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The Great Sonic's Friends Debate
- Thread starter Weiss
- Start date
Sa2 style with knuckles/tails/shadow, with knuckles doing his treasure hunt stuff (in modified versions of sonics stages) and tails having slightly remixed versions of sonic stages for medal mission equivalents, with shadow being an optional cosmetic change to sonic.
The new characters up until the late 90s were mostly ok.
This is including the Chaotix crew and Sonic the Fighters. These guys are all fine in my books.
Once Sonic Adventure hits, it's just not the same. Amy's redesign looks weird, Big is... well he's Big the Cat. And then SA2 takes things even further this direction.
I guess I'm just stuck in the 90s.
This is including the Chaotix crew and Sonic the Fighters. These guys are all fine in my books.
Once Sonic Adventure hits, it's just not the same. Amy's redesign looks weird, Big is... well he's Big the Cat. And then SA2 takes things even further this direction.
I guess I'm just stuck in the 90s.
I miss Sonic's friends in major roles and being helpful. Tails has been pretty useless for the past decade and is a scaredy cat now. We've already had the arc in the Dreamcast era where he had to find the courage to do what he has to do but Sega has reverted him back and never moved past that. He's sidelined to a wimpy genius trope.
I need another game with the 3 main hedgehogs again. Both Shadow and Silver could be some serious fun with proper mechanics.
Outside of them, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy would all be the obvious choices.
Outside of them, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy would all be the obvious choices.
Solo Sonic games are played out. Bring back the friends, even if they play mostly the same.
Also Sonic 1 is garbage and the first good game with just Sonic playable is Sonic Colors.
Also Sonic 1 is garbage and the first good game with just Sonic playable is Sonic Colors.
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For the purposes of the poll, every succeeding option includes everyone above.
They need to stop being cowards and just make everyone playable, invest in it, savour it, make 3 more friends i don't care.
Sonic only is so fucking boring
Sonic only is so fucking boring
3D games? Depends on how basic is the moveset. Mario 3D World has multiple playable characters but Mario Odyssey only has Mario.
WIsh we had new characters, the last time they introduced new good permanent characters was with Silver (15 years ago!!!!!) which is funny considering he is not supposed to be in the past all the time
Whisper and Tangle are great but hope they appear in the main games or at least the spin-offs
Whisper and Tangle are great but hope they appear in the main games or at least the spin-offs
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However many it takes until we get Tangle and Whisper in a mainline game.
We have them in the Mobile games so we are one step closer to it than many characters in the past.
We have them in the Mobile games so we are one step closer to it than many characters in the past.
However many it takes until we get Tangle and Whisper in a mainline game.
We have them in the Mobile games so we are one step closer to it than many characters in the past.
mother of god what are these awful things
At least the trio of Sonic, Tails, & Knuckles. But I'd be down for a roster of…
- Sonic
- Tails
- Knuckles
- Shadow
- Blaze
- Tangle
- Whisper
Looking at Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and how Insomniac Games is introducing an amazing looking new character Rivet to be playable alongside Ratchet, makes me long for the days when the Sonic franchise used to do the same. Last time they successfully did that was Blaze the Cat in Sonic Rush...16 years ago. Of course, the very next year after that saw the release of Sonic '06, the game responsible for Sega going down the "Sonic only" path for the next 15 years. Most characters don't even appear anymore, and if they do they're worthless cheerleaders/bystanders (Colors, Generations, Forces).
I'm a classic Sonic fan primarily, but I'll never agree that it should just be Sonic or Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles playable for the rest of time. That just seems like such a ridiculous restriction to place on the franchise. Just because Sonic Team blew it a lot with other characters doesn't mean that the characters are a problem. They've blown it with Tails, Knuckles, and Sonic himself as well. Execution is the problem, not the characters.
Hell, the IDW comics introduced one of the best characters in the whole franchise just 3 years ago:
Tangle the Lemur has just been a brilliant character and fits in with the other characters perfectly, especially with the classic cast. It would be a tragedy if she never got a shot at being playable in a mainline game because some "only Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles can be playable until the end of time" mandate that was born out of fear due to failures well over a decade ago. That said, I wouldn't want to see it happen until I'm confident the developers can pull it off. That would go for Blaze, Knuckles, Tails, and everyone else too though. Right now, still coming off the heels of Forces, trust in Sonic Team is pretty low. But if/when they turn things around, there shouldn't be any mandates in terms of who should and should be playable. They should just pick which ever characters they see fit, and maybe rotate them out from game to game. Or just create cool new characters just like Insomniac Games is doing in Ratchet & Clank. Just like Sega themselves did in Sonic Rush.
