Poll: Do you like Sonic and his woodland entourage?

[verdant monkai]

Sonic the hedgehog has been a character thats been with me for all of my life. I played some form of sonic arcade game in the place you drop your kids off when you need a breather. And I watched shows like the SatAM, the regular Sonic the hedgehog show and Sonic underground. Then the first Xbox 360 game I owned was the famous Sonic06 (that was a bad start).

So I'm probably biased when I say I like some of the characters that accompany him, I dont know all of them but his games would feel empty and shallow without them. I think they are what Sonic has over Mario, colourful characters that inhabit his world and care about what happens in the world. Whereas the plumbers adventures are basically pointless and repetitive, and the motives for why and if anyone cares are lost on me.

(If you can be asked, my feelings on the ones I know of are listed below).

Spoiler

Tails: Really like Tails
Rogue the bat: I like her
Shadow: Really like Shadow
Knuckles: He's cool
Amy Rose: annoying
Cream the rabbit: ugh no thanks
Blaze the Cat: Really like Blaze
Silver: Get Sonic06 away from me
I cant be asked going into minor ones like big the cat.

I don't know what the hell is going on with sonic Boom... its a western studio... so does that mean this reboot is main Sonic cannon? (if there is a main sonic cannon), will the Japs make any new games in the old style? Will they cut the cast back to main characters like Knuckles and Tails? what will happen to favourites like Shadow and Blaze? I don't know.

So I've heard a lot of hate for Sonic's friends over the years, but I've always sort of liked most of them. What do you guys think??

 

[Rylee Fox]

I can name every character in that pic off the top of my head. Maybe I've done too much with Sonic...

Yeah the series is pretty heavy with characters, many of which are just one timers. How often do you see Big the cat for example? Mighty? Bean?

I never minded the characters, though I would like to see the more obscure ones get some screen time for once.

 

[Lieju]

I'm not a huge fan of the games, but I have a soft spot for melodramatic badly-written silliness.

Plus I like Shadow so what do I know.
If the gameplay is good, I'm more than fine with these characters.

 

[Lilani]

It's kind of funny. While there's a lot of revulsion for the extra characters that came from Sonic Team (Amy, Rogue, Shadow, Cream and Cheese, even Team Chaotix), there is almost universal love for the extra characters that came out of the Sonic SatAM series.

I think a good amount of the hatred for the characters you listed there is that when they came into the picture, the games lost track of what made them good and dropped in quality. And only those Sonic Team characters ever made it into games. So I think the problem isn't the characters, so long as the games stay focused on providing what people want first and foremost from a Sonic game--high-speed but fair and strategic platforming in fun zones.

So for me, I guess I could like them if the games they exist in didn't suck. Extra characters weren't the problem in the Sonic Team games, it was the fact that they added extra characters and switched a huge amount of the focus of the game onto these characters.

 

[Casual Shinji]

I like Eggman/Robotnik, he looks cool.

Everyone else has the same rebelious "I'm up to no good" expression that I can't really stand.

I never played a Sonic game in my life though, but I can't help but feel there's something a bit poisonous about these character designs. Too much time on DeviantART maybe.

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

I couldn't care less about almost every character to be honest. They are distractions and every cutscene I just think they should stop talking and let me get one with the game. That includes Sonic himself, or at least his modern incarnation with his annoying tude and cheesy quips. I much prefer him as his classic form in Generations. He never talks, so everything comes from his movement and facial expressions, which just feels more charming and timeless to me.

snip

I just want to say I love your avatar. Never thought I'd see one of Leon Prunelle (or whatever name you know him by) on here.
Gaston comics and other works by Franquin were a big part of my childhood.

 

[LaoJim]

Everyone else has the same rebelious "I'm up to no good" expression that I can't really stand.

I agree. Some of the characters are okay, Tails with his two-tails helicopter power is well designed and distinct from Sonic. A lot of the other characters just seem to be variations on Sonic (although different animals)

They are distractions and every cutscene I just think they should stop talking and let me get one with the game. That includes Sonic himself, or at least his modern incarnation with his annoying tude and cheesy quips.

I've had a huge problem, having grown up with the Genesis games where Sonic was silent, accepting his voice and characterization. Admittedly the original character always had attitude (for example his wagging finger on the title screen), but in most of the modern games he comes across as being cocky and obnoxious. I also always assumed that character was Japanese, and so having him voice with a strong American accent always felt wrong to me (as a Brit). It's a little bit like reading a book and then, when they make the TV series or film, you find the actor they've cast doesn't fit the mental image you had at all.

For me, the Rayman games are much better for having virtually no story or dialogue, but varied locations and creativity in each game. Whereas a lot of modern Sonic games seem to think you want long cutscenes where characters buy ice-cream or throw each other a birthday party, then send you back to Greenhill Zone for the umpteenth time.

