Any little things you'd like to see change in the Sonic series?

[Sparky]

Tails should have an aerial spin dash, like in Tails' Adventure. As in, he can charge up a spin dash even while airborne. I  think it should also be merged with the Homing Attack somehow, so that Tails has his own way of using that alongside his flight.

[MegasonicZX]

Just one thing, please for the love of god bring back the sound test, its literally all I want and it seriously feels like sega is out to make my life miserable whenever they don't have one in the games.

[pocket]

Not sure if it's a "little" change, but one thing I liked about the first Master System title was that you lost all your rings when you took damage, and you got the same sense of vulnerability as being Mario without any power ups at all, making things like enemies and spike traps true threats. When Sonic can usually just pick up his rings right away, the only things that really feel all that threatening are bottomless pits and crushing traps, and over reliance on bottomless pits for difficulty has been a huge complaint I've had with the later games for years.

So I guess the change that I'd like to see isn't really going back to the master system style exactly, but a mix of that and more recent games where you don't lose all your rings when you get hit, just a chunk of them based on the damage you took. Combine those two styles where your rings are just gone instead of being able to pick them up, but there's not many attacks that would make you drop all your rings at once.

This is a change that would probably be better suited to an Adventure or Lost World style game instead of a boosting type game where platforming and speed is an even split, or platforming is the focus.

[Potada]

We're doing move set wish lists? Oh, boy! ahem

- First, I'd love to see Sonic's Spin Boost from SLW make a comeback and be improved. Give it a "Dash" meter that's filled by revving a spin dash, gathering rings or just running at full speed. However, it automatically drains not only while boosting, but just by going slow or standing still.

- I think Tails could benefit from an ability to "re-roll" while flying. You could be flying a while, run low on steam, drop down and bounce off an enemy and continue flying after your little break.

- I agree that Knuckles could use his own Homing Attack, of sorts, though I could maybe see it working like the kick from SLW WiiU/PC. Also, I think RoL had a good idea with the way he digs in that game. Definitely potential for alternate routes with burrowing.

- Amy could possibly pull out a miniature version of the goal balloon from her SA1 stages to use for floating. Not sure about a Homing Attack for her, but it could work.

I'll stop here. If I try putting up my entire move set ideas, it'll take up way too much space. [emoji14]

[Muscles Maximum]

11 minutes ago, Potada said:

We're doing move set wish lists? Oh, boy! ahem

- First, I'd love to see Sonic's Spin Boost from SLW make a comeback and be improved. Give it a "Dash" meter that's filled by revving a spin dash, gathering rings or just running at full speed. However, it automatically drains not only while boosting, but just by going slow or standing still.

- I think Tails could benefit from an ability to "re-roll" while flying. You could be flying a while, run low on steam, drop down and bounce off an enemy and continue flying after your little break.

- I agree that Knuckles could use his own Homing Attack, of sorts, though I could maybe see it working like the kick from SLW WiiU/PC. Also, I think RoL had a good idea with the way he digs in that game. Definitely potential for alternate routes with burrowing.

- Amy could possibly pull out a miniature version of the goal balloon from her SA1 stages to use for floating. Not sure about a Homing Attack for her, but it could work.

I'll stop here. If I try putting up my entire move set ideas, it'll take up way too much space.

That's a really clever idea with the Spin Boost. I always quite liked it, but felt it was strange seeing Sonic rolling 100% of the time. I don't know why I never thought giving it a meter before it teeters out, it almost seems so obvious now that you mention it hehe.

[Potada]

We're doing move set wish lists? Oh, boy! ahem

- First, I'd love to see Sonic's Spin Boost from SLW make a comeback and be improved. Give it a "Dash" meter that's filled by revving a spin dash, gathering rings or just running at full speed. However, it automatically drains not only while boosting, but just by going slow or standing still.

- I think Tails could benefit from an ability to "re-roll" while flying. You could be flying a while, run low on steam, drop down and bounce off an enemy and continue flying after your little break.

- I agree that Knuckles could use his own Homing Attack, of sorts, though I could maybe see it working like the kick from SLW WiiU/PC. Also, I think RoL had a good idea with the way he digs in that game. Definitely potential for alternate routes with burrowing.

- Amy could possibly pull out a miniature version of the goal balloon from her SA1 stages to use for floating. Not sure about a Homing Attack for her, but it could work.

