Sonic and Sega Retro Message Board: HP Zoner - Viewing Profile - Sonic and Sega Retro Message Board

Felik, on 15 June 2015 - 03:50 PM, said:

I... never said Back to the Future's time travel was more competent? I said I liked the writing better, but I guess having an opinion is frowned upon by the likes of you, then?

I've already admitted the film has lots of problems with its time travel from a logical perspective, I've agreed that DigitalDuck's explanation is spot on, and I said that I like how he's got a point of view quite different from mine, so uh... what's your beef, buddy? What do I need to say for you to get off my case?

DigitalDuck: As I've mentioned before, this is all kind of a subjective matter, isn't it? Your explanation is perfectly valid, and I'm well aware of the many problems with Back to the Future, but you and I just see the glass half-full for different things. Nothing wrong with that (it's certainly nice to see some constructive counter-arguments about two subjects I like, at least).

Getting back to the topic at hand, remember when Sonic Unleashed used real location names for its levels (such as Apotos being Mykonos)? I suppose they did the right decision in the end, since it's vague enough to allow fans to come up with their own theories. You could say Sonic lives in our planet or a different one entirely, and most people wouldn't bat an eye.

Felik, on 15 June 2015 - 05:28 AM, said:

Because unlike Sonic 2006, I can actually enjoy the writing in Back to the Future non-ironically. The characters in that movie are given a set of rules to work with, and that's exactly what they do. In Sonic 2006, there are no rules. Anyone can travel to any point in time whenever they want, yet they never use that to their convenience. That stands out more to me than scientific accuracy, which (correct me if I'm wrong) you seem to have mistaken my argument for. That's not at all what I was talking about (and definitely not what they were going for in Back to the Future anyway).

I don't expect a fictional work to consider all the logical ramifications of something that isn't even possible in real life, theoretically or otherwise. After all, the authors establish the rules, not the audience. With that in mind, the audience is supposed to focus on what makes sense given those rules. If it's entertaining, well-written, and cohese, that's all I really need. I think you'll find these works become more enjoyable that way.

So to answer your question, I brought up the time travel subject because all of the characters are idiots in that game.

Isn't that a highly subjective matter? I can tell you about how Back to the Future is consistent enough within its own universe to be very enjoyable, but I'm not sure what your definition of "traditional" means in this context. If you're looking for something Sonic-related, then you don't need to look any further than Sonic CD. I find that one particularly satisfying because you actually get to see your actions influence the future at your leisure.

See, all of that does make sense (kudos on going that far with your analysis), but there are lots of things that are never really explained. Unlike the rest of the plot holes in the franchise, they stand out to me because I like time travel plots when they're done right. Although thinking about it, I suppose they're not technically plot holes and are more likely attributed to bad writing...

For instance, if Mephiles could travel back in time, why didn't he just go back to a moment where he could join up with Iblis without the convoluted plot? The heroes never seemed to understand how useful time traveling is either. Case in point: after Elise and Eggman died in an explosion (if I remember correctly), Sonic chose to go back to just a few moments earlier, rather than a more convenient occasion free of hassle. Speaking of, I'm not sure how the time rifts always seemed to send them exactly where they wanted, but I guess that's just one of those things you're not supposed to think about too much. Then there's the fact that both Eggman and Mephiles sent different people into the exact same moment in the future somehow... There are coincidences and then there's just plain impossible.

There are tons of things like that throughout the plot, but yeah, I guess labelling them as plot holes might be incorrect. To finish off, here's something I'm pretty certain is a plot hole: Why did Elise mistake Sonic for Silver when she first saw him? Unless I'm missing something, I don't think she ever met him before (at least not while conscious). You can infer that she did see him in a timeline leading to the events in the game, but I don't think this was ever actually explained.