Slipping away...

[The-Master-Board]

With the recent releases of Unleashed and SatBK, I am beginning to lose my faith - and my patience - with Sega. I just can't actually believe that A: Sonic Team can even DARE to release such peices of shit into the gaming world (especially under the name of Sonic) and B: that they can deliver a decent new title in the series, especially after witnessing the vile puke that the last two games turned out to be.

I don't want to hate Sonic. In fact, I've tried every possible way to make the series tollerable for myself... but it just isn't working. The only remaining bond between the blue 'hog and I is the strong love I hold for the retro games (SA2 and previous), and that is a bond which is unbreakable - even if the entire series has become utter shite since the demise of the Dreamcast.

So, I'm wondering this: does anyone feel the same way, or am I just an idiotic nostalgiafag? Please don't state that the latter is true...

No you're not alone, I too have started wondering just what is keeping me in the series.

I've been into Sonic pretty much since the days when I was a little kid, back in the classic era, and Sonic then was something that really got me excited. These days I have to force myself to not come to the realisation that I am cringing the whole way playing through the latest Sonic game.

I know it's had its problems for quite a while, but last years pathetic attempts is what finally managed to sway me. After the failures that were Sonic Chronicles and Unleashed - Sonic and the Black Knight is like the nail in the coffin.

I was truly excited for Sonic Chronicles, finally someone other than the incompetant Sonic Team were going to have a crack at Sonic..and it was an RPG, ripe for fleshing out the deep history of Sonic. I was expecting to see familair faces, stories, and locales - instead we got inconsistances and aliens.

Sonic Unleashed chose the path of cramming new unessacary characters into the game, whilst taking out the characters we cared about and replacng them with a tonne of humans. Then there was the fact this didn't even feel remotely like a Sonic game, where was the fantasy, the surrealism? All repleaced by lame realistic "our world" BS.

Now we have Sonic and the Black Knight, and the most ironic thing is that the best part of that game isn't even made by Sonic Team - its artwork made by the fans!, and whatsmore its artwork of Sonic when he was GOOD, ie; NONE of the recent games.

The hardest part is to see something you care so much about in such a sorry state - the worst part is making the decision whether its time to jump ship.

I honestly shouldn't have to sit there yelling at the game and whoever made it whilst waggling my flailing hand and cursing at the screen to try and make Sonic do something that will entertain me - what was the point of wasting my money on this? Seriously, I played SatBK once, and have only just picked it up again because to me it felt more like a chore to try complete it then it did anything resembling fun. And thats the sad part; Sonic games these days feel like chores.

In my heart I know that if I wasn't such a big fan there is no way I'd pay for such a flawed and worthless game - but thats just it, I am a fan of Sonic. I truly believe everyone is deluded, for the "oldies" sit around and complain about how Sonic sucks these days, yet still buy the games, and the "newbies" claim "this is the best Sonic evaaaaa!" to every piece of shit Sonic game that comes out, no matter how horrendus is is (SatBK)

I think what I read a while ago pretty much summed it up for me - it was that article where they interviewed the guy behind the idea for SatBK, and pretty much what I gathered from the interview was 'he wanted to do king arthur idea, and include Sonic'. This is the problem. They need to ditch these dickweed Sonic Team members that want their ideas made, just to see their own idea come to something. They shouldn't be making games based on what they want - they should be making them for what is good for Sonic.

Honestly, they are forever changing the direction of Sonic that there is never time to develop him. The older games worked because they found an idea that was received well, and they added upon that idea with sequels and slight additions as they went. These days its all about the gimmicks; Sonic has an airboard, Sonic has a sword, Sonic is a werewolf, Sonic and pirates, Sonic storybooks, olympic crap, on and on and on, there is never any "core" Sonic gameplay because they change every game.

For me Sonic was about simple fun gameplay in nice fantasy locations, interesting characters, and it was a fight with Dr.Robotnik who was an evil guy trying to pollute and enslave the world.

These days Sonic is all about the "realism", grungy citys that look like they could've been taken from GTA, realistic nature as though from some RPG, stupid generic robots.....its all lost its charm, Sonic Heroes was the last game (besides handhelds) where I felt like I was actually in Sonic's world. Sonic Team seem so hellbent on converting Sonic into our boring world that they went so far as to make "Sonic world adventure" or "Sonic Unleashed" and just flaunt that fact in our face.

