How Sega All But Ruined Sonic the Hedgehog
Sega’s Blue Blur was a whirlwind of excitement in the early 1990’s. Nintendo had a magical formula in the Super Mario Bros series and every other developer had their run and jump Mario clones. Sega on the other hand, took the platforming genre to the next level by taking advantage of their new Genesis console (and it’s infamous “Blast Processing“) to introduce a new blazing-fast rodent by the name of Sonic the Hedgehog.
Speed, however was not Sonic’s lone gimmick. The landmark series on the Genesis also introduced unique elements such as the then jaw-dropping loops, super spin dash, psychedelic bonus rounds, and impressive boss battles with Dr. Robotnik’s mechanical creations.
While the Super Mario Bros. franchise was definitely colored with personality and great gameplay, the Sonic the Hedgehog titles on the Genesis and Sega CD offered an very exciting alternative to those that weren’t Nintendo fanboys.
Powered by the success of Sonic and their other cutting edge games, Sega had a great marketshare during the 16-bit era. However, they started to fall apart as they aimed to jump ahead of its competitors in the 32-bit market and beyond. The commercial failure of its newer hardware was unfortunately timed with the decline of the Sonic franchise.
While I love the Sega Saturn and its cult classic favorites, it never brought Sega fans the real Sonic game that it desired. Sega started with a Genesis and Saturn release of Sonic 3D Blast which turned out to be slow-paced and boring at times — quite the opposite of the Sonic games fans had been used to.
Sega had a great deal of inner conflict trying to develop a true 3D Sonic game (which was known as Sonic X-treme) and the closest substitute Saturn owners experienced was Sonic R, which was essentially a cart-racer without the carts.
Sega eventfully gave up on the Sonic X-treme project (and the Saturn for that matter) and set its sights on the possibilities that the Dreamcast held.
With Sonic Adventure, Sega fans finally had their fully 3D Sonic action game. Sonic Adventure had a tremendous amount of promise as the first level (which was playable on the pre-launch demo) was incredibly fast and was filled with breathtaking graphics that seemed to exceed how every Sonic fan had envisioned the Green Hill Zone would be in a 128-bit wonderland. (Nobody can forget the killer whale-bridge scene)
But all was not perfect with Sonic Team’s newest creation. In reality, very few of the subsequent levels even came close to living up to the high standards that the demo created. Instead, the game was filled with slow and annoying “exploration” areas that turned off many gamers that were expecting fast-paced action.
Sonic Adventure 2 ditched the exploration areas, but instead added more levels that required you to play as other less-interesting characters that had you perform more tedious tasks such as “find the lost emeraldsâ€. Not the idea of fun for a typical Sonic fan. To make matters worse, once words started coming out of Sonic’s mouth, the game was to the point of being an embarrassment to watch. Characters we all used to enjoy such as Tails and Knuckles all became an annoyance and a joke.
It was clear at this point that Sega had lost sight of what worked in the minds of Sonic’s most dedicated fans and had also failed to bring the sense of speed and tight control to the 3D world.
Once the novelty of Sonic Adventure’s slick graphics wore off, the more experienced gamers realized this wasn’t nearly the same game they had grown up with.
Gone were the intense sense of speed and the awe-inspiring loops. Instead, you were treated to a temperamental 3D camera that was more of an annoyance than a benefit.
The Dr. Robotnik we grew up with and his sweet robotic monsters had also experienced a peculiar makeover for the worse. Sonic Adventure ushered in re-branded “Dr. Eggman†and replaced his cool mechanical boss battles with strange creatures and dim-witted schemes to collect Chaos Emeralds.
Once Sega made its full transition away from the hardware business and developed multi-platform games, they unloaded a series of quickly-developed titles that pulled even further away from the core focus and did more to damage Sonic’s reputation.
Sega’s first original multi-platform Sonic game was Sonic Heroes. Heroes took some of the best aspects of the Sonic Adventure series and put a new spin on them. However, that spin consisted of forcing players to use teams of three characters at a time, when the entire time, fans wanted to play ONLY as Sonic. It also seemed to focus less on speed and reaction time and brought it more into the league of typical platform games as opposed to the high standards that Sonic was once known for.
To give Sonic Heroes some credit, it did go back to the 16-bit roots in terms of level design and the overall look and feel. Sonic Heroes got a little bit closer on fixing some of these crucial things but still managed to screw up other aspects. It’s such a shame that things went downhill after that.
As much as everyone tries to forget about it, Sega somehow thought that the best way to solve the fact that the Sonic franchise was getting tired was to have a game centered around Shadow the Hedgehog. Shadow was supposed to be the Sonic for the hardcore gamers that needed a ro
ugh edge. (And I thought all this time, Sonic was the cool hedgehog with the attitude.)