I'm a classic Sonic fan primarily, but I'll never agree that it should just be Sonic or Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles playable for the rest of time. That just seems like such a ridiculous restriction to place on the franchise. Just because Sonic Team blew it a lot with other characters doesn't mean that the characters are a problem. They've blown it with Tails, Knuckles, and Sonic himself as well. Execution is the problem, not the characters.
Hell, the IDW comics introduced one of the best characters in the whole franchise just 3 years ago:
Tangle the Lemur has just been a brilliant character and fits in with the other characters perfectly, especially with the classic cast. It would be a tragedy if she never got a shot at being playable in a mainline game because some "only Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles can be playable until the end of time" mandate that was born out of fear due to failures well over a decade ago. That said, I wouldn't want to see it happen until I'm confident the developers can pull it off. That would go for Blaze, Knuckles, Tails, and everyone else too though. Right now, still coming off the heels of Forces, trust in Sonic Team is pretty low. But if/when they turn things around, there shouldn't be any mandates in terms of who should and should be playable. They should just pick which ever characters they see fit, and maybe rotate them out from game to game. Or just create cool new characters just like Insomniac Games is doing in Ratchet & Clank. Just like Sega themselves did in Sonic Rush.
Recent creations for the IDW comics made in cooperation with Sega. Tyson Hesse actually designed Tangle (on the right) himself.
Both are great characters & I hope they show up in mainline games going forward (maybe they can appear in Rangers).
Are these actual good characters or are they good characters in the same way that some think Silver is a good character?
I'm used the majority of Sonic's friends just being like, "Hey, here's a new animal friend but there's nothing unique or interesting about them."
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They're fun. Whisper is just straight up Sonic the Hedgehog's version of Sniper Wolf who used to hang out with Foxhound.
They were popular enough to get a miniseries, the first time in I want to say 20+ years a comic original character got their own spinoff.
Shut them the fuck and they're fine. The problems begin when they start talking... also, keep them hand animated. The mascot mocap is atrocious.
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I'm so damn mad that Bark and Bean are cordoned off in the Classic games, so they can't appear in the comics at all.
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Shadow, the rest can go.
Sonic - Duh
Tails - Slightly easier Sonic mode, bit slower but easier to reach the top paths
Knuckles - Slower again, concentrating on alt routes and traversal
Shadow - Maybe some sort of more skill based Sonic? Higher speed but needs to be maintained by constant rings simular to Super Sonic maybe.
Honestly even if hes not playable in games, Shadow as a dark rival Sonic a great idea. People get caught up because hes an edgelord, but having him show up once or twice ala Protoman as a boss encounter in the form of a race would be a nice change up of the normal boss fights. He doesn't need to be the big bad or anything, he just turns up because he wants to prove hes the ultimate lifeform by beating Sonic in a death race. This would even work in the 2D games honestly, just think of the Metal Sonic fight.
Sonic - Duh
Tails - Slightly easier Sonic mode, bit slower but easier to reach the top paths
Knuckles - Slower again, concentrating on alt routes and traversal
Shadow - Maybe some sort of more skill based Sonic? Higher speed but needs to be maintained by constant rings simular to Super Sonic maybe.
Honestly even if hes not playable in games, Shadow as a dark rival Sonic a great idea. People get caught up because hes an edgelord, but having him show up once or twice ala Protoman as a boss encounter in the form of a race would be a nice change up of the normal boss fights. He doesn't need to be the big bad or anything, he just turns up because he wants to prove hes the ultimate lifeform by beating Sonic in a death race. This would even work in the 2D games honestly, just think of the Metal Sonic fight.
Well, that's interesting. I do hear good things about the IDW comics.
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I think the only time Sally ever showed up in a game was a cameo in Sonic Spinball.