Simple stories have been overrun with "epic" tales involving princesses and scepters, and will always end- (I put all my money on this) with some fcking stupid huuuge generic doomsday monster that some guy at Sonic Team apparently thought was cool and hadn't been done a thousand times over. These stories will usually have Sonic act so out of character its cheese level is of the highest level of cringeworthy, and those times where they actually remember Sonic was all about the attitude they miss the mark horribly, and we get some brain-melting turd of dialogue thats probably worse then the cheesy lines.

Dr.Robotnik/Eggman - the once competant villain of the series has been reduced to a laughing stock, a walking joke if you will. He either teams up with the good guys or loses out to previously mentioned generic doomsday monsters EVERY-FRICKEN-TIME! What happened to Sonic vs Eggman? Its dead.

But don't think Sonic Team are only gonna mess with the main villian, oh nooo hoo, they'll cram in useless new characters to steal what little time any of the familiar cast can get their hands on - evident most blatantly in Sonic Unleashed. They go so far as to steal the spotlight from even Sonic himself!?

Its all too overwhelming. Currently I get my Sonic fix from the comics; I seriously get more excited each month for those then I ever do for the games (though the time Sonic Team take with their games it almost seems like a monthly thing too)... It's sad to think that other mediums can portray the hedgehog I love better than his actual own company have done for years. The comics give Sonic depth and attitude that make the games look as flat as a board in comparison, and its even sadder that the most Sonic thing I feel I played last year was Sonic in Super Smash Bros Brawl - the very fact NINTENDO could make Sonic more fun then SEGA would have the me of my childhood shaking in the corner with puzzlement.

I wouldn't say I'm not a fan anymore, but I hear you when you say you're slipping. After the attrocity that is SatBK, I for one will not be going straight out and buying a Sonic game just because it has my hero on the front, I will definately be playing a friends copy or demo first to decide whether it is decent....and that in itself is saying something if a fan can't buy a game without seeing if it is good first.

[Super Yoshi]

I will never stop likeing Sonic. Even though there was that game that did not exist (Sonic 2006) I whave liked all of the Sonic games. Advance 2 was one of my favourites as I have not played a lot of 3. Adventure 2 was the best 3D Sonic until Sonic Unleashed cam out for the 360. I have been a Sonic fan since his debut on MegaDrive and I will be forever.

[SuperLink]

Zaysho has a point though, and while it may not apply to the games as much, I especially mean the character. Loads of "nostalgiafans" disregard anything and everything about any Sonic game that has a green eyed Sonic doing anything other than saving his tiny animal friends from the badniks of Robotnik. OK, slight exaggeration, but if those are the kinds of fans Zaysho was getting at, and they do exist, then I agree with him.

Also, there is a point on some of the games too. Since "new Sonic", the 2D games have kept up a good and constant degree of quality, but a lot of people don't like them anyway for some reason or another. I'm not defending '06 or Shadow, but Heroes does have it's own merit of sorts, and I think thats where Zaysho's point was coming from.

[Roo]

I don't exactly lose faith in the series, I just get bored with it sometimes. Get me to play a Sonic game or watch the show and I get hooked again. Doesn't matter if the game sucks, it's just me.

Rather than putting forth effort and typing up a paragraph, I'll just agree with Zaysho. He took what I was going to say anyways.

[SuperLink]

Oh, I also completely agree with AXB. After '06 I was just about to "renounce" my Sonic fandom, so to speak. But Unleashed, it was so finished and clean. The Daytime stages were Sonic Rush in 3D, what fans had been asking for, sure it could do with more platforming, less QTE, and less "OSHITWHAT'STHATNEVERMINDTOOLATEI'MDEAD", but it really gave me hope that sometimes even Sonic Team knew what they were doing, even if I can still have faith in Dimps to carry on evolving the 2D gameplay without ST even noticing (looks like they finally did...)

Edited March 19, 2009 by SuperLink

[Frobman]

I've an on/off relation with the franchise itself. No matter what game may dissapoint me, I'd still end up playing future games. And sometimes get games I had sold off for a small price (Sonic A2B and Heroes are constant victims of this). And the handheld games seem to play the best. Not to say the main console games are bad, but 3D doesn't seem to work for him half the time, if that makes sense.

Ah well. I am an odd ball to begin with.

