The era of Cream

[batson]

So does anyone else still remember how Cream was for a while pretty much promoted as the fifth member of Sonic's innermost circle of friends? Like if the main group of protagonists consisted of Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy and Cream? Well ol' batson here remembers, that's for sure.

Seriously, from the time Cream first showed up in Sonic Advance 2 there followed a period of several years where she showed up in ALL games in the series, both main titles and spin-off's, and she was all over the merchandise, and she had more screen-time in the first two seasons of Sonic X than any other anthro sans Sonic, Tails and Amy.

In a way, I'd say Cream has had the highest fall from grace of any character in the series, since she went from being ubiquitous to probably ranking among the least prominent of the reccurring characters (she didn't show up in Forces, for one thing. And even freaking Charmy showed up in Forces).

In retrospective, there exists a distinct era of Cream in the franchise's history, one that happened but is quite easy to forget.

[DabigRG]

It is funny to think about, probably because it wasn't super overt. But yes, looking at stuff from that 3 or 4 year period goes to show that she was quietly considered top tier. There's even a McDonald's commercial that uses her alongside Sonic rather than Tails or Shadow.

I'd say part of it is due to the natural of her conceptualization and actual introduction. She was created as a sidekick/friend/Tails for Amy during what was a continuous period of her being made into her own heroine and with Tails being the biggest character after the feud that started it all and Shadow, it stands to reason that Cream would also get a good amount of emphasis. Then is her actual debut being Advance 2 rather than Heroes--she was added to the game as a way to make it a bit fresher on top of functioning as an easy mode, but she ended up being the center of what little story is actually there. being so light on plot then kinda meant that she gained something other characters lack while remaining a simple character to include with no strings attached going forward. And while still up in the air, her having a clearer arc across Sonic X compared to the others gels well in not only the timing of release as the latest thing, but also with the rumor that she was actually conceived for the show's production before being included in the game. Even if the latter is just a rumor, you can see how everything just lined up well and made her place as the unofficial fifth member of the core group simply natural.

 

[MetalSkulkBane]

Hmmm, Silver went from "next big thing, hedgehog trio" to one of many Sonic friends, but he still gets some perk above say Chaotix.
And Rouge went from Knuckles Rival but also her own women to just Shadow sidekick.... but okay. I can see Cream went down even more.

Still, what you just said proves that she wasn't so much 'top dog puppy', rather she just didn't had any rivals when she was born in 2002. Even Shadow's short death meant he wasn't in Advance games or most Sonic X, same happened with Chaotix. Then show got cancelled, Shadow regained momentum, Blaze and Silver joined, space got tight and all modern cast got marginalized. She didn't stood a chance.

At best you can say she beat Rouge (Sonic X, Rush 1, Advance games), mostly because she made more sense in those games than ivory bat.

[Sonario]

Yes it's quite jarring how they just up and forgot about poor Cream after all the major appearances she made. I love her as a character and she's one of my favorites, so it's really sad to see her suddenly disappear from all the prevalence she had. She was a sweet, charming and fun character and a wonderful addition to the main cast. She bounced off Amy very well as seen in Heroes and Battle, and it's a dang shame they didn't continue to capitalize on the idea of her as the Tails to Amy's Sonic. I'm really hoping SEGA and Sonic Team will remember the little rabbit and give her major roles again eventually.

[Multikaris]

6 hours ago, MetalSkulkBane said:

Hmmm, Silver went from "next big thing, hedgehog trio" to one of many Sonic friends, but he still gets some perk above say Chaotix.
And Rouge went from Knuckles Rival but also her own women to just Shadow sidekick.... but okay. I can see Cream went down even more.

Still, what you just said proves that she wasn't so much 'top dog puppy', rather she just didn't had any rivals when she was born in 2002. Even Shadow's short death meant he wasn't in Advance games or most Sonic X, same happened with Chaotix. Then show got cancelled, Shadow regained momentum, Blaze and Silver joined, space got tight and all modern cast got marginalized. She didn't stood a chance.

At best you can say she beat Rouge (Sonic X, Rush 1, Advance games), mostly because she made more sense in those games than ivory bat.

However, it’s still odd Team Sonic Racing didn’t even mention her, for example. She’s been marginalized more than Big or Zavok. 

[E-122-Psi]

The only explanation I can give is that they couldn't really find a place for Cream and maybe didn't think her archetype of a sugary sweet kiddie kid would appeal that much to the core fanbase compared to Shadow, Blaze, etc. Even Big at least has meme value these days while Zavok is a rare recurrent secondary villain.

