RockmanPM Forums

Protoman Blues · **on:** March 30, 2009, 02:07:21 AM

Dear SEGA,

Never stop making SONIC games.

Your Fan,
PB

And here's why. As I was gorging my ears on lots of Sonic songs last night, something hit me when I had the will to Fight The Knight. The Will to Fight The Knight. THE WILL TO FIGHT! THE! KNIGHT! WILLLLL TOOOO FIGHTTTTT, IN A WURLD...*ahem* Sorry bout that. Anyway, while listening to Sonic music, all my problems with whatever game seems to just wash away, which is unique. The music for Sonic games are among some of the best game tracks ever created, whether or not the game is way past cool, awesome, good, sub-par, sucks, or unplayable. Despite all the flaws of Black Knight, I throughly enjoyed playing the game. Despite people's outright hatred of Sonic Unleashed, to which they even complained about him going too fast, I [tornado fang]ing loved the hell out of it, even despite the Werehog, which I grew to like. I'm even willing to go back and try Sonic 06, since my only sexperience with the game is the Demo at a PS3 event.

So, you know what? I'm content with Sonic games being the way they are. I'll just simply keep hoping for a return of Sonic CD/3&Knuckles Way Past Coolness, but for the most part, I'm content.

LoL, feel free to post your own reasons, if you have any.

Satoryu · **Reply #1 on:** March 30, 2009, 02:39:18 AM

while i do agree Sonic music is great, i can't possibly agree with that being the reason to churn out games. music isn't that influential to me. half the time, i can't hear it over the voice acting, anyway. never, ever, EVER, would i buy a game solely for its soundtrack. i'd do the smart thing and just pirate the CD off the interwebs.

it's a shame. Sonic Team seems to put a lot of effort into its music and graphics. too much, really, as they forget about the most important part of the game: the gameplay. and i've given up hope on there being a truly great Sonic game. yeah, we got Mega Man 9. yeah, we got Street Fighter IV. yeah, we even got a black president. but i'm sorry. Holding Out for a Hero is only going to lead to disappointment.

Gotham Ranger · **Reply #2 on:** March 30, 2009, 02:50:06 AM

Music is one thing Sonic Team can normally get right. Sonic 06 was a friggen abomination and yet its soundtrack was amazing.

Rad Lionheart · **Reply #3 on:** March 30, 2009, 02:53:43 AM

Aside from the fact that I don't own any current generation consoles, the reason I don't have any interest in the newest installments of Sonic is the fact they throw in gimmicks that aren't of any interest, like the Werehog in Sonic Unleashed. (I did like the music of that game enough to download the OST, haven't quite listened to it all since each track is extended to over 10 minutes of length, and have several variants.)

I watched a playthrough of Sonic and the Black Knight, the game itself didn't interest me, the music was okay.
Not enough to get me to find an OST download to listen to it in it's entirety though.

What I miss about the old days of the Genesis though, is the side scrolling, all these 3D ones are in a different perspective, loses some of that platforming goodness with this new layout.

I say that if they want to show off awesome graphics, but have that good ol' charm of the classics, they should create a 3D environment, and play it out in 2D gameplay, with an occasional twist or turn, cause seriously, one long stretch of a level would be quite the hardware whore, so you've gotta fill in the rest of the environment somewhere.

And the music, oh boy, I love Sonic music, S&K had bad ass tracks, it did indeed.
I just don't like all the "new rock" they throw into the new games, I know someone must enjoy it, but it's just not Sonic in my ears.

Oh god I just made a rant didn't I?
*Delete delete delete*

Sky Child · **Reply #4 on:** March 30, 2009, 03:11:00 AM

Dear Sega,

Seriously, what?

Your Fan, Sky.

Acid · **Reply #5 on:** March 30, 2009, 03:12:25 AM

Dear Sega,

whenever I had the choice between Nintendo and Sega, I picked Nintendo.

Love, me.

Sub Tank · **Reply #6 on:** March 30, 2009, 03:16:23 AM

Dear Sonic,

I left a Chilidog in the microwave for you, but you'll have to climb inside to get it.

Yours Truly, ~~Grounder~~ Tails.