 

[Chaos Isaac]

When they're not trying to shove 12 extra characters who have no purpose down your throat, they're generally decent, or at least tolerable.

But then comes a Sonic Heroes or we get a character like Shadow who over stays their welcome and kinda sorta needs to die.

 

[PainInTheAssInternet]

I think a couple are alright, though the voice acting always seems to come down on the side of relentlessly annoying. As for the ensemble, I can't help but feel it's the result of the creators fearing the game isn't interesting enough (they may have been right) and throwing in new characters in an attempt to draw an audience.

Also, what the hell is Knuckles doing? Is he expecting everyone to be really impressed with his ass?

 

[beastro]

Sonic for me ended with Sonic & Knuckles. At addition of Tails, Metal Sonic and Knuckles was enough for me game wise.

This profusion of characters since then is... I'm lost and a little unsettled over how the direction of one of my beloved game charterers has taken with this cast-diarrhea.

With that said some additional characters worked, those being the ones from the Saturday morning cartoon (Not the Afterschool one that was childish and slapstick) that was essentially Sonic and other animals facing a mix of a post-apocalyptic world meets the Holocaust.

And Eggman. I fucking hate that name and it's so annoyingly Japanese.

He's Dr. Robotnik, a name with personality and a bit of wit to it. He was and always will be it to me.

The only other thing I can say is, while I hate reboots and "re-imaginings" I feel Sonic needs to have it happen and wipe out all these stupid characters. Have to go back to him and Tails being some of last uncaptured by Robotnik, the only human on Mobeus, fighting his machination to mechanize all the little cute furry critters of the planet with Metal Sonic being the bete noire as a sign of what Robotniks victory would spell for everyone with Knuckles being one of the few still kicking around free because he was busy guarding the Chaos Emeralds and his little island an remains ignorant and little naive.

Only thing I'd really change would be to break up the plot of Sonic 3 and have to stray away from being so centered on the Death Egg so that can make it's final return in S&K and not have the series just be the first game and then three others having it repeatedly fly into the air and crash to be repaired and fly again.

Then again I found the arch of Sonic 1,2,3 and Knuckles to have been completed nice and neatly with everything being wrapped up and concluded with S&K. Sonic should have faded out and remained an icon of the 90s instead of continually being dragged around from stupid game to stupid game afterwards to continue to play "me too" with Mario.

I've had a huge problem, having grown up with the Genesis games where Sonic was silent, accepting his voice and characterization. Admittedly the original character always had attitude (for example his wagging finger on the title screen), but in most of the modern games he comes across as being cocky and obnoxious. I also always assumed that character was Japanese, and so having him voice with a strong American accent always felt wrong to me (as a Brit). It's a little bit like reading a book and then, when they make the TV series or film, you find the actor they've cast doesn't fit the mental image you had at all.

You had to have grown up with the cartoons side by side to get used to Urkel being his voice. Looking at IMDB it seems he hasn't since for a good awhile and I have no idea if they had Sonic voiced in subsequent games (I took one at 3d Blast and knew my childhood memories were best left preserved intact if I ignored everything that came after that addition to the series), but Urkel meshed well with the Sonic of the early/mid 1990s.

 

[SD-Fiend]

I like them but I really wish Sega would actually use them instead of having them be useless background characters that just cheer Sonic on. I haven't actually played Sonic Generations but from what I've seen there really is no reason for them to be there other than making the place slightly less plain.

I want to see more Sonic Adventure style games that have Sonic's friends doing their own thing and having their own stories and occasionally bumping into each other on the way.

 

[BeerTent]

As a kid, I loved Sonic. Sonic 1, 2, Knuckles... I snuck away with the Genesis to play Sonic, Road-Rash and Mutant League Football. Fuck my brothers, they can have the dumbass (Yet highly coveted) Super-Nintendo.

That being said, Those are just childhood memories. I really don't think Sonic has survived the test of time. Sure, I'd still play Road-Rash, but Sonic? Well... I outgrew platformers. And really, that's all Sonic's IP, in my eyes anyway, can do. While I'd crack a comment stating how he didn't age that well, I don't really think I'm in a position to note that. The Genesis was the last time I saw him.

Oh, and Tails is awesome. I loved his animations and I'd always rather play him over Sonic. ************ flew a plane. That's like the Spanish Inquisition right there.

 

[SD-Fiend]

So I'm probably biased when I say I like some of the characters that accompany him, I dont know all of them but his games would feel empty and shallow without them. I think they are what Sonic has over Mario, colourful characters that inhabit his world and care about what happens in the world. Whereas the plumbers adventures are basically pointless and repetitive, and the motives for why and if anyone cares are lost on me.

