FULL interview with Ken Pontac

[Blue Blood]

I doubt that it failed to be that because they haven't read up on the Adventures. I would guess it's more likely that the process of making the games has changed, that there's a disconnect between the writers and the rest of the team that makes it more assembly line than an integrated process.

 

That's a totally different problem that needs addressing, and not exactly an excuse for Lost World's plot to have been held back as much as it was. Lost World tried to maintain an air of simplicity, almost like a Saturday morning cartoon, but fell flat where it neglected to explain anything. Understanding the stories of past games would simply give them a better idea of what the series is about. Everything else has always had a purpose, so why not anything in this game?

[Indigo Rush]

Thought I'd chime in with my thoughts about Tails.

 

I know a fair few people here are not a fan of his recent portrayal in Lost World, but I don't think how Tails was written is necessarily out of character. I mean, think about it: we don't really see much of Tails getting mad or jealous, so it's difficult to say for sure how he should act when that happens. Aside from that, it's probably not so bad a thought to suggest that Tails is being written as if he's gotten a bit older; personalities change, and what they did as a little kid isn't the same thing they'll be doing as a young teen.

 

I also feel that saying that Tails is totally different from his older self is a bit of an exaggeration. He's always been a techie, and I think that as he gets older, he'll start embracing that talent of his in a much bigger way than he did when he was younger. I mean, is it that hard to believe that Tails might not want to risk his life blowing up robots the same way Sonic does anymore? It's not like he isn't capable of it, but maybe he feels like he'll be more helpful to Sonic as support. We also have Sonic being more protective of him as a brother, so this new dynamic might be where the focus is, and I rather like it. Tails is still plenty useful and contributing with his gadgets and gizmos as he is with his ability to fly and apparently use his tails as individual limbs (I thought that was the coolest thing ever, by the way.) He may not be perpetually sweet and everything, but I don't see why him being nothing but that is necessarily better.

 

It's just frustrating to me when people say that Tails is worse off or totally different for having a more technical focus, a bit of an ego problem and for getting angry and jealous. I feel that all three of those aspects are totally justified for his character: he's always been making mechanical and electrical things, getting older he's probably going to get full of himself every now and then, and it's not so difficult to see him getting jealous when Eggman steps in as the "brains" of the group dynamic. It's that Tails has developed himself into the smart guy in Team Sonic, and maybe he's proud of that. 

 

Good grief I'm talking about him like he's an actual person. I'm getting really deep into this.

 

Just to sum it up though, I don't think the new portrayal of Tails necessarily negates anything that happened before. He's just simply getting a little older. Sonic's ego is rubbing off on him, and he's established himself as tech support and chooses to assist Sonic that way now. Besides, he still has that loyal side-kick edge to him; he pals around with Sonic still, he still lets Sonic be big-brother without letting it deflate his ego (seriously, that dynamic could come with a LOT of problems, and yet it doesn't for Tails), even risks his life for him in this game. He did the same thing in Colors, too. 

 

Tails is still Tails, we're just seeing more of him as he gets a little older and more developed. He's much more palpable of a character than he was before, and if that's how Tails is going to be, then I'm all for it.

 

That's my thought on the matter.

[Kuzu]

It should be noted that while Sega may have a large say in what the writers actually do, but I kinda feel their brand of writing kinda doesn't work with the series, or at the very least how they are currently going about it. Ken and Pontac are not terrible writers, its pretty clear they enjoy what they do, but their writing seems more akin to the over the top, zany, and near parody levels; which is something that I feel Sonic never was, nor should be.

 

It doesn't help that, because of their lack of research, their attempted writing style kinda fails with Sonic. Its not like this is their own product they are dealing with, its a series that, despite what many contest, has a history and a specific way on how it went about portraying its characters and telling its stories. So the fact that they have actively ignored this already puts them behind. I'm not saying they did terribly when it comes to writing the cast, but having knowledge of the series and its history would do a hell of a lot of good than bad.

 

 

For them to ultimately improve, they need to change their entire style of writing altogether and understand what makes the series tick. By understanding the series and knowing why people take this shit so seriously, we'll probably get overall better writing. Now of course that isn't necessarily going to happen at all, but its just a thought I had.

[Diogenes]

Not true. Researching the old games would give them an idea of the types of stories that the series used to handle. Unleashed, '06 and SA2 each had practically nothing to do with games that came before them, but they still had pretty large self-contained plots. There's no good reason we don't get more of that. Heck, Lost World was almost that.