As soon as everybody laid their eyes on the promotional artwork and screenshots filled with the pistol-packing hedgehog, the gaming community knew Sega was losing it.
Instead of renewing interest in the Sonic universe, Shadow the Hedgehog fell on its face and was mocked by reviewers around the globe. Again, some players enjoyed the game, but it really strayed from the Sonic formula.
Sega followed up Shadow with Sonic Riders, a racing title that was essentially “Sonic R 2.0â€. While I appreciate Sega trying to emphasize Sonic’s speed capabilities (even though the game was not as fast as it should have been), it wasn’t a true Sonic games and was way too rushed to be taken seriously. Instead, it turned out to be a shallow F-Zero clone thrown out on the marketplace to make some quick change.
As the new generation of platforms emerged, Sega used Sonic as a way to show off their newest graphical technologies. There is no doubt that the new Sonic the Hedgehog for the XBox 360 looks nice, but as the abysmal reviews indicate, graphics are not everything.
In order to push its cutting-edge graphics to the limit, Sega, in their infinite wisdom, felt the need to bring Sonic and his friends into a more realistic world, filled with life-like humans. As you can see from this video, there is something creepy about some giant hedgehogs interacting with humans.
My point is that Sega doesn’t seem to know what it wants to do with Sonic. It seems like Sega assigns various quick-and-dirty development projects in order to see what ideas sticks with consumers. Unfortunately, Sega fans have had to suffer through this process.
Sega’s one redeeming endeavor has been the portable titles. The Sonic Advance series has at least replicated the original Sonic experience about as much as the GBA could, and Sonic Rush on the DS was probably the best Sonic game in over a decade. (Although, the really botched the new Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis for the GBA)
Sonic Advance and Sonic Rush are essentially the only Sonic games since the Genesis (sans the initial buzz of Sonic Adventure) that the majority of hardcore fans have actually spoke positively about. One would think that maybe Sega would try to go back bringing the series back to its roots more in order to succeed. (Read How Sega Can Bring Sonic Back To His Glory)
As we turn back to look at Nintendo and what they did with the Mario franchise, you will notice that The Big N took their time developing the N64 (remember THAT wait?) and polished Mario 64 in order to maintain its magical feel and bringing a consistent experience to the third dimension. Even though Mario fans would gladly welcome more traditional Mario games, Nintendo kept the pace slow in order to keep the standards high.
Sega needs to take a long look at Sonic and decide where the games of the past really shine and focus on those aspects and those alone instead of doing even more damage.
Personally, I believe the Sonic thrives in 2D and the third dimension should be used on Sonic Team’s other fan favorite NiGHTS into Dreams. Once Sega stays focused on creating killer gameplay in
stead of the quick dollar, Sonic may be brought back to his former glory.
Part 2 – How To Fix Sonic
I followed this post up with my expanded thoughts on what Sega can do to make Sonic successful with both hardcore and casual gamers.
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Sega’s Best Genesis Moving To PSP and PS2
Getting The Most Out of Your Dreamcast
New Nights Into Dreams Coming To Revolution?
Classic Franchises That Actually NEED a Resurrection
Classic Game Franchises We May See Again Soon
The Best Graphics on the Dreamcast
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Gee, I wonder if these last three comments are from the same person.
Hmm, let me look closely at the IP addresses. Oh, what do you know, it’s actually Sonic Phantom.
Really, man, you need to get a life. Coming back the this post constantly and posting immature comments is just embarrassing you further.
Okay look, I’m really sorry for those comments all right? I’m just having a bad day is all. But seriously, what’s your deal with Sonic? If you’re not a Sonic fan then why are mocking Sega? Let me ask you a question. Have you ever seen or heard of Sonic?
Sorry miss typo. Have ever seen or heard of Sonic X?
Sonic 2 FTW.
Phantom, it’s his site. He can do what he wants. Get that through your skull and go away if you don’t like it. You aren’t going to sway his opinion with force. His opinion should not bother you in the first place.
It also doesn’t help matters that the vast….vast majority agree with him.
GTFO, KTHXBAI!
I agree with mozgus, it’s bad if you try to force your opinions to others. At least sound reasonable and disagree when you have to, but instead I’m seeing an immature attitude come out of your mouth. That means that you simply don’t respect other’s opinions, and if you keep acting like that you might as well leave. I’ve said this once already, and I’ll say it again. Knock it off and act like a mature adult. Don’t go acting like a kid who thinks things should go his way and rubbing them off on people.
