G-Spot: Fixing Sonic - part 2 - Back to basics
Recently I wrote a feature in direct response to an article on Wired Blog, Game|Life, as to why Sega should not kill off Sonic, but rather should kill off (or just stop using) all the random extra characters from the Sonic universe in Sonic games.
Now I bring you part 2 of the feature, and look at ideas, that Sega could look at, which should help Sonic become one of the great video game characters again.
And all that jazz…
One big issue I have with modern Sonic games is the music. Now, I actually don’t think that modern Sonic games have bad music per se (with exception to Sonic and the Secret Rings, which was effing terrible). But do they have great music?
Sure the fast rock music, we find in many recent Sonic titles, should work well with a fast game, but it actually doesn’t in this case. If you ask me to hum/whistle ANY level on Sonic 1 or 2 - I reckon I could do it no trouble, or at least very nearly get it right. But ask me to do the same with any Sonic game post Sonic Adventure, and I wouldn’t know where to begin!
The music used in the original Sonic games was very memorable, addictive and worked perfectly with the games levels and the gameplay. Sega should chuck out the modern rock/rap music, and quite simply replace it with “Video Game Music.” Others have said a similar thing in our forums.
You compare the music of Aquatic Ruins, Marble Zone, Flying Battery Zone, or even the boss music to that of modern Sonic games, and tell which ones you think are better suited for a video game?
When cartoon characters invade.
Next thing to change would be the settings. Why has Sonic suddenly started mingling with humans?
There have always been humans in Sonic games, what with Dr. Robotnik being a human. But the main point was that Robotnik had invaded ‘Sonic’s world’ - the animal world - turning bunnies and birds into robots for his own evil deeds, and Sonic decided to help them out and defeat Robotnik.
But lately the opposite has happened, and Sonic has ‘invaded’ the human world. It looks wrong, it feels wrong. Stop it. Send Sonic back to the Green Hills and Ice Cap Zones, and have Robotnik come to him, in a true bad guy style.
Or if you must have it set in a human world, at least have some more talking animals. In Sonic Adventure and Sonic 06 the only animal characters are Sonic and his friends, the main characters. It seems strangely odd that the only fast moving, fast talking animals in this world happen to be the ones directly related, and involved, with the main events happening in the game.
All the random NPCs that inhabit the cities are humans, it would make more sense to, (at the very least), have more random talking animals for Sonic and friends to interact with. But, personally, I think it would just be so much better for Sega to send Sonic away from the human cities, and have Dr. Robotnik try to take over Sonic’s domain, once again.
Are we making a movie or a game here?
One of the other annoyances found in modern Sonic titles is the use of story driven gameplay. With the use of FMV and cut scenes, it was inevitable that Sega should start making bigger storylines for Sonic games, other than “Robotnik is trying to steal Chaos Emeralds.”
In fact the best (proper) story I have seen in a Sonic game was possibly Sonic Adventure. The story was simple enough, with Robotnik stealing Chaos Emeralds in order to build up the power of “Chaos” - a monster who harnesses the power of the Chaos Emeralds and can reek destruction upon the world. Simple, but enjoyable enough to watch the cutscenes.
However since then Sonic games have had more complex stories, which go too far. Now they involve saving princesses, dimension and time travelling, pirates, dinosaurs etc…
I don’t have a huge issue with Sonic games having stories, but at least make them either interesting or relevant to the Sonic world and not ridiculous.
One of my biggest problems with Sonic Rush Adventure was the setting and the retarded story involving robot pirates, dimension jumping, plus the introduction of that damned Racoon - who did nothing but piss me off the whole game.
We also have Sonic and the Secret Rings, with the strange Arabian Nights setting… featuring dinosaurs…. which wasn’t terrible - but was it necessary?
Once again the best solution I can see here, for the time being at least, is to give a modern Sonic game the most simple story possible - have Robotnik steal some Chaos Emeralds, enslave some fluffy woodland creatures and have Sonic clean up the mess. Just like in the good old days of Sonic 1, 2 and 3.
What platform to choose?
What kind of game is a Sonic game? Back in the days of the Megadrive/Genesis and GameGear Sonic was a platform game, competing directly against the likes of Mario Bros.
Over time, while Mario has remained (relatively) true to his platforming heritage, Sonic seems to have gone off to one side, slighty. Now rather than being a platform game, modern Sonic games seem to mainly consist of running along a set route, with very little platforming involved.
