Sonic and Sega Retro Message Board: Bobinator - Viewing Profile - Sonic and Sega Retro Message Board

I wanted to bring this up in the Sonic Boom thread, but maybe it'd be better to give this its own, separate topic. So, we all know that since Colors, Sonic got a new writing team. The way they write Sonic has been rather divisive, and I'd like to see what you guys think about it.

Here's the thing for me. I'm really not fond of Dreamcast-era Sonic's characterization. The point is, he doesn't really have characterization. For me, he's not much more than a generic anime hero who's personality revolves entirely around friendship speeches and 'REAL SUPER POWER OF TEAMWORK'. Sure, there's the occasional dumb joke like his line about in-flight movies in SA2, but that's about as interesting as he ever gets. The problem is, I'm pretty sure the Dreamcast-era games up to '06 were written by people who really didn't have a good grasp of the English language, and it shows. So you end up with Tails and Eggman's robots, and we all know about that.

Unleashed, I'll admit, was a lot better about the writing, but for me, a lot of it was just painful to watch. Especially when Chip was involved. I really, really hated Chip.

For me, I feel like the Colors dialogue just works better with Sonic. He's written as as an impatient jerk, and if you look at the classic games, that's kind of what he is. You've got the finger waving, the foot tapping, and all that general 'tude to support that. So having Sonic be a sarcastic jerk just kind of ties in with that, the way I see it. What I also prefer about the post-Unleashed writing is that I feel like he actually interacts with the other characters better. Take Tails, for example. After Adventure, Tails was just another character for him to say "Long time no see!" to. (They really liked using that line, and it always really annoyed me, I have to say.) The way he's written now, it feels a lot more natural, and it actually gives the impression that Sonic, you know, actually gives a shit about Tails. And while Amy in Lost World got about... three or four lines, at most, at least the writers actually gave her something besides being in love with Sonic as her one defining personality trait, and I appreciate that.

But that's just my opinion. Yeah, I know the writing in Sonic the Hedgehog is really kind of a stupid thing to get worked up about, but eh, we've argued about dumber stuff. Am I the only one who just LIKES Colors-era Sonic, or is it just me? I can't be the only one, right?

And then there are the sorts of people who just prefer Sonic being mute, much like how Classic Sonic ended up in Generations. And hey, that's perfectly OK, too.

So, hey, there's this one gaming site I'm on. It's called Hardcore Gaming 101. They're cool dudes. Point is, they're doing a book I figured some of you should know about. So, basically, what this is is 168 pages about various classic Sega arcade games. Among other things, they've got stuff like Space Harrier, along with more obscure stuff like Quartet. I figure that anybody who's big on Sega arcade games would want a look at this, especially since it's only $5 if you buy it on PDF form.

There's also other volumes in the pipeline, including one entirely about Sonic.

So, I checked, and there's already been a thread about this a long, long time ago, so if the mods feel like this thread is unnecessary, they can just get rid of it.

So, yeah, this is basically a mix of all the Streets of Rage games, plus a good bit of original content. It's been in development for a while, but the newest version should be out soon. Plus, Adam, the black guy who was never playable beyond SOR1 got revamped with a new moveset. The version they have up now is kind of buggy and unpolished, but it's still pretty playable.

Oh yeah, and the police car is back.

http://www.bombergames.net/sorr_project/ - Here's the blog for it, they update every once in a while, so it might be worth checking.

http://www.bombergames.net/forum/viewtopic...?f=8&t=1012 - The current version of the game itself can be found here.

So, we're all aware of the usual cliches in Sonic games, from the tropical island level, to the watery ruins, to underground caves. Those are all fine and good, they've served us well, but has anyone ever had ideas for new level themes? Let's share them. :3 Mine are probably pretty stupid, but they'll get you started. You can list names, themes, badnik ideas, gimmicks, and a boss, if you can think of one. Sorry the names are so dumb, anyway, I was trying to give them a Sonic CD naming scheme.

Infinite Inferno: Robotnik, for some reason or another, built a zone made to look like Hell itself. There's plenty of lava-based hazards to deal with, but you'll also have to deal with crumbling bones, piles of wrecked machines grabbing at your ankles, and plenty of stray pitchforks to give you good reason to watch where you're going.

Mental Meltdown: Sonic somehow manages to enter Robotnik's subconscious, and what's inside is pretty much what you expect, a huge, unstoppable base under his complete control, with monuments to his own greatness EVERYWHERE you go. Since it's a dream, Robotnik's free to tear apart the laws of physics to make 'impossible' traps. Basically, imagine a cross between Scrap Brain and Eggmanland, with Robotnik pulling apart bits of machinery every once in a while to make obstacles for you.

Gameshow Gambit: Robotnik's hosting his own gameshow in Casino Night Zone, and you're the only contestant. Since this is Robotnik we're talking about, you won't be dealing with answering trivia questions, instead you'll be dealing with obstacle courses with plenty of hazards to watch out for, including huge Wheel of Fortunes you'll grab onto to climb to higher areas. The better you do, the better a route you'll take, maybe there could be certain conditions you could fullfill for each 'stage' of the act before getting to the boss, like not getting hit or grabbing 50 rings.

Anyway, like I said, my ideas are probably pretty bad. Still, though, I'd like to personally see yours.