One thing you mentioned here that I really miss is Sonic Team taking it dead serious. Two anthropomorphic hedgehogs are teaming up to go super saiyan and fight a giant space station lizard that's going to crash into the planet, and there is not one single wink at the camera. Sonic having the most absurd things going on and taking it seriously really lended itself to the world I think. It's hard to be invested when someone is winking at the camera every time something weird happens.
I stick by my guns when I say Unleashed and Black Knight and two games that almost perfectly deliver on a tone that appeases both crowds and what Sonic Team should've stuck with moving forward more so Unleashed. That's not getting down on Black Knight for it's stellar comedic moments but that game mostly shines through showing off Sonic's character at his best when placed in uncharted territory and doing what he can with the hand dealt to him. But focusing back on Unleashed the overall tone of it delivers some comedy while at the same time the both the player and the cast understand the severity of the planets state and doing what they can to fix it. Not just that but a specific instance in tone and atmosphere before and during the Egg Dragoon climax between Sonic and Eggman is genuinely one of the best moments in the entire series and one of my favorite performances from Mike Pollock's Eggman.
The problem is,at this point,sonic in base is lowkey solarias level,any struggle sonic is in will completely contradict the already messed up lore of sonic.
I'm loving this new surge of videos talking about Sonic, defending all that's good about the franchise, criticizing everything the modern developers of Sonic games got wrong and, despite everthing, keeping an optimistic outlook for the future of the series.
SAME! It seems like we’re finally starting to get out of the dark age of “2010 youtubers shitting on Sonic” and now the people who actually grew up liking “Cool Sonic” are actually starting to speak out.
More franchises could learn a thing or two but who are we kidding, yet that's really telling when the sonic fandom/franchise comes out more positive and optimistic than doctor who, battlefield, mass effect, marvel, dc, doctor who, star wars, star trek, terminator, Ghostbusters, last of us, game of thrones, etc.
I wouldn’t call the outlook optimistic. So what if the movie did well? Now that its performance caught Sega’s attention, they’re poised to Sega up the sequel, just like they Sega’d up everything else Sonic.
in my opinion, i think it has some of the greatest music in the franchise. And even though the gameplay seems simple, it still brings some enjoyment whenever i go through a level, and especially when i'm fighting any of the bosses (except the Dragon's Lair boss)
No one ever brings up the handheld games. The Advance and Rush trilogies deserve spots on top 10 lists everywhere. I'd argue Colors DS is even better than Wii in some areas.
I need to play Sonic Battle again, but it was my jam along with Advance 1 and 3. So many great memories. It really sucked when Sonic Generations on 3DS only had a stage from Rush representing the handheld games and went for Green Hill instead of Sunset Hill. And it isn't like portable Sonic began with the GBA either, so there are plenty of things to reference if they wanted to make 3DS Generations only focused on portable games in an extreme case.
I guess that game serves as a certain crowds' argument trump card against concepts, ideas and philosophies that became very prominent from Sonic 3&K/CD and onwards.
Maybe they just didn't like that they played. I mean, they are still wrong, but they have the right to their opinion. Doesn't give them the right to slander the franchise and its fans, but they are free to believe whatever.
thanks LS Mark, now i think i'm a true Sonic dork! ok but for real, i still love sonic the way he is, he will, and will always be a cool Character who loves adventure. peace out! *and keep on making those videos you silly duck!*
In regards to the writing in recent games; I think it stems from a larger issue. Well, "issue" is a stretch, but what I mean is that the franchise naturally took advantage of a trend in entertainment of trying to be as 'meta' as possible. Everybody wants to be like Lord and Miller. And it's totally understandable why Sonic of all franchises took advantage of this. No one franchise has had a more divisive and inconsistent history than Sonic, and on some level, it would be weird, and even kinda wrong, that after everything this franchise has been through, it wouldn't adopt this approach. However, I think it also highlights how easy it is to take the writing of previous games before Colours for granted. While the writing is undoubtedly simple, that's also part of the reason why it's so good. There's a sincerity, earnestness, and even a charm to simplicity, that is mostly absent when something tries to be witty, meta, and cheeky. Sonic is at its best when it wears it's heart on it's sleeve, without having to apologise, or metaphorically winking at the camera for it. That's why, as absurd as it may sound to a lot of you, Sonic X is my favourite piece of animated Sonic media (aside from anything Tyson Hesse has made, obviously), and games like Heroes, the Riders games, Unleashed, and Black Knight are my favourite games narratively. Are those games cheesy? Hell yeah, but that's also what makes them so fun and endearing to me. There's other reasons too, but that one in particular is what sticks out to me the most while watching this video. While I find the idea of taking Sonic so seriously from a narrative perspective and making a video about it questionable (as hypocritical as it may be given my comment), I nonetheless practially agreed with everything you said here, and if nothing else, I'm at least glad that there's someone I know who's sensible enough to not jump on the whole Sonic bandwagon of just shitting on the franchise.
