Does anyone miss the days when it was cool to like Sonic?

[demoman_chaos]

I will gladly admit to anyone I still love the classic Sonic games.

 

[ConstantErasing]

Not really since I wouldn't know cool if it slapped me in the face.

 

[Lilani]

It was cool to like Sonic when Sonic was cool. No mystery there. It's not like the criticism of late is undeserved. Sonic Team took a massive shit on the franchise. And yeah, I guess I do miss those days. If I had to choose between the days when something was good and the days when something was bad, I'm pretty sure I'd pick good. I'm pretty sure most people would. Because the recent Sonic games aren't even that hilarious kind of bad that's still entertaining in its own way. They're the tragic sort of bad. The kind of bad that's just frustrating, embarrassing, and downright intolerable.

...You haven't played Generations yet, have you? Or else it's you, rather than OP, who's Eternal Nothingness' alt.

Oh you know what I meant. Sonic Unleashed, that Sonic where he's a knight or something, that Sonic the Hedgehog reboot where he's after a human girl. It's like they went on a campaign to see how many elements of past Sonic games people love they could throw away and replace with new ones that are just horrible.

And you're conveniently forgetting the most important part of the story. It's called "the part where they stopped doing that". You really haven't played Generations yet.

No, I haven't. But that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the years of shitty games which have generated this negative stigma about Sonic. You know, like OP was talking about?

And my response to that statement was that it's going away. Right now, the people who would be outright still hating of people who like Sonic's new games are either those with their rose-tinted glasses glued firmly over their heads or those who think anything other than Call of Duty is "gay kiddy hipster stuff".

One good game after a dozen bad ones does not a complete change in public opinion make. From what I can tell, people enjoy Sonic Generations but they aren't going so far as to forgive Sonic Team for all their past wrongdoings just yet. Also, (again, from what I can tell) the main good parts of Sonic Generations are good because they are direct references or copy/pastes of the past Sonic games. There's nothing wrong with tributes, mind, but you can't build a franchise on that (SSB being the exception). At some point they're going to have to make new stuff, and it's the choices they make regarding those games that will truly determine if Sonic is back or gone for good. This is their last chance to see if they can truly identify the core elements and mechanics that Sonic fans value the most and properly integrate them into new content--new content which doesn't insult or annoy the living crap out of the player.

 

[Monkeybald]

I like Sonic like I would a drunk friend. He's a great guy to hang with, but his alcoholism has caused him some embarrassment during the last few outings.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

All I wanted to do is come into this thread and say 'Haha Mario won! I told you so.'

Oh god video games what have you done to me...

 

[crusador90]

What the hell? It seems the posting mechanism glitched when I hit the "Tab" key and it posted my message prematurely! I hate that!

What I wanted to post was:

Does anyone remember those days? The days when the fanbase had not yet spiraled down to the level of sheer insanity and discontent that it is today? Remember the days when there did not (Too my knowledge at least) exist a countless number of reviews, web comics, videos, and blogs from practically everywhere that trash the games and remind everyone the world over about how hard things are sucking for the franchise?

Remember those days?

I sure do... and it's the only reason for me to EVER feel nostalgic about the franchise; I don't miss those old days (The Genesis/Mega Drive games are everywhere these days plus I don't miss the inconveniences of the past.) and I'm well aware of the fact that there were "bad" Sonic games, even before the Noughties rolled in, (*Ahem* Sonic Drift, Sonic R, and Sonic Labyrinth.) although none of them were ever the widely publicized and epic failures that Shadow the Hedgehog (A game that, despite being at least functional compared to the latter, manages to bring a lot of poorly implemented "Dark and Edgy" themes that were thankfully dropped later on as well as taking a character who was only revived because of his popularity and making the fans that wanted him back hate him.) and Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 (Ugh, just saying that title makes it sound less like a video game and more like a world-wide disaster, and how appropriate. Everyone knows it sucks and I want to leave it at that.)

I just miss the days when the franchise had a good rep and we were excited to hear about the latest installments instead of bringing up the "Sonic-Cycle" (Or the less sane fans screaming "THIS IS SONIC'S LAST CHANCE" only to come back to scream it again when the next game comes out).
I miss the days where I didn't have to put up with Sonic "fans" who are stuck living in the past, RAGING at anyone who has any positive opinion of anything related to the franchise past 1999.

Sonic will still be this industry's whipping boy for a while and not a day goes by that I feel I should stay quiet the next time any famous magazine or website what have you even mentions his mere name, (Doubly so if they don't have anything nice to say, but whatever.) lest I find myself associated with the same Sonic fans everyone hates.

