Sonic The Hedgehog Games -

[Chin of Campbell]

The OVA is the best Sonic voice because he actually sounds like a little jerk kid instead of a 45 year old man trying to sound like an IN YOUR FACE COOL teenager.

Then again, modern Sonic is perhaps personified best by a middle aged man trying to be cool.

 

[StraightShooter2]

The only Sonic games I have much nostalgia for are Sonic CD and Sonic R (mainly because of the soundtracks); there are also a few fan-made Sonic games which are better than most of the recent ones (e.x. Sonic: After the Sequel, Sonic Time Twisted).

I also did like Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (apparently it's a re-branded version of a Japanese puzzle game called Puyo Puyo which is on Steam for people who like Tetris-style games).

My opinion in retrospect is that the Sonic games were always kind of badly designed - basically the "speed" was the only real gimmick, the abundance of rings basically meant you didn't have to worry much about taking damage - and usually you could just hold down the right controller button and jump a few times and you'd easily win most of the levels. (In comparison, while the older Mario games didn't have as unique graphics or soundtracks, they required more skill).

(There was also a huge difficulty spike in some of the older games, like Sonic 2 - where you'd have to fight the final bosses without any rings).

Most of the newer, 3D Sonic games are basically just a cash-grab, and try to make Sonic more like The Legend of Zelda or other popular franchises just hoping to sell (oddly, even though they get bad reviews, they apparently still sell well). I'm not totally sure why Mario-spinoff games, such as RPG, sports, party games, etc tend to do well in reviews, while Sonic games that don't stick to the original formula suck, but that seems to be the trend.

 

[NerdShamer]

I'm not totally sure why Mario-spinoff games, such as RPG, sports, party games, etc tend to do well in reviews, while Sonic games that don't stick to the original formula suck, but that seems to be the trend.

I think it's because the Mario spin-offs generally excel at what they do, although there's a few questionable decisions, at times. Whereas Sonic, as a character, is only designed for running fast and is pigeonholed into two or three genres where Mario is so generic that he's almost capable of doing anything without a lot of retooling.

 

[starborn427614]

Mike Pollock has confirmed he's still playing Eggman

https://twitter.com/itsamike/status/1357901913161945093

 

[ducktales4gameboy]

I think it's because the Mario spin-offs generally excel at what they do, although there's a few questionable decisions, at times. Whereas Sonic, as a character, is only designed for running fast and is pigeonholed into two or three genres where Mario is so generic that he's almost capable of doing anything without a lot of retooling.

Mario not talking is one of the things that stands out to me. Even in the kart racers Sonic has to have a plot and dialog and it always detracts from the Going Fast, to say nothing of the excessive cutscenes in most 3D sonic games.

 

[AbyssStarer]

Probably trying to hire someone cheaper or worse are trying to appeal to the ironic meme fans
I swear to god if Arin Hanson gets made an official VA i will throw a fit

Sad thing is I can see Sega doing this. Why they give attention to a guy who actively hates and shits on Sonic is beyond me, but maybe with GG dying slowly will help this to never happen.

 

[Syaoran Li]

Honestly, I'm not too surprised by the VA changes. Doesn't Sega have a thing where they change up the Sonic voice acting casts every so many years?

I'm honestly not sure how Sonic can be fixed outside of making 2D retro rehashes. Sonic Forces had a potentially good idea with creating your own OC but the game itself was a notorious flop.

If I were going to make a good modern Sonic game, I'd honestly avoid the speedy platformer format since it's pretty much a dead end and the platform genre is more or less dead in general outside a handful of franchises. You'd have to more or less reboot the damn franchise.

 

[Sage In All Fields]

These games slapped I don't care what anyone says

 

[Circular Tyrant]

If I were going to make a good modern Sonic game, I'd honestly avoid the speedy platformer format since it's pretty much a dead end and the platform genre is more or less dead in general outside a handful of franchises. You'd have to more or less reboot the damn franchise.

