Well, I'm not too sure about that. Shadow came pretty close to killing Sonic in SA2. Not to mention that Shadow did actually kill Sonic in a couple of the alternate endings in his game. That said, Metal personally seems to be Sonic's truest Arch-Rival, because his mission doesn't just clash with Sonic's, (like what usually happens with Shadow, or Silver), but he exists only to best and/or destroy Sonic; he is completely Anti-Sonic. Its why he was made, and why he keeps being rebuilt.
I don't think Metal gets any repairs. I think Knuckles should have an action where he throws a punch for a short distance, but keep run momentum. I've always like how Knuckles had some sort fiery element in the Sonic Advance series.
I'm enjoying the discussion about Knuckles and Metal Sonic. But if I may pose another question, let's say hypothetically they make S4E3, and Knuckles was included in the game, how would you like them to implement him?
When I first played Sonic 3, I absolutely hated Knuckles. Some guy who steals all your Emeralds and tries to screw you over at every turn? gogDAMN But when I play Sonic 3 nowadays, I love seeing Knuckles, his chuckle is what makes the Classic Knuckles so awesome. After the first boss, once he breaks the bridge, I jump off just in time and then use Tails to fly up to him just to watch him chuckle forever. And I really liked how Knuckles played in the Advance games, he still felt unique compared to the other characters, and even in Sonic Adventure 1 he was pretty fun to play as. I would also say SA2, but the fact that you can only detect one emerald piece at a time just really stretches the level to where it's kinda boring, espcially on the later levels. Also I don't care what anyone says, his theme in SA1 is the best character theme in that game. But lately it's really sad to see him how he is now, just some support character that gets tricked even easier. Atleast in SA1 he actually sorta had a good reason to think Sonic was taking the emerald pieces, when he sees from a distance something Emerald coloured in Sonic's hand. And in S4E3, I'd like him to be like he was in the classics: a complete and utter dick. Although once you complete the 3rd episode, he becomes playable for all the episodes. For the tag team parts such as flying over ledges, Knuckles can do pretty much on his own, via gliding and climbing. that part where there's lots of snow you gotta roll through in S4E2 you could dig through it, acting like Sonic using the drill power in Sonic colours. And you could probably beat those multi-hit enemies with one hit, since Knuckles is so strong.
I think the problem we're having with Knuckles now is that he doesn't have another role to play. Unless he's thwarting Sonic because someone managed to convince him it was the right thing to do, or unless the ME has shattered again, there's really no reason for him to be anywhere. Sonic Adventure was his last strong role. He still had personality in it. SA2 is when that personality started to fizzle, and Sonic Heroes is when it faded away. Though I did enjoy him in Secret Rings as Sinbad. His personality was hidden underneath all of that Sinbad, and it was amusing to watch him go. But that still begs the question, why is he ever involved in anything anymore? How many times can Knuckles really be tricked before suspension of disbelief just doesn't cut it any more? How many contrived reasons can there really be for the Master Emerald to break into itty bitty pieces or otherwise be in danger? There's just nothing for him to do than tag along with the fast guy and the smart kid, occasionally breaking boulders when the other two's new super powers (wtf Sonic can run through walls like Knuckles now) render him more and more useless. Knuckles just needs another role to play.
Ah, Knuckles... He was the Vegeta of the Sonic series until they actually put Vegetas' hair on a hedgehog. :v:
Basically the Piccolo of the series. From what I figure. Tails = Krillin Knuckles = Picollo Shadow = Vegeta Silver = Trunks anyway, on topic: Knuckles has definately been under appreciated recently and I feel he should be playable and have more of the limelight.
Despite what I said earlier about his obligation to the Emerald being easy to explain away, I totally agree. It's a little odd nowadays that (especially when he's not playable) they can't seem to find anything for Knuckles to do other than give him a sitcom-ish "Big Angry Stupid Guy" role (which doesn't feel right with a guy who was fairly low-key in the Adventure games) or just have him show up and do nothing (almost nothing he says in Sonic 06 couldn't have been given to Tails).