Her being shafted for Omohao is a more bizarre case (especially since she'd still work in a Chao themed package) though maybe they thought playing as the Chao themselves had more appeal given their popularity.

[DabigRG]

7 hours ago, MetalSkulkBane said:

Hmmm, Silver went from "next big thing, hedgehog trio" to one of many Sonic friends, but he still gets some perk above say Chaotix.
And Rouge went from Knuckles Rival but also her own women to just Shadow sidekick.... but okay. I can see Cream went down even more.

Still, what you just said proves that she wasn't so much 'top dog puppy', rather she just didn't had any rivals when she was born in 2002. Even Shadow's short death meant he wasn't in Advance games or most Sonic X, same happened with Chaotix. Then show got cancelled, Shadow regained momentum, Blaze and Silver joined, space got tight and all modern cast got marginalized. She didn't stood a chance.

At best you can say she beat Rouge (Sonic X, Rush 1, Advance games), mostly because she made more sense in those games than ivory bat.

Again, it highlights how unlike most characters besides the Chaotix, she was never treated like a powerplayer in her own right and was instead a character added to bring a different vibe to the existing cast to interact with: she's not meant to be special and that means she is. Her slow decline coincided with Sonic Team not pushing Amy as a main character anymore and while it took a while thanks to things like Rush making her Blaze's Tails instead and Riders including her with the Dank Duo as an extra that happens to be a mainstay, she finally took a hit when everyone else did and dropped lower after Generations.

The problem with her now is that, she in addition to the Amy issue, there's an overall drought on narrative opportunities and gameplay vacancies for the recurring cast of 30+ to get in on. And in TSRs case, the roster was only half of that plus the driving force(heh) Dodon Pa, the Shapebots, and the three generic Chao types. Add in the more comedic/banter driven storytelling in the games that even have stories and everyone's little sister whose preciousness they could encourage/protect of didn't have much a place to show her cute little face.

But okay, TSR was like THE perfect time to trot her back out after Forces forgot her--but Omochao got her place on Team Rose instead despite fellow founding member Big coming out of retirement just for that. And yes while MEMEs might've have an impact on those choices, you gotta remember that Sonic like any flagship series is gonna pick from the heavy hitters and the other topicals before they even think about including other things.

Team Sonic & Team Dark got in because ofcoursewhaddyastupid, with Rouge and Omega almost always accompanying Shaodw, Amy is never far behind the first two, and Eggman & Metal are the classic recurring villians, so they're all of obvious picks.

Next are Silver, Blaze, and Vector--the first two are fanfavorites on either side of the sea and the latter is the next big thing after them. Thing is there again isn't much room since we've already filled twelve of the fifteen spots, so let's parse out who's where let's parse out what we have: two Teams and two pairs plus Amy and Vector, who lead their own teams. Problem: Espio and Charmy are Vector's teammates, but they would take up all but one remaining slot and Amy could end up cruising with her kidnappers or hanging with the Interlopers, which is fine, but we kinda wanna hit what's familiar as much as possible.
So the next best thing is to trim the fat and use the Interlopers in place of Espio and especially Charmy, allowing Amy to lead Team Rose at the cost of Vector not having his boys, but we can sorta soften the blow by calling it Team Vector to still have him be leader. It's not like we just leave out Silver and Blaze it give them their own team.

So you got three spots left and almost everyone important is on there, so now it's time to think about the more secondary cast and make some more exotic picks. Right off the bat, out if retirement comes Big the Cat: our social media guy always loved him, people were actually starting to miss him as soon as we announced his dropping, and hey, Amy needs a Power type on her team. And while we're at it, let's make a relevant pick with Zavok: he's the latest recurring character alongside his five/two brethren and we kinda lack a third villain for Eggman's team, so let's use the big red guy who was just in Forces on Team Eggman but use the Deadly Six theme to represent the others in spirit I guess. It's not like he should lead his own team of Zeti or be paired with the other two good weirdos or we could just use another villain or anything.

