Ideas for Side games focusing on the other characters

[RedFox99]

As the title suggests, I wanted to talk about potentials games staring characters other than Sonic given how underused the cast has been over the years. These are some ideas I had in mind:

• Maybe a beat em up with Amy 
• A Sonic 2 styled game focusing on Blaze and Marine
• A Chao garden and/or cooking game for Cream, Cheese, and Vanilla.
• A sort of Phoenix Wright-esque game for the Chaotix
• A MGS-styled game for Rouge

[Cuz]

2 hours ago, RedFox99 said:

 

• A sort of Phoenix Wright-esque game for the Chaotix.

That sounds a little too depressing like a recipe for Sonic Chronicles 2 to be honest.

Still I've often envisioned something like a tower-defense game with Knuckles. Originally it was like a missed opportunity for a mission in Shadow the Hedgehog . Knuckles repelling waves of Black Arms as they laid siege to Angel Island with or without Shadow's aid.

Seeing how Sonic 3 was basically a giant game of mousetrap, a horde like the Black Arms would be the perfect opportunity to be on the other side of those traps.

[Nuggets]

I know tons of people thought they were slow and too big and boring, but fuck it. 

I want a fleshed-out and modernized version of the treasure hunting stages packaged in a full game about Knuckles. 

With a good story. 

And a rap soundtrack. 

Sue me. 

[SpongicX]

I'd rather Sega just put multiple playable characters in single games again, and improve on their gameplay, instead of expecting us to be forced to buy a separate game, just to play as other characters. It would be like Shadow the Hedgehog all over again, where it leaves you wishing you could play as the other characters, instead of being stuck as Shadow only.

Imagine how disappointing the Sly Cooper sequels would have been, if Bently and Murray weren't playable, and were only playable in separate games. What if Banjo Tooie forced you to only play as Banjo, while Kazooie and Mumbo were only playable in two seperate games? Imagine how disappointing Donkey Kong 64 would have been, if Diddy, Tiny, Lanky, and Chunky weren't in the game, and were only playable in separate games, each costing $50 each? This is exactly why I don't want the Sonic games to go into a single character spin off route. I'd rather see multiple characters in each game. Just playing as one character gets kind of boring after a while, I want to go back to being able to choose a character, and try out each character. Video Games from the early 2000s were able to have multiple characters, yet have them be fun and add to the replay value. 3d Sonic games never quite had a formula of mutliple characters that worked, yet fans still wanted to see Sega try and improve, not give up entirely. 

I do think it would be neat to see Amy have gameplay similar to Bayonetta, where the levels are very action packed and fast paced, yet transition into many action packed fight sequences. It would be neat to see faster and more action packed gameplay for Amy in a Sonic game. Give her the ability to lock onto targets, strafe, dodge roll, and many hammer attacks.  Sonic Adventure gave Amy all these cool hammer attacks, yet she didn't really have any gameplay that really utilized it properly.  It was only needed for a hammer swinging mini game, but aside from that, it was easy to pass Amy's levels without having to use her hammer. It would be great to finally get a Sonic game that makes her hammer feel useful. Sonic X had many fun scenes that showed how awesome Amy and her hammer really are, and it's a shame there really hasn't been a game to let players feel like they're really controlling how badass Amy can be with her hammer. 

I'd love to see gameplay that once again utilizes being able to fly around as Tails in 3d spaces, but would love to see some gameplay inspired by Tails's inventor side. Let's see Tails use some gadgets, or be able to repair broken items in order to advance through levels.  Give Tails a little laser blaster, small bombs, and a wrench.

I'd like Knuckles to have better punch attacks, and the ability to punch and break through certain areas while climbing. Imagine if there were a level where you have to climb, but giant rocks are falling from above. Imagine if Knuckles could punch through those falling rocks while climbing, that would be kind of cool.  A ground pound attack would be kind of cool as well. 

