Why the Modern Sonic Stories Just Don't Work

[@MissNaomyo]

"THAT WAS JUST A BUNCH OF CHEAP WALK CYCLES" best summation of Sonic Forces ever

[@MissNaomyo]

I'm guessing it could work with either the cutscenes being flat and uninteresting or the game as a whole being linear. Personally I sorta took it as a joke about the game itself being linear, which got a good laugh out of me.

[@CrashFan03]

SONIC BETRAYED US?!!!

[@kylecrofts3481]

SQWAK!!! What a rip-off!

[@YujiUedaFan]

Plus there's so much automation in Forces...

[@davidpottinger9511]

That joke had me dying!

[@Dave_Chrome]

Anyone remember E102-Gamma's story in Sonic Adventure? Genuinely a good story, even if it was simple.

[@PadsterX]

yeah! he still is one of my favourite characters today because i liked his story and gameplay

[@pierrebegley2746]

It's funny how a Robot had more complexity than the entirety of the Sonic cast.

[@kingjesterxii3963]

E-102*

[@cyberspacedweller637]

It was awesome. That's how you do a side character.

[@Comkill117]

E-102 Gamma gave me my 5th favorite character in the entire franchise after Tails.

[@crashodeane]

I think Cadicarious put it best: "That's no excuse at all. There still has to be some sort of quality control with these things. Kids may be very easy to entertain, but they are not stupid, and this is just insulting."

[@EthanBradburyVlogs]

They are stupid

[@finnthomas7014]

@@EthanBradburyVlogs boi

[@__crispyyyy]

The marketing vs the actual content of Sonic Forces was just like: "Not gonna lie, they had us in the first half."

[@AustinAKR]

Holy **** finally people realise kids aren't just retards

[@godofwar234regi5]

AustinAKR Most of the time.

[@MathiPraz128]

One thing Heroes was pretty underrated in was was Team Dark's development. I didn't fully appreciate it as a kid, but the Trio does grow from the whole experience. Shadow and Rouge weren't really "friends" for most of SA2 until the final arc but rather villains with a common goal, with their development being more focused to their growing respect to their in-game hero rivals. In Sonic Heroes, Rouge gives Shadow (and Omega) stars off by giving new purpose which happens to benefit her, and by the end she genuinely seems concerned about shadow when he sees his robo-clones in the train station and the later scene with her and Omega in the Egg Carrier. Shadow and Omega's relationship is equally endearing. In the short cutscenes which kickstart each level in Heroes, it start with Omega threatening Shadow not the distract him and Shadow telling Omega to keep up with him (Basically a more extreme version of Sonic and Knuckles butting buddies relation). Contrast this to how Omega treats him at the end. Now we just don't get Team Dark being friends. Them and everyone else is just Background, with Tails' development having been completelly done away with

[@96wtfomg]

Oh man did they butcher Team Dark. I hate that people think they are Edgelords and how they always write them as assholes. Even in 06 these three had great development together.

[@tiruliru1189]

IMO, here are some good depictions for Shadow: -SA2 -Battle -Heroes -SX (Sonic X) anime -'06 -Black Knight (since he was a playable character) And here are the worst depictions: -Generations (he's just a cheerleader) -Boom -IDW (it's not Ian Flynn's fault) -TSR

[@Puyopuyotsu]

@@tiruliru1189 06 was ironically the worst for everyone but team dark

[@thunderbird7020]

@@tiruliru1189 I’d say Shadows own game should be on the worst depictions list. That fuc*ing game is the reason he became a joke and edgelord (because Izuka wrote it and not Shadows creator Shiro Maekawa, and Izuka decided to butcher the character).

[@viktoryc]

@@Puyopuyotsu Ik this was a year ago but whatever. I think they did a good job with Silver and his story. He is driven to save his world and make the world a better place, but he is also naive. And him having to sacrifice Blaze and defeating Iblis was a pretty good moment and completely changed him.

[@silverbro13]

Black Knight wasn’t needlessly edgy. The storybook series as a whole was very interesting as I’ve seen, as it throws sonic into different stories with their own twists. Edgy stories are fine as long as they aren’t botched like forces

[@deanmoriarty6015]

black knight’s characterization of sonic is so fucking good and it’s a spin off game. it makes me wanna cry ngl. unleashed is the best mainline characterization weve seen for sonic though

[@matthewmorrison3745]

@@deanmoriarty6015 Fuck yes, I occasionally go back and watch all the cutscenes on YT. Can confirm Satbk had one of the best stories.

[@ccricers]

The storybook series was an interesting idea, too bad that it was cut short.

[@YoshifreakZX]

Black Knight is probably the most underrated Sonic game. I loved it.

[@epichal4883]

I may have disliked the gameplay initially but the stories themselves? They were pretty badass. I loved what they tried to do and even if they're generally seen as meh games, I wish there had been a third one to wrap things up. Like how cool would it have been if we had gotten one set in Ancient Greece, built around Greek mythology with Sonic as the embodiment of Hermes? One can only dream.

[@TheJege12]

"If the characters don't take the story seriously, how am I supposed to do that" Exactly, right on point!

[@hubblebublumbubwub5215]

Nobody is supposed to take a story about a blue talking hedgehog with superpowers seriously

[@JsReviews]

Yes but the game acts like it’s super important, but the writing and characters don’t back it up.

[@golddust7095]

An exception i can think of is devil may cry but on the whole yh i agree

[@Z3R0XPH4NTH0M]

Yep

[@JamesPlaysGames95]

that's how i feel about the star wars sequels. i hate that Poe has joked to the villains faces at the opening of ep 7 and 8 so far

[@Sjono]

The greatest atrocity is what Sonic Forces did to Tails’ character. They made him an absolute weakling who couldn’t defend himself without Sonic’s help, which spits on the character’s legacy

[@shupasopni]

That was a thing since Unleashed fyi.

[@RaverRacer]

Tails 1999 facing up to the nuking of Station Square - It's up to me! I'm not scared, I'm not scared! I can DO this! Tails 2019 facing up to Chaos 0 - Sonic, help me!!

[@joweechao]

to play devil's advocate here, I imagine watching the guy you look up to getting the shit beat out of him and then the entire world taken over would leave someone in a fairly emotionally vulnerable state. then again, that'd be giving the writing team too much credit

[@tails0389]

Sjono there’s a theory that tails was depressed about the war and had low self-esteem to fight chaos 4 but if this theory was true..SEGA/Sonic Team have depicted it so wrong :(

[@frenchiestfry7458]

joweechao well in sa2 tails thought sonic had died and he was sad but he knew that he couldn’t give up and sonic would want him to finish what he started and then he kicked eggmans ass

[@raphaelmartins6529]

I don't understand why people say Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 stories tried to take itself more seriously than it should. They don't. These games have dramatic moments, but they have funny moments as well.They are "Adventure" stories, not comedy stories, but there's nothing too dark or edgy on them. the only Sonic game that's too dark is the Shadow the Hedgehog game.

[@cookieblobber]

100% agreed

[@ultrairrelevantnobody1862]

In retrospect, I came to appreciate the Adventure games story wise for how they nail a balance of lighthearted and high stakes while still being sincere about it. It's basically the step forward after Sonic 3 and its ambitious storytelling for early 90s 2D platformers. Also in general, it's one of my favourite concepts as a storyteller/writer. Make a property that looks all goofy, sweet and comedy-driven on the outside only to subvert expectations by revealing the inside. That inside being something mature and serious that doesn't needlessly talk down to children.

[@Sydney_Angelyt]

Even then, Shadow the Hedgehog has better pacing than meta era.

[@jackiethecartoonfan2300]

Yes, those games are the best!!👍

[@TheMGMfan]

@@ultrairrelevantnobody1862 I agree; I think that that's probably the perfect way to describe the tone of the Classic Sonic games as well; the idea of a cartoon blue hedgehog going fast and stopping an obese mechanical genius who stuffs small animals into robots sounds pretty goofy, and it is to some, but they still made it clear that Eggman (or Robotnik if you prefer, I don't) truly was a vile person and legitimate threat (especially in the first game for the former with Scrap Brain Zone and latter two with the Death Egg), which gave them some darker elements, not to mention the story of Sonic 3&K. When you think about, SA1 really does feel like an evolution to the Classics not just in the gameplay, but the story, which feels like they wanted to take it further than 3&K ever could've, and SA2 was clearly made to take what SA1 did right and run with it while removing what didn't, and that's definitely true with the story.

[@Maginum]

"Tails Acted For The Greater Good,Lets Make Sure His Sacrifice Isn't For Nothing" WTF

[@arti5882]

Yup, isnt that dumb?

[@donathan2933]

ikr I was "whaa?"

[@Ki_ngy]

yeah, that actually made no sense

[@gamingtmans6692]

That line had me dying with laughter. There's just something about how he says it and the timing of when he says it

[@donathan2933]

@@gamingtmans6692 it’s so over dramatic and over the top 😂

[@alansunter2383]

Is it bad that I want to see more of that scary side to Eggman? I understand why people enjoy him as a goofy villain, but without moments like him threatening the Zetis, he becomes less of a villain and more of a nuisance.

[@littlemissdeadly24papyrus36]

The reason he's a cool villain is cause he's goofy but he can do a complete 180 and scare the absolute shit out if you with how dark he can get

[@hansruhlmann454]

Nope, it's not bad. I want it too.

[@sonicdash761]

The last time for me that Eggman was truly threatening was when he destroyed the world in Sonic Unleashed.

[@BlueLightningSky]

Watch the animated series. That's only time Eggman is actually scary.

[@Z3RO5286]

@@obd9660 unleashed and adventure games are a great mixture of a evil and silly eggman.

[@BigBossMan538]

Not gonna lie, "No copyright law in the universe is going to stop me!" still makes me chuckle.

[@gamermanx3096]

BigBossMan538 watch out m8, you may get some flack for saying that.

[@LeopoldLitchenstein]

It's still the best thing Roger Craig Smith has said as Sonic

[@derpyzmuffinz]

Unlike Sonic I don’t chuckle

[@justbny9278]

BigBossMan538 so dumb

[@gamermanx3096]

Leopold Litchenstein personally, I prefer: “Oh hey, sounds like the party's started. Want to let me go and join in? No? Of course not, you hate fun.”

[@RealHyperHedgehog]

“You're dead if you aim only for kids. Adults are only kids grown up, anyway.“ -Walt Disney That is the main issue with a lot of the 2010’s Sonic stories, they talk down to their audience.

[@math3us420]

best quote

[@yderga8707]

Ironic considering what Disney prioritizes now.

[@invader8491]

The only thing your implying is that the target audience of sonic should be reversed.

[@RealHyperHedgehog]

@@invader8491 No, it’s actually treat your audience with respect. The best children’s story authors follow this philosophy. Why else are Disney, Nintendo, Cn and Nickelodeon so successful and have a lot of adult fans?

[@MadSociety-uy6zg]

@@RealHyperHedgehog facts so true the best Sonic games I still love Sonic adventure and Sonic adventure 2 hell Sonic heroes and even better Sonic unleashed did light hearted moments than recent Sonic games. I even go as far as I love Sonic 06 more than recent Sonic games.

[@amyroseishere1091]

I applaud your honesty with the disappointment surrounding modern sonic stories being dumbed down to the point of absolute boredom. There is no drama or stakes being raised as you go through the gimmick of the game and lose interest in the plot. Sonic adventure series had their issues but god damn were they high stakes. A memorable moment for me in SA2 is when after fighting Shadow on prison island, the cutscene has eggman angrily announce that the island was set to blow up and sonic has this "Oh shit!!! Gotta find amy and tails!!!!" moment Like, you felt for Sonic in that instant of panic and immediate goal of getting the hell out of dodge. Green forest's upbeat soundtrack as you rush through the level with that blaring yellow timer at the top ticking away was absolutely iconic.

[@nonutnovemberman]

That’s kind of the reason why I prefer the Super Mario RPG’s (The old ones) instead of The mainstream Mario games. While I grew up and still love the mainstream Mario games, it’s more or less just been the same “Bowser kidnapped the Princess” routine, so besides games like Galaxy or Odyssey, there’s no real stakes being raised because we know Mario’s gonna win regardless because we’ve done it before. Now I’m not gonna pretend that games like Paper Mario TTYD, Super Paper Mario, M&L: Partners In Time, or M&L: Bowser’s Inside Story have the same “The Princess has been captured” cliche, but DAMN were there high stakes! Because it gave us more motivation to stop the villains other than the Princess has been kidnapped again, The Shadow Queen’s awakening, The Void consuming all, and Cackletta and Fawful taking over the world were a great driving force and they had some serious tones but it never stepped itself away from kiddy light-hearted comedy or fluff and never took itself too comedic to the point where it becomes boring or too serious to the point where it becomes too needlessly edgy. Oh and let’s never forget the awesomeness of Super Mario RPG: The Secret Of The Seven Stars (also their self-awareness jokes are much more well done than Sonic Lost World)

[@PoochieCollins]

@Amy : I'm going to ask Sonic for a date. What you gonna do about it???

