The Great Sonic's Friends Debate

[Weiss]

New round of Sonic games announced brings the age old question back to the light: who should be playable in Sonic games? For the purposes of the poll, every succeeding option includes everyone above.

I am an unapologetic stan for the extended Sonic cast and while I think it was a good idea to take a bit of a grace period from them in the late 00s and early 10s to get away from what was at least commonly seen as cast bloat that pushed from Sonic's core gameplay, by now it's gotten kind of depressing how little anyone else gets to do and the further the Sonic-only focus gets pushed, the more I feel the cast gets devalued. I think it's perfectly fine to take issue with the varying gameplay styles that defined a lot of the 00s Sonic games, and that the bad reception to other playable characters, I think, comes from taking issue with the quality of those segments, but for me at this point it's more that I just wanna play as Knuckles, Blaze or Shadow in a mainline Sonic game because those characters are cool and I wanna see them do cool stuff and have plot relevance again.

Checking the Colors Ultimate announcement thread got me all excited that Tails was gonna be made playable but then it turns out (speculated? It's kinda vague) he's just an assist character, and like, how the heck has it been this long since Tails got to be a main character?

 

[ILikeFeet]

everyone

 

[ZeoVGM]

Replace Amy with Blaze or one or two of the extra Mania characters and that's the option I'll pick.

More playable characters works better in the 2D games where it's still going to play close enough to Sonic. But 3D games? Yeah, keep it at Sonic and maybe Tails. Almost every single non-hedgehog character for the past 20+ years of 3D games has played poorly.

 

[pleaseinsertdisctwo]

I'm sure they can make Tails and Shadow fun to play


that's it

 

[Stowaway Silfer]

Shadow and Blaze

 

[headfallsoff]

Tragically the game that had the best idea with playable characters is sonic 06. Everyone's playable in some form, with bonus levels and short sequences for the guests sprinkled throughout, but the main campaigns are Sonic, Shadow and Silver who are similar enough to emphasise the core of what makes sonic platforming good. Unfortunately the game was an unfinished disaster so they probably won't steal ideas from it again even if the concepts themselves were never a problem, but it's exactly what I'd love to see in another Sonic game.

 

[TheDinoman]

There's nothing really wrong with having a bunch of different playable characters.

The problem is that when it's like the Sonic Adventure games and Sonic 06 where each and every character has their own different half-hearted gameplay mode that bog down the quality of the games.

Just do what most of the 2D Sonic platformers already do and make them all variations on Sonic's momentum based gameplay (i.e Tails plays like Sonic but he can fly).

 

[FatPuppy]

Sonic Mania Cast + Sonic the Fighters Cast + Vector

Those are the only eligible ones.

 

[sir_crocodile]

Any character introduced in Knuckles Chaotix or earlier

 

[TheDanimal]

Get rid of Sonic and do just Shadow

 

[Het_Nkik]

The only character I like outside of the classic games is Cream the Rabbit.

 

[Stowaway Silfer]

Tragically the game that had the best idea with playable characters is sonic 06. Everyone's playable in some form, with bonus levels and short sequences for the guests sprinkled throughout, but the main campaigns are Sonic, Shadow and Silver who are similar enough to emphasise the core of what makes sonic platforming good. Unfortunately the game was an unfinished disaster so they probably won't steal ideas from it again even if the concepts themselves were never a problem, but it's exactly what I'd love to see in another Sonic game.

Click to shrink...

It's a shame that concepts I like had to die because they were tied to an unfinished mess like that.

 

[Nachos]

I'd be all for:

• Sonic
• Tails
• Knuckles
• Vector
• Blaze
• Shadow

With Amy being a side character or something. Coincidentally, each one also has a unique primary color.

Just make Shadow closer to how he was in Adventure 2.

 

[Graven]

I think Sonic should be the one you play the majority of the game, about 80% of the main missions, then throw in some stages here and there to play with the other characters.

 

[the magical kitsune]

Do another Sonic Battle and make everyone playable.