[Your Vest Friend]

While some of the ideas are more appropriately covered by multiple characters in main games, others are entire genre shifts and shouldn't be encompassed in that. A Chaotix puzzle mystery game wouldn't be the same thing as having them playable in a main game, for example. 

[SonicWindAttack]

I'd be down for a Silver game in the style of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

[JezMM]

Yeah to be honest I'm not a big fan of full genre-shift games.  It's still a massive compromise because I love the idea of embarking on a solo adventure with Amy but... I still want it to play like a Sonic game.  If they brought out a Bayonetta style game I'd be ticked off because I don't find that genre fun.  I find the Sonic games fun... that's why I like the characters and want to play as them in a Sonic game, y'know?

Shadow the Hedgehog was fine though, in fact it's kind of wild that at the time, it had the most stages of consistent 3D Sonic-style gameplay to date - just also with some Gamma/SA2 mech-esque shooting gameplay dolloped on top (and unfortunately a bunch of boring level design and unappealing aesthetic that dragged the experience down by a little or a lot, depending on one's tastes).

If we ever got another single character spin-off, I wouldn't want it to stray from Sonic-esque gameplay any further than Shadow did, and I'd want to see character gimmicks that lead to interesting new platforming styles and opportunities rather than just dumping an extra thing on top of the platforming.

[Cayenne]

Personally, I would love a fast, fun and well written action game starring Team Dark where you can do various kinds of missions for GUN. After reading this Sonic Universe saga, I think they have a lot of potential in the right hands.

[Dr. Mechano]

Eggman Strategy RPG.

Take control of Eggman, and customize your own mech for him to pilot. Use spare parts and funds to build Badniks for your army. Level them up with upgrades, expanding their stats and attacks.

Include major Eggman Empire personnel as playable characters, like Metal Sonic, the Hard-Boiled Heavies, and more. Have support conversations between Eggman and his robots, or his robots with each other, to develop their characters!

Obviously, status quo is god, so the game can't exactly end with Eggman taking over the world. But Eggman and his army saving the day from some big existential threat could still be cool, right?

[RedFox99]

8 hours ago, Dr. Mechano said:

Eggman Strategy RPG.

Take control of Eggman, and customize your own mech for him to pilot. Use spare parts and funds to build Badniks for your army. Level them up with upgrades, expanding their stats and attacks.

Include major Eggman Empire personnel as playable characters, like Metal Sonic, the Hard-Boiled Heavies, and more. Have support conversations between Eggman and his robots, or his robots with each other, to develop their characters!

Obviously, status quo is god, so the game can't exactly end with Eggman taking over the world. But Eggman and his army saving the day from some big existential threat could still be cool, right?

That could work actually. Maybe like Plants vs Zombies or Fire Emblem.

[ClassicKnuckles]

Knuckles Adventure

A game where Knux is playable in speedy Sonic-styled levels, with the boost, and with treasure hunting mixed in. Also, add in a playable Tikal, and maybe Episode: Chaos? Bring back rap music, and Tikal's original design. Give Chaos some speedy levels in his own backstory as to why he became a villain, too. Boom 11/10 "Sonic is good again" -IGN

I've always imagined SEGA's way of reintroducing Mighty would be a Shadow '05-style game, with branching pathways and guns. Maybe add in a boost?

[Multikaris]

If SEGA seriously don’t want to use SatAM/Archie characters ever again even as Easter eggs, i’d Say we can divorce them from the Sonic IP in a more serious, tactical stealth game. Featuring a new villain instead of Robotnik, the game features multiple story paths.

[ClassicKnuckles]

1 minute ago, Miragnarok said:

If SEGA seriously don’t want to use SatAM/Archie characters ever again even as Easter eggs, i’d Say we can divorce them from the Sonic IP in a more serious, tactical stealth game. Featuring a new villain instead of Robotnik, the game features multiple story paths.

Maybe a Shadow-style game with branching story paths? Maybe bring back multiple gameplay styles? Maybe make stealth levels (like Sonic-16), but still keeping a boost emphasis?