Now can we finally go back to the topic using some common sense? I’m not trying to be harsh, but fighting amongst ourselves is not going to do or help anything. Please, I’m getting tired of this and I think we should discuss about Sonic in a polite, friendly way. There, that’s all I’m asking for.
Yeah i almost completly agree with you except for the thing you said underneath the shadow picture i personally think shadow is cool but they just fucked up the game but other than that spot on man
Look, maybe I was being a bit harsh. But I never wanted to actually say that. I was just having a bad day is all. You don’t have to believe me, but I really was having a bad day. I respect racketboy’s opinion, but most of the things he said kid of went to the extreme. And I am 16 “The Kraken.” I am not an adult, not yet at least.
Actually, those are only the basics. Everyone is entitled to their opinions. Just, some people are complaining about small things and some that arent’ there. The camera angles don’t bother me too much, and as long as I view a NEW story which continues the storyline as well as not being as slow as a brick plus being challenging enough to play (unlike walking from one end of a room to another) then i’m good. I also beleive that the Mario series isn’t doing so hot but everyone loves’em, but to me, it’s jsut a buch of colorful playing around, something that doesnt’ need to be te Mario characters, like a bunch of regular playtime games with the extras of Mario characters only without the original characters leaving the Mario people to be the only people. Now some are okay, but others are just like 3D virtual baby toys to me. Too much attention to one character can be tiring, and if Sonic were alone, people would get tired of him. The issues with Shadow The Hedgehog aren’t very good excuses, as the gameplay is the same only with hte extras of vehicles and guns, the graphics weren’t attractive but weren’t pixelated, and the voices weren’t bad just differen’t, which actual specifically fit the different style of story of the game Shadow the Hedgehog. Personalites changed, but oh well, the personality is different each game. The monsters and stuff aren’t too wide spread, and all the stories are organized. People also complain that you must play sertain characters by force to beat the game. Well, in a game, you do what you want, and there’s bound to be something someone else likes that you don’t, not like it was made specifically for you, and of course you have to do them to finich the entire game or else it wouldn’t be entire, and the only things you unlock are things relatedto what you acomplish, so it’s not really forcing you if you don’t like that part since you could just beat the parts you like and unlock what’s related to what you like and call it a day sicne everything else is something you don’t care about. Am I right?
Exaclty WHAT was the problem with the talking? All it did was give it a story able to be view instead of going through pointless levels and readign the misinterpreted stories of the games like the old ones.
Eggman is the same as he always was and still is the boss in his machines. He has always gone after the emeralds to build some sort of mechanical area to rule, such as a station, or a place using various fortresses (Death Egg. Death Egg 2, Egg Carrier, Egg Carrier 2, Egg carrier, Launch)
The sensation of speed is indeed hard to place as in the modern time we now live in, that limit has risen to a new high to the point where some may complain of not being able to control him at such speeds.
Sonic loves no one in a romantic way officially, others love him.
To please fans, many things have happened, but all that’s changed is fans find something else to complain about, possibly caused by the stupidity of most of mankind and the uncontrolled feelings even they don’t understand while some THINK they do.
It is hard to get a new story involving Eggman as the main bad guy as he has done all he can do besides repeat himself, thus repeating the plot in a different way but nothing new comes along, and thus complaints that nothing new has come to interest fans and is a repeat of a previous game.
Other characters aren’t boring, in fact, they are quite interesting and have many fans and more new characters are wanted, thus resulting in at least a new character in every game. This also helps to come up with an original plot, even if it’s only used once.
Seeing as I’m fairly new here, I guess I didn’t know what I was doing. I’m really sorry about the bad comments. The reason I said the bad things is that I was having a bad day at school recently. So, can you let it go?:)
See, it takes time to actually like the 3D Sonic games. I had a few problems at first. I’m sure everyone did. Now of course camera angles are the only main problems in Sonic games. But quite frankly, they don’t bother me much. And I don’t know if this bothers you, but I’ve been hearing a lot of complaints about the voices recently. They say that the 4kids voices are horrible. I actually found then quite nice. The reason why they made Shadow the Hedgehog was to find out about his past once and for all and Sega/Sonic Team made the right move. I wanted to know what Shadow’s past was. Sonic Riders: They did not rush Sonic Riders. Quite frankly, there taking new steps with Sonic. Sonic for Xbox 360: Now I know the game has a ton of problems, but if you have patience you might actually like the game. Sonic games are not your average Sonic games. No one is giving him a chance to actually get into the game. Sega wanted to attract older gamers into Sonic. Not just for kids. So you see, Sonic games are fun. I have not played Secret Rings but it should be fun too. And the Sonic Riders Zero Gravity, a sequel to the first Sonic Riders is going to be a wild ride. I don’t care if it get’s a 3/10. Critics never point out the good stuff in Sonic games.
