#because of what the positive reception to it made sega start doing with classic sonic

[sonknuxadow]

why am i suddenly hearing talk about a sonic generations remaster. looks around all scared

[cutegirlmayra]

Thank you for answering my question about Amy's crush on Sonic. I agree with your explanation on why her crush is a key part of her character. I noticed that your post mentioned a scene possibly not being delivered well in the English version. Do you think there is some type of values dissonance going on between Japan and the West when it comes to how Amy's crush is written overall? I've heard that Amy's crush and her character in general has a more positive reception in Japan than in the West.

Mmmm… Yeah.

Also, you’re very welcome :) my pleasure!

It all started with Sonic X’s English script.

Honestly, in Japan, Amy is seen as a normal girl common to her anime trope. She’s also widely loved and stated to be ‘Endearing’ in the japan’s culture, especially with her Japanese values such as loyalty.

 Originally, America branded her to be a ‘comedy’ character which has since backfired. (Sadly, a lot of their direction has been to popular tropes of that era, instead of developing characters further beyond.)

SEGA’s standard is to keep moving towards the future, stay with the times, when they should be thinking about timelessness, and staying ahead of the game.

In conclusion, my personal, humble opinion is that they dated themselves to where they’re ‘iconic personalities’ don’t work well in our modern society anymore.

Amy went from this:

Japan: A devoted lover who is overjoyed to see her hero after so long and being worried sick about him while he was fighting the good fight.

To this:

America: Overly dramatic, clingy lover who just wants to be noticed by the man she craves, still loyal and true, but with a comedic sense that has been mostly lost to our time and modern era. Now we interpret this as “Stalkerish” or “Codependent”. Which are definitely more negative than “hopelessly in love with the main hero” or “Desperately longing for main hero.” Grease and other classics like It’s A Wonderful Life or Princess Bride. But these movies have an edge in classic timelessness in that they don’t treat their supporting leads as simply ‘Comedic’ and instead, the girls have full arcs that end up ending with getting the guy in the end.

What makes other game companies pretty successful is there sense of having timeless characters that grow as audiences do as well.

Sonic’s primary audience should be the young adults that have grown up with him, and through those young adults then the younger generation will follow in pursuit. (A.k.a How Nintendo now markets is a good example of knowing ones brand, and advertising to your target market well.) However, as I see how Sonic’s marketing team runs things, I’m afraid they continue to try and pull younger audiences, and this could work if the material was taken more seriously with professionalism. But we’re reduced to memes which will date the product even further back then it already was.

Their catering to a particular side of the fandom as well helped somewhat in their small success with Sonic Forces, but it’s the young adults they should really consider and hiring those who understand the modern medium. They were going for, “Yeah! Kids love angst!” but they didn’t seem to grasp what the modern concept of ‘Angst’ was. It was like your grandfather trying to re-envision and explain modern kid culture when he clearly has no idea where the century is. They don’t understand where to go, and I hope they’ve found some solutions with younger blood in the talent pool such as Sonic Mania creators, new Animation team that worked on Sonic Mania Adventures and the Team Sonic Racing shorts. These new talents are not only huge fans, but understand perfectly the Sonic recipe which the corporation has been failing to grasp and been falling on their outdated degrees.

I know this sounds kinda harsh, please don’t see it that way. This is something I have observed and looked into. I’m sure many have different research results and/or perspectives, so please find your own information and decide what you feel has or hasn’t happened.

As for me, the Sonic branch has a good start with Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces. It’s trying to emulate the same tactics as Nintendo but aren’t true rivals anymore (and just aren’t Nintendo either. That brand doesn’t work with their formula), so I would suggest to their stockholders to stop trying to make fast money like Hollywood tends to push but to allow true creative geniuses to approach with on-brand ideas that can help bring a modern format that also respects and keeps the traditional Sonic alive and kicking once more, take the professional advice from the original Sonic Team who are the true masters of this brand and name, and give up pride for reinvention and dedicate their time to fresh ideas that blend the already established Sonic into a beautiful fusion that resonates with Fans faithfully and remains strong to modern audiences as well.

Don’t abandon what you did right, or the lore of the whole of Sonic’s universe, but simply allow real Sonic fans with real talents and creative minds to come in, train them, but let them also go off to give Sonic a real resurrection in the mode and format he was made to be in. Sonic’s a punk of the 1990s, it’s time to make him smooth rebel in defense of the ‘save the planet’ type formula with a rocker’s attitude. And for gameplay? Let those who actually know how to make a Sonic game make them. Sonic Team needs support again.

Anyway, this is long. Yes, Amy is mistranslated to where America has rebranded her. Japan hasn’t really done enough to correct this, but a good example of how lost Japan is to what America has done is when a Fan asked her creator– “Why did you design Classic Amy in the clothes she was wearing? Was it to make her a tomboy and tough?” which is what America tried to re-re-rebrand her as.

Then he famously (to me, anyway) laughed in the microphone and answered in Japanese, “I thought she was cute. Isn’t she cute?” to which the audience seemed confused.