If I'm right and that is an issue, I'm not really sure what the other problem is. I mean, if you're hoping for levels to be integrated with the plot...but the writers aren't in close contact with the level designers...what can they do?

[Kuzu]

Thought I'd chime in with my thoughts about Tails.

 

I know a fair few people here are not a fan of his recent portrayal in Lost World, but I don't think how Tails was written is necessarily out of character. I mean, think about it: we don't really see much of Tails getting mad or jealous, so it's difficult to say for sure how he should act when that happens. Aside from that, it's probably not so bad a thought to suggest that Tails is being written as if he's gotten a bit older; personalities change, and what they did as a little kid isn't the same thing they'll be doing as a young teen.

 

I also feel that saying that Tails is totally different from his older self is a bit of an exaggeration. He's always been a techie, and I think that as he gets older, he'll start embracing that talent of his in a much bigger way than he did when he was younger. I mean, is it that hard to believe that Tails might not want to risk his life blowing up robots the same way Sonic does anymore? It's not like he isn't capable of it, but maybe he feels like he'll be more helpful to Sonic as support. We also have Sonic being more protective of him as a brother, so this new dynamic might be where the focus is, and I rather like it. Tails is still plenty useful and contributing with his gadgets and gizmos as he is with his ability to fly and apparently use his tails as individual limbs (I thought that was the coolest thing ever, by the way.) He may not be perpetually sweet and everything, but I don't see why him being nothing but that is necessarily better.

 

It's just frustrating to me when people say that Tails is worse off or totally different for having a more technical focus, a bit of an ego problem and for getting angry and jealous. I feel that all three of those aspects are totally justified for his character: he's always been making mechanical and electrical things, getting older he's probably going to get full of himself every now and then, and it's not so difficult to see him getting jealous when Eggman steps in as the "brains" of the group dynamic. It's that Tails has developed himself into the smart guy in Team Sonic, and maybe he's proud of that. 

 

Good grief I'm talking about him like he's an actual person. I'm getting really deep into this.

 

Just to sum it up though, I don't think the new portrayal of Tails necessarily negates anything that happened before. He's just simply getting a little older. Sonic's ego is rubbing off on him, and he's established himself as tech support and chooses to assist Sonic that way now. Besides, he still has that loyal side-kick edge to him; he pals around with Sonic still, he still lets Sonic be big-brother without letting it deflate his ego (seriously, that dynamic could come with a LOT of problems, and yet it doesn't for Tails), even risks his life for him in this game. He did the same thing in Colors, too. 

 

Tails is still Tails, we're just seeing more of him as he gets a little older and more developed. He's much more palpable of a character than he was before, and if that's how Tails is going to be, then I'm all for it.

 

That's my thought on the matter.

 

I'm just gonna chime in to say: Its not really "development" because we never actually see this gradual change in character. I mean when did Tails suddenly start becoming a bit of an egotist as far as his gadgets are concerned? There was no buildup to it, it just kinda happens. I don't think people are unjustified in feeling he was a bit Out of Character considering the lack of context behind this new attitude.

 

I'm not saying its wrong for him to act like that, but changes like this that are so abrupt aren't going to go well with everyone, especially when people are used to seeing Tails not being so vitriolic. 

[Soniman]

If I'm right and that is an issue, I'm not really sure what the other problem is. I mean, if you're hoping for levels to be integrated with the plot...but the writers aren't in close contact with the level designers...what can they do?

 

I always get a bit peeved when there was a complaint about how some were pissed about the Snowball Stage in Frozen Factory because "it didn't have context", like we didn't know WHY Sonic was in a ball or what was his reasoning he just was....

 

And…..im sorry but, really? Does every level need tons of context and story reasoning just to exist? Can't a zany video game level just be a zany video game level?

 

I'm not saying its wrong for him to act like that, but changes like this that are so abrupt aren't going to go well with everyone, especially when people are used to seeing Tails not being so vitriolic.

 

Im sure if it was built up in the story people would have been fine with it, but as it stands it just comes right the fuck out of nowhere and comes off as uncalled for in Tails' case. I don't consider it OOC because there was legit reasoning behind it, I just consider it a case of to little story/scenes for such a big change in his character.

[Indigo Rush]

 

I'm just gonna chime in to say: Its not really "development" because we never actually see this gradual change in character. I mean when did Tails suddenly start becoming a bit of an egotist as far as his gadgets are concerned? There was no buildup to it, it just kinda happens. I don't think people are unjustified in feeling he was a bit Out of Character considering the lack of context behind this new attitude.