Rad Lionheart · **Reply #7 on:** March 30, 2009, 03:18:18 AM

In the microwave? NOT FRESHLY MADE!? Tails is so [tornado fang]ing cheap.

BreakTargets · **Reply #8 on:** March 30, 2009, 03:35:05 AM

Dear ~~Sega~~ Sonic Team:

You did it for NiGHTS.
You did it for Samba De Amigo.
Now do it for Billy Hatcher.

Your Fan, BreakTargets.

Nexus · **Reply #9 on:** March 30, 2009, 03:39:59 AM

Quote from: Sub Tank on March 30, 2009, 03:16:23 AM

Dear Sonic,

I left a Chilidog in the microwave for you, but you'll have to climb inside to get it.

Yours Truly, ~~Grounder~~ Tails.

inb4 "It's a trap!"

Dear Sega,

You've got the formula decent one game, and then murder it the next. Sonic Adventure 2 was a masterpiece with the Sonic and Shadow sections, and decent with the rest. Sonic Heroes was a gameplay [tornado fang]-up. Shadow the Hedgehog was decent. Sonic '06 was screwy to no end. Sonic Unleashed wasn't perfect, but it definately had things going for it. PLEASE break the trend i'm seeing with the mainstream games with the next game!

Your major Sonic series fan, Rikoh.

HokutoNoBen · **Reply #10 on:** March 30, 2009, 04:09:38 AM

Guys, if you're going to send letters to Sega/Sonic Team, AT LEAST do it like they did for Sega's official magazine back in the day!

Yo Sega!

I understand that Sonic is your "go-too" brand in order to generate some nice capital for other projects. If it weren't for the kids and "truly devoted" Sonic fans buying your games, who knows if you'd have the money to generate the likes of Ryu ga Gotoku(Yakuza), House of the Dead, or partner up with Platinum Games so that we can have games like MadWorld and Bayonetta? I can understand that much. You're going to keep making Sonic games. Or rather, you HAVE to keep making Sonic games.

But all the same...as one who remembers the "glory days" (the 16-bit era), I can't stress how disappointed I've been with the brand, as of late. Sonic Unleashed and The Black Knight both seem to indicate that you seem to want to do more Sonic than what is due. If you really want to do other, interesting things with the Sonic brand, that's fine. However, I say, take a cue from Nintendo: they have no problem giving us plenty of spin-off games starring Mario and/or his various friends. But the "straight-up" Mario platformer experience remains largely autonomous and "pure", as it were.

So, I ask, why not do the same for the Sonic series? You already have a number of spin-off "ideas", past and present, that could stand to work. Sonic the Fighters and Sonic Battle were both nice ideas for Sonic and pals in a fighting game. Sonic Shuffle was a nice "party game" of its own (though I can't imagine you messing with that, now that you have Mario & Sonic at the Olympics to meet your party game needs). Tails Adventure was a nice, "Metroid-like" game that could easily be the stuff of awesome, if handled correctly. And I'm sure the likes of Knux and Shadow (so help me...) can be used in interesting ways themselves, if allowed.

But really...the bottom-line is, spin-offs of this nature are created for this purpose. So that you shouldn't have to "mess" with the classic Sonic formula, in any way.

So, really...for the love of all that's good. Stop trying so hard with trying to "re-launch" the brand, and just focus on doing more to take it back to where it should be. Less werehog, less sword-play, and more to revive Sonic's momentum-based, pinball-esque nature. ...Please?

Sincerely,

Concerned Sonic-fan, Viewtiful Ben

P.S. - If you ever had the interest of allowing Naoto Oshima and Artoon to have their own shot at making a Sonic game, that'd be nice, too. Oshima was the one who gave us Sonic CD, after all, so I'd like to think that maybe he could stand to give us such a game again...

Flame · **Reply #11 on:** March 30, 2009, 04:39:01 AM

Dear Sega,

^what Ben said.

Sincerely yours, Flame.

Protoman Blues · **Reply #12 on:** March 30, 2009, 05:09:53 AM

Quote from: Sub Tank on March 30, 2009, 03:16:23 AM

Dear Sonic,

I left a Chilidog in the microwave for you, but you'll have to climb inside to get it.

