How would you redesign Sonic the Hedgehog?

Welp, time to break out the ol' AOSTH clip again. (Skip to 2:33) :v:

 

Aww, that Tails is precious.

 

Epic. I love the expression on Charmy's face!

Brilliant. I've always felt that Sonic could support multiple "dimensions" with independent versions of the characters (much like how Nintendo handles the Zelda series). A cute DS game about this version of Tails would be so much fun! That running pose is so full of personality.

 

See him with Mickey o'er there.

 

Koi, that is brilliant. I absolutely love your style.

 

There are those big, long pupils again. I can't tell you enough how neat I think that is.

 

I don't have a problem with the green eyes, but if we're going old school, the only viable option for me is the Sonic 1/ Concept Art Sonic 2 eyes. No shine no nothing, a great black pupil.

 

AAAAAAARGH go to hell.
You've already got Arabian versions, Celtic versions, and Eggman Nega parallel dimension versions (...of Eggman Nega). And ONE parallel dimension is too many. The plot's too schizo as it is without hurling in five alternate universe clones of each character to keep track of. :\

It's cliche, it's messy, and it kills character development dead in the water (splitting poor Tails up into 3 different versions already? Real Tails could have come with Sonic to Black-Knight-sville! It would have been adorable!).

Split-dimensioning is my least favourite plot device.

 

*quickly removes entire story from Sonic RPG in the making*

 

This design is probably the only 'radical' redesign of Sonic I would be happy with. Seriously.

 

The trouble is, I grew up loving the games, both cartoons (and later on, Sonic Underground). I like them all, but they're totally incompatible. Like superhero comics, there are just multiple "universes" that I like equally and can't decide between.

Is Sonic a hotshot adventurer who travels the world in a biplane, exploring mysterious islands that contain the untold mysteries of a lost civilisation, fighting the nefarious Dr Eggman all the way? Or is he a valiant forest-dweller protecting his home from the encroaching mechanisation of a despotic Dr Robotnik? I love both ideas, and combining them is impossible.

I can watch Miyazaki's Famous Detective Holmes. Or I can watch Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke. Or I can watch Basil Rathbone as Sherlock fighting Nazis. And I enjoy them all equally. I don't see why Sonic and friends can't be timeless characters of many guises.

That said, it shouldn't be used as a cheap plot device, like the new Star Trek. The dimensions should never meet up. It should be used purely so that different artists can have their own vision, like with Disney's Robin Hood.

The point is that "Sancho's Sonic the Hedgehog" would be entertaining. That can't be denied.

 

Only if the person playing it enjoys it!

 

I'd say they can be without canonically bifurcating the entire fucking universe. Think of it this way; even game-canonically, the realistic-styled Empire City of Unleashed and the cutesy checkerboard geography of Green Hill Zone are on the same planet. There's nothing stopping you from having one game in pastel colours with skipping rabbits and cartoonish landscapes, and then the next rendered in a more SRS BSNSS style with Mephiles flying around murdering people. Was the Paper Mario plumber a canonically different guy to the 64 Mario dude? (I don't actually know as I've never played Mario, but I presume he wasn't).

Chronicles was fantastic for holding out olive branches to SatAM fans with its SWATbots and Archie fans with the Dark Legion Brotherhood. It was a game thematically similar to the old US show (all the way down to Sonic & friends being sent on an infiltration mission to Metropolis "because this kind of small-squad tactics is what you and your friends excel in") despite being Modern Sonic with all his green eyes and Eggmans and loads & loads of characters all over the place.

My main argument is that I think one canon in one universe is more than big enough for Sonic to be all things to all people. Sure, in one game have him defending a single, animal-inhabited forest from Eggman's aggression; in the next have him and Tails biplaning off on a Sonic World Adventure; and in the next have a LOL DARK storyline with Shadow and Silver where Robotnik's threatening to slag Soleanna to blackened glass just because he's a horrible bastard. You don't need three DIFFERENT Sonic's for all that; he's the fucking Blue Blur, all-purpose hero and the one-stop-shop for all your villain-scrambling needs.