 

I'm not saying its wrong for him to act like that, but changes like this that are so abrupt aren't going to go well with everyone, especially when people are used to seeing Tails not being so vitriolic. 

 

 

I dunno, I think it was rearing its head a bit in Colors, too. He got pretty snarky near the end when correcting Sonic about how he was necessary to translate what the Wisps were saying. It's not a large one, but I don't think it's as if it came totally out of nowhere, either.

 

Though you could argue that from Colors it came out of nowhere off the heels of Unleashed, so I suppose you have a point. I don't necessarily disagree with you, but I guess I don't see it as a massive issue. It was abrupt, but the end result was still sensible for Tails.

 

It's definitely got everything to do with a new writing team, but I don't think they should go back on it (not that many people were suggesting it). As I've said, I rather like new Tails. To me, his snark and occasional geekiness is more interesting to work with than a being a perpetual yes-man. (not that Tails was that exactly, he was pretty darn close to it for his entire pre-Colors portrayals) 

[Kuzu]

At the very least they should tone it down; I don't mind Tails having a bit of sass to him, but he should still ultimately be a nice guy overall. Save that type of dickery for Knuckles, he at least would have a legit reason for being a jackass because that's generally what the character is like, especially towards Sonic.

[Nepenthe]

I always get a bit peeved when there was a complaint about how some were pissed about the Snowball Stage in Frozen Factory because "it didn't have context", like we didn't know WHY Sonic was in a ball or what was his reasoning he just was....

 

And…..im sorry but, really? Does every level need tons of context and story reasoning just to exist? Can't a zany video game level just be a zany video game level?

 

I don't think anyone was asking for context for why Sonic was in a snowball, but rather why did Sonic need to go to that specific place anyway. Without specifying why within the game itself, a zany video game level really is just that- a zany video game level, like in every other zany video game you can play on various platforms. I feel like it's these little things that separate a forgettable level from a more memorable one.

 

Overall, levels, mechanics, items, and HUDs and whatnot don't need Tolkien-levels of backstory to warrant exist. But when levels are generally more separate from the narrative than they are melded with it, that is a disconnect that makes a game feel more like a series of levels and less like a cohesive experience. While that isn't wrong (after all, this is how most platformers are set up) I generally prefer the latter because it asks for a greater amount of investment from me. Games are a medium- like film- that require multiple disciplines to even exist, and I feel they are at their best when all of the elements are working together with one another to elevate the significance of one another within the context of that particular experience.

[Diogenes]

I'm just gonna chime in to say: Its not really "development" because we never actually see this gradual change in character. I mean when did Tails suddenly start becoming a bit of an egotist as far as his gadgets are concerned?

Egotist? Just because he's proud of his skills? Why do characterization complaints always go straight to the extreme end of the scale? It makes it hard to take them seriously. I mean, the first time we see it, he's joking around with his best friend. Why do people act as if he's being hideously uncouth?

Also I reject the notion that it's not development if we don't see every second of it on screen. There are limits to what's worth showing on screen; chronicling every moment of Tails' rising confidence in himself isn't really necessary; we can reasonably infer it from his arcs in the Adventures and how he acts now.

[Indigo Rush]

At the very least they should tone it down; I don't mind Tails having a bit of sass to him, but he should still ultimately be a nice guy overall. Save that type of dickery for Knuckles, he at least would have a legit reason for being a jackass because that's generally what the character is like, especially towards Sonic.

 

Oho, I have a quite a few problems with how Knuckles was treated in Lost World, but I'll save that for another time.

 

And again, I think everyone's reaction to Tails' snark is still a bit over-exaggerated. For most of the game, he had to work with his worst enemy and tech rival. He was clearly having a bad day. As I've mentioned before, he still has those moments of good-natured selflessness and general peppy attitude. He's still Tails, we're just seeing a new side of him that we wouldn't have otherwise seen if Eggman had never joined forces with Sonic.

[Kuzu]

Egotist? Just because he's proud of his skills? Why do characterization complaints always go straight to the extreme end of the scale? It makes it hard to take them seriously. I mean, the first time we see it, he's joking around with his best friend. Why do people act as if he's being hideously uncouth?

Also I reject the notion that it's not development if we don't see every second of it on screen. There are limits to what's worth showing on screen; chronicling every moment of Tails' rising confidence in himself isn't really necessary; we can reasonably infer it from his arcs in the Adventures and how he acts now.

 

I was talking about when he calls out Sonic for "trusting Eggman over him", I never said anything about the first scene?