Sega is a poorly managed company that has 2 main branches. Sega of Japan is responsible for most of the company's successes, while Sega of America is responsible for most of Sega's failures. SoA has usually been retarded, they let a Sony Agent be in charge during the Saturn Era named Stolar & he did everything in his power to guarantee the console's failure outside Japan. Pontac & Graff along with the questionable VA replacements for the 2010's decade was all SoA's doing. Sega of America also chose to have the Sonic series cater to Critics instead of Actual Fans after Yuji Naka left. Sega of Japan should have been in charge of the Sonic Series the past decade, unfortunately they were never able to properly market Sonic to Japan. The Just Sonic mentality that SoA insisted on because Critics only further pushed away Japanese Audiences who generally liked Cream best in the series. SoJ gave up on Sonic in favor of Yakuza by 2010 & left the series (& Sonic Team) entirely in the incompetent hands of SoA.
WaterKirby1994 Sonic was niche in Japan because SoJ was more arcade-focused than SoA. They never took console gaming seriously until the Saturn. SoJ also bears a lot of the blame for the Saturn’s failure in the US as it was made too expensive for most Americans while the Japanese could easily eat the higher price. Also, for a company that was founded by Americans living in Japan, both the Japanese side and the American side were at each other’s throats. Sonic was too American for SoJ, so they hardly pushed it, while it wasn’t American enough for SoA, so they pushed it in the wrong direction.
@@WaterKirby1994 Wasn't SoJ that refused the hardware that later was part of the n64, refused to work with Sony and with that losing the chance to have the psx as a Sega console and refusing a partnership with Microsoft?
Japanese Sonic was the right direction for the series. Sega's failure was always that it had split leadership from the start. Sonic had a fair few arcade games with SegaSonic & Sonic the Fighters both being Arcade Exclusive until Gems Collection released the latter. Sonic 1&2 also had arcade versions & then there are the Japanese Sonic arcade exclusives. Not trying to market the series enough to Japanese Audiences from the start was the Sonic series failing. Also you guys don't know how bad it is to work with Sony, those guys are total dicks from every account I've read. It's understandable why Sega of Japan couldn't tolerate working with those asshats. Besides even if they did Sony would have screwed over Sega anyway. At least SoJ was 1 of the few Japanese companies willing to actually develop games for Microsoft. The lack of Japanese Games is why I never have owned a single Xbox series Console & never will. Sega of Japan wanted the Saturn released Stateside a full year before it actually was although Kalinski wanted to continue the success of Genesis. 32x was all SoA & they chose to release it instead of Saturn. Had the 32x Fiasco never happened & Stolar never been in charge of SoA more people would have been willing to buy the Sega Saturn & it wouldn't have left the company in such dire conditions. Yes Sega Saturn could have used a $100 price drop from the start & Sega of Japan may have been willing to do that if SoA didn't disobey them by releasing 32x instead. Had SoA been willing to work for SoJ rather than against it Sega wouldn't be the halfdead gaming company it is these days. Sonic's actual prosperity happened alongside the anime boom at the end of the 90s & early 2000s, with the Sonic Adventure games being definitive of what the series should feel like in 3D.
I wonder if the people who want Sonic to be less serious like he was in the good ole days even remembered what the classics were about and especially the cartoons and comics were about?
The manual of sonic 2 says "forbidden gems that resulted in the destruction of man ancient civilization because of there greedy deeds",kinda like that,not so cartoonishy.