Then he went on to explain Amy’s true character, which was the most honest reaction to not understanding why the audience was so iffy in their reaction.

This scene was honestly heartbreaking to me, seeing her own creator feeling the need to explain his character because of poor translation errors, not just between cultures, but because Writers completely went off the original material.

He went on to say Amy was designed as a love interest for Sonic, but as her mind is always on Sonic, his mind is always on what’s next, the adventure. So he created someone who would work for Sonic’s lifestyle, always happily chasing after him as he happily chases after the next challenge or danger to his world.

He asked, “Now isn’t that more interesting?” to which the audience continued to be confused.

I have the video somewhere in my favorites list, hold on one moment please.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nzxRoIX4QU&t=1561s - THIS TOOK FOREVER TO FIND. Go to 38:40 or so, and I’d also like to state that Sonic Boom 2013 Q&A is a really good panel to watch overall. There are a lot of good Q&A’s and I like them because the creators answer you directly, you know?

This is also just one of the videos with him being interviewed, there are many others, like the one about the clothes and whatnot. But they’re so old and I had such a hard time finding this one again that I’ll let you do your own digging on those ones XD

It’s sad cause you can hear a fan go, “Why are there so many Amy questions?” And the boy with the camera say, “Oh, cause he’s the guy who created her.” It’s really sad to hear that, you know?

Anyway, enjoy the video ;)b

[skull001]

Often people say that Tails is the underdog among the main cast of the Sonic characters because of how he is young and occassionally has self-confidence issues.

Personally, I think Tails really isn't that much of an underdog because on one hand, he is the character that Sonic interacts with the most to the point of being called "Sonic's best friend", as well as having not only an extraordinary intelligence that can potentially rival that of Dr. Eggman and having been reaised and most likely trained too by Sonic himself.

No. The character I think has the underdog material here is Amy Rose.

Sure, she has a well-adjusted sense of confidence and self-worth. However, where Sonic and Tails became best buddies overnight, for Amy it was a much harder road given that not only was she a character that barely showcased anything noteworthy to catch Sonic's attention (to him, she was just another person he rescued and probably forgot about the next day), but also her romantic advances further put a distance between the two at first.

It was only Amy's perseverance and insistance that allowed her to become a familiar face in Sonic's life (she would show for cart races or even a fighting tournament to decide who would get to save the world, lol) and eventually, gain his trust and become not just a friend, but a very GOOD friend... The kind that is always there for Sonic no matter what, heck, even if he doesn't reciprocate her feelings she would still help him and do everything she can, even if not only she puts her life on the line, but also be willing to sacrifice her own happiness for his.

Tails became a hero within a single game, in great part because he had Sonic as his mentor and learned all of the blue hedgehog's tricks. Amy did not get this benefit.

When Amy started, she was just an ordinary child with a precoscious crush on the hero. Her first appearance consisted in getting kidnapped and be used to bait Sonic into a trap. For Amy, shaking this image of the damsel in distress has been an uphill battle. When she finally did got to become a heroine, it was all because of her very own merit. She came up with a way to defend herself by using a toy hammer instead of copying Sonic. Her empathy is what let her understand some of the antagonists and give them that push to turn them into allies. She became a heroine out of necessity when she had to protect a little bird that was as defenseless as she once was in her debut.

Then Amy began to grow up. She could lead others like her and help them realize that they are more stronger and brave than they realized. She even saved Sonic himself quite a few times and began to slowly gain his trust, to the point that he knew that Amy could handle things, like when she confronted Silver in 06.

Unlike Tails, who has super-intelligence and learned from Sonic how to fight, Amy was just an ordinary civvie whose only "power" was popping a magic toy hammer. She had to make her own path as a hero without much help from others.

Even the way the franchise treats Amy reflects her underdog status: while Tails and Knuckles were given important AND playable roles in Sonic 2 and 3 respectively, Amy was neither of those things in CD. Even to this day, while Tails and Knuckles get preferential treatment in every new game that is announced, Amy is still treated like a second-class character given how Mania forgot all about her and only the animated mini-series did because the animator liked her and insisted until that extra sixth episode was given the green light.

While Knuckles was given the role of commander of the resistance in Forces because it gave ST an excuse to have the classic trio slapped on the game's cover to boost sales, it's the IDW comic that did Amy justice by further developing her into the natural leader that previous games (back when she was actually allowed to have some spotlight) were already hinting for her character to go to. Why could this not have been done instead on the actual main event that is the game?

When Sonic CD was re-released in 2011, it was Tails and not Amy, who was included. They used Amy's very own debut game not to invest in her character by making her playable (something she needs so much) but instead, said privilege went to the character that was to appear in Sonic 4 Episode 2 and who already enjoyed a positive reception.

