How good are Sonic games compared to your other favorite series?

[Exploder]

Might be an awkward time to make this thread, but I figured that no matter how you view Sonic Lost World, it's not going to wipe away the series' prior record, so I'm going ahead with it.

 

Basically, how good are Sonic games in general compared to other games series, especially your favorite ones? At the top, good, average, or bad?

 

Personally even with Lost World I have to say I lean towards them being average, really. Just to give you an idea, my barometer for game quality is along the lines of titles like Mass Effect, Fallout, Bioshock, Portal, Deus Ex, Batman: Arkham City, Skyrim, GTA, Borderlands and others. I know none of them are platformers, and I have no idea if this is a fair standard, but they are what I know, and therefore, they're what I use in comparison.

[Kuzu]

Well, I guess its appropriate to compare them to other platformers; In terms of level design and what not, I generally have to give it to Mario, his levels just are challenging enough without too dickish.

[Solkia]

Sonic is from Dominos.

 

Everything else is from the local pizzaria.

[Kuzu]

Sonic is from Dominos.

 

Everything else is from the local pizzaria.

 

So Sonic tastes like cardboard then?

[Lady Soniko]

... What the fuck is wrong with Dominos!?

 

Sure it's no Pizza Hut, but it's still top notch pizzas ffs.

[Chaos Incarnate]

Like the OP, I play high quality titles like the Batman: Arkham games, Fallout 3+New Vegas, Assassins Creed series up until Brotherhood, and the Mass Effect series. I don't really think it's fair for me to compare Sonic to those games, as a lot of them have a huge focus on story, where Sonic is at the end of the day a silly yet very entertaining platformer series. I've never played any other platformers aside from Super Mario World on the GBA, so Sonic is the game series I always feel the most used to, no matter how terrible I can be at his games.

 

Sonic and the other game series I mentioned are completely different beasts, but I still have a lot of fun with them and think most of his titles are well made nowadays and have a lot of effort put into them.

[SkyLlama]

A huge majority of the games I play are hard to compare to Sonic games simply due to how different they are. There's little to gain comparing Sonic games to shumps.

 

In reality I don't play many games, but Sonic games are arguably the least consistent when comparing with series like R&C.

 

Let's put it this way...I won't think twice about getting Into The Nexus, but I'm really cautious about SLW and might wait until well after it's released at this point.

Edited October 21, 2013 by HorrorLlama.rar

[Sonic The Badass]

I play alot of different genre and AAA titles to, and sonic is the best in his genre (most of the time). One of my of favorites games is sonic 2, and for almost 3 years sonic generations has kept me coming back with its incredible replay value, I can get bored of all the games in my library and on my Xbox and vita and what ever else, but I can always go back to generations without second thought.

[Eternal EX]

Along with most people have already said, I don't play many Platformer games. Mario and Rayman being the only other ones. Most of the time I'm playing FPS like Battlefield or Halo....or other action/adventure games like Assassin's Creed, Batman AC, Tomb Raider (2013), Max payne 3, and then the rare off the wall games like SSX or Pokemon. It's not easy to compare Sonic to other games since the genres aren't the same.

 

But if I had to compare Sonic to Rayman and Mario.......as of right now, Rayman origins and Legends destroys both series by a landslide. It's so much fun and comes with an excellent challenge. the difficulty spike is not dickish like.....for say SA2B sky rail then out of the no where Crazy gadget. But when the difficulty does jump, it gets serious. Damn near rivaling EggmanLand. As for Mario, I've never had a hard stage in that series. It's been pretty eh. And if there is a difficulty spike, it's still damn easy for me. As much as I loved Unleashed and defending that game over the past years, Rayman won me over. And I skipped that series as a kid. SLW looks medicore to me. Nothing game changing. Nothing game breaking. Nothing that really sold me. It, to me, felt like a filler game. It didn't have the impact Unleashed, SA1 or Sonic 91 had.