They were Critics who assumed that Weekday Cartoon from 1993 was who Sonic was supposed to be even though the series was never supposed to be like that gag series. These Critics only ever liked Sonic 2 in the series because it came with the Genesis. They were never actually fans of the series & as a result had no appreciation for what it actually was or its characters. Unfortunately they hijacked the entire series by taking advantage of brainless Sega of America often is after Yuji Naka left to form his own studio & took advantage of Sonic Team being broken & confused.
WaterKirby1994 You can’t entirely blame those critics, though. SoA brainwashed the masses through their hipsterism-oriented marketing and manual story rewrites. “hIs pOwEr sNeAkErS MaKe hIm fAsT!” “bE SoNiC! Be aToMiC!” “wHaT A ShOw-oFf tAiLs iS!” They saw Sonic Team as servants who’s job it was to make Sonic for SEGA, not as artists in their own right. Edge was all that they wanted to push, and for something as cartoonish as Sonic, that meant unsubtle, big-boy-supremacist, Son Of ‘80s Slang-drenched slapstick. And now they got what they always wanted.
Sonic Adventure 2 was the peak of sonic for me mostly because it had the most robust chao garden, something I wish was explored more, maybe in a spinoff or something.
@@billysbrother6047 yes he did,look at super mario 64,that thing aged worse than crap.And has very questionable level design and the controls are so as,one left press and ,ario will face a total different direction.
The flanderization of Sonic to pander to the "Arin Hansons" of the world is something that needs to be tossed out the window. I didn't find the Biolizard cool as fuck because Sonic stood there making quips about how he looked funny or some shit, It was cool because it was something linked to Shadow and Something that Sonic had to stop. It brought their characters together and for the first time they worked as a team. Something like that will never be in modern Sonic because they'll just shrug it off and have sonic call Chaos something like "Splushy mcsplusysplush" despite Chaos being literally a god written into a story about a tribes struggle and selfishness. You and LSMark are super on the ball with this kind of stuff.
Just gonna say that Shadow the Hedgehog And Sonic and The Black Knight are the RAWEST shit Sonic has ever done, and 06's story is, honestly, really neat. Also Silver is just the coolest, I love him.
@Dallas sure, it's true, but there are still passionate people who care on what they do, and that's what makes so many communities fun to get into! like the Rain World community, it's a small one, but it is still great to be overwhelmed by people who always welcome us with upen arms into their community, not many communities have the same gratitude, but that's why i love some other small and passionate communities out there! oh we were talking about Roblox? uuh... i think i gotta go...
Dallas ROBLOX for sure lmao Whenever there’s discussion of Sonic on the Sonic twitter, the fans all have some sort of small debates on this and that and what not ROBLOX straight asks for concept art for stuff and everyone just shits on it lmao
Not even one mention of Sonic Battle. That final scene with Emeral had me crying as a kid. You get to play as basically every main sonic character up to that point and they all had a lot of thought and love put into their movesets. If you love Sonic and want a fun (arena?) fighter, give it a try. You won't regret it.
Sonic Battle was a blast, but unfortunately all of portable Sonic games tend to be forgotten not just the ones which aren't platformers. Arena fighter is the right term I'm sure.
well i didn't cry, and Maybe that means I'm not a boy of culture but that game was a blast but rouge's story SUUUUUCKS! oh and knuckles' too i guess...
Yeah, it's a slower paced arena fighter with boxed in stages and a kind of rpg-esque composition that isn't what people expected from the series, and it also had some harsh and badly balanced portions (usually relating to emerl and the card system), so I can understand why people didn't play it. But you are right, it has some "secret" serious character moments and actual interactions shared between them, which you won't see much of as of recent and likely in the near future, which I find inherently intriguing. I initially tried it because it had playable shadow in it, which I always wanted in advance 3 as a kid, but the development emerl goes through throughout the game was unexpected and definitely stands among the best in the series. Another game that was understandably overlooked but had some actual merits to it was sonic chronicles, most people I think were put off by it's peculiar fusion of sonic rpgs, and later it's QTEs and mostly rough soundtrack, but I played it as a kid and was able to appreciate it more than others. Because at the end of the day, it is the only time sega tried a sonic rpg to my knowledge, and as with any rpg, characters and story are the focus, which you simply won't get with the platformers. These two might not be the best in their genres, but they bring something to the series that I find plain interesting and almost rebellious of the standard perception of what sonic should be
@@terrydavis146 You could have broken it down into a few paragraphs but you've got my attention on Sonic Dark Brotherhood now. I think having a good soundtrack is a key part of that Sonic magic, but being interesting games with that rebellious spirit is something I'm want to give a go as well.