Amy, IMO, is the underdog character of the main cast not only because of her far more humble origin and trajectory where she had so many more obstacles, but also because of how the franchise seems to refuse to recognize her "main character" status as they flip-flop between giving her small appearances in games (and the occassional attention on merchandise and official social media) and outright ignore or sideline her completely, even from stories where she makes more sense than other characters (*cough*SA2*cough*). She's the outsider who was not introduced in the Genesis trilogy. She's the invader to the "classic trio" whom Sega will remove by either sidelining or ignoring her so the boys can have all the glory. She's the character that actually had to develop from zero to hero instead of being instantly made just as capable as Sonic from the moment of introduction like others (characters like Tails and Cream for example, who had no transition whatsoever). She's still the character who has to struggle against so many unfair stigmas: "she's pink, therefore she's annoying", "she's a girl, she's must be useless", "she's in love with the protagonist, must be a stalker because only Tails has the right to not be judged despite being just as obsessed", "she's not classic enough because she wasn't in the Genesis trilogy", etc. Meanwhile other characters are given a free pass for the same exact gameplay/characterization blunders.

[archonreviews]

The Archon’s Opinion: What Does it Mean for Good Characters to Have Bad Games; or, the Curious Case of Sonic the Hedgehog

Hey, guess who can’t count to five? This Archon! Whoo!

Anyway, I wanted to discuss something that’s been on my mind since Sonic Mania came out a while back, and even since the Game Grumps (hi guys) began their playthrough of Sonic Unleashed. That thing is simply: why is it that though Sonic the Hedgehog is a good character, the games about him are... not so good. On this episode of The Archon’s Opinion, we’re going to determine the why, what, and how, of the atrociousness of Sonic games. Or maybe I’ll just ramble on about how awesome Shadow Sonic is. Who knows?

Let’s start out by defining what it is that makes Sonic a “good character”. What I mean by “good character” is one who is largely appealing, and one who is either deep or punchy, one you have to think a lot about or one you can immediately recognize and empathize with. In this case, Sonic is the latter; he’s got an easily-recognizable silhouette, and a fun and easy-to-memorize suite of powers (goes fast, can go super-saiyan, can roll good, spikes sharp). Also, while the particulars of his personality depend on the writer, he’s generally consistent in his carefree-but-righteous nature. Most people like to think of themselves as morally upright, and many people, I should think, prefer to think of themselves as being fun-loving and care-free, like Sonic in a way. So, Sonic the Hedgehog is both punchy and easy to follow, and broadly appealing.

Next, a little context about Sonic’s history in video games. Back in ye olden dayes, Sonic the Hedgehog came out for the SEGA Genesis. It was a pretty standard platforming game, with an emphasis on speed and semi-complex environments. It was meant as a direct competitor to the Mario Bros. series, and it sold like hotcakes on a cold morning, or something like that. Sonic’s 2 and 3, as well as 3 and Knuckles all also did really well, financially speaking. Things only began to run downhill when Sonic Adventure was released. Poor dialogue, mediocre plot, and annoying characters dragged down the game significantly. Things seemed to uptick with the release of Sonic Adventure 2, which had some problems, but in terms of plot, characters, controls, and graphics, it was a vast improvement. Sonic Heroes was largely a blank in terms of critical reception, getting average reviews among publications, and mixed reviews from individual critics. Sometime later... came the dark ages.

^(Ugh)^

^(Uuulgh)^

^(Bluuurgh, no.)^

^(Huh)^

^(Hey, okay.)^

^(Aaaargh! Ah Gottirn, nein!)^

While Sonic Colors and Generations provided brief, dim lights in the darkness that followed Adventure 2, they were not enough to save Sonic’s critically damaged reputation. Many people, players and critics alike, have gone on record as saying that Sonic should be put down for good, each individual having their own opinion as to when he should have been dropped.

So, we have a character who is consistently likable and eminently marketable, but who is the subject of a swath of poor video games. And yet, despite the utter abhorrence many Sonic titles languish in, he still has plenty of fans. Why is this?

Perhaps the answer lies in other media that Sonic has been in. For example, the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series has generally been received positively. One might very easily argue that this is because the comic series lacks the various elements that made the games really bad. After all, you don’t have to rely on shitty controls to make Sonic do his thing in a comic series, and the character’s voices can be as cool or as terrible as you imagine them to be. Also, the plots are written by people who’s job it is to write plots! Amazing! And the graphics are drawn by people who are trained to draw comic book art. Also amazing!

^(Pictured: Something I’d totally read)^

In this way, the comics make use of Sonic’s personality and abilities, without forcing you to wrestle with poorly implemented controls or terrible glitches. We get his character, without his game. The same goes for the television series; although, none of the television adaptations seem to sell quite as well as the comic. Possibly because of the voices of... certain characters.

So how can Sonic Team and SEGA make Sonic games better while preserving Sonic’s character? What really is the deal with Sonic games? Well, game journalist and professional... Boglinwatcher, I guess... Jim Sterling, has actually made the point that after the relative failure of Sonic ‘06, SEGA kept trying different things to make the games good, many of which failed. He went on to say that each of the games presented an interesting concept, and that each could have been a great game, if it were refined. His argument was if SEGA had stuck to a single concept or idea long enough to make it good, then Sonic games could be good, Q.E.D.