I'll stop here. If I try putting up my entire move set ideas, it'll take up way too much space. [emoji14]

That's a really clever idea with the Spin Boost. I always quite liked it, but felt it was strange seeing Sonic rolling 100% of the time. I don't know why I never thought giving it a meter before it teeters out, it almost seems so obvious now that you mention it hehe.

What I found odd about SLW was the fact you had both a run button and the spin dash. I only played the 3ds version, but I always thought it seemed awkward holding a run button my first time through. You practically only need one, with the other almost eliminating the need for both. I pretty much only hop around or spin dash for speed and/or performing parkour in the game these days.

[Green Eyes]

Sonic should hug Tails.

OK to be a bit more general, it strikes me as a bit odd how he's portrayed in terms of emotion sometimes.

I get that the general idea is that Sonic is aloof and egotistical, but beyond that he is caring and he cares about his friends. He loves Tails right? I think that's what's implied.

I just think it would be more believable if he showed some form of affection toward his friends (and vice versa), because it seems awkward when something like Lost World happens and the writers try hit home that he does care and when his friends are in danger it's a catastrophe but when they reunite they kinda carry on like nothing happened.

I get he isn't lovey-dovey, but lets take Sonic from Sonic Boom for example, he's even more outwardly aloof than Sonic from the games, but...

It's nothing mushy, but it gets the point across.

Also I'm weak for my bros4life.

[JezMM]

I'd like to see vocal songs getting some use again, but more creatively.  Not just a typical "main theme" and "ending theme" thing for tradition's sake.  Use it on a level that has significance in the game, use vocals for an important cut-scene, use it just for the final phase of a battle, etc etc.  Make it a real part of the game's musical experience rather than just doing vocal songs at the expected places "because".

Would also like "Egg Shuttle" mode to be a mainstay, and better unlockables.

 

Regardless of all else, I just want the games to surprise me a bit.  It's the little things - Terminal Velocity Act 2, Eggmanland's super long gauntlet.  Hell, even the very first Sonic game broke it's own formula and surprised the player with everything between Scrap Brain Act 2's goal and the finale.  Again, like the vocal song thing, don't necessarily save this kinda stuff for the "expected" places.  How cool would something like having a world map that seems to have a really typical 7 zone structure, then Eggman succeeds with his plot halfway through the game and three of those obviously-upcoming areas with completely-typical tropes on the map get trashed and cause Sonic to take a diversion to some totally unique locales possibly eventually leading to more than the expected 6-7 zones + one "final" unveiled zone, causing players to be unsure where the adventure will conclude.  "Surprises" like this could still be done in a game with mostly classic, arcade-like progression if they want to keep up the progression style they've had since Colours.

[Iamaspaz]

There is SOO much I could put here. From the rushing of games for Christmas (*cough*06*hack*boom*hng*),to horrible humor,to OOC characters,there is a lot that needs to improve.

[Bowbowis]

Speaking of the zone/act progression structure I'd appreciate it if they just scrapped it and made each stage its own thing ala the Adventures. Reason being that the zone/act structure is very rigid and puts a hefty restriction on story progression (e.g. forcing you to spend an equal amount of time on each area and never letting you go back to previously visited locations) for little to no benefit in return. It worked for the classics because back then a game's story was the progression between the stages, but nowadays, when cutscenes and voice acting allow us to do much more in-depth stories it's a very limiting system (Case in Point: Try to fit the story of Sonic Adventure 2 into the zone/act structure without altering one or the other to the point of unrecognizability). The point is that if you're only reason for using the zone/act structure is "because the classics did it" (as I suspect it is) then you're just handicapping yourself for no reason.

[Diogenes]

1 hour ago, Bowbowis said:

 (Case in Point: Try to fit the story of Sonic Adventure 2 into the zone/act structure without altering one or the other to the point of unrecognizability).

Simple enough. Every zone is one act long.

More seriously though, I don't think SA2 entirely abandons the zone/act structure, it just gives it a very strong twist out of shape. There's a lot of reused themes and assets, and a lot of obvious level "pairs", they're just not played back-to-back or by the same character. Radical Highway and Mission Street, Green Forest and White Jungle, Prison Lane and Iron Gate, Metal Harbor and Weapons Bed, Pumpkin Hill and Sky Rail, etc etc. Especially with the ones that use the same gameplay type, it's not hard to see the level pairs as a kind of Act 1/Act 2 take on a certain zone theme.

[Bowbowis]

27 minutes ago, Diogenes said:

Simple enough. Every zone is one act long.