[blackherox]

I never 'loved' Sonic to begin with. All the blue hedgehog was (and still is) a video game platformer about a talking blue hedgehog.Nothing more. Platformers are the main genre I like and they are becoming increasingly rare to find these days and because I don't play a wide variety of video games in the first place (and because I rent my games) my interest in Sonic will still be there, because he (and Mario) gives me what I want (roughly). If anything, the attitude online gaming community is what is putting me off games in general.

[libertyernie]

I just really like 2D platformers, and that includes the Genesis games as well as Sonic Rush.

[Rave92]

I agree, and I must say that I lost that much interests in it. I still play Sonic games, but just from curiosity and liking game character that I liked most with Mario. Mario changed, but they did it successfully, while Sonic... well let's say they are still trying. And I think this is the only Sonic forum I post, and I used to post on a lot .

[Random Rhyme]

I'm on a Sonic Hiatus right now until Sega can get it at least close to right so it not exactly slipping away its more like a Sonic Coma.

Edited March 19, 2009 by Shade737

[DarkDefeater]

Wow. I guess I'm one of the very few who completly likes Sonic at this point, and who continues to buy every single Sonic game.

I guess unleashed didn't have quite the positive impact I thought it did.

I have to wonder, Are Sonic fans expectations too rigid?

Daytime unleashed was fast, had elements of platforming, and gave me the same rush I had with some of the classic games.

But people don't like it because it's 'too fast', because of qte's (understandable), and an arguably overpowered boost (also understandable). Some people also feel it's too realistic. (odd, because I found sa and sa2 to be preety realistic)

Daytime unleashed is not perfect, but to me, it has the polish and effort put into it that I thought fans were wanting. I am a bit baffeled as to what fans actually want.

I'm beginning to think that Sonic fandom will never be satisfied no matter how good of Sonic game comes out.

Other than Sonic 4 or a sa3, what do the fans actually want?

P.S. I have to get this out there. I have mixed feelings about Sonic going 'too fast.' I understand the concerns

of him going faster than humanly possible. But I also don't want him slowed down to the point of just being slightly faster than any other platformer.

You know, if the unleashed boost had more than one speed, a throttle of sorts, I think it would solve a lot of problems.

[MetallicWrath]

I guess I'm one of the very few who completly likes Sonic at this point, and who continues to buy every single Sonic game.

You're not the only one, i still buy the games too.

I still like Sonic, always have, always will. I can't say that I've ever hated a Sonic game either, though i do admit to having being bored or dissapointed with a couple.

I can understand where people are coming from in regards to the games, yes the classics were good and the new games are not like them. But why do they need to be?

No one gives Mario a hard time because he doen't run around on a side-scrolling screen whacking brick blocks with his head anymore do they?

Edited March 19, 2009 by MetallicWrath

[Morphed Chaos]

I would like to see more Character development personally. All we ever see nowadays is Sonic Sonic Sonic, What about the other characters? I think thats what made SA and SA2 so good, is that there was lots of character development.

[Frobman]

I would like to see more Character development personally. All we ever see nowadays is Sonic Sonic Sonic, What about the other characters? I think thats what made SA and SA2 so good, is that there was lots of character development.

If we did, fans will complain about wanting solo Sonic games. I'm not saying not include other characters. Just don't include a lot of them, or even spend too much time on them (Sonic Heroes a bit, Shadow and Sonic 06 got that criticism of extra characters' gameplay and stories)

[Blazey Firekitty]

I wouldn't mind seeing more character development for Tails and Amy, and it would be fun to play as Eggman again, but as of the moment, I'm pretty satisfied with the Sonic franchise as it is now.

[Morphed Chaos]

Playing as Eggman would be awesome. Dunno, but you could do so much with that.

Maybe make a game where you play as Eggman and try to stop sonic?

[Blazey Firekitty]

Playing as Eggman would be awesome. Dunno, but you could do so much with that.

Maybe make a game where you play as Eggman and try to stop sonic?

Sounds fun, especially if they gave you lots of custimization options with the mecha, traps, and badniks you'd get.

[Morphed Chaos]

Sounds fun, especially if they gave you lots of custimization options with the mecha, traps, and badniks you'd get.

OMG! OMG! That would make a GODLY RTS if done right. I could make a patch for Supcom to add the Eggman Empire as a faction, but it would be a mod patch... and it would have to replace the Seraphem.