To see that idea in action, we can take a look at SEGA’s direct competitor, Nintendo. In many ways, Nintendo’s flagship characters are much like Sonic the Hedgehog. Por exemple, Mario has a very basic set of abilities, an easily-recognizable silhouette, and his bright colors and blank-slate personality make it easy for us to project ourselves onto him as we play. Link from the Legend of Zelda games, is very similar, with a simple-ish design, a monotone color scheme, and a classic story arc.

Consider now, that Nintendo has, with few exceptions, been pumping out the same Mario and Zelda games for years. Mario has had plenty o’ platformers, and Link has a lot of adventure games. One does not create using the same formula over and over without becoming very good at it, and refining it to a razor polish. Mildly mixed metaphors aside, this is, essentially the main difference between Nintendo’s properties and Sonic the Hedgehog; Sonic games can have all the interesting ideas in the world, but if they’re not refined, they just won’t be very good as compared to a more polished experience.

Now, we’ve all heard the flagship complaints carried by Sonic’s detractors. The first is that because he’s too fast, and because depth perception in a 3d environment is difficult, Sonic simply cannot exist competently in a 3d space. Q.E.D. any 3d Sonic game will be bad. I disagree; I believe that 3d Sonic’s relative atrociousness isn’t an intrinsic property of 3d physics’ interaction with Sonic’s speed, but that Sonic Team simply don’t often design environments wherein the two elements play well. When stages are constructed to take advantage of Sonic’s characteristic speed, such as the first level in Sonic Adventure and some of the “Regular Sonic” stages in Unleashed, they’ve often been described as good, or even the best parts of those games. Really, the problem isn’t Sonic, it’s Sonic’s developers, who don’t seem to know how to handle him.

Another common complaint is that Sonic’s ever-expanding team of sapient animal friends is drawing the games away from their core focus. Such detractors will say that any stage in which you are you are, say, being Tails in a mech, instead of being Sonic and going fast, is somehow a detriment to the game’s quality. Again, I have to disagree; plenty of games have many different core mechanics that form the whole game, and I think maybe instead of insisting that every Sonic game be about going fast exclusively, we should look at any stage in which we get to play as a new character as an interesting new experience; even if we don’t personally like it; we can at least appreciate that the particular game in question isn’t monotone. That said, those critics who claim that the other character’s personalities and voices are irritating may have a point, at least in the grand generality of Sonic games.

Finally, I want to talk for a moment about the relative success of Sonic Mania, and the stigma that 3d Sonics have acquired. See, Mania has been hailed as this return to form for Sonic the Hedgehog, and that’s not without merit. The game essentially has classic Sonic’s turgid wang firmly in it’s mouth, and while that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, I feel like it could lead to a bad thing. A lot of the complaints about modern Sonics has been about the 3d aspects, and Mania is 2d, you see. What I’m worried about it that Sonic Team might see the success and praise for Mania and think that the number of dimensions is the problem, instead of the lack of polish, the glitches, the unlikable sidekicks, etc. And therein lies a risk of a return to the problem Jim Sterling mentioned, wherein Sonic Team simply abandons an aspect of Sonic games because they think that it specifically is the reason it didn’t do well, and thus, it may lead to merely another unpolished Sonic game, except in 2d.

فى الختام،, Sonic games suffer primarily from a severe lack of  polish, overall glitchiness, and a menagerie of annoying ancillary characters, truly. But they have not suffered from 3d, or from Sonic’s own character. To fix this, Sonic Team should stick to one or a few core elements for the games, at least for a while, until they get good at it, before trying to get fancy.

^(Or they could just release Shadow the Hedgehog 2 already. Whatever works for them.)^

[scrawnydutchman]

The Point Sonic Mania Proves About Relevance

Sonic Mania, The beautifully animated, retro, nostalgic callback to the genesis days of Sonic the Hedgehog has made quite an impact in todays market in a way that the Sonic the Hedgehog brand hasn’t made in a long time. It’s the highest rated Sonic game released in years and to this day receives plentiful praise from fans and critics alike. Much to my dismay, I have yet to play the game hands on in order to completely sing it’s praises, but truthfully I’ve been having boundless fun just watching playthroughs of the game online. It helps when you have both pixel sprite and traditional animation that’s some of the best the two mediums have seen in some time respectively. The game captures the 16 bit aesthetic and feel of the genesis installments of Sonic but includes more frames making for more seamless transitions between movements. And the intro . . .OH MY GOODNESS the intro to this game. The classical animation done by Tyson Hesse and Yotta warms my heart and fills me with joy every time I watch it. It’s just fantastic. The pop in colour, the expressiveness in the characters eyes, the smears, the angles, the smoke effects. It’s simply masterful. 

