.  Test the waters with Tails and the others, then modify them for each game based on critical feedback.  That's not to say they should ship something out that is Sonic '06 levels of incomplete, mind you, but having a suitable version that can be modified later isn't such a horrible idea.

[azoo]

So yeah, since thinking of how characters would work in SLW's new gameplay, I decided to go at it in game-designer mode. So here's my guess on how multiple characters could work.

 

Going by a 360 controller (for a much more universal thing), here's this basic template:

 

Left Stick - Movement ("Walking" Mode)

A Button, B Button - Spin Jump

X Button, Y Button - Attack

L Trigger - Spin Dash

R Trigger - Dash ("Running" Mode)

 

Let's say we follow this. 

 

Each character follows a different set of variables on their movements (ranging between accel/decel, top speed, steering, jump height/resistance). Let's use the stats of Sonic R as a good example when comparing Sonic, Tails and Knuckles.

 

Sonic - highest top speed, mid accel/decel, worst steering (relatively), middle range jump height

Tails - lowest top speed (relatively), highest accel/decel, mid steering, highest range jump height

Knuckles - mid top speed, lowest accel/decel (relatively), best steering, lowest range jump height (relatively)

 

With this you can make a very easy base for character handling. Even if it ends up making some characters have the same stats, they all can have varying abilities. For example, leaving the base of "Attack" on X means moves such as somersault-sliding for Sonic, tail swiping for Tails, and punch-punch-uppercutting for Knuckles.

 

Alongside this, each character has their own air specific movements for each of the main buttons. As an example..

 

A + A = Double Jump / Homing Attack? (Sonic), Flight (Tails), Glide (Knuckles)

A + X = Kick Attack (Sonic), Tail Swipe (Tails), Spiral Punch (Knuckles)****

A + LT = Bounce Attack (Sonic), Stomp (Tails), Digging Spiral (Knuckles)

 

(**** - All moves that are A + X would work as a homing attack (secondary homing attack for Sonic) used to take down certain specific enemies.)

 

Now while that covers that, there's the "running mode" to worry about.

 

Like I said before, I think the best way they could handle the 'parkour' aspect of that is just to make it more flexible for the characters that are less vertically inclined, and more constricted for the ones a bit more blessed in that regard.

 

Lets say Sonic can wall run, vault and wall jump at any given point thanks to his agility, but while Tails can still wall run and wall jump, he won't be able to vault or wall run from a standstill and will have to get some speed going before it works. Knuckles on the other hand, would wall run a couple of steps up from a still but then latch to the wall and climb in his traditional way (maybe with the ability to dig replacing wall-Spin Dashing?).

 

Characters could react to the walls and different surfaces depending on their own traits, whether they are of their design or of by how fast they move. Just as Blaze or Shadow would have parkour like Sonic, Amy and Silver's movement would be more limited like Tails, and Rouge and Vector would react in a more climbing-centric way like Knuckles. Then of course you have the more unique characters like Espio who could stand on walls defying physics and whatnot, showing the variance in what characters could do with their own unique traits to make them more interesting to play.

 

So with all this trait mixing and matching, plus the characters' abilities themselves taken into play, this could be a very flexible gameplay style, that still keeps the concepts of the initial gameplay: run, jump, attack and spin towards the goal. All it takes is for Sonic Team to think it through and go with it.

[Nepenthe]

I think asking people to wait until they've "perfected" it is a bit silly, to be honest.  Sonic's gameplay is far from perfect, but it's still fun and arguably being improved upon with each passing game.  They could easily do the same with other characters.  Test the waters with Tails and the others, then modify them for each game based on critical feedback.  That's not to say they should ship something out that is Sonic '06 levels of incomplete, mind you, but having a suitable version that can be modified later isn't such a horrible idea.

 

Indeed, this weird implication in the discussion of including other characters is that they are somehow completely divorced from the design of the game to the point that they can only be a post-developmental addition or something. It makes no sense to me that when we can overhaul the actual gameplay between a single installments (e.g., it did not take a years' long plan to introduce either Boost gameplay or Parkour into the series piecemeal. The demarcation line for both styles is literally a single game), but we somehow cannot include additional characters as part of that experimentation of the overall gameplay experience Sonic games should provide.

[Diogenes]

People literally can't be disappointed about the casting decisions nowadays without someone swooping in to tell them that somehow this disappointment is misplaced or misguided or melodramatic.

