#Why Sega Finally Gets Sonic Right

[freshthoughts2020]

Why Sega Finally Gets Sonic Right

Why Sega Finally Gets Sonic Right

January 14, 2025

Growing up with Sonic the Hedgehog has been one of the most nostalgic aspects of my life. From playing Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on the SEGA Genesis to experiencing the grandeur of Sonic Adventure on the Dreamcast, I’ve seen the franchise at its peak and its lowest lows. Back in 2016, I criticized Sega’s handling of Sonic, lamenting how they had turned an iconic character into a mere tool for selling merchandise. But today, I’m here to say this: Sega has finally started to get Sonic right.

1. Sonic Mania: A Love Letter to Fans

While I’ve never played Sonic Mania myself, I’ve seen enough gameplay to appreciate what it represents. Sega handed the reins to passionate fans like Christian Whitehead, and the result was a 2D masterpiece that brought back the magic of Sonic’s Genesis days. Classic zones were reimagined, new ones were introduced, and the game perfectly balanced nostalgia with innovation. Sonic Mania proved that Sega could still make Sonic’s roots relevant in modern gaming.

2. Sonic Frontiers: Bold Innovation

I haven’t had the chance to play Sonic Frontiers, but the gameplay I’ve watched left me satisfied. This open-zone concept is a major leap forward for the franchise. It’s not just about running fast anymore; it’s about exploring vast, beautifully designed worlds. The game’s serious tone, coupled with the freedom of exploration, feels like a modern evolution of what Sonic Adventure started. Sega’s willingness to experiment has breathed new life into the series.

3. Sonic x Shadow Generations: Getting Shadow Right

I have played Sonic x Shadow Generations, and let me tell you, this game is a gem. Shadow’s gameplay feels distinct and refined, a far cry from the missteps of Shadow the Hedgehog. The mechanics are polished, and his stages bring a level of intensity that complements Sonic’s speed. Sega finally found a way to make Shadow fun to play without overshadowing the blue blur.

4. Sonic in Other Media

Sega’s multimedia approach has been phenomenal. The Sonic the Hedgehog movies were a game-changer for the franchise. I’ve loved every one of them, even though I haven’t seen the third installment yet. Let’s not forget the studio’s decision to redesign Sonic’s look after the original trailer sparked backlash. Listening to the fans like that? Major respect.

The Knuckles spin-off series was another fantastic addition. It fleshed out Knuckles’ character in a way that felt authentic and engaging. These projects show that Sega understands the importance of storytelling and world-building, even beyond games.

5. Embracing the Community

One of the biggest changes I’ve noticed is how Sega interacts with its fanbase. From embracing memes and fan art to collaborating with artists like Louis Guzman, they’ve built a bridge between Sonic’s legacy and its vibrant community. This level of engagement has created a sense of camaraderie between Sega and its fans, making the franchise feel alive and relevant.

What Sega Got Right

Sega’s recent efforts prove they’ve learned from past mistakes. Whether it’s through nostalgic throwbacks like Sonic Mania, bold innovations in Sonic Frontiers, or multimedia expansions, Sega is finally respecting Sonic’s legacy while adapting to modern times. They’re not just making games; they’re rebuilding a beloved universe.

Follow me on x.com/onlyonejaevonn gettothecorner.com LIFE LOGS™ by JAEVONN HARRIS

[doverstar]

Shadow personally ensured that that G.U.N. guy was ejected before his lil ship blew up. This is how you do Shadow the Hedgehog. Welcome back sir

[artificialchaoscola]

another ramble about some blue dude

AREN'T YOU TIRED OF BEING NICE, SONIC?

DON'T YOU WANT TO GO APESHIT?

But nah seriously the whole plot thread of Sonic getting his "I don't kill people teehee" attitude pushed back against constantly is the coolest part of IDW to me. He bounces back and does what he thinks is right but I just love that you can tell it's not 100% easy for him to do it. I mentioned this when I talked about Scourge + rewriting zombot!Shadow in other posts but I just love how you can debate on whether or not this attitude of his is a flaw or not.

IMO the Eggman in IDW feels much darker than the one in the games, more cold and calculating as well as sadistic in a lot of ways. I do enjoy the difference, since IDW Eggman to me feels like more of a threat, which in turn makes Soinc's constant sparing + moments like the page above feel more intense. I was honestly surprised in the recent Riders arc that Sonic would team up with Eggman at all at first, but then I realized how Sonic has likely not been pushed as far as he could be. Yet.

Something I liked about Sonic Prime was Nine clocking Sonic for the reason he saves people (in that particular interpretation of Sonic, of course), and I 100% want more of that. It would be interesting for a different character to expand further on the things Shadow, Espio, and Surge yelled at him for, to finally connect the dots as to why he even bothers giving the guy so many chances. Granted, in the recent arcs he did say he'd do what was right, that he didn't care if people saw him as a bad guy, etc., and that's all AWESOME and in line with how I see him. I just wonder where this thread is going to go, and if he'll snap in some way. Not killing Eggman or anything silly like that, but basically, an exploration of how "doing the right thing" all the time can stress you tf out maybe. Or some kind of expression on how ticked off he is that Eggman is pushing his luck constantly. Certainly, it's all bubbling up toward something...

(On the topic of different interpretations of Sonic's character, I'm also just so happy we get so many perspectives on how he can be. Some ARE pretty out there and not well written, but I hope SEGA allows the IDW team to expand more and more on the canon characters. I was talking with a friend about this the other day, but I feel a lot of the fun, more interesting writing tends to be given to the IDW OC's outside of the main characters, and that's likely because there's not as much pushback into how they're written. That's just my speculation though, and it's obviously not as true for characters like Sonic and Eggman. I just kinda want SEGA to let these people COOK more.)

[bumblekastclips]

KYLE CROUSE: Here's one from Nenemyun! "Uh oh, Ian. SEGA's asked for a special romcom Valentine's issue called "Everybody Loves Shadow!" Sonic, Amy, Knuckles, Blaze and Metal Sonic are all fighting for Shadow's affection and its up to YOU to bring some sense to this awful premise! So how would each of our cast members try to rizz up the ultimate lifeform? What would be Shadow's reaction to the strange amount of attention he's suddenly getting from them?"