[azoo]

Its an awful curse to be such a passionate fan for what's really the most inconsistent and messy series compared to all the others I follow. But I guess I just consider it my favorite still because when it is done really well in a certain aspect, it really reminds me why I love it so much, and it's exciting to hope for that in some way with each new game.

[Old dead account]

Compared to the likes of Zelda... they are utter crap, not gonna lie.

 

Yeah, I'm more of a Little Caesar's guy myself.

[Tara]

So, clearly, the entire Sonic fanbase is out to make me hungry tonight.  I prefer Papa John's, personally, but they sure are expensive.

 

Er, uh,weren't we talking about Sonic games?

 

Uh, yes, well.. .ahem, that's really hard to say.  Sonic is probably the only game franchise that makes me go absolutely nutty with hype.  Don't get me wrong, I still get pretty excited for others, too, but no matter how horrible, I'm always up for a new Sonic game.  In that regard, Sonic will always be leaps ahead of Mario, Pokémon, etc.  But if I had to judge based on their qualitative values and not just my personal biases, I'd say Sonic has drastically under-performed much more so than the others.  Sure, all my favorite games have taken some serious missteps time and time again, but for the most part they never strayed too far away from what them great in the first place.  I can't say the same about Sonic, when there exist titles such as ShTH and '06.

 

Still, though, I don't care about it too much.  I enjoy the series despite its blunders.

[Mr. Taxi]

You guys know nothing about pizza. Brazil has the best pizza in the world!

 

I'd say my favourite Sonic games are among my favourite games. Nowadays, I don't think it's a series I would rely on when buying a game (let alone a console), but I do appreciate the classics as much as ever. But I don't think the comparison should even be made.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

Well, I'm slightly more of a platformer nut than others. But I've been dipping more into stealth and sandbox titles, while playing League of Legends almost all the damn time.

 

As far as the pizza metaphors are gonna go, I'm a Pizza Hut kind of guy, and Sonic is more Dominos to me. So in this case, League of Legends and Jak and Daxter/Ratchet and Clank (if I could ever get a PS3 this would be even better) are my Pizza Hut here.

 

To this day, not even Sonic Adventure 1 or 2 can compare to Going Commando, Up Your Arsenal, or even Deadlocked in rewarding exploration, simple-yet-engaging combat, and solid and humorous narrative along with Jak 2 for the same reasons (apparently I'm a masochist according to some people considering how freaking HARD that last game can be at times). The only Sonic game that comes to their level is Sonic 3 & Knuckles; it's been over a decade and I'm still fucking playing that game!

 

League of Legends is equally more addictive despite the objective being the same every game (and I've played it 1000 times at minimum). It has another thing we've been asking for in a Sonic game: multiple characters (over 100 of them) with different abilities yet the same control scheme, each with varying styles of play (some being more difficult to play than others), the difference being it's nothing like a platformer since it's a MOBA game with a multiplayer focus.

Edited October 21, 2013 by CreepySpiritSonic

[Scott]

I only really play two types of Platformers, Mario games and Sonic games..

 

Sonic games >> Mario games.

 

While Mario is the holy inspiration for many platformers, including the Sonic series, his recent games just aren't challenging. MArio games are like the lego games in that, I don't have to use any part of my brain to get through a level.

 

With Sonic games, I always have my mind and eyes focused while speeding through a level. Not only that, but running a fast speeds is fun to me (kind of why I liked the boost meter). I also enjoy the story, music and dialogue that the Sonic series has to offer while I feel Mario's mute personality, very very stale.

 

So aye...

[RK64]

I love almost every Sonic tittle that I have played (even enjoyed elements of 06 and Shadow despite their horrid quality) but it difficult to compare Sonic to other platformers out there, notably because of how different Sonic is from the other ones out there and how, sadly, they are usually better.

 

I'm not insulting the new games, as Colors, Generations, (most of) Unleashed and Lost World are all fun games, but when comparing them to the likes of Rayman Origins, DKC: Returns, Mario Galaxy and the Ratchet Series, they are better with there quality; consistent packages with no "hidden" catch or notable gimmick. When talking about the genesis trilogy however, they are still amazing games with quality that rivals other 2-D platformers of there time like Mario World and DKC.