[Multikaris]

18 minutes ago, ClassicKnuckles said:

Maybe a Shadow-style game with branching story paths? Maybe bring back multiple gameplay styles? Maybe make stealth levels (like Sonic-16), but still keeping a boost emphasis?

Yes! And branching story choices could be Telltale-style, dictating who lives and who dies! This may also change your party’s composition and structure. Asymmetrical multiplayer between highly different characters? Managing disposable red shirt units (which could alter a “Corruption meter”)? This could be big.

[ClassicKnuckles]

1 minute ago, Miragnarok said:

Yes! And branching story choices could be Telltale-style, dictating who lives and who dies! This may also change your party’s composition and structure. Asymmetrical multiplayer between highly different characters? Managing disposable red shirt units? This could be big.

Maybe splitscreen co-op with puzzles? Maybe even an MMO-style mode, where you can design your own Mobian and run through 100s of new and remade old zones??

[Multikaris]

3 minutes ago, ClassicKnuckles said:

Maybe splitscreen co-op with puzzles? Maybe even an MMO-style mode, where you can design your own Mobian and run through 100s of new and remade old zones??

Building your own freedom fighters would be a big aspect. Especially to replace those you’ve lost by making mistakes. 

[ClassicKnuckles]

Untitled Sonic SatAM/Archie-based Game

 

Playable Characters- Sonic, Tails, and Sally? (Maybe more?)

 

Zones- Robotropolis, Scrap Jungle, Twisted Casino, Metal Base, Winter Dome, Robotnik Rush, Final Zone (Maybe more?)

 

Gameplay Styles- Sonic- Speed, Tails- Speed/Puzzles, Sally Puzzles/Treasure Huntin

 

Story- Robotnik has taken over the world, and now the Freedom Fighters must manage to get through his traps to overthrow him. (Subject to change)

[SpongicX]

On 1/5/2018 at 10:43 AM, JezMM said:

Yeah to be honest I'm not a big fan of full genre-shift games.  It's still a massive compromise because I love the idea of embarking on a solo adventure with Amy but... I still want it to play like a Sonic game.  If they brought out a Bayonetta style game I'd be ticked off because I don't find that genre fun.  I find the Sonic games fun... that's why I like the characters and want to play as them in a Sonic game, y'know?

 

It wouldn't hurt to see Amy have more action packed gameplay for at least one game. It could still have gameplay that resembles Sonic Adventure. There can still be action sequences of running through loops, collecting rings, bouncing off spring pads, and such. Not everything in Amy's gameplay would have to resemble Bayonetta. There could be a few common enemies that could easily be taken out with one hit, but occasionally, there could be bigger enemies and bosses that require more hits to take out. 

You could easily just have Amy inserted into Sonic Adventure inspired gameplay, but it wouldn't feel right. To just have Amy slowly take out badniks one by one with the push of a button doesn't sound very exciting. That's one thing that made Amy's gameplay in Sonic Adventure underwhelming. She had a few different hammer attacks, but they weren't needed at all. I remember having fun messing around with Amy's attacks in Station Square, yet feeling let down that you really couldn't fight off enemies with those cool attacks.  What was the point of the hammer spin ability? It would have been useful for areas that had a swarm of enemies  circling around you, but Amy didn't get any obstacles like that in her gameplay. That's why I suggested Amy get more action packed gameplay, give her waves of enemies to take out, but do it in a way that's fun, fast paced, and exciting. They need to use combat sections sparingly, and not shove them into every level, to the point where you can cue when one is about to pop up moments before appearing. That, or they could make regular action stages where the goal is to race to the finish, while having separate levels that focus on fighting off enemies and bosses. 

I would love to see a game that emphasizes on what Amy could do with her hammer in combat. The closest we got to a game like that was Rise of Lyric, but it took way too long just to take out a single enemy in that game, the gameplay was a little too slow, and gameplay got a bit repetitive. It also doesn't help when you realize Amy's combat gameplay is too similar to the combat of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. Each character practically has the same combat input, with very small differences. I'd love to see a faster paced game that allows us to control Amy as if she were running in one of Sonic's levels from Sonic Adventure, yet include a lot of action packed sequences and interactive boss fights. I would love to be able to control Amy taking down enemies much larger than she is, by taking them out with her hammer. It would be neat to see Amy dodge a bunch of crossfires, block certain attacks with her hammer, and take down giant robots.  