IAN FLYNN: I think it would be funniest if Shadow is exiting each encounter thinking he's coming into a regular relationship, and then it's almost like a horror movie surprise that no, they're actually interested in him, and he reacts to that. KYLE: [laughs] IAN: So you start off, y'know, gently enough with Amy being open in her affections, and Shadow's like, [Shadow voice] "Is the sun in your eyes again? Do you think I'm Sonic?" and she's like, "No, no, no! It's you! It's totally you! It's always been you." And he's like, [Shadow voice] "No! Ew! Weird!" and he runs off. KYLE: [chuckles] IAN: Y'know, gets sidelined by Metal Sonic. [Shadow voice] "Oh, the Doctor sent you to kill me!" Until it goes on down on one knee and grabs his hand, like... [Shadow voice] "Ew! No! Weird!" and he runs off. KYLE: [wheezing laughter] IAN: He gets up to Angel Island just to get some distance. He needs some time alone, and there's Knuckles, and he's like, [Shadow voice] "Don't worry, I'll leave your island in just a minute." [Knuckles voice] "No, it's okay... you can stay." [Shadow voice] "Ew, no! Weird!" And he's running off again. KYLE: [laughs] IAN: Manages to beam himself straight over to Blaze's dimension to get away from it all. She's very happy to see him over here. They don't get too many visitors. He can, uh, stay as long as he wants. [Shadow voice] "Ew, no! Weird!" And he goes right back to Sonic's world! KYLE: [laughing] It's all so weird! Everybody's acting so weird! IAN: He's on the run, and Sonic comes in line with him, he's like, [Shadow voice] "Don't you even start with me!" [Sonic voice] "Dude, relax! We're just going for a run! Why are you always on edge?!" [Shadow voice] "I've had the weirdest day!" And they go running around, and y'know, fighting robots. It's completely casual and platonic, and he's finally relaxed about it all, and Sonic goes, "I'm glad you've had this time to just... chill out. It's been a good date." [Shadow voice] "I beg your pardon?!" KYLE: [wheezing laughter] Oh no! Where's he gonna go next? Does he launch himself into space? IAN: He finds his way back into the ARK and just seals the capsule again. KYLE: Yeah! [laughing] I was gonna say, he just launches himself back into space, onto the ARK! Like, [Shadow voice] "Oh god... I don't wanna be here anymore." [laughs] Oh, boy.

----- TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE: Please remember that nothing that is said on BumbleKast is canon! It's just some guys and their opinions occasionally spitballing ideas. If you don't like an answer, you don't have to take it as Word of God or anything like that. It's all just for fun! ----- This question was requested by @funeepapyrus! Do you want a specific question transcribed and posted? Send the question, the episode date, and time stamp to my ask box! Or if you just want questions about a certain character, send me their name and I will see what I can do!

[acuteobserv4tion]

New theory

Big Spoilers. HUGE

Since we just touched space with the 3rd movie, what if the 4th has Princess Blaze, ruler of an alien planet, backing the fight against the new big bad. What if Amy and Silver are like freedom fighters? Like, their own little family group.

The Gaurdians of a Galaxy to Team Sonic: Earth's mightiest Heroes.

I've had it in my head for a while that Blaze and Silver would get their own individual movie. And seeing as how Sonic 3 was in every way Shadow's movie, I'm thinking that idea could work even more.

SPOILERS

Eggman is gone. All we have is Stone. And with the end credits scene, I hear the idea floating around that the new Eggman can be from another dimension. And who else was from that alternate dimension?

Of course for the movies, it could easily be changed to simply another planet.

Silver and Blaze are best friends, and both of their characters are tied to Amy like Shadow was. Even more so with Blaze and Silver.

Imagine this:

Amy is open and honest, ready to help everyone she meets. Immediately willing to accept help from the newcomers while keeping up moral. Relentless in pounding her enemies with a smile, unbridled enthusiasm for what she does because it's fun. (and the right thing)

Silver is unsure of trusting these new people, but still his optimistic self in search of a better future. Ready to do what he believes is necessary. He's unsure and willing to trust, but just as willing to put you down if it comes to that.

(Also, maybe the inhibitor rings come into play like they did for Shadow)

Blaze is their leader, possibly a seasoned warrior, put in charge, and the most hesitant to engage due to her responsibility and what they're up against. Her best friends are the ones she trusts most in all this, but she still has the weight of their world on her shoulders.

Sonic and Amy have this talent for making friends and softening them up. Yet, Sega has had this weird thing for a while now about not expanding on individual character dynamics.

But that's been changing. I think now we could finally be able to see the Amy key character interactions with Blaze, Silver, and Shadow that we've been missing.

Maybe not Shadow anymore since the movies have Sonic be the one to reach him (in a really incredible way, mind you), but it would be an easy way to integrate Blaze and Silver alongside Amy.

Because, why would she be all alone in this fight? Let her shine in the next movie with her friends behind her.

[samthedays]

Rediscovered Frontiers Shortest Review.

(Sorry I don't have images of Rediscovered Frontiers fanart, cuz you know...I don't own them, so pretend those images bellow are from Rediscovered Frontiers.) (also there's no spoilers, do not worry, although I think no one will read that so, yeah...)

There's a better way to read something Sonic Related than a fanfic that unites the main, Archie, Fleetway and much more canons all together? I don't think so, that's why Rediscovered Frontiers is the best Fanfic out there.

Made by @the-infamous-man, Rediscovered Frontiers is a joy to read, the very descriptive way that is written makes it easier to understand the scenarios where the characters find themselves, characters that are very well written and don't stray from their original personalities while still making them have a unique flavor to them.

The story has great results by mixing Action, Drama and even comedy in, with each one taking part at the right moments, not breaking the rhythm of the chapters, the secondary stories contained inside the main story told by flashbacks or even being taken at the same time are a great way to introduce new characters to the story.

Combining different canons and making it so it look like they could co-exist isn't a easy task, but Infamous managed to make like it was a easy all along, the interactions between the Game main cast with the characters from different canons is amazing.

Final judgment? Definitely worth reading, beginning to the end, it almost feels like a fanservice made by a fan of the Franchise and interestingly something that would be gratefully accepted in the official Canon (Maybe Sega should learn from Infamous?), Great fanfic and I really hope it gets even further than it already has, thanks for that gift to the fans, Infamous!