Now, the visuals of this game are the real reason I’m talking about it in this blog post, because I think the very existence of Sonic Mania and it’s positive reception makes a very important point about what it really means to be relevant. Many people, including the staff behind the Sonic franchise in the past, believe that relevance means keeping up with the times. It means knowing what people are into today and capitalizing on societies current sensibilities. Marketing always tries it’s hardest to adapt as quickly and frequently as we change. But often times it misses the point about why we as an audience cling to the things we cling to in the first place. Fads may get you a quick buck in the moment, but that revenue will die quickly if what you’re selling had no identity outside of being “what the kids are into nowadays”. For a brand to be profitable in the long run and be something so lovable and influential it remains within our culture and continues to shape it, it has to have timeless qualities. More specifically, it has to have qualities nobody will find quite the same anywhere else. I can’t think of a single property more telling of this point then Sonic the Hedgehog.

Sonic the Hedgehog was invented by Sonic Team and Sega as a means to be as competitive a brand as possible. His sole purpose from the get go was to rival Nintendo’s Italian plumber in popularity, and thus provide the Genesis with the means to compete with the NES because being twice the bits wasn’t enough to push itself forward. When it comes to creating a compelling rival for Mario, goddamn . . .did Sega ever knock it out of the park. I’ve heard people say in the past that Sonic the Hedgehog’s design and conception is genius and I wholeheartedly agree. There should be an entire class around studying the design and conception of Sonic because he was practically destined to become a huge success. His design is the perfect combination of curves + points = cool. I’ve talked in the past about how linework can play an influential role in the impression a character design makes on an audience, and how curves are often associated with cuteness, innocence, youth and a sense of safety, whereas points are associated with danger, sinister motives and villainy. Sonic is one of those designs that emplores both; he’s got a stubby, plump little design with a large head and larger expressive eyes, but his quills give him an edge of adventure and his pointy smirk gives him a sense of mischief. Not to mention he’s a compilation of old sensibilities from retro cartoons. Large shoes, dotted eyes, white gloves, and instead of straight up eyebrows he has this one eyeball two pupil thing that had a narrow gap in the middle that almost makes him look like he’s frowning, very similar to what Felix the Cat has (sounds weird when you say it out loud, but tbf it looks much more natural on classic sonic then the more modern spin). Add these familiar sensibilities with a pop in colour and a great animal theme, plus a game mechanic not featured in any other franchise at the time, and you’ve got a franchise that will fly right off the shelves. Sega set out with a goal to make a memorable mascot and they grasped onto something truly timeless.

It’s too bad they didn’t recognize how perfect their inception was and decided then to try and fix what wasn’t broken. Enter late 90s/early 2000s. Sega is falling out of the console race in a hard time when Sony and Microsoft are beginning to enter the scene and make their stay. They’re clinging on for dear life and know they have to create something that will maintain their relevance. So they premiere with the Dreamcast, a console fondly remembered with a cult following but at it’s time was hilariously outsold by the PS2. More important then that though, they premiered Sonic Adventure . . .and with it, the new Sonic.

So remember that perfect balance of cute and dangerous classic Sonic had to capture that timeless sense of cool? Sega decided to disrupt that balance by making Sonic’s design and overall outlook shift further into the dangerous edgy aspect. He got taller, leaner, looked angrier, hands and feet larger, green in his eyes. He went from speechless to extreme 90s skater dude. And ever since this change he’s been delving further and further into gimmicks, edgy storylines and pretty much drifting as far away from that timeless charm he used to have as possible. Now I don’t mean to bash anybody who likes this version of Sonic; if you’re a fan, more power to you. But this version is more a guilty pleasure for me then anything else. I think of him less as a high quality piece of popular culture and more just a hilarious over the top dated product of his time. This Sonic is like the kid in high school who grew up as the nerd all his life and is trying desperately hard to reinvent himself and live down his past of mockery, hiding behind trends, current lingo and a pseudo personality to try and maintain some credibility. It’s more desperate then anything else. The only difference is, Sonic was never a nerd. He didn’t have anything to prove or to live down; he was ALWAYS loved because he was simple and fun and never needed to be anything beyond that. Plus it’s worth noting that down the line he got more realistic textures like shine in his shoes and eyeballs which, for a design as cartoony as this, it’s not charming; it’s just creepy. That single eyeball thing is significantly more eerie now that he’s demanding to be taken more seriously. 

The Sonic Adventure titles may not be inherently bad games and are quite impressive for their time, I understand that. But they DID introduce some newer issues that would stick to sonic for nearly 2 decades after the fact. Issues that would eventually become so problematic that Sonic would lose further and further credibility with the fanbase it established. Sonic 06, Sonic Riders, Shadow the Hedgehog, bits of Sonic Unleashed, the storybook saga, aspects of Colors, Sonic Boom, Sonic Lost World. While not all of these games are completely awful they do hinge on gimmicks and some sort of experimentation that misses the point on why Sonic was so popular to begin with and, again, it tries to fix what wasn’t broken. Some of the changes they make work, most commonly the changes made to alter the physics based gameplay to not only move faster but to have tighter controls and a greater sense of freedom. It also doesn’t help that design wise Sega would further disrupt what was once a delicate balance in Sonic’s design, making for an awkward unappealing abomination.