 

If there are limits to what you should show as far as Character Development is concerned, then isn't it reasonable to complain that there isn't enough shown? You just accused me of going to extremes and you're doing the same thing yourself :\

Oho, I have a quite a few problems with how Knuckles was treated in Lost World, but I'll save that for another time.

 

And again, I think everyone's reaction to Tails' snark is still a bit over-exaggerated. For most of the game, he had to work with his worst enemy and tech rival. He was clearly having a bad day. As I've mentioned before, he still has those moments of good-natured selflessness and general peppy attitude. He's still Tails, we're just seeing a new side of him that we wouldn't have otherwise seen if Eggman had never joined forces with Sonic.

 

I think everyone's reactions just stem from years of frustration with the writing since Colors, and Lost World was just the last straw for some. I'm not losing my mind over it, but Tails' attitude really rubbed me the wrong way as I watching it play out and I don't like feeling that way. I was willing to let a few things slide, but that was a definite "Nononono" on the writer's part.

[Diogenes]

I was talking about when he calls out Sonic for "trusting Eggman over him", I never said anything about the first scene?

Fair enough, I thought you were referring to his pride in his abilities in general. But, I mean...he's right. He's the tech guy of Team Sonic, but Sonic's trusting Eggman, the bad guy, the obviously-going-to-fuck-us-over guy, to handle what is supposed to be Tails' specialty. You don't have to be an egotist to be a bit hurt by that!

If there are limits to what you should show as far as Character Development is concerned, then isn't it reasonable to complain that there isn't enough shown? You just accused me of going to extremes and you're doing the same thing yourself :\

His story in both Adventures was about becoming more confident, how much more do you need?

[Indigo Rush]

I think everyone's reactions just stem from years of frustration with the writing since Colors, and Lost World was just the last straw for some. I'm not losing my mind over it, but Tails' attitude really rubbed me the wrong way as I watching it play out and I don't like feeling that way. I was willing to let a few things slide, but that was a definite "Nononono" on the writer's part.

To that I think we need to agree to disagree. I was rather impressed and happy with it.

[Kuzu]

Fair enough, I thought you were referring to his pride in his abilities in general. But, I mean...he's right. He's the tech guy of Team Sonic, but Sonic's trusting Eggman, the bad guy, the obviously-going-to-fuck-us-over guy, to handle what is supposed to be Tails' specialty. You don't have to be an egotist to be a bit hurt by that!

His story in both Adventures was about becoming more confident, how much more do you need?

I'm not saying he isn't right, my primary problem was the attitude and the lack of buildup to it. If Tails was established at having this insecurity and resenting anyone who comes in what he considers "his" territory, then I'd let it rock. But in this case, Tails never felt he was entitled at being by Sonic's side, and even if he did, I doubt he would be a dick about the whole thing.

 

Context is everything, without it, it can make us interpret things different than what the actually are. Yea, you can infer things, but the lack of context doesn't make it concrete. I like knowing why characters are doing things rather than going off vague details, its not the watcher's job to figure it out, its the writer's to show us why.

 

I know his character arc in Adventure was becoming more confident, but in the context of that game: its learning how to handle things by himself without relying on Sonic to solve everything. Now what about that implies that he feels entitled that only HE should be Sonic's tech guy and that he would treat anyone who comes in on that he would resent?

[Nepenthe]

How do you even begin to establish Tails as having insecurities at other techies muscling in on his relationship with Sonic when Lost World was literally the first game where that's ever happened? You're asking for the impossible in such an instance, and if we're going to continue asking for situations that put the cast in scenarios exclusive from the games beforehand, we're going to be seeing different sides of them as a result. This is how you build three-dimensional characters.

 

And frankly, the problem wasn't that Tails was insecure. Frankly, he knew what he was doing most of the time, a lot more than Sonic was. The stated issue was that Sonic's caution led to him trusting Eggman to deliver on his promises far more than he trusted Tails' mechanical abilities to get them out of that mess. They literally didn't need Eggman for anything, but Sonic was so scared of fucking up even more after the Six revolted due to his actions that he decided to roll with him blindly at the expense of Tails' input. That pissed him off and is the direct catalyst for every bitchy moment he had afterwards. It makes perfect sense.

 

As I said in another topic, everything concerning Tails' characterization fell into place with the established facts in the game. There is nothing out of place about it other than we haven't seen this particular situation crop up before.