Sure they still having jumping segments, but they no longer have the real elements of a true platform game. Credit to Sega for trying to keep Sonic games fast, but the idea of Sonic games was that players usually took their time over a level when they first played, learning the levels, the routes and the jumps and then speeding along on the next run through.
It seems that now Sonic games have replaced the core platforming sections with just running forwards.
2D or not 2D? That is the question.
As I mentioned in part 1, the biggest complaint amongst fans is that Sonic should return to his 2D roots. I have no problem with that, but I don’t think it is entirely necessary.
One of the 3D Sonic games I enjoyed the most was Sonic Heroes- yes everyone gasp and cut your wrists, but hear me out first! Now firstly I will just say that the gameplay involved in Sonic Heroes is not bad at all, the idea was unique, some people liked it (not just me I assure you), but many thought it was trash.
However, the things that stood out to me in Sonic Heroes was just how damn good the level designs were. You could run through them at speed, you could see ahead clearly (unlike Sonic ‘06), it also had multiple routes and some half decent platform bits. I also liked the story it was simple, just like the first Sonic games. I think the main issue players had with the game was that you had to play as all these extra characters, and you had to play with 3 characters at once.
Now take away ALL the playable characters bar Sonic, and have just him run through the levels, and I would guarantee that the game would have easily received higher scores.
If Sega should really feel the need to introduce new characters into a game, to make the story fresh/interesting, for the love of God, I beg that they make the new characters just a story piece, and not playable.
Spin-Off the beaten track.
Another thing that some people suggest is to scrap all the Sonic spin-off games, such as Sonic Riders. I disagree.
I think there is nothing really wrong with spin-off games, just make sure they are fun. Also make sure developers explain that spin-off games are actually spin-offs. Take Shadow the Hedgehog, a terrible game, but on often mistaken as a “Sonic game.” It’s not - it is a spin-off - let’s keep it that way.
Games like Sonic Riders, Sonic R, Sonic Shuffle, Sonic Fightersetc… are fine in my eyes, they are the games that Sega should use to promote their other characters and mix up the gameplay of Sonic titles. It is better this way than throwing more and more playable characters into a real Sonic game.
To help summarise:
I think it is clear that Sega has made the Sonic universe (and games) far too cluttered. You are no longer playing a fast platform game, but rather a mixture of platform, running, search quests, action, driving and sailing - all in a game but completely split up.
Essentially gamers are no longer buying Sonic games, but they are buying games featuring Sonic.
Taking Sonic back to his roots, with gameplay, level design, music, number of playable characters and story is the best way I can see to saving the franchise.
As for 2D or 3D, I think either has the potential to work, Sega just need to sort all the other areas out first.
~G~
Tags: Exclusive, Fan Sites, Fan Stuff, G-Spot
28 opinions for G-Spot: Fixing Sonic - part 2 - Back to basics
JOEI
Mar 25, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Excellent article… I agree with everything you wrote. I do think you hit all the right points to improving sonic games. May i add that i enjoyed CHAO gardens on sonic adventure and it was indeed the best 3d sonic game to date. I hope its a 2d & 3d game (unleashed).. that would be interesting and i do hope the games are a little bit more challenging and INNOVATION! sega is innovation, but lately sonic games have been lackluster in INNOVATION AND in “ooos and ahhhs”
Motowolly
Mar 25, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Tis very good. Thats what I’ve waffed on about in part one!!! Yay now let’s hope SEGA does this.
udx
Mar 25, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Hey, I don’t mind spin-offs.
Hell, take alook at Mario. He’s got tons of spin-offs. Some good, some bad. But it gives Nintendo time to work on their next major project for Mario.
Pur
Mar 25, 2008 at 4:59 pm
One problem with the Heroes bit.
I agree it’s one of the best 3D Sonic’s about, that it has great level design, blah blah e.t.c…but I don’t think it would have got better scores. Not when it scored 7-8, anyway.
Ben L.
Mar 25, 2008 at 5:26 pm
I disagree with the music bit. We remember the Genesis tunes because we loved the games so well and played them often. The newer Sonic games don’t make as much of an overall impression, so the mind has less incentive to memorize the tunes. It’s not really the tunes themselves. The more you like something, the more you’ll tend to remember all the facets of it.
Nev
Mar 25, 2008 at 5:27 pm
In full agreement here, especially when it comes to the setting and music, and also the platforming.
Think back to some of the better levels in the earlier games: Casino Night Zone, Mystic Cave Zone, Hydrocity Zone (insert name of your favourite stage here).