It's also getting to feel like you can't say you'd prefer they focus on the core gameplay over multiple playable characters without people cawing about how long they've waited and how they could just do both as if there's no cost to it.

Then they should just come out and say that they're not willing to go back to playable characters until they feel like Sonic is good enough.

Is that not basically the kind of comment that kicked off this particular discussion?

As for SA, sure it had problems, on that I can agree. But does that mean that we should get rid of all of the characters now and only focus on the one that we are obligated to?

When the series has hit lows like '06? Yeah. No matter how you cut it, multiple playable characters are optional, but you need at least one good gameplay style to get anyone to buy it. If they aren't confident in where they are with Sonic (which given the series' history is reasonable), it makes sense to focus on him.

No, work on the ones that are worth working on. Sonic, Tails and Knuckles' (and to a lesser extent, Amy's) levels were a BLAST to play in SA1.

Tails broke levels wide open, treasure hunting was terrible, and Amy was slow and bland with a gimmick that barely mattered. None of them are really worth looking up to.

Seeing as we can all agree that Big and Gamma were useless,

I'd take Gamma over treasure hunting Knuckles, actually.

I'm upset that Sonic Team thinks the franchise will benefit more from leaving them out of the action than fixing them up for people to enjoy.

Considering how little they've added in the past, and how they still don't have a firm handle on one gameplay style, that's a pretty reasonable thing to argue. That doesn't mean that other characters can never add value, just that this isn't the right time to focus on them.

 

But nope. This vast, vast potential on more than one tangent is put on the backburner to put Wisps to the forefront, facilitating very one-dimensional platforming, incredible sameyness and lost potential.

Putting more characters in the game isn't a solution for one-dimensional platforming and sameyness.

[Vertekins]

Putting more characters in the game isn't a solution for one-dimensional platforming and sameyness.

 

Never said it was. What I was getting at is other character's abilities actually providing the level designers with more food for thought regarding level design.

[Diogenes]

If other playable characters do that, shouldn't wisps as well?

[TheOcelot]

I see no reason why it couldn't work for Knuckles. I mean he can already glide and climb. So he already has parkour elements in his inventory.

 

Shadow could naturally mirror Sonic, perhaps with some extra moves to finish off enemies.

 

If they made Amy move fast, double jump and spindash, I see no reason why she couldn't be playable. How about a move where she could throw her Piko Piko hammer at enemies from a great distance, thus taking them out or disabling them long enough so that she can run up and finish them off?

 

As for Tails, implementing parkour moves might seem pointless as he can fly, but to be honest flying doesn't seem all that useful in SLW based on the gameplay we have seen (apart from that wisp that can fly). 

 

Silver could of course totally break the game.

Edited September 29, 2013 by -Bender-

[Nepenthe]

It's also getting to feel like you can't say you'd prefer they focus on the core gameplay over multiple playable characters without people cawing about how long they've waited and how they could just do both as if there's no cost to it.

 

The argument that we could/should/should've long since had playable characters back doesn't inherently deny a tangible cost in manpower that could be fully devoted to the gameplay, nor have I actually heard anyone say this even if they have argued that both can be developed at the same time, because the fact is they can.

 

But regardless of the fact that again I don't particularly see how other characters are so divorced from gameplay as to need to be put on a backburner, there is really nothing to suggest that making Tails a co-operative buddy again somehow warrants such a massive sacrifice in developmental manpower that the gameplay would subsequently not be the focus still. I just don't see how that makes any rational sense unless you are actually arguing from an absolute position that things that augment the gameplay but may not be necessary to its function- like alternate characters or even boring power-up systems like the Wisps- are inherently a negative because they also require work to reach the same level of polish as the "main gameplay," and "taking away" from the main gameplay to any degree is wrong.

[Indigo Rush]

I have to tip my hat off to Azukara for his control scheme idea - it's very similar to what I had in mind (though we bounced these ideas off of each other a while back, so that's no surprise) - but in regards to other characters having parkour, I'm a little perplexed on that.

 

On one hand, Tails and Knuckles really don't need it. They can fly, glide and climb respectively, so from a mindset of finding unique abilities and diverging paths, you're all set. On the other hand, the entire point of adding parkour was not necessarily to dynamically scale walls in itself, but to find a way to keep the speed flowing. When Aaron Webber or Takashi Iizuka talk about the parkour mechanic, it's almost never about seeing how cool it would be to have Sonic scale walls freely, but because they were addressing a problem of flow. Sonic kept smacking right into walls and other level structures...

