"Mediocre" Sonic games being de-listed

[DistantJ]

SEGA has removed Sonic games with average Metacritic scores from shop shelves to combat franchise fatigue.

"Any Sonic game with an average Metacritic has been de-listed," SEGA's SVP of EMEA Jurgen Post told MCV.

"We have to do this and increase the value of the brand. This will be very important when more big Sonic releases arrive in the future."

SEGA's set to release three Sonic games in the coming months: downloadable title Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 (the iPhone version's out now), Nintendo platforms exclusive Sonic Colours and Kinect racing game Sonic Free Riders.

Post continued: "We could make a lot of money on back-catalogue Sonic titles, but let's keep the number of Sonic games available under control. Otherwise you can have cannibalisation. If there are ten Sonic games on the shelves, with people seeing Sonic Rush DS or Sonic Rush Adventure, this may not help our overall strategy."

In August Sonic Team's Takashi Iizuka told Eurogamer making both old and new fans happy with a single game is virtually impossible.

Episode 1 is intended to rekindle the classic 2D gameplay fans fondly remember from the blue hedgehog's glory years on the Mega Drive. And Sonic Colours, which plays like the daytime stages from 2008's panned Sonic Unleashed, is designed for fans of Sonic's 3D outings.

SEGA's 3D Sonic games have come in for stinging criticism from veteran Sonic fans in recent years. Sonic Unleashed disappointed many upon its 2008 release. The Xbox 360 and PS3 versions managed a paltry 4/10 in Eurogamer's review. The Wii version was better, though.

The 3D woe continued last year with Wii-exclusive Sonic and the Black Knight, which suffered the same fate as Unleashed.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-10-07-average-sonic-games-removed-from-shops

What do you think of this? Is this good or bad? I imagine people who like the 'flawed' 3D Sonic games enough (I still say it's subjective, unless the game is terribly glitchy and unfinished like '06, some people actually do like Werehogs and Swords) already have copies, and people put off of Sonic considering coming back to the series post-Sonic 4 may become confused by the oversaturation, and the newcomers Iizuka hopes to get from Sonic Colours could possibly be put off of becoming followers of the series if the games they then proceed to try don't live up to it... But at the same time, seeing critical response as representation of the entire world's response to a game seems a little out of touch to me. Lots of games, movies etc. get poor reviews but are enjoyed by many.

I'm not sure how I feel about this one.

Edited October 7, 2010 by DistantJ

[Agent York]

Not just Sonic games, SEGA as a whole is doing this and I head about this earlier this morning. Basically SEGA from what I hear is very determined to become recognized as a good developer again and while they recently have been publishing well received titles they are basically discontinuing and kind of trying ot erase mistakes from their past. I am not sure if I disagree but I'm not outraged or anything. If this means SEGA continues with quality like Valkyrie Chronicles. Bayonetta, Vanquish, and what appears Sonic Colors and 4 are for the franchise, the Yuzuka series, and hopefully the upcoming Phantasy Star Online 2... Well if they are able to keep up quality games forgive and forget I guess except they're trying to do their part so we forget.

If they erase games rated shittingly and continue to produce what is recognized as "Shit" commonly then this just makes them look like pricks. However if they erase it and then release quality, then I'm sure even the cynical at first people will get over it.

[Marcello]

Oh, I better get Unleashed Wii soon, then.

[the blu blur]

Looks like Sega is pulling an Iblis trigger by retconning their critical reception from history(see?, I knew Sonic 06 had some insight ).

I have to say...I never thought Sega would take this reboot thing that seriously. Its like the Sonic series, are really beginning anew again. Hope things pan out well in that regard.

[speedfreak]

It's a trick to try and get people to go out and buy old games before it's "too late".

Oh, I better get Unleashed Wii soon, then.

And it's working.

[Tornado]

Wait, isn't that all of the Sonic games in the past 5 years? *shot*

[Agent York]

Wait, isn't that all of the Sonic games in the past 5 years? *shot*

*points at the DS Sonic games* Though I will say I don't think Unleashed deserves to be on the list.

[The Tenth Doctor]

I don't think this is terribly fair. The whole propaganda that makes some above average are just the reviews. Like most people didn't like Heroes yet reviewers loved it. I recently bought a wii and have played the so called sub standard black knight. I feel its as good as Secret Rings, will it be pulled too? No. It was adored by reviewers. Doing this will make reviewers feel like they have more power. This is not good if IGN find out....

[SykoTech]

So I guess Free Riders won't even be released huh?

I hope this means we can expect great things from future mainline (platformer) Sonic games.

But aren't Rush and Rush Adventure the highest averaging Sonic games this gen? The article makes it seem like they're the games being removed. Or am I reading it wrong?

[Machenstein]

At least Sega is acknowledging that there is an over-saturation of Sonic games on the market. Maybe this will prompt them to take their time making fewer but better Sonic games, as opposed to making several Sonic games at once to increase their chances at making a profit. Quality over quantity, it is always said.

