Poll: How would you save Sonic the Hedgehog?

[Dragonpit]

Okay, so everyone's been ragging on Sonic the Hedgehog, saying how they should finally stop making games about him and the such, and sadly, some of those arguments have some basis.

Recently, Sonic has suffered some bad games in recent years. More notably are Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) and Shadow the Hedgehog. Sonic's been trying to show he still has sprint in him, however, having some success with titles such as Sonic and the Secret Rings as well as Sonic Rush.

Personally, I think we shouldn't give up on Sonic just yet. Wouldn't it be truly sad to see the iconic hedgehog we all grew up with suddenly go? So let me ask this: How would you save Sonic? What would you change? What would you do differently?

 

[hittite]

Remember Sonic Sat AM? Go back to that.

 

[Radeonx]

I wouldn't.
Sonic Colors was great. Easily one of the best games of 2010. If more games like that come out, I'm happy.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Turn sonic into an adolescent catgirl that has to run away from zombies in the ruins of Baghdad.

Tell me that people wouldn't buy that game.

 

[BanthaFodder]

don't kill im for good, but he needs a break... even the most talented hooker can only take so many out of town businessmen in one afternoon and Sonic reached his limit about 6 years ago...

 

[Discord]

Well they tried to focus on new characters like Shadow and I think Knuckles. I wonder why they never tried to give Tails his own game (unless im missing something).

*thinks*
Maybe a RPG game set in the Universe but you create your own... eh... "sonicfied" charcter. I know some sonic fans that would LOVE that.

But I dont think the series should end just because it has had some... Uh Alot of bad games. There should be enough for maybe one last Epic Try.

It's better to Burnout than to Fade Away
Carl - Aqua Teen Hunger Force

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Meh, it doesn't matter. Sonic fans are the whiniest, most self-centered, self-absorbed, bunch of dipshits around. They'd never EVER be happy no matter what I did, if Sonic 4: EP:1 is any example.

 

[Knifewounds]

I'd say fire the dev team, and give it to the guy that made that really good sonic flash game.

 

[Something Amyss]

Well they tried to focus on new characters like Shadow and I think Knuckles. I wonder why they never tried to give Tails his own game (unless im missing something).

*thinks*
Maybe a RPG game set in the Universe but you create your own... eh... "sonicfied" charcter. I know some sonic fans that would LOVE that.

But I dont think the series should end just because it has had some... Uh Alot of bad games. There should be enough for maybe one last Epic Try.

It's better to Burnout than to Fade Away
Carl - Aqua Teen Hunger Force

I'm pretty sure Burnout did fade away.

...Okay, that was a bad joke, but still.

I liked the old sidescrollers. Nothing recent has done anything for me. I don't know how to fix things, but that's kind of telling.

 

[Tanis]

"Other"

Take it away from Team Sonic.

 

[lacktheknack]

Experiment - do any and all gameplay types that involve moving at extremely high speeds.

 

[Guitarmasterx7]

If you could somehow just make a game about moving fucking fast work, he could probably be rebooted. The old formula is never going to have the same nostalgia appeal the old games had, the new formula sucks, he needs to be completely rethought or outright axed.

 

[Ordinaryundone]

A few things I can think of:

-Focus on Sonic's sections. Speed is the name of the game, and the selling point of the entire series. Keep extraneous platforming elements to a minmimum; Sonic should never be slowing down unless absolutely necessary.

-Keep it 2D. The 3D games weren't TERRIBLE, and some of the Sonic/Shadow levels were actually pretty good. But the camera just doesn't work, ever, and honestly I don't think 3D is really the correct medium for the series. The series works in 2D, always has. Use that, it will seem unique in a world mostly comprised of 3D platformers.

-Cut the supporting cast. And I mean REALLY cut it. Take it down to the essentials: Sonic, Tails, Robotnik. MAYBE Knuckles or Amy. The focus should be on Sonic first and foremost, the rest of the characters just muck up the plot.

 

[AetherWolf]

I wouldn't mind seeing other developers taking a hand at making a Sonic game like they did with Sonic Chronicles.

Too be honest, I didn't mind Sonic games with a more "dark" or "serious" story, but if they got the general gameplay and voice acting down right they could've been so much more.
If they want to have other playable characters, keep the core gameplay that Sonic has. Sonic Rush does this correctly. Sonic Adventure does not.

I wouldn't.
Sonic Colors was great. Easily one of the best games of 2010. If more games like that come out, I'm happy.

This too.

 

[Vankraken]

Levels need to be fast FAST FAST!!!!!
Bosses need to be epic with lots of mobility and platforming involved in the fight
2D is a must
Cut all dialog
Focus on Sonic with some smaller parts from Tails and Knuckles. Cut EVERYONE ELSE (besides robotnik of course)
Controls need to be solid
The sonic formula works in the 16 bit era so it needs to embrace its strengths and stay away from everything else.
Fire the entire Team Sonic and replace with people who didn't have lobotomies.

Honestly i think the sonic franchise needs to find a retirement community in Florida and just retire from gaming but this is what i needs to do (IMO) to not make a crappy game.

 

[Sejs Cube]

I wouldn't, I'd quietly close out the series.

Then, in a perfect world, there would be some way to quietly close out the horrid, horrid fanbase that Sonic has as well.

 

[Kortney]

Let him die. Developers have been acting like a Sonic game is required every year - like it is in some way integral to the survival of the universe. It's weird. The games were pretty good in the 90's, but I don't understand why they are clutching onto the brand name so hard twenty years later. Let it go!

 

[OldAccount]

I'd argue 2010 was a great year for Sonic (With the exception of Free Riders)

I loved Sonic 4 and I hear Sonic Colors was really good as well. I'd say just learn from those two and for for the love of Satan keep the franchise out of the hands of the people who made Sonic Unleashed.

 

[Nexus4]

Two shells of 00 buckshot and a bottle of Jack Daniel's to boot!

 

[migo]

The problem with Sonic is that he was marketed with "blast processing" based on the idea that with the Genesis Sonic could perform in a way that Mario couldn't. Once the technological novelty wore off though, Sonic wasn't as good a game as Mario, because it never was as good.

Mario games (especially the early ones) were all really good and still stand up, due to tight controls. Sonic didn't control nearly as well and suffered from dickish level design requiring level memorisation to get past it.

So give it the axe - it's a game like Myst, showcasing a new technology but once that technology is old, it's nothing special.