Poll: I've had enough of SEGA.

[EzraPound]

I don't think SEGA will ever be able to make a Sonic sequal that feels fresh, or fills you with excietment and is just fun to play, because Sonic is a 2D game, it should only ever be a 2D, countless itterations in the third person have proved it just doesn't work. I think Sonic Rush DS and Sonic Rivals are the closest we're going to get to the old Sonic games.

Remember, there are no bad ideas, only bad developers.

And anyway, SEGA's pimp. I used to own a Dreamcast, and when I shifted over to Xbox, continued to enjoy the games SEGA (and specifically, SmileBit), released for it: GUNVALKYRIE, Jet Set Radio Future, Panzer Dragoon Orta, Shenmue II, Otogi I & II, the Phantasy Star re-make. They may not be in their Genesis-era heyday, and the new NiGHTS may have been bad, but they're still a great developer.

 

[Katana314]

All right. Here's MY message as to how to revive Sonic, if any way.

1. Do you see ANYONE who is honestly a fan of Amy? You've hidden behind the fact that she's somehow a "classic" character, but sooner or later you'll have to fess up to the fact that if she moves from main character in Sonic to guest star of the most brutal, bloodthirsty "Happy Tree Friends" ever, EVERYONE WOULD CHEER. I can even imagine she's taking away your female audience from the completely ridiculous stereotype she's radiating.

2. On a related note, why ARE there so many characters? The fact that you need new ones for each style of gameplay you make shows that you haven't developed previous ones well enough. And don't include people for the sake of including them. If there is little reason for them to be in a game, screw it.

3. There's an increasing trend I'm noticing in the 3D sonic games: PRESS FORWARD TO WIN. Far too many of the recent games just involve you trying to continue going PRECISELY straight along a pathway. It's obvious that the developers want you to finish this level a very certain way. Worse, there are some points that are just there to make it look cool and involve very little interactivity. Example: Bouncing off 10 springs in a row until you finally land on a platform. Grinding. I'm referring to the shoe-sliding-along-rail grinding, but admittedly it's becoming close to kill-same-level-5-enemy-over-and-over grinding.

For this reason I'd suggest re-working the level design. Make it a less linear world; and that doesn't mean just making lines branch off into other lines. Find some form of obstacle you can make that will be fun when approached from any direction. Also, consider moving the "run" control AWAY from the joystick. You're almost always moving straight anyway. Why not implement a bit of Racing Game methodology? Put Run on a shoulder button, and steer with the joystick?

4. Never ever ever ever ever again overuse the Wiimote. I buried my copy of Sonic and the Secret Rings. Let us never speak of it again.

5. Don't try to take yourself too seriously. With people psyched about worlds like Halo and Half-Life, that doesn't mean you NEED to try to include a "real-world" look. When I'm seeing battle-worn fighting machines that look like they're out of Star Wars, and storylines in which the military is hunting down Sonic, not to mention a love story involving a human character...I know you're trying to make the games too serious. Stay more closely to the original, cartoony art style. Don't assume it's something players won't like; Team Fortress 2, Psychonauts, etc...players certainly like them.

6. Come up with a new idea. Then, before settling on it, make some prototype of it; write it in XNA and have placeholder models. Before developing it into the "ULTIMATE SONIC COME-BACK GAME!" be sure that it's actually FUN.

7. People have ALWAYS criticized the Sonic games for horrible camera angles. It's simple: Camera goes behind Sonic. I don't care how cool it looks from the side; it's more disorienting than Portal.

 

[Vortigar]

Katana314:
Definately point 3. Your other points make sense but that one is by far the most important I think. Let players run around a world trying to figure out how they're supposed to get up there or to the other side of that screen, don't telegraph the solution and make the execution hard, do it the other way around to create 'aha! moments'.

Other than Sonic I'm not really annoyed with Sega, they're putting out games left and right. I need an online VF for PS3 though. VF5E can't come fast enough for me.

 

[brazenhead89]

I'm surprised that so few, if anybody, have sung the praises of Sonic Rush. It's one of his more recent franchises on the Nintendo DS and sticks to Sonic's old-skool ways - 2-Dimensional platforming, trippy level design, and catchy music, and although it does suffer from the aforementioned "press forward to win" moments, the areas in which that isn't happening require genuinely quick reflexes or pattern recognition. The fact that it's played on both of the DS screens also extends the playfield vertically as well as horizontally, meaning that on occasion you'll have to look exactly where you're landing and navigate through cascading debris in order to get there. Superb stuff.
But perhaps what I noticed most was that each level wasn't just a garish fantasy ride with preposterous pseudo-metal churning you through - each level was a series of challenges. You're stuck on a moving mine cart, dodging falling rocks and defeating enemies; you're paragliding around a large pillar, swerving into rings and away from spikes; you're scaling a large, airborne tower, with platforms dropping the moment you land on them. Platforming at it's finest.
Sonic only sucks in his "current-gen" form (inverted, as the phrase "Next-Gen" makes no chronological sense, if you think about it). Sega seem to think that in this generation, we need ham-fisted voice-overs, a frankly offensive angsty attitude, astounding (yet futile) environements, an absolutely laughable storyline that sees fit to step into the past of a bunch of ANTHROPOMORPHIC F*CKING CARTOON CHARACTERS, and a ridiculously overdone soundtrack to appeal. In actual fact, Sonic Rush highlights everything that sonic should be; simple, accessible, anonymous and challenging. Sega seem afraid to advertise any Sonic game that isn't on high-end technology, but in actual fact they're more suited to retro gaming, and with outlets like the DS and Xbox Live providing some brilliant examples of that, there's no excuse for Sega not to concentrate on those.
I've noticed that this board seems to be slating Sonic, even though the forum itself is about Sega, so to add fuel to my Sega-hating flame, I'm going to ***** about Shenmue 3; The Lack Thereof.
It's a kick in the nads that a game held in such high regard, with so many fans, a famously touching storyline and such demand for a sequel has been neglected like a Boxing Day puppy. It's despicable that in spite of the demand, we won't (in the forseeable future at least) be seeing any sign of it, and that the series will end with no conclusion at all. A quick way to lose fans; and a shamefully obvious example of a company brushing the demands of their fans aside.
Rant over: Sega suck.