 

[BasilZero]

Shadow and Rouge

But everyone sure.

 

[Bard]

Tails, Knuckles, and Blaze.

That's it.

 

[Dark Knight]

I grew up with Bunnie/Rotor/Antoine/Sally etc

 

[The Unsent]

Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, don't need more than 3 playable ones.

Sonic with green eyes I count as a different character, especially after Generations, when OG Sonic doesn't talk.

 

[Catalyst]

There's nothing really wrong with having a bunch of different playable characters.

The problem is that when it's like the Sonic Adventure games and Sonic 06 where each and every character has their own different half-hearted gameplay mode that bog down the quality of the games.

Just do what most of the 2D Sonic platformers already do and make them all variations on Sonic's momentum based gameplay (i.e Tails plays like Sonic but he can fly).

Click to shrink...

This is the correct answer. The 2D games already perfected using multiple characters in this series.

 

[Punchline]

sonic's friends are good, actually

 

[BasilZero]

I grew up with Bunnie/Rotor/Antoine/Sally etc

Click to shrink...

Too bad Sally and Bunnie are non-canon :(

 

[Kouriozan]

I don't mind his friends, I'd also like to see more Team Chaotix in the games, especially Vector.

 

[Alent]

I like Sonic's shitty friends and while i don't think they all need to be playable, i do like seeing them involved in the story.

 

[L Thammy]

the new playable characte is a new sonic character he has black spines like shadow and he has chaos emerald control power but instead of hedgehog arms he has machine arms from when lost his arms in a battle with the devil machines (which are like eggman's robots but they have demon powers and are evil) and he had to replace his arms with machines but also they gave him devil power. when he isn't fighting he stands on the rooftop to think about the fleeting moment in his life when he used to be happey and how he will never have it again. he has a sword

 

[Zan]

Go hog wild with it and embrace every aspect of the Sonic verse. I wanna see Scratch and Grounder fight against Mamoth Mogul, Dingo and that one obsessive fan from the Sonic Boom show.

They say the series has too many friends? Embrace it.

 

[MondoMega]

There's no debate; Sega unfortunately listened to the loud minority opinion that "Sonic's friends are all awful" and we've been stuck with the playable cast of 3D Sonic games being Sonic and other forms of Sonic since.

Really hoping Rangers has multiple playable characters; or hell, I hope Tails or Metal are playable in Colours Ultimate.

 

[sir_crocodile]

the new playable characte is a new sonic character he has black spines like shadow and he has chaos emerald control power but instead of hedgehog arms he has machine arms from when lost his arms in a battle with the devil machines (which are like eggman's robots but they have demon powers and are evil) and he had to replace his arms with machines but also they gave him devil power. when he isn't fighting he stands on the rooftop to think about the fleeting moment in his life when he used to be happey and how he will never have it again. he has a sword

Click to shrink...

You forgot "Original character do not steal"

 

[Dark Knight]

Too bad Sally and Bunnie are non-canon :(

Click to shrink...

Terrible.

 

[Vidiot]

Have as many as you want as an option as long as they are extensions of Sonic's gameplay. Don't force me to play as a bunch of Sonic's friends, let me choose to do a full game as just Sonic or choose to be Amy or Tails or Knuckles or whoever.

 

[Cipher Peon]

Cream, Tails, Amy, and Shadow would be my ideal cast. No Sonic, no Knuckles, no rest of them.

Sad that Cream wasn't even included as an option in the poll, she's my favorite :(

 

[Fat4all]

 

[RadzPrower]

I don't mind having all of Sonic's friends along. The problem comes when they spread themselves too thin when they do that and make a totally unique story for each one. You of course can go the other direction though and end up with something like Sonic Heroes where it's the same gameplay over and over again.

A good happy medium for me would be a set of levels with maybe a few exclusives for certain characters (Sonic and Shadow get an exclusive speed-themed level, Knuckles and Tails get a level that would suit their flying/gliding better as an exclusive) but the real difference comes from HOW the characters play not WHO they are or what happens to them specifically.

