Oh, Sonic... Many of my childhood memories revolve around you and your (usually) awesome games. But lately, you've had me worried.
Yes, we all love Sonic the Hedgehog--well, maybe not all of us. Sega did manage to make a few good Sonic games, but after that, they started being quiet. Yes, we have the sequel to Sonic and Sega: All-Stars Racing coming up, but that's not enough to keep the Blue Blur alive. Many of us loved the last few Sonic games, but I still have some bones to pick with them...
I thoroughly enjoyed Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations, but there are some things about them that didn't settle well with me. I loved the sense of speed in these games, but a sense of speed is only half of what Sonic is about. The speed has to be mingled with solid platforming. With Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations, it mostly felt like the process was running, screeching to a holt to do some long sections of platforming, then running again. The games didn't seem to blend those elements together very well, but rather treated them like they couldn't be blended. Also, the whole time I played these games, the 3D platforming sections felt extremely awkward because it felt like the game was trying to get me to run fast, even though I was stopping to do something else. This was a major problem for me. I understand the old games had sections where you did nothing but precise platforming, but the didn't dominate a large part of the game.
I don't want you to think that I didn't enjoy these games. I really did enjoy them. They were miles better than, say, Sonic Unleashed or Sonic and the Secret Rings. They were good enough for Sonic to make a comeback, but to me, they showed that Sonic isn't quite there yet. He's close, though. All the materials are there for him to be back on top, but they just haven't meshed together all the way just yet.
If there's one game that really seemed to mix speed and platforming fairly well was Sonic Adventure 2. This game is by no means the best 3D Sonic game. I'll just throw that out there right now. This is a very flawed game that had too little focus on the Blue Blur, but I still love it. The best parts of the game were the levels where you played as Sonic or Shadow. Those levels blended speed and platforming really well, and they were truly 3D. Sonic Generations also did strictly 3D, but platforming sections still felt awkward. A lot of people disregard the Sonic Adventure games because of how the majority of those games consisted of doing something other than running, such as walking around in a giant robot suit and collecting jewels. Sonic Adventure 2 really captured what 3D Sonic levels should feel like, though. Sonic Heroes also did a pretty decent job of doing that, too. It's just too bad that each team had the same levels. Otherwise, that game could've been one of the better 3D Sonic games.
I don't want everyone to think that I hate Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations. I really don't hate them. They're fun games that are a good step in the right direction, but there were some things about them that didn't settle well with me. If you're wondering what the point of this editorial is, it's that I don't Sonic is back in top form just yet. He's getting there, but he has an unstable status right now. The next real Sonic game will ultimately decide the fate of the franchise. If it's more of what we've seen in Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations, then the franchise will fizzle out. Sega needs to try something a little different. That's mainly the point I'm trying to make. If the next Sonic game is crap, the franchise will die. That's why the next Sonic game has to be spectacular, or else the franchise will die. Sega needs to use something other than the "Unleashed daytime levels" formula to keep the franchise going. We need something different. Sonic can't rely on that formula forever. It's time for a change.