Your wish has been granted!

Spoiler

 

[Syaoran Li]

These games slapped I don't care what anyone says

I'll admit, the twelve-year old me unironically enjoyed Shadow the Hedgehog on the PS2 way back in the day. But I'm not really that much of a Sonic fan and we only rented the game a few times.

 

[AbduluCthuluZulu]

Honestly, I'm not too surprised by the VA changes. Doesn't Sega have a thing where they change up the Sonic voice acting casts every so many years?

I'm honestly not sure how Sonic can be fixed outside of making 2D retro rehashes. Sonic Forces had a potentially good idea with creating your own OC but the game itself was a notorious flop.

If I were going to make a good modern Sonic game, I'd honestly avoid the speedy platformer format since it's pretty much a dead end and the platform genre is more or less dead in general outside a handful of franchises. You'd have to more or less reboot the damn franchise.

If they ditch platforming what would they do instead? Another shooter?

I'll admit, the twelve-year old me unironically enjoyed Shadow the Hedgehog on the PS2 way back in the day. But I'm not really that much of a Sonic fan and we only rented the game a few times.

Shadow the Hedgehog was what got me into the sonic franchise, actually. I kept seeing all the memes and decided to try it out myself, then I got curious about all the characters and stories and started playing the other games to learn more about them.

 

[Syaoran Li]

If they ditch platforming what would they do instead? Another shooter?

Unironically, an open world game. But not the modern kind that most people think of.

Nah, I'm talking a game that's a good old-fashioned GTA clone and a 2000's throwback. Go full Saints Row and lean in on the parody and irony and be willing to accept an M rating or at least a hard T rating.

Normally, I don't care for the "lol so snarky and ironic" take but with the Sonic franchise, it actually kind of works.

Or if you want to go the opposite route while still embracing the "13 year old DeviantArt edgelord emo kid circa 2004" aspect of the Sonic fandom, then do a crossover with House of the Dead and make it a survival horror game.

 

[KingofNothing]

Honestly, I'm not too surprised by the VA changes. Doesn't Sega have a thing where they change up the Sonic voice acting casts every so many years?

I'm honestly not sure how Sonic can be fixed outside of making 2D retro rehashes. Sonic Forces had a potentially good idea with creating your own OC but the game itself was a notorious flop.

If I were going to make a good modern Sonic game, I'd honestly avoid the speedy platformer format since it's pretty much a dead end and the platform genre is more or less dead in general outside a handful of franchises. You'd have to more or less reboot the damn franchise.

I can't believe the last well received modern Sonic game is Generations and that was almost 10 years ago. And it wasn't even original, it was a love letter to the franchise. Do we really need to turn the clock that far back just to find something that works? But making a mainline Sonic game that's not a platformer is out of the question. Might as well retire the guy if they can't make the thing he was made to be for nearly 30 years work anymore.

These games slapped I don't care what anyone says

Never touched Shadow the Hedgehog but I've seen enough to know it's a bit of a mess. I'll simp for the Black Knight though. Incredibly simplistic, but once you figure out the attack timings, it's a fun if mediocre game to play with one of the best stories for a Sonic game(not a high bar to clear but it is)

 

[Sage In All Fields]

Never touched Shadow the Hedgehog but I've seen enough to know it's a bit of a mess

Aside from the lag in the PS2 port it's really no worse than Sonic Adventure 2, in fact all of the major problems I had with it were carry-overs from Sonic Adventure 2

 

[Syaoran Li]

I can't believe the last well received modern Sonic game is Generations and that was almost 10 years ago. And it wasn't even original, it was a love letter to the franchise. Do we really need to turn the clock that far back just to find something that works? But making a mainline Sonic game that's not a platformer is out of the question. Might as well retire the guy if they can't make the thing he was made to be for nearly 30 years work anymore.

