Sonic fans, I'm curious. Why do you continue to support the Sonic franchise when SEGA struggles to keep the quality consistent? What's keeping you around?

[nilesdobbs]

The Sonic franchise is a mess (as well all know). From all "the controversy, large varieties of theories exist to explain why the Sonic series is struggling in terms of reviews such as Christmas rush, a lack of talent or caring from the development team, over-reliance on new "gimmicks" or features, taking the series in too far a different direction, unrealistic demands from the fanbase, or the inability to give the franchise a concrete identity."

But after all this chaos, what's keeping you around? What's making you still support the Sonic franchise when SEGA can't keep the quality consistent? What's it about this franchise that's keeping you around?

[Tracker_TD]

Sonic's got a terrific aesthetic, a great character design, some kicking music, and a great personality. Sonic's a very character driven franchise; that's probably a decent part of the reason many give Forces a pass, despite the level design and all that looking a bit naff. Folks are attached to him in a way that's different to say, Mario.

To be honest though; I would've probably dropped out of Sonic by now if it weren't for a certain 2D game released in August. Forces looks dire and if that was all there was to show after years of Boom shite and Lost World, I think I would've just let sleeping dogs lie. The potential for more stuff like Mania has me excited for the potential of Sonic's future though. 

[Meta77]

It's a mess says who? Because some fans wake up made its not a perfect game every time or only like one style? I've been a fan since the start. First game first conic. Besides a few missteps in my eyes "rushing 06, showing pc footage of rol instead of what it would really look like" I've enjoyed everything about the franchise.......besides chris........

[Blue Blood]

2 minutes ago, Meta77 said:

It's a mess says who? Because some fans wake up made its not a perfect game every time or only like one style? I've been a fan since the start. First game first conic. Besides a few missteps in my eyes "rushing 06, showing pc footage of rol instead of what it would really look like" I've enjoyed everything about the franchise.......besides chris........

I wasn't going to reply to this thread, but I want to reply to this point particularly.

All biases aside, how can you not agree that the Sonic is "a mess"? Or to term it more objectively perhaps, would you disagree with the notion that the series has struggled to deliver consistent quality, maintain a consistent image and uphold a positive reputation?

[Riseodvi]

While Sonic's reputation has been rocky for a long time, I think that some of the recent games have been good. Generations and Colors were flawed but still enjoyable, and if SEGA keeps the Mania team around, things could be VERY good for the Sonic franchise's future.

 

I will not be supporting Forces, however. This game shows that Sonic Team has not learned anything from their more recent games, and in terms of game design, it looks actively WORSE than Generations, a very similar game by Sonic Team that came out about 5 years ago.

 

To me, Mania is the only sign of hope for the official Sonic games. If the core Sonic Team continues its downward trend, I will likely not be buying any games made by them in the future.

[Dr. Mechano]

I'm a bit of an odd case, because I haven't continued to support the series, really.

Shadow the Hedgehog was my last 3D Sonic game - a game that disappointed and angered me so much that it pretty much broke my fandom. For over a decade now, I have not bought a 3D Sonic platformer, and have only occasionally bought games with Sonic in them at all - Mania being one of those few exceptions.

However, I've been an active part of the community for all this time. Despite hardly ever buying the games. Despite my constant negative outlook for the franchise. Despite thinking that Iizuka is a talentless hack who's running Sonic into the ground. Why?

I can think of a few reasons:

1. Eggman. I still love the guy. He's an entertaining, likable character who continues to steal the show everytime he's onscreen. So even if I won't play most of his games, I still get a kick out of watching him.

2. Occasional good games. Mania was fantastic. And if there's even the remotest chance of a Mania 2, then that alone is worth sticking around for.

3. Nostalgia? During my early teen years, I was a passionate and active Sonic fan. I even ran a doofy little website called the Eggman Empire, and poured hours of my time into this fandom and community. Now, even though I'm pretty much what you'd call an "ex fan" I still can't really leave the community I spent so much time with. It's like the ghost of my dead fandom continues to haunt the Sonic community, unable to move on due to years of personal attachment to it.

 

So there you have it. I don't "support" this franchise, really. But I haven't been able to totally forget about it either.

