I never liked Sonic.

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I never liked Sonic.

(Administrator) 2010-03-25, 15:24 #1

Member since May 2011 · 2172 posts · Location: Brisbane
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Subject: I never liked Sonic.

Sega's Genesis (aka Megadrive) was still limping along, almost but not quite kicking the ass it soon would, when Sonic the Hedgehog was released. The 16-bit days were all about platform games, and Sonic was Sega's answer to Mario.

I hated Sonic. Still do:

[Image: http://nfgworld.com/grafx/games/FuckSonic.png]

Recently GamaSutra talked a little about the different design approaches between the two games, putting into words the things I could never really put my finger on. Some people liked Sonic, in fact a lot did, but I couldn't get past the fact that it looked brilliant but played like shit.

Quote by GamaSutra:
Most levels have at least two tiers that run parallel and intersect at multiple points. Because backtracking is discouraged or outright prevented, it's only possible to experience the full extent of the level after multiple playthroughs.

I hated this. Why can't I stop and look around? This sort of prevention mechanism did not make me want to go back and try again, it made me want to stop playing. It's not because I was a Mario fanboy - when Sonic came out I had a Genesis but had never owned a Nintendo. I hadn't really played Mario much, but I still didn't like Sonic.

Quote by GamaSutra:
Super Mario World encourages a rhythm of watch, understand, and act, with an emphasis on the watching. Mario expects players to observe the environment carefully and make decisions accordingly.

Mario let you run through a level if you knew it well, but was totally playable at a slower speed. Stop, go, look around, whatever. There's a time limit, but hey, do what you want. Sonic instead made you race, every level was designed to make you run by placing obstacles you couldn't traverse at a slow speed. Loops, spirals, long jumps - if you weren't running, you weren't going anywhere.

What pissed me off most was, after asking you to run fast, Sonic punished you for doing it, with spikes and enemies that would rush onto the screen and kill you. To this day I have a Pavlovian reaction to the sound of Sonic losing his rings. I can feel the failure deep in my chest. It's utterly unenjoyable.

Quote by GamaSutra:
Sonic's design isn't more immersive or inherently fun than design that encourages players to experience everything the first time. All it does is provide new experiences even after the credits roll, without the aid of artificial unlockables.

Well yes, that's entirely true. If you like being punished for doing what you're asked to do, if you like not being able to walk up the slightest inclines, if you like having to play the same level over and over in oldschool right-from-the-beginning-again style, then Sonic totally encourages you to play it again.

Fuck that.

BLEARGH

This post was edited on 2010-03-25, 20:04 by NFG.

2010-03-25, 22:15 #2

Member since Oct 2007 · 265 posts
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I just wrote this for a post up on Usenet:

"Sonic is one of the few home console games that also presents the pleasantly repetitive qualities of the best arcade titles. You don't just play Sonic once: you play through to learn the level, then you play through to complete it fast, then you discover Chaos emeralds and play through again to get all the bonus rounds. Some of us aren't done playing Sonic yet, some 15 years after it was released."

I've observed in the past that Mario has breadth where Sonic has depth. In a typical Mario game, you wander around with a lot of options and discover the goal, but you usually don't come back. In a Sonic game, the goal is always clearly stated (or otherwise self-evident) and you're pressed to do it better and better each time. I can enjoy both types of games, and I'm very fond of the very first Sonic game in particular, but I can see why it wouldn't appeal to all tastes.

2010-03-25, 22:39 #3

Member since Apr 2009 · 59 posts · Location: Bendigo
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I'm going to have to agree with NFG here. I really like playing a bit of Sonic every now and again, but I don't enjoy replaying levels for the simple fact that it annoys the hell out of me.

I take a long time to complete games usually; I take my time to try and get every item, or get every upgrade, or even see all of the map (I still love you AOE). With Sonic I struggled with the fact that no matter how good I got, I would never get everything on any of the levels on the first try.

Sonic is mainly a good game which can be very fun to play. But it lost a lot of appeal to me (and many others I'm sure) by ruining the ability to go backwards, and do things slowly.
Oh yeah, and divorcing you of your precious ring all the time.

2010-03-26, 07:08 #4

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Quote by Nith Azra:
I take a long time to complete games usually; I take my time to try and get every item, or get every upgrade, or even see all of the map (I still love you AOE). With Sonic I struggled with the fact that no matter how good I got, I would never get everything on any of the levels on the first try.

Sonic is mainly a good game which can be very fun to play. But it lost a lot of appeal to me (and many others I'm sure) by ruining the ability to go backwards, and do things slowly.

I don't dispute your statements here. But to me, this is a lot like saying that Doom isn't appealing because it's not in third-person view and players respawn. You have problems with the very things that make the game what it is, and the things that make it challenging.

I remember when people had criticisms of Sonic Adventure, and they complained about the very same things. The camera automatically moves, you can't stop and admire anything, and you get punished for trying to go backwards. There was always a comparison made to Mario 64, as if every 3D platformer had to be modeled on exactly the same gameplay mechanisms. But Sonic games have never been about exploration or collecting the rings, and if you're playing that way then you've missed the point.

One more thing to consider. Look at videos of gameplay footage from Mario and Sonic games. The Mario sessions all look alike, and there's really no difference between expert and novice players. When you look at the screens of different Sonic players, it's immediately clear who the experts are, and who's playing for the very first time. Sonic is a completely different dynamic that rewards experience and precision in a way that Mario doesn't. Again, not making a judgment about anyone's preferences, just trying to make a clear distinction.

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