Take Sonic and the Black Knight. WHY did he need to get magical plane-shifted into Arthurland? Couldn't he just... y'know... run into the Sonic's World version of Fantasy Scotireland, given that he is explicitly stated to love travelling all over the globe exploring? The world is a big place, you don't need 3 seperate universes to fit normies, druids, and Arabians.

 

This has actually brought to mind something that I've been thinking about for a really long time.

Sonic needs a continuity reboot. Think about it: after one decade of having no less than EIGHT different continuities (US Games, JP Games, SatAM, Archie, AoStH, Underground, StC, Sonic X) and another decade of introducing stupid bullshit that most die-hard Sonic fans can' stand, I think it's time to wipe the slate clean.

Design-wise the new universe would resemble the old-school games heavily with a twinge of the newer games' quirks (I.e. Sonic is short and chubby but still has green eyes). It would borrow varying elements from all the above-mentioned continuities (and this can still work as our friend Frozen Nitrogen up there was kind enough to point out).

Locations would include South Island, Westside Island, Angel Island, the Kingdom of Acorn and the "human nations" from SA1 and 2. Basically we have areas populated by humans and areas populated by Mobians.

Sonic would be more of a regular teenager that tries to act cool and edgy but is really a softie, rather than an annoying Mary Sue. His backstory would be an amalgamation of the above continuities. His real name would be Sonny, and he'd be born to to blue hedgehogs on Christmas Island but would later move to South Island with his Uncle Chuck. He'd meet Tails on Westside Island and go on all those other adventures afterward. My idea for how Sonic got his super-speed is like this: Blue hedgehogs are the rarest kind of hedgehog, and once every ten generations one is born with the power of super speed. Sonic is the lastest one to inherit this ability. As a result he changes his name to "Sonic" and decides he wants to be a hero (while still maintaining his snarky teenage wit). Porker Lewis would be the one who builds him his shoes and the Tornado.

Dr. Ivo Robotnik (aka "Eggman" after his physique and taste for eggs) would be more like he is in the games with only a slightly sinister edge. His story is that he was once a high-ranking government scientist but was later cast out due to being the grandson of Prof. Gerald and actually supporting his cause. So instead he moved to the kingdom of Acorn and took it over, turning the capital city of Mobotropolis into Robotropoilis. From there he decides to scour the world in search of the Chaos Emeralds to fulfill his scheme of world-domination.

In addition, Eggman's nephew Snively would be there. Whenever Eggman is out he'd leave Snively in charge of Robotropolis, much to Snively's delight as he (like Starscream) really wants to usurp his uncle's power.

Scratch and Grounder would appear as Eggman's most incompetent robots and would serve as comic relief. Coconuts would appear as another boss robot who wants to earn Eggman's approval.

Miles "Tails" Prower would appear as an orphaned two-tailed fox from Westside Island who is "adopted" by Sonic as his little brother. Much like the games he lacks self-confidence and always looks up to Sonic, in light of his own potential as a mechanic. Eventually he'd come to realize his potential yaddayaddayadda. He basically "inherits" the Tornado from Sonic after showing his mechanical prowess.

Knuckles would have course be the guardian of the Master Emerald and the last of the red echidnas. Rather than the muscle-bound idiot he is in the games lately he's more of a tribal sorta guy and doesn't get a lot of contact with outsiders. However he's very in-tune with nature and his pretty skilled at setting outdoor traps.

In addition I came up with an additional backstory and explanation for why he doesn't trust Sonic. Eons ago, the blue hedgehogs and red echidnas fought a war over possession of the Emeralds. Queen Aleena wanted to reason with Chief Pochacamac over it but he decides to be stubborn and fight anyway. Like in SA, most of the Chao died in the process, prompting Chaos to slaughter everybody (which is why blue hedgehogs are rare and Knuckles is the only red echidna left) and hoist the landmass that became Angel Island into the sky.

