Was 3-D the worst thing to happen to Sonic?

[Anthony1]

I was just playing some Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and I started thinking, "Damn, whatever happened to Sonic." He had these great games on the Genesis, but never made the proper transition to 3D.

I think the main reason why Sonic never really worked in 3D is extremely simple. Sonic is built around speed, not exploration. The Mario games were always built around exploring every nook and cranny of the game world. Sonic was meant to be played at a breakneak speed, and it really wasn't meant to be played in a way were you explored every nook and cranny. You could play that way if you wanted to, but it really went against the spirit of the game.

With the move to 3-D, exploration comes natural. Running around at breakneak speeds really doesn't.

So I think that Sega should have either

A: Made the 3-D Sonic games focus much less on the whole speed aspect of Sonic, and make them more exploratory

or....

B: Just continue to make 3D Sonics!

Obviously, I would prefer B, but the focus groups and marketing departments would say that 2D games just wouldn't sell in todays modern gaming industry.

Of course, there is a game called Viewtifull Joe that has alot of people excited.

[hydr0x]

mh i really don't get ur problem at all

i LOVE the sonic adventure games, and i think they have enough speed, they are even faster than the original sonic games

[digitalpress]

First of all let me just say that you're bringing up some excellent topics here, Anthony1. You might even win the highly coveted "rookie of the year" Otto Award!

But I disagree with you. I enjoyed the Sonic 3D games (specifically Sonic Adventure and 2) much more than the original Sonic titles. Keep in mind however, that I'm not a fan of platform-style games and also suck at them. I really enjoyed the Dreamcast Soinic titles quite a lot!

[EnemyZero]

Yeah I definitlely enjoyed sonic adventure 1 and 2 alot... maybe not as much as the originals but I like them, sorta like sonic 3-D blast for saturn got alot of bad reviews from people, i loved it, especially the indiana jones esque' soundtrack lol.

[maxlords]

I found Sonic Adventure 1 to be VERY VERY fast and totally in the spirit of the Sonic games. I completely disagree with you. As for Sonic Adventure 2.....well, with the different characters and the slowing down of the game, I didn't like it near as much. Ah well. I think that it CAN be done in 3D, as long as it's done in a rails style....where you don't have TOO much freedom to explore....that's what slows a game down.

[dave2236]

Sonic 3 RULED \^_^/ \^_^/

[dreamcaster]

Um, Sonic was one the few characters to make it into the 3D world, that provided excellent gameplay.

Sonic's 2D adventures, as good as they were, could not match up to Mario's NES and SNES outings.

Sonic's move to 3D showed that the franchise had what it takes to be a serious competitor to Mario, and other competent platformers.

[Zaxxon]

No. Sonic R was great too.

[AB Positive]

I guess I'll be the one to agree here.

I absolutly ahbor the 3D Sonic games. Can't keep up, I can't ever get rings, I can't hit enemies, doesn't work for me. Mario is much more suited to the 3D realm as speed isn't as necessary as exploration. I love Mario 3D, I hate Sonic 3D


On the other hand, I prefer the 2D sonic way above and beyond the 2d mario games. it's an odd odd thing.

-AG

[Anthony1]

Well, it appears that me and Adam are in the minority on this one, but I still think that Sonic hasn't made the most gracefull transition to 3D.

It might have less to do with 3D, and more to do with the level design and pacing of the game.


I did find the 3D Sonic games to be enjoyable, very decent games, but not exactly what I was expecting.

I mean, Sonic was a huge, huge franchise for Sega, and I was expecting a TRUE 3D Sonic to be a huge Breakthrough game that would end up ranked in the Top 50 Games of All Time.

But as good as the 3D Sonics have been so far, I don't think they will ever get regarded in that kind of company.

[ubersaurus]

Maybe if they made a 3d sonic in the vein of the old, speed based ones, as opposed to using slow characters like Amy or Big or Gamma, then I'd say they were better, because the Sonic and Tails levels from Adventure 1 were fantastically fun.

[Bratwurst]

dave2236 is hereby invited to the Sausage Society, elite connoiseurs of Sega Software. Well, I just like Sonic 3 alot too.

Prior to 98, Sonic was whored out. Spinball, 3D Blast, the X-Treme flop for the Saturn, Sega had pretty much milked the franchise for all its worth, he was nothing new. Think of anything released after Sonic the Hedgehog 3 / S&K and consider how much of a fuss was raised, if any.

Then along came Sonic Adventure. It pretty much revitilized the character's popularity and in my opinion is the reason we're seeing so much stuff with him in it now- the anime series, the GBA titles, the Gamecube ports, etc.

They may be less than stellar to some, but I regard the Adventure games highly as a milestone in recouperating the quality and production values to the series. Gameplay aside, (and I think they're both fun) I'd like to see anyone claim there wasn't great thought and effort put into their creation. I'll concede they're flawed, but that's the nature of more complex designs. There's less to screw up in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 because of its inherent simplicity.