 

With that said, I've always preferred Sonic to the other platformers though; I got my Wii for not only Twilight Princess, but for Sonic and the Secret Rings, I got my GameCube for Adventure 2, got my PS3 for Generations, re-purchased another Wii (dam Other M broke mine....) for Colors, and I might even get a Wii U down the line for Lost World. I am attracted to the series much more than other series like Mario, and even if the quality isn't always there, I just find Sonic's more fleshed out worlds, colorful-zany zones, and his since of speed to be more enjoyable compared to the other platformers out there.

[StaticMania]

Sonic stays below my other favorites like Mario, Kirby, and the Naruto fighting games and above the other stuff like Crash Bandicoot, Bomberman, and the DBZ fighting games. But that's just in my case.
 
Actually Sonic has been constantly sliding down my favorism scale and comparing these games to others that I like makes me feel like its an unfair comparison. Honestly I can only really say that Sonic is mid-level on my favorite series list at this point. The games are very fun, some better than others, some worse than others

[Dizcrybe]

I don't think I can make a comparison, probably because I don't have another favorite series. Some games are better than Sonic games, others are worse. There's also the fact that some Sonic games are better/worse than others.  Like, I'd say, Sonic Generations > SSX On Tour > Sonic Adventure 2. I can't compare the series as a whole to individual games when Sonic games vary in quality.

[Mr Loopone]

Well this is actually harder than it looks since is Sonic is like Sega as in that they are inconsistant with the games (you get the highs, lows and undecidable of SLW) and some of the other games/companies are more consistant. Plus some games can't be compared due to being different genres however since my favourite genres are platformers and racing games, and well Sonic has plenty of both.

 

Anyway in terms of the platformers, if it judged by my favourite Sonic games (Sonic 1 & 2 [both Genesis and Master System], Triple Trouble, possibly Generations) then it is one of the highest personal regarded games with only Super Mario Land 2, Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World bundle cart, Sly Cooper 1 & 4 matching that high bar. Super Mario 3D Land being very close though.

 

If it is judged by overall quality however then the Sonic series is a bit lower. The 2D games are mostly a enjoy to play with only Sonic Blast and Sonic 4 being the weakest of the bunch (not played Sonic Advance 2, 3, Rivals 2 and Pocket Adventure) but still find a bit of enjoyment in those two (technically 3) somewhere. Mario is more consistant and like Sonic enjoyed the 2D platformers with only Lost Levels and New Super Mario Bros. being the weaker ones (not played NSMB2). It is a tie however for some reason, the Sonic games attract me more than the Mario counterparts but would rather play the weaker Mario games than the weaker Sonics. Wario Land: The Shake Dimension and Donkey Kong Country are also fairly close however the Sonic series is still better than Taz: Escape from Mars due to the better level design (one of the stages rips off Labyrinth Zone).

 

3D platformers are another kettle of fish since it is only more recently that the quality of the 3D Sonic have improved (as in less bugs and pleasant to play), it's not to say that Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 are bad games however in terms of technical issues and programming 3D games that aren't either fixed view (like certain sports games, light gun games) or racing games were more experimental in the mid-late 90s/early 2000s with camera troubles and teething problems while programmers were getting into grips of a new dimension.

 

Ranking wise it would go like this in the scale of personal enjoyment: Sly Cooper 1>Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time>Sonic Generations (HD)>Super Mario 3D Land (halfway still could go either way)> Sly 2>Bugs Bunny: Lost in Time>Sonic Colours>Crash 2>Sonic Lost World (so far but could go either way)>Super Mario 64>Ape Escape (if that counts)>Crash: Wrath of Cortex>Sly 3>Sonic Unleashed (so far)>Rayman 2: The Great Escape (Dreamcast)>>>Sonic Generations (3DS)>Sonic Adventure>Super Mario Sunshine>>>Bugs Bunny & Taz: Time Busters>Super Mario 64 DS>>>Sonic Adventure 2>>>>>>>>Sonic Heroes