Amy appears as a young pink hedgehog who sees Sonic just before the Little Planet incident and falls head over heels, believing him to be her destined lover (pink hedgehogs have the inherent ability to predict the future). Unlike in the games she isn't an obnoxious psycho and is instead a little more capable, kinda like her StC counterpart. She trains herself often and awaits the day she gets to show Sonic just how powerful she is.

Cream would appear with a drastically different personality. Here, she's Amy's best friend and in contrast to Amy's tough fighter personality she's a nerd and kind of stickler. I'd even redesign her to have glasses and a more traditional schoolgirl's outfit. Her specialty is being an expert in Chao care and fully maintains a role as a Chao rights activist (remember, they're an endangered species). She has a super-powerful Chao (thanks to her careful parenting) named Cheese who follows her everywhere.

Rouge would appear as a double agent. Sometimes she acts as an informational contact for the government, other times she acts as a master jewel thief under the pseudonym "Nails the Bat". Eventually she meets Knuckles and becomes his love interest via the ARK incident. Additionally I'd redesign her to look a little younger and less slutty, plus she's have a cute French accent to match her name.

Big is just background comic relief who never talks. He always appears just sitting there fishing in one-off scenes or whatever. Kind like his appearances in SA2.

The Chaotix (Espio. Vector, Charmy) appear pretty much the same way they already are, except Espio would be a little more like Batman than an out-right ninja, and Charmy would talk reallyreallyfasttoemphasisthefactthathesscatterbrainedandalsoabeewhichbuzzesarou
ndreallyreallyfastandstuff. They're a detective agency and are always being sent out to investigate minor cases, with exception of a few major ones at the hands of Rouge or Fang.

Fang would appear as a sleazeball hired gun. He only works for whoever pays him the highest and will never hesitate to double-cross someone if the pay-off is bigger in the end. Basically the way he was in Triple Trouble. Not sure if I want him to talk like a southerner or like a New Yorker.

Bean and Bark would appear as a couple of crooks who are out to get Fang after he double crossed them and failed to pay what he owes. Bean is a slighty off-kilter pyromaniac who talks with a Brooklyn accent and is the leader of the two. Bark is his accomplice who rarely speaks, but when he does it's in a super-deep Russian accent. Obviously, he's the muscle of the two.

Mighty would appear as a spiritualist traveler who used to live on South Island with Sonic. His goal is to see the entire world, but half the time his travels always take him someplace where an adventure unfolds.

As for Ray, I'm not sure what to do with him.

Metal Sonic would appear as the latest in Eggman's line of Sonic robots and would start out as just a foil to Sonic but would eventually become a major threat. He has his ability to copy data like in Sonic the Fighters and Sonic Heroes and by using it he overthrows Eggman and starts his own empire, much like what happened in StC and Sonic Heroes. This would all culminate is a massive battle against an army of "metal" versions of everybody with Metal Sonic himself in that giant red form he had in Knuckles Chaotix (Metal Overlord be damned).

Now we have Shadow. In this reboot, I've combined Shadow, Silver and the Werehog all into one character. This character is a malformed black and white tenrec with an oversized cybernetic arm and a Chaos reactor built into his chest. He has all of Shadow's Chaos powers and some of Silver's telekentic propertes, plus that arm gives him strength much like the Werehog. I guess his backstory would be mostly similar to Shadow, what with being Gerald's experiment gone wrong and pining for Maria. In this case he'd have been Gerald's attempt to recreate the population of blue hedgehogs that became really rare, but the project took a drastic wrong turn. Unlike Shadow he'd actually stay dead after the ARK incident when the reactor in his chest goes off and he explodes.