[@sirknight69]

I remember being genuinely scared when playin through Green Forest for the first time. Like, if my goal shifted from anything other than "get to the goal ASAP" everything would blow. Little did little me know that the time they give you is plenty to get through the level and get all the stuff

[@raidoukuzonoha883]

Honestly I feel the same way when I finished forces I felt...... nothing unlike in adventure 2 or heck even 06 cuz ATLEAST in 06 they acted like themselves and shadow had a really good story in 06 even later on in unleashed that had a good narrative despite it being more light hearted it’s disappointing as someone who’s been playing sonic as far back as I can remember

[@formerlyyaboitom10]

@@PoochieCollins Bruh

[@TheGamingKiller242]

Tails: How did you know it was a fake emerald? Sonic: TAILS! Robotnik: Because you just told me Fox Boy! Admit it, this is the Dr. Robotnik we need nowadays, he was intimidating, and intelligent in Sonic Adventure 2. Cunning, and thinking ahead. Pretty much killed Sonic too, only reason he didn't is because he managed the impossible by using Chaos Control on a fake emerald.

[@marx4538]

Tails sounds really dumb, though.

[@TheSherriea1]

Eggman*

[@marx4538]

@@TheSherriea1 Dr.Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik, then.

[@SuperNardful]

Or “You fool... away, before I make mincemeat out of you” from the end of Tails’ story in SA1. Definitely agree about eggman

[@justcallmekai1554]

@@SuperNardful He sounded menacing there

[@jordanboyd5587]

"Our main characters crack jokes that aren't even that funny and then explain them in obnoxious detail." So Sonic Color's story is basically Family Guy.

[@flipside2086]

I mean at least I can laugh at Family Guy

[@jordanboyd5587]

@@flipside2086 Even the bad episodes

[@MariusWales]

Sonic Pre-2010: Adventurous, brave, caring and occasionally wisecracking. Sonic now: Bored frat boy.

[@shucaybkarie1389]

Until Sonic Frontiers, they bringing back 2000s instead of 2010s.

[@stijnvandevyver7958]

The deadly six look like they're from a completely different franchise.

[@Asakedia]

The day they appeared, I didn't like them. Same goes for super mario odyssey rabbits.

[@ΠαναγιωτηςΤσαραφλης]

They looked like the came out of Space Jam.

[@kieranstark7213]

Which is another reason why The Deadly Six made Sonic Lost World less than good.

[@mathunit1]

@@Asakedia Oddysey rabbits? The fuck do you mean?

[@pikksen7905]

Oliver Xu The Broodals

[@andyenglish4303]

The Sonic series problem seems to be that Sega just doesn't give a shit anymore. The Sonic games sell regardless of quality so there's no incentive to put forth the effort into making good ones--Sonic Team attempted to do something interesting with 06, but Sega rushed it out for the 15th Anniversary and consequently it was an unfinished mess. Sonic Boom's concept art shows that BRB initially had a very ambitious and potentially solid game on paper, but then Sega forced them to develop it exclusively for Wii U when Cryengine wasn't supported on that system, and the results a disaster. Colors and generations have a good gameplay loop but they're just empty and/or annoying as stories. It's like Sega never lets the developer have enough time to make a sonic game polished all around, save for Sonic Mania. Can you imagine if Nintendo was as careless with Mario as Sega is which Sonic?

[@LeopoldLitchenstein]

I think a big part of it is them not knowing how to approach the series in a 3D space. They had something going for the Adventure games, they just needed more polish and less filler gameplay styles. But that was ruined with 06. Then they had something else with the Boost gameplay in Unleashed, and made some steps to evolving it in Generations, nearly perfecting it, and possibly even leading to more sandbox styled Sonic games, only to take so many steps back with Forces. The Sonic franchise changes gameplay styles more than a girl changes clothes, so instead of letting something stick and polishing it to the best it can be, they end up throwing ideas at a wall, and never having the guts to just go all out with a game. Lost World, I can commend them for, as they basically predicted that people were probably sick of the Boost formula, but they STILL didn't allow that game to reach its full potential because of the tube level design, 2D sections, and the weird gravity stuff.

[@theobserver4214]

Ben English If only Sonic '06 had an extra year in the oven, it could have been something better

[@plymouththecat1751]

I've never been a big fan of Colors and Generations, I felt Unleashed handled the boost gameplay far better, personally. However I can't deny the positive effect it had on Sonic in general, and I definitely agree on SEGA's poor handling of their property. Sonic Team has these ideas of what they want to do, and a lot of them are interesting, but the man upstairs just rushes it out as fast as possible, and while I've enjoyed a lot of the titles many look down upon, this frustrates me to no end.

[@cliffturbo2146]

Generations was never really meant for a big story. It was meant for a big celebration for the 20th Anniversary with two different Sonics in one game and previous Stages.

[@Enigma2Me]

That's debatable. Just because it was a celebration of the 20th anniversary doesn't mean a big story couldn't have been told. They just took the laziest route possible by not doing anything with the premise they set up.

[@kylecampbell565]

It seems SEGA took all the wrong lessons from 06. They thought the reason people hated the story was it was too dark not because it was riddled with plot holes and Shadow was the only character with a brain and in character. They thought the reason we hated the multiple gameplay styles was because we hated the characters so they reduced everybody except Sonic to a cheerleader when the real problem is none of the styles were fleshed our or fun. They went too far in the other direction They thought people didn’t like 06’s gameplay because of the exploration factor when we hated it for being a buggy, piss poor controlling mess. I’m not exaggerating I recall a Nintendo Power interview with Izuka around the release of Sonic Colors where he said Sonic Team regretted the Wearhog and Swordplay: but with the way he worded it he seemed to under the impression the very concept was the problem not the execution. And they missed the biggest lesson of all. Don’t release a game before it’s ready. They forced big red button to rebuild Rise of Lyric from scratch on the Wii U and refused the change the release date. On top of that if reports are true 2.5 years of Sonic Forces 3.5-4 year development was spent on the new lighting engine rather than making the actual game. And to add insult to injury the lighting engine makes the game look worse than Sonic Unleashed a game released NINE YEARS AGO on weaker hardware!

[@shadowthehedgehog3113]

I actually like 06s story tbh.

[@kylecampbell565]

The Iranian Liberal different strokes for different folks I guess

[@michaellaidley8644]

Completely agree with ya! I haven't played all the sonic games but when I played sonic unleashed, the graphics were beautiful and I was expecting an amazing game because the whole idea of a werewolf sonic was cool... but the gameplay wasn't and I don't know how they couldn't' see it unless they just didn't play their own game.

[@UmarTahir]

Nice work on exposing the false contrasts Sega made going from Sonic 06 to Colors! Oh, and that Nintendo Power interview sounds so unfortunate. Like, I get they're listening to the fans but they really need to learn how to prioritize what elements are essential for a good game

[@kylecampbell565]

Umar Tahir and the Sonic community is so fractured for every fan they please there will be 1 or 2 they piss off

[@jordanboyd5587]

"Tails acted for the greater good. Let's make sure that his sacrifice isn't for nothing." LMAO

[@undeadbatman9762]

Kind of unrelated but I just imagined Tails saying, "L+ ratio" or something like that in the next Sonic game. Given how he said "True Dat" in Forces, I won't be surprised lmao.

[@hanezutchins2786]

@@undeadbatman9762 I'd actually laugh. I would not be able to hold back

[@TheZeroNeonix]

I like how during SA2's final boss, Super Sonic asks Shadow if he's okay, hinting that he was losing energy too fast and might not survive. It helps set up Shadow's sacrifice by making you think, "Why does Sonic sound so concerned?"

[@thelastwindwaker7948]

It's refreshing at this point to hear someone criticize modern Sonic from a place of love, and without using Sonic Mania as a platform to bash anything that came out after Sonic 3.

[@knuxuki1013]

Agreed

[@RubyofBlue]

Holy shit, yes. It's not Mania fault, but I cannot stand how so many people are so quick to use it as a platform to bash other Sonic games.

[@kieranstark7213]

What “platform” means in this case is “excuse”. And this is exactly why I’m a fan of this video!!

[@tiruliru1189]

Exactly!

[@ayrtonjoga]

Just a little correction "Without using Mania as a platform to bash anything that came out after Sonic *2* ", people who suck dry the classic games and Sonic Mania forget that Sonic 3 exists

[@mika_fernandes]

i find sad that, nowadays, memes are mainly being used as a scapegoat to the series' status. "What's this? Fans are losing hope on the franchise? Let's just throw another Big The Cat meme!". It used to be cute, at first, but now it's plain desperate. No wonder most outsiders look to the franchise as a joke. People like to blame stuff like IGN, Game Grumps or Projared for this, but barely ever pay attention to the circus that is Sonic's social media.

[@MILDMONSTER1234]

P.sure only Sonic’s zoomer fans care about that

[@warioland523]

I kind of miss when games used to take themselves seriously and not mindlessly pander to fans with nostalgia and memes up the ass. The series is now becoming AOSTH and yes even Forces has these elements as painful as it is to say that. But the games aren't supposed to be AOSTH. They are meant to be their own thing. When I see Orbot and Cubot I just see the robotic chicken and mole minions from AOSTH. They are dumb idiot comic relief villains that serve Robotnik. Need I say more.

[@Lucas-dy5mt]

Yeah, about projared...

[@warioland523]

@@Lucas-dy5mt His career is now a dumpster fire.

[@Lucas-dy5mt]

@@warioland523 broken marriage/10

[@spookyubers1202]

I also don't like how they shove green hill zone up our faces.

[@poissonmulti-taches2742]

Sonic forces spoil Green Hill Zone dies .

[@oddfuturestudios9766]

"heY gUYs, rEmEMbeR tHiS???!?!"

[@coolisticdude10.09]

poisson multi-taches “Green Hills looking more like Sand Hill right now!”

[@raquelgonzalez1854]

To be honets thanks to that im kinda hating that level. I mean its not bad its just overused and kinda annoying in a way.

[@louiepikmin3184]

In SA2 it was understandable. We hadn't seen it in 3d yet and it's the first time they ever did that. Even in generations I can completely understand. In every other game it's completely unnecessary.

[@Macandbloo11]

Modern Sonic stories can work. They just need to be handled better.

[@tayojones9460]

I must respectful disagree. Boom is very immature and annoying. The Archie and IDW sonic comics are better.

[@aiden4917]

@The main cause of warps in all of reality we because i did too.

[@aiden4917]

Also fire everyone and hire actaul pros who know what they are doing and don't rush them and leave them too it also make sure they are very familiar with the seires as a whole.

[@CGHawkatoo]

Exactly. And need to be written better.

[@DatBoiRatchet]

Nah, adventure arc needs to come back.

[@chellismcelveen499]

I am so sick of Sega's self-deprecation. Making self aware jokes in an attempt to poke fun instead of actually focusing on improving on storytelling, worldbuilding and gameplay does not fix Sonic's problems. Just like how making Sonic be the end all be all solution and having him save the day alone vs. a guardian of a powerful gem, government spies, a detective team, other superpowered characters, and normal people who can keep up with Sonic being shoved to the side and not contributing to the plot in any way, shape or form. Fans kept complaining about "Sonikku's Dumb Friends" and Sega takes this too seriously to the point no one else gets to have their moment to shine or be developed; now they are useless because they can't even be active or morons start complaining about their existence. Even Tails gets shafted now (Chaos 0 in Sonic Forces ring a bell?) It's become a vicious cycle that needs to stop ASAP.

[@White_Recluse]

They took Sonic and made him Goku

[@imdurgesh9430]

Sonic has been going downhill and can’t be taken seriously anymore. RIP THE “SERIOUS DRAMATIC SONIC ERA” 1999-2006

[@lamegamertime]

I hate self aware jokes in general. You aren't trying to fix problems, you're telling people that you think your actions are jokes. That's pretty much why I hate Game Theory. He even has a video where he says that you shouldn't actually take his theories seriously. If they aren't theories, what are they? Clickbait?

[@tlk2ty]

@@lamegamertime for fun

[@lamegamertime]

@@tlk2ty That's what some conspiracy theorists say about *their own* conspiracies. Specifically the one about how "You accidentally swapped timelines." The person who made it says "It's just fun to think about." You can't act serious and then say "It's just a prank bro!"

[@CloverLovesTT]

i legit would rather have the tryhard story of 06 instead of any story from the recent games

[@dragonlord3376]

That bad, huh?

[@dapperfan44]

They say people don't know what they want until they get it.

[@chkavm2988]

unpopular opinion: 06 is the best sonic game.