[Celestia]

The games from Unleashed and onwards have been pretty fun, Boom aside. I don't want boost to be the main Sonic thing anymore (how can someone look at stuff like Mania and not want them to actually give 3D Sonic a proper shot again?), but I like 'em on their own merits. They're very niche compared to standard Sonic though, which is another reason I'd prefer boost as a side thing.

...I dunno, it's as simple as that really. They're still releasing games that interest me even if it's not my ideal for the series.

[Diogenes]

It's hard to just move on from many, many years of being a huge fan of something. I really should have, by now, but there's apparently still some faint glowing embers of hope left.

I'm beyond the point of actively supporting the series, though. At this point Sonic Team's games are only worth buying used, if at all.

Mania's real good, though, so at least there's that.

[Meta77]

25 minutes ago, Blue Blood said:

I wasn't going to reply to this thread, but I want to reply to this point particularly.

All biases aside, how can you not agree that the Sonic is "a mess"? Or to term it more objectively perhaps, would you disagree with the notion that the series has struggled to deliver consistent quality, maintain a consistent image and uphold a positive reputation?

It's had rocky times but at the same front it's a good series if it were that bad Sega would shit it down. Thankfully Sonics still around. You want a mess now that's bubsy lol

[Blue Blood]

33 minutes ago, Meta77 said:

It's had rocky times but at the same front it's a good series if it were that bad Sega would shit it down. Thankfully Sonics still around. You want a mess now that's bubsy lol

Saying that Sonic's a mess isn't the same as saying that Sonic's bad and nobody likes nor buys it. Bubsy is a different kettle of fish entirely.

[Meta77]

If anything it's Sega wanting to try new things bit it seems their  afraid of full committing to one sole idea sometimes

[Shade Vortex]

Pretty much what Diogenes said. I've been "a fan" of Sonic for as long as I can remember, though nowadays I don't associate myself with the fandom of pretty much anything anymore, I just like what I like because of who I am. I'm so out of touch with the community itself that I don't consider myself part of it anymore, really. Never been one for social interaction anyways. lol

But I can definitely tell you what aspects of the series that I do like and are huge factors in keeping me interested in the franchise:

-The music, almost always top-notch or at least tolerable in quality.

-The presentation- no matter how bad the game, this is one aspect I think the Sonic series almost always delivers on. On paper, even 06 had a good presentation- the presentation alone is what got me hyped for that game before its launch. I learned my lesson the hard way though, presentation alone isn't everything.

-The art- usually vibrant, tending to border on surreal and cartoony at the best of times, and I myself don't mind too much the more realistic/grimdark visuals as long as it's stuff like Crisis City rather than Westopolis or Soleanna (which seemed far more bland in comparison).

-The characters, or at least the aspects of them that were once there that I liked and remember them for: Sonic is a character I can identify with because I am highly optimistic, always moving forward in life and never dwelling too much on my past. His attitude in life really is similar to mine. I liked Knuckles in SA1-SA2 because though he was gullible he still seemed somewhat smart, and had a knack for finding things, and had knowledge of ancient artifacts and culture. I also liked SA1-SA2 Amy and Tails, since they learned to become more independent and could fight for themselves if needed. Metal Sonic is my favorite Sonic character, mostly because he's the first true rival to Sonic's abilities, and he looks cool- plus his themes are great.

-The locations. Usually full of creativity, vibrant in colors, and visually interesting, and in the best of cases, have cool and unique gimmicks to make each location unique and fun to go through. Though with the series relying on nostalgia and teen/kid pandering (ie Forces) so much these days this point rarely comes to fruition anymore, sadly. We either get more of the same, or the new that we do get feels bland/generic compared to the great stages of the past, at least in my opinion.

[Mad Convoy]

For one, I still enjoy the Sonic games and shows that I've already bought and watched respectively. Lost World controversy didn't make me hate Lost World. Rise of Lyric didn't make me hate Boom TV. Forces controversy hasn't done anything to make me hate Sonic Colors, Sonic Generations, Sonic Rush, and Sonic Unleashed or make me hate the Boost on a conceptual level. In fact, I love all the games and concepts that I just listed! Even if Sonic Team stopped making games I can enjoy for good, I'd still enjoy these games and I'd still see potential in a fan game or other fan work.

I suppose that's what keeps me a fan. I love the concept of Sonic enough to be able to keep being a fan even in the face of inconsistent games, drama, etc.