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I've never been a big fan of Sonic's design or the designs of most of his friends, but that Tangle design is really appealing. Was that character made by Tyson Hesse? Because Hesse is the best thing by o happen to Sonic
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Oh is that some kind of contract restriction? I don't pay attention to the comics but I like Sonic the Fighters and I about lost my shit when Fang, Bark, and Bean showed up in Mania.
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Yeah basically the way it is right now is that Classic and Modern characters who don't have a counterpart can't be in the other universe. I think the Chaotix are the only escapees from this clause since they were reintroduced in Sonic Heroes, so now they're Modern characters without Classic versions.
So we'll never see Shadow in Sonic Mania, for instance, or Bean in any game with Modern Sonic.
Outside of the 2D games, which feature sonic reskins with a small twist, Sega has never really done a good job of making the gameplay of other characters feel good. They always stretch themselves way too thin and it always feels like the main part, that being sonic gameplay, suffered every time as a result.
Hell, the IDW comics introduced one of the best characters in the whole franchise just 3 years ago:
Tangle the Lemur has just been a brilliant character and fits in with the other characters perfectly, especially with the classic cast. It would be a tragedy if she never got a shot at being playable in a mainline game because some "only Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles can be playable until the end of time" mandate that was born out of fear due to failures well over a decade ago. That said, I wouldn't want to see it happen until I'm confident the developers can pull it off. That would go for Blaze, Knuckles, Tails, and everyone else too though. Right now, still coming off the heels of Forces, trust in Sonic Team is pretty low. But if/when they turn things around, there shouldn't be any mandates in terms of who should and should be playable. They should just pick which ever characters they see fit, and maybe rotate them out from game to game. Or just create cool new characters just like Insomniac Games is doing in Ratchet & Clank. Just like Sega themselves did in Sonic Rush.
Like you said, she fits so well with the current cast. Her tail concept makes it feel like they designed her with a gameplay idea in mind even though she's only in the comic.
Btw, there's an excellent Tangle custom character for SRB2. Being able to grab the ground, running the other way, then rubberbanding yourself into a spindash is such a creative mechanic. That's the kind of stuff I want to see side characters doing in Sonic games.
Only the characters from the games I've played and enjoyed are allowed. No other characters are allowed, because they are from games I did not play and I refuse to acknowledge this video game franchise extends beyond my slim bounds of recognition.
Yes. Ian Flynn (head writer of the IDW Sonic comics) came up with Tangle's concept and Tyson Hesse designed her.
Alright, guess I finally need to get back to SRB2. Been years since I last tried it out, but that does indeed look like enough to reel me back in. The wall swinging was a no-brainer, but having her gain momentum by grabbing the ground was a really cool idea. Thanks for sharing.
I chose Sonic Tails Knuckles and Amy. My reasoning is because they have solid, compelling gameplay mechanics for them, while most of the other characters just don't yet.
So truthfully, they can include anyone they want as long as they make them fun. But I think the general rule to follow is to not stray too far from the core gameplay. The classic game's characters work so well because the experience isn't completely different from one character to another, you get just enough to spice things up. But also, using the same core gameplay allows you to keep the game focused. Like what happens with SA1, It just isn't feasible to make separate playstyles and properly flesh them out for each playable character. SA2, took a step back, but still has this problem with too many play styles. Then in the opposite direction, Sonic heroes includes almost every character solely to pad the game, every team all play exactly the same. People stopped liking the friends because it dilutes the gameplay, not because they're bad characters.
So truthfully, they can include anyone they want as long as they make them fun. But I think the general rule to follow is to not stray too far from the core gameplay. The classic game's characters work so well because the experience isn't completely different from one character to another, you get just enough to spice things up. But also, using the same core gameplay allows you to keep the game focused. Like what happens with SA1, It just isn't feasible to make separate playstyles and properly flesh them out for each playable character. SA2, took a step back, but still has this problem with too many play styles. Then in the opposite direction, Sonic heroes includes almost every character solely to pad the game, every team all play exactly the same. People stopped liking the friends because it dilutes the gameplay, not because they're bad characters.
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She's kinda canon now. The 360/PS3 version of Sonic the Fighters made her fully playable, and she was shown off in a piece of Classic Sonic art by Adam Bryce Thomas awhile back.