*shudders*. Everything I hate about the Dreamcast Sonic design is a million times worse in Sonic Boom.

But, bringing it back to Sonic Mania (like what this title suggests), it seems like Sega is starting to wake back up. Sonic Mania just seems to get everything that’s great about Sonic with nothing superfluous. Bright colours, fluid motion, tight controls, great physics based gameplay. THAT’S IT. No gimmicks. No lingo or speech that will become dated in 5 years. No stepping away from what made your brand the icon that it is today. Notice that I never said 3D was inherently a step backward like many people profess. I’m convinced you can accomplish this in 3D and to an extent Sega has. They just gotta trim the fat.

Now I can already see a few typical criticisms coming. People are going to think I’m a 30 year old Sonic fan blinded by nostalgia governing my opinion rather than an objective look on the series as a whole. They also think I hate experimentation and that I just shun the idea of anything ever changing. Here is my rebuttal.

I am not 30 years old. I am actually 21, and my first introduction to the Sonic franchise was the Dreamcast version. For a while that was my favorite version, up until my brother got me the sega genesis collection on Gamecube disc format. I didn’t understand at the time why sonic was so fat and I was confused as to why none of the games on the disc were the classic sonic adventure titles, because I was a dumb uncultured piece of shit. But I played the games anyway and came out of my shallow sensibilities. And you know what? Those titles gave me more enjoyment then the sonic adventure games ever did. I mainly credit this to just how much more immediately accessible they were. No awkward cutscenes, no loading screens, no walking around aimlessly trying to figure out where to go, no boring alternate character missions. Just press start and go. Like I said, trim the fat.

As for the idea that I hate experimentation . . . no, I don’t. If anything, the biggest reason I love classic Sonic so much is because it brought something for it’s time that was completely new and not recaptured by anything else, and seamlessly altered our sensibilities for years to come. Experimentation is great because it moves culture forward; makes us as people more adept and refined in the kind of things we enjoy and gives us a greater understanding as to why we enjoy them. Without all the experimentation we’ve been given in gaming our opinions on the medium would have never evolved to the culture it’s developed today. But experimentation has to be properly motivated. It can’t be misguided. It should only replace what was established if what was established sucked to begin with, otherwise it should be BUILDING on that foundation. I’ve gone on record in saying that modern day is far too filled with remakes and reboots of old properties and I stay true to that, but I ALSO said that if you’re going to bring back a property it should be for the sake of exploring potential not fully realized the first time around, like with the Samurai Jack series. It shouldn’t be for the sole purpose of just retracing the same steps again. Sonic Mania may be nostalgia based, but what really sells it for many people including myself is the little but NECESSARY changes it makes. The appealing animation is even smoother, the controls are tighter (from what I heard), the nostalgic stages have neat little changes and mechanics they didn’t have in years prior. Sonic Mania does what Sonic has been missing for so long. It builds on it’s great foundation rather then tries to reinvent it entirely. If we wanted a game vastly different from Sonic, WE WOULD BE PLAYING SOMETHING OTHER THEN SONIC. 

Conclusion:

Sonic Mania is a solid reminder and a great lesson on what It means to be truly relevant. It’s not about keeping tabs on current trends, it’s not about straying away from your old self as much as possible. It’s about knowing what you bring to the table regardless of what era we’re in and owning it, and if you DO make changes, make changes that further reinforce and greater purpose the thing you’ve got that people can’t get anywhere else. Sonic remains popular even to this day when it’s copycats like Bubsy have fallen hard from grace (that they may or may not have even had in the first place), and it’s because Sonic’s more then just a few one liners, fourth wall breaks and a “dude with attitude”. He’s an ideal on how games can be played, on how platformers can work and how familiar sensibilities can be made better.

[williamsjoan]

DualShockers Game of the Year 2018 Staff Lists — Tomas’ Top 10

I consider 2018 to be one of the best years for gaming in recent memory, even when compared to the lofty heights of 2017. No matter what genre you are a fan of, there was likely a great game for you to enjoy. I played a ton of games this year, both for review and for leisure, and the following 10 are the titles that stood out to me the most as favorites.

Keep in mind that I didn’t play every game that came out this year, so you won’t see titles like Octopath Traveler or Monster Hunter: World on my list. There were also a lot of great games that I would still recommend but didn’t make the list, including Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido, SoulCalibur VI, Dragon Quest XI, and Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden. 

On that note, here are the 10 games I consider to be the best that 2018 had to offer:

10. Dragon Ball FighterZ

A Yamcha-only tournament mode exists…10/10.

2018 started very strong with a weekend that was home to two games present on this list, as well as Monster Hunter: World. One of the games to release on this weekend was Dragon Ball FighterZ, a 2D fighter from Arc System Works. While I’m not the biggest Dragon Ball fan, I couldn’t help but to be in awe of this game’s utterly gorgeous visuals that really make it feel like the anime has been brought to life and is playable in your hands.

