However, we know the story is a little different today. Most recently, SEGA had released two Nintendo-exclusive games starring Sonic the Hedgehog (Oh, the smell of irony is intoxicating, isn't it?). These two titles, Sonic Boom: Rise of the Lyric for the Wii U, and Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal for Nintendo 3DS, were tie-ins to the new Sonic cartoon, titled Sonic Boom. These games had more of an adventure gameplay style rather than the adrenaline rush that the series was known for. Even more so, after only playing demos for both versions, the games don't feel like they are structured very well.
Sonic had such a distinct playstyle that you couldn't compare the series to any other game franchise. The only fair comparison one could make was to the characters' status as a mascot and quality of games, which is why it was always seen that Sonic and Mario were natural rivals; the Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games are a testament enough to that fact. And while Mario was successfully redefined and expanded upon gameplay-wise, complete with spin-offs and advancements, Sonic tripped up somewhere down the line.
The reason I'm even on the topic is because I recently just completed Sonic Lost World on Nintendo 3DS. While I don't want to comment on that one game specifically, I will say that the strengths lay in the side-scrolling sequences, which were few and far between. When I was in that viewpoint, man, I was racing though the level like a speed demon! It was so much fun to be able to go that fast, get that huge ring count and take out enemies all at once. The weaknesses, which were the main part of the game, were the 3D sequences. These were lain out in a Super Mario Galaxy-esque style of play, where Sonic wouldn't actually run on his own, but rather just a slow jog: if I wanted him to actually run, I had to hold down a button the entire time to do so. It was such a disappointment, too, because after coming off the great gaming experiences of Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations, I had high hopes for this game. The Sonic Team actually said they were taking a lot of cues from Galaxy, and that's absolutely the thing to do if you want to try and make a franchise fresh while at the same time sticking to roots.
It took me a while to figure out what went wrong, but I came up with the solution: Sonic isn't Mario. Not by a long shot. See, the issue was that the game focused on too much of a platforming aspect: they gave you winding paths, power-ups to take down enemies, and a clever wall-climb move that Sonic was able to use. All of this sounds great. especially if you want to make yourself a kick-ass platforming game. The issue is that Sonic isn't meant for platforming. He's meant for the thrill of the run. Of course SEGA has the option to mix it up a bit with their franchises, but there comes a time when a genre defines the franchise, rather than having the franchise jumping around different genres. Looking back to Mario again, he has more games than the standard platformers, but they're all different series, like the Mario Kart series, Mario Party, and more. They're all tailored to fit into different genres, and about every two years we get the traditional Goomba-stomping platforming that has become the trademark for the series. SEGA's issue seems to be that they try to keep adding more and more onto their original fast-paced idea while pulling different aspects like cinematic sequences, sword combat, or expanded traversal into it. The final product doesn't feel like it's one completed product, but rather like someone went digging around for a bunch of different parts and put it all together to see what would stick.
I don't mean to hate on SEGA or The SonicTeam, far from it. I want to see Sonic and his friends in some awesome games, because the potential is always there! We know this because we've seen it before. It's the same thing when a company like Nintento or Microsoft or Sony messes up; us fans don't complain because we want to, but because we want to see the very best these guys can give us. These companies were part of many peoples' childhoods, and they might have even helped people grow into who they are; the dreamers, the creators, the storytellers of tomorrow. Video game have come a long way from the single SEGA/Nintendo wars, and now we live in an age where two companies like those can work together in the hopes to give fans something truly fun to play and enjoy, maybe so much so that they can garner new fans out of the endeavor. The big issue standing in SEGA's way is they need to go back to Sonic's roots, and find out why fans truly loved those games. Maybe after working for so long with Nintendo, they picked up a few new tricks and have a better idea of how they can improve themselves. I sure hope so; I'd hate to see Sonic run off so soon.
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