Hopefully racketboy, you understand what I’m saying. *doing Sonic’s thumbs up pose*.
Excuse me. But I find most of your article OFFENSIVE. I’ve been a Sonic fan since the start. And quite frankly, I ACTUALLY THINK SONIC FOR PS3 IS THE BEST GAME! And Sonic gets better with each game. I don’t give crap about any details like Sonic is saving a human girl rather than Amy. I find it a nice change for once. And Chaos 0 is a lot more destructive than Eggman’s mechs. Didn’t you see Perfect Chaos? And Shadow is cooler than you describe him. To me, I don’t think you even ARE a Sonic fan! In fact, I think Sonic and Elise is a great pair! Your Mario and Peach image makes me puke! Sonic and Elise! I hope SEGA makes great Sonic games like they did for Secret Rings and Sonic’s PS3 debut!
Let me put this in way that you might understand. I find that a great deal of self proclaimed “sonic fan wannabe’s/basic people/normal people” are actually sex-obssesed egotists that put themselves on a pedestal because they are “part of the in-crowd”, when in actual fact they are just too afraid to be themselves for fear of being labelled an outcast. That’s not an insult on anyone, just a general comment. My point is, normality is not only subjective but probably overrated.
Again, I’m sorry for what I said. But becareful about what you say, that might hurt other Sonic fans (including myself.) If you say you are a long time Sonic fan but don’t like any of his games on 3D, then you either are not a true Sonic fan or your not a Sonic fan at all. FYI, if you have not listned to the entire plot of the Sonic franchise then you would never understand why Sonic is taking new directions.
So I guess in conclusion, we are two very different people with very different opinions.
Dearest Sonic phantom
Please for the love of god stop. It’s good that your sorry for your past behavior and it is also great that you finally understand that you are two different people with different opinions, but stop with the snipes and the presumption that if someone disagrees with the direction of the newer sonic games that they are somehow not a sonic fan. Who the hell are you to make that call? Did I miss the meeting were we elected you the keeper ,the protector of all things sonic? How can you say that you understand that the two of you are two different people and that your entitled to your own opinion ,and then go on to say that Racketboy and those who agree with him are not sonic fans? That’s one hell of a contradiction dontcha think?
So as I started please stop before you make yourself look like more of a fool. This crap is beyond a joke and if you can’t play nice then just go the Fuck home.
Droid Party, why don’t you stop making a joke out of yourself. I don’t know what you’re talking, but that’s what I think. It’s not a fact. Get it? Because if you don’t then why don’t you just keep your mouth shut.
Sonic Phantom, that post made no sense, but you are really making yourself look foolish.
Please…. get a life and move on. You’ve stated your opinion, but quit harassing everyone you disagree with and find somewhere else to post.
Sonic phantom
I can’t believe I’m asking you to post again but please if I’m making a joke of myself then elaborate on how like I did rather than going on a nonsensical rant that nobody understood.
What I’m saying is I find it insulting that I’ve been playing sonic games since you were still shitting your pants (when was that like last week) and you have the cheek to tell me I’m not a fan…Fuck you ,you little prick.
Oh and when your done please go away, you’ve been at it for weeks and your not making any headway. Give up your at a site dedicated to retro gaming, that might give you a hint as to the audience your talking too.
Droid party, that made no sense at all. I was only stating my own opinion. That’s it. I was going to leave this alone until you had to say something stupid and made me post something else. I’ve played Sonic games ever since Sonic Adventure 2 Battle. Though of course my first Sonic game was Sonic 3 & Knuckles on the Genesis. And that’s what got me into Sonic. Now I don’t why everyone has to make a big deal about Sonic going different directions, but seriously,
if you don’t like it then shut up. If you keep making harsh statements about Sonic, then they won’t even make a Sonic the Hedgehog movie (and that is just sick.) racketboy, stop telling me to get a life or saying that I’m foolish. I am who I am and I refuse to change who I am just to be simply as “one of them”. And by that, I mean I don’t always play by the rules of whatever is going on a certain thread. I do what I enjoy, and if people don’t like it then that’s up to them. If this what I want to do, I’ll do it. I’m not afraid to say something, even if you think it’s stupid. If you can’t get past that premise then that’s up to you.
To racketboy: for the last time I’m sorry for the bad comments much earlier. And we are two different people with very different opinions. You do what you enjoy best and I’ll do what I enjoy best and that will be the end of this whole debate.