[juipterjim]

stuff that's most likely not gonna happen in sonic 3 but still wanna voice out anyway since the final trailer is coming out tomorrow and what do I have to lose honestly

after watching the tv spot, I've been thinking that it'd be pretty cool if sonic was low-key the medic of the team (like how Leo is in ROTTMNT since ben also plays leo).

I've been imagining this scene in my head for some time of sonic immediately taking charge and tending to everyone's injuries ( he stores a mini med kit in his quills cause why not)after shadow beating all three of them the first time before they go back home and seek proper care (probably from Maddie). Maybe shadow sees how sonic cares for his brothers and gets flashbacks of Maria from that?

I wonder if gerald and sonic are gonna have a chance to talk to each other, even if it's for a brief moment. That'd be pretty cool.

I really think that shadow is gonna bring out the WORST in sonic. I've never seen him look so MAD (paramount/sega stop being cowards and give us dark sonic PLEASEE)

Side note: I also think Gerald is gonna be the REAL villain of this movie. Think about it. RIGHT AFTER Eggman says, "Using shadow's power, we can use it to rule humanity". Shadow goes all, "When we're done, there won't BE ANYTHING left to RULE"

seeing the eclipse canon makes me wonder if they're gonna do the scene where Eggman traps sonic in a capsule with a bomb and freaking EJECTS him out of said space station and once the capsule explodes, knuckles and tails are completely DEVASTATED (tails would be screaming, "SONIC!!" as tears roll down his face ). Maybe shadow's watching sonic's friends reaction and noting just how much sonic meant to them. Maria flashbacks AGAIN perhaps? This could be the moment when he's second guessing if this is what Maria wanted (assuming sonic tried reaching out to him again prior the incident)

Long story short, I'm so excited to see this movie and I wanted to get this out of my system so yeah

[pixelrushiguess]

Considering that Shadow got himself a year dedicated to him, who do you think also deserves a year?

In my opinion, Silver definitely needed on.

That’s a tough one. I obviously have my favourites who I’d love to see get a year dedicated to them, but I guess it depends on who really deserves something like that. Silver is pretty high up there since he really hasn’t had the best luck in terms of the games he’s appeared in, let alone actually be relevant in. Giving him his own story would be really cool too.

I can see them doing a year of Amy, which I would love if I could actually trust them to handle Amy well which...I don’t. Making Amy the star of her own game would be super risky because the cynical part of me feels like they’ll water her down even more and misunderstand why she’s so great. I feel like they’d just make her the generic girl that she’s been for some time now.

I think a year of Knuckles could be neat too but again, you’d need to do it right. Knuckles is definitely the best of the main “team” right now but I still don’t think he’s particularly interesting or entertaining to watch like he used to be. But the Knuckles prologue short was pretty neat even if it was focused more on action than character, not that there wasn’t any there, but you know what I mean.

And the last character who I think deserves it would be Blaze, mainly because there’s still so much about her world that’s yet to be explored. Like you could easily make a game set in the Sol Dimension and get really weird and creative with it, it’s a literal goldmine of potential. And the cool thing about Blaze is that I honestly don’t think she’s been ruined as a character. Blaze is still awesome and I totally believe she could carry a game on her own. If there was ANYTHING I’d be worried about with a story focused on Blaze, it would be what they’d do with the Sol Dimension as Ian Flynn as gone on record saying that he’d like to merge Blaze’s Dimension with Sonic’s which is...just a really bad idea. Ian obviously doesn’t have the final say on these things, but I know he does pitch ideas to Sega as he did the same with Frontiers with the Ancients looking like Chaos. But yeah, I honestly think a year of Blaze would be pretty awesome.

And maybe a year of Rouge would be neat too.

[spruzu]

Sonic and shadow dynamic in sonic prime

Yes, i am doing this rant now because it's been on my mind too much and i need to talk about it.

Look at them, silly guys ⬇

So we all know that Sonic and Shadow are always seen as rivals right? Off topic, but personally i hope in Sonic x Shadow Generations Sega changes that but we'll just have to wait and see. In Sonic prime, they are obviously shown off as rivals, starting off having a fight and Shadow being pissed of with Sonic through out pretty much all of the second season because he shattered the prism and broke reality but we also see that they do have to team up because of that. We get to the last episode of season 2 and the whole 'Nines betrayal' takes place. Shadow did have every right to be annoyed at Sonic and he does say ''Sonic, i told you Nine couldn't be trusted.'' Of course pulling the 'i told you so' line shows he's very much bothered about the situation they're in, but then he goes on to say ''Whatever he's up to, it's causing this world to fracture.'' in saying that, trying to make Sonic come to his senses of what's around him and to stop focusing on the situation he's put himself and Shadow in. He wants Sonic to stop his classic way of thinking about the present situation he's in and to start thinking about the reality around them. Shadow also knew his and Sonics lives were more important in that moment than the shards and he wanted Sonic to see that to. Then of course Sonic goes on to say ''I don't understand, why would he-'' but getting cut off by Shadow ''Pull yourself together! This mountain is decaying, and it's going to take us with it. We have to run.'' Then proceeding to take Sonic by the hand and dragging him out the mountain, unwillingly. Shadow doesn't care about the fact Sonic is upset that Nine took the shard, he cares about the fact his and Sonics lives are at higher risk.

Through out all of that part, it's shown that Shadow wants Sonic to be like him. To have a straight forward tactic, to think before he acts. This is clearly shown when they're escaping Ghost Hill. Shadow is saying out the plan he has in mind to Sonic to make sure that they BOTH make it out alive. Ahh teamwork...

He then again, has to pull Sonic out of spiralling down a 'my friends are gone and it's all my fault moment.' when Sonic sees his ghost friends. This time Shadows face is completely unamused. He see his tactic of trying to get Sonic to focus on safety didn't work. ''I thought we went over this.'' blatantly shows that. He tries stop Sonic getting any closer but Sonic just pushes him out the way. Then, when Sonics ghost friends start decaying, it's shown then that Sonic has FINALLY come to his senses and knows they need to get out and get safe.

Just in this episode it's shown that Sonic thinks on his feet, plans are a big no no for him and that's exactly what Shadow is the opposite of. Shadow is the guy who makes sure they're safe and are able to stay alive, yes he still thinks on his feet but not the way Sonic does. Shadow takes the lead in a lot of season 3 because of that.

I would go on and on for the whole entire season about this but i'm not, because i want to talk about the ending.