From a gameplay standpoint, Dragon Ball FighterZ is still just as strong, being accessible to newcomers while still having the depth to satiate the hardcore community. After the disappointment that was Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, it was nice to kick off this year with a fast paced 3v3 fan-service-y fighter, albeit one from a different franchise. I’ve returned to it time and time again during 2018, and the fact that it still sticks out in my mind so vividly long after release really solidifies it as one of the best titles of 2018.

Check out the DualShockers review of Dragon Ball FighterZ.

9. Sonic Mania Plus 

Ray the Flying Squirrel, my son. We are united once more…

Is it unfair that Sonic Mania has made my GOTY list two years in a row? Maybe, but that’s just a testament to how great the game is. I’m sure everyone and their mother has told you how this game, made by fans-turned-developers, brought the series back into a positive light for the first time in years upon its release due to its great visuals, music, and level design. Leaving it there would’ve been fine, but the developers knew the Sonic fanbase needed to wash Sonic Forces out of their minds and released some hefty DLC alongside a physical release.

Sonic Mania Plus added several quality of life improvements, slightly redesigned levels, and most importantly new playable characters with two of the series’ most notorious MIA characters: Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel. Both of them add unique spins to the gameplay with their abilities. That, coupled with the redesigned Encore Mode, adds more content for die-hard fans to sink their teeth while also cementing Sonic Mania Plus as the best Sonic the Hedgehog game to date, in my eyes.

Check out the DualShockers review of Sonic Mania Plus.

8. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Remember Geno? I sure do. 

Despite what I may have said just above, I’m still in awe of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate‘s roster. If you had told me that Ridley, King K. Rool, and Pichu all would’ve been playable in a new Super Smash Bros. with characters like Piranha Plant and Joker from Persona 5 on the way, I wouldn’t have believed you, but here we are. I’ve always loved the Super Smash Bros. series, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate delivers pretty much everything that fans would want and then some.

I’ll admit that the reason Super Smash Bros. Ultimate isn’t higher on this list because I’ve spent comparatively spent less time with it than the other entries. That being said, I’m sure I’ll only fall in love with this title even more once I beat World of Light and unlock the last couple elusive characters. Now just add Geno, Sakurai, and we’ll talk about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate making it onto my 2019 GOTY list as well.

Check out the DualShockers review of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

7. WarioWare Gold

The whole game is set-up for a poop joke…really!

If there’s one title on my list that won’t be getting much attention during this awards season, it’s WarioWare Gold. This series usually either begins or closes out a Nintendo system’s library, with this game doing the latter for the 3DS. WarioWare Gold was also actually quite refreshing as we hadn’t gotten a traditional microgames package like this in years. While it may be a bit too short for its own good, the microgames and various modes present are still a ton of fun to return to whenever I decide to boot up my 3DS.

It’s fairly clear that the 3DS is on its way out, with the only major releases on the horizon including ports and western releases of Japanese titles. Fortunately, WarioWare Gold was one last great original title to see the 3DS off with, topping off the library of what may be my favorite handheld of all time. While titles like WarioWare Gold and Ever Oasis that came later in the system’s lifespan may have been ignored for GOTY consideration, I’d still vehemently recommend them if you don’t mind dusting your 3DS off.

Check out the DualShockers review of WarioWare Gold.

6. Tetris Effect

I can’t think of a joke for this game because it’s just so damn mesmerizing.

Those who know me are aware that I’m not into music at all. I didn’t pay enough attention to music-related things to notice that the Beatles’ name was a pun until this year. Despite all that, I was instantly hooked the first time I played Tetris Effect, and it wasn’t just because I’m a sucker for the classic puzzle game.

Tetris Effect engrossed me in a way no other title did this year and for reasons that are quite hard for me to put into words. The soundtrack was great and the way it blended its gameplay and visuals to create a euphoric gaming experience will make Tetris Effect a title that is seared into my brain for a long time, despite my milquetoast nature towards music. Also, the traditional Tetris is just really dang fun.

Check out the DualShockers review of Tetris Effect.

5. Valkyria Chronicles 4

Squad E, to the Beach! is one of the greatest DLC titles ever. I didn’t really have anywhere else to put that.

Valkyria Chronicles 4‘s existence makes me immensely happy, and the fact that it is one of 2018’s best games makes it all the better. This series’ unique take on the typical strategy game formula still feels as fresh as it did 10 years ago and the game’s amazing level design only bolsters its quality. While it may strip back some features from Valkyria Chronicles 2 and 3, that allows it to be the most refined and focused entry in the series yet.

The story of Valkyria Chronicles 4 also managed to be the best in the series yet, focusing on a group of well-fleshed out characters on what seems like a suicide mission. While 2018 was home to some really great strategy games like Into the Breach, the engaging story, refined gameplay, and excellent level design helped cement Valkyria Chronicles 4 as my favorite strategy game this year, as well as one of my favorites overall. I hope SEGA continues to pay attention to this series, as it seems to have come back strong from a mainline series hiatus.

Check out the DualShockers review of Valkyria Chronicles 4.

4. Celeste

From here on out, the games git gud. Like really good.

