Well, I'm not really a fan of Spinball myself, I just think it's funny how Sega treats certain games in certain eras. I'm over here still mad that Sega had an entire real-life pinball division and never had them make a Sonic table.
Sega being Sega. Btw, it would be cool if Origins had Fighters and R, too. 3D should be its Saturn version, though.
The only games I see as mainline are the ones represented by stages/bosses in Generations, Generations itself, Lost World, Forces and Frontiers. Does it make perfect sense? Not really, I mean, there are other games developed by Sonic Team besides those, but I don't know, maybe I just got too used to this way of thinking. I can try rationalizing it all I want, but I admit my own idea of what is mainline is incredibly arbitrary and based only on my feelings. I don't consider the Advance, Rush and other Dimps series as mainline because they're for portable consoles, Shadow the Hedgehog is technically not a Sonic game, but a Shadow game, and I guess everything else is just doesn't feel like it belongs to what I see as mainline for one reason or another
As I mentioned in the Origins thread, I wonder if a 'sequel' compilation with all the 32 bit games would sell. While they are more elusive games that many fans want their hands on, they're also much more niche than the main lot. Gems Collection for example got rather middling reviews and even that at least had CD in it.
Gems Collection was also a very long time ago, back when it was kinda cool to hate Sonic. It's been 20 years since then, and the way people talk about Sonic as a series as well as individual Sonic games is very different now. People don't really hate Sonic much anymore, either. Honestly, I have no idea why people even like CD to the extent that they do. That game has far more in common with Chaotix and 3D than anything else. There's a reason why haters come down especially hard on that game. For what it's worth, a big complaint about Gems Collection was that it had the entire Streets of Rage trilogy only as a Japan exclusive. That I think just made people too mad. But also, reviewers are genuinely awful, as I've had metaphorically beaten into me lately...
Ideally, but I feel like it would be a rather ambitious project for DLC, comparing it to the Mania Plus DLC already planned. Remember that most of those games, given their native console, would likely have to ported or remade rather than a simple emulation. They'd likely want big money for such an effort.
Please stop bringing this up forever like it's some kind of QED. That list is hilariously inaccurate and probably even malicious, and that's being nice. Look, we get it, you really don't like the idea of Sonic 3D ever being considered important by anyone. This is precisely what I was worried about.
I'll keep bringing it up as long as it's relevant to a discussion. Though for the record, this is only the second time I ever mention it in this thread or anywhere. And whether you like it or not it's an official list included in an official Sonic release. The post I quoted was implying that there had never been an official list of main Sonic games, hence me correcting it.
Nah, it's just a fun spinoff. Whether a game is mainline or a spinoff doesn't really matter much nowadays, though. ...what. You've been trying to misrepresent anyone who commits the grievous offense of disagreeing with you this whole thread, can you please take a step back and only reply to what's being said without trying to tie any interaction with you to some strange persecution complex?
If a game adds to the lore or reoccurring gameplay mechanics, should it be considered mainline? Or is it the choice of the developer to declare it mainline for it to be labeled as such?
IMHO, it should first depend on the developer's perspective of what could be considered mainline or not. Even side-stories could add to lore growth and/or gameplay evolution. Fan outcry could also be accounted for.
What even is mainline? I'd consider mainline to be the numbered games (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.). That is usually what people have considered “mainline” in game series. So, with Mario, it's the NES games, then Super Mario World is 4. Dr. Mario isn't mainline. Neither is Super Mario Kart. Canon, sure. But, not mainline as far as I look at it. So, Sonic 3D is Sonic 4? Or 5? What's Sonic CD? It's surely mainline, right? Or, is that alt. Sonic 2 such as U.S. Mario 2 is alt. Mario 2? How does that even work? It's a matter of where the demarcation line is set. It's either cordon one group off due to various criteria or everything is mainline. It's quite a moot point really.
I don’t think the SA2 list really means much. It’s not claiming to be an official mainline designation; you’re simply conferring that status on it. It excludes Sonic CD, counts the regional releases of Sonic Adventure as separate installments, and also includes a compilation of old games. Not to mention it’s not in the game itself, it’s a .txt file you can only read by putting the disc in a computer. I get that you don’t think 3D Blast should be mainline, but you absolutely do not need to be so anal about it when others say otherwise.
How does any of that discredit the list? I would say the one being anal here is you. Multiple releases of SA1 are still releases of a core game. In SA1's case, the international release was actually an enhanced version with new features. Sonic Jam is a main game just like Sonic Origins in that it features enhanced versions of core games. Sonic CD's status was long debated back in the day due to it being a non-numbered installment for a console add-on with unique mechanics (time travel, super peel out, different spindash), only being treated as unambiguously mainline in later years. And it's still an official list in an official product. It's not like it was an obscure file found within the game's code that wasn't meant to be seen by the public. It was provided as an bonus among the digital goodies in the disc, just like the PC wallpapers. Also, I dunno how I was being "anal about it when others say otherwise". It's not like I replied to everyone who argued that S3DB = mainline. I only replied to those that replied to my own posts directly or indirectly. That is, just you and another guy. Your post was indirectly addressing mine: Considering that I'm the one who used the "Sega doesn’t treat it as mainline" argument.