Ahh yes, the ending we all know and love. Sonic sacrifices himself and nearly dies in Shadows arms on the way back to Green Hill.

WE LITERALLY SEE SHADOWS EARS LOWER AND HIS FACE DROP. HE CARES ABOUT SONIC!!! That care is shown in tiny parts through the whole season, Shadow getting Sonic out of the Grim so Nine doesn't use sonic energy, helping in the battle blah blah blah. But this is hits the nail on the head. All the small build up of 'Oh Shadow's helping Sonic, that wasn't very expected' is finally used.

Shadow taking the lead in situations where Sonic could and probably would get himself killed is Shadow caring about Sonic... and himself. Yes of course Shadow cares about his own life and getting Green Hill back and is probably still pissed off at sonic through out all of this still but it's shown way less.

In a way, they're shown as team mates, the beginning of friends... who are mean to each other BUT WE MOVE PAST THAT.

I know their whole shmuck is that they're rivals and they hate each other but it's finally nice to see that they can work together like in the ending of SA2. I hope to see that again in Sonic x Shadow Generations and not just them fighting constantly because it gets boring. Also not to mention, Rouge is SEEN helping Team Sonic fight Eggman in Sonic Prime so, may i say Shadow is a bit left out there he should join in the fighting instead of brooding the little grump.

Anyways i think that's all i have to say, if i repeated myself my bad but i'm very good at that.

This is also not me shipping Sonic and Shadow. I don't mind people shipping them, i get why but i hate the people who are rlly weird about it...

ANYWAYS BYE

[shadamyheadcanons]

I saw a while back you were asked what your favorite interpretations of Shadow and Amy were.

While I don’t disagree (haven’t played heroes so can’t comment there, but have beat SA2) I was curious on your views over Sonic 06 version of Shadow? Ignoring the heavy problems with the game itself, I’m personally a heavy fan of the VA and how he acts.

It may be selfish of me… but I kinda wish Amy got more interactions with Shadow instead of Silver. I get WHY they did it, but I feel like it could of been nice to have them reunite and maybe even contrast the end of SA2 y’know?

First post about my favorite Shadow & Amy portrayals, SA2 and Heroes

Follow-up about Sonic Battle and Sonic Chronicles

I love both Shadow AND Amy in that game!

06 Shadow in particular has been getting a ton of interest in the past few years, and it’s wonderful to see. I considered including it in that first post about my favorites. 06 being such a failure gameplay-wise really screwed things up for the series for a long time. Sega learned all the wrong lessons. No more humans apart from Eggman. No more dark, serious plotlines. One-dimensional characters. No playable characters apart from Sonic in mainline games. None of the others can talk to anyone but Sonic. Obviously there were exceptions to this, but the series lost so much. Sonic 06 is older than most Sonic fans, but we’re only just now getting all of that back with Frontiers, IDW, etc.

This would have been bad enough on its own, but coming off the heels of Sonic 06, it hurt that much more. Sega decided Team Dark weren’t friends directly after their most poignant interactions. Shadow knew who he was. He knew what was important. And he knew he could trust the best friends by his side. When’s the last time he was so self-assured? That’s the downside of the 06 timeline being erased in the end. We know Shadow and Team Dark’s potential, but he doesn’t remember any of it.

That said, I’m ultimately still glad it’s erased. I’d hate for Shadow to go through life knowing the humans would reprogram his own best friend to hunt him down and lock him up forever. It says great things about Shadow, but it makes me like the humans a lot less.

It’s thanks to 06 that I consider Shadow to be the biggest hero in the franchise. This clip encompasses everything that makes his heroism unique:

“If the world chooses to become my enemy...I will fight like I always have.”

Iconic. Badass. I love the way he drops his inhibitors as he talks. This is Jason Griffith’s delivery at its best.

Sonic fights to protect his friends and the planet he calls home, along with the humans and Mobians who all love him, but there are SO MANY people who’ve treated Shadow like filth, and he still protects them. There’s no one else in canon who’s that selfless, and I also like that 06 doesn’t lean on Maria as the reason he does all this. Shadow himself is a good person and does good things for his own reasons, not just because she told him to.

Heroes proved this, too. Shadow didn’t even remember Maria in that game, but he still made the right call. Maria’s important, but she’s not the only reason he’s a good person.

Jason Griffith does a very good job as Shadow here and elsewhere, but David Humphrey is and always will be my favorite Shadow VA. If Jason is an A-rank, David is S-ranked. I’d be thrilled to have either of them back.

You’ll never see me judge anyone for wanting more Shadow/Amy interactions. I’ve thought the same thing with 06, and I love the Silver/Amy bits, too. She has an adorable scene with him AND starts him on the path to redemption. It’s the Amy Rose Special. I also like how she and Shadow inadvertently worked together to turn him around. Amy raised a question Silver hadn’t thought to ask, and Shadow showed him the answer.

But what this demonstrates to me is that this didn’t have to be an either/or situation.

It would’ve been nice for Amy to reunite with Silver and see how he turned things around. They were both there for the final battle, but they didn’t speak to each other. What if they’d had a scene with all three of them together? I hypothesized about that possibility in headcanon #99.

Side note: I just want to say that I think Amy is great in 06. She has the same cute accidental hug/elevator speech combo she used to turn Shadow around in SA2, but people sleep on it in 06 for some reason. On top of that, a lot of fans willfully misinterpret one particular line of hers. And anyone who knows Sonic 06 knows which one that is.

“If I had to choose between the world and Sonic, I would choose Sonic!”

I’ve seen so many people say she’s a dumb, ridiculous fangirl for this, and I can’t stand it. She’s not saying the rest of the world doesn’t matter, she’s saying that she has so much faith in Sonic as a person that she’d take his side even if the rest of the world said he was wrong. And, uh...she has good reason to! It’s not the first time he’s been falsely accused of something. It’s like these fans conveniently forgot what happened in SA2 the second they saw an opportunity to hurl insults at Amy.

You know what Amy’s line reminds me of most?

“Even if you believe everyone in the world will be against you, know that I’ll always remain by your side. Remember that.”