I guess gameplay like this could be suitable for it's own spin off, one little spin off starring Amy might not hurt, but I'd rather Sega try making fun games with a good variety of characters and unlockables. 

[JezMM]

3 hours ago, SpongicX said:

It wouldn't hurt to see Amy have more action packed gameplay for at least one game. It could still have gameplay that resembles Sonic Adventure. There can still be action sequences of running through loops, collecting rings, bouncing off spring pads, and such. Not everything in Amy's gameplay would have to resemble Bayonetta. There could be a few common enemies that could easily be taken out with one hit, but occasionally, there could be bigger enemies and bosses that require more hits to take out. 

You could easily just have Amy inserted into Sonic Adventure inspired gameplay, but it wouldn't feel right. To just have Amy slowly take out badniks one by one with the push of a button doesn't sound very exciting. That's one thing that made Amy's gameplay in Sonic Adventure underwhelming. She had a few different hammer attacks, but they weren't needed at all. I remember having fun messing around with Amy's attacks in Station Square, yet feeling let down that you really couldn't fight off enemies with those cool attacks.  What was the point of the hammer spin ability? It would have been useful for areas that had a swarm of enemies  circling around you, but Amy didn't get any obstacles like that in her gameplay. That's why I suggested Amy get more action packed gameplay, give her waves of enemies to take out, but do it in a way that's fun, fast paced, and exciting. They need to use combat sections sparingly, and not shove them into every level, to the point where you can cue when one is about to pop up moments before appearing. That, or they could make regular action stages where the goal is to race to the finish, while having separate levels that focus on fighting off enemies and bosses.

For what it's worth, when I imagine a modern Sonic game starring Amy, I do not imagine her slow-ass Sonic Adventure gameplay at all.  I imagine it being fast and flashy, but I still want combat to be platforming-based and for her to use her hammer to do interesting platforming things.  Hooking onto bars to swing from them, smashing it onto walls and springing off of the handle to get up high.  Doing spins in mid-air with the hammer like a helicopter to gain more horizontal distance.  The high jump from SA1 of course would fit, but that's about it.  Of course, since all the above use the hammer, they'd have the double purpose of acting as attacks too.

The only time Amy should ever just do a normal hammer attack like she did in SA1 is if you push B while standing still.  If you run at enemies and push B, she should be swinging it as she runs.  Of course, there'd be enemies that can counter it or are immune to it under certain conditions, but I'd essentially still want every enemy to be a one-hit-kill to keep the pace up, or provide interesting spacial challenges (knock this enemy into others and they all explode, rebound off this enemy over and over to gain more height each time to reach alternate routes, etc).  Three hits for "elite" enemies etc at the very most (and it should feel good to destroy them, like each hit knocks a big chunk off of them even though they remain functional, no lame health bars and then suddenly they pop at the end).

[Dash Speed]

Another shadow game, headed by the guys who made dark souls and sonic mania.

Shadow fits the spin off branch he himself contrasts from sonic on a different genre style and explores more darker action/adventure style with a bit more sci fi. Like accelerator does for a certain magical index series entirely away from touma.

[SpongicX]

13 hours ago, JezMM said:

For what it's worth, when I imagine a modern Sonic game starring Amy, I do not imagine her slow-ass Sonic Adventure gameplay at all.  I imagine it being fast and flashy, but I still want combat to be platforming-based and for her to use her hammer to do interesting platforming things.  Hooking onto bars to swing from them, smashing it onto walls and springing off of the handle to get up high.  Doing spins in mid-air with the hammer like a helicopter to gain more horizontal distance.  The high jump from SA1 of course would fit, but that's about it.  Of course, since all the above use the hammer, they'd have the double purpose of acting as attacks too.