[Wraith]

I also want to add that I don't think any old techie joining the team and helping Sonic would cause him to react so harshly, but this is fucking Eggman. Of course Tails would get pissed off by that. Eggman is anything BUT trustworthy.

[Kuzu]

I

 

How do you even begin to establish Tails as having insecurities at other techies muscling in on his relationship with Sonic when Lost World was literally the first game where that's ever happened? You're asking for the impossible in such an instance, and if we're going to continue asking for situations that put the cast in scenarios exclusive from the games beforehand, we're going to be seeing different sides of them as a result. This is how you build three-dimensional characters.

 

And frankly, the problem wasn't that Tails was insecure. Frankly, he knew what he was doing most of the time, a lot more than Sonic was. The stated issue was that Sonic's caution led to him trusting Eggman to deliver on his promises far more than he trusted Tails' mechanical abilities to get them out of that mess. They literally didn't need Eggman for anything, but Sonic was so scared of fucking up even more after the Six revolted due to his actions that he decided to roll with him blindly at the expense of Tails' input. That pissed him off and is the direct catalyst for every bitchy moment he had afterwards. It makes perfect sense.

 

As I said in another topic, everything concerning Tails' characterization fell into place with the established facts in the game. There is nothing out of place about it other than we haven't seen this particular situation crop up before.

 

I'll concede to this, but I still ultimately feel it could have been handled better. 

I also want to add that I don't think any old techie joining the team and helping Sonic would cause him to react so harshly, but this is fucking Eggman. Of course Tails would get pissed off by that. Eggman is anything BUT trustworthy.

 

Wasn't Tails the one who convinced Sonic to hear Eggman out in the first place...

[Diogenes]

I know his character arc in Adventure was becoming more confident, but in the context of that game: its learning how to handle things by himself without relying on Sonic to solve everything. Now what about that implies that he feels entitled that only HE should be Sonic's tech guy and that he would treat anyone who comes in on that he would resent?

Nothing, because it never came up before. But it comes up now, and we see how Tails feels about it.

 

I mean, this is why I get so frustrated when people rag on SLoW's characterization. What I see them doing with Tails, is a lot like what I consider the best of the Adventures; when they put an obstacle in front of the character that can't be solved just by hitting it, and actually allow the character to feel something.

 

SA2's story, it does some questionable things, it may not have the best tone for the series to emulate, but I certainly like parts of it, and one of my favorite parts is how Shadow is allowed to bother Sonic. Shadow isn't just a bad guy for Sonic to knock down and thus save the day. Shadow is an attack on Sonic's identity (as any good doppelganger should be). He looks like him, he frames him, he outspeeds him, and he mocks him. And alongside saving the day, Sonic's side of the story is all about building a response to that and reaffirming his identity. "What you see is what you get. Just a guy that loves adventure". That is something that I've always respected, no matter how much shit I give the game, because it made me give a shit about Sonic the person and not just Sonic the superhero or Sonic the gameplay avatar.

 

And what they've done with Tails, here. He's come into his own, he's no longer just the kid who follows Sonic around, imitating whatever he does, he's someone who can be relied on for his own abilities. And now there's a problem, a problem that he (rightly) feels he can solve with those abilities. But Sonic trusts Eggman with it instead of him. And that hurts. So he starts taking it out on Eggman, since he's the one muscling in on the usual arrangement. Is this how Tails normally acts? No. Is it incompatible with his usual characterization? Also no, it's just a side of him we haven't seen. He's hurt and he's angry, and he's acting kind of petty and childish, but he is a child, and it's a very human way to act, regardless. That's interesting, that's compelling even, maybe moreso than Tails has ever been.

 

I look at Tails in SLoW and I see a kid who's hurt and struggling to deal with it properly. Other people, they just seem to think he's being a big smug dick.

[Indigo Rush]

How do you even begin to establish Tails as having insecurities at other techies muscling in on his relationship with Sonic when Lost World was literally the first game where that's ever happened? You're asking for the impossible in such an instance, and if we're going to continue asking for situations that put the cast in scenarios exclusive from the games beforehand, we're going to be seeing different sides of them as a result. This is how you build three-dimensional characters.

 

And frankly, the problem wasn't that Tails was insecure. Frankly, he knew what he was doing most of the time, a lot more than Sonic was. The stated issue was that Sonic's caution led to him trusting Eggman to deliver on his promises far more than he trusted Tails' mechanical abilities to get them out of that mess. They literally didn't need Eggman for anything, but Sonic was so scared of fucking up even more after the Six revolted due to his actions that he decided to roll with him blindly at the expense of Tails' input. That pissed him off and is the direct catalyst for every bitchy moment he had afterwards. It makes perfect sense.

