Ugh, there are so many answers to this question and I just don't have one that really satisfies me. One thing I do kind of feel consistently is that I don't really want Sonic to be a straight forward platformer in the sense that you go from level to level anymore. I love that kind of game, don't get me wrong, but I love games where you explore and where the world is connected more. I 'd really like to see something with Sonic that is similar to 2D Metroid games or Kirby's Amazing Mirror. Another thing is that I do like having numerous characters to play with. Not stupidly numerous like Sonic Heroes, but a good core group that lets me have a decent choice of abilities and weaknesses. This is one of the ways the Sonic Advance series actually didn't suck. It's one of the good things about Sonic 3. To a lesser extent, it's one of the good things about the Sonic Adventure series... albeit the stark differences in the core gameplay for some of the characters is probably a bit unwelcome. I don't want to get too into the specifics of the mechanics, because that just makes me bitter. In a lot of these ways, I'm pretty hopeful about Sonic Boom. But when it comes to platforming mechanics (which at the end of the day is the most important thing), I have no idea if it'll be hit or miss. And honestly I doubt that it'll be the mechanics I want. I'm just hoping they end up being acceptable.
A tighter Lost World with Unleashed's plot and presentation for 3d games, Sonic Advance with Sonic 4 Ep II's cutscenes and Knuckles Chaotix graphics for 2d. Downloadable experimental spinoffs tackling other genres such as a Streets of Rage clone with Knuckles or a fun VN about a Chaotix case, with attention to keep visual style connected since the gameplay is so divergent.
You know what I want Sonic to be? Fun. "Woah man," you might be saying, "that's crazy. You can't have video games be fun! They have to be the product of a soulless corporate enterprise meant to take disposable income from parents you have been brainwashed by their first-world children looking for the latest cool thing developed by market research." Sure, Sonic only came about because of the corporate world, but what did those early games have in common? They were developed by people who were passionate about the material. People who wanted to make the best Sonic game they could muster. They didn't want to make the same game over and over again until they keeled over and died, they wanted to make a fun game that would last, and which would give them the freedom to work on something else, and maybe revisit the character and concepts at a later date. I want a game developed by a group of people who care. Who do not look at making a game as a 9 to 5 job. A group of people who strive to do their very best, while at the same time respecting what came before. It can be 2D, it can be 3D. It can focus on boosting, it can focus on platforming. It could be an amalgamation of it all, or it could be a revamped sequel to Sonic R. All I really want is a game that is filled with the sort of joy that the originals had. That, if you give that game to a kid, in 20 years they will look back on it, replay it because of nostalgia, and realize that it still holds up as a game. Just like the original titles in the series. Something that will evoke joy. Something that will stand the test of time, and not be a shameless ripoff of other concepts and ideas. Sonic Adventure 3, Sonic 5, Sonic and the Sonic Sonic. Titles are meaningless. What is important is the game. The engine. The physics. The levels. The gimmicks. The art style. Something old, something new, something comforting yet fresh. I want a fun game. Not "oh this is fun for a couple hours until I get bored and never touch it again." Not "oh this would be fun if they knew what they were doing." Just fun. Plain and simple.
Taxman and Stealth taking over the franchise and using the retro engine to build a new series of games. That's what I pretty much want. That's all I'm left with, I think... I even enjoyed the adventure series, but I'll never even get those again.
I couldn't have said that better, David. ...I was going to say how I enjoyed the Boost gameplay and how I'd like a more refined version of that, but my perspective's changed now. Sonic 2 and 3 are fun to me. I can start them up and play them for a single level, a couple zones or straight through whenever I want. I can jump into the time trials in Generations and try to shave some time off whenever I feel like it. I want something that's easy to jump in and out of. I don't want to only like a half or two-thirds or one-third of a game. I want all of it to be fun and enjoyable. I'm sick of these stupid characters that ultimately don't have importance. The NPCs in Unleashed and even Adventure added to the charm of the games and helped to create a believable world, even if the graphics are cartoon-ish in nature. The Deadly Six, on the other hand, are almost offensively stereotypical and only serve a small part of an already small and shallow plot. I don't care about continuity between different standalone titles anymore (ex. SA2 to Heroes, Chronicles to Unleashed, etc.), but I want coherence. They made Shadow a sequel to SA2, which means it follows the continuity of the Adventure games, which means the moon should be blown up. The moon during the Shadow rival fight in Generations is guilty of the same thing. The moon just facing the other way excuse is a dumb way to plug up a sinkhole; it really only made it worse as a result, too. I want tight controls and physics. I don't understand how it's so hard to replicate the physics of a 1991 game into modern engines and coding languages. It killed them in 2006 and it killed them in 2010. Either they don't care or they're incompetent, and I don't believe in the latter. For the love of God, DO NOT let one person be the sole composer. Sonic 4 and Lost World are both my least favorite Sonic soundtracks overall. Of course some tracks are better than other, but for the most part it's one big pile of repetitive, bad sound design and just really bland for my tastes. Even Rush and Rush Adventure only have two composers, and those are better than the aforementioned, personally. I don't care if individual songs or even the whole soundtrack is rock, jazz, techno, J-Pop, swing, whatever--the more people people working on the music, typically the better it is. ...If I think of anything else, I'll make a new post, but these are some guidelines I feel are needed. They just need to be less lazy.