More seriously though, I don't think SA2 entirely abandons the zone/act structure, it just gives it a very strong twist out of shape. There's a lot of reused themes and assets, and a lot of obvious level "pairs", they're just not played back-to-back or by the same character. Radical Highway and Mission Street, Green Forest and White Jungle, Prison Lane and Iron Gate, Metal Harbor and Weapons Bed, Pumpkin Hill and Sky Rail, etc etc. Especially with the ones that use the same gameplay type, it's not hard to see the level pairs as a kind of Act 1/Act 2 take on a certain zone theme.

It's not the recurring tropes I'm taking issue with, it's the rigidity of the structure where you have X number of acts per zone and every act in the zone is played back to back. For Sonic Adventure 2 that would mean that you couldn't start the Hero story with City Escape or the Dark story with Iron Gate and then return later for Mission Street/Weapons Bed because that would break up the City/Prison Island zones. That or you'd have to make them their own zones and pad them out and/or cut levels from other zones to make them equal lengths, which you'd have to do anyway due to the different locations having different numbers of levels. I probably don't need to tell you what stretching Green Forest out so that you spend the same number of levels there as you do on the ARK would do to the game's pacing.

A structure with that kind of inflexibility has a lot of drawbacks and few if any benefits. Continuing to use it solely on the basis of that being how the classics did things is a colossally stupid move in my book.

[LoseR]

It's become OP. Please limit the range and usefulness of the homing attack, Sonic Team.

Ever since Sonic Unleashed they've made the range and versatility of the homing attack absolutely wild. You can attack and home in on enemies and objects that are quite far away from you (upwards of what would be about 50 feet in Sonic's world) and you can homing attack at basically any time you are off of the ground, of course not when you're performing another action or taking damage.

But why does this matter? Because the homing attack has become the go-to option for basically any sticky situation. Need to attack an enemy? Homing attack. Need to get to that spring? Homing attack. Need to grind that rail? Homing attack. Need to grab that item? Homing attack. Need to cross a chasm? Homing attack chain. The overabundance of the homing attack's usefulness has actually lowered the need for Sonic to even have other mechanics or abilities, because the homing attack covers those options just as well if not better than those other mechanics. Sonic can quickly and effectively zoom over to any object and perform so many different tasks way too easily due to the homing attack.

But how should the homing attack be limited?

I think they should bring the homing attack's usefulness back to where it was in the Adventure days, or at least a similar amount of usefulness. The homing attack could only lock onto enemies, containers, and springs and could only be performed out of a aerial ball, and I think it was good that way. The range was actually very short (around 5 to 10 feet in Sonic's world) and Sonic could only attack things that he was facing towards. The plus side to this is that Sonic actually still needed to run up to objects and the player could better control what he attacks, by altering Sonic's direction to face towards the homable object. This allowed the player to actually choose which objects he attacked, instead of just being flung towards whatever object the game wants Sonic to attack. Also, the range was limited to objects that were below Sonic, which meant that the player would still have to use his own skill to move upwards.

Because of the usability of Sonic's homing attack actions like the spindash, light dash/attack, and so on have actually become more situational, and really I can see why Sonic Team has limited the amount of situations where Sonic uses techniques like these.

In short, lower the usability of the homing attack to give the player better control over their own actions, as well as strengthen the need for Sonic's other techniques.

Wow okay this was a "little" thing when I started but turns out it's bigger than I thought it would be. lol

Oh yeah and please make the homing attack reticle and reticle sound much less intrusive. They're actually obnoxious and they distract the player's train of thought.

[The Deleter]

If there's no real effort to go next-gen or ambitious with the game world, multiple ways to get through the game would be neat. Sort of how Freedom Planet handled it's options, maybe have a more fleshed-out HUB option for NPC stuff, a level select for easily finding the stages, and an "arcade" mode, similar to the Egg Shuttle in Sonic Colors, where all of the levels are played back-to-back with no cutscenes inbetween, for the sake of the classic fans and marathoners.

 

If there is effort, though, I've said it once, and I'll say it again: A world that flows it's levels and hubs together, logically, and with zero loading times. Rise of Lyric almost got to do that, but stopped just shy of it. If the next Sonic games are all going to be on hardware like the PS4, though, I don't see any reason why this can't be met anymore.

Just imagine: Walking through the hubs, talking to NPCs for info, stocking up at a store for lives/items, then just walking down a pathway to a level. But it doesn't go to a black loading screen; it simply kicks you off running down an environmental hallway, and the title of the area you're going to run through slices in front of the screen. Cue the grand entrance into the level's much larger and wider world.

Now that would be awesome.