So they've only got one slot left on Team Rose and who's the obvious shoe-in for the job? "Hi, I'm Omochao!" Yeah, I can only imagine someone fucked up along the line and said "You know who we should put in? That great and lovable, pivotal fan-favorite from SA2--it's for the fans!" And you know, not the actual character that not only came to be because they wanted someone to support Amy, but who is supposed to be introduced in the game the concept of Team names came from. The best guess for why this was approved is because of online stuff that I obviously can't say I've seen and because they tacked on the three Chao types so they just disguise, I mean call it Chao--so hurrdurr memes/totally ginnaremakeAdventureguys. 

And this is coming from someone who wouldnt have minded Chao's inclusion otherwise. I can take Cream's omission to task more, but this reply is long enough before going off topic.

3 hours ago, Sonario said:

Yes it's quite jarring how they just up and forgot about poor Cream after all the major appearances she made. I love her as a character and she's one of my favorites, so it's really sad to see her suddenly disappear from all the prevalence she had. She was a sweet, charming and fun character and a wonderful addition to the main cast. She bounced off Amy very well as seen in Heroes and Battle, and it's a dang shame they didn't continue to capitalize on the idea of her as the Tails to Amy's Sonic. I'm really hoping SEGA and Sonic Team will remember the little rabbit and give her major roles again eventually.

 

1 hour ago, Miragnarok said:

However, it’s still odd Team Sonic Racing didn’t even mention her, for example. She’s been marginalized more than Big or Zavok. 

 

[Kuzu]

I feel like it's a result of Cream's general unpopularity at the time; she debuted in Sonic Advance 2 and aside from her basically trivializing the entire game, nothing about her gameplay really diversified her from fellow flyer, Tails as they both played near identically. Sonic X gave her a much more prominent role, but aside from the Sonic Battle mini-arc, I don't think she got many episodes that really fleshed her out beyond a basic supportive role; Amy, Rouge, and Knuckles feel like they got the lion's share of attention there. Heroes, her main console debut, showed off a bit more of her character but the game being generally light on story means it wasn't a lot. 

So after that, they tried making her into Amy's sidekick, to varying degrees of success because Amy herself was still mostly a supporting character who never took center stage in whatever she was in. And the few times Amy got focus in say, Sonic X or Sonic Battle, Cream was absent for most of it. Then she was Blaze's sidekick for a single game. It really did feel like they were trying desperately to find a niche for her at the time, but couldn't settle on anything so she was just silently sidelined afterward. 

 

It's kind of sad honestly, because you can tell they really tried to promote her but she just never took off in popularity the same way that characters like Shadow or Blaze did. The era at the time just did not want to see characters like Cream, who sweet, and kind little girls compared to the other two who are a bit more rough around the edges. 

[Monkey Destruction Switch]

I'm kind of glad that era is over. She's cute but not really that interesting. I guess Sega became aware of the fact she wasn't overly popular and responded accordingly, which I think is good. But she still should've appeared in Team Sonic Racing, probably.

[batson]

Personally, I never liked Cream back during her heyday. I just thought she was bland and boring, and I didn't even find her cute.

Over the years though I've warmed up to her. I think part of it is simply that as I've gotten older I can't help but be charmed by cute little kids. I think my subconscious is telling me that it's due time to start having some wee ones of my own, lol.

[E-122-Psi]

2 hours ago, Kuzu said:

I feel like it's a result of Cream's general unpopularity at the time; she debuted in Sonic Advance 2 and aside from her basically trivializing the entire game, nothing about her gameplay really diversified her from fellow flyer, Tails as they both played near identically. Sonic X gave her a much more prominent role, but aside from the Sonic Battle mini-arc, I don't think she got many episodes that really fleshed her out beyond a basic supportive role; Amy, Rouge, and Knuckles feel like they got the lion's share of attention there. Heroes, her main console debut, showed off a bit more of her character but the game being generally light on story means it wasn't a lot. 

So after that, they tried making her into Amy's sidekick, to varying degrees of success because Amy herself was still mostly a supporting character who never took center stage in whatever she was in. And the few times Amy got focus in say, Sonic X or Sonic Battle, Cream was absent for most of it. Then she was Blaze's sidekick for a single game. It really did feel like they were trying desperately to find a niche for her at the time, but couldn't settle on anything so she was just silently sidelined afterward. 

I remember Cream getting largely the same treatment Tails got in SatAm, being demoted to a mostly helpless infant. It felt like Season Three wanted to push her, even having an episode which tried to justify her role in the team, but they didn't really give her much agency validating her there. Even her trademark niceness wasn't really integral in a way that made her feel like 'the heart' of the group (Cosmo arguably played that role more).