[Link451]

I'm a pretty tolerable gamer. If I'm at the least able to have fun with the game, I don't really nitpick them and look for problems. And seeing as it's Sonic, one of my biggest fads, I can pretty easily still manage to find enjoyment out of the games somehow. So no, I'm not exactly losing interest in Sonic. Though I do admit the quality is declining a bit. Unleashed was pretty good but before that Shadow, Sonic '06 and Riders ZG didn't do a great job at Sonic's reputation.

[123654]

I would like to see more Character development personally. All we ever see nowadays is Sonic Sonic Sonic, What about the other characters? I think thats what made SA and SA2 so good, is that there was lots of character development.

Unleashed was the first game in a long time that didn't have a lot of characters, and they get more focus than Sonic.

[AdventChild]

My last Sonic game was Adv.2 and after that, I quit buying Sonic games. Sonic's quality has been going a bit downhill after Heroes and his appeal has been a bit lackluster IMO. Also, I've been discourage to buy games by the critics and by the fans as well. Eh, it is just that Sega/ST seems to be trying too hard to make Sonic cool, but not good and from what I've heard about gameplay from recent games it doesn't sound good nor bodes well with me. Also, their concepts have been poorly executed as of late and the gimmicks are badly executed as well such as guns, swords, and werehogs, just adds more to the distaste. I'm slowly losing faith Sega/ST altogether.

Yet even if I don't buy the games I still watch cut scenes on Youtube just for the fun of it and still read the comics. I feel more of a spectator than a player right now.

[-Mark-]

Oh, I also completely agree with AXB. After '06 I was just about to "renounce" my Sonic fandom, so to speak. But Unleashed, it was so finished and clean.

Yeah, shame the Wii version wasn't.

Seriosuly, the Wii version of Unleashed is the single most unfinished, unpolished and downright untidy Sonic game I've ever seen. Like I've said many a time, it was Wii Unleashed that actually made my faith in Sonic take a dent. Nothing had done that before, not even Shadow the Hedgehog. D= Although in fairness I never played '06.

Thankfully SatBK managed to buff out said dent, and now I'm just treating Wii Unleashed as an unfortunate little disappointment that hopefully won't be repeated any time soon.

Edited March 19, 2009 by Mahzes

[speedfreak]

i too have lost a lot of interest in the series. SU was pretty fun, but it wasn't nearly as good as classic Sonic IMO. SBK I thought was another very low point for Sonic, maybe slightly better then 06 IMO. I thought SBK was so bad that from now on I'm waiting on reviews before ever buying a Sonic game again. I used to buy day one, but I can't put up with the trash Sonic games anymore.

With every new game that comes out I find myself agreeing more and more with the people who want Sonic to go back to playing exactly like the classics. They always fuck it up when they try something new and I'm sick of it.

[eXtaticus]

This is a problem, in my opinion. Everyone is so obsessed with nostalgia and holding Sonic up to it that they refuse to view the games on their own merit.

I utterly and entirely disagree; this is age-old superstitious speculation brought about by the paranoia created in the more corrupt sections of this fanbase.

I, for one, do not dislike the recent titles in the series for not being "Sonic" enough; they really are pieces of crap. I mean, Sonic Unleashed offers nothing but high levels of tedium the WHOLE way through (not just in the Werehog stages; level design quality decreases greatly nearer to the end of the game), and prolonged exposure to the Disney-reject-esque graphics engine could drive one mad! The collision detection and the camera are also points for grizzly death, as the much anticipated 2D-to-3D flip often results in a glitch that screws up your entire enjoyment of the game; after making my way to Adabat, I wanted to A: puke profusely and B: stick the disc in a toaster - it really was that bad.

The story is no different in the Wii titles; they cut me deep enough to make me bleed jagged, scarlet polygons. I wont go into detail, however, as I just don't have the energy or the will to bother with explicitly venting my rage on such turd-piles (especially when they have been developed on such an equally buggered console).

Edited March 19, 2009 by Extaticus

[SuperLink]

Seriosuly, the Wii version of Unleashed is the single most unfinished, unpolished and downright untidy Sonic game I've ever seen. Like I've said many a time, it was Wii Unleashed that actually made my faith in Sonic take a dent. Nothing had done that before, not even Shadow the Hedgehog. D= Although in fairness I never played '06.

No wonder you've only had a dent!