Summary
Sonic the Hedgehogis one of the most iconic video game characters of all time, which is all the more impressive given the mixed reception of this franchise’s games in recent times. Unlike Mario, the mascot Sega was trying to compete with, Sonic’s 3D transition has been far from perfect, with a lot of these games continuing to struggle to this day. Thankfully,Sonicfans are very passionateabout their favorite hedgehog and compel Sega to perfect the formula and keep the series relevant to this day.
While the franchise has enjoyed a string of games that are a lot of fun to play through, some of the other games in the series have either been critically panned or split fans down the middle. It’s a shame thatSonicgames don’t receive the same care asMario, but players will be pleasantly surprised if they give some of the more polarizing games a chance instead of just ignoring them outright.
In many ways, theSonicseries has been a victim of its own success. The incredible debut of this hedgehog meant that players expected games on Mario’s level, only to be disappointed by how inconsistent the quality of its games has been since. This stretched all the way to the modern era, where fans salivating for a goodSonicgame weretaken aback bySonic Mania. Everyone felt like the series would churn out such quality titles after learning from its mistakes, soSonic Superstarsdisappointed many fans despite the game emulating a lot of what made the classic series such a blast to play through.
While the new gameplay mechanics are underbaked and the art style can take a while to get used, players who want to enjoy a game that channels the strength of classicSonicgames will findSuperstarsto be right up their alley. It may not be one of the best games featuring the blue hedgehog, but the platforming action is competent enough to carry players throughout the experience.
A game everyone loves to hate,Sonic Adventurewas the first attempt by Sega tohelp the series transition to 3D. However, unlike the brilliance of Super Mario 64, this game has aged poorly and become a punching bag for manySonichaters who love pointing out its goofy animation and weird cutscenes. It’s true thatSonic Adventure’s presentation isn’t the greatest, but most people who checked this game out at the time loved the fast-paced gameplay, the side activities in the Chao Garden, and a string of imaginative levels.
The high-speed segments can be a bit too railroaded for most people to enjoy, but there are many things to like aboutSonic Adventureand its sequel once people look past the goofy nature of the game’s visuals. It’s the perfect title forSonicfans and may convert some non-believers if they give this title a shot.
The biggest reason why many people loveSonicgames is because of the sense of speed they enjoy in these titles, especially in the earlier entries. Translating this motion to 3D has proven to be a huge challenge for Sega time and time again, but many fans will swear by the fact thatSonic Unleashedis one of the few 3D games that captures this sense of motion. The daylight levels are a treat and channel the best ofSonic, but it’s the other half of the game that has attained its fair share of critics, and understandably so.
Turning into a werehogcould’ve been a cool change of pace that differentiated itself fromSonic’s usual gameplay, butSonic Unleashedfails to capitalize on this premise. This turns the night levels into a chore that players must power through to get to the good stuff. Depending on how much players can ignore this side of the game, they either considerSonic Unleashedto be an underrated classic or another poor outing for the blue Hedgehog.
An open-worldSonicgame sounded like a no-brainer, especially withSuper Mario OdysseyandBowser’s Furyshowing the potential of a 3D platformer set in a sandbox where players could tackle main and side challenges to make progress in the game. Sonic may be very late to this trend, butFrontiersdoes a decent job ofmerging the fast-paced gameplayof the series with an open-world environment to let players zoom around the world at their own pace.
While the gameplay mechanics and sense of speed are captured well inFrontiers, some players have major issues with some aspects of this title. Some of the platforming challenges don’t merge well with the nature of the sandbox, and the world itself can look quite ugly at times. It’s far from a perfect open-worldSonicgame, butFrontierscan convince many haters to change their minds when it comes to the potential of this mascot.
There are many reasons whySonic Lost Worlddisappointed fans. The visuals, music, and gameplay were excellent, but there were issues with the narrative and some aspects of the level design that didn’t sit well with many. It’s easy to write this game off as another poor entry in theSonicfranchise, butLost Worlddeserves a lot of credit for some impressive moments that show what a 3DSonicgame is capable of.
Of course, there’s no excuse to languish in mediocrity for so long even after the many yearsSonicgames have operated in the video game industry. However,Sonic Lost Worldis more memorable than most people would assume. The faults of the story andpoor characterization can be ignoredas long as players enjoy the many levels they zoom through, with the sense of speed in this title being quite enthralling.