Yours Truly, ~~Grounder~~ Tails.

IT'S A TRAP!

HyperSonicEXE · **Reply #13 on:** March 30, 2009, 05:50:37 AM

Dear Sonic Team and Sega,

Thanks for discovering Crush 40. Music alone does not a game make; sell Sonic to Nintendo.

Dear Nintendo,

There is a series that can and did once rival the Mario name; that series is the Sonic series. Build it back up to what it once was; a fun, fast, addictive platformer with 30-second to 1 minute long levels where the best stages had surreal backgrounds and tilesets, catchy music, and Special Stages that were the challenge of the game that got you playable Super forms and the good ending.

You can Ninten-do what Sega of Japan won't let other companies, not even BioWare, do.

Crimson Lightning · **Reply #14 on:** March 30, 2009, 10:00:41 PM

^ what he said

Jericho · **Reply #15 on:** March 30, 2009, 11:43:28 PM

Dear Sega.

Where the hell is Jet Set Radio 3? I've given up on Sonic for a bit, but if you can make your sweatshop team in the basement crank out something incredible (see the post by Ben above), I'll be there day one. Also, less rock more Hideki Naganuma/Sonic CD JPN/Sonic3K please? Also also, Valkryia Chronicles. Need. MOAR.

Sincerely,
Jericho

HokutoNoBen · **Reply #16 on:** March 31, 2009, 01:04:11 AM

Quote from: Jericho on March 30, 2009, 11:43:28 PM

Dear Sega.

Where the hell is Jet Set Radio 3?

Probably won't be made until whatever is left of Smilebit (they're largely a part of the force that makes Yakuza games, now) can be bothered to make a new game.

But really, that's the only way I'll be even open to the idea of a sequel: the original team needs to come back and work their magic. There's NO other way.

However, Sega DOES have the power to work with Treasure, and make a new Guardian Heroes (or at least, another Guardian Heroes-style brawler that's NOT attached to Bleach) a reality.

Get Production IG (Wario Land Shake) to help out with the sprite work, and leave Treasure to craft the fan-favorite formula that we all love very dearly. MAKE THIS HAPPEN, SEGA! GYAT DAMMIT!

Hypershell · **Reply #17 on:** April 01, 2009, 01:40:14 AM

Music alone justifies the Sonic games, this is true.

That being said, something that neither Sonic nor Mario ever did was to make a 3D rendition of the 2D gameplay. Mario went the open-ended route, Sonic went the extra-mechanics route. Both saw their fair share of humiliation (I don't think highly of Mario Sunshine). But seriously, maybe Sonic doesn't need to be innovative? Maybe, just maybe, the old formula applied to the 3D plane, nothing more and nothing less, wouldn't be a bad idea. You know, actual platforming, spin-dashing through walls, running across water, zone-specific stunts, extra character abilities that were fun/useful without being mandatory, SUPER SONIC IN STAGES, that kind of stuff.

Jericho · **Reply #18 on:** April 01, 2009, 02:18:16 AM

Quote from: Hypershell on April 01, 2009, 01:40:14 AM

Music alone justifies the Sonic games, this is true.

That being said, something that neither Sonic nor Mario ever did was to make a 3D rendition of the 2D gameplay. Mario went the open-ended route, Sonic went the extra-mechanics route. Both saw their fair share of humiliation (I don't think highly of Mario Sunshine). But seriously, maybe Sonic doesn't need to be innovative? Maybe, just maybe, the old formula applied to the 3D plane, nothing more and nothing less, wouldn't be a bad idea. You know, actual platforming, spin-dashing through walls, running across water, zone-specific stunts, extra character abilities that were fun/useful without being mandatory, SUPER SONIC IN STAGES, that kind of stuff.

I'm on my Wii and can't be bothered to edit your post so you can the focus I'm going for, but Super Mario Galaxy not only laughs at this statement, it's mooning you from the moon as well.