 

Notice that I have yet to play the Super Mario Galaxy games and these two are important in terms of 3D platformers, anyway out of that list the games up to Rayman 2 are very close to the point of could have been in any order and have really enjoyed playing them from the graphics (some older ones are due to the capabilities of the console) to the responsive controls (or in the case of SLW learning them due to being completely different) to the level design to the music to the gameplay. After Rayman 2 it starts falling apart; Sonic Generations 3DS could be higher if it wasn't for the bugs (once I got stuck in the scenery) and seemed barebones presentation, Sonic Adventure has its bugs but the atmosphere keeps it from being lower, Super Mario Sunshine while more competent in terms of programming loses some of the fun and got a bit tedious, can't remember much of Bugs Bunny & Taz but certainly didn't enjoy it very much, Super Mario 64 DS suffers from port problems (lack of analog stick hindered playing the game and the changes so you can't even play as a character you want but forced to play what Nintendo tell you to play as) with the only plus is a new boss, enjoyed Sonic Adventure 2 even less but can understand why people like that game and explained about Sonic Heroes in the past.

 

The reason why I put the Sly Cooper series on top is because not only are the games consistant with good level design, characters, music, hidden treasures and good programming (only a few crashes on the PS3 versions and only one really bad bug on Sly 4); they also have a story with decent voice acting that encourages me to play all the way through and normally a story doesn't influence me to play a game. Sly 3 however is the weakest in series due to feeling rushed and a bit uninspired especially after the Holland stage compared to the others (which is why some of the other games are higher including the recent Sonic games). It also focuses on the other characters rather than Sly, Bentley and Murray. Before finding the series by chance and before Heroes, the Sonic series were my favourite games with Mario being second. Now it is pretty much Mario, Sonic, Sly Cooper and Donkey Kong with Sonic being the weakest however due to other media (AoSTH/SatAM/OVA, Sonic the Comic years ago) Sonic keeps in there (wishes that there is a Sly Cooper cartoon series)...

 

In terms of the racing games, Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing and Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed are very high (especially the latter) however racing games are more competitive due to the higher quality and higher amount of games. Since the two games (and Sonic R, Sonic Drift 1 & 2) are arcadey type of racing games and not sim (Gran Turismo, TOCA, Forza, various F1 games, Sega GT, F355 Challenge), it is a bit different to judge plus it is also different than some other arcade type of racing games that I see highly (Daytona, Sega Rally 1 & 2, MSR/PGR, the obscure Group S Challenge). It is also different than Racing Evoluzione, Micro Machines and Test Drive Unlimited so it is just easier to compare to Mario Kart/clones, WipEout, F-Zero and something like OutRun/Burnout where they escape from reality.

 

The two Sumo Digital racers I personally put in front of most Mario Kart games (not played and avoided Wii, haven't played the original or 64 that to some are considered better, yet to play 7) due to better balancing (them blue shells), a more interesting roster since with Mario Kart I stick to Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong, Bowser and Wario while the two Sonic games I played more characters (the first having a slightly better overall lineup than the second due to the licensed characters however the sequel has a certain Ninja, a certain pirate, a certain elf and the last car), more rememberable music and more variable courses. Sadly I have only played one F-Zero game and that is F-Zero X that I put equally to the Sonic racers. The WipEout series I put slightly lower and only because I find them harder however if somehow become good at them then I put them at the same level.

 

Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed however can't beat the almost perfection of OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast (in my view Sumo Digital's best game and I put them as one of my favourite developers) due to the graphics/music/gameplay/stages and the fun of Burnout 3/Burnout Legends (Criterion being another favourite).

[Jin.]

Alright, let's go with my top 3 games, and do this in a nutshell because none of these games are platformers.

 

1. The Golden Sun Series (OH SHIT NOT BLAZBLUE?)

The Golden Sun series only has 3 games, two for the GBA and one for the DS, but it managed to keep a consistent style of gameplay within this, and added new things without, in any way, ruining this formula. Which is something Sonic rarely does for me.