To Droid party: You are nothing more than an ignorant S.O.B, who can’t shut up about what I like to say. Like this: If your not down with that, then I’ve got two words for ya! SUCK IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow … I mean you sure set me strait, I mean “suck it” wow that’s like really profound stuff. I guess I better straighten up and fly right from here… Oh paleeeaase man that was a pointless statement, and besides you didn’t do as I asked , you didn’t explain what you meant in your post.
I came to apologize for the last couple of posts of mine. They were completely out of character for me. I just hate when people lower themselves to name calling and swearing to get their point across let alone when they manage to drag me down to their level making me do the same.
How did this go from an open forum discussing the direction of the sonic franchise to a debate about what it means to be a fan, if being a fan means laying open mouthed while sega shovel crap into said mouth only to swallow, smile and hungrily ask for more of the same never ever thinking to question the quality and direction of the series, Also if it entails writing convoluted pretentious drivel doggedly defending every aspect of the series whilst making no sense at all and only serving to annoy and confuse others, then please I guess I must not be a fan after all… and damn proud of it.
Now I don’t have an issue with sonic going in new directions, I just don’t feel the direction he’s gone in is entirely the right one. But that’s my opinion, it’s not right ,it’s not wrong because an opinion by definition can’t be either, that’s what makes it an opinion.
Now that’s it, I’m out ,I’ve had all I can bear of this nonsense, The thing I like about this site is that it is full of gaming enthusiasts who are passionate about gaming, all of them have their own opinions and are able to let others have theirs, something you seem unable to do, so in that case go back to IGN or where ever you stumbled from and continue your angry rants at a site that appreciates that kind of carry on, NOT THIS ONE.
No doubt I’ll see your reply to this on here as promptly as your last, and just like your last I expect to not understand what the hell is going on and feel a little annoyed that someone gets so upset over something as trivial as someone thinking differently to them.
Oh and if your not down with that would you terribly mind sucking it or something I guess. Oh fiddlesticks he counted how many words he was going to say before he said them but I forgot to , now I don’t look as cool as him.
I understand what you’re saying. I really do. And I’ll apologize for the “Suck it” comment. That’s what D-Generation X would say. And after your first post, I meant that I was only stating my own opinion. I was not angry at all.
I’m not one of those Sonic “fanboys” who protects Sonic games. That would mean I would own Sega, or something to that effect. I was only showing you that there are actually good stuff about the Sonic games even if it got low scores. But I find that reviews rarely show the good things about the Sonic games.
I’ve been out of line recently, I know it’s each to their own. And I was only stating my own opinions. I’ve been having bad days at school. And I kind of said stuff that I never really wanted to say, but I write it down anyways.
I don’t rarely say stuff like this, but usually people get inside my head for something that I like but always have to turn into a prick about stuff that they use to love.
Who cares where Sonic is going next, Sonic has never let me down. And I love every Sonic game because it’s fun. Maybe it’s not right to the fans, but it is to Sonic. I’m saying that Sonic is growing up. I mean, it’s not suppose to be a Mario copy. I find the current Sonic games fun and sometimes addicting. I mean, do they ever try to unlock everything in a Sonic game? Do they even try? Do they even care? IMO, I don’t think they do.
I just don’t see why everyone hates these Sonic games. I just don’t know that. I actually think they have no taste in these kind of Sonic games.
But like I said, you do what you want, I’ll do what I want. Neither of us is “right” or “wrong” it’s just personal prefrence. And again I’m sorry for that last comment.
That’s a little better. You clearly thought a little before posting this time. You stated your points and didn’t lower yourself to pointless cheap shots. Good stuff.
I never said that I hated any sonic games or that the games had no good points, and Racketboy’s article never said that either. I only said that I didn’t feel that the games were going down a path that I was entirely happy with.
Now next time try not to get worked up so easily, if someone says something stupid like “Sonik are gay and i fink he be stoopid and peepol hoo plays dose gayms are fuk wits and shood dye” ignore them and don’t lower yourself to replying to such baseless drivel. You will always find that kind of crap on web sites because everyone has the ability to post something on an open discussion… just some shouldn’t.
Also don’t feel too sorry because learning a little humility is a good thing. Anyway apology accepted and I apologize if I offended you unnecessarily. Just think before you post and don’t take out your frustrations on those who just trying to have an open conversation.
Well, I find stories on Fanfiction.net about Sonic that ignores the plot completely. They usually turn them into weird pairings. Sonic and Amy is one thing, but Sonic and Shadow? Ugh.
I’ll take your advice and try to ignore them. By the way, you said that the direction that Sonic is gonig in doesn’t make you happy. What Sonic did you start thinking that?
Miis typo. What Sonic game did you start to say that didn’t make you entirely happy?