You're right. Edited. Squaresoft learned that lesson the hard way. They fell hard to the dark side afterwards.
That’s one way to look at it, but that doesn’t change the fact that, if you count Splash Hill and Windy Hill as a Green Hill, then that means Green Hill will be in six main series Sonic games in a row (4, Generations, Lost World, Mania, Forces, and now Frontiers). Green Hill being in a Sonic game isn’t an occasional thing like you imply, it’s pretty much every game now.
It’s funny that so many people complain about Green Hill but would have loved a Green Hill open-world/zone in Frontiers. That’s literally what a lot of people complain about too. That the environment is not Sonic-y. Even fan games use Green Hill.
You're missing two from one game: Sonic the Fighters has South Island and Canyon Cruise, South Island being the name of the island Green Hill is on so literally in all but name.
In case you didn't bother reading my whole post, I'm not denying that, and that's not what I was talking about.
He didn't! He specified spin-offs wouldn't be included. We'd have to include stuff like Sonic Battle too if we were to include every game.
Why not, if it's a good looking and iconic stage. It's not like every Green Hill zone plays exactly the same or even looks the same. I just see it as a rather pathetic reason to bash Sonic. While games like R&C can use similar looking stages time and time again and be held up as a classic