Yeah. That line everyone loves about ultimate loyalty for someone you care about. The line that many consider to be Rouge’s best. The only difference is that Rouge is a calm young adult talking about a friend, while Amy was an upset young girl whose feelings were too big for careful phrasing and restraint. Combine that with how much hate there was for her at the time, and you have a great, dedicated line absolutely drowned in ice-cold, bad faith takes from the fandom. And Silver needed that fervor to make him question Mephiles, too! It had to be her! It was because he saw how strongly she felt about Sonic that he started having second thoughts. You think a calm statement like Rouge’s could have made him back down from attempted murder?

Much like with Shadow in SA2, it had to be Amy. 06 did a great job with her. Some fans still need to wise up about it. They’ve been recognizing how awesome 06 Shadow is, so maybe, just maybe, they’ll do the same for Amy someday.

[mechaneo]

You: “Why are Sonic Fans so miserable?”

Because Sonic fans had to deal with:

SEGA US creating a bastardized localization that got too popular to the point it become more popular than the actual Sonic with its three cartoons and Archie Comic series, it was basically colonization and it’s effects still last to this day

US Sonic Fans constantly claiming that US Sonic Media like Satam and Archie are superior to the games along with the general belief that US Sonic is the true Sonic

When the 2000s finally allowed Sonic Franchise to be itself, it was met with hate and disdain the general public and US Sonic Fans, beliefs that 90s American Sonic is the true Sonic along with xenophobia towards JP Sonic

Fans of the games would get bullied relentlessly, majority of the bullying was ableism, doesn’t help that Sonic fans are automatically associated with furries

Sonic 06 happened which caused the franchise to be laughing stock, to this day, the game is still hated, the Sonic games in general started to get mixed reception after this

Sonic Colors and its writers happened, the franchise’s writing became extremely and kiddie to appease the general audience who hated the franchise having Shonen Anime material and the cast of characters reduced because they were hated

Sonic Boom happened because of SEGA’s own incompetence, the franchise became even more a laughing stock and SEGA lost a shit ton of money

Chris Chan happened, (look that one up yourself with caution), to this day, Sonic Fans are still associated with him

Arin Hanson happened, his celeb status manipulated people into thinking all Sonic games are bad and that Sonic was never good, he was later appointed by Brand Ambassador by Sonic Team themselves because they thought “Lol we suck” humor was the direction for the franchise to go, aka the Meta Era

2017 happened, that year was marketed as Sonic’s big comeback, however only Mania succeeded while Forces failed because of Sonic Team’s own incompetence, plummeting Sonic’s reputation further, which also indirectly proved the “Sonic only works in 2D” crowd right, also Mania was an indie game developed by fans, Forces was made by Sonic Team themselves which was even more embarrassing, Sonic Mania Plus also happened the next year but you can tell that was damage control

Snapcube happened, her fandubs got too popular to the point they got spammed everywhere, and still do, we’ve also reached a point a majority of people know more about Snapcube than the actual Sonic Franchise with even people unironically thinking Mephiles and Black Doom or the SA2 scene where the moon blows up created by Snapcube, essentially a DBZA effect and turning Sonic into even more a laughing stock

The Ugly Movie design happened, even know it got fixed later, it doesn’t matter because:

People still bring it up, becoming the Modern “REMEMBER SONIC KISSED A HUMAN!” A majority of people think it was publicity stunt It pushed the narrative that Sonic fans are always eating good and that they're also listened to when that isn't true as SEGA and Sonic Team still make incompetent decisions

The Movies themselves also became a problem, even SEGA themselves are more protective of Sonic and nuked Archie, the Movies exist as a way to get new fans into Sonic, even it though worked, the Movies aren't good representations of Sonic, thus people associate Sonic with the Movies, basically an MCU effect and essentially turning it into the New US Sonic without realizing

Sonic Prime happened as well, however this only mischaracterized Sonic, giving people more of a wrong impression on Sonic, unfortunately unlike the Movies, Prime is canon

Ian Flynn happened, he was a writer for Archie who later wrote for IDW (Which are canon) and later the games, however it's shown he doesn't understand the characters as he keeps writing or trying to write, his versions of the characters, essentially the US Sonic fans have won

The Sonic Games now have different scripts and characterization in US and JP, putting us back in the fucking 90s

The franchise was now entered it's Super Meta Era mode as the now the characters in-universe are awkwardly addressing/defending plot holes in-universe as writer surrogates acting as damage control, examples include:

The entire concept of TailsTube Sonic Frontiers addressing Tails's characterization in Forces while he looks at the camera Tails saying "Step in the right direction" in a TailsTube ep Also in a TailsTube ep, they dismiss the criticism of Amy's "character arc" in Frontiers with Tails saying "Isn't that what you already do?" followed by Amy responding with "But I wanna do it more"

The success of Sonic Frontiers and the Movies have given newer fans an ego complex and belief that the franchise can't be criticized because the new stuff give SEGA money

IDW Fans also have an ego complex as they an Ian Flynn worship problem as belief that he fixed the characters

People Pleasers have tried to fix the toxicity of the fandom by claiming "Sonic is Sonic" and that the franchise is actually a blank slate that can be anything, little do they know that actually harms the franchise, if Sonic can be anything then Sonic is nothing, not only that but both this franchise and fanbase have proven that there can only be one Sonic

New Fans, the "Positive" people, ironically cause more toxicity than the "Negative People", as a majority of negativity actually comes from people complaining about Sonic Fans rather than actual Sonic Fans complaining, while also forgetting that positive things actually happen to the franchise when they're allowed to complain (Examples: Super Sonic no longer being DLC in Forces, the Movie redesign), Not only that, these "Positive" people also get mad when you actually like something, examples include getting mad at people for liking anything about 2000s Sonic or getting mad at people for liking Evan Stanley's both art and writing improvement during IDW

[randomthefox]

Why do some people dislike the characterization from Frontiers?

They will say stuff like:

"But Amy already shares love with the world! It doesn't make sense for this moment to be sad!"

Me: You don't get it. Amy is going to be own hero and not rely on Sonic entirely anymore. She will help and heal others, even if that means she won't see Sonic that much anymore.

"Knuckles HAS been off of his island to do fun things! It doesn't make sense!"

Me: You don't get it. He's struggling between duty, and happiness. How can you live your own life and not be selfish? He is the last of his kind, but does that mean he won't get the chance to live how he wants? This next chapter for Knuckles is going to be interesting.

"Tails did stuff on his own! He defeated Chaos and Eggman! It doesn't make any sense!"