How much of it was spent running at full-clip? Less than 50% in most cases. Hydrocity had some huge high-speed sections, but even those were broken up by “jump on the rotating column and avoid spikes” antics.
I loved Sonic Rush, don’t get me wrong. But it’s simply not as satisfying as the old gameplay style of platforming-plus-speed instead of speed-plus-tricks.
The other thing I miss is the physics of the old games. Do you remember the feeling you got when you came to a slope, curled into a ball and rocketed down the other side, then jumping off the incline and spinning back off in the opposite direction? I miss that.
Kogen
Mar 25, 2008 at 5:32 pm
The physics are a very important thing they’re ignoring too much lately. I’ve had times when I beat an act in GHZ almost entirely by bouncing off item boxes and enemies. Now it doesn’t even give you any air in the DIMPS games.
Noname
Mar 25, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Whenever a Sonic fan suggest something to be changed, another one will pop up to disagree. I don’t know if you have a problem but I can perfectly hum and whistle most tunes post-SA. There’s nothing wrong with today’s Sonic music save for a few ones (like in the newer games, and somehow I completely dislike Sonic Rush’s soundtrack while everyone praises it).
Also, I actually liked Sonic Adventure 2’s storyline. Sonic had so much attitude shining out of his little 3D model and Shadow was ‘at his best’ here.. I don’t know, I found the plot to be pretty kick-ass.
Sonic ‘06 can go to hell though.
I know it’s all a matter of opinion though, but having been a Sonic fan-artist a long time ago, Sonic Adventure 2 sparked one of the greatest waves of inspiration amongst the community (sadly also one of the worst noob-waves too) in my eyes.
My two cents
Kogen
Mar 25, 2008 at 6:54 pm
It was worth exactly two cents, too. I’m not sure what this “inspiration” you speak of is. The shitty new style Sonic art? The fan fictions? What? Classic Sonic art was better; no fanfictions was better.
The story in SA2 is simply bad, there’s not much else I can say about it. The new music, while certainly not horrible, isn’t nearly as good as some of the older music - even SA2 had some good music in it compared to what something like Secret Rings or Rush have.
Nev
Mar 25, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Ben: It’s not so much that the newer soundtracks are remembered less fondly because the games are of poorer quality, it’s the style of music they’re going with.
Sonic Adventure has the best soundtrack of any Sonic game since the originals, easily. It had a wide variety of music styles, with each fitting the stage (Casinopolis, Red Mountain).
From Sonic Adventure 2, however, they gave each character a specific music style which all but ignored the atmosphere of the level you were playing (J-Rock for Sonic, Rap for Knuckles, etc).
I guess part of that may be that the Sonic Adventure soundtrack could get away with more diverse music because of the slower sections (Casinopolis, for example), but that goes back to how Sonic Adventure allowed for more platforming than later titles, and how it was closer in spirit to the original titles than any game since.
Pilgrim John
Mar 25, 2008 at 7:39 pm
Actually, I think the other Sonic characters should be playable… but what if SEGA, instead of trying new ideas that don’t work, used gameplay from some of their other games?
Take for example, Shadow using guns. Had they thrown in some House of the Dead references (Including some first-person segments), that would have been awesome. (Uh, but make sure the enemies are just robots. We don’t need unnecessary gore.)
Or, if they decide to make Amy playable again, what if they had it so that her levels playd something like the Streets of Rage games, complete with remixes of that game’s soundtrack? Amy has to use that hammer, that’s her shtick. What better environment than a side-scrolling area filled with goons and ne’er-do-wells who need a good thwacking?
But yeah. Sonic himself is about speed. I wouldn’t mind it if SEGA used his friends as playable characters, BUT, only if their levels revolve around something they could do well. And, throwing in a few shameless plugs for their other games for good measure.
develin
Mar 25, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Honestly to me it seems Sega is getting Sonic back on track (considering the recent trailers and stuff). But what I really hope for is what you already mentioned: A SIMPLE STUPID STORY PLEASE.
Anybody who endured watching the Sonic Cartoon knows that the world of Sonic is simply not deep enough for a real story line. Same holds for Mario btw - as the movie and various cartoons have proven.
For the last 20 years, all Mario platformers had the same story: Peach got kidnapped, Mario has to rescue her. The best story line in Sonic was “Robotnik/Eggman has taken over your world, enslaved all animals and either turned them into robots or locked them up.