[@entruh4520]

@@dapperfan44 I agree a sonic 06 story would be bad

[@kawaiiqueee]

@@chkavm2988 It's at least my 3rd favorite with Colours and the first game being at top. Without Sonic '06, Blaze and Silver wouldn't be in the games or at least their universe wouldn't and I adore the changed tone and theme the games had at the time following Shadow the Hedgehog's foot steps

[@Dizzyj360]

I think sonic 06 was the make or break, if that game worked and wasn't rushed it'd be considered the best sonic game and the whole franchise would be completely different

[@JohnSmith-mk5jt]

I think that if they gave that game more development time (at least a year) and spent that time polishing the gameplay, not try-harding so much with the story, and maybe just eliminating Elise from the story entirely, the game, as you said, would've been revered as the best Sonic game of all time and sent the series down a path for the better. Basically, if they didn't rush it for a holiday release, it could've been much better to say the least.

[@Dizzyj360]

@@JohnSmith-mk5jt definitely, they should've just been realistic and disregarded the holiday release becuase the positive financial impact of releasing on a holiday is far outweighed by the negative impact of releasing a broken game

[@donathan2933]

@@JohnSmith-mk5jt agreed

[@Kingnorm04]

Agreed. I genuinely believe the franchise would’ve probably still been as relevant and loved as the Mario franchise still is if 06 was a great game, but the game made the franchise hit rock bottom.

[@sebastianswan7975]

@@Kingnorm04 I wouldn't say as relevant as Mario, but it would definitely be better than it is now, by the time 06 came out, Sega's last console failed, making them have to put out their games onto other platforms.

[@lamarfll]

I really wish Sega would bring back Shiro Maekawa as their guy in charge of story, its clear they stopped having him work on Sonic when they changed directions, alongside Sega having Crush 40 make music for the series far less now, and focused heavily on pandering to nostalgia. I honestly feel like if they want to continue to go down the route they're going they might as well just reboot the series, since there's a strong disconnect with Modern Sonic and the Classic + Dreamcast era of Sonic now.

[@Kuzamer]

Shiro Maekawa and Hiroshi Miyamoto are the best writers in Sonic history.

[@bunsmasterbunny]

@@Kuzamer And Kiyoko Yoshimura.

[@Kuzamer]

@@bunsmasterbunny Not to me.

[@cyberspacedweller637]

If they reboot Dreamcast Era Sonic and do it right, ie as it was in the DC days, that is IMO what modern Sonic should be. Its far too "targeting a younger age group" now. A little too Nintendo IMO.

[@CarbonRollerCaco]

The series _is_ pretty much rebooted; Unleashed’s an Adventure 1 rehash with Sonic hogging the stage.

[@WerehogFan18]

I miss what Sonic was like before Roger Craig Smith took over, SEGA removed Sonic's good things about himself--he may be cocky, silly, and a smartass, but knows when to be serious, acted nice towards others, especially Tails--who's been a little brother to him since Sonic 2. I want the writers to give Sonic's true blue personality back.

[@SuperSonicWarrior93]

WerehogFan18 I also miss hearing Ryan Drummond voicing Sonic.

[@CarbonRollerCaco]

@@SuperSonicWarrior93 I miss ALL of the SA1 cast. Even though many of them can't physically reprise their roles for various reasons. They might've not turned in the most sterling performances, but that was never on them-they honestly tried and it showed. And the sounds of their voices were DEAD. FUCKING. CENTER. They just needed better material: less generic and redundant. Well, it WAS on you if you were playing an Echidna. :

[@SuperSonicWarrior93]

Carbon Roller Caco They got better in SA2 and Heroes.

[@CarbonRollerCaco]

@@SuperSonicWarrior93 Well, duh; they'd gotten that better material.

[@SuperSonicWarrior93]

Carbon Roller Caco I didn't say that to point the obvious. I say that as further proof that SEGA should've really held on to that cast.

[@starfalchion4404]

This video brought a tear to my eye, not gonna lie. The whole video went over my exact thoughts on the stories and what made them special before and why they’re so bad now. I’m sincerely hoping SEGA and Sonic Team gets a new team on the story, writing, cutscene animation, and voice acting to make a story that at least makes you care and make’s Sonic cool again.

[@jeremyknight9980]

In my opinion they just need to get new English and japanese writers that have an understanding of the Sonic characters.

[@Stew91]

@Star, Sonic Adventure 2 was complete shit story-wise. Why do people praise it??

[@starfalchion4404]

Justin Stewart It was complex for Sonic story standards and was a tragic backstory that made us care for the new character (Shadow). Also, I like the story because the characterization of all the characters was on point.

[@fightingmedialounge519]

If that's complex, I hate to see your standard for simple.

[@starfalchion4404]

Kye Dysarthria I said “complex for Sonic story standards.” It’s definitely not a masterpiece but it was a deep enough story to get invested in and make us care for the characters like Shadow.

[@Kingnorm04]

I genuinely believe Sonic & The Black Knight was the last sonic game with a great story, writing, and villain. Sonic stories has always been one of the main things I’ve loved about the games and I feel like great stories has been missing from the series since that game. Forces seemed promising at first but it ended up being the biggest disappointment in sonic history. Hell, even if 06’s story had issues, it still wasn’t terrible like the games today. I actually feel like 06 was the game that perfectly nailed Shadow’s character development after the events of Shadow The Hedgehog. It seemed like a natural evolution of his character unlike the whole “Arrogant Rival” personality they’re giving him now that makes him feel like a discount Vegeta. I feel like if the whole Elise romance thing was removed, 06’s story would’ve been better received and just overall greater. I feel like the best thing to do is to hire Ian Flynn, the writer of the IDW comics, to write the story for the games. I’ve read the IDW comics up to now and they have everything that sonic stories now are lacking. High stakes, great characters (no more beta male tails who’s scared of chaos 0 like in forces), great dialogue, and overall great writing that’s much superior to the games now. Even if they don’t hire him, maybe there is a glimmer of hope for sonic stories, since they got rid of the old writers responsible for writing Forces. I’ll try to stay optimistic but I’m seriously hoping we don’t get trash like Forces. EDIT: This aged well. Ian Flynn was confirmed as the writer for Sonic Frontiers.

[@kwamedamuah1838]

I have no faith in sega. I hope that shadow is not the arrogant rival in the next game

[@Dragonfly-in9uu]

well... better late than never... I do wonder what Ian's take on the stories would be like if he did get a chance to write the stories sooner...

[@PenumbraDev]

I pray Ian Flynn wasn't the main reason the story was bad.

[@maryafantalia4357]

Me too I always loved Sonic stories.

[@voltmcvolt1751]

This series's plot situation is like a dad laughing while mocking his son that is trying so hard to impress him

[@voltmcvolt1751]

Victor Vallim thanks

[@T725db]

Sonic Battle for crying out loud a good dramatic story with both light hearted elements and serious moments. And tied them together perfectly. And this was a GAME BOY game. The characters acted very much like themselves too.

[@jacobsimoneau101]

well.. its game boy advance but it doesn't matter

[@TheDen-ec9xe]

Truth !

[@FirstnameLastname-sb3hj]

NO-

[@TheDen-ec9xe]

James Belmore the Nostalgia Kid Yes, you idiot

[@knuxuki1013]

It's one of my favorite Sonic stories, every time I see the ending I come close to shedding a few tears. I also highly agree on how the characters' personalities are done correctly, even Amy I guess. From Sonic and Tails all the way to even Shadow and Cream, especially Cream. Cream had some character development in this game along with Emerl of course. She basically learned that sometimes there will be those times that she needs to fight back, for both her and her friends safety, some bad guys deserve the punishment (and boy oh boy, Cheese is a huge one for foes). I enjoyed every second of that game's plot (excluding Rouge's story) and I'm glad Advance 3 slightly expanded upon it by having Gmerl have his predecessor's data.

[@chaoscontroller4489]

This video perfectly captures how i feel about the series as a whole. I miss those epic moments, those story arcs, the interesting characters and locations. If i had to describe it, it's as if the Sonic series lost its soul, as if it lost what made us fall in love with it all the way back in the "Genesis Era", or the "Dreamcast Era", or the ""Dark" Era". Bless Mania for coming out in the middle of this identity crisis. Anyway, great job with the video.

[@masterofvoreth8636]

Heck. If the movie has proven anything you can do a lighthearted story that people enjoy without being meta

[@sezunemizuhana3870]

That's why people love Kung fu Panda and Shrek (2 specifically)

[@arturocastroverde3349]

@@sezunemizuhana3870 shrek and kung fu panda had darker and more ambitious memes than the sonic movies as silly as they look or feel

[@sezunemizuhana3870]

@@arturocastroverde3349 Yup, but considering Sonic Movie is live-action/CGI Hollywood movie this is one of the best options we could have gotten

[@Jetstreamsamdidnothingwrong]

@@sezunemizuhana3870 kung-fu panda 2 literally starts with a genocide

[@Guardian-of-Light137]

Im kinda amazed how quickly people's opinion on the movie changed.

[@GlinkBetweenWorlds]

SA2's ending was the pinnacle of sonic games for me, a very original style to it and story that felt like no other, combined with fun gameplay and interesting characters

[@mr.clymate7489]

@@NintendoDude888 Listen here, I''m a Gamer and a real Gamer knows that SA2's ending was awesome. It's a Gamer Fact.

[@mr.clymate7489]

@@NintendoDude888 it's a Gamer Fact buddy.

[@michaeltalley170]

GamingGuy800 How are the flashbacks pointless? there meant to give context to the incident on the Ark that fueled Dr. Robotniks vengeance against humanity as well as Shadow characterization.

[@kazoorion7993]

GamingGuy800 Says the Soniclieber.

[@NotDarnumi]

GamingGuy800 do you not appreciate a good story?

[@plcthelegacy4131]

".....I was too slow to save my buddy." Can we get the "You're too slow" taunt after that line?

[@edwardrobinson919]

PLC The Legacy yes. You're too slow.

[@TheReZisTLust]

No just edit "im" in with "too slow"

[@justbny9278]

Would be a sick way for Eggman to answer Sonic's shitty one liners

[@corpsemachine6949]

@@justbny9278 it would be cool if they acknowledged that sonic was kind of an asshole and slowly he turned into that comic super sonic and you thought his reason for being bad was a little reasonable but you thought he shouldn't be getting mad at his friends for abandoning him,eventually making him turn to be friends with metal and you fight sonics friends but still save animals from eggman.lemme go write this down and edit it so I can post it back to you where it looks better and I don't sound like some 13 year old girl giving a shitty school report

[@TheSherriea1]

@@TheReZisTLust i'm not im You idiot!

[@FitzyCify]

What also helps is that Dreamcast Era Robotnik had some geniunely sinister moments, and you could actually take him sertiously as a threat. You mentioned the dramatic tension of Crazy Gadget, one of my favourite touches in that level is that he constantly taunts Sonic over the P.A. system. "If you don't hurry, [Amy] *will* die!" Seriously, screw Evil Ham, give me Fox Mincemeat any day!

[@andrewt329]

Honestly, I prefer the way Eggman was in Unleashed. With the exception of Heroes, I feel like the Dreamcast era definitely played Eggman too straight. Sinister moments work best when they're used sparingly. Let's not forget that this is an Egg shaped evil scientist with the face of Theodore Roosevelt who traditionally has a big goofy grin etched on his face. A villain like that NEEDS ham every now and then. It makes the sinister moments all the more threatening when they finally snap which was how Unleashed sold it, and made the Egg Dragoon boss fight one of the most atmospheric encounters with Eggman in the entire series. Then again Eggman's been the best part of the series for awhile now. I can't complain too much.

[@FitzyCify]

To each their own. I'll agree that Unleashed was a nice balance of goofiness and cunning , especially in the opening cinematic, but something about it just doesn't quite work for me.

[@andrewt329]

@FitzyCify I feel like if you need a straight evil villain you'd be better off just making one rather than retrofitting Eggman into that mold. Metal Sonic or even Infinite could easily fit the role. Just don't implement them poorly like in Forces.

[@godandthedevilbothsuck2688]

@@andrewt329 I'm sorry but you have shitty taste and shitty opinions. Wanting a goofy Eggman and thinking he is the best part of the series for a while now proves it

[@ilopominecrafter]

Andrew T maybe they should bring metal back to how he was in heroes, but expand on that or at least that form and personality. I can’t be the only one who actually like seein metal sonic able to speak or think and bein a huge threat

[@megaman15ish]

If I was a head writer at Sega I'd write off the 2010s era of Sonic as non canon and return to the kind of storytelling seen in the Adventure games and Black Knight.

[@sezunemizuhana3870]

Sega would never do that because they're allergic to good decisions.