[MegasonicZX]

Honestly, forces and the boom games are about the only games that I've been so actively down on so i'd still consider myself as a pretty big fan of the series. Not to mention its really hard to give up a franchise that you've been a fan of when you were young so even if the latest endeavors aren't too great you always hold out that slim hope that they manage to turn things around and start making greatness again even if the chances are pretty low. Plus, while not all heavy hitters, if sonic team stopped delivering for me at least there is the fan community to look at. Sonic utopia, mania, overture and others are all great sonic games and they make me hopeful for the franchise to continue even if not by the official devs' hands.

[CottonCandy]

I personally don't own many sonic games. I don't even play them that much but I do stick around for everything else. I enjoy reading the comics, watching some of the cartoons, and I like many of the fan creations. Without them, I wouldn't be around to care about this series. 

 

[Rusty Spy]

I'm only here because I still believe in the potential of the series. I stopped buying the games a long time ago.(Mania was the only game I bought since Generations), but other then that I've moved on to other games and other franchises to fanboy about.

[Flame Lance]

Because I still like the games. I actually had little interest in the series post-Colors, but I tried games like Lost World and Fire & Ice more recently, and they are honestly decent games. There's been some rough years for Sonic, but I actually genuinely enjoyed almost everything prior to Colors and Sonic 4. Games like Mania and Forces have me very excited for a better future too. I've been a fan since I was a kid who played Sonic 2 on Genesis, and while I certainly haven't liked everything about the series, I have enjoyed the vast majority of games, plain and simple. I do not, have not, and never will care what anyone thinks of the series, or its "reputation" or any of that jazz. If people think the series is a mess, so be it. That has no influence on my support. 

[Chili Dawg]

More than anything else, I just really like you people. 

[Salamander]

Because there were once games that I really enjoyed, and I hope one day that they'll create something of a similar style or quality again.  (Haven't been able to buy Mania yet, but I'm sure I will!)

Added to that, though, I think the very fact that the franchise is something of a "mess" makes it honestly rather fascinating to discuss.

[Sega DogTagz]

Sonic's aesthetics and the action-adventure style gameplay still appeal to me, simple as that. I adore drawing Sonic characters of all shapes and sizes and the videogame series is complementary to that habit. The fast pacing of the gameplay, the instant reactions required to master the 2D and 3D games, the hair trigger decision making that comes from speedrunning, all that fits right into what I want to do when I sit down to play videogames.

 

 Even if the quality scales up and down, the franchise never really delivered a product that didn't cater to me in some shape or form.

[SBR2]

Colors and Generations come out: "Yay these Games are fun and I love Sonic" One bad mainline game happens: "EVERYTHING FUCKING SUCKS!" ~Sonic Fandom

I'm sorry but this everything is garbage mindset is silly to me. Sonic fans would rather shout at the moon about how bad everything is than even try and enjoy anything. Yes maybe Lost World had problems and the Boom Games aren't great but I honestly don't see what's so bad about the franchise now. It's a rough patch so what everything has rough patches.

[Tornado]

2 hours ago, Meta77 said:

It's had rocky times but at the same front it's a good series if it were that bad Sega would shit it down. Thankfully Sonics still around. You want a mess now that's bubsy lol

True. Sega released three games that were at least as damaging to the franchise as anything that was ever in the Bubsy series but then didn't do the proper thing and die of shame in response like Accolade did.

[Natie]

Sonic as both a character and a video game is practically a goldmine of potential that has unfortunately yet to be fully explored (I still think by all means Sonic would be perfect for 3D so it's a wonder they haven't made it work yet). So I wait around for the day to come where the franchise is put in better hands and they make some stunningly imaginative and fun games, and Mania's made me pretty optimistic of the future in that sense.

[Bobnik]

Stockholm Syndrome probably.

I like giving chance to something that hasn't been consistent quality-wise, cuz an inconsistency at least can bring good stuff. Hell, even mediocre stuff from this franchise I consider good if they're entertaining and fun. If it would've been consistently shit, then I wouldn't stick around lol.

Also most of the Sonic stuff outside the games has been pretty good for some time.

[Shaddy Zaphod]

Because they keep making games I like? Whether they struggle is beyond my caring if what they produce is still acceptable for me. I enjoy Colors, Generations, Lost World, and Mania. Those are all fun games, so I'll probably buy any more games they make that are fun.

Lots of good things are a mess, really.