Top 5 Ways To Make Sonic Great Again!

Top 5 Ways to Make Sonic Great Again Never has a greater lie been told. (SB of Sonic telling classic Sonic his future is going to be great) Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 5 Ways to Make Sonic Great Again. For this list, we’re taking a look at how developers can improve the Sonic the Hedgehog series, bringing the blue blur back to his former glory. #5: Stop Trying to Be Dark Sometimes it makes sense when a video game franchise is given a gritty makeover, as with “Tomb Raider.” Much like “Bomberman,” though, Sonic’s over-the-top world doesn’t exactly scream “dark” and “brooding.” This tonal shift arguably transpired in “Sonic Adventure 2” with the arrival of Shadow the Hedgehog. Back in the early 2000s, this tortured soul may’ve appealed to middle school kids who did all of their shopping at Hot Topic. In retrospect, however, Shadow was trying WAY too hard to be cool and the franchise went full-blown emo with his 2005 spinoff. Bring Sonic back to his colorful roots or at least find a solid balance of drama and fun like in the 90s animated series. #4: No More Forced Story Elements You know Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Robotnik, but do you recall anybody else from this franchise? We didn’t think so. Aside from shoehorning in new characters that failed to leave any impression whatsoever, the developers behind Sonic keep incorporating story elements that just feel out of place. The early games kept the premise as simple as possible: Sonic needs to stop Eggman from taking over the world. More recent titles have gotten bogged down with convoluted plots right out of bad fan fiction, including evil spirits, black knights, and Werehogs. We understand that long-running franchises occasionally need to try something different to stay fresh, but not to the point of becoming unrecognizable. #3: Good Level Design Sonic’s early adventures on the Sega Genesis featured some of the most inventive, vibrant, and exhilarating levels in video game history. Over time, however, the levels started to get too straightforward, quite literally. Many of them require the player to do nothing but move the analog stick forward and sometimes press a button, which doesn’t offer much of a challenge. Other levels have been challenging for all the wrong reasons, either due to poorly placed obstacles, sluggish puzzles, broken camera systems, or glitches that stop Sonic dead in his tracks. A well-designed stage, such as Casino Night Zone, will keep the gameplay fast-paced and flowing while also testing the player’s skills with timing and precision. #2: Platforming Over Speed Whatever blast processing is, it certainly highlighted Sonic’s ability to go really fast. Speed might’ve been what drew gamers to Sonic initially, but it was the slick, creative platforming that kept them coming back. At some point, the developers forgot that there’s more to Sonic than zooming from point a to point b. Some Sonic games have put so much emphasis on speed that it feels like you’re riding a rollercoaster, which sounds fun at first. When you’re essentially going along for the ride, though, the gameplay can become insultingly easy and repetitive. Plus, if Sonic goes too fast, it’s hard to keep track of what’s happening in the moment and what lies on the horizon. #1: Fun & Simple Gameplay We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: if it ain't broke, don't fix it. For some reason, though, Sonic Team keeps adding gimmicky gameplay mechanics that nobody asked for. Characters have been given swords, guns, and even fishing poles, all of which just slow matters down. With exception to maybe the Wisps from “Sonic Colors,” every attempt to make this franchise more innovative has ironically been a huge step backwards. Fortunately, Sega got back on the right track with 2017’s “Sonic Mania,” which not only worked as a retro throwback, but a great standalone platformer with the fun, simple gameplay this series was once known for. And returning to glorious 2D didn’t hurt either!