(If you can be asked, my feelings on the ones I know of are listed below).

Spoiler

Tails: Really like Tails
Rogue the bat: I like her
Shadow: Really like Shadow
Knuckles: He's cool
Amy Rose: annoying
Cream the rabbit: ugh no thanks
Blaze the Cat: Really like Blaze
Silver: Get Sonic06 away from me
I cant be asked going into minor ones like big the cat.

Spoiler

I don't know what the hell is going on with sonic Boom... its a western studio... so does that mean this reboot is main Sonic cannon? (if there is a main sonic cannon), will the Japs make any new games in the old style? Will they cut the cast back to main characters like Knuckles and Tails? what will happen to favourites like Shadow and Blaze? I don't know.

So I've heard a lot of hate for Sonic's friends over the years, but I've always sort of liked most of them. What do you guys think??

Sonic Boom is an alternate continuity sort of thing so it won't affect anything in the main universe. they've limited the cast to Sonic, Amy ,Knuckles ,Tails and a new character called Sticks the Badger (I think she's only going to be in the cartoon though).

Like I said in my other comment I want them to actually use Sonic's friends instead of having them as window dressing like in Sonic Generations or Lost World. I would hope to see a Sonic Adventure game that has the characters going on their own paths that occasionally cross together. Like how Amy's story in Adventure was her trying to protect the baby bird and avoid being captured eventually meeting up with Sonic and getting lost in Twinkle Park.
They haven't had a game like that since 06' and it would be a shame if that game was the reason why they stopped making adventure style stories.

 

[Nazulu]

I'd tick 'I like half of them', more the earlier characters. Well, the earlier games in general, before Sonic Hero's. Because then they had moments that were better than average. I mean, I've never really cared that much about there writing, but some of it was fun. Even Amy Rose I like because it's amusing how Sonic always tries to ditch her and show disgust over her proposals.

 

[Soxafloppin]

I consider Knuckles and Tails and Robotnik/Eggman to be pretty iconic characters, I like them.

Im sort of meh on Amy, Shadow etc ..I dont know any characters after SA2.

 

[Ingjald]

Like someone above said, the Sonic games ended for me with Sonic 3 + Knuckles. The trend of introducing 4 new "Name the Noun" characters per game, each with 1.5 defining traits, is a recipe for making stories both complicated and uninteresting.

Also, why is Rotor/Boomer in that picture? He's seriously out of place.

 

[go-10]

Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, Shadow, and Amy I like. Everyone else needs to go away already

 

[Shoggoth2588]

I can't name many of the characters in that picture but I do like a lot of the ones I'm aware of. I'm that one weird person who really does like Espeo, Vector and, the armadillo whose name I can't currently remember...I don't have a major issue with Sonic the Hog-Wolf and Japanese Chip is a lot more tolerable than US-Dubbed Chip but really I don't have a hate-on for any of those characters up there.

 

[MysticSlayer]

Spoiler: My thoughts on all the Sonic characters I can remember.

Sonic: Meh, he's never been that great of a character. He's not annoying like some characters, but I don't think any more highly of his character than that of Mario or Luigi.
Tails: Maybe it's just in the TV shows and Adventure, but Tails was quite annoying.
Knuckles: Standard tough guy. Never cared for him.
Amy: Shut the fuck up!
Cream: I only like her because she has Cheese around and she was overpowered in Sonic Battle. Other than that, she really needs to shut up.
Dr. Eggman: I actually do like him. He adds quite a bit of humor to the game and just seems like a self-aware parody of every bad villain ever made.
Shadow: He's got a somewhat interesting backstory, but otherwise, he's just Sonic with a really bad personality.
Rogue: Am I the only one creeped out by the fact that they tried to sexualize a bat?
Jet: Just like Sonic but with a genie background. In other words, don't care that much.
Chaos: No personality, but his background is somewhat interesting.
Emerl: See Chaos.
Tikal: I actually did like her. Her connection to Chaos was interesting, and I liked her dedication to peace and self-sacrifice.
Maria: See Tikal, but replace Chaos with Shadow.
Team Chaotix: They add quite a bit of humor but otherwise aren't that interesting.
Big: Oh, God, take that worthless cat out of the series! And if I hear him say "Froggy" one more time then I am going to destroy everything I have that is Sonic related!
Omega: Not interesting.
Metal Sonic: See Omega.

Well, I think that does it from what I can remember. Overall, I really don't like the characters and they add absolutely nothing. For me, even if Nintendo generally doesn't characterize Mario characters that much, I still would prefer them to those of Sonic's world. At least they aren't annoying, and when they are characterized, they generally do enough to get us to like them but not so much that they start getting annoying.