@@mudkipsniper2745 no,look at team sonic racing it is a bit better than the earlier story telling,forces migh have failed but it was a good step to make knuckles the leader and thanks the fanboyism from Amy,even shadow wasn't a TOTAL edge and is shown smiling along team dark.
@@legendofsonic3979 yeah,just stop fanservice and do a game you think will be good,heck 06 had some respect to characters like tails and knuckles and completely nailed team dark and silver.
Ahmad Kazan ‘06 respecting Tails?! I’d laugh at how wrong that is if it weren’t so tragic. Sure, he doesn’t have the mech, but he also doesn’t have anything that made him remotely like the older games apart fron his flying. No Spin Attack, no rolling, no Spin Dash, no tail whip, and, _despite his real name being a speed pun, NO SPEED. KNUCKLES outpaces him._ He throws clumsy-ass ring bombs and flies poorly. That’s it. Oh, and he screams like a girl. Damn you, Amy Palant.
"Sonic had continuity." - Oh my god, THANK YOU. I'm so tired of trying to simply discuss Sonic lore in any Sonic-related group and getting "lul canon/continuity in Sonic". Like before Forces, yes, it had continuity. Even if the later games didn't really aknowledge or expand past stories they never outright denounced them. Forces is the ONE game that outright contradicts all past games with its "Two Worlds" nonsense. It's the exception, not the rule.
Well to be fair, the last game to have any direct continuity was Shadow's game (technically 06 but they officially de-canonized that one), after that every game was its own self-contained story with no callbacks, the exception being Black Knight that has an SA2 reference. That doesn't mean any of those games are not canon, but they were not building off of each other like most games from Sonic 2 to Shadow did. Forces and Mania were the first ones to straight up retcon things though, that I agree.
@@MegaGlassguy I don't really see '06 as 'being decanonised'. The timeline was overwritten but that doesn't mean '06 itself is non-canon. I mean, it's hardly the first time-travel story where past events had been erased. Just because the timeline was rewritten that doesn't mean the events leading to that never happened. And I know Sega will NEVER touch on '06 again, but in the hypothetical scenario they wanted to it wouldn't really take much. The two easiest answers would be to either say blowing out Solaris created an alternate timeline and the original still exists, or to say that while nobody remembers the original timelines, memories of it do still exist in Sonic and Elise (who were at the centre of it all) and Blaze (who was already in the Sol Dimension by that point). Heck, Generations actually implies the latter. But yeah, Sonic Team stopped caring about story after Unleashed unfortunately. And now Iizuka's literally just making stuff up as he goes along.
This all kinda reminds me of the situation with the Star Wars prequels. They were given shit when they came out, and maybe not unjustly so, but with the soulless imitations that are the sequels, looking back on them, they did have some good stuff in there that was legitimately awesome even with their flaws. And sure there will always be debates as to what era is 'the best', but there's always something to like about these installments so long as the person behind the helm cared when making it. I know it might be a hot take here, but I legit though Shadow's story in 06 was unironically really good if you can get past the weird time travel plot holes. And as soon as you started going on about the good in the Dark Ages you could bet my Unleashed loving headass was hyped. As long as my little blue boy is a guy that loves adventure and the devs are too, I'll be down for whatever they throw at me.
No I 110% agree with everything you said and feel. I seriously hope sonic team get their act together and make games like they used to again. And also employ people who actually care about the franchise cuz this community is more dedicated than most and frankly the series deserves better.
Makes me really happy to see you talking about the same issues I've been having with the series. I also grew up with the Adventure era and it bums me out to see all of the games lately be so distinctly lacking in the personality and depth that previous entries had. That being said, I'm pretty hopeful for the future. Sonic seems to be hitting more success lately, so hopefully that means more cool projects. (Perfect time too, since I semi-recently got a friend SUPER into Sonic).