 

...so to give Sonic parkour mechanics and to leave Tails and Knuckles with their respective abilities is understandable from the mindset of gameplay diversity, but at the same time it kind of defeats the purpose of maintaining flow. And if every other character has parkour or some variation of it, that totally axes the original advantage for Sonic of being able to interact with the stage in a unique way. That really leaves him with a slide attack in terms of finding unreachable areas to other characters.

 

What do. Hmm.

[Sparky]

Everyone should potentially use parkour. Seeing as how Tails has been following Sonic around and copying his abilities since before the actual in-game events of Sonic 2, and Knuckles is a skilled treasure hunter, and Amy has picked up some of Sonic's main abilities during the Dreamcast Era, they should all use Parkour since the purpose of it's introduction was to keep the flow going. Each of them could have minor tweaks to suit them individually, like Tails could simply fly over obstacles like small steps or something while Sonic would flip over them or something, and Knuckles could climb walls when he runs into them while Sonic runs and while Sonic would need enough momentum to go up the wall completely, Knuckles could go up walls with ease. 

[VGamer]

Is that not basically the kind of comment that kicked off this particular discussion?

 

No. They keep saying that "we're gonna go back to the others, just wait". They say that as if it's gonna happen in the next game, only for us to realize that it's not gonna happen anytime soon.

 

When the series has hit lows like '06? Yeah. No matter how you cut it, multiple playable characters are optional, but you need at least one good gameplay style to get anyone to buy it. If they aren't confident in where they are with Sonic (which given the series' history is reasonable), it makes sense to focus on him.

 

And Unleashed, Colors and Generations weren't enough? They tried compensating for the playable characters with the Werehog and Classic Sonic. Does that not count as playable characters? In my book it does since they are completely different play-styles. Is it just because those were actually Sonic that they don't count in this scenario, or what? They focused on Sonic then, I'm 100% sure they can do it again with at least Tails and Knuckles.

 

Tails broke levels wide open, treasure hunting was terrible, and Amy was slow and bland with a gimmick that barely mattered. None of them are really worth looking up to.

 

That attitude is the same attitude Sonic Team has. FIX IT, don't REMOVE it. Give Knuckles normal stages like in the classics, alter Tails' flight speed and range so it's not broken, cater the level designs around them, speed Amy up, remove the unnecessary running away from the robot. All of this could have been implemented to make them better, instead of just going with the idea that they are now ruined forever and can't return.

 

I'd take Gamma over treasure hunting Knuckles, actually.

 

Good. So does it not bother you that they completely scrapped the idea after SA1 instead of improving it in future titles? I'm not saying EVERY gameplay style can be improved on (prime example being Big The Cat), but if it's something that the designers can see fitting in a Sonic game, why not? I can definitely see Gamma's style fitting in future games, as long as it's improved upon.

 

Considering how little they've added in the past, and how they still don't have a firm handle on one gameplay style, that's a pretty reasonable thing to argue. That doesn't mean that other characters can never add value, just that this isn't the right time to focus on them.

 

So when is that time? What exactly are they striving for here, because at this point I'm convinced that they're just lying and they just don't want to put them in for whatever reason they actually have. What is "perfect" for Sonic because after approx. 6 years of games, I think they've had enough time to "experiment".

[Tara]

When the series has hit lows like '06? Yeah. No matter how you cut it, multiple playable characters are optional, but you need at least one good gameplay style to get anyone to buy it. If they aren't confident in where they are with Sonic (which given the series' history is reasonable), it makes sense to focus on him.

Sonic '06 would have been terrible, regardless of the additional characters.  I know that's what you were saying, but I don't understand how that prevents them from focusing on more than one gameplay element at a time.  The current gameplay engine isn't perfect, but it's nowhere near '06 levels of quality.  Sega doesn't need to feel like they can't branch off now.

 

If other playable characters do that, shouldn't wisps as well?

No, because Wisps are just temporary upgrades.  Other playable characters are characters with unique abilities you play as for a great longevity.  (Preferably with the ability to change on demand, but that's just my opinion)

[Diogenes]

No. They keep saying that "we're gonna go back to the others, just wait". They say that as if it's gonna happen in the next game, only for us to realize that it's not gonna happen anytime soon.