[@undeadbatman9762]

I respect that decision, but can you at least bring some characters from that era and make them good? Because there is missed potential in the 2010s games too. Time Eater has a cool design but is terrible as a character and he needs a good backstory (being a fragment of Solaris would be very cool). And Infinite also has a cool design but has a shitty backstory and a shitty character.

[@megaman15ish]

@@undeadbatman9762 Oh for sure. There are characters I genuinely had interest in like the ones you mentioned but the awful writing is what ruined it. With Pontac and Graff gone I really hope they step up their game in the storytelling department.

[@undeadbatman9762]

@@megaman15ish Agreed

[@sambridgers9543]

@@megaman15ish Could you also give a better version of 06?

[@mightywaranvil2912]

You're the hero we need, not the hero we deserve. Even though I'm personally fine with Sonic's Twitter being one with the memes and occasional self-deprecation, but the stories don't deserve that. No matter how well or poorly the Dreamcast/Dark Age games aged, I can understand that all of those have that passion and magic that most of the 2010s games lack.

[@UmarTahir]

Agreed. You articulated it well. And yeah, the Sonic twitter is pretty good. It gives some love to the Dreamcast Era. They post things related to the Adventure games somewhat occasionally. I don't have a problem with the Twitter at all

[@brunolinares604]

After detractors of the series have been calling it out for how ridiculous the 2000s stories were, it's understandable they opted for a more comical take, making fun of themselves, and I liked it in Colors and Generations. But I can agree that it's time to move on. Forces looked like the perfect opportunity to do so with the setting, but nah...

[@UmarTahir]

@@brunolinares604 True, I think Colors and Generations worked for their time, but not as a general mood for the entire franchise

[@RubyofBlue]

I just want Sonic stories that are competently written again, that keep the characters, story, and world internally consistent, and builds onto them in a meaningful way. Whether it's light hearted or dark, that's all I want. (by light hearted I don't mean detached, self-deprecating meta cringe comedy)

[@staticshadic]

Ruby of Blue agreed

[@zecle]

why do you hate sonic boom cartoon ?

[@sonicgenesisadventures]

Basically SA2

[@noobking2335]

Nice paragraph of cringe but No u

[@flashergoldpower15]

@@sonicgenesisadventures pretty much. Yeah

[@starscorpia4005]

Can i just say, Mike Pollock is great, he knows how to deliver even the worst lines in a memorable way, and he is genuinely one of the few things worth watching in sonic stories.

[@TheDen-ec9xe]

Star Scornius Nahhh He's so damn overrated. Pollock ceased to be good at Eggman after Unleashed. He just sounds so phoned in like he's just making clownish noises at the microphone. He was so forgettable in Forces. Honestly, Clancy Brown and Jim Cummings doing a Deem Bristow impression would be so much better.

[@megaturtleman1218]

I like Mike Pollock enough, but Deem Bristow will always be my Robotnik.

[@TheDen-ec9xe]

Megaturtle1012 Honestly, Pollock needs to go.

[@megaturtleman1218]

Sega won't let him go. Or at least not for a very long time.

[@TheDen-ec9xe]

Megaturtle1012 Then I'll wait till he kicks the bucket lol

[@tanyaharmon6739]

Trying to tell a joke every five seconds is one problem.

[@louiepikmin3184]

I think it's fine to throw in some clever jokes or puns every once in a while. Just make sure they're actually good and like you said, don't do them EVERY FIVE SECONDS

[@tanyaharmon6739]

@@louiepikmin3184 IKR!

[@joaofilipegracaferreira7375]

Other is fans with way too different opinions on what Sonic is

[@tanyaharmon6739]

@@joaofilipegracaferreira7375 that too

[@AllardRT]

There's nothing wrong with telling jokes every five seconds... if it's a ZAZ movie. But ZAZ movies were like that from the start - The Naked Gun didn't start out as a serious detective yarn, it was a parody through and through. And also ZAZ movies were consistent with their characters and their world, as absurd as it was. Also they were actually goddamn funny.

[@starlightrose3237]

Games like Forces seem to try and forget certain characters or events from the series. The Chaos Emeralds never appear, and it contradicts a lot of what happened in past games.

[@aiden4917]

@Cameron E. i miss when eggman was a compatant threat who was not just comic relief.

[@onigames7309]

At first this was gonna be one of those nostalgia videos, but I'm glad that wasn't the case. I agree with the sentiments of this vid. Shadow and 06 were bad, but at least they actually tried to tell a story, and not do nostalgia pandering, meme garbage.

[@ShadowWolfRising]

Thank You! I always liked Sonic Adventure 2 more than the others, because the game was fun AND THEY ACTUALLY TRIED WITH THE STORY!

[@jblue88hoodgamer54]

And also the music on all of knuckles stages.

[@Scroteydada]

The story was pretty autistic tbh

[@rockstone8583]

Adventure 2 still has the best story seen in Sonic Games. Black Knight is the only Game that compares.

[@pippomela]

I loved 06 xD

[@Josh-The_Spooky_Bastard-]

jblue88 hood gamer Shadow and 06 tried with their stories. They just tried too hard. And SA1 has a series plot that doesn’t go too Head up its ass.

[@Felix-eh5xu]

sonic lost worlds makes the story of sonic 06 look good💀

[@artistanthony1007]

It is, more emotional and truly sad.

[@zaikage386]

Debatable, I’ve seen people call Sonic 06 the sonic game with the best story

[@starlightrains]

@@zaikage386 those people are either trolls or degenerates. i try to respect opinions, but jesus christ.

[@Tara191]

@@starlightrains *Why do I feel attacked because I think that sonic 06 has one of the best stories?*

[@yazovgaming]

@@Tara191 Sonic 06 actually has a great idea for a set story and in some parts really works, but there were the issues that plagued the game and made it bad, it's just a game with lost potential.

[@silvskill5358]

I find it hilarious that mania, a game with barely any story, has a better story than forces. That’s just sad Sega and not only is mania overall better than forces, MANIA WASNT EVEN MADE BY SEGA! IT WAS MADE BY FANS!

[@Iamwolf134]

It was published by Sega, so yeah, Sega had a hand in it.

[@dc7981]

Steven Kadap 06 has a bad story......black knight on the other hand

[@TheAuron32]

its a fact most would disagree with you on this one... 06 is a steaming pile of shit, load screen after load screen, totally garbage levels that had more bugs than Oogie Boogie and hes a big bag of bugs!

[@yesimnotcreative6312]

Steven Kadap what's so good about the classic games story wise is because it's simple, nothing too complicated, nothing bland just simple

[@TheAuron32]

i'll answer that by asking you a question, whats so good about the modern games stories? they mostly suck arse and make no sense or trail off with no real satisfaction... i mean, look at forces, Infinite was an immediate threat, with lots of POTENTIAL, but it fell on its arse at the end he just goes away, how can that be a good story? what im getting at is this, how can you criticise one era of games without explaining why the newer era is "good"

[@BlackChapters]

Let me focus on just my favorite although there are others who are also wasted. Knuckles is: A Martial Artist While not Sonic level in speed, is very agile. Has Super Strength Has hands strong enough to break stone Can climb, dig and glide Can sense and control the Master Emerald Which can cancel out the power of the Chaos Emeralds And this character has been reduced to a total joke and for some reason they just focus on him being gullible and now nearly outright stupid. You can never convince me that he would just sit there and wait for Sonic, not even trying to save him. Horrid

[@jenniferbixley8895]

But, he isn't dumb in all ways. He knows more how to do other things, like in the show when he's like a babysitter while the rest of the team go to get the rest of the Tails back from Eggman's lair to make him one Tails again.

[@ilopominecrafter]

Black Chapters or what about shadow; the biggest story potential or downright character who was mutilated. Literally every game from free riders has him there to be there or to be the stereotype people claim is all there is. Heck, in forces he did nothing really significant and boom was a literal joke. And it does NOT help that they replaced jason griffith (who was good at it) with the voice actor of kisame...

[@vegetafan9922]

I completely agree that he's not an idiot, but living on a deserted island for almost a quarter of your life with only a giant green rock to keep you company would probably leave you with a horrible judge of character that a conniving douchebag like Eggman would take advantage of sometimes.

[@jenniferbixley8895]

@@vegetafan9922 Yeah, he's not an idiot, he just goes back and forth between smart and dumb. (Like kids in school can learn certain things faster than others, so they seem smart in one way and dumb in another, but they are not fully stupid.)

[@FTIBug]

Pretty much every modern sonic game is just everyone being sonics cheerleader and talk up to him like he's Jesus because he jumped on someone's head with the power of teamwork.

[@enchilad6799]

Thank god someone actually acknowledged this, because I've had this same opinion for so long.

[@WaterKirby1994]

I remember my exact thoughts on Generations were "What the crap, instead of the ability to play as Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, or Blaze, we get 2 Sonics on such a limited selection of stages? I thought they said this was supposed to be nostalgic?" I noticed the game had no real story, I wasn't blind to the overly silly tone that was present, then Lost Worlds went further still in this direction & I started losing faith. Forces though felt like it was actually trying to be different, then Roger Craig Smith started delivering his bad jokes so I just changed the language to Japanese & it felt fine after that. Forces was a step in the right direction that got screwed over some.

[@peacockqueen]

Yeah, me too

[@tiruliru1189]

@@WaterKirby1994 I know right! We need even more playable characters. Also, it may sound weird, but I'd also love to play as humans in a Sonic game.

[@WaterKirby1994]

@@tiruliru1189 You know that there actually were a few times you could play as humans in the Sonic Series. Not counting Eggman, you could play as Maria with a 2nd Controller in Shadow the Hedgehog on the stages The Doom & Lost Impact. Sonic Riders you could unlock a few Sega All Stars, I think Ulala is human? Then of course there were crossover games which often let you play as humans other than Eggman.

[@haoujudai]

The darker stories of Sonic can work if they’re executed properly. Sonic Unleashed was proof of that if handled well. I would honestly consider it to be the be one of the most well written Sonic stories that we’ve had to date.

[@kieranstark7213]

Great speech on Sonic Unleashed HD!!

[@bunsmasterbunny]

Adventure, Adventure 2, 06, and Black Knight's were better executed.

[@jimjoejoebibijon8362]

sonic unleashed wasnt that dark, but i felt it was how to execute a more light-hearted story while still not dumbing down the charicters.

[@maryafantalia4357]

Secret Rings too. And Frontiers too now.

[@maryafantalia4357]

@@jimjoejoebibijon8362 I mean... Sonic were more reserved in Unleashed... That was darker for the story...

[@LeopoldLitchenstein]

Never was one who cared much about Sonic stories, but in all honesty, the main issue with most of the storylines of the newer games comes down to some of these things: -Focus on humor and cheesy lines over world building and plot progression -Repetitive nature where only the start and end of the game really matters, leading to most stages feeling like filler -Poor characterization. Sonic in these games can go a little overboard with how they portray him. He tends to become kind of like Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man, or even Deadpool at times, if that makes any sense -Some characters don't have anything to do in the story of these games. Knuckles and Amy added nothing to the story of Lost World and the Heroes sized cast of Forces had no real depth to them, making them feel like afterthoughts -Shallowness. It feels like the devs just make the game's pitch and start designing stages, and then Pontac and Graff write up excuses for the characters to do certain things. Colors? There's a bunch of generators to destroy, hence why you're there. Oh, and Eggman has some mind control plan going on which doesn't really go anywhere. Generations? Some random monster of the week is ripping through time, therefore, you have to speed through old levels alongside your past self in order to fix it, despite that making no sense. Lost World? Skittles try and take over the world and you have to team up with Eggman because Sonic is a dumbass. Forces speaks for itself, it's just a mess. Those are just a few of the issues though. I'm sure there's more I'm missing.

[@jeremyknight9980]

All Pontac and Graff do is make cringy abridged versions of the original japanese scripts. the only time they came up with a story themselves was Lost World and whoever wrote the dialogue in the Japanese dub ended up being better then the English version.

[@rynobehnke8289]

Actually did the basic script came from Pontac and graff for Colors and Genration (So first a thine outline from Sega than Pontac and graff script and first than the Japanese version (the Handheld versions of this games were advanced from the outline to a script by Dimps own in-house writers) Forces is the only game were there truly just translating (and changing) the Japanese script.

[@LeopoldLitchenstein]

Ah, ok. Doesn't make them better, but thanks for filling me in.

[@Stew91]

"Generations? Some random monster of the week is ripping through time". Except the "random monster of the week" was Eggman. Did anyone expect it to not be him?

[@LeopoldLitchenstein]

Justin Stewart It was more like him controlling it rather than just him. I doubt anyone expected it not to be him since he just came back to being the main villain again at that point, but he still technically did randomly find it. It was explained in a short flashback to his defeat in Colors where he just finds it out of nowhere while being pushed through space by Orbot and Cubot.