Never touched Shadow the Hedgehog but I've seen enough to know it's a bit of a mess. I'll simp for the Black Knight though. Incredibly simplistic, but once you figure out the attack timings, it's a fun if mediocre game to play with one of the best stories for a Sonic game(not a high bar to clear but it is)

Eh, the platformer genre is dead outside of Mario, which mainly coasts along in a grandfather clause scenario.

Crash and Spyro did make a comeback but that was mainly because Activision uncharacteristically went out of their way to make sure the trilogy remakes and Crash 4 were actually great games. Mainly because both of those franchises crashed and burned even harder than Sonic did and the remakes were a huge gamble.

 

[KingofNothing]

Eh, the platformer genre is dead outside of Mario, which mainly coasts along in a grandfather clause scenario.

Crash and Spyro did make a comeback but that was mainly because Activision uncharacteristically went out of their way to make sure the trilogy remakes and Crash 4 were actually great games. Mainly because both of those franchises crashed and burned even harder than Sonic did and the remakes were a huge gamble.

Those are still platformers that did well though which kinda hurts your case. The age of platformers is gone, but there is still a market for it. We're just not getting the AAA versions out the ass anymore. Experimenting with other genres for Sonic on the side like Mario is fine, but Sonic has been in the platformer gig too long to discard the genre completely.

 

[starborn427614]

I'm glad we're finally getting into the swing of things for Sonic's 30th. There was a deathly long absence of news until recently, then BAM. New multiverse series on Netflix, hard info for the movie's sequel and leaks/rumours out the ass. I'd love for even half of them to be true.

 

[Gravemind]

Unironically, an open world game. But not the modern kind that most people think of.

Nah, I'm talking a game that's a good old-fashioned GTA clone and a 2000's throwback.

I'm actually in agreement with this much, just make the traversal options as fun and engaging as what you would see in, say, Crackdown, Infamous, or, hell, even the old Spider-Man 2 movie game. Build the game world to be just as grounded enough for it to seem livable by normal people/Mobians/whatever as shown in previous games, but also add just enough to make the options for getting around fun and fitting with the setting as well. For instance: Encourage plenty of wallrunning, put rail lines all over for grinding, scatter springboards here and there, poles for doing swing jumps, ring lines for lightspeed dashes, the occasional floating enemy trail for consecutive homing attacks, etc. The mission structure can accommodate setpieces in the open world much like any other GTA clone and GTA game for additional, situational gameplay variety as well.

 

[Rotollo]

Honestly, I'm not too surprised by the VA changes. Doesn't Sega have a thing where they change up the Sonic voice acting casts every so many years?

I'm honestly not sure how Sonic can be fixed outside of making 2D retro rehashes. Sonic Forces had a potentially good idea with creating your own OC but the game itself was a notorious flop.

If I were going to make a good modern Sonic game, I'd honestly avoid the speedy platformer format since it's pretty much a dead end and the platform genre is more or less dead in general outside a handful of franchises. You'd have to more or less reboot the damn franchise.

anytime someone proposes to reboot the franchise to move away from speed all I can think of is this shitty video that makes sonic an indie platformer

All one would really have to do to make a good sonic game is just expand on boost sonic's gameplay from generations and not have ass level design like in forces or just go back to adventure's smaller production but 06 probably scared sega from doing that. The biggest problem though is apparently they fucked up the hedgehog engine 2 so much that they had to build it from lost worlds assets, all 3d sonic needs to really be good is time and not to be rushed, I don't think Sega has learned that lesson though if their obsession with releasing games on anniversary years are anything to go by

 

[Chin of Campbell]

They should just give up and make nuSonic a quick time event "game" if they're going to do more boostshit. Either put up or shut up making a good 3D Sonic game, they've been trying for the last 20+ years and only getting as close as "it's okay if you ignore 75% of the game".

How the fuck does Sonic have literally five uncontested good games and nearly three decades of shit but some series get one stinker and die? Better series deserve Sonic's unholy revenant-esque staying power.