So one of the biggest issues facing gaming has always been Sonic. Sega has continued to churn out absolute garbage with fans clinging to the good old days. The original trilogy are often cited as the best platforming experience you're likely to get this side of Mario. People seemed to like both Adventure games even though they suffer from the same issues (and created them!) that the later 3D games had. Whether you like them or not you can at least admit that was peak Sonic.

Then they kept trying, almost in a Madden annual way. Shitty 3D games no one likes, weird "Sonic but not Sonic" 2D games and a few scattered inbetween that were either good or better than what we were used to so they got a lotta praise (Generations, Colors, Mania). Lony posted some NEWZ about Sonic and it gave me this idea.

I loved Sonic 2 growing up. Didn't have the patience or skill (usually on my last life when I got to Metal Sonic and this was internet infancy so I didn't know what to do) to actually beat the game, but it didn't matter because it was fun getting to that point. And outside of weekend rentals I didn't have many games to choose from, though my focus was always SNES with my Sega essentially being my Sonic 2 playing machine.

Sonic 1 is decent, but the slow downs and switches were definitely improved in for 2. Lotta people like Sonic 3 (and Knuckles) but me? Better than 1 but I still prefer 2. The save feature was nice, but the levels felt long and it just wasn't as fun to me. And the more I look back on it, I think it was lightning in a bottle with Sonic 2. They've never touched it since then and have kinda forced Sonic as a thing. At least Crash had the decency to stay in his lane when he started releasing shit games.

Don't get me wrong, I'll play the new game. I don't play them all, but if it looks like a straight Sonic game (no gimmicks or RPG elements) I'll try it out. But I don't really know why because I rarely have fun with them. And I think Sonic 2 is just pure nostalgia to me. If I played it now I might not even like it. Hell, maybe Ness just doesn't like Sonic and 2 was the exception.

What do you think... is Sonic just not good or was Sonic 2 just the masterpiece and there was no topping it despite trying for the past 30 years?

SONIC is the GOAT.

Sonic isn't overrated. Sonic is rated just right. Nobody really believes Sonic in 2021 is greater than Mario. Sonic still has some aura of relevancy but he's nowhere near as popular as the likes of Mario and Zelda.

Perhaps he can be considered overrated in the sense that people still hold on to those early SEGA memories, where Sonic truly was the 1B to Mario's 1A. Those early Sonic games were truly different, both in terms of aesthetic and gameplay, and they haven't really been replicated since, unlike the dozens of Super Mario Bros. clones.

May 28, 2021 22:49:55 GMT Emperor said:

Sonic isn't overrated. Sonic is rated just right. Nobody really believes Sonic in 2021 is greater than Mario. Sonic still has some aura of relevancy but he's nowhere near as popular as the likes of Mario and Zelda.

Perhaps he can be considered overrated in the sense that people still hold on to those early SEGA memories, where Sonic truly was the 1B to Mario's 1A. Those early Sonic games were truly different, both in terms of aesthetic and gameplay, and they haven't really been replicated since, unlike the dozens of Super Mario Bros. clones.

Depends who you ask.

I didn't have a Nintendo. I had a SEGA Genesis and Sonic was always my #1. 

Of course, as I got older, I realized that Mario was the KING (1A) and Sonic was truly the 1B, but as children it depends on what you had.

Sonic 2 was an improvement but also start to open the flood gate of one of Sonic's down falls. Too many friends
And while they aren't great most of the 3d sonics are that bad either. Sonic 06 was one of my favorite in the series and yes I am aware some of my gaming tastes are weird.

Sonic is great when done right, he’s just rarely been done right since Sonic and Knuckles.

I think theend will agree with me here, but I'm pretty sure Sonic is rated.

I don't think he ever quite got over losing to Donkey Kong at the 2012 London Olympics.

Sad.

May 29, 2021 6:02:12 GMT RagnarokMike said:

Sonic is great when done right, he’s just rarely been done right since Sonic and Knuckles.

I dunno, Sonic Mania was a pretty awesome. And I read that as hasn't been done right since Sonic & Knuckles, I misread the second part of your post.

In all seriousness...

It's difficult to say since I'm something of a Sonic outsider. I only had Sonic CD for the PC and I used to collect the Archie Comics when I was a kid (I even had the Knuckles Spin-Off) and I only played through 1 and 2 once about five years ago on that Mega Drive 360 collection. I enjoyed my time with Sonic 2 but I think it's one of those games where you really have to play through it a number of times to really appreciate it. Kind of like how collecting everything in DKC2 takes it from a 8/10 to a 10/10.

I've watched enough reviews of Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 to be familiar with it but I've never played any 3D Sonic.

Sonic Dreams does look like the best game of the lot though.

My issue with the franchise is that I didn't own a Mega Drive so I missed out there. Then the Saturn may as well not have existed and the Dreamcast was really no better here. Remember 9/9/99? Australia had nothing like that - the console was just rolled out in November most of the launch games were missing and the online functions were missing. SEGA never really got their act together down here so the system just came and went. Suffice to say I barely remember seeing Sonic Adventure at the time of it's release.

Skip forward, the Dreamcast is dead and to honour it's legacy, Nintendo emulates SEGA by doing an awful launch of the GameCube. No major fanfare or announcement, it was just rolled out in May of 2002 with a lot of major retailers staying clear of it. One of the first releases was Sonic Adventure 2, which I never bothered to touch because I wanted to play the original first. However that wouldn't come out for another year and from that point the series went the way of Crash Bandicoot. Every year they were seemingly releasing games and they'd always get around 5/10 - 6/10 scores.

Will always be a 2D Sonic guy but I know the importance of Sonic Adventure 1 & 2 for 3D Platformers, in the way both SM64 & Banjo & Kazooie were. Sonic Adventure 1 & 2 came out in the late 90's/early 00's via Gamecube port which was right around the time of the generation who 20 years later loves 3D Sonic and the whole "Furry" fandom per say. Having replayed SA1 and SA2, I think they were games better 20 years ago on the Dreamcast vs right now. Cameras, Sonic & Shadow's fast gameplay meshing in with very tight platforms, & the cheesy voice acting(Which in a way is a plus, especially SA1's) came away with me in my revisit a few years ago.

The problem was the franchise sorta got too experimental for it's own goods. Werewolves, Sonic foregoing Amy for human teenagers, Sonic & knights, Shadow had that consensus ridiculous game of his. It's the equivalent of a big NCAA wrestling freak like Brock Lesnar trying the Shooting Star Press and nearly killing himself and his worth. Just because you can do doesn't mean you should do it. Sonic 06 got rushed out to die practically where it's infamously one of the unintentionally bad games of all time. I've only played SA1 & SA2 but may revisit later down the road some of those PS3/360 titles that were pretty panned outside of 1-2. 

That's why I liked Sonic Mania from a few years ago, it brought a little something new gameplay mechanic wise but still stood on from the 2D platforming that brought it to the party in the first place.