Still... can't deny that Sega made one too many bad decisions in the past and that's why they're where they are today. (And why they get so much hate)

Nowadays, even with Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations finally showing us that Sonic Team has what it takes to pull out a good Sonic game (On the consoles at least, since no one EVER mentions the portable releases), it will never be cool to be a Sonic fan, only because of that irritating vocal minority that the franchise has. Seriously, these "fans" are SO loud that finding any Sonic fan with a level-headed opinions who don't bother with the bad games is almost impossible since these fans almost completely drown the silent and happy majority out. I can't think of that many fandoms more histrionic and whiny than the worst that Sonic's has to offer, which is scary, depressing, and yet somewhat humorous all at the same time because isn't Sonic the Hedgehog, for all intents and purposes, a children's series? And yet I'm likely to find myself arguing with 20 or even 30 somethings RAGING at the latest Sonic game. It's like those guys who take Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. seriously, except A LOT worse in every way I thought possible!

As cool as the old games are, I don't want to live in the past (It's cool to remember it at least); I want to see what happens next! That's what I like about Colors and Generations they got it right this time.

I'm already placing my bet on how long it will take for a "fan" to disagree with on my opinion of those aforementioned games.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

The day they get rid of his 'friends' and his voice is the day I will buy another Sonic game.

Not before.

 

[Furioso]

Since the topic was posted twice, and this is the thread that is "winning" I will post it again...

I would say it's cool to be a Sonic fan again, redemption can be a powerful thing, and I think Sonic Colors/Generations did a good job at that

 

[crusador90]

By the way,

who's eternalnothingness?


I make a new account and decide I have something to talk about... but I show up at the wrong time, trip up at actually posting something (double posts really screw up heart-felt messages), and now I seem to bear some resemblence to someone I do not know at all...


Sorry guys!

 

[NerfedFalcon]

One good game after a dozen bad ones does not a complete change in public opinion make. From what I can tell, people enjoy Sonic Generations but they aren't going so far as to forgive Sonic Team for all their past wrongdoings just yet. Also, (again, from what I can tell) the main good parts of Sonic Generations are good because they are direct references or copy/pastes of the past Sonic games. There's nothing wrong with tributes, mind, but you can't build a franchise on that (SSB being the exception). At some point they're going to have to make new stuff, and it's the choices they make regarding those games that will truly determine if Sonic is back or gone for good. This is their last chance to see if they can truly identify the core elements and mechanics that Sonic fans value the most and properly integrate them into new content--new content which doesn't insult or annoy the living crap out of the player.

...You finally made a comment which couldn't be quoted out of context and mistaken for something Spax3 said.

Not being sarcastic here.

By the way,

who's eternalnothingness?


I make a new account and decide I have something to talk about... but I show up at the wrong time, trip up at actually posting something (double posts really screw up heart-felt messages), and now I seem to bear some resemblence to someone I do not know at all...


Sorry guys!

EternalNothingness has a bad reputation on this forum for making/visiting threads about Sonic more than any other subject, changing his opinion on whether he loves or hates the franchise several times in a single post (and sometimes sentence) and generally causing as much negative intellectual osmosis as possible.

 

[BreakfastMan]

By the way,

who's eternalnothingness?


I make a new account and decide I have something to talk about... but I show up at the wrong time, trip up at actually posting something (double posts really screw up heart-felt messages), and now I seem to bear some resemblence to someone I do not know at all...


Sorry guys!

Old poster from a while back (well, if you consider "a while back" earlier this year). Bit infamous around here. S/he was a massive Sonic fan who would talk and make topics about the games very often (re: at least once a day). S/he also appeared to be a bit... obsessed with anthropomorphic characters and an aspiring game designer who would pelt us with her/his ideas quite often. S/he have been gone for a while though. No idea what happened to him/her.

 

[Something Amyss]

... Eternal Nothingness, is that you?

No, he didn't condemn us all or preach a point versus a strawman. Has to be someone else.

I don't remember it ever being "cool" to like Sonic, though I remember when the games weren't awful and the fans weren't completely embarrassing, so I guess that's a yes.

 

[Lilani]

One good game after a dozen bad ones does not a complete change in public opinion make. From what I can tell, people enjoy Sonic Generations but they aren't going so far as to forgive Sonic Team for all their past wrongdoings just yet. Also, (again, from what I can tell) the main good parts of Sonic Generations are good because they are direct references or copy/pastes of the past Sonic games. There's nothing wrong with tributes, mind, but you can't build a franchise on that (SSB being the exception). At some point they're going to have to make new stuff, and it's the choices they make regarding those games that will truly determine if Sonic is back or gone for good. This is their last chance to see if they can truly identify the core elements and mechanics that Sonic fans value the most and properly integrate them into new content--new content which doesn't insult or annoy the living crap out of the player.

...You finally made a comment which couldn't be quoted out of context and mistaken for something Spax3 said.

Not being sarcastic here.

This post sent me into a whirl of activity. You have no idea. First I rushed to copy/paste the image to try and see what it was. Never got it to work, but reading the URL I'm pretty sure I know what it is. [http://stubbornlynaive.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Slow-Clap.gif] Then I thought, "Who the hell is Spax3?" I looked in the Escapist userbase and there was no such user. Then I got a bit scared.