RU-vidr#1: This new direction is AWESOME!!! RU-vidr#2: This new direction is TERRIBLE!!!! ThESMonroeShow: Emmm it's more nuanced than that.... Of all the Sonic videos that I have seen recently on the site, this is the best one. Thank you for making it.
If there's one thing I believe Sonic as a franchise has over most. It would probably be the insane amount of experimentation they've done over the years. Things that would have normally been restricted simply because they will want to keep a consistent idea as to what character is.
Dude, you just described by stance on the franchise right now without me even knowing it prior and inspired me more than ever to keep loving the Sonic I know and love (The Adventure Era, Unleashed, and Black Knight). Thank you!
Strange coincidence, I've rekindled my passion for Sonic just recently. I went back to my favourite game in the series (SA2) and completed the entire thing from beginning to end, A-ranks and all. Detractors of the game like to throw around the question "Have you played it recently?" when trying to delegitimise people's enjoyment of it, and to answer it, yes I have. It still holds up to this day, with the points system rewarding stylish and skillful play almost like a character-action game, and it's something I'd like to see return one day. And honestly the other playstyles are fine for the most part. There are only a handful of levels I didn't enjoy in the Mech and Treasure-hunting gameplay, and those weren't enough to ruin the overall game. Like I said, I've got all the A-ranks for the first time in my life, and with Chao Garden being the perfect down-time between each mission, I was eager to keep playing until the end. From there, I played Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles (not Sonic 3 & Knuckles sadly), and got to finish those games when I never could as a kid. I also briefly revisited Sonic Gems Collection, and seeing Fang The Sniper appear in so many of those games reminded me why he's my favourite Sonic character. And then I got to thinking about what I'd love to see in a hypothetical Sonic Adventure 3. Long story short, it'd be ambitious, consistent, and it would flesh out good ideas from past 3D Sonic games (even Sonic 06), because if there's one thing Sonic Team needs to stop doing, it's throwing the baby out with the bath water. Like Sonic Adventure's Hero and Dark Stories, there would be 6 stories this time. Sonic Story (Sonic, Tails & Knuckles), Hooligan (Fang, Bean & Bark), Dark (Shadow, Rouge and Omega), Fate (Blaze, Silver and Infinite), Chaotix (who else?) and Outcasts (Amy, Ray & Mighty). Each character falling under the Speed, Fly and Power type characters respectively, but with level design built more similarly to speed sections. They'd all have their own unique levels, their stories would intertwine, the characters would be more than their modern-day archetypes, and they'd delve into the untapped potential these characters still have, like with Silver, Infinite, and especially Fang as an entertaining yet cunning villain you get to play as. It's easy for people to point at lolcows like Chris-chan and mischaracterise Sonic's entire universal fanbase as lolcows, or stubborn nostalgia-blinded fanboys. But the truth is Adventure fans have legitimate reasons for favouring those games, even when looked under a critical eye. Sonic games' flaws are heavily exaggerated by people who can't think for themselves and follow other people who never enjoyed the games to begin with, good or bad. So I think it's time Sonic Team stopped pandering to an audience that never cared about them to begin with, stopped making lame and contradictory excuses, and started showing us why Sonic The Hedgehog was an iconic action-platform hero.
A lot of what made sonic so good in the 90's and 2000's can be summed up with one word. Ambition. Before sonic generations, the games were never afraid to try something new. And if it worked, they tried to refine those concepts (save for a few exceptions). After generations, the series just became stale and repetitive. The series became less ambitious and lost the heart of what made it so interesting.
The saddest thing that could happen to sonic is that if he were to die now, unlike Megaman and Pacman who were remembered as great video games, he would be remembered as a memish self-awere laughing stock
I'm glad you mentioned Arin Hanson. It's stupid (and almost insulting) in my opinion that SEGA invites him to their studio, then he goes on tour and says good Sonic games "don't exist".
