Which platform has the most complete Sonic library?

It's a bit of a nitpick but I'd probably include Sonic '06 in the Modern era since that's how Generations handled it. I always got the impression that "Dreamcast era" was really just a shorthand way of saying "sixth generation consoles".

 

I'm not sure I'd count the Wii/PS2 and 360/PS3 versions of Unleashed as the same game. Nor the handheld and console versions of Colors, Generations, and Lost World (or the MD vs Saturn versions of 3D Blast, to an extent, though that's largely down to the Special Stages). Also, big list in the spoiler seems to be missing Rush Adventure, as well as Pocket Adventure (though, none of these consoles have access to that anyway lol). I'd personally also include Sonic into Dreams and Sonic World (from Christmas NiGHTS and Sonic Jam, respectively) in the large list, but they're both locked to the Saturn anyway, making them kinda moot to include for the purpose of this exercise.

Funny that if the 360 had made Mega Collection+ and Heroes (and Shadow; that's more mainline to me than any of the 8 bit or handheld games) backwards compatible, then I think the Xbox Series X/S would be the clear winner.

 

Not sure why spinoffs for other characters are being excluded while 8-bit, handheld, and storybook games, none of which are main series entries, are. Might as well just include every Sonic franchise game, with the possible exception of crossover spinoffs that include non-Sega characters like the Olympic games.

It's not like Chaotix or Sonic X for the Leapster are going to affect the end count anyway.

 

That doesn't make them mainline. They were still secondary products developed by a different studio, not primary flagship releases. And Rush was not actually represented in Generations to my knowledge, only the 3DS version which is not mainline. Of course the version of the game made by Dimps is going to include a previous Sonic game also made Dimps.

The 8-bit games were separate entities from the 16-bit titles and were created to make Sonic available on Sega's weaker hardware for people who didn't have a Genesis/Mega Drive. They are secondary counterparts to the primary 16-bit releases.

 

fwiw Rush did have some representation in Generations through soundtracks and in the fact that Blaze's character bio follows Rush's canon instead of '06

 

Sonic Spinball has representation through music in Generations.

 

I'm not in the mood to sit down and count, but I think the Wii probably provides the best experience for someone looking to get the most for their money.

The GCN releases of Sonic Adventure 1 & 2 are not ideal, but they are far from being the worst possible ports of the game. Furthermore, the games included in Mega and Gems Collection are not terribly impacted by the emulation (though I can't say I've played them in 15ish years so maybe there are issues). The Gems Collection release of Sonic R and Sonic the Fighters are also pretty great. The only real downside is the absence of Unleashed and Generations in my opinion.

My second choice would probably be PS3 or Xbox Series X. The big downside on those is how crappy Sonic Adventure's port is and the lack of 8-bit games to my knowledge on Xbox. PS3 does offer Mega/Gems Collection but at the expense of worse versions of Unleashed and Generations.

As I wrote this I have switched my opinion to Xbox Series X/S. The lack of Heroes and Mega Collection isn't huge. I just looked it up and saw Shadow also isn't included and maybe I'm changing my opinion back to Wii.

This exercise has just made me appreciate the fact that I own the actual hardware for the majority of these games lol. My CRT has the Mega Drive, Saturn, and Dreamcast on rotation, and I keep my PS3, PS4, and modded Wii U hooked up on a gaming monitor. I do need to grab a Series X when I can for Unleashed and Generations though. I just beat Unleashed for the first time on PS3 and it was a struggle to deal with the framerate.

 

I should clarify that "mainline" and "canon" are not the same thing. The Advance and Rush games are canon (I think) but are not main series entries.

Think about it this way. Ask any average Sonic fan what the chronology of main series Sonic games is. Most would probably say: 1, 2, CD (some might not include that though), 3, S&K, SA1, SA2, Heroes, (maybe Shadow depending on the person), '06, Unleashed, Colors, Generations, Lost World, (maybe Mania), Forces.

I didn't include specificity regarding the games which have alternate handheld counterparts, because for the most part, they don't matter. The title in question refers to the primary version first, with the requirement of specificity only being placed on references to the secondary version. Unleashed is the only example where that gets weird, because both versions were on then-current consoles.

To be clear, I'm not trying to appeal to some majority opinion, it's just an example scenario to help illustrate the logic behind my definition of a main series game. Those are (mostly) the flagship entries in the Sonic franchise. They were produced specifically to be the next primary release in the series. I don't put them in the same category as games produced specifically for the comparatively niche markets of underpowered/outdated consoles and handheld systems.

My initial comment here wasn't intended to start an argument about this. I was just suggesting that because many games with at best dubious "main series" status are already being included in your criteria, everything else might as well be included too. Again, with the possible exception of the Olympic games and something like Mean Bean Machine which is just a reskin of an unrelated game.

GameCube library would get Shadow and Riders, etc., but it wouldn't change the outcome all that much. No reason not to make a "complete" library actually complete.

But regarding the topic itself, it seems to me Xbox 360 and GameCube have the most.

 

The PS4 is not a current gen console anymore, the PS5 is.

 

Saying that the Advance series' predecessor (Pocket Adventure) isn't mainline but games like 3D Blast and the Storybook titles (officially stated to be spin-offs) are sounds weird to me.

 

sega isn’t even legally allowed to mention pocket adventure, don’t think it’s that weird

 

It's still an official game along the lines of the other Dimps installments that plays like the main titles (more so than 3D Blast).

 

Not to backseat mod, but it might be worth bracketing the "mainline vs spinoff" distinction for the sake of hashing out which platform has the biggest selection of Sonic games, since we just had a decently-sized thread on that matter a few months ago. + - But also because the distinction is basically pointless anyway.  

 

Thread question is "Which platform has the most complete Sonic library?"... but arbitrarily cuts off games... not very complete, hmm.
Have this list I made just now, trying to use the least amount of consoles and cover the most ground (if I missed a game then oops):

It's pretty straight forward:

• Firstly, All major retro stuff is covered by Gamecube (via some combination of MegaCol, SA:DX unlocks, and GemsCol), and can run the other Gamecube games + GBA games in the GameBoy Player.
• Then, the Xbox 360 was chosen for being desirable for that 9th gen boost thing in like three games, as well as completing the Riders trilogy... 8 Sonic games (4 counted as two distinct ones, being nice to 4:e2)
• Next, having the Wii U (12 Sonic games) and 3DS (14 Sonic games) works as nets for catching every Wii and DS game.
• Lastly, modern systems that still get games coming out for them as of early 2022. (4 Sonic games.) The M&S Olympics aren't on all platforms under that definition, so it's not highlighted.

The GameCube pulls the most weight with this as the dedicated port + emulation + cartridge reading machine, having innate access to 31 Sonic games (counting 3K as a single game like a sane person).
Worth noting the Xbox 360 has it's own SA:DX, SA2:B, CD, and Fighters ports, and can read Heroes, Shadow, Riders, and MegaColPlus (which has some, but not all of, the removed SA:DX GameGear unlocks).

 

Source?

 

I highly doubt it is true. Sega published the game themselves and Sonic Team/Naka were involved in the development. Sega just shies away from talking about games they didn't produce internally.

 

it’s not mentioned in the encyclo-speed-ia while most, if not all, sonic games you can think of are listed there