A Google search brought me to Deviant Art, and there I found what I'm guessing to be a Mega Man fan who doesn't in the least...write...like....

Oh God.

 

[crusador90]

Yikes! Eternalnothingness was THAT kind of guy? The kind of Sonic fan who hates on and condemns everyone?! I was mistaken for that guy?!


Part of me wishes I just kept my mouth shut about Sonic everywhere. If it is just to avoid arguing with any Sonic fan over the internet (My Golden Rule: Never Argue On the Internet), it's that now!

 

[CrimsonBlaze]

What the f*** are you talking about? It's always been cool to like Sonic! Since when did it ever stop being cool? 20 years strong baby!

 

[DarkRyter]

Don't worry man.

For the first time in a long time, Sonic's future is looking pretty bright.

 

[Lilani]

Yikes! Eternalnothingness was THAT kind of guy? The kind of Sonic fan who hates on and condemns everyone?! I was mistaken for that guy?!


Part of me wishes I just kept my mouth shut about Sonic everywhere. If it is just to avoid arguing with any Sonic fan over the internet (My Golden Rule: Never Argue On the Internet), it's that now!

Oh, there's more to it than that. Eternalnothingness wants to be writer--a video game writer to be exact--and at first when he started out he was trying to prove how awesome Sonic was because the characters in his story are also bipedal animals ("Sakura the Rabbit," for example). Then after enough people told him the Sonic characters are total shit, he made thread after thread after thread discussing why and how they are so bad. It's like he's now convinced the key to writing anything good is to not make it like Sonic.

Just about everyone on this forum has told him exactly what he needs to be told. That you learn to write by taking classes and reading good literature, not from dissecting bad video game writing. That no matter how hard you try if your entire cast is talking animals with half-assed Japanese names in a half-assed Japanese world your story will look like nothing more than a weaboo's wet dream. But he simply does. Not. Take. Criticism. You can know that he knows you're right when he stops responding. But then later he just makes another thread, usually similar to the issues addressed in the previous thread, but completely missing the point of all the issues he's not completely ignoring. It's just quite sad at this point. I'd call him a troll, but I've never seen a troll keep such a straight face for so long.

 

[Jabberwock King]

Sure, I remember in grade school that it was cool. Especially when talking about the GameCube remake of Sonic Adventure 2. That was one of the last good ones until the downward spiral, right?

 

[NerfedFalcon]

One good game after a dozen bad ones does not a complete change in public opinion make. From what I can tell, people enjoy Sonic Generations but they aren't going so far as to forgive Sonic Team for all their past wrongdoings just yet. Also, (again, from what I can tell) the main good parts of Sonic Generations are good because they are direct references or copy/pastes of the past Sonic games. There's nothing wrong with tributes, mind, but you can't build a franchise on that (SSB being the exception). At some point they're going to have to make new stuff, and it's the choices they make regarding those games that will truly determine if Sonic is back or gone for good. This is their last chance to see if they can truly identify the core elements and mechanics that Sonic fans value the most and properly integrate them into new content--new content which doesn't insult or annoy the living crap out of the player.

...You finally made a comment which couldn't be quoted out of context and mistaken for something Spax3 said.

Not being sarcastic here.

This post sent me into a whirl of activity. You have no idea. First I rushed to copy/paste the image to try and see what it was. Never got it to work, but reading the URL I'm pretty sure I know what it is. [http://stubbornlynaive.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Slow-Clap.gif] Then I thought, "Who the hell is Spax3?" I looked in the Escapist userbase and there was no such user. Then I got a bit scared.

A Google search brought me to Deviant Art, and there I found what I'm guessing to be a Mega Man fan who doesn't in the least...write...like....

Oh God.

Don't worry. He's stopped being like that. It's just that he used to be the craziest of the crazies when it came to the Sonic fandom.

Still, I suppose it's nice to have differences of opinion sometimes, it's just that expressing them without going into ad hominem is a lot harder on the Internet...

 

[Infernai]

I more or less lost faith in the franchise after 99% of the fandom essentially turned into the gaming equivalent of the twilight fan-base and the fact Sonic team seemed to not so much be creating games as they did smash their head against a keyboard until something resembling a game was produced.

Look, as much as i rag on about this series i would be lying if i said i didn't want to actually be able to like it again: Sonic's one of gaming's major icons, rivaling mario in terms of popularity. And while Sonic Generations looks good, i haven't played it yet due to being a bit on the worried side. Yeah, it's a good game, but i wanna make sure things stay that way for the franchise. This series has hurt me a few times in the past, and the final straw came with 2006 when i just stopped playing altogether.

So, while i won't rag on generations or some of the newer games that harshly (The ones i haven't played anyway), it's still going to take a while to get my trust back into this series...and even then, i think the fandom needs to just take a step back and take a chill pill.