[@nicolerichwine5767]

J, the stuff in Forces about torture and Tails going crazy wasn't even in the Japnese version. It was like the localizers went full anime fansub.

[@Cinko420]

London Jackson Excluding Mania.

[@noahsmith168]

Cinko515 The English producers would have to try REALLY hard to fuck that story up, considering there's no text.

[@Rex67Diego9]

london Jackson not really generations and colors are still very bad, and forces while it took out that wierd shit the story is still pretty underwhelming.

[@StarWarsNerdyGuy]

I love a Sonic plot that sincerely takes itself seriously, because I always used to take the characters seriously.

[@evikotsidimou7373]

like 06?

[@alfa01spotivo]

EVI KOTSIDIMOU no he means Satam, Adventure 1 and 2, Riders, Unleashed, Rush, Secret Rings, and Black Knight's level. Sonic is at his best as a dramatic but not too dark story. It should be serious but also be comedic. Colors and Generation's dialogue is just as bad as 06.

[@evikotsidimou7373]

alfa01spotivo Yeah i guess you're right

[@pogpogpurinn]

i agree, a few quips here and there (like in black knight) from sonic is great as his personality used to be a little snarky but jokes throughout THE WHOLE STORY? like cmon. too much drama is a bit much but a perfect balance between the two, where the comedy doesn't feel forced along with the drama. i just want a somewhat serious story with a only a FEW jokes to bring sonic s character out in moments when it suits it, perhaps just saying a mocking line to a bad guy or joking with one of the other characters before he gets serious, where comedy isn't in every scene of the story. i want a serious story that isn't made into a joke like forces was by the constant try at humor.

[@WaterKirby1994]

06 actually had a good story, to anyone who disagrees please rewatch Shadow's story in 06.

[@catercu1]

13:36 After the "That was cool" joke, Tails' expression perfectly describes what everyone is thinking while watching it.

[@jordanboyd5587]

Even Orbot and Eggman are like "Damn bro, you've got the whole squad laughin."

[@doctorpringles12]

No one ever mentioned this, but seriously someone should tell SEGA to STOP putting Warren and Graff on anything involving Sonic stories. I see their names and see them as THE people responsible for making modern stories absolute garbage, along with making poor scripts for the cast who were perfectly fine in their cartoon.

[@knuxuki1013]

Xeon Marinas Let's all just except that Sega/Sonic Team doesn't care anymore

[@manuelalbertoromero9528]

Platinum Games maybe?

[@doctorpringles12]

They're into speed, but more into combat than platforming.

[@kylecampbell565]

They don't actually write the scripts they just "punch up" the diolouge for the english translation

[@noahsmith168]

Kyle Campbell That's a lie, and even if it was true, it wouldn't be any better.

[@domalex4099]

“I’m not a rat, I’m a hedgehog” blows on lamp banishing enemy. That writing was so good I always replayed it when I was little.These new stories are meh

[@gameman5804]

But then again, the moment is ruined with the mountain of handkerchiefs line, which... was pretty cheesy.

[@gameman5804]

Super Captain Lyall Man Who said it was a joke?

[@gameman5804]

Super Captain Lyall Man But the scene itself was trying to take itself seriously.

[@RoxasMark]

@ArronZ M. I never got why it was chessy or a joke, the genie had just lost all possibilities of getting back with her lover Erazor ("Serah, I know you're there, please stop him, we can start over, the 2 of us, I swera, I sweart it... THE WORLD IS MINE! I CANNOT BE DENIED BY THAT FILTHY RAT!!! WHY?!!!!!") OF COURSE she was gonna need a mountain of handker chiefs, she was gonna cry by herself until she ran out off tears!! I always though Sonic was a swettheart by whising her that. I putted a smile on my face, and let the player know that it was alright to cry your loses... modern games don't do this good shit anymore.

[@shupasopni]

@@RoxasMark Yeah I agree. It was cheesy but it was also pretty sweet. It made Sonic seem like a nice guy, which is something that doesn't really come across much now.

[@chilk4508]

Title correction *How Sega F*cked up Modern Sonic

[@comradecat1922]

@@jurassicmat9793 i mean he is not wrong

[@jurassicmat9793]

I know that the stories after Sonic and the Black Knight were not very good but you mean like sega fucked the modern sonic in general ... when it was not like that

[@intodewood0598]

@Tal Ken Unleashed.

[@alvarochaves1999]

*How critics fucked Sonic

[@SuperStarM64]

How the fanbase became infamous

[@yungmuney5903]

The line of thinking that Sonic games stories don't matter and that they're an expendable aspect of the games annoys me greatly. There is nothing taboo about the concept of a story in a Sonic game. If you're going to point the finger at something that renders a story stupid in a Sonic game, point it at poor storytelling, plot holes, shallow plots, flanderization and other cases of OoC behavior. Not the basic concept of there being a story in the first place. Stories are the backbone that motivates the characters to do what they do. It gives them direction, it gives them purpose, It can serve to give them depth. And it's just mind boggling to me personally that something that can serve to enhance the overall entertainment factor, emotional connection, and memorability of a game can be considered so expendable. Like how the fuck else do you think Sonic still has such a strong cult following after all of his missteps like the "dark age"? Do you still think it's a mystery of how Shadow the Hedgehog outclassed the likes of even Tails and Eggman in popularity? How does Silver The Hedgehog still has more fans and is generally more liked than the Zetis despite debuting in a bad game?

[@captainmega6310]

I can answer those too last ones. Cause they were cool characters, not because of the stories.

[@yungmuney5903]

@@captainmega6310 And don't their stories contribute their coolness?

[@captainmega6310]

@@yungmuney5903 Absolutely not Sliver, Shadow is arguable

[@rennyforyourthoughts8023]

I really don't think I would like Sonic as much as I do if the stories in those games didn't have the heart that they did. Even if the gameplay was 10 times better. Think that's why the meta era is so disappointing to me.

[@maryafantalia4357]

@@rennyforyourthoughts8023 Same here.

[@crashodeane]

Before anyone else says in the comment section: "why is a grown arse man complaining about stories in kid's games?", let me explain why: He's complaining about the stories from 2010 to today because they rely too heavily on the cheesy side of the humour, are generally unmemorable, the characters don't act like themselves, and to top it all, they're written and/or translated by writers Pontac and Graff, who, by their own admission, knew NOTHING about Sonic's history beforehand.

[@ChevySamk]

never used to be kids games anyway. People are still in denial that Sonic used to be "cooler" than Mario for more than just le blast processing lol

[@cyan.6399]

A grown-ass man is caring because what he had as a child makes the modern day looks like burning shit.

[@outdatedthrowawayaccount5629]

I mean I still got the 2006 Sonic Riders game for the game cube. *shrugs*

[@knuxuki1013]

@@ChevySamk THIS

[@CarbonRollerCaco]

@@ChevySamk They ARE kids' games-just ones that happen to skew a bit older than Mario games. And there's zip wrong with that.

[@aippli]

Bring back the chao garden from Sonic Adventure 2.

[@zeth9334]

YES!! The Chao gardens in SA2 are absolutely timeless. I enjoy them to this day, but I would absolutely die for another sonic game with them in it.

[@Mepphy99]

Bring back everything from SA2

[@SirTaeman]

I still have SA2 and play it whenever I get really bored it’s crazy this game has a replay factor for so long.

[@Mepphy99]

@DONG i know

[@mcmickeys1446]

They were going to bring it back in sonic boom but then things happened.

[@YoMamaBih]

THANK YOU. People easily fly away the fact that Sonic Riders and Sonic and the Black Knight actually had good stories that took itself seriously and provided variety and decent scripting. I miss that. I also wish you could have touched on characterization more since that is also a butchered aspect of the story. Sonic isn't even cool anymore. Sonic is more like a trihard who desperately tries to be funny but fails horribly. He also hardly takes anything seriously, and his voice actor paired with the bad vocal direction and bad scripting is just terrible for modern games. I remember a time where this character's translation from 2D to 3D brought along the cool aspects of his character. He was someone who felt experienced, cool, level headed, and someone who could take matters seriously ; like that person in life you could depend on to get the job done with a smile. I have no hope for that Sonic movie coming out. Worse time in history to be releasing a Sonic Movie. Honestly. That thing will flop, and I will not be blindly optimistic just to be disappointed greatly.

[@YujiUedaFan]

Sonic IMO, is like a dad who was once cool and still thinks he is, while everyone else is either humoring him or facepalming.

[@isaacreyes2954]

Yeah I like black knight. Boss battles were awesome

[@alanbareiro6806]

I kinda agree, but disagree about Roger being bad. He actually excels a lot in Sonic Boom, where the writing is awesome. I think that with a good script and a slightly better direction, he will be more than fine.

[@regulator062]

I just can't take Sonic seriously anymore as a character, maybe cause he doesn't really come across as human-like with flaws in any way, or having difficult things to overcome. He rarely takes things seriously, almost like everything is too easy for him, a joke even. And the few times he does sound more serious, it somehow feels cheap, maybe because his confidence and ability are never lacking, there's never any lasting consequences, and very quickly he just returns to his trying to be funny, super confident, totally relaxed and there's no challenge for me self. He just doesn't seem human in any way.

[@beta511ee4]

Yo Mama What’s wrong with comedic storytelling?

[@sophiebubbles07]

In my opinion, Sonic Mania was the only 2010s Sonic game with actual heart and effort put into it, with Generations following suit. Sega has essentially become Illumination. They’ll release above average game after above average game, and people will buy it because it’s Sonic. As much as I loved growing up with the 2010s era, I have to admit that Sega hasn’t really tried in this era. Team Sonic Racing was pretty okay in my opinion, but the broken online was a bit of a downer. Colours Ultimate was good too, but the glitches at launch were really disappointing. I just hope with the next Sonic game, they actually put effort into the story and gameplay.

[@hugoflores1093]

i personally still love the SA/SA2 plots (and Heroes to a lesser extend) sure, they are cheesy and the sound mixing is annoying but i genuinely find them creative, entertaining and in some cases EPIC

[@MajoraZ]

The sound mixing is the best part.

[@SpeedMotionSamic]

I agree. Sonic Team needs to grow a pair. We're not asking to make Sonic into some gloomy and depressing character, we just want to see moments of tension. I still think they should hire Ian Flynn

[@peacockqueen]

I personally think Shiro Maekawa would be better writing the stories but Ian Flynn is my first option in localization for the games and not Pontac and Graff

[@diobrando10yearsago]

Shadow: *dies* 6 year old me: *quaking in my seat crying*

[@kieranstark7213]

Shadow the Hedgehog: Ooh damn, look at me being so damn gritty it makes me personality-free as hell, telling children less than a damn decade old (hence the E10+ rating) to back the hell off!

[@donathan2933]

@@kieranstark7213 exactly

[@falecomigo]

Shadow is the most stupid character in the series

[@D-Nova]

I prefer the more light-hearted Sonic games, but that doesn't mean that I could not appreciate a more serious tone. It kind worked well in SA2, for example. Just look at Mario & Luigi. Those games are still very light-hearted and fun, but they also have rather well written and interesting stories and usually even really awesome final boss battles, complete with great music and an overall very epic tone. Why does it work with Mario but not with Sonic? Let's take a look at M&L3 for example: Sure, the game is bright and colorful and has a very light-hearted overall tone, but it also has great characters. Fawful is actually a very memorable villain. He's fun to watch and kinda quirky (kinda like Kefka, now that I think of it), but some of the stuff he does is actually quite mean and outright cruel, in a very comedic and Pegi7 context of course. However, you could easily take the character of Fawful out of the light-hearted, child-friendly context and put him into a little more serous setting and you wouldn't even have to change his personality all that much. That's because he's a well written character. Most Sonic villains aren't and that's the real problem. Whenever Sonic takes a more serious route, the games either feel overly dramatic, edgy, or just unmemorable. Let's face it: Eggman is the most intersting Sonic villain, because, well, he's actually entertaining to watch, while also being quite capable if he has to.

[@unemployedscholar4320]

Fawful is amazing! And he has a Kefka-esque flair, too! I love what he does with Bowser's castle. The villains are much more compelling in Mario, I agree. (Except for Eggman) I had to watch this video to get up to speed on the modern Sonic games. While the good dialogue and storytelling is top-notch, the bad dialogue and storytelling is appalling. When Sonic reacts more to getting captured in "Sonic Breakout" in AoStH than he does in Sonic Forces, that might be a problem. Spoilers for Super Princess Peach, Luigi's Mansion, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon Mario at least has a sad expression when he's captured by Bowser's army in Super Princess Peach. And looks distraught, looking downward while his cap is pulled down over his eyes, while he's trapped in the painting in Luigi's Mansion, and at another time is trying to physically get out from the painting, but not in his usual robust woohoo! way, more like repetitively and futilely palming at the invisible wall from inside the painting. When Luigi rescues Mario from the painting in Luigi's Mansion, Mario's eyes are spinning around and he doesn't recover for the duration of the game. When Luigi rescues Mario from the painting in Dark Moon, Mario is pulled out of the painting, looking sad and palm outward, rather than in a fist. He falls out of the painting and lands on his face, disoriented for a few seconds before thanking Luigi and telling him Luigi's #1. Mario is not a character with a huge emotional range. But he's showing his non-upbeat emotions better in his modern games when he's sad or scared. It's disappointing that Sonic has decent emotional range in the cartoons and the early games and has now become the purveyor of wisecracks--or rather, forget the wise---But if Sonic can't express anything other than a bad attempt at humor after he's freed, that cheapens him being captured in the first place, and makes him more distant and unrelatable. Even Eggman's humor is really abysmal in some of the scenes, why is the dialogue writing so bad??