[JezMM]

I'd definitely be fine if they did "asset re-usage" (really, the whole point of having different acts per zone) Sonic Adventure 2 style.  Though that in itself could end up becoming a slightly predictable aspect if each zone had an equal number of alternates, as you become aware that you must be reaching the end of the game due to having visited each location "twice" for almost every aesthetic.

[Idon'tcare]

I don't fell like writing a big post so here is a simple number list.

1. No more Solo Sonic.
2. Less 2D gameplay.
3. A lot less on rails 3D gameplay.
4. More focus on story and plots.
5. Better replay value.
6. Online multiplayer gameplay.
7. Limit the use of boost a lot.
8. Stop flanderizing the cast for fucks sake.
9. Add variety to the gameplay that doesn't feel forced into it.
10. Stop blaming the friends for the games sucking. If they're not playable or even present and the game still sucks and sells even less than games where the friends are present, it is quite clear to everyone with a functioning brain that its the Solo Sonic, no story, boost only gameplay that is wrecking the franchise and driving down sales.

[Muscles Maximum]

I might be alone in this. But for me, something I've always wanted is for Super Sonic to look like this again.

 

I think he looks way better with his spines shaped like that. As opposed to this bunch of bananas.

It's not a huge deal, but it's something that kind of bugs me a little bit.

[Adamabba]

I really liked how an afterimage effect would appear when you go really fast in Sonic Advance 2.

It looked cool and gave a really good sense of speed.

[Muscles Maximum]

Same here brother. When I first saw the parkour effect in Lost World I immediately thought about Advance 2 and I would love to see it return when going fast.

[Enesephus]

I'd really like to see smoother, more cartoony, more expressive animation on the characters. Something that has always bugged me about the Sonic series is that the animation is almost always rather stiff. I mean, it's passable, but it's not very interesting to look at. The thing is, I know there are people at Sonic Team that can animate really well; the pre-rendered cutscenes, for whatever reason, usually tend to have really nice character animation, from Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Lost World (though only in the opening cutscene in the case of the latter, for some reason), to Sonic '06 and Shadow the Hedgehog. As soon as you go to am in-game (or just in-engine?) cutscene, though, the movements are just so stiff and lifeless.

Sonic's movements should be a lot more fast and fluid than what we're seeing here, Eggman's movements should be more over the top, Amy should have more energy to her movements, etc. In any given game, the characters' mere movements, as well as their facial expressions, should be able to really bring out their personalities. In addition, the characters should just do a lot more in the cutscenes. Again, it seems like the animators are only doing the bare minimum to make these cutscenes watchable, making sure they do their job and nothing more, rather than make them fully entertaining. Yeah, Sonic has always been a very gameplay-focused series (by that, I mean it generally just wants to get to the gameplay rather than spend much time on the stuff in between), compared to, say, Uncharted, but the series has always had a lot of personality. Besides the speed, the personality was pretty much what set Sonic apart from other platformers of the time, and I feel the cutscenes should have a lot of personality, certainly a lot more than they do now.

Also, while I did praise the special CGI cutscenes for having much better and more interesting animation, I still think the series could do even better. I would like to see Sonic have character animation almost on par with a Pixar movie.

Just look at how expressive it is! This is a lot more interesting to watch than, well, that ^ up there. I know Sonic Team can do it, both Naughty Dog and Insomniac have, they just need to actually put in the time and effort.

[sonicDX]

It's an interesting question!

Personally I am not sure in the thing I'd like to be changed: I liked that in Sonic Rivals, you don't lose all your Rings when you take damage. That's good because you don't have to restart the whole level if you want to get a better score than 0. But losing all Rings when being damaged gives a great challenge to the Sonic games. Sometimes I feel like it's a survival, I keep saying 'Just don't touch anything, just don't touch anything...' while playing. So I can't really decide which is better: losing all of them or just losing a few of your rings. But I think maybe the player could choose difficulty, and on an easier difficulty level you lose just a few of your rings, and on a harder you lose all of them. In my opinion that would be the best.

15 hours ago, monkokaio said:

I might be alone in this. But for me, something I've always wanted is for Super Sonic to look like this again.

 

I think he looks way better with his spines shaped like that. As opposed to this bunch of bananas.

It's not a huge deal, but it's something that kind of bugs me a little bit.

I agree with that. The old Super Sonic's spines looked like Shadow's, and they looked awesome.

[Green Eyes]

I like the way classic SuperSonic's quills looked, the central quills look more straight rather than swept up or normal.