Something like this maybe: In all seriousness, I think that David's answer was great. Sonic needs passionate, dedicated, creative game designers above all else.
This. But seriously, the game just needs to play well. No game-breaking lazy shit. It needs to play like a sonic game, it needs a bit of speed, good handling, no falling through floors or random pits. I can't believe how difficult it is for them to achieve this. They always want to add non-sonic gimmicks or other bullshit (Snow balls, Werehogs etc).
Sonic Adventure with SLW's parkour, a 'classic'-like focus on slopes, Unleashed's style of hub worlds, and Generations' art style. If not even the first part there, I'd probably stretch and go with another racer-esque 'Unleashed' Sonic if it wasn't so twitch reactionary. Actually nah I'm good with what I said. :v That's about as specific as I could get, but I guess the better answer would be "fun" like David said. Something I could come back to and enjoy instead of playing once and never needing to again. Something that feels more meaningful as an experience than just "do the level, do the level, ya beat the bad guy, done". Something good, something Sonic-y, something fun.
Rayman Origins/Legends in game feel, but with rolling physics from the Mega Drive games and an art style like the Sonic CD opening/ending. This for me would be heaven. That or combine all the best elements from Unleashed/Generations/Colours racing style gameplay, the parkor from Lost World done well and some of the more wider open levels of Sonic Adventure 1 like Twinkle park. Style wise find a balance between the cute surreal look of Lost World and the CGI movie loveliness of Unleashed. Either of those would do me fine.
Yes. I want: -A similar game to Classic Sonic's levels in Generations HD, but with the more classic backgrounds and enemies that Lost World uses. But playing as Classic Sonic. -There should be special care put in the level design, with more dangerous routes that allow for faster times, quick in-level events that don't make you fall asleep, etc, etc. -Playable Tails, Knuckles and Amy, with their own paths (their stories don't have to happen at the same time, so some props could be moved around for some of them) -No new character abilities outside of specific power ups. The characters were very fine in Sonic 3, thank you. -Also, no more interruptions than strictly necessary between levels or between the Title Screen and the game. This is, no game maps if I'm not inside the Level Select option, no hub world if I'm not in a "Sonic Socialize" game mode, no dialogue between characters telling us why they're going to the next level or why someone's guarding the end of the level (rtfm dude)... Something that doesn't make you tap your foot, and thus wouldn't feel out of place at the arcades, except that you'd have to earn your credits (in the Special Stage) instead of reaching your pocket.
1. A DD-based series of 2D/2.5D games, or 3D games that closely emulate the 2D Sonic style, developed by a studio that understands what makes 2D Sonic games good. Could be Taxman or anyone else really. 2. Playable Tails and Knuckles in the main series, implemented similar to S3K. I don't mind them going with the Lost World formula, so long as they expand the levels beyond narrow tube racetracks and make the gameplay faster and more momentum-focused. And they should maybe stick with it for more than three games, possibly. 3. A spinoff series for more experimentation. This seems to be happening already with Sonic Boom, which I am cautiously optimistic about.
What do I want Sonic to be? This right here, but expanded upon. Adventure-style controls in 3D, classic-style physics in 2D. Spin-dash, homing attack and little else. 8+ zones (though preferably a number to rival Sonic 3K) with 2 acts, boss and mini-boss included. Sonic, Tails and Knuckles as playables. Special Stages, heck even Bonus Stages from checkpoints if they wanted. Generations, with it's classic models, level layouts and 2D physics was a massive step towards a great future for Sonic - all it needed was refining, not outright throwing out of the window (as has been the case, given Lost World and Boom). A plot more substantial than the recent offerings would be nice too. Sonic actually has capable writers and voice actors behind it now, but for some reason SEGA are more scared than ever to actually use that talent. Fans didn't get pissed off with too much storytelling - they got pissed off by poor-quality storytelling.
I'd really like a return to the classic style, but visuals aren't as important to me as attitudes and gameplay. I know Sonic was always supposed to have an attitude, but I liked it better when it was more subtle. I hated Adventure to 06 Sonic, just so damn obnoxious. Really though, I'm not invested in the series at all anymore, and haven't been for years. All I guess it comes down to is that it shouldn't be annoying, and that it shouldn't be shit quality. Although I think the sports tape theme is absolutely retarded, and am no fan of Roid Knuckles, I think Sonic Boom is shaping up to be nice. I like the return to surreal and colorful worlds, and the fact that it's being developed the same people that made the Jak and Daxter trilogy gives me hope that it will be very high quality.
