Modern Sonic: The Inevitable Evolution of an Icon 

For me, there was no thrill quite like first plugging in my Dreamcast and seeing modern sonic smirk on the screen in the sonic adventure intro. Super cheesey? You bet. Unforgettable and perfectly encapsulating modern sonic design? Hell yes. Thanks for the great memory trip.

"You put Modern Sonic in this world though, and you'll have Robotropolis cleared out faster than you can say "I'll take my eggs over EASY." Hot dog Nick, that went down smooth.

I really want a return to the days where “classic” Sonic and “modern” Sonic were a single entity and the same character just in different designs. It would be better for the brand and for consistency in general.

I always cracked me up that people insist Modern Sonic is a different character from the classic version because of the green eyes. And I'm here looking at Zero from MegaMan X and MegaMan Zero like "yeah this is the same guy"

Everyone asks What is Modern Sonic? But no one asks How is Modern Sonic...

The opening for sonic adventure is godly

I remember playing sonic generations at my friends house. His little sister kept on calling classic sonic ‘baby sonic’ lol.

The SA2 Hero opening cutscene is the single most nostalgic cutscene in the series for me.

The SA1 intro is still my favorite. So badass.

Modern Sonic is the Sonic i know most and I'll never get tired looking at it. Sonic looks cool no matter what and i have my preferences in his look from game to game, but Yuji really knocked it out the park in giving us a design base that lasts

Sonic unleashed and black knight got the story middle ground perfectly in my opinion... Also Great video.

“Wolfe, How many times do I have to tell you not to call me Urkel. My name is Jaleel White. Urkel is a character that I have played as a child.” _Jaleel White from big fat liar.

I'll always prefer the modern Sonic design, he just looks cool.

Modern Sonic was just Sonic to me as a millennial growing up with the Adventure series as my gateway into the Franchise.

bUt ThE GeNesis WasNt InveNteD By eVE

Thank you for recognising and talking about the Saturn era transitional art. So many people assume it was just straight to modern when that's simply, and evidently, not the case.

I cant believe i just noticed this but youre right Nick, these days Sonic does feel stiff, i could be wrong but he almost always has slow and controlled movements, like he is in an invisible box, he doesnt point as long, he doesnt jump and wave his arms like a lunatic, make crazy facials and he doesnt feel as energetic or excited. Now i know that might just be reasoned with, Sonic is older and more controlled or the animation is more tight and improved and yeah that is true but at the same time, this guy is meant to be cocky and in your face but in a fun and energetic way and it feels weird to just see him make simple hand gestures instead of the cool poses of the adventure era sonic. Anyways great episode as always, hope to see more in depth covers of the adventure era games like the Chaos collab you did, really enjoyed that one aswell, hope the best for you man.

Great video and analysis, but honestly I'm just commenting to point out that "Open Your Heart" is completely flawless, and captures the spirit of Sonic perfectly.

Am I the only one that thinks the 2d Yuji Uekawa art looks better than most of the cg rendered art today? At least the 2d drawings were allowed to contort and be more expressive.

I may be in the minority, but I believe that the CGI cutscenes from 06 are the perfect translation of Uekawa’s artwork to 3D, down to the lankiness and fluid movement. I can’t say that much about the model though. I hate it when modern Sonic’s design is made to look like Classic Sonic, like in Lost World, Forces, and even Smash Bros. Modern Sonic’s design works so well that there’s no reason to change it (hence Boom design). The shorter quills are almost a metaphor for Sonic Team’s cowardice and refusal to move this series forward, and not understanding what made classic sonic work in the first place. This is also why I miss when classic and modern were the same character. It was just Sonic. Now his identity is even more fractured than before. Man, I just love your content. Your videos essays are always well put together.