Simple & suitable. Do that again and avoid falling into the Bomberman trap (if you don’t know what that is, watch an episode of Bomberman Jetters). Just imagine that story, and you have as level select you have a world map - you have to free the world.
In between you might even have “hidden” extras, like your friends that are locked up in special cages. Once you have freed them, you have to OPTION to play as any of those - but you don’t HAVE to. Same level, but having the option to have different routes (ala Sonic & Knuckles + Sonic 1-3) sounds fun to me.
Ryan
Mar 25, 2008 at 9:42 pm
I fully agree with the article!
Sega listen to this man!!!
Gamerschoice
Mar 25, 2008 at 11:38 pm
I disagree with the music part. Sonic games have always had great music. The Rap and Rock stuff in there is excellent, and I don’t think we can get back to regular game music. Look at Mario games, they’ve kept video game music and it has gone nowhere but downhill. In fact, Mario games in general have gone downhill, and no one noticed… I’m a big fan of regular old game music, but Sonic music is excellent no matter which way it goes.
I should read the rest of the article before posting, but I tend to disagree with these kind of things.
Graham
Mar 26, 2008 at 1:24 am
Gamerschoice - Regarding Mario/Sonic music.
Its your opinion of course but I seriously thought that Mario Galaxy had some of the best music I have heard in a game for years - it was a mix of ‘Game Music’ on some levels and Orchestral on others. I thought it was great.
-However overall I’m not a big fan of Mario music - I think the games had some good and some bad tunes. But Sonic was always my preferred choice.
And thanks everyone who’s been agreeing ;o)
paly
Mar 26, 2008 at 2:16 am
i agree with the sonic heroes thing the games is a blast it still looks great and the gamplay is fun some glitches but the game works really great and its beautifull but sonic should be the main character again..
Psycho_echidna
Mar 26, 2008 at 2:25 am
As soon as I read that finally someone talked about the music from Sonic 1 & 2 as missing in action in the recent Sonic games, I stopped reading and I am 100 % with the writer. You hit the nail on the head. Congrats !!!
Gamerschoice :
Sonic 1,2,3 and K have the best sonic music. Do not compare this
Note that Galaxy takes some old music and re-orchestrate them. But very rare are the Sonic tunes remixed or re-orchestrated. Instead when have lyrics and other less than good melodies with the new Sonic. Some of them are good but not comparable to the Genesis days. Nintendo sticked to NES/SNES days with modern instrument. Sega must go back to this !!!
Bryan
Mar 26, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Your point about how the series needs to reintroduce platforming is an excellent one. Sonic Adventure was actually quite good about it, as was Sonic Advance 1. But they’ve been slowly making the games less platformers, and more superfast blue hedgehog pit avoiding simulation. Get rid of that silly speed meter already.
And I’m pretty sick of hearing fake imitation versions of song genres that were popular 2-3 years ago. They were charming as nothing but the intro songs, as in Sonic CD and Adventure. But they slowly started to engulf more and more actual levels in games, until we had hardly any classic sounding video game music left. And the Sonic Rush soundtrack sounds ridiculous.
Anyway, good article, I agree wholeheartedly with most of that.
Sega Uranus
Mar 26, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Sonic Heroes… good level design? wat?
Just because the levels had multiple paths doesn’t mean it had good level design.
I feel the music is just fine as is (except Secret Rings…), sure it was better before, but that was due to weaker tech having to ride on catchy tunes rather than sound quality.
Otherwise, yeah I agree with the article, but it’s not like much will change. Sonic will probably change for the better, but that doesn’t he’ll “go back to his roots”. There are more fans that are children now, and thats where the money is, so they will listen to them first.
Kogen
Mar 26, 2008 at 9:55 pm
Sonic 3D Blast on Saturn has great music, as does Sonic CD. They can still do nice music if they actually try.
Hudson
Mar 26, 2008 at 11:26 pm
“Essentially gamers are no longer buying Sonic games, but they are buying games featuring Sonic.”
Despite all the perpetually baffling Heroes love on your end, I think this is something about Sonic games we can agree on. Maybe even Nathan, too.
On music: Richard Jaques did the soundtrack for 3D Blast on the Saturn, and a number of tunes from it were reused in Adventure. I’d say it’s pushing it to call either 3D Blast or CD recent, though.
I think it’d be nice to take a break from all the crazy, nonsensical rock for a while. Especially for main themes.