[@jjc4924]

Unemployed. Guess that's one of the reasons why I more of an Mario fan than Sonic's. Not to say that I hate Sonic.

[@cookieblobber]

👏 IDEA LET PEOPLE WHO USED TO WORK IN ALPHADREAM HAVE A SHOT WORKING AT SEGA AND LET THEM WRITE THE STORIES

[@hwanniggles187]

@@unemployedscholar4320 Sonic has shown a ton of emotions in games before Colors. Prime examples being the storybook series. You can feel the rage he has when Erazor basically kills Shara just before he transforms into Dark Spine. The confrontation he has with Merlina before the final battle. He has other moments in the other games.

[@hwanniggles187]

@@unemployedscholar4320 also i think its safe to assume we cant correlate spin-off Mario to mainline Mario as both seem to be completely different characters. Mainline Mario is as basic and emotionless as you can get with his trademark "its-a me a-Mario" shtick. The one you mentioned was spin-off Mario as Mario and Luigi and Luigi's Mansion are its own thing. Its also why i love Mario and Luigi as those games actually give everyone character, even Peach.

[@DBK_Productions]

Ngl my favourite modern story to this day is unleashed for many reasons. The voice acting is superb There is an actual story Chip may be a bit annoying at times, but his death was admittedly sad The story takes itself seriously while also providing some goofy moments that aren’t completely terrible E T C

[@cremetoertchen0815]

Thats exactly what Im feeling. Sonic unleashed still is my favorite game. The story is tensionous, the music is adorable and sadly this game still up to this date has the best looking graphics.

[@mastercreepy5893]

@@cremetoertchen0815 Mostly agreed. I feel like Sonic Forces barely had better graphics though, but it's still meh to look at since the art style was all over the place and just not that great overall, especially since it tried to go for a realistic tone like what Unleashed amazingly captured. Unleashed was designed to be a realistic looking game and it really worked out. The environment, the hubwords, Jungle Joyride, even at night everything looked so beautiful. That's why everyone says Unleashed is the best looking Sonic game.

[@MetaKaios]

Huh? Chip didn't die. He just got sealed back into the earth. @Master Creepy Unleashed, "realistic-looking"? I'm assuming you're not counting the character designs, lol.

[@DBK_Productions]

MetaKaios lmao ye the but thank god the character designs weren’t realistic *cough cough 06* . Like for once the humans designs don’t clash with the animals

[@DBK_Productions]

MetaKaios also nah by death I meant when he got sealed away

[@detectivespoonan7603]

I think there are two problems with the recent sonic games: 1. The people making the game don't really know shit. They're only there because they can implement stuff into an actual playable game. 2. The old games used to be a legitimate concept which the game is later built around. Today, they're trying to build a concept around specific elements. They ask themselves what people want in a sonic game, put it together, then try to make it work; which obviously doesn't.

[@jSyndeoMusic]

“Design”-by-committee. No creativity, only mediocrity.

[@Gxyz222]

I too wish that Sonic and other companies would stop with the "oh, we're so random" based humor. It's really annoying and doesn't help a series progress much or at all.

[@integillentguy7735]

but teenagers love it, and that's why they keep doing that

[@behnamhassanpoor6793]

The ambition is what i miss from this franchise part of the reason why sonic became famous was because it was more than just a simple platformer, it was ambitious it had a deep lore and story and sa1 andn sa2 just proved how much this series has potential and just proved us that sonic told fuck you to the standards of the simple platformer gaming and went on it's own path and even it doesn't matter theme just foreshadows that sonic is living by his own feelings and not following anyone and doesn't afraid to take risks and doesn't give a shit about what others think of his attitude but nowdays sonic is just a hedgehog version of Mickey mouse and this series just now bowed to the standards of platforming and just playing it safe and doesn't have any amount oft that edge that he used to have and that makes me hate game critics even more because they just kept saying that sonic shouldn't be serious or its just a cartoony hedgehog and made sega to make sonic a Mickey mouse and i miss the 2000 era even though not all of it games were good sega still had ball to go crazy and take risk and do something new.

[@Dragonfly-in9uu]

yeah he's better off not being a circus clown with zero experience

[@01ChaosWarrior]

What you said about sincerity is what I think the crux of the issue is. Other franchises pull ridiculous scenarios off with conviction, and thus people can love them for it. Kingdom Hearts has body swapping, time travel, and dream and memory manipulation shenanigans, but many people still love them. Sly Cooper literally has a purple tigress jump into a giant mechanical owl body to terrorize Paris. Mega Man Star Force literally has the game end with the main character destroying the final boss with the power of his friendships. The thing is, none of these franchises (or many, many others that do ridiculous or potentially stupid stuff) apologize for anything. They always go all in, and when they, or any other series like them does something like that, they always are committed, and never make jokes at the expense of their own world. The sad thing, like you said, is that Sonic CAN do this, and even do it pretty well if they just try. Games like the Adventure series, Heroes, Unleashed, and Black Knight may not have the best writing, but they all committed to what they wanted to do, and made sure to do it well enough that all of them are remembered fondly by fans even now. Sonic Team needs to decide on a tone, and just write the plots and characters to be as great as they can, and not feel the need to apologize or pander to nostalgia for what happens. Even if it ends up being another Shadow or 06, I think many people would rather have something that is honestly stupid or tryhard, rather then something that feels like the writers care about as much as the characters seem to. (which is to say... not all that much right now)

[@BlueSunStudios1]

I will be honest with you: I came here fully expecting that this was going to be another one of those types of videos going into great length about why the Sonic games were good without all the needless drama that Sonic Adventure 1 established and lasted until Sonic & the Black Knight and that we should go back to the classics that did not have all of that fluffed-up junk, but I was still willing to listen and hear you out since maybe I never actually knew good storytelling and was only a wee kid who grew up on these bad games sincerely believing that they were good. And maybe a part of me is worried about this coming off as confirmation bias of some sort, but I was genuinely and surprised that it did not go in that direction, and it ultimately just…hit me a little too close to home with how I have felt about the Sonic games as a whole. These games from SA1 to S&tBK still hold such a dear place in my heart especially since I never really had much of a luxury to enjoy the classic games until Sonic Mega Collection. Sonic more than most really felt like a role model to me in those days when I was going through a rough spot and I feel that he and his friends actually got me out of it with help from my own family and friends. With my upbringing being sheltered though, and being introduced to the online world around the time of Colors, doubt and insecurity began to creep back into me when I realized just how contrary my love for the games had been compared to the majority. I had always prided myself on being a smart kid who could fit in like anyone else only to see how much I did not fit in and other real life issues continued making me feel as though maybe I was not all that bright. This video, cheesy as this may sound to anyone reading this, helped me a little along the way in realizing that I am not some total outcast who would not make it anywhere, and in reminding me just why I loved the "dork age" games so dearly and how they helped spur me into pursuing my passions I know I will be able to get out of the funk I am in now; maybe one day Sonic will too. Maybe others have done this sort of thing before, but you sir have my heartfelt thanks for getting me a little more back on the track and I wish you find what you are searching if you have not already.

[@daxteryvillencourt9048]

Considering that you mentioned Eggman's lair in Lost World: Even that doesn't make any sense. How did he build a base in the Lost Hacks in the first place, it's a "lost and newly discovered" planet, remember?

[@Sonic3Knuckles]

Daxtery Toon well you see, the writers and animations were always on cocaine to get through every cutscene and.... and... You can see where this is going.

[@stardust_sonic]

I genuinely think the "meta" era (the one starting with Colors) is the actual dark age of Sonic. If people call the modern era (from Shadow and Sonic 06 until Unleashed and Black Knight) the dark age, then I believe the meta era is in something even more abysmal and darker than modern. The modern era has its lowest points on many subjects, like Shadow and 06, but the meta era goes even lower than that with Boom, Lost World and Forces.

[@takumijager2372]

Yeah

[@maryafantalia4357]

I'm one of people loving Shadow and 06, so...

[@KirbyKips]

Oh my gosh the Sonic torture thing ticked me off so much. I really wanted to see Sonic beaten and bruised, on the verge of giving up hope that he would be free. But he would still have some shread of hope that one of his friends would save him and he'd get to see everyone again. And then...when he gets saved and he sees his friends, he's happy and grateful to see them again. Maybe he'd grow a bit as a character, realizing how he's not as powerful as he thought he was and that sometimes, he needs to get some help now and then. But NOPE. He's TOTALLY FINE GUYS! Sonic's a beast, he can get tortured for 6 STRAIGHT MONTHS and be COMPLETELY FINE. Heck with you Sega. You missed a PERFECT OPPORTUNITY to give us a neat concept for Sonic's character. YOU BLEW IT. I'm just upset with Sega.

[@polkadi]

They didn't have any opportunity, because it was never there. That line was added in the English localisation by the English writers, perhaps at an attempt to appear "edgier." Sonic was never tortured at any point in the story, he was simply imprisoned for 6 months. Same with Tails having "lost it," when the original line said that he went missing.

[@al0532]

KirbyKips, I feel ya', i wanted that too.

[@entruh4520]

U cant forget this game in all essence it's a kids game

[@Marco-uk7be]

Is the meme humour by SEGA bad? Well it depends. For me, I think it brings them closer to us, the fans. However, it’s not okay when it makes its way into the games. Theres a difference between being fun for the fans and forcing that always “funny” attitude into the things you make. That, is where they need to draw the line.

[@seacliff217]

Agreed. I enjoy the twitter account, as Aron Webber comes off as a fan of the series himself. In the games, however, it feels like a cheap excuse for humor for a game the writers didn't care about.

[@Gnidel]

Ejjirodo I think it's okay as long it doesn't break the 4th wall nor internal rules of how the world and characters operate.

[@Gnidel]

Ejjirodo I think it's okay as long it doesn't break the 4th wall nor internal rules of how the world and characters operate.

[@TheDen-ec9xe]

The fuck are you babbling about ? Speak for yourself or whoever ADHD manchild like you likes that shit. After being forcefed with LOL BIG TEH CAT, LOL DO U KNO DE WAE, HURR OW TEH EDGE for the BILLIONTH FUCKING TIME, this shit has got to stop. Aaron Webber is a pathetic manchild and a horrible PR manager. This stupid fuck is biased as hell. And at this point, it only backfired.

[@Marco-uk7be]

The Den Well, then it seems like you’re the only one complaining. But I’m not gonna bother arguing with you because this is the internet, and it’s not worth fighting with someone whose probably high.

[@LukeMM95]

Sonic Unleashed was the last game which actually felt genuine. Ever since that game, it's felt like Sonic Team is ashamed of their own franchise and just wants to make people remember Sonic as just "that 16 bit platform game from your childhood, please ignore everything that came after". They've thrown away years of character growth and creative storytelling, in favour of paper thin plots and cheap jokes, probably so they can appeal to people who didn't even like Sonic in the first place. It's for this reason why I was never really a fan of Sonic Colours, because it didn't even feel like a Sonic game. But of course, people who don't like Sonic games loved it and since then Sonic Team has believed this is the right direction the series should take. Now I hope they've learnt their lesson from Sonic Forces but I doubt it. If anything I see another Sonic Colours on the way, with another forgettable plot where none of the characters act like themselves and there are no stakes beyond "stop Eggman".

[@Stew91]

Sonic Colors is definitely still a Sonic game. What the hell are you talking about?

[@Odinsday]

LukeMM95 Unleashed is still my favorite game in the series even with its problems. Also I’ll say it. I thought the werehog stages were kind of fun.

[@Sobol14]

Thank you, glad to see that somebody understands that Colors wasn't a good game.

[@saj-manthesonicfan1893]

LukeMM95; Couldn't have said it better myself. SEGA does seem ashamed of what they've done, yet they haven't actually TRIED to be better since Unleashed. (Yeah Generations was a fun game, but storytelling-wise, were they really trying to do anything? Nope). I hope that the game after Team Racing isn't like Colors' story, but I'm not gonna hold my breath either :/

[@Stew91]

@SAJ-Man the Sonic Fan, Generations may be lacking in story, but it's arguably more fun than Unleashed, which felt like a slog. So I would say Generations trumps Unleashed in the fun factor. Big is *not* always better.

