Whatever happened to Sonic the Hedgehog? In his 16 bit glory days his edgy personality and lightning fast speed made him a perfect rival to Mario. Sonic was one of the major reasons the Genesis succeeded and the lack of a solid Sonic game was one of the reasons why the Saturn failed. Since games have moved into the third dimension Sonic’s formula just hasn’t been done right. Maybe it’s because Sega doesn’t know where to take Sonic. Should it be a collect-a-thon platformer? A racing game? A shooting game? Sega has tried these formulas, but none meshed with Sonic. Racketboy explains that all isn’t lost for Sega’s mascot. Sega can bring Sonic’s glory days back by reverting back to the old formula. Make the games fast, the boss battles big and maybe restricting movement would help recreate the Sonic experience.
“If a Sonic game was a bit more limited in terms of 3D control — maybe to the point of putting it on two-dimensional rails, you would be able to maintain more of the high-speed feel and bring it back to the old-school roots.”
Bringing Sonic back to two dimensions worked for Sonic Rush, maybe Sega should take that suggestion to heart.
Published: Dec 6, 2006 08:48 am