 

[Strittles]

The lack of Sonic's friends has been one of worst parts of last decade of Sonic games. I miss having the cast play a big role, no matter how weird their gameplay styles were. Even the super basic Shadow stuff in Forces made me happy, and I hated that game. I've always hoped they'd at least incorporate Shadow and Blaze into more games since they could easily clone Sonic's moves.

 

[Deleted member 17627]

I'd say Sonic Heroes' cast is good, but take out:

• Cream
• Big
• Omega

And add in:

• Blaze
• Mighty
• Ray

I never cared for Ray, but Mania Plus did an amazing job giving him a personality. He's so goofy, I love it.

 

[Virtua King]

They should always try to go for Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles at least.

After them, bring in Shadow and Blaze if it's feasible.

 

[Weiss]

Those of you who voted Bunnie Rabbot are the real MVPs.

 

[Deleted member 79058]

I remember when I finished Sonic's campaign in Sonic Adventure and I was talking to my friend about it. I was like "I just finished Sonic Adventure!" and he's like "you need to finish the other campaigns to say that you beat it."

So yeah, I never beat Sonic Adventure.

Just let me play as Sonic please.

 

[Betty]

Just Tails and Knuckles.

If they do another Adventure game then by all means include Shadow, Robotnik, etc.

 

[FinalArcadia]

I love most of the major supporting cast of Sonic, so I'd honestly want everyone playable.

More realistically, though, I think Sonic 2006 had the right idea. Focus on about three main playable characters but then let some of the other characters get mini-playable sections.

That said, I LOVE treasure hunting, the mechs, Silver's slower psychokinesis, and Amy's stealth levels from SA1, so I do wish the games had more differentiated gameplay for the characters.

I'd rather everyone all play similarly (Sonic Advance-ish) though if that meant we'd at least get more playable characters. Sonic has a great cast; I just want to see and play as them more again.

 

[fontguy]

Just have them talk a normal amount. Please.

 

[Slayven]

Professor Beef this you?

 

[FreddyFreaker]

I don't really care who as long as their presence doesn't add different genres to the mix*. Adapting the Sonic Advance model to 3D would be the best solution.
*This was the original motive behind the "Sonics shitty friends" complaint. Almost no one was mad over Tails or Knuckles lol

 

[MondoMega]

There really aren't many games where making Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Shadow or Metal Sonic playable would've been unreasonable; even if they're just non-canon model/animation swaps for Sonic that play identically.

Blaze and Silver are conditional; fans will accept it as long as they write a story reasonable for them to show up in. Same for Eggman in a playable role; but he'll always be around as an antagonist or uneasy ally anyway, so it's impossible to really miss him.

Other characters like Rogue, Cream, Omega and the Chaotix, i'm not as fussed about; don't always need to be playable, but the option would be nice to see.

 

[RecRoulette]

A musou game with all of them stop fucking around Sega/Omega Force

If you don't have Dave the intern what the fuck are we even doing here

 

[Solid SOAP]

As long as they're fun and well thought out it shouldn't matter

 

[DiipuSurotu]

Polls options are weird. I want Sonic/Tails/Knuckles/Amy to be playable and there's no option for that

 

[RochHoch]

Blaze is cool and should be a regular

 

[styl_oh]

sonic never should have made friends

should have died a lone wolf virgin

a crippled man, unable to forge a human connection

corrupted by his lust for rings and yet never putting a ring on it

except tails. i dont know why i cant vote sonic+tails. and sometimes knuckles, it's just like vowels

 

[Rotobit]

Just Sonic only can be fine but it's very rote at this point. Still, I'd rather they perfect a game style with him first then consider adding characters as DLC/sequels rather than shove everything in at once.

Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy is a solid combo, but I'm fine with those other slots being filled by other characters. So long as it isn't 3 hedgehogs like '06.

Big should be in every game as a supporting character tho.