The cast of SatAM and Archie appear in Knothole, all of which have been redesigned to resemble the games' art style. Princess Acorn is the confident leader whom Sonic always tried to hit on and get rejected (you can tell I support Sonic x Amy), Rotor is the team's tech wiz and often has to hack machines for them, Antoine is the comic relief being the cowardly soldier and all, and Bunnie is an escaped experiment of Eggman's, which is why she has a robotic arm and robotic legs. The story here is that Sonic and Tails land in Acorn and discover that Eggman took over, so they band together with the Freedom Fighters to drive him out. This is also where the events of Sonic Spinball would be adapted with the attack on Mt. Mobius and all.

For the record, I'd mostly keep the SatAM/Archie references to a minimum. No other characters besides the Freedom Fighters would appear except maybe King Acorn, and the only notable thing about the kingdom would be that it's the biggest population of Mobians on Earth. The reason they call themselves "Mobians" is because the tallest mountain in Acorn is called Mt. Mobius. Yeah, no planet-hopping stuff going on here.

The only other characters I can think of fitting in here are probably E-102 Gamma (redesigned to look a little more emotive) for the Mystic Ruins incident, the scrapped "Sonic Band" consisting of Max, Mach and Sharps, and I guess Porker Lewis and Johnny Lightfoot who'd reside on South Island. Like I said before, Porker would be the one who built Sonic's shoes and the Tornado.

Oh, and of course the little critters from Sonic 1-onward (Rocky, Flicky, etc.) would have to appear too. Other than that I'd pretty much scrap everything that came after Sonic Heroes. I think this is a nice, even way to handle things. Don't you?

 

I like some of your ideas, some not so much. Basically I hate your Sonic and his backstory, but love your ideas for Amy, Tails, Cream, Rouge, Chaotix (though I'd still have Espio be a parody of a ninja), etc. I'd change Shadilver the Werehog, though.

 

I like it aside from the Shadilver the Werehog bit.

Get a mature Jaleel White and Jim Cummings to voice Sonic and Eggman respectively and I'm completely on board.

 

I feel like I didn't describe Sonic well enough though. I was sorta going for a Peter Parker-ish vibe. Basically I wanted Sonic to be like he was SatAM and AoStH but with a few more flaws, since nobody likes a main character who's completely flawless.

I also had a feeling somebody was going to dislike the idea I had in mind for Shadsilverwerehog. Watcha gonna do? :v:

 

So you are going with the it's unnecessary router. Similarly though, not having some alternative imagining of the character is unnecessary too. So really, it just comes down to whatever whoever wants whenever.

Personally, I wouldn't mind a reboot that takes a liberal approach to re-imagining the characters in terms of role and character. It's just a why not kind of thing to me. I'm fond of most of the characters in the series, but I'm not fond of what they've come to be, so losing that wouldn't bug me. And thats just something that can't be done without in some way splitting the canon.

 

You miss the point entirely.

While it's possible to place Green Hill and Empire City on the same planet, it is impossible to combine the characters.

Sonic's personality and history are completely different in Sonic Adventure, Sonic Underground, and AoStH. Sure, you could try to combine them, but that would only create another continuity. (And Tails can't be a mutant girl with special shoes, and a normal kitsune from Westside Island.)

Furthermore, Sega expressly intended Sonic to have multiple universes, so that they could please players in every region. To me, it's about how the characters act. You can play fast and loose with a lot of things, but trying to smash Long John Baldry Robotnik with Sonic Adventure 2's Dr Eggman is going to be disservice to both.

Anyone who follows comic books can follow multiple continuities. I think Sonic fans ought to able to.

Conversely, I do love the exercise of trying to fit the stories together. I don't frown on peoples' "theories" about the Chaos Emeralds and them trying to explain the differences between the games and things like that. The point is to have fun with it, right?

 

I like the personality you gave him, the backstory is what irks me. MAGICAL BLUE HEDGEHOG! sounds frankly idiotic.

Aso for Shadilver the Werehog the problem is you grabbed what's generic on each character and joined it. You'd do better to try and fix each character alone.