[@tabifiedler6944]

I have an irrationally deep hatred for Lost World. The writing’s terrible, the story’s not great, the characters are either derailed or bland, and from what I’ve heard, the gameplay is mediocre. Also, I just want to point out that Lost World kicked off the trend of writing Tails outrageously out of character. I think everyone can agree that Tails is NOT an arrogant person. His character development in the Adventure games made him confident and independent, but his humility despite his superior intelligence is a core part of his character. That’s why it’s so jarring and frustrating to hear him brag about how smart he is in Lost World. Sorry to rant, but can they just write Tails (and Sonic for that matter) well again? I’m a diehard Sonic fan that’s exhausted of the Meta Era and tired of Sega not making Sonic as great as we know it can be.

[@SchmuckAmok]

How exactly can you bitterly despise something without ever even having played it

[@guiteshima]

@@SchmuckAmok It is one thing to hate the GAMEPLAY of a game you never played. It is a completely different thing to hate a STORY that you DON'T need gameplay to experience. Seriously, when are people going to realize that story and gameplay are two different parts of a game and CAN be analyzed on their own? Yes, sometimes you have the Story explain the gameplay, but you RARELY have the gameplay explain the story, gameplay can only have so much influence over the story of a game. In short: You don't need to play a game to be able to understand the OVERALL story, if you want the finer details, sure, *then* you need to play the game to fully appreciate it in its "complete" form. *However* , just having a general understanding of the story and how it's written is more than enough for someone to be able to criticize it.

[@thetempleton6622]

It's so sad too because I feel like that game had really great animation when it comes to gameplay, I'd even argue that it might be the best (remember I'm talking about gameplay not cutscenes)

[@WakerOfTheSky]

I hate how it has a run button

[@rennyforyourthoughts8023]

Sonic Lost World disappointed me so much I stopped playing Sonic games and engaging with the fandom for a long time. I think the best way to summarize this video is that the earlier games (whether they be Genesis or "dark age") had heart that is just...lacking in Lost World especially. It left me which such a weird empty feeling inside I wasn't used to, even with the not-so-great Sonic games, it's hard to describe.

[@GoldenPincers]

I completely agree with what you said. Be confident, have conviction, stop trying to randomly mishmash comedy and drama, learn what good tone-shifts are, make your "coolness" make sense and backed up by an, at the very least, cohecent and followable story, and stay consistent in your tone and writing. That's what SA1, SA2, Heroes, Unleashed, Riders 1, Black Knight did. People forget about them because they are spin-offs, but games like Battle and Chronicles, also follow that formula very well, with Battle's ending being one of the most emotional of the franchise and Chronicles' 2nd half reaching a top-tier level of intensity.

[@mastercreepy5893]

Honestly. I hella loved Unleashed, Chronicles and Riders.

[@michaeltalley170]

GoldenPincers Someone else who likes Chronicles? my man

[@TGHunter]

I can see chronicles story being great... but great lord, the gameplay and ost are fucking shit.... I just... can help but feel bored when playing that... really slow paced rpg for a character all about speed.

[@DarkMagicianMana]

They changed Sonic's personality for some reason, he was admirable in the black knight, but a cocky jerk in the recent games.

[@shupasopni]

I think what really ruins him is that along with his voice making him sound like a cocky jerkish bro.

[@pokefan7446]

Yeah. If they had Sonic ACTUALLY take stuff seriously sometimes like he did in Secret Rungs and Black Knight, rather than just cracking jokes, it'd help a LOT. They could still keep him cracking jokes, as I can see how that could be a coping mechanism of sorts, but at least have him be serious when the world’s in danger.

[@edgiest-edgelord-that-edges]

It really makes me wish his personality from Adventure through Black Knight (Or at least I think he was still like this in BK) stayed. He was serious when the time called for it, but he was still a carefree teenage hero who loved adventure at heart.

[@sulphurous2656]

@@pokefan7446 Yeah, having him use his sense of humor to cope with certain situations like in Freeman's Mind would be a nice touch.

[@Arvoyea]

Only recently I saw cutscenes from Black Knight, and some of the things he says fit him so well they could be catchphrases like the one on the Japanese box art of the Mega Drive/Genesis games We need THAT back. That's Sonic the Hedgehog

[@BluRacer7]

2010-Current style of story writing for Sonic games is just Modern Family Guy levels of bad cause the cutscenes are basically just like FG with no characters moving other then flapping their arms and say cringy corny lines until something happens, Pontac and Graff have been around since Colours and they still can't write the Sonic character's personalities right, they may be the localisation for the Japanese script but they definitely aren't a good fit for the series cause they even admitted they don't know anything about the franchise.

[@gamingawesomeness222]

I've watched family guy since its second revival, I've lived through brian's death and return,. Generations, lost world, and rise of Lyric make modern family guy look like Rick and Morty or Spongebob.

[@jeremyknight9980]

Watch the cutscenes of Colors, Generations, Lost World and Forces in Japanese with English subs. the dialogue is way better.

[@YujiUedaFan]

I heard LW was better in Japanese, but since most people will see the English version, it makes it all the more worse. Also, at least FG has the excuse of being a show that's had 100s of episodes and the writers want to stop the show, but they can't. Sonic on the other hand has had way less games and they're writing the games badly on purpose.

[@BaronVonBielski]

dude i dont like family guy but that shit is art compared to the jokes they try to pull in the sonic games. my 6 year old nephew doesnt even laugh at the jokes in forces

[@lx9612]

I was a little dissappointed of forces story it was the same cheesy and cringy writing from 2010-current sonic games but it is better than lost world's

[@connorplays6263]

Alternate title: Why Pontac and Graff are terrible writers for Sonic

[@basilplushie2534]

@@skibot9974 and that one was awful Their doing such a awful job at locailzation too

[@Z3RO5286]

the stories of rise of lyric, forces, lost world, colors make 06 look like sa2

[@Jdudec367]

I wouldn't say that but 06 seems to have a interesting stlry just ignore every single flaw and plot hole which makes it look like a moon

[@Jdudec367]

@Axx The Saiyan games or plots?cause black knight or secret rings was a hated game colors lost world and generations are all better then 06

[@Felotin]

Forces' story is great though

[@Mepphy99]

Diogo Nascimento not totally tho

[@Mepphy99]

06 wasn’t THAAAAT BAD I mean lost world is shit

[@SuperGamer61499]

Man, I agree 100% if not 1000% with what you said. :) People can say whatever of the Adventure and Dark age era. I will agree that they weren't perfect. (No era of Sonic was perfect.) But they tried different ideas at least. They had different and unqiue ideas to say. I use to think the worst sin a game can do is be frustrated and while I agree with that still the 2nd worst is definitely being boring and samey. Ya know how people said the NSMB series didn't have many unqiue or innovative ideas in comparison to every other Mario title main series wise? I agree with that but I feel that way with Lost World in many regards too. Lost World from a gameplay perspective was scattered in gimmicks. And not just that but also tried so hard to appeal to the Genesis era fanatics aesthetic wise but without putting the effort the Genesis games had in environment design. And well, the story was bad like you said. I think that's why I came to the conclusion it was just okay. Sure, the prior games could of did better for sure but I excused it because I thought it bring an era of the series getting back on track. Which only lead to where we are now. Forces has been talked to death so there's nothing new to say but damn. Even my moderate expectations for Forces were undermined by poor gameplay and story decisions. At least Colors and Generations were fun titles. And even Lost World had some creative ideas in level design. Forces in general is bland. Tbh, I am glad we got Sonic Mania that year too. Sure, it could of done more but frankly it existing did spark me to say maybe Sonic doesn't have to die a slow painful death. But 1 awesome game cannot get us out of this situation with diminishing returns,lack of franchise identity, and lots of other stuff Shay and other Sonictubers said. Some even said Sonic was a product of the time. And I guess that is true but so what? Sonic doesn't have to be this stale. Heck we had at least prior interesting and unique ideas. Honestly, I just hope the series kinda like Mario Odyssey hits another slew of interesting and creative ideas.

[@ByAngelTube]

Super Gamer61499 apart from facial animations, Adventure 1 seems like a good example to follow!

[@Stew91]

@Super Gamer6, and games like Forces try new stuff as well, but it fails. Don't you sit there and call games like Forces a rehash.

[@callinater6133]

Funny thing is, the team that designed Mario odyssey levels were the same people that worked on sonic unleashed. I guess at some point they went to work with Nintendo instead of sega

[@starfalchion4404]

This is why I want the Modern writers to be replaced with someone like Ian Flynn, the cutscenes to be done better so they’re not so stiff, and better English directing. The actors are talented but they like the good directing they need.

[@samfisher2891]

Yo if Ian Flynn wrote for the game maybe sonic would finally have continuity but since sonic team is full of idiot of (especially iizuki) i doubt they would do anything to help sonic

[@knuxuki1013]

It's Izuka not ME ! lol

[@KOTEBANAROT]

why would you want ian when shiro maekawa has experience in writing for sonic games, liked doing it, did the best stories, was actually trying to keep the lore and characters consistent, and most importantly, wants to write for sonic again?

[@RadiantBlazeVA]

it me Most people want Ian because he's already so close to the series because of him writing the comics and also writing the prequel comics to Forces. Me personally I would like anyone that's not Pontaff or the people who did Forces or Colors. Ian and Shiro would be amazing.

[@starfalchion4404]

it me Ian’s just a prominent part of Sonic’s Archie run and his comics really did the characters justice, so that’s why he’s wanted. However, a lot of people would do a better job than Pontac and Graff.

[@W1tchOfRebirth]

The Sonic's "I was supposed to be the fastest" line if delivered in a better situation could've been more soul crushing than Shadow's sacrifice

[@agentfreshdasquid3568]

The problem I have with forces is that apparently, while sonic is missing, all of his friends do absolutely NOTHING to save the world. They have even better abilities than sonic, but they still decided to sit on their butts while the world was being ravaged by eggman. WOW sega. Bravo. 10/10 story. I'm TOOOOOOTALY not being sarcastic here.

[@bowmaj8666]

It's because if any other character other than Sonic does anything worthwhile in a Sonic game nowadays, fanboys will go into their usual "WAAAHH, I DON'T LIKE SONIC'S STINKY FRIENDS, GET RID OF EM!" And people have been whining like this ever since Tails came along. Really think about that; the mere inclusion of Tails was too much for these people to handle. No wonder the games are in such a state, and it's safe to say Sega aren't entirely to blame.

[@chiharris2810]

@@bowmaj8666 Then just ignore them. Sega and Sonic Team should just ignore them.

[@titodube]

Chi Harris easier said than done. Let me ask you this: if you were trying to sell a game, then would you REALLY want to piss of the fan base that supports you and gives you money?

[@chiharris2810]

@@titodube I can completely understand your arguement and I agree to an extent. To block off an part of your consumer base would be a controversial move, but at the same time. When your constantly in fear that your game will suck because "Sonic's freinds hur de hur de hur" it doesn't help your product because your scared to do certain things that other fans of a larger part of the consumer base might want. That's why Sonic Team keeps playing it safe with games like Generations, Lost World and Forces, which has only hurt them in the long run and hurt the vocal part of their consumer base.

[@chiharris2810]

Alot of the vocal majority of the fans want Sonic's freinds to be playable, and they should appeal to vocal majority because those are the consumers that would most likely be appeased by the product. I'm not saying completely ignore other fans wishes from the vocal minority, but ignore the people who want Classic Sonic, Sonic's freinds unplayable, or anything. And just stop being so scared to do sh*t

[@nosferatunemuritor3062]

I think "tryhard" hits the nail on the head. The poor quality of stories from Sonic recently seems to be, in my opinion, due to the fact they're TRYING to be funny and cool and epic. If they'd stop trying to pander to these demographics and just make a story they thought was good they might be able to put out something enjoyable. I think that's why Adventure 1 & 2 did ok in the story department. That was just after the 2D era when they were on top of their game, they weren't trying to impress anyone with the stories, they just made what they thought was cool. Every time a corporation tries to "get" a demographic they fail miserably, just like when brands try to use memes to sell goods. They're always so cringey to watch because of how inorganic and forced they manage to be. If Sonic Team would just make something they thought was cool they'd be in a much better spot.

[@CarbonRollerCaco]

Not Adventure 2. It was BLATANTLY forced and pretentious. Heroes was ALSO forced, but that was actually its point, and it wasn't obnoxious about it AND it works as natural, too.

[@CarbonRollerCaco]

Extended Long Then what do you consider the whole Hero/Dark balancing? Shadow when Sonic is around? Tails in a mech when Eggman uses one? Rouge hunting treasure when Knuckles does that? The two gameplay threads synchronized nearly perfectly? If THAT isn’t forced, it’s UNUSUALLY coincidental.