Seriously, off the top of my head, there's:

- Dino Pirahna in Good Egg
- All of Gusty Garden Galaxy
- All of Sand Dune Galaxy (with the first star having one of the best literal applications of point A to point B sidescrolling platforming in a while)
- Certain Freezeflame Galaxy stars (race, Hot & Cold Collide)
- Melty. Molten. Motherfukken. Galaxy. (Delicious gaming crack. More so for a platformer whore like me.

)
- All of the Bowser/most Bowser Jr. levels, especially the magnificent Center of The Universe.

And lots more that I have to play & remind myself of.

...

[tornado fang], why am I doing this and not playing Galaxy again?

Hypershell · **Reply #19 on:** April 01, 2009, 02:26:03 AM

A good point (damn the economy for my not having Galaxy), but you could just as easily take segments of Sonic games to say the same. Especially the first Adventure. I meant the game as a whole.

The Drunken Dishwasher · **Reply #20 on:** April 01, 2009, 02:28:25 AM

Mmm...now that I finished Madworld...(aside from playing its Hard mode now), I should get my ass to Luigi Galaxy and NMH Bitter Mode

Jericho · **Reply #21 on:** April 01, 2009, 02:48:08 AM

Quote from: Hypershell on April 01, 2009, 02:26:03 AM

A good point (damn the economy for my not having Galaxy), but you could just as easily take segments of Sonic games to say the same. Especially the first Adventure. I meant the game as a whole.

Oh, well, I did want to just say all of it honestly, but that'd only be partially true (mostly true). The only way for you to see what I mean is to play it.

There's a reason why I have it next to only SMB3 as the culmination of the best elements of platforming.

Align · **Reply #22 on:** April 01, 2009, 04:16:43 PM

Video related to thread.

HyperSonicEXE · **Reply #23 on:** April 01, 2009, 05:46:45 PM

Sonic Adventure 1 was a good start for Sonic, although it'll be harder for it to make the transition to 3D simply because it is faster-paced. The good news is, though, that even the "fast" segments of the Genesis games were, in their own ways, "on rails" like Sonic Adventure would occasionally force the player into (see: Windy Valley). Look back at Chemical Plant, Stardust Speedway, Hydrocity, even Emerald Hill; you could go VERY fast, but you had relatively little control at that point. So what the 3D Sonic games need to do is still have that speed, but give up the control and make the settings eye-catch more. Then, put the control back in the player's hands for the platforming segments (save for its glitches, see: Final Egg).

Mario, being a slower-paced game based largely upon jumping, more easily made the transition to 3D. Sonic Team could learn from looking at its platforming task designs, then adjusting Sonic's jump mechanics and stages to that standard.

HokutoNoBen · **Reply #24 on:** April 01, 2009, 08:09:43 PM

Quote from: Aldo on April 01, 2009, 05:46:45 PM

Sonic Adventure 1 was a good start for Sonic, although it'll be harder for it to make the transition to 3D simply because it is faster-paced. The good news is, though, that even the "fast" segments of the Genesis games were, in their own ways, "on rails" like Sonic Adventure would occasionally force the player into (see: Windy Valley). Look back at Chemical Plant, Stardust Speedway, Hydrocity, even Emerald Hill; you could go VERY fast, but you had relatively little control at that point. So what the 3D Sonic games need to do is still have that speed, but give up the control and make the settings eye-catch more. Then, put the control back in the player's hands for the platforming segments (save for its glitches, see: Final Egg).

Disagree a bit with this statement.

See, what's still essentially the problem with modern Sonic games, is that they try to focus all on speed, and think that's the "return to Sonic's roots" that we've been waiting for.

And...that's wrong. Simply put.

There was much more that made the "glory days" of Sonic's 16-bit era what they were. It was solid level design married to a tight physics engine, which all did more to play up to Sonic's "pinball-like" nature. In the old days, you had to "earn" the right to make Sonic go fast...by the time you did so, you felt proud of yourself that you were able to get to that fast.

As long as modern day Sonic Team does NOT get that, they'll never make a Sonic game that TRULY goes back to Sonic's roots, either 3D or 2D. That's why the tagline has been worthless since they started touting it around Sonic Heroes, and will continue to be so.

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Dear SEGA...Never Stop Making SONIC Games. Your Fan, [insert name]