I think a key problem also is that Cream's niches in the games don't translate as well into stories, since Cheese is his own character in them and commanding him to attack is not as intriguing as it is in gameplay, and like you say, flying was already taken by Tails, with little diversifying them besides Cream's being a little weaker.

[Kuzu]

Cream definitely embodies what many critics accuse the extended supporting cast of being a bunch of extras who take up space. She just was never able to settle into a niche that helped her stood out from her peers. 

If they were ever going to use her, they really need to overhaul her character; she barely ever gets used because writers just cannot think of a role for her as she currently is. I'm older now, so the idea of a more polite and well-mannered character to contrast the more headstrong and outgoing characters to be a good idea...in theory. Kind of like a somewhat more naive and innocent version of the type of character Tails used to be.

Just give her an actual goal and motivation, and you're good. 

[Fire-N-Space]

Cream's calm personality was the opposite of Amy's hot blooded nature but now with Amy losing most of her affection/ femininity traits she's becoming more like Cream which makes Cream less special I believe this is why she isn't getting much attention these days.

[Iko]

That said "Era of Cream" is more or less when I became a Sonic fan, and I have some nostalgia for that time (offcourse I played the classics and Sonic 1 Master System, but I really got into the franchise from Sonic Advance 1 and Adventure 2 onward). I don't like Sonic Heroes much, and I think Sonic X is pretty bad, but I still enjoyed that period of time, and I like Cream as a character (especially in her debut game, Advance 2).

I'm sad that she's been almost forgotten and rarely appears in a game nowadays; IMO she shouldn't be a main character but at least a very recurring one similar to what the chaotix seem to be right now.

I'm convinced that she works better as a more independent character than as Amy's sidekick... Amy's personality (or at least her former one, before it was toned down) is too strong, it would overshadow Cream's, and that type of dynamic is already covered by Sonic & Tails. Imo Cream works the best when she's paired up with the more powerful/potentially-dangerous characters, such as Blaze or Emerl/Gemerl; to an extent Shadow would be a better character for her to be a sidekick to, considering his backstory with Maria and all. Though, I really think that they should start promoting her as a duo with Gemerl; they can even use Gemerl as an excuse for Vanilla to allow her to go in some adventures (as long as Gemerl watches over her). I wouldn't even mind a game where she makes the wrong friend, one that she wants to turn good but fails to and stays evil until the end.

What she really needs is some character development. Tone down the pacifism, make her a competent fighter when necessary. Also I think that Cheese should be nerfed. It's ok if they fight together, but they should actually fight together, not "Cream gives orders and Cheese attacks"; just think of some tag team attacks with a chao, and there's a lot of potential IMO.

About her "goal" as a character, just wanting to help her friends is enough... I don't think she needs a goal at all other than wanting all the sad people to be happy again; that's enough to get her involved into any adventure IMO, the only obstacle is that she needs to be allowed by Vanilla, and Gemerl could be used as an excuse (else she can just go against her mother's will).

Anyway, I hope Cream will appear more and get better roles in the future (I would like her to be playable again, but with a redesigned gameplay). I really hope she is featured in the next major Sonic game, she deserves it after being missing in Forces and Team Sonic Racing. I also hope they go back to make her as much expressive as she was in her Advance sprite animations... she's never been like that in a game after the GBA era.

3 hours ago, batson said:

Over the years though I've warmed up to her. I think part of it is simply that as I've gotten older I can't help but be charmed by cute little kids.

2 hours ago, Kuzu said:

I'm older now, so the idea of a more polite and well-mannered character to contrast the more headstrong and outgoing characters to be a good idea...in theory.

It's interesting to see how a character that was likely designed to appeal the younger audience seems to be accepted more by older, more mature people rather than by the kids it was designed for.

[Your Vest Friend]

I'm actually the opposite, kid characters appeal to me less now than when I was a teenager, heh.

[Kaotic Kanine]

On 8/14/2020 at 5:08 PM, batson said:

So does anyone else still remember how Cream was for a while pretty much promoted as the fifth member of Sonic's innermost circle of friends? Like if the main group of protagonists consisted of Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy and Cream?