 

2. The BlazBlue Series (NEVERMIND)

Like Golden Sun, the BlazBlue series, with three main games (not counting Continuum Shift II, Continuum Shift Extend and Continuum Shift III Extend Turbo Edition Electric Boogaloo) has kept a consistent formula (though this isn't hard for a Fighting Game), the only thing that changes over games is the Guarding system. Again, something Sonic rarely does.

 

3. The Shin Megami Tensei: Persona Series

Like Sonic, Persona slowly began trying to appeal to a broader audience. The only difference is that Persona didn't shoot itself in the foot like Sonic did.

 

Aaand that's all that comes to mind.

Pizzahutttoptier

Edited October 21, 2013 by 聖騎士 Ky Kiske (Jin)

[Iggy]

... What the fuck is wrong with Dominos!?

Sure it's no Pizza Hut, but it's still top notch pizzas ffs.

They cut their pizza in squares. How can anyone ever justify such an act?

Anyways, Sonic is something to play when you're in a platform-ish mood, but Mario just won't cut it. Zelda is more engrossing in my honest opinion, but both can be really entertaining at best.

Edited October 21, 2013 by SheWhoTrickOrTreatsTooMuch

[WarioBone]

Eh.  I like a lot of franchises, and some of them are platformers while others aren't.

 

As some others said before me, there's some weird hype deal involved with Sonic; the only thing I hype more about are things that rarely get games (Metroid) or things that are just automatic hype machines (Pokemon), but Sonic's got this weird hype vibe that it gives me.  I always get hyped about a new game that I'm aware of (I didn't know about Unleashed or Colors until they were released, as I wasn't even remotely interested in anything Sonic-related after ShTH), despite the fact that said games are leagues behind my other favorites like Mario, Kirby, and Metroid in quality.

 

As far as that actual games go, I wouldn't take a hundred Generations or Colors for a single copy of Metroid Prime Trilogy or Majora's Mask, the latter of which I will state repeatedly as both my favorite game and the best game ever made period, and the former as a damn good game on all accounts.

 

Also, I don't like pizza.

Edited October 21, 2013 by Master of Disguise Wario

[SenEDDtor Missile]

They cut their pizza in squares. How can anyone ever justify such an act?

Anyways, Sonic is something to play when you're in a platform-ish mood, but Mario just won't cut it. Zelda is more engrossing in my honest opinion, but both can be really entertaining at best.

Pizza Hut has square pizza as well.

[Fletch]

I really can't compare Sonic to any other platforming series except for Mario since I sometimes play some Mario platformers (64, Sunshine, a little bit of Galaxy 1, and New Super Mario Bros. U.) I still find Sonic to be more enjoyable compared to the Mario games. Maybe it's because of the speed, the entire Sonic universe, or maybe the characters. 

 

 

Comparing Sonic to the other gaming series I like; which would be BlazBlue, Hyperdimension Neptunia, Fire Emblem, and Shin Megami Tensei... Eh... Still would put Sonic above them. Even after beating a Sonic game, I can still just go back and spend countless hours speed running. I can't play BlazBlue for too long since I'm not all that into fighting games, and the last three games are RPG's where I beat the main story and have nothing else I want to do in them. 

 

Whenever a new Sonic game is revealed, I get major hype. The amount of hype I have for a new Sonic game can only be rivaled with my hype of a new BlazBlue game (I really love BlazBlue story). I wish I had Domino's right about now...

[FireBird75]

Compared to other platformers, Sonic is pretty great.  I've always thought of Sonic as a super fast Mario, with addition of Sonic having more personality and much cooler friends.  Also I've always thought the levels that Sonic and co. traverse just have much more to offer compared to other certain platformers.

 

As for the series in general, Sonic takes home the bronze medal.

Ratchet and Clank with silver.

Jak and Daxter wins the gold!

 

I put R&C and J&D over Sonic because those series combine my favorite game genres: third-person shooting and platforming.