SEGA would disagree. They’ve been absolutely doubling down on the classic design in recent years, almost as if they’re afraid of all the negativity associated with the modern games in comparison to the classic games. Classic Sonic is the image on all of their social medias, they’ve subtly redesigned modern Sonic over the years to make him stubbier with shorter quills (seriously look at modern Sonic’s model in Sonic Forces, he looks almost identical to classic Sonic, especially in comparison to Sonic Generations’ modern Sonic model), and most of the merchandise in recent years has also been classic Sonic. SEGA is the EXACT OPPOSITE of what they were in the Adventure era. Instead of pushing forward headstrong with ambitious new ideas, they’re cowering backwards and trying to reuse what was safe OVER TWO DECADES AGO. They really need to learn that the nostalgia factor has been lost from their brand entirely at this point and that the series needs to move forward again. They need to embrace what the original modern Sonic design represented

Here's a fun game: Throw out your monitor whenever you see another comment saying "Sonic has had a rough transition into 3D", and then go buy another one because the comment is redundant no matter how rough he transitioned into 3D. He may have had a rough transition, but nobody's perfect, and he will always try and try again to nail the right spot, some may work, and some may get you Sonic Underground, but no matter the odds, people will still enjoy this guy, because he matters in the industry.

Those last 3 minutes are straight preaching. Youre always on point on your general discussions regarding the whole series, but this is something i feel the fanbase always struggles with. Ive accepted we will never be unified and this series wont be able to satisfy it 100%, and thats fine. Many iconic game series' deal with this. But i feel too many in this one are in love with the idea of THEIR dream Sonic game, anything else will fall short and never satisfy. Its ok for Sonic to do different things. Yeah i wish sonic team would polish the ones that have been mostly beloved, but if what is new is also fun, im down

Yeah, Sonic Forces can try and push Modern Sonic and Classic Sonic as being from different dimensions as much as they wan't, I still won't believe them. Generations in founded on the idea that these two characters are the same character at different points in time and considering this is a much simpler explanation and that Generations is a much better game, that's the version I chose to accept.

For real I miss the uniquely shaped trix

The opening cutscene for unleashed was so good overall we needed a movie with it. His movements in it don't shy away from the sort of stretchy cartoon look. Plus the action is amazing

I always thought the modern design was Sonic when he was older after all the original games

When I was a kid, I genuinely didn't even notice the design change. Not even the green eyes registered as a notable difference to me. Then again, I wouldn't have called myself the brightest child...

Modern sonic isn't the short one man Go ahead, take a sip

I feel like Sonic's design in the Advance series is the best. Art and sprite.

It's nice to know I wasn't the only one during the Saturn era noticing a sort of reigning in of Sonic & even Tails' designs to fit more in line with the Japanese designs. Yeah, Greg Martin's art is iconic, but....I wasn't a fan even as a kid, despite loving the games, ironically enough. But around the Saturn era, the internet was becoming more available, and with that, information as well. You find out there WERE designs closer to the graphics of the game this whole time....they were just changed for your region. Now that the cat was out of the bag, you were noticing changes. You could even see it in the back of Sonic & Knuckles, the Game Gear games. They still LOVED using Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog Robotnik for box art and promotional images though for some reason. But even as a fan primarily of the Classic games growing up, the Modern Era was definitely a breath of fresh air and for once....consistency! I love both Classic and Modern designs, and as much as I see fans bicker about which Sonic is better, they both stand the test of time, and are a textbook example of what makes a design iconic!

20:33 That is different because Link is not just one person, but instead somebody born with the spirit of the hero every hundred years or more. So it would make sense why there are differences.

NoOoOo tHaT'S NoT MoDeRn sOnIc iT'S ClAsSiC SoNiC ReEeEeEeEeEeEe

The Sonic Adventure opening cinematic blew my little 14 year old mind

That green console collection is too dope

To be fair, in Link's case they're usually different Links

The Sonic Unleashed opening cutscene I feel like is a great example of modern boost Sonic being shown to be so fluid and animated, every time I see that cutscene it reminds me how cool Sonic can look when in action 😊

I want a game more like the adventure era

Respect for this video! Good job! Glad to see you again!

Is that a new mic. Your voice sounds more clearer then usual.

I love Sonic Adventure, its my favorite 3D Sonic game. It has my favorite modern design, and it finally emphasized the proper JP canon of the classics, which is great.

21:40 Open Your Heart playing over the opening Sonic Adventure 2 cutscene triggered my fight or flight instincts

This video really hit me in my childhood in a good way. I remember being amazed by Mario 64 and absolutely blown away by Sonic Adventure. Happy belated birthday, Sonic.