I really love this video. As someone who got into Sonic through the Adventure--Black Knight era (and Sonic X), they hold a special place in my heart as well. And you really put to words something I sorely miss about that time, the unironic heart and soul of those games. Even the darkest of the dark age games, Shadow and 06 appeal to me more than the eye-rolling and self-deprecation of the modern games. It's been saddening to see so many people that find nothing about this era redeemable, IGN reviewers and even long time fans alike. And the nearly endless barrage of "rocky transition to 3D" and "Sonic's gone back to his roots" over the last decade. But I'm always happy to see that there are people who loved what I loved about the series and keep that spirit alive through videos like this one and fangames and mods as you mentioned. Awesome video. Also based Black Knight opinion, that game is slept on a lot and I'm glad to see it appreciated.
Thank you the world over for validating how I feel about this franchise. The Adventure era always felt to me like it was created to be the most natural evolution of the classic games through gameplay and tone. They constantly call back to previous titles, not for the sake of nostalgia pandering but for the sake of expanding upon lore and ideas and so much more. Sonic Adventure 2's ending gives me chills whenever I watch it even with the voice acting not being the best (although I am a Ryan Drummond/Adventure VA team diehard regardless). It feels like a breath of fresh air finally having others speak up about an era that has gotten its reputation destroyed over the past decade.
Sonic Unleashed was the last Sonic game I fell in love with. Wherhog stages and all (the day stages were mind blowing to me at the time). After that I got obsessed with the comic books from issue 170 all the way until Archie discontinued the books. But now the IDW books are a thing and I'm really looking forward to reading those soon. Sonic has been a core part of me ever since I played Adventure as a kid and it's crazy to see how the series is still with me even as a jaded adult
I really do like the concept of sonic an his world, I just wish the recent games could execute these concepts well. I am still hopeful that we'll get that some day, but in the meantime, I'll still admire what makes Sonic great.
Thank you, black knight has always been my favorite. The story book cutscenes, the character designs, and story always stuck with me. Yeah the gameplay was not the best, but the game always brought the hype.
This might get buried in the comments, but whatever, we're sharing positivity and I'm all for it! Sonic's been a big part of my life. I think it all started with watching SX on tv as a kid and some demos my dad had on his PC. I was hooked on the characters and was drawing them for days. Years passed and eventually I moved on to other things, forgetting about the blue hedgehog a bit - but not for long. One day, I stumbed across the ending of Unleashed on youtube. Keep in mind that at that point I had no knowledge of the plot and I didn't even know the werehog was considered weird. The scene where Chip protects Sonic, followed by the Super transformation... the music... and Sonic looking towards the sunset after the fight. THAT was the coolest thing I've seen in fiction. It was what offically made me a fan. Ever since then I've been cosuming any sth media I could find, be it the old games, archie comics, the OSTs, so on and so forth. To this day, Endless Possibility and It Doesn't Matter are some of the most precious songs to me, as is Sonic himself. It may sound corny as heck but he's like a role model to me. Valuing freedom and kindness, never looking back, staying strong and doing what's right, even if it may hurt (see: Black Knight). We might've been stuck with the post Colors writing for a while now quotes like "Sonic was never good" will forever be in the minds of thousands of people on the internet. But even so, I will never leave this loveable hero, not a chance.
Y’know I really never thought about the franchise like this. I grew up with it and while other franchises have taken it’s place as my favorite Sonic is still up there but I suppose there really has been just this itch that isn’t being scratched anymore. Also I have always argued Black Knight was a great tribute to the series and I will fight anyone who says it’s a bad game.
This is the best video I think I've ever found about Sonic. I've been thinking a lot about Sonic lately and this perfectly articulated so many of my feelings.