I sure do. And it's why I'm so bitterly vocal about Cream's current place in this franchise  Whether you liked it or not, Cream was the fifth member of the "main heroes". And while I may not have thought much about Cream in my earlier years, undeniably, as an adult, I can definitely see her potential in that role. She was meant to be the "Sixth Ranger" to the main group; being the novice hero who, after getting a taste of adventure, wants to join in with the main heroes but has to overcome her inexperience and other personal flaws to really flourish. And yet, with Cheese by her side, she manages to be a force to be reckoned with. I thought that was a very compelling character arc for Cream, but apparently nobody else could see it. Not even SEGA. And here we are now... 

3 hours ago, Kuzu said:

Cream definitely embodies what many critics accuse the extended supporting cast of being a bunch of extras who take up space. She just was never able to settle into a niche that helped her stood out from her peers. 

If they were ever going to use her, they really need to overhaul her character; she barely ever gets used because writers just cannot think of a role for her as she currently is. I'm older now, so the idea of a more polite and well-mannered character to contrast the more headstrong and outgoing characters to be a good idea...in theory. Kind of like a somewhat more naive and innocent version of the type of character Tails used to be.

Just give her an actual goal and motivation, and you're good. 

I don't think a complete overhaul of her character is necessary. Way I see Cream, she always had something that helped her stand out. It just wasn't the most explicit because SEGA's writers are un-creative. All I would personally do is make use of Cream's "curiosity" that had been mentioned in many a character bio of her, and establish her as having an isolated upbringing; before Advance 2, she only knew of the outside world through television and books, and it was only thanks to Eggman and Sonic that she even got a glimpse of how the world is outside her home's boundaries. And in order to explore the world, and sate her intense curiosity, Cream befriends and tags along with Amy because that pink hedgehog desires a life of adventure, after being stuck in a mundane world (whereas Cream was merely isolated and oblivious to the world of adventure outside of her home), and the hedgehog had physical and spiritual strength to get them both through the dangers of adventures. Yet incidentally, Cream would be an asset to Amy by keeping the emotional and "head in the clouds" girl grounded, among other supportive stuff. And therein, you got that goal and motivation; to experience the world in its entirety and learn everything it has to offer. And if that isn't enough, just have her fill the niche of being the support of the main group. In MOBA terms, Cream is the hard support that enables the others to succeed in their respective roles and win the game. And to that end, give her canon healing magic or something of that nature! Like I said in another thread, a character doesn't need combat skills to be crucial 

1 hour ago, Fire-N-Space said:

Cream's calm personality was the opposite of Amy's hot blooded nature but now with Amy losing most of her affection/ femininity traits she's becoming more like Cream which makes Cream less special I believe this is why she isn't getting much attention these days.

This too! This is exactly why I'm so opposed to the Modern, Boom, and IDW iterations of Amy! With Amy being the calm and "down-to-earth" one of the cast, not only is that completely contradicting to her established character, it robs Cream of her established role. What now can the rabbit do when Amy is being rational and sensible? 

And in regards to Cream's gameplay being derivative of Tails... Do we all forget that her flight is different from Tails anyhow? Tails' flight lasts longer and has better height, while Cream's merely travels further. And sure, have a different power altogether would be ideal. But I think this sort of thing is inevitable for the extended cast to be playable anyway...? Like, Rouge was established playing exactly like Knuckles in SA2. So how would y'all expect her to play in a 2D game a la the Classics or Advance? And likewise, what of Charmy? Flying is all that he can do in terms of abilities. Should he not be allowed to be playable ever again just cause flying is all he can do and that's firmly Tails' shtick? 

[Kuzu]

I agree that she doesn't need combat skills to be useful, but that doesn't really address her primary issue as a video game character above anything else; as I said, her main issue is that her gameplay is very derivative of Tails, but doesn't offer much to help her stand out from him.  I definitely recall that she was the character I went back to play with the least in Adv. 2 and 3, mainly because I didn't feel any incentive to do so. That's the most surefire way for people to get people to care about her.

Her narrative role is kind of secondary to that, and being realistic...I highly doubt Sega will ever consider promoting her like she was back in the Advance days. Those days are long gone, and it's rather clear which characters are Sega's priority. That said, you can do something like I dunno...make her a Chao caretaker or something if they ever brought back the Chao Garden. 

 

I do agree that she has some potential, but I really can't see Sega ever taking another chance with her anytime soon. That said, it's still baffling that they didn't use her in TSR. Mainstream appearances are one thing, but not even as a spin off character? That's weird as shit. 