Me: You don't get it. Tails is going to find out what he'll be without Sonic. He called himself a "burden" to his best friend; now he needs to find the confidence to let go of that pain by proving to himself he is amazing. Overcome the fear of failure he had in Forces, and realize he isn't a "side kick" but a best friend who is the coolest. He is going to find out who to be without Sonic, because there might be a day....when his best friend won't be there.

But nope. SEGA and Sonic Team and IIzuka are stupid. They wouldn't put ANY god damn thought into the story and characters, right? Why do they think this? BECAUSE THEY DON'T GET IT.

Yeah honestly the complaints about the writing in Frontiers always seem really stupid to me. Like they're inventing things to complain about for lack of anything genuine that's bad about it.

I can understand not really jiving with the way Frontiers is handling its story. The game is very slow paced and dialog heavy and introspective, it's characters mostly just talking about their feelings. If that's boring to you I totally get that. If you prefer the more story light and action oriented plots of Sonic Heroes or Sonic Colors, or if you prefer the more theme focused stories of Sonic Adventure and Adventure 2, or if you'd rather be along a roller coaster that's more about the situation the characters are in like with the storybook games or Sonic Forces, or if you're more down for the vibes of an experience like you get out of Sonic Unleashed. Then that's totally fair.

Personally I'm up for whatever Sonic wants to do regardless of what it is lol. And Frontiers being more navel gazing and dialog oriented is something I can be very engaged by. If it doesn't engage you then I get that - we all have different tastes. But when you say it isn't a matter of taste and start acting like the writing of the story itself is lacking, that's when I'm gonna be holding your reasoning to scrutiny and often the complaints about Frontiers do not hold up under that scrutiny.

Amy and Tails's character stories in Frontiers are about them wanting to set out on their own and figure out how to define themselves separately from Sonic. And you can't really argue against the fact that they're both very much satellite characters who are defined almost entirely by their relationship with Sonic. Realizing due to the experience of cyberspace that they kind of don't like that about themselves and wanting to strike out on their own to figure out who they are when Sonic isn't in the room seems like a reasonable character conflict to explore from where I'm sitting.

Knuckles' story as far as I'm concerned is addressing a hole that has existed with his character ever since the ending of Sonic Adventure, where his story concluded with him deciding ignorance was bliss and he was content with just living as a guardian for the master emerald without getting embroiled in the wider world around him. There was never really a direct in text explanation for why he's going and running around doing stuff with Sonic instead of guarding the master emerald after that. You could argue that them finally addressing that is too little too late but I say better late than never.

You could nitpick by saying that Tails and Amy spend PLENTY of time on their own without Sonic around so realistically this shouldn't be a question they're burdened by and that Knuckles obviously DOES leave his island to go on adventures so having him address the limitations of his guardian duty is a moot point. Obviously it's very meta writing, it's the characters sort of confronting their narrative roles rather than acting like three dimensional individuals who continue to exist whenever the camera isn't looking at them. But since when has being meta automatically been a bad thing? Sonic has always been meta from the very beginning. And going in a different direction with the narrative to have the characters confronting the way they're conventionally written as an in universe attribute of their characterization is a fun experiment for them to take to coincide with a video game that is experimenting with a new system of gameplay.

If that experiment didn't really work out for you, then that's okay

But that isn't a problem with the story.

[wereh0gz]

Been thinking abt sonic prime recently. And how much missed potential it had. Like this could've been one of the best sonic shows but in the end it just turned out kinda ok

I think part of it was due to how little time they had to fully explore a lot of the stuff introduced into the series, and also not managing the time they had very well. Like there's so many characters that go underdeveloped or have their development tacked onto the last batch of episodes during a very drawn out fight against nine

The general pacing was so quick it barely left room to breathe and properly flesh things out. Both the characters and the setting don't really get enough time to be fully explored because the almost non-stop action takes a lot of focus away from that, making the series constantly bounce from one place to another until the final season where a good chunk of it is just. Fighting against nine

Shadow is also woefully underutilized as a character which is really a shame bc he's really good whenever he IS utilized. Same with sonic's powered up prism form. It only showed up once and it wasn't even for the endgame. Literally pulled a dark sonic on us again

I'm kinda mixed on the ending too. Basically having it reset to the status quo with no clarity as to whether the shatterspaces and all the new characters that came with them still even exist in some way is definitely. A choice. No closure for me ig :/

Also this is more of a nitpick than anything but ghost hill bothers me as a concept. It feels like they couldn't come up with another unique shatterspace (or maybe they didn't have time?) so they just made it what remains of the og green hill... even though the grim could have easily served that purpose and have been much more impactful and horrifying if it was used that way. AND it would've made more sense bc the grim's shard is LITERALLY THE CORE OF THE PARADOX PRISM. LIKE WHERE THE OTHER SHARDS BROKE OFF FROM? IT'S LITERALLY RIGHT THERE ARE YOU KIDDING ME HOW DID THEY NOT THINK OF THAT

Also kinda nitpicky I think but splitting eggman into the chaos council is also weird to me. It doesn't make much sense in comparison to how all the other characters were split up. Why are they Like That. Why are they basically just eggman at different ages. That's not how it worked with the others why'd that happen to him specifically

Ok that's enough criticisms. I think given more time (both in the sense of having more episodes and more production time to fully flesh everything out) prime could've been so much greater than what we got. It's good, especially in the animation department, but the narrative really falls short imo

In spite of everything tho I'm glad it got made at all and that it had such a positive reception, so here's hoping whatever full-length show comes next is even better (please god make it an anime sega I beg of you give us another sonic anime PLEASE)

[benis-chillin]

Thoughts and theories on Sonic Prime

So, Sonic Prime has ended, good fellers, and since it's a Sonic thing, I shall simply say…

My feelings are mixed.

So, let's start off with just saying that the animation and voice acting? All good. If the English game cast blew up in a mysterious gas leak, these guys would make for fine replacements. The fight scenes are fluid, though do get a bit repetitive in the final few episodes(cause I think they were running low on budget), and everyone moves better than they have in the games…Maybe ever? Music is passable, but outside of the main theme, it's fairly forgettable. I think they used some game music in those sprites scenes that suck ass, so I don't see why they couldn't use a tune or two. At least use "All Hail Shadow" once, dude.