Bryan
Mar 27, 2008 at 1:33 am
Honestly, I liked Heroes too. I really liked it. The Amy and Sonic stories were fun. Shadow’s bit was pretty miserable, and the Chaotix thing started the whole extremely frustrating mission structure that would go on to plague Shadow the Hedgehog. But I feel like the game mechanics worked well, the level design was pretty sweet (I thought, anyway), and it didn’t try to overwhelm you with the story. There were some good music tracks in there, too.
Graham
Mar 27, 2008 at 1:37 am
Hudson - What “perpetually baffling Heroes love” ?
I can admit I like the game and I enjoyed playing it. But I don’t recall saying I LOVE it.
Id argue it’s one of the better 3D Sonic games, but then again that hasn’t been a hard feat.
Nilok
Mar 27, 2008 at 2:50 am
I agree in some rights, The music for one, and the return of platforming in Sonic games for two. However I think that simply dumbing down the story again won’t cut it anymore.
People want something interesting instead of the same old. Even though Bowser still kidnaps Peach in Galaxy, he dose it in a radically different way and has a different plan for his end goal.
I think there needs to be a balance point between the “Genesis Sonic” and the “Sonic Adventure” story system. Giving a simple story, but give enough to keep the players interested and keep the plot from becoming too cliché. Sonic Heroes fall too close to the “Genesis Sonic” to obtain this balance.
I feel that if this doesn’t work, there may end up being a divide were half of the people want very little story like back in the old days, and the other half and a full blow epic. Most likely, the current time line would be turned into the “Genesis Sonic” we all know and love, while the Sonic Chronicles Times line, will become the heavy story end of the series set after said game. Two different teams, working on two different parts of the Sonic time line and two different ways of expressing the Sonic series.
CS
Mar 27, 2008 at 8:17 am
i agree with you, well almost in everything.. i think that SA2 was one of the most enjoyable games (i know that i was always hoping take tails out of the mech and then run like in Sonic 2 but i still loved tails level) levels like Final Rush or piramyd cave were FASTs and fun levels.
ZikZak
Mar 27, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Whoa ! Great analysis.
I fully agree.
I think that to come back to the roots of the 2D platform the best medium could be to create a downloadable game, I mean a new 2D Sonic game that you can purchase via XboxLiveArcade, PSN or even WiiWare.
In this case the game will need to be a new one, not a remake, then I’m pretty sure that the sales will explode.
Pickles
Mar 27, 2008 at 8:14 pm
Awesome. I agree entirely.
Except I think you missed something :O
True, Sonic could work as either 3D or 2D, but 3D the way they are now? Meh. Not so much. Even with multiple routes, basically the only difference between a 3D Sonic game and a 2D one is that you move forwards instead of sideways. If they’re going to do that, they may as well make it 2.5D, as I believe it’s called, like Sonic Rush or Sonic Rivals. Sonic 3D games need a bit more room to run around in, if you ask me. As well, they need better turning physics. This would make Sonic much easier, and more fun, to control in 3D. I hate running down a path and just by tilting the controller slightly having Sonic turn instantly and run headlong into the wall on the side of the path. Sonic should turn a LOT slower in 3D games, maybe something like how cars move in Racing games… I could see a Sonic game with drifting involved…
Noname
Mar 28, 2008 at 7:53 pm
@Kogen
On the music part, I abhor Riders’, Rush’s and Ring’s music. SA2 was awesome.
I’m sorry, I should’ve elaborated on the “inspiration” part. It only took like a year since SA2’s release since it went downhill but people like Rafael Valencia pulled out the awesomest Sonic art I’ve ever seen during the SA2 era. Stuff like this: http://fc05.deviantart.com/images/large/indyart/dark/C_H_A_S_E.jpg
and
http://fc07.deviantart.com/images/i/2002/41/f/1/Enter_The_Enforcers.jpg
Those artpieces (a few of many I could show) still impress me and reminds me of how cool Sonic used to be. Granted, not everyone made works like this because as I’ve stated, many wanna-be’s (like myself) wanted to make “kewl” Sonic art too, and a noob-generation was born together with the ‘inspired’ art.
The reason why I’m so defensive about SA2 is because of the big significance it had in my life as an artist and music composer, as everything I saw back then blew my mind. In retrospect I have to admit it probably was because of being a teenager back then, but I’ll never forget how I loved it. I learned so much and am doing new things now since I stopped making Sonic stuff.
I’ll leave this be though, I don’t want any hostility because of difference in opinion. We all need a new and good Sonic game, that’s for sure.
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