I don't know why they brought up the Sonic Rush games though. Those are the only games as of late to help the reputation of the Sonic brand rather than harm it. That and maybe Sega All-Stars Racing.

[Yong]

There will always be Gamestop. You can't run away from the truth, Sega.

[Sean]

I thought most games were removed from shelves over time anyway. Except for big sellers such as Mario Galaxy.

Either way, for those who care, these games can still be found online. I always told myself that if I ever got a 360 or PS3, that I would actually give Sonic Unleashed a chance, but now I don't care.

[Glenn]

...and they're using videogame critics as a yardstick?

I wonder if I order Jurgen Post to jump, he'll ask me how high.

[Detective Shadzter]

I just had to share this pic from SpinDash.de (for those who've not seen it, it's referencing the recent Sonic 4 iPhone trailer where Sonic pushes iPhones about.)

http://spindash.de/201010071390/Allgemeine-Sonic-News/SEGA-macht-Platz-in-den-Regalen.html

Good to see them caring so much about bringing Sonic back to top quality form. I know there are people who like those games that weren't so well received, but even when they're removed from store shelves, they still won't be hard to come by.

[Speederino]

Well...um...huh. I'm rather mixed on this. The only 3D Sonic game I downright hated was Sonic 06, and a dislike for Heroes. Everything else...yeah, they're not as good as the older games, but they're at least decent. I'm glad to see Sega so determined to become good again, but this might be a bit too much.

[Shane]

Wasn't Sonic 06 delisted from Games on Demand last week?

[Ristar]

First "Shenmue Town" and then this.

Sega,what´s wrong with you today.

Edited October 7, 2010 by Ristar

[Badnik Mechanic]

Tis a bit odd that they're doing this only two weeks after Sonic Adventure comes out which has adverts in it for Sonic 06, black knight and unleashed.

Mind you I didn't know you could get Sonic 06 brand new (without too much difficulty) in shops anyway.

[jennytablina]

It should be pointed out, even if "new" prints of the older Sonic games are ceased. There are enough titles out there to serve the preowned market. So just because SEGA is ending their print run of these titles, it doesn't mean you'll never see those titles again on sale. Just that you will find getting a freshly wrapped copy a bit of a hassle (maybe)

In any case, time will tell if this approach signals much. Certainly the Sega of the past year or so has been pretty repentant for past disgressions to some degree. If they can keep up the good quality stuff and make striking off the old software worth the effort then theres no problem with this.

[Yong]

Wasn't Sonic 06 delisted from Games on Demand last week?

[Gamerguy21]

But at the same time, seeing critical response as representation of the entire world's response to a game seems a little out of touch to me. Lots of games, movies etc. get poor reviews but are enjoyed by many.

^My thoughts on this.

I do appreciate Sega's attempt to make Sonic universally well-liked again, but I think they're taking it a bit too far. Removing somewhat recent games from shelves just because reviewers thought they were "average" seems a bit like overkill.

Take me for example: I think Sonic Unleashed is actually pretty good and gets a bit more hate than it deserves. Assuming Sega's still making a profit off it, why should they remove it just because of average scores?

Also, the fact that Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure were specifically mentioned confuses me. They are two of the best reviewed Sonic games this generation. Why remove them?

Wasn't Sonic 06 delisted from Games on Demand last week?

Indeed it was. But Sonic Unleashed and Sega Superstars Tennis are still up there, and yet they have "average" scores on Metacritic...

Perhaps they're only planning on removing games with a Meta score of 50 or lower?

[Vertekins]

Man, this reminds me of George Lucas disowning the Star Wars Holiday Special and forbidding it to ever be released on DVD or shown ever again despite the fact that footage has been spread around for years. Can't really blame him but when the damage is done it's done.

I can't help but feel that maybe this is a little misguided. Pretending that the mediocre games never existed does not put them out of the public eye and SONIC '06's infamy is sure to not be forgotten for a while yet.

[Tara]

Okay, I know Megacritic is a pretty popular site, but you can't just eliminate all your games based on one website. That's completely idiotic.

In any case, I guess that means I should probably hurry up and get Sonic '06 then, even though I don't have an Xbox 360 or a PS3 to play it on, and luckily, Toys 'R Us has it listed for... $19.99. *thinks back to the early to mid 90's where even the not-so-great Sonic games would not be drastically marked down* Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

[Doctor Sοnic]

To be honest, I think this is over the top. Sure older games get removed over time, but it seems like Sega haven't even given proper consideration to which titles will be removed.

Okay, I know Megacritic is a pretty popular site, but you can't just eliminate all your games based on one website. That's completely idiotic.

I couldn't agree more.

[Chili Dawg]

To be fair it's one website that's composed of opinions from multiple websites.

I can understand SEGA's desire to distance themselves from the late 2000s era, but something about this kinda rubs me the wrong way.