That seems to be more your fault for reading something into it that they didn't actually say.

And Unleashed, Colors and Generations weren't enough?

Considering they felt they needed to completely revamp the gameplay with SLoW, apparently not.

They tried compensating for the playable characters with the Werehog and Classic Sonic.

And I would call both cases misguided. The werehog was filler, classic Sonic was pandering (and probably also filler), and neither case really made the games much better.

That attitude is the same attitude Sonic Team has. FIX IT, don't REMOVE it.

Sometimes removing a thing is fixing it. Sometimes an idea just isn't good. Note that I'm not saying this regarding other characters in general, but for these particular issues.

Give Knuckles normal stages like in the classics, alter Tails' flight speed and range so it's not broken, cater the level designs around them, speed Amy up, remove the unnecessary running away from the robot. All of this could have been implemented to make them better, instead of just going with the idea that they are now ruined forever and can't return.

Unfortunately Sonic Team doesn't have infinite resources with which to make every possible improvement. Sometimes the most efficient solution is to cut.

Good. So does it not bother you that they completely scrapped the idea after SA1 instead of improving it in future titles?

Nah. I buy Sonic games for Sonic gameplay. I have no desire, at all, for a Sonic game that tries to be every game I could possibly want. Gamma's gameplay may have been more fun than Knuckles', but that doesn't mean I have any need for more of it.

I'm not saying EVERY gameplay style can be improved on (prime example being Big The Cat), but if it's something that the designers can see fitting in a Sonic game, why not?

Because Sonic Team can't afford to do everything.

So when is that time?

I don't know! I'm not Sonic Team, and even Sonic Team probably won't know until they're there! The fact that they can't nail down a clear answer doesn't mean that they're lying.

[Jolt_TH]

Is it just me that can't see knuckles as a replacement for the drill wisp or vise versa? I honestly can't see knuckles as a dirt dolphin or something like that, we've never really seen him dig in game, apart from where his is standing/climbing going straight down and back and that was in SA, I might see it possible if he were to dig at a more natural slower speed, but I'd be happy for him to have his punching, climbing and gliding, of course digging into the ground, but I just can't see knuckles tunneling :/

Edited September 29, 2013 by Jolt_TH

[Kuzu]

Ya know, I have to wonder. Ever 06, Sonic Team have been steadily improving the series with each installment. Whether you agree with this or not is irrelevant, but the fact is they have been trying to make the best games they can and yet people still give them shit after shit.

 

So I'm beginning to believe its less of Sonic Team needing to "perfect Sonic's gameplay" and more that the fanbase has no faith in their ability as game developers at all. If they had been making quality games consistently, then the question of whether they should add other characters wouldn't even matter because we'd know it'd be done properly, but since they have botched gameplay in the past, nobody has any faith that they can actually do it right which is why everyone has such reservations about adding more characters.

 

What I have to ask is, why does everyone feel that Sonic Team will fall into pitfalls that got them in trouble in the past? Do we really expect them to make a game as bad as 06 again? Are we that pessimistic. Its pretty damn obvious they are trying to make the games work, but I think what's really holding them back is that the people they are trying to please have completely lost faith in them. Its one thing to be aware of the fact that they have screwed up in the past, but its another entirely to believe the reason that something shouldn't be added is because of the assumption that they will mess it up. I

[VGamer]

That seems to be more your fault for reading something into it that they didn't actually say.

 

They kind of did when saying they plan to in the future several times in a row, but fair enough I guess.

 

Considering they felt they needed to completely revamp the gameplay with SLoW, apparently not.

 

So when is the god-like gameplay they are looking for gonna come? The excuse itself is just silly like Akito said. There will never be perfect Sonic gameplay, so asking us to wait until they find it is just stupid.

 

And I would call both cases misguided. The werehog was filler, classic Sonic was pandering (and probably also filler), and neither case really made the games much better.

 

Not sure what you mean here. My point was that they obviously can make more than one style of gameplay in one game during a time limit again, so what's stopping them all of a sudden when it's one of Sonic's friends?

 

Sometimes removing a thing is fixing it. Sometimes an idea just isn't good. Note that I'm not saying this regarding other characters in general, but for these particular issues.