I agree with most of this, I listened to the whole thing and yeah, this is just like how I feel with the Sonic franchise. I love everything about it, I find myself going back and playing Sonic Adventure 1 and 2, Sonic Unleashed, heck even Sonic the Fighters and Sonic Riders. but Sonic Forces, Lost world, colors, even Team Sonic racing. I played them sure, but I don't go back to play them. I don't look at my game library see them and think. "I would like to play that again" heck even Sonic 06 I could play everyday and not get bored. Sonic Forces I just...I play some times if I want to mess around with custom characters, I love my little pink cat girl. I even named her Cait. a play on Cait sith. but that's it. I don't play the Sonic or classic Sonic stages at all. I miss the days where I could pick a character, not just Sonic and enjoy the world of Sonic. being super cool. when I was growing up Sonic was my hero and I always put myself in Tails' shoes being Sonic's little buddy. when I got to play him I would get lost in the games for hours on end. when I first played Sonic Adventure and Tails stood up to Eggman it felt like I was also raising with him and becoming my own hero. I don't feel that way with Modern Tails, I look at him and I just ask myself. "What happened?" I was there fighting gods and monsters, mad scientists and going for the emeralds to make sure I would the good ending, but now I sit in the side and watch as Sonic does everything as Tails cowers and faces AWAY from his attacker. I didn't even know about that guy that works on Sonic not even liking the series. SEGA get someone who actually LIKES Sonic. thank you for this video, it really put forward a lot of things I've been saying to my friends and memories from when I was younger. Dreamcast Era forever.
Essentially, the Dark Era was bad but the storytelling and music kept Sonic alive The Meta Era was worse cuz now it shot storytelling in the back of the neck and only music was keeping Sonic alive All seriousness, a very well thought out video. I agree with everything you’ve said here. I’m even surprised finding out stuff like Pontac actually never being into Sonic or how there’s straight up Sonic Riders Fan Tournaments
Every time someone says that the stories of the genesis games never took themselves seriously, I immediately think of Sonic 3&K , the most revered of them, who literally starts out with Angel Island *getting bombed* . Sure it's not an overly complex plot, but it still had stakes and progression.
Hot take: neither the direction that SEGA or the fans want to take Sonic is good. SEGA are trying to move him down a path that isn't pleasing anyone, and fans are trying to drag him back to how he used to be and stop him from moving forward
My headcanon is that Tidus never comes back. And drinks in the afterlife with Jecht talking about what a great single mother she would become. Sonic is okay too.
SA3 will never happen for the same reason Battlefield BC3 will never happen; most of the original devs are gone and no-one knows what made those games so good.
this has now turned in one of my favorite videos in youtube. i'll always love this blue cheeky hedgehog. I started getting into sonic by colors, but a lot of time has passed, and I played loads of games since. Even if my fav game will always be 3&Knuckles, games like adventure two and black night have that feeling that hasn't been captured since. also i remember when you posted that unleashed project video with rooftop run modern as bg music ;)
I think the best way to sum up Adventure Era writing is, no matter how silly _you_ may think it is, the game will always take itself seriously. And that was part of the draw, yeah, Sonic wielding a sword and becoming King Arthur is silly, but it feels a little less silly when the game plays it straight. Take Kingdom Hearts as another example, tons of people make fun of Mickey Mouse saying lines like "Did somebody say the door to darkness?" but the games still remain to take themselves seriously even if others don't. I think the only game to do this in the Modern era (or at least post Unleashed) is surprisingly Lost World. The problem there is the writing is so bad that it really just can't be taken seriously, with my personal exception of Eggman threatening the Zeti, I thought that was awesome. But Lost World sets up a shaky alliance between lifelong enemies, begins forming a fued between Sonic and Tails and, even that infamous "too slow" scene was played as if they wanted you to care. Unfortunately this is all undermined by plain old bad writing. I'll give Forces credit, it did a little good but Sonic seemed to be the only character not taking everything seriously and he's you know, the main character so that disconnected everything. I'm fine with the jokes and the wisecracks but I also love when the game starts getting serious for it's own sake.
That was...incredible. You managed to verbalize how I feel about the series as well and share all of the sentiments you do on this subject. Thank you for making this and sharing your thoughts, I would never have been able to do it so eloquently or moving as you have. Keep making videos because your content is awesome!
When I was a teenager, I once played Sonic and the secret rings. Sorry if I didn't say the correct title. Looking back at it now it's not perfect but it's nostalgic. As for the film, I still find it decent. Turns out I still have love for most of the franchis ☺
Thanks for making such an insightful video, it makes me happy to remember all for the things I do like about sonic despite the direction he is going in now.
Toei Sonic is probably my favourite interpretation of him. His design, the way they animate him. Everything about those short little videos encapsulates him so well. He's shown to have speed, momentum, and agility while at the same time bursting with character. Its only a few minutes but it really describes what I love about Sonic as a character.