The only time Amy should ever just do a normal hammer attack like she did in SA1 is if you push B while standing still.  If you run at enemies and push B, she should be swinging it as she runs.  Of course, there'd be enemies that can counter it or are immune to it under certain conditions, but I'd essentially still want every enemy to be a one-hit-kill to keep the pace up, or provide interesting spacial challenges (knock this enemy into others and they all explode, rebound off this enemy over and over to gain more height each time to reach alternate routes, etc).  Three hits for "elite" enemies etc at the very most (and it should feel good to destroy them, like each hit knocks a big chunk off of them even though they remain functional, no lame health bars and then suddenly they pop at the end).

I never said she should be slow, I mentioned how her gameplay should be fast. I never said it should take forever to take out enemies, I said there could be plenty of enemies that could be taken out with one hit, but there should be a few enemies and bosses that take more time to defeat.

[DonWaffleleven]

On 1/5/2018 at 4:43 PM, JezMM said:

Yeah to be honest I'm not a big fan of full genre-shift games.  It's still a massive compromise because I love the idea of embarking on a solo adventure with Amy but... I still want it to play like a Sonic game.  If they brought out a Bayonetta style game I'd be ticked off because I don't find that genre fun.  I find the Sonic games fun... that's why I like the characters and want to play as them in a Sonic game, y'know?

Funny you should say that because my go-to dream sonic spinoff is basically a Devil May Cry clone where you play as Shadow. I think it fits the "cool edgelord" persona the fanbase has crafted for him to be able to do stuff like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUCFPBHoslg

Maybe it's just residual like of the werehog gameplay style but hey, it's better than whatever meandering mess Shadow the Hedgehog (the game) was, right?

[JezMM]

2 hours ago, SpongicX said:

I never said she should be slow, I mentioned how her gameplay should be fast. I never said her it shoupd take forever to take out enemies, I said there coupd be plentybof enemies that could be taken out with one hit, but there should be a few enemies and bosses that take more time to defeat.

I wasn't responding to your ideas about a Bayonetta-esque combat-heavy Amy game, you just phrased your response to me as if the automatic "platforming Sonic game starring Amy" would play like she did in Adventure, so I was suggesting what I imagine for a modern Amy game that is 100% platforming focused.

[ZinogreVolt]

Tails Adventure 2 would be a no-brainer. The blueprint is already there thanks to the original being a decently competent and creative game that actually took advantage of aspects of Tails' character rarely seen in the Genesis classics, if at all. Given how butchered his character has been in recent titles, I think something like this could be a good break for him.

[MetalSkulkBane]

On 5.01.2018 at 7:09 PM, Dr. Mechano said:

Eggman Strategy RPG.

Take control of Eggman, and customize your own mech for him to pilot. Use spare parts and funds to build Badniks for your army. Level them up with upgrades, expanding their stats and attacks.

Include major Eggman Empire personnel as playable characters, like Metal Sonic, the Hard-Boiled Heavies, and more. Have support conversations between Eggman and his robots, or his robots with each other, to develop their characters!

Obviously, status quo is god, so the game can't exactly end with Eggman taking over the world. But Eggman and his army saving the day from some big existential threat could still be cool, right?

That could easily work. Makes me think ot "The Misadventures of Tron Bonne" game (at least in the story apartment. If we want Metal and other badniks, there would be some tweaks). Villain could be Eggman Nega, which would work perfectly for "Vs mode". (eventually GUN, new villain and Nega would exist just for 2 player mode). 

Personaly I considered Devil May Cry type of game featuring Shadow. That's the best way to put all of his powers (possibly even guns) to use. And story should hit similar tones, MDC/Metal Gear only aimed for younger audience. I feel like this is only way to give Shadow game now: something that takes is self seriously and yet feels like parody at the same time.

Also take Breath of the Wild and put Knuckles in it. I feel this might be the only way to use his full moveset in 3D.