 

As I said in another topic, everything concerning Tails' characterization fell into place with the established facts in the game. There is nothing out of place about it other than we haven't seen this particular situation crop up before.

 

 

This is exactly what I was trying to get at before! You did a much better job of explaining it, too. (and much more concisely).

 

The more I read the complaints against how Tails has been acting, the more I'm inclined to think it's people just not used to the change yet. While it is a legitimate shift in focus, it doesn't mean it has to be a bad one. And remember, in Generations, Tails didn't really exhibit much of his snarkiness or anything, and that's because there was not much for him to bounce off of. There was a little snark in the first cutscene, but my following point should still stand: Tails' portrayal is feeding off of what's happening around him. Since this team-up is a new thing, we're going to see a new side of Tails.

 

 

As for how much this truly changes him... we'll just have to wait and see how Tails acts in the next game.

 

EDIT:

 

Nothing, because it never came up before. But it comes up now, and we see how Tails feels about it.

 

I mean, this is why I get so frustrated when people rag on SLoW's characterization. What I see them doing with Tails, is a lot like what I consider the best of the Adventures; when they put an obstacle in front of the character that can't be solved just by hitting it, and actually allow the character to feel something.

 

SA2's story, it does some questionable things, it may not have the best tone for the series to emulate, but I certainly like parts of it, and one of my favorite parts is how Shadow is allowed to bother Sonic. Shadow isn't just a bad guy for Sonic to knock down and thus save the day. Shadow is an attack on Sonic's identity (as any good doppelganger should be). He looks like him, he frames him, he outspeeds him, and he mocks him. And alongside saving the day, Sonic's side of the story is all about building a response to that and reaffirming his identity. "What you see is what you get. Just a guy that loves adventure". That is something that I've always respected, no matter how much shit I give the game, because it made me give a shit about Sonic the person and not just Sonic the superhero or Sonic the gameplay avatar.

 

And what they've done with Tails, here. He's come into his own, he's no longer just the kid who follows Sonic around, imitating whatever he does, he's someone who can be relied on for his own abilities. And now there's a problem, a problem that he (rightly) feels he can solve with those abilities. But Sonic trusts Eggman with it instead of him. And that hurts. So he starts taking it out on Eggman, since he's the one muscling in on the usual arrangement. Is this how Tails normally acts? No. Is it incompatible with his usual characterization? Also no, it's just a side of him we haven't seen. He's hurt and he's angry, and he's acting kind of petty and childish, but he is a child, and it's a very human way to act, regardless. That's interesting, that's compelling even, maybe moreso than Tails has ever been.

 

I look at Tails in SLoW and I see a kid who's hurt and struggling to deal with it properly. Other people, they just seem to think he's being a big smug dick.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 29, 2013 by Indigo Rush

[Wraith]

Tails only agreed with Eggman's point that smashing the machine probably wasn't the best idea. 

[Indigo Rush]

Also, worth noting, Tails doesn't really start insulting and biting at Eggman until after the team-up. Before then, it was just business as usual. But once Eggman joins in, Tails acts the way he does.

[Kuzu]

Alright, Alright fine. I was jumping the gun a bit and I'll admit to that. Hopefully next game events like this are spaced out better so they don't feel so abrupt and we are eased into it a bit more.

[Nepenthe]

Granted, all this fighting over Tails' portrayal seems to be ignoring a bigger problem, one that kind of undermines things. As I watch the cutscenes now, I can't really spot proper development in the narrative where Sonic's decision to team-up with Eggman becomes problematic for Tails in the first place. In the cut scene right beforehand, Sonic was kind of forced into it, his method for dealing with the problem having been derided by everyone there. He and Tails reluctantly hop on board, and this was under the knowledge that "Eggman would supply the brains" of the operation. You would think if it were that problematic for Tails to have Eggman essentially supplanting him, he would've voice opposition right then and there. Unless some dialogue or something occurs in the game that I'm not aware of, watching the cutscenes in a vacuum puts Sonic into a no-win scenario specifically because everything seemed tenuously hunky-dory until he had to mediate Tails and Eggman beating up one another. Sonic doesn't know what to do and gets a lot of shit for it.

[Wraith]

I think the implication was that Tails and Eggman's arguments caused Tails to reject the idea of Eggman helping them even more than Sonic did, so he begins to react more harshly. If that was the intention, it's not conveyed as well as it could be, but still.