Knuckles has always been my favorite character. When I had Sonic 3, I always played as Knuckles in the multiplayer, even though he was essentially a clone of Sonic. It makes me sad I never had the fortune of owning Sonic and Knuckles. I probably didn't even know it existed when I was younger. The first time I actually played it was on Sonic Mega Collection and it was a total dream come true. Well, Knuckles in Sonic 2 was a dream come true since I could play as my favorite character in my favorite classic Sonic game, but that's not really point. Its sad that Sega can't seem to find much to do with him. I personally would like to see him in a mix of his Sonic Adventure stages with your typical 3D sonic stages. Finding emerald shards was rather clunky and the radar didn't really help much. Stages where you race towards a goal like Sonic, but have the level designed to accommodate for Knuckle's gliding and wall climbing abilities. Though I admit that probably would not work in practice.
I was just thinking today about ways they could still make Knuckles hunt for emerald shards. They could make the levels essentially like Sonic's, but in order to get to the goal you would have to find the three emerald shards. Think werehog stages, only with more platforming and paths. Knuckles's gameplay could encourage exploration yet at the same time not being a confusing mess.
EDIT: At most, there should be at least a minimum number of shards (maybe 2-3) to find to get through to the end of the stage and game. You could get the special ending/Super Knuckles by getting all of them. The normal ones required for stage completion would be placed somewhere within the main path, and/or any alternate paths. However, the extra ones will be hidden a bit better, and more creatively. Exploring for extra shards within other paths (or hidden ones) provides for extra replayability.
I hated hunting for emerald shards, it always gave me motion sickness. This plus the fact that at times I would spend a half hour trying to look for them was not fun at all. Btw WTF is this?:
It would be great if Knuckles made an appearance in S4:Ep3. That is if Ep 3 even comes to light. But IMO that's not enough. I loved how much of a bad ass he was in S3 and now he seems like a shell of his former self. I say give Knuckles another game with just him and possibly Team Chaotix. Knuckles' Chaotix 2? Hell, I'd buy it.
Yerah, they definitely need to give Knuckles a prominent role. He's with Sonic and gang often because in Adventure he was portrayed as very alone and obviously the company seems to be good for him. Whatw e need to see if evidence that he's guarding the Master Emerald rather than being a filler character. I'm sure Knuckles could have far more adventures based around the Master Emerald, even if he carries it with him in a small size. A game being Knuckles would be great, even if in part, because I don't really care for full spin-offs.
Really, I think that the Chaotix needs to start filling the role that they do in the Archie comics. They help Knuckles guard Angel Island and, by extension, the Master Emerald. If his talents are necessary elsewhere, or if he deems Eggman's next batshit insane scheme to be a tangential danger to the Master Emerald, he can just ask his homies to hold the fort while he goes and handles business. I mean, why not? Sure, the Chaotix are a detective agency now, but they're a bumbling detective agency. They really can't do anything right anyway. It's not unusual for Knuckles to call in a favor every once in a while. Heck, the Chaotix can even go to him to convince him it's a good idea, with him being reluctant to leave the Master Emerald under the care of a buffoon, a stoic ninja, and a hyperactive child. But ultimately, they are his friends. I dunno, I'm just spitting ideas out.
I think that'd work. The Chaotix could be to Knuckles what Tails and Amy are to Sonic. If anything that would give Knuckles an even greater role in the series as he would be important enough to have his own entourage. Similarly, Shadow has Omega and Rouge.
Now thats a good idea in my opinion. SA1 had an...ok radar, and SA2's radar makes me rage. It seems like the better option would be just drop it completely and, like you said, put the shards on the main path with some bonus ones hidden around for you to find. I don't mind hunting for things in levels, but the radar just mocks you. Its almost like the beeping is radar language for "haha, its right in front of you and you don't see it!" The monitors provided better hints. I just wish Sega could find a balance in Knuckles gameplay that makes it challenging, but not obnoxious with fake difficulty.
Actually it's technically not been. Knuckles only teamed up with the Chaotix in the japanese version after helping them free and didn't know them beforehand. This is still easily able to fit in to the current games, where Knuckles and the Chaotix know of each others existence, but don't really have any real interaction. The english manual just doesn't actually make sense in it's entirety, leaving the japanese version (as with all the old Sonic games) the true version. I'd like to see Mighty return, maybe with Ray. Those are two great characters which could be used again.