[Kaotic Kanine]

Fair enough. I recall someone in this very forum recommending Cream have a super-high triple jump in place of flight. Which I very much resisted at first. But honestly, if it means setting her apart from Tails, I'd take it. I just want Cream to be playable and distinct. If it means removing her fight, so be it. And perhaps give her abilities relating to the Chao species as a whole; in other words, make her the Chao-equivalent of Whisper (who pretty much represents the Wispon-using Avatar characters) and there we have it

No kidding. Thank the heavens for "Mario and Sonic at Tokyo 2020" for giving Cream a sub-plot in the games story mode. Otherwise I would've given up all hope for her continued existence in the franchise. Well, that and the IDW comics and Sonic Channel. And yet, I can recall a certain poster complaining about Cream being used for Sonic Channel using Cream every year in place of, say, Omega. And while I'm don't mean to say Omega shouldn't get Sonic Channel rep... That site is the only thing outside of IDW willing to use Cream, and they would have that site give up on the rabbit too...? And y'all wonder why I'm so defensive over Cream. As far as I know, if it were up to anyone on this forum with the exception of you, Kuzu, and few others Cream would be firmly erased from the franchise: existing only as a memory of a time "best" forgotten

[DabigRG]

2 hours ago, Fire-N-Space said:

Cream's calm personality was the opposite of Amy's hot blooded nature but now with Amy losing most of her affection/ femininity traits she's becoming more like Cream which makes Cream less special I believe this is why she isn't getting much attention these days.

You know, I actually kinda see that in Lost World with her feeling sorry for and consoling the Mobini.

1 hour ago, Iko said:

 

I'm convinced that she works better as a more independent character than as Amy's sidekick... Amy's personality (or at least her former one, before it was toned down) is too strong, it would overshadow Cream's, and that type of dynamic is already covered by Sonic & Tails. Imo Cream works the best when she's paired up with the more powerful/potentially-dangerous characters, such as Blaze or Emerl/Gemerl; to an extent Shadow would be a better character for her to be a sidekick to, considering his backstory with Maria and all. Though, I really think that they should start promoting her as a duo with Gemerl; they can even use Gemerl as an excuse for Vanilla to allow her to go in some adventures (as long as Gemerl watches over her). I wouldn't even mind a game where she makes the wrong friend, one that she wants to turn good but fails to and stays evil until the end.

It's kinda weird how that worked and I don't think it was impossible at all as a few instances go to show, but she did tend to work out better with other characters. Probably because they actually were of a stronger type or attitude that was actually softened by her compared to Amy around that time.

And yes, a story of her cheerfulness not panning out would be interesting.

1 hour ago, Iko said:

What she really needs is some character development. Tone down the pacifism, make her a competent fighter when necessary. Also I think that Cheese should be nerfed. It's ok if they fight together, but they should actually fight together, not "Cream gives orders and Cheese attacks"; just think of some tag team attacks with a chao, and there's a lot of potential IMO.

 

It bothers me that the Emerl fifth in Sonic X and maybe an issue of Archie is the one time that ever happened in some regard, so seconded.

[Iko]

37 minutes ago, Kaotic Kanine said:

Fair enough. I recall someone in this very forum recommending Cream have a super-high triple jump in place of flight. Which I very much resisted at first. But honestly, if it means setting her apart from Tails, I'd take it. I just want Cream to be playable and distinct. If it means removing her fight, so be it. And perhaps give her abilities relating to the Chao species as a whole; in other words, make her the Chao-equivalent of Whisper (who pretty much represents the Wispon-using Avatar characters) and there we have it

I once suggested to give her several multiple jumps instead of an actual flight, I can't remember when and where, so that could have be me but I'm not sure. I said it so that after each jump she could fall and stomp the enemies (you can do it in Advance 2 by canceling the flight, but this way it would be automatic without the need of an additional button).

Also I agree that she should be the "Whisper" of chao, and I also suggested to let Cheese copy the traits from the animals you free by breaking the badniks in order to gain some temporary passive powe-ups.

[DabigRG]

1 hour ago, Kaotic Kanine said:

I sure do. And it's why I'm so bitterly vocal about Cream's current place in this franchise  Whether you liked it or not, Cream was the fifth member of the "main heroes". And while I may not have thought much about Cream in my earlier years, undeniably, as an adult, I can definitely see her potential in that role. She was meant to be the "Sixth Ranger" to the main group; being the novice hero who, after getting a taste of adventure, wants to join in with the main heroes but has to overcome her inexperience and other personal flaws to really flourish. And yet, with Cheese by her side, she manages to be a force to be reckoned with. I thought that was a very compelling character arc for Cream, but apparently nobody else could see it. Not even SEGA. And here we are now... 