[@Gamermario-lb3rq]

To me the best the story has gotten in Sonic games was in Sonic and the Black Knight and it mostly comes down to the plot twist and message. The plot twist was genuinely good (if not competent) that did put a little bit of a spin on Sonic’s role in the story. This also complements the message that things don’t last forever but it’s important to live life and keep going.

[@lunatic0verlord10]

I think that this message is something that Sega doesn't want to acknowledge because it's playing *against* them. The way they're handling things simply doesn't work and only a *huge* change in how things go will keep things going. But they, like the final boss of that game, just want what they have right now to last forever.

[@WaterKirby1994]

Even though that message was their excuse for changing everything after Black Knight to create the worst era of Sonic's history as a game series.

[@sambridgers9543]

I guess another similarity would be how Josstice League took the wrong lessons, and made it too self aware, while the Snyder Cut actually paid attention to feedback and maintained the course.

[@RiderNexus]

I think the best analogy I can come up with is the Sonic cast is about as reduced to background characters much like the Dragon Ball cast in the later half of the manga. Like, when was the last time Tenshinhan or Rouge did anything?

[@guilhermefranco2930]

In the IDW comics

[@justafan9399]

To be fair, Tien did face off against Cell and Super Buu, but it definitely didn’t amount to much.

[@genisay]

It's actually pretty sad when you have to say that a game company should stop working on their own series and let someone else have a crack at it. Because yeah, Sega has just turned out mediocre sonic game after sonic game when there is all of this room for something great.... and they don't seem to give a damn. Also I remember being super disappointed how Sonic Unleashed took Sonic Adventure's concept of actually moving around in a larger world and just reduced it to stages connected by quick travel maps. Getting to actually explore the setting would have been much more satisfying. Maybe one thing Sega could do, at least for now, would be to give us a remastered version of Heros, Riders, and the Adventures games. Keep the same cutscenes, the same VA acting, the same story, just update the graphics to make em look awesome.

[@entruh4520]

I think a remastered heroes would get rid of its charm

[@SuperSonicWarrior93]

Ken Pontac and Warren Graff are the worst writers Sonic has ever had. I hope they NEVER write another Sonic story ever again!

[@knuxuki1013]

SuperSonicWarrior93 Top comment

[@SuperSonicWarrior93]

I also wish SEGA would stop excluding Cream from the games.

[@knuxuki1013]

SuperSonicWarrior93 Me too

[@SuperSonicWarrior93]

Izuki 101 Not only are they disrespecting Cream, they also keep disrespecting her momma too. And all the stupid fanboys keep making excuses for SEGA. Talking about "she's too young". Bullshit. She wasn't too fuckin' young to square up with Metal Sonic when he transformed twice everyone's size. And the baby characters in Mario Kart are too young to be driving, but no one ever says anything.

[@SuperSonicWarrior93]

They should have me in charge of the damn character roaster. Cause if I were in charge of the next BIG mainstream 3D Sonic game, here's all the characters that'll be playable within the story. Sonic The Hedgehog Miles "Tails" Prower Knuckles The Echidna Amy Rose Cream The Rabbit (w/Cheese The Chao) Big The Cat Vector The Crocodile Espio The Chameleon Charmy The Bee Mighty The Armadillo Ray The Flying Squirrel Tiara Boobowski Honey The Cat Heavy & Bomb Tikal The Echidna Shade The Echidna G.U.N. Shadow The Hedgehog Rouge The Bat E-123 Omega Fang The Sniper Bean The Dynamite Bark The Polar Bear Jet The Hawk Wave The Swallow Storm The Albatross Silver The Hedgehog Marine The Raccoon Blaze The Cat The villains of course being Dr. Eggman, Dr. Eggman Nega, and some brand new villain. One that actually lives up to the hype. Unlike bitch ass Infinite. And yeah, I would actually have some side missions where you actually get to play as G.U.N. And I don't give a fuck who has a problem with that! Also, my ideal Sonic game will go back to the Adventure formula. No more boosting.

[@cupcake_seiko2645]

I feel like i'm the only one who liked shadow the hedgehog. don't change my mind... please.

[@lpsmurder]

I enjoyed playing it, but yeah the story is contrived at best, I suppose at least it gives more context for shadow's past, albeit messily presented, but it was fun to play and I can acknowledge it wasn't great in how it presented the story and even the gameplay was kinda ehh, but I can still enjoy it while recognising the flaws

[@greenD7244]

MindTheGoop To be fair to Shadow, the whole story was written by Iizuka, who was also directing AND level designing, so it'd make sense if it's a little unfocused, after all he's just one guy, and definitely not a professional writer

[@zeth9334]

Don’t worry, I loved that game too :3

[@AiRbaL2000]

Game had great ideas. Too bad a remaster won't ever happen.

[@Phoenixwizard77]

I liked Shadow too. Though the cannon ending sucked. I thought the "super mega happy ending" as I call it, where he remembers the events of SA2 was the best.

[@no_0riginality937]

I’m sorry but I can stand what Pontac and Graff and the writer of the new Sonic team are doing to the Sonic continuity and people are saying 06 and Shadow’s story to be awful and almost nonexistent to the Sonic continuity but they are damaging and hurting what makes Sonic well Sonic The goshdamn Hedgehog and same with the other characters and it pains me to hear that people think and say that Sonic and everybody are dislikable I don’t understand why Sega and Sonic team would think it would be a good idea to hear two writers from a violent cartoon who has no knowledge of Sonic to be the head writers of Sonic Team......I find no logic in that and it’s really hurting the Franchise’s way of sticking out when it comes to personality and characters which Sonic especially and what ever happened to stories like SA2 and Unleashed? This is just unbelievable.... 😕

[@peacockqueen]

Thank you

[@shade08538]

TheSapphireDarkrai907 facts

[@DrMadd]

I think the reason they’re so cynical is because unfortunately Sonic’s reputation is so badly damaged that the only thing they can do is laugh about it. I know a lot of Sonic fans, myself included, love a lot of elements from the Dreamcast to Dark Age but a lot of the stuff that we like is the stuff that the general public thinks is stupid like stories with serious moments and the number of side characters. Again, I like that stuff, but I’m not the majority of people. SEGA is in a difficult position because they either make games that try to appeal to everyone for higher sales or games that only appeal to Dreamcast era Sonic fans for lower sales. Sadly appealing to everyone means no one is happy.

[@edwardrobinson919]

Dr. Madd true.

[@user-qp5yu1zq1m]

Dr. Madd Laughing at your own suffering is a sad fate for a franchise.

[@WaterKirby1994]

Yet the attempts to appeal to everyone appeal to almost none. They divided the fanbase so massively fans are warring over what's best for the series. Right now the Sonic series is in it's Darkest Era which started in 2010 when everything changed. I also enjoyed a lot of elements from the Dreamcast & 4kids Eras of Sonic. Sadly fans like us always seem to get the short end of the stick these days. We should be able to play as characters who aren't Sonic again & Sonic needs to stop being such a joke character.

[@Stew91]

@WaterKirby, Sonic Colors and Generations were NOT the start of the darkest era. Unlike Lost World, Boom, and Forces, Colors and Generations are widely considered good games. What the hell are you talking about?

[@WaterKirby1994]

Decent Games Justin, Colors was innovative & felt like a nice change of pace at the time, then Generations was in essence a Gold painted Brick. It may have seemed great when we got it then we learned just how empty the game ended up being. You would think an anniversary game would have a lot more to it. SA2 had 32 full Stages & Chao World going for it. 06 had a lot of promising stuff that never came to pass because of the game being released only half finished. Generations offered almost nothing new, other than bad jokes, felt more like parody than nostalgia based on the tone of the game & lack of content. These days most only play the game for the Mods Justin. The entire Boost Formula has gotten completely stale by this point, a lot of fans want to play as the characters who aren't Sonic, which at least Forces offered to a small extent. Mania delivered big time to the fans of characters who weren't Sonic with Plus having 5 different Playable characters, each with their own playstyles. With Sonic Colors, you can tell Sonic Team/Sega started caring less with each passing game. The Changes made to the series for Colors led to the Darkest Era, as a result it is grouped as part of that Darkest Era as is Generations.

[@Surgemaster2012]

I agree with everything said in this video and your thoughts reflect my own. The plot of Sonic games are certainly up for debate. Personally Sonic stories were never meant to be taken seriously (even if the Dark Age era went this route a lot and took itself seriously) the series overall wasn't meant as a holy grail of storytelling, it's a video game about a blue Hedgehog at the end of the day. But that doesn't mean it can't have connected routes, consistency or establish the characters/world basically having pieces or assets of it, after all there's nothing wrong with having elements like these. Even in something as silly as Sonic, I'm all for games that do make an attempt at a story, they just don't do them well in execution or in Shadow's case miss the mark completely. And while the Dark Age games certainly missed the point in terms of consistency and ruined a lot of the cast, I'd still prefer what we got there over Colors and onward, because honestly I hate the way new Sonic games since Colors structure their story and "characters".. None of the interactions feel, well like interactions, it just feels the characters talk with whatever script their VA's are given and just run with them, there's no focus between character interaction. It's either telling lame jokes or bland exposition followed by the character's explaining everything with poor cinematography. It's pretty sad when I can say Sonic Heroes and Riders (two games that came out over a decade ago) look better cinematography wise than Colors, Lost World and Forces. Aside from Sonic and Eggman the characters do nothing anymore, aside from Tails everyone just exists to be a living prop and barely get any focus. Tails doesn't do anything anymore, all he does in newer games since Unleashed is spout techno babble or provide exposition. While any of his combat relevancy is non existent. And subsequently he's become a boring character as a result, the same applies to Knuckles and Amy. And playing as these characters also had some relevancy, even during Dark Age the characters playable roles were getting reduced noticably as they went on, as a result nobody is playable from Unleashed onward that wasn't an Olympics, Kart or Spin-off game. This is why I liked the Dreamcast era the most, say what you will about the poor presentation, the characters were at least characters and clearly had focus and screentime. Some even their own sense of relevancy. This is what happens when a game loses its core identity and just decides to be different just to be different, they lose their focus and tone and become just an experiment, rather than a new innovative idea that progresses. I say all these things about Tails the most since he was my favorite character (along with Amy) but now he's just a blander version of himself and has completely forgotten how to fight. I hate the writing in these newer games, they don't care about anything but having the characters make jokes all the time. Even in Forces a game that's suppose to have a more serious premise. (By serious I don't mean the game is suppose to be taken seriously, I mean the story is suppose to have more tone and focus than the bare basics, but still isn't being taken to the extent of Shadow or 2006) most of the dialogue are the characters trying to make as much jokes as possible or just having stilited and boring banter that really doesn't lead to anywhere. Most of the time Sonic and Tails' interaction feel more like bland talking head scenes with jokes thrown in and all they do is stand there, they hardly ever move or express anything. The expressions are so clearly lacking, they hardly emote aside from just their faces showing use they are sad or angry. It's partly the reason I liked characters like Amy Rose so much, say what you will about her character, but I always loved Amy for how expressive she was and how much emotion she showed when it came to her interactions. All helped by her determine attitude, now where is that? Oh yeah she's a living prop like the rest of the cast and hardly showcases that. Of course I don't want her to fall under the same issues she did in games like Sonic Battle (which does her and Knuckles horribly) or Chronicles, Free Riders and such, but I'd like for her to be like Adventure or her appearance in the IDW comic and be more expressive on top of that. I absolutely hate what Forces does to the rest of Sonic's friends, Tails is a combination of everything that's sucked about him since 2008, only made worse since he's unable to defend himself which the game emphasizes more, he can only act as a bland exposition dump. And the game treats and outright hints/implies that the other characters are useless without Sonic around, despite the fact that all of them having abilities on par or even better than Sonic, and the game acts like they're incapable to do anything because they don't have Sonic while trying to facade this by "giving them screetime"?

[@samfisher2891]

fucking this^^^

[@chillykomasan7971]

Unleashed's Tails is not really the smart one unlike Colors, and Lost World.

[@Surgemaster2012]

Yes he was. In Sonic Unleashed Tails pretty much serves the same role as he does in Colors, Lost World and Forces. In his first cutscene he's seen cowering in fear against Dark Gaia monsters while screaming "help" then afterward he just becomes glorified transportation and his only role in the story is providing exposition about the world being split. The once he's shown crashing after that cutscene with Professor Pickle he's never seen again until the end of the game, he just disappears from the plot entirely. The only thing that puts him above Colors-Forces Tails is he's transportation as oppose to standing around awkwardly.

[@chillykomasan7971]

Codebox42 makes sense

[@traptorpedo1005]

What are some differences between the characters in games?