However, I feel that the writing and premise lets it all down. The premise feels like it would be better for a game or IDW arc instead of the rare animated series, especially since this show doesn't establish what Sonic's world is SUPPOSED to be like for new audiences. Sure, the games are at a decent level of popularity recently, and the movies have boosted the brand considerably in the public consciousness, but at least one episode before we start hopping around the multiverse would've made the stakes feel a bit tighter. Just because this is the game world doesn't mean you can skip basic shit like that. A status quo needs to be established for it to be shaken up.

And yes, I did say this is the game world. Prime is, by standards I will explain in a bit, canon. Sonic fans have been arguing against this because of little details, like Green Hill being used interchangeably with Sonic's world(even though they never outright state that they're the same thing, leading me to believe this is simply a weird writing quirk), Sonic not noting other Metal Sonics exist when Chaos Sonic is introduced(even though he never says, "I have never seen a Metal Sonic before in my life!" Or anything like that), and Sonic having particularly shaky characterization(bad writing doesn't dictate canonicity, as otherwise the 2010's games wouldn't be canon either).

All of this is not good writing, to be sure, and Sega should've cracked down a bit harder on that stuff while making this show, but nothing here outright contradicts canon, if you know what a contradiction ACTUALLY is. It's an ongoing problem in the Sonic community that they don't know how to lore at all, and Prime is a good example of this. You don't have to like Prime, but if you count Colors or Lost World as canon, then you have no reason to not include Prime. Otherwise, you're just basing canon on what you do or don't like, which is an AWFUL approach to canonicity.

Personally, I slot it between Lost World and Forces for the moment, but this could change at a later date. Now, let's sit down and speculate on some things.

What are the Shatterspaces?

Long explanation short, I don’t believe the Shatterspaces to be a traditional multiverse setup. They aren’t variants of Sonic’s universe in the traditional sense, but rather partial worlds built on “fragments” of Sonic and company’s collective psyche, and this concept can explain a few things.

(Note: This is purely fan speculation, and not Objective Canon Zone. We’ve gotten past that point)

Let’s break down each Shatterspace.

New Yoke is a dimension entirely overrun by the Chaos Counsel. Nature has been weeded out, and people live by the “mercy” of the Eggmen.

However, this Space is the only one with any Eggman variants, and this is very deliberate, because New Yoke is Eggman’s dream made manifest by the Prism. Remember, his robot was holding it when Sonic shattered it, so it’s logical that at least SOME of that energy came into his control. Hey, if anyone besides Sonic could control it, it would probably be Eggman, right? And when they make a giant construct at the end of Season 2, it looks like regular Eggman, so maybe there’s something to that?

But of course, that begs the question: Why 5 Eggmen?

Well, 5 Shatterspaces.

New Yoke-Mr. Doctor Eggman

The most similar to mainline Eggman, it feels best that he represent this Shatterspace.

Boscage Maze-Dr. Deep

The more zen of the 5, who may have more of a connection to nature than the others. For the crime of possibly having touched grass, I give this Shatterspace to him. The closest to a nature side that Eggman has.

No Zone-Dr. Don’t

This one is a stretch, but bear with me.

This version of Eggman is still a youth, likely to have wanted adventure and freedom before reality set in and he chose instead to zone out to his video games and other electronic forms of entertainment as a substitute for the action he craved. Eggman’s a playful sort when he’s not trying to rule the world, so it’s JUST possible enough.

The Grim-Dr. Babble

(Where the hell did he get a doctorate as an infant?)

A Shatterspace fairly undeveloped, its potential not yet fully tapped, much like dear Babble himself. Also a representation of Eggman’s childishness, though perhaps it more links to his feelings of being neglected as a child, as hinted at in the Frontiers audio logs? Who knows?

Ghost Hill-Dr. Done-it.

A shadow of the past, barely hanging on, just waiting to die out so the new hotness can take over completely.

Also looks oddly like Eggman Nega? Idk.

However, these are merely reflections of what the Shatterspaces already represent, which are aspects of Sonic's Personality…Save for New Yoke and Ghost Hill. The former is mostly Eggman’s domain, and the latter is just what was left after the Shattering.

Also, I believe the Shattering to be an event localized to Green Hill, and not encompassing all of Sonic’s world, which would explain why they use the terms interchangeably. I can’t fully explain WHY I feel that way, just have a gut feeling this is how it works. My main basis for this is the flashback in New Yoke where Rouge and Knuckles are just in Green Hill when the Eggmen take over, suggesting that perhaps they were “localized” when the Shattering redistributed them.

Oh yeah, let’s explain that. It seems that Sonic’s friends, along with ALL of Green Hill’s residents, didn’t have much control over how they were split among the Shatterspaces, but aspects of them clearly adapted to the worlds they were placed in. For example, Rouge and Knuckles both took charge of the Resistance in New Yoke, which fits them well enough. Knuckles commanded the Resistance in Forces, and Rouge is literally a government spy in the main universe, after all.  Amy likely defended nature in this world, and paid the price for it when the Eggmen turned her into a cyborg. Tails seems to have withdrawn into himself completely, becoming Nine. This universe was made by a villain, so these versions are the darkest ones we could get. The bad ending.

Anyway, back to the other ones.

Boscage Maze represents Sonic’s love of nature, and is thus dominated by it. The people who live in this Space are thus devoted to their natural world, which adapts to be a primitive society led by more primitive urges driven by the need for survival. Rouge naturally leads again, and her more devious nature shines through as a part of her survival instincts, but she’s still doing better than her New Yoke version. Knuckles leans so far into his naivete from growing up on Angel Island alone that it gets remixed into paranoia, Big is Big, Tails seems to have still been isolated to the point of going somewhat feral, but is accepted nowadays by his peers(and has a knack for technology when he finds himself somewhere that it exists), and Amy vehemently defends nature to the point of absurdity. Much like how New Yoke is an example of technology being too dominant,  Boscage leans towards going too far in the other direction. The people don’t suffer as much, but they still DO suffer in the end if they don’t work together for a better tomorrow.

No Zone is Sonic’s love of adventure, and everyone in this space represents that. Tails is at his best, being very sociable and accepted by his peers with no hesitancies, clearly. Knuckles' desire for “me beauty” might be a memory of the Master Emerald, but I wouldn’t put too much money in that. Another theory is that it ties into his role as a treasure hunter, without any echidna honor to reel in any greed. This is overall the most positive Space here, tbh. 