Only a few minutes in and getting to see someone not only reference Sonic comics and the cartoons makes me remember my high school days. Some pretty chill times so thanks for that
Gameplay aside, you managed to hit the nail on the head on why I've always found the newer Sonic stories so uncanny. I actually had no idea that the previous story writer was involved with Colors at all, that really explains why it still felt like a Sonic story, regardless of the groan-worthy ironic dialog. There are plenty of terrible 3D Sonic games, but for as much as I despise Sonic 06 and think it's the most technically broken Sonic game, I respect the ambition they had for it _so_ much more than I respect Lost World or Forces. Maybe a lot of fans don't have an issue with the flanderized and self-depreciating stories and characters now adays, but that's just not the franchise I fell in love with. Still, even with everything that's going on in 2020 right now, I'm looking forward to seeing how the franchise changes in the future. On a side note, what the hell you're gorgeous, please no make pp hard
Isn't a core tenant of being cool not caring what other people think of you? In that case, post-Colors Sonic is objectively not cool, because it's OBSESSED with what other people think of it.
Thank you for sharing your Sonic story! I agree that Black Knight was the last game to get the characters right. I also enjoy Secret Rings' story too. It's been a while since I played Colours but you reminded me of that last boss payoff and awesome moment where all the Wisps join you to fight.
Despite how disappointed people were Sonic Forces, I actually found it to be a lot of fun. Sure, the classic stages didn't need to be there, but the Modern Sonic stages, while short, were cool to me for what they were. I feel like I'm in the minority, but I also really liked the customizable character that you get to create to fight along Sonic. The avatar stages were new, and I found enjoyment in this slower gameplay style. It seemed to me that Sonic Team really tried something new, while keeping the boost formula in tact. Really, if Classic Sonic wasn't there, it had potential to be a great game. What really got me was that Sonic Team included a survey with Sonic Forces that allowed players to give feedback on what they liked about the game, what they didn't like about it, and even point out past Sonic games that they found enjoyable. It showed me that they are trying to return Sonic to a respectable franchise by getting fans involved in game creation. I guess I saw Sonic Forces as a peace offering. And for what it's worth, I had fun pretending to be friends with Sonic. Also, I think Fist Bump freaking slaps, and I don't care who knows it.
Never apologize for what you like. I definitely stand on the side that thinks Forces is underwhelming and that there's a lot to improve on, but that doesn't invalidate the fun others have with the game. And the Avatar is generally accepted as the best part of the game last time I checked, from the beginning most complaints about the idea came from non-fans. Who knows? Maybe it'll show up again in the future, and it'd probably be a great addition for multiplayer modes imo. For now, all we can do is wait and see what happens next.
I also liked Sonic Forces but not that much. There were some steps in the right direction and others in the wrong one. Bringing something new like the avatar is really cool. And at least the story is more serious but sadly Sonic doesn't take what's happening seriously with those bad jokes. The wrong steps were classic sonic and bringing the boost again. I prefer Sonic Lost World gameplay.
Sonic's design was meant to be cool, he was made in the perfect time in the early 90's, where everything was wacky and hip and everyone's imaginations ran wild. If Sonic was made later or earlier from the time of his debut, I'm 100 percent positive he will fall into obscurity like Bubsy, making Mario reign supreme as the most well known video game mascot
I know I personally adore Sonic Forces and definitely have it as my favorite alongside adventure 2 , BUT I also didn't play every single sonic game between these two (I don't think I played any) because of not knowing about it or parents not letting me get it. I think that definitely changed how I viewed forces when playing it because I didn't get to see how everything was changing over time game,story, or character wise. A lot of things that people complained about or disliked didn't seem to have the same effect because I was experiencing a sonic game for the first time in maybe a decade (Plus I could beat it! Kid me sucked even harder at games than I do now and was too scared of aquatic mine) and having that not-buggy game with characters I know and love, and music that I still listen to felt absolutely amazing! Going back to play the earlier ones is certainly not as amazing, but having these two extremes makes it easier to look at everything people love and hate about the franchise and consider why people feel the way that they do.