Celeste was a very special game for me this year. When I initially played the game for review pre-launch, I wasn’t expecting anything more than a tightly-designed platformer reminiscent of Super Meat Boy from the developers of Towerfall. What I ended up experiencing was something much more than that. Not only was it one of the most tightly-designed platformers I had ever played, it had an excellent soundtrack and masterfully wove themes regarding social anxiety into both the story and gameplay to make Celeste immensely relatable.

I couldn’t wait for this game to be exposed to the world and was happy to see it get such a warm reception out of others that same busy weekend as Dragon Ball FighterZ and Monster Hunter: World. Like all of the aforementioned games, Celeste has stuck with me since that first magical playthrough in January. I had a bigger connection to its story than any other this year and its tight gameplay design cements it as one of my favorite 2D platformers of this decade. The fact that Celeste is only at the #4 slot really speaks to the quality of the games released this year.

Check out the DualShockers review of Celeste.

3. Red Dead Redemption 2

DualShockers gave this a 10 because the horse poops realistically. 

Despite the controversy surrounding it, Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2 remains a remarkable achievement for gaming. It features a world with a scarily thorough attention to detail throughout every inch of its enormous map, and tons of unique events and interactions to populate it. On top of that, gameplay has been vastly improved from the already-great original, and an amazing story highlighting the decline of the Wild West kept me captivated throughout with great characters like Arthur Morgan, Dutch Van der Linde, and Sadie Adler.

On a technical level, I would say Red Dead Redemption 2 is probably the most impressive game that has ever been made. While its pacing was a bit too slow in some parts, especially considering its lackluster fast travel systems, Red Dead Redemption 2‘s intricate design means I’ve only scratched the surface of what it has to offer, even after putting over 50 hours into it.

Check out the DualShockers review of Red Dead Redemption 2.

2. Marvel’s Spider-Man

I’m just going to plug Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse here. It’s really good too.

While Red Dead Redemption 2 my be a better game on a technical level, Marvel’s Spider-Man just clicked with me on so many other levels. I’ve had a long history with Spider-Man video games and even have a soft spot for some of the more mediocre titles like Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions. Fortunately, Insomniac truly delivered with this game on both the gameplay and story fronts.

The story, while surprisingly reserved with its villains, understood the character and world of Spider-Man so well that it has become the most definitive portrayal of the character since the early days of Ultimate Spider-Man. The open world design of Marvel’s Spider-Man may be a bit too formulaic for its own good, but the web-swinging and combat are more than satisfying enough to make up for that.

Physics-based web-swinging had been a heavily requested feature in Spider-Man games for year, so to see it implemented so well meant I could spend hours just swinging around (and I have). Combat also remains fun, mixing Batman: Arkham-style combat with Insomniac’s classic gadget setup to create a really fluid and enjoyable experience, even when you aren’t experiencing the great story or swinging. That being said, THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE.

Check out the DualShockers review of Marvel’s Spider-Man.

1. God of War

Kratos is DualShockers’ honorary Best Husbando: just look at that face. 

Wow. Even with all the great games mentioned prior, Sony Santa Monica’s God of War has still managed to come out on top. With the exception of a few annoying combat sections, it’s a nearly flawless package that knocks it out of the park with an unexpectedly personal story, brutal yet satisfying gameplay, and stellar visuals to top it all off. There’s a reason it got our Game of the Year Award.

By making Kratos a damaged father attempting to connect with his son in order to prevent him from making the same mistakes, the developers managed to make a previously belligerent character sympathetic and surprisingly relatable. Combat was also fine-tuned to be more focused and engaging; not even the web-swinging in Marvel’s Spider Man came close to the satisfaction of pulling off a devastating kill with the Leviathan axe, or to throw it and have it come back instantly.

God of War has refined itself to the point where it might be the best game of the generation just because of how well it does everything it set out to do. I’d go as far to say it’s one of the best games ever made, and that twist ending has only left me wanting more. God of War 2 (or 5?) can’t come soon enough.

Check out the other DualShockers’ staff Top 10 lists and our official Game of the Year Awards:

December 17: DualShockers Game of the Year Awards 2018 December 18: Lou Contaldi, Editor in Chief // Logan Moore, Reviews Editor December 19: Ryan Meitzler, Features Editor // Tomas Franzese, News Editor December 20: Scott Meaney, Community Director December 21: Reinhold Hoffmann, Community Manager // Ben Bayliss, Staff Writer December 22: Ben Walker, Staff Writer // Chris Compendio, Staff Writer December 23: Eoghan Murphy, Staff Writer // Grant Huff, Staff Writer December 26: Iyane Agossah, Staff Writer // Jordan Boyd, Staff Writer December 27: Max Roberts, Staff Writer // Michael Ruiz, Staff Writer  December 28: Noah Buttner, Staff Writer // Rachael Fiddis, Staff Writer  December 29: Steven Santana, Staff Writer // Tanner Pierce, Staff Writer December 30: Travis Verbil, Staff Writer // Zack Potter, Staff Write

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