The Grim is simple possibility. The future, what lies ahead for Sonic. He rarely looks to it, never plans it out, instead choosing to just live in the moment, but it’s always there waiting for him.

And yeah, that’s it. The only remaining question is where are these Shatterspaces now that the Prism is restored, and the main universe returned to normal? Well, Sonic gave the energy back that the Prism needed and it didn’t kill anyone, so it’s likely that they exist permanently now, stable outside of the main “multiverse.” Different from a dimension like Blaze’s, and the split timeline caused by Generations. But that’s just speculation. Who knows if these concepts will ever appear again?

Idk, could make for a good fanfic.

[nightfurylover31]

I'm just imagining pre-reboot Archie Sonic and IDW Sonic hanging out, and somehow ended up talking about their lrelationships. And it gets a bit chaotic.

IDWSonic: So... you dated a girl... you KNEW your best friend had a crush on? ArchieSonic: I know! It was literally one of the worst decisions of my life! I just didn't want her to hurt him, but... IDWSonic: And then she dumped you for an evil version of us who looked like he fell into radioactive waste? ArchieSonic: That about sums it up. Tails was super mad about it later. Ended up fighting me. IDWSonic: Good, you deserve it. So, was this before or after you dated the robot? ArchieSonic: She wasn't a robot! Well, not originally! Eggman turned Sally into a robot when she destroyed his world roboticizer. We were finally getting back together too... IDWSonic: Then what happened with the mongoose? ArchieSonic: We never dated! She was into me, but I only saw her as a friend. IDWSonic: And Amy? ArchieSonic: Never a thing. She did this weird age up thing, but she was still childish and clingy. Just friends. IDWSonic: I see why SEGA hounded down on mandates and regulations. ArchieSonic: Alright, buddy, what's your love life? IDWSonic: Don't have one. I'm always on the move, living by my own feelings. Don't really have time for that kind of stuff, nor am I really interested in it. I'm just doing what I do. ArchieSonic: I see... IDWSonic: I mean, Amy and I are in a good spot right now. Hanging out, fighting robots, going on adventures. She doesn't chance me like she used to, so it's easy to be around her, just having fun. ArchieSonic: Wait... are you with your Amy? IDWSonic: *casually sips tea* ArchieSonic: Hey, don't give me that! Are you or are you not?! IDWSonic: *smugly* That's for SEGA to decide.

[blazehedgehog]

Recently I’ve been playing, and loving, Penny’s Big Breakaway and it’s made me realize how stiff official Sonic games have felt since Sonic Heroes. It feels fantastic to chain moves together as Penny. While I don’t want a Sonic game to play exactly like Penny’s Big Breakaway I do want to enter a similar flow state while playing. Sonic Team seems allergic to making any gameplay/movement options that allows for flow… do you have any idea why?

That's the 65-million-dollar question, isn't it.

Several times over the years I've pushed back on the idea when people say Sonic "can't work in 3D." Of course Sonic could work in 3D, it just takes the right team to build it. The concepts and principals of a Sonic game are not exclusive to 2D. You can build a game on those ideals in 3D and it will work just fine.

If you go back and watch my "How Do We Fix Sonic?" video, I also put forth the idea that a lot of 3D Sonic games are the way they are because Sonic Team does not trust the player. To some degree, rightfully so: there's a growing pile of one-level fangame demos where some college kid tries to do 3D Sonic "right" and while a lot of them are okay, I think it makes for an easy case to see why official Sonic games have so much scripting in them.

When you're going that fast, and you're that acrobatic, it becomes very easy to make some incredibly dumb mistakes. It's not that nobody can play that game, it's that a game like that might struggle to achieve mass market appeal. Sonic is, first and foremost, a pick-up-and-play game. I've been thinking of that term a lot lately since the release of Ring Racers, and it basically means a game you don't have to learn. A game where you turn it on and know everything about it instinctively.

The entire pitch for Sonic was a game you could play with just one button. Easy to start playing, difficult to master over the long term. It's a tough balancing act. Especially when you're aiming for a game that a 10 year old can play.

When I was 10 years old, I couldn't even stay on the road in Super Mario Kart. That's what we're working with here.

So they make Sonic into this guided experience with heavy scripting where they can insulate the player from making dangerous mistakes. Lots of spectacle and minimal friction.

Now you add in the pressure of deadlines and budgets. A fangame like Sonic GT can spend five years as an alpha still figuring out its level design, tweaking its mechanics, before finally releasing a four or five level "game." Whereas an official Sonic game probably has to make a pitch, get to alpha, nail all of its controls and mechanics down relatively early. Probably within the first year of development at least, if not within a period of months.

Then they have to build a game for those mechanics. And, with being so scripted and directed, they can't deviate much. Once they're locked in, they don't have a lot of wiggle room to redefine what the game plays like.

That even goes for researching better ways to do things. I don't think these guys were given much of a chance to stop and think. Sonic Adventure 1 came out in October 1998 in Japan, that team moved to America to work on the September 1999 United States release, Sonic Adventure 2 was announced probably not even six months later, it came out within 18 months of its announcement just in time for that team to crank on the super rushed Gamecube port, which segued into an equally rushed port of the original Sonic Adventure, then their first multiplatform release on a third-party engine just a year or two later, followed by a sequel less than two years later, and another sequel less than two years after that...

Running and running and running and never stopping... and, well, I guess this is just what Sonic in 3D plays like now, right? That's the precedent. Sales are relying on not alienating people who are used to the way these games play.

Plus, it also depends on who within Sega is involved. I tend to agree that we shouldn't pin decisions all on one guy anymore for how many developers are actually involved in a game (200+ for Sonic Frontiers), but it's hard to deny that in the Morio Kishimoto era of 3D Sonic games, they've made a dedicated to effort to lock Sonic down and script his movements more than ever. Starting in Sonic Colors all the way up to the most recent Sega of Japan games, player movement is more restricted and automatically controlled than any other Sonic games to come before it.

Even Sonic Frontiers, for all of its open zone gameplay, once you touch a rail or one of those floating platforms, it tries to restrict and control you as much as humanly possible. Helicopter parent game design. "Do it my way exactly, or stop playing the game."

And I think all of this just collides with itself and makes a big ugly mess. I think it's telling Sonic Unleashed is such a cult favorite given its the closest thing we've had to a decent reboot of mechanics, even though it's still trapped in a lot of that scripted spectacle design.