It's just sad. There are so many people that are so passionate for this series and have so many ideas about it and UNDERSTAND it like you, Liam Triforce, Characters-In-Depth and thousands of people throughout the sonic fanbase that care SO MUCH about these games and want nothing but them to succeed. And yet, in our current era, it's all so pushed back. What happened to the stories and personalities of Adventure? What happened to all of the well written dialogue and thought out ideas and concepts and arts and designs? Why are characters just included as tokens rather than being used to add things to the games? Is there really a point to putting them there? It's just sad. There are so many people that could do so much with this series and make it amazing again like it was, but it's unlikely those kinds of people will find their way on the writers team for these games.

Love your take on old blue boy,through and through. Let us pray to the Master Emerald, that Sonic will always matter. Especially hypersonic, they need to get that ball rolling fast.

I appreciate you using the link designs to point out the whole design changes for more modern games thing as both a Zelda and Sonic fan. Keep up the good work.

Always felt like the best representation of Sonic was the old Sonic Boom anime intro. It puts his raw speed and skill on display like no other, the attitude was dripping, and the technique of the animation and music matched the design. No telling how many times I watched that video.

Sa2 Sonic is my favorite modern Sonic design without a doubt. Loved his attitude, voice, his soap shoes, the size of his quills were just right instead of being big banana's on his head like in heroes/shadow/06 and onward. He wasn't TOO over the top or trying too hard to be cool, he just was. He acted a tad mature too. Especially with the ending.

NO COPYRIGHT LAW IN UNIVERSE IS GOING TO STOP ME

I just like modern sonic, he's is cool, has a awesome personality, green eyes, and more. Oh and happy birthday sonic!!!!🎉🎉🎊🎊🎈🎈

Long live sonic, through ups and downs, and all arounds this is a franchise that'll never die.

God I miss soap shoes sonic. In my opinion it was a style that is more in line with what we call modern sonic. They boasted a more redefined look of his classic shoes while actually giving them function. The arch in the soap shoes were designed with the express idea of rail grinding and it made sense. Especially compared to the flatness of the classic shoe sonic has long since switched back to. The glow from the back of the heel, not only looked cool, but it also was an upgrade that allowed Sonic to light speed dash for rings. It honestly frustrates me that this awesome design was dropped so fast and I can’t help but wonder why they don’t reincorporate it now that the Soap shoe company has gone out of business so they don’t have to pay for rights anymore.

The Sonic Adventure opening still gives me goosebumps. Great job on this video. Regarding the redesign itself, I've heard that one of the other reasons why the modern Sonic design was created is because Yuji Naka felt that people had begun to view the character as cutesy and he wanted to restore his original "bad boy" feel. The modern design was made to appeal to an older demographic I've no idea if this is actually true or not, but it's still interesting to think about.

I love the exaggerated lanky modern sonic design.

RU-vid really failed at showing me this one, great video either way

THIS MAN DOESN'T MISS I SWEAR

I had that Sonic toy with his motorcycle! I always got a kick out of his swinging arms with his rings. It always looked so delightfully silly.

I'm adamant in calling the adventure sonic, anime. He isn't classical Disney or modern Pixar looking, but "rad, hypercool" attitude induced.

1:41 Cultured. Green is the best color

Love your attention to detail! It's always nice to hear a fresh take on the history of Sonic.

I've been worried about redesigning my own character for a new video game I'm gonna consider making, and this video has helped me realize that it's okay to redesign him. Thank you.

Dude, your videos make me wish I was growing up in the 90's

This was an amazing video! Good job!

How do you always say what I'm thinking but can't express? Dang. Knockin' em outta the park here.

I liked how the Advanced games managed to transition his modern design in a 2D sprite based format. They still look good to this day imo.

ive always found the consept of "modern sonic" and "classic sonic" stupid, to me sonic is sonic and it doesnt matter what design he has, the franchise will always stay close to my heart regardless

He’s back and with a new sonic video thank you Game Apologist can’t wait for more different videos

I grew up with both classic sonic and modern sonic, but I will always see modern sonic as my sonic cause I was born in 2006 and I used to play sonic rush when I was 6 and still do X3

Modern sonic is just sonic no modern, no classic, just sonic

Erhmm... No one argues about what style of Link is best because each Link, (barring a few direct obvious sequels), are different incarnations, not the same one all around like Sonic is supposed to be. Also, Adult Link had been seen before Ocarina of Time, in Zelda 2, he was at least a young adult, if not fully grown up by then, the story is a little vague on it, but he clearly wasn't a child anymore.

your video’s are so good! Your delivery and words always feels like you care and you know what your talking about! I especially like your last bit at the end!