 

The only way of fixing Tails' broken flying abilities is to fix it. Removing it would nullify the point of there being multiple characters since now he's just Sonic, but orange. Unless of course we should just never have Tails playable, which seems to be their current mentality. Same goes for everyone else. This only applies to characters like Big, and even Silver. I think Silver's got SO much potential, but after '06 they need to remove him from being playable really. Maybe bring him back later, but with a completely revamped style of gameplay.

 

Unfortunately Sonic Team doesn't have infinite resources with which to make every possible improvement. Sometimes the most efficient solution is to cut.

 

I doubt they don't have enough to make small enough changes to improve the characters' gameplay. They could have put Knuckles in a Sonic stage in SA1 and it would have been fine enough. They did that with Tails, right? How would that take up too much time and resources? Granted that's not what I'm asking for, but just an example.

 

Nah. I buy Sonic games for Sonic gameplay. I have no desire, at all, for a Sonic game that tries to be every game I could possibly want. Gamma's gameplay may have been more fun than Knuckles', but that doesn't mean I have any need for more of it.

 

That's your opinion, fair enough.

 

Because Sonic Team can't afford to do everything.

 

They can't afford to alter types of gameplay that they created years ago? I'm not saying make this another Sonic '06 where EVERYONE is playable, but in this case just Tails and Knuckles.

 

I don't know! I'm not Sonic Team, and even Sonic Team probably won't know until they're there! The fact that they can't nail down a clear answer doesn't mean that they're lying.

 

That's my point, you're never going to reach perfection so can we just settle for the gameplay that practically everyone is down to play? Most people were down with the boost when it was around, but they changed it to LW. It's because of that I doubt they're gonna bring the friends back after Lost World because they'll still use the same excuse about the game not being perfect and how they need to focus on Sonic, even though he's already good enough.

[SenEDDtor Missile]

Ya know, I have to wonder. Ever 06, Sonic Team have been steadily improving the series with each installment. Whether you agree with this or not is irrelevant, but the fact is they have been trying to make the best games they can and yet people still give them shit after shit.

 

So I'm beginning to believe its less of Sonic Team needing to "perfect Sonic's gameplay" and more that the fanbase has no faith in their ability as game developers at all. If they had been making quality games consistently, then the question of whether they should add other characters wouldn't even matter because we'd know it'd be done properly, but since they have botched gameplay in the past, nobody has any faith that they can actually do it right which is why everyone has such reservations about adding more characters.

 

What I have to ask is, why does everyone feel that Sonic Team will fall into pitfalls that got them in trouble in the past? Do we really expect them to make a game as bad as 06 again? Are we that pessimistic. Its pretty damn obvious they are trying to make the games work, but I think what's really holding them back is that the people they are trying to please have completely lost faith in them. Its one thing to be aware of the fact that they have screwed up in the past, but its another entirely to believe the reason that something shouldn't be added is because of the assumption that they will mess it up. I

I think it's also because Sonic Team has no faith in their own abilities either, so they cling to the excessive complaining of critics and fans alike to act as a crutch for their confidence. It's like a really abusive relationship if anything.

Edited September 29, 2013 by Wonder-ED (Missile)

[Tara]

Is it just me that can't see knuckles as a replacement for the drill wisp or vise versa? I honestly can't see knuckles as a dirt dolphin or something like that, we've never really seen him dig in game, apart from where his is standing/climbing going straight down and back and that was in SA, I might see it possible if he were to dig at a more natural slower speed, but I'd be happy for him to have his punching, climbing and gliding, of course digging into the ground, but I just can't see knuckles tunneling :/

I can.  I mean, have you seen how quickly he digs with the Shovel Claw?  I certainly couldn't submerge myself in dirt and then burst out of the soil again in less than five seconds.  Plus, it would give a more cartoony feel to suit the art style.

Edited September 29, 2013 by Akito

[Jolt_TH]

I can.  I mean, have you seen how quickly he digs with the Shovel Claw?  I certainly couldn't submerge myself in dirt and then burst out of the soil again in less than five seconds.  Plus, it would give a more cartoony feel to suit the art style.

True, I don't have a problem with it, I just can't visualise it in my head, and whenever I do it just looks weird to me xD

[Kuzu]

I think it's also because Sonic Team has no faith in their own abilities either, so they cling to the excessive complaining of critics and fans alike to act as a crutch for their confidence. It's like a really abusive relationship if anything.

This is why there needs to be more communication between the developers and the fans.