I don't think a complete overhaul of her character is necessary. Way I see Cream, she always had something that helped her stand out. It just wasn't the most explicit because SEGA's writers are un-creative. All I would personally do is make use of Cream's "curiosity" that had been mentioned in many a character bio of her, and establish her as having an isolated upbringing; before Advance 2, she only knew of the outside world through television and books, and it was only thanks to Eggman and Sonic that she even got a glimpse of how the world is outside her home's boundaries. And in order to explore the world, and sate her intense curiosity, Cream befriends and tags along with Amy because that pink hedgehog desires a life of adventure, after being stuck in a mundane world (whereas Cream was merely isolated and oblivious to the world of adventure outside of her home), and the hedgehog had physical and spiritual strength to get them both through the dangers of adventures. Yet incidentally, Cream would be an asset to Amy by keeping the emotional and "head in the clouds" girl grounded, among other supportive stuff. And therein, you got that goal and motivation; to experience the world in its entirety and learn everything it has to offer. 

 

Amazing how functional a character/story can be if you actually lean on what's there in an organic way. I also suggested giving Vanilla a minor viewpoint that would be reflected in Cream's initial circumstance.

45 minutes ago, Kaotic Kanine said:

. And perhaps give her abilities relating to the Chao species as a whole; in other words, make her the Chao-equivalent of Whisper (who pretty much represents the Wispon-using Avatar characters) and there we have it

I've quietly foresaw on a possible story with those two since Whisper's debut.

45 minutes ago, Kaotic Kanine said:

No kidding. Thank the heavens for "Mario and Sonic at Tokyo 2020" for giving Cream a sub-plot in the games story mode.

Oh, did it? I have to admit I skimmed through some of the boss encounters a while back and that's it .

 

[E-122-Psi]

Concerning Amy and Cream, I think the bigger issue was that after a while the storytelling tended to simplify and exaggerate their opposite personality traits to make them seem like opposites. Amy's personality more or less got split into two characters, Amy kept the temper and headstrong elements (and obviously the Sonic crush) while Cream kept the kindly wide eyed feminine elements. In some cases it got simplified ridiculously into just 'overbearing hothead vs sugar sweet doormat'. I also don't really think they looked into their dynamic that hard to give them new life and so the flanderization slowly took over (besides maybe Archie, where  the 'psycho brat' side of Amy actually  got toned down when Cream was introduced).

Cream could have been a fun morality pet for Amy that reminded us of her empathetic side, who she cared for and tried to help give self esteem towards, but with the odd exception such as Heroes, by this point in time Amy was largely just 'Sonic, Sonic, Sonic'.

This might also be why the more prissy empathetic elements of Amy took over in Boom since Sticks had took over Cream's usual role, and was pretty much her polar opposite, taking Amy's more erratic bad tempered qualities.

[Kuzu]

Something like just felt like a natural outcome since Amy never gets a chance to shine in a central role, so her character gets simplified in many areas where she's not in a major role. So you give a character like that a foil and...well, they would be simplified too. 

It's kind of the downside of being low on the character totem pole, you don't get many chances to actually be a fully realized character. There simply wasn't many media that explored their relationship, since around that era everything was focused on Team Sonic and Shadow as the central pillars of the series and Amy and Cream were with the Chaotix as just token comic relief. 

[Nergal]

Never cared for Cream, never will. Her sweet badass little girl with a OP chao shtick doesn't do it for me. IMO, it's all spectacle and no substance. Cream's role was really Amy's role in Classic games (at least the ingenue/sweet girl) part. Either way, I don't really get how it has a place in Sonic...? Even the child characters like Tails have a gimmick of being tech-savvy geniuses, stuff like that. But even then, classic Tails sort of played that role as well..

 

 

[Shadow Chaos Control]

Cream has suffered the fate of many new characters im their time, a surge and then fall in popularity. I call it the ‘Abrams Effect,’ how JJ kept introducng new characters in the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, as a result the more flushed out characters lose attention for a spell. The result is fans cry out for the vanguard to get tocus again and so characters like Cream get sidelined. There is so much more history with Sonic, Knux, Tails, and other characters, more nostalgia to pull on. New characters only have two paths to take, become fan favorite like Knuckles wnd Shadow did, or burn out in popularity like Cream.