12:00 “His quills have gotten longer, because all of Sonic has gotten longer”. Amy: I’m liking what I’m hearing.

17:56 has a really great face. I hope it's a meme somewhere

12:15 everybody gangsta till sonic uses gum gum pistol-

I really don't want to ask this but this video now raises the question. What about Boom version?

classic sonic with fangs looks cool imo

If we make to the dark age .can we skip a review of sonic 06 . i feel like the game has been criticize so much to the point where there is nothing new to say about it

Great video!

That whole lesson at 6:35 was super cool. The fact that you went back and took new research and scrapped old footage is pretty commendable. It sounds simple, like everyone should do that when presented with such info, but the laziness in people going "Well, I finished it, so I'll put an aside later." happens so often that I have to point out that its that type of quality that makes me come to this channel and respect what you do. Toot Toot.

The transition to the SA1 intro gave me goosebumps, good job

One neat detail of the Adventure art I overlooked for years is that the characters' shading seems to be based on the classic American box art. They both feature darker palettes and that sorta stylized rim-light look. And unrelated, but I really wish they would scale the hands and feet down just a bit in the future.

I wonder where we would be if adventure had kept classic sonic and they continued that way

Congrats on rolling over to 49k Subs Game Apologist!

This was a great video about the Dreamcast Design and Modern Design.

Yuji Uekawa basically did for sonic what Tatsuya Yoshikawa did for mega man x took an iconic mascot of gaming and updated it for a new generation

Modern sonic is everything about the previous Sonics but I'd say more refined I'm personally a fan of this design because it just looks cooler but in a different level too I'd consider modern sonic sonic unleashed to sonic forces and it's really important because this was Sega breathing new life in a franchise that was struggling to keep up in the mid 2000s Maybe it's because Sega thought sonic was too edgy and wanted to make him "child friendly" but that doesn't mean he has to be in terms of character or story have to be a babies game. Forces tried to break the mold by having a serious story and that was basically a joke. I just hope in the future we can get a balance between the jokes, character, and story. Thanks for coming to my ted talk.

Excellent video!! I still remember the shock when I first saw the iconic rendition of the modern Sonic. It was just so impactful, I was in awe. Now that I’m an adult and an illustrator, that character illustration is still impactful as I first laid my eyes on it.

Just discovered your channel. Love your deep dives. I can feel your appreciation for art🤟🏻

Sonic's awesome and I fukin love his franchise, from his design to his music to his goofy or serious stories. His gameplay styles are great, tho some more preferable than others. But just imagine a Sonic game whose gameplay revolved around adventure style with some refined parkour mechanics and instead of having 2d sections, having boost sections or some complete boost levels. IMO that would be the pinnacle of Modern Sonic, taking everything that works and mixing it and refining it into the best package possible. This mixed with some of Sonic's killer music, and some dope creative levels. Man one can only dream! And yeah you are right his animations are getting stiffer and stiffer. Hopefully they'll improve in the future.

I don't know about everyone, but allot of people would have loved mania in the late 90's

Also thanks Nick for this video,this is more proof why you are one of the best underrated RU-vidrs,you put actual care in your videos,you are inspiring,you have actual good points and more.Keep up the good work Nick,see you later

Very epic video once again Nick. I’ve always been fond of toei sonic so I’m glad to see some of the Tyson Hesse animations taking inspiration from him.

Classic sonic: kid Modern sonic: teenager/adult

I wouldn't take Forces word at face value, the game is chalk full of continuity errors and even after that debacle the classic games stories are still canon to Modern!Sonic. I'd trust Sonic Generations' explanation that Classic!Sonic is just Sonic at a younger point in time over Forces.

Toriyama may be my favourite influence on the modern design, really glad you brought that up! Bro I loved this hot damn!

I wish the whole "classic"/"modern" division never happened, to me there had always been one Sonic. Honestly I think it's time for Iizuka to step down as the Head of Sonic Team, some of his decisions regarding the story and the world of Sonic just causes more problems and his talents would probably be best serve actually working on the games.

8:00 that pose that Sonic does slightly looks like the wrestler Shinsuke Nakamura

The Dreamcast had really good graphics for its time

Hay I really liked your video! You're pretty great man, thanks for making it.

Loved the video. Great Watch like usual!