Gaming History 101

Longtime listeners of the Gaming History 101 podcast will recall that I have an issue with Sonic the Hedgehog’s legacy. While I admit not putting Sonic 2 on the Genesis/Mega Drive top 10 was as much a jerk move as it was sincere, those 16-bit games were great additions to Sega’s catalog. It was when Sonic went 3D that the entire franchise fell apart and it has never seemed to recover. The newest release by Sega, Sonic X Shadow Generations, is a hybrid remaster of the original Sonic Generations with an additional campaign for Shadow that proves Sega still hasn’t found the magic. I’ve often heard that Sonic Generations was the bastion of hope in the PS360 generation that proved a solid 3D Sonic title was possible, albeit with the conceit of 2D-esque levels as well. That was not my experience. I found it to have all the problems I struggled with all 3D Sonics and dragged my way through the first series of levels and boss just to verify it. While I admit that the updated Shadow campaign has some tricks to soften the blow of what is essentially an auto-pilot runner with some QTEs mixed in, the core design remains. Seeing that only the visuals and performance were touched in the Sonic Generations levels hinted that gameplay and quality of life features take a backseat to flashy visuals and nausea-inducing speeds. Granted, perhaps that’s what Sonic titles are in the 3D space and my biggest issue is that I either don’t accept that or I long for a Sonic game isn’t coming. Okay, let’s hash it out, today I finally admit to my appreciation for 2D Sonic titles and discuss my issues in the 3D titles that ruin the experience for me every time. Needless to say that if you are a fan of 3D Sonic titles or have ever referred to him as “The Blue Blur,” I’m likely to frustrate you.

For the Love of 2D

I received the Sega Genesis for Christmas in 1992, and at that time the promotion was a model 1 system with the original Sonic the Hedgehog in the box and you could send in a card to get the recently released Sonic 2 for free. Honestly, my draw to the Genesis was for the arcade-like titles and not necessarily for Sonic titles, but the urge to play them was undeniable. Sega made sure these titles employed graphical tricks not seen elsewhere, my personal favorite being the layered backgrounds in the bonus levels of the original Sonic. I also liked that it had simple controls of a d-pad and one button (all 3 buttons on the Genesis pad did the same thing) and it had vast levels of exploration. It’s the exploration part that oddly got lost in the mix of Sega’s advertising and game magazine coverage, but I feel confident that for most that played these early games the exploration was the experience. Sonic may have been able to go fast, but the game design would punish you for being to hasty and running ahead, especially in Sonic 2. For me it was discovering the many different routes through any given level and what pick-ups and secrets were found on the highest platforms or lowest depths. Exploration was also a necessity when I eventually played Sonic CD on the Sega CD a couple of years later, because that game migrated between the past, present, and future, with some obstacles only being overcome in certain locations at only one of the time periods. To me, Sonic is essentially an action platformer focused on exploration with the ability to go fast when the level permits, but the marketing presents a speed-running marathon play style that most do not engage with. This sin is doubled when Sega decided to use Sonic to go head-to-head against Mario, but aside from being mascot platformers the games hold little in common.

I burned out on Sonic early. Sonic 3 was a mere rental for me and even though the advertising for Sonic & Knuckles showed off that it completed that title’s campaign, I was turned off by the gimmick and 2-part purchase so I avoided it. I also found Sonic CD to be fun, but it was largely more of the same and comparatively easy, so after beating it a few times it quickly gathered dust in my Sega CD collection. I never had a Game Gear or Master System during those times, so the 8-bit Sonic titles that many a fan praise were also lost on me. As it stood, Sega’s competitive savior was just a pair of fun games I played early into the Genesis before mostly dismissing them for the likes of fighters and brawlers.

The Third Dimenson

The story of Sega trying to make a 3D Sonic game is fascinating and exhaustive. If you haven’t heard it, we covered it on episode 49 of GH101, but essentially no one could make a fun game to play. Attempts were made on the 32X and Saturn, with some scattered uncomplete demos ending up online for the interested, but there was no additional entry to the franchise until Sonic Adventure in 1999 with the Dreamcast’s release. The game that came closest was Naughty Dog’s Crash Bandicoot, an unlikely mascot platformer for the Sony Playstation. Granted, Mark Cerney had worked on Sonic when he was at the developer Sega Technical Institute and then moved to Universal Interactive Studios where he assisted in designing Crash, so there is some lineage. It was even nicknamed the “Sonic Ass Game” because you were staring at the character’s butt while you played a re-skinned version of what Naughty Dog imagined a 3D Sonic title would be. I was in pretty early on the PS1, picking one up in late 1996, and there was no denying that Crash Bandicoot was a great game that I enjoyed through multiple playthroughs. At its core, Crash focuses on exploration and not speed, save for specific moments where you collect 3 masks and open a mode akin to grabbing a star in a Mario game. This again reenforces that Sonic’s focus and draw was exploration over speed. With Sonic nowhere in sight, the trilogy of Crash games became my alternative through the entire PS1 generation. I also remember when Mario 64 came out, which I loved, that the bar seemed even higher for Sega. If it was ever going to release a 3D Sonic, it had better be astounding.

The rest of the tale is pretty negative and uneventful for me. I rented a Dreamcast at launch, which came with a copy of Sonic Adventure at Blockbuster Video, and it didn’t connect with me. Sure, running along in the first mission as a killer whale destroys bridges behind you was visually impressive, but playing through that sequence was confusing. Throughout that entire game the camera will go all cinematic on you but Sonic’s controls remain stagnant, so without any sense of direction you should just keep holding forward. If you push any other direction, Sonic goes off in a wild direction or comes to a complete stop with death closely behind. I know, holding forward is what the developers want you to do, but it doesn’t feel like I’m in control of the character. When Sonic does slow down to explore, it’s clumsy. The response feels off, like there’s a delay, and Sonic doesn’t handle well. There are some tense platforming areas that I died countless times on because the physics of a jump were off or I just plain walked off the ledge with the awkward movement. As a result, I didn’t want to explore, and this destroyed the entire reason for me to play a Sonic title.

I’ve attempted many of these games since. Sonic Adventure 2 felt like a step backwards and I think we’ll all agree that the 2016 game on 360/PS3 should be forgotten. I’ve dabbled in a handful of other titles here and there – Sonic Colors, Sonic Generations, Sonic Frontiers – and I’ve always been one to grab each title when I can find it on the cheap. Still, they all seem to feel like the original Adventure to me: auto-play running sequences with occasional QTE-esque interactions and clumsy gameplay whenever you try to take direct control. I can only conclude that this is desired, that it’s fun to the fans. I also concede that the first entries of Sonic many have ever played were after he went 3D, so this is the only version of the game they’ve ever known. For me, I long for the days where exploration was key and speed was avoidable. Sonic Frontiers came close to offering this experience, but much of the traversal and boss battles still relied on this “just hold forward and watch the fun cinematic camera” approach. I think what surprised me the most with Sonic X Shadow Generations was that so little has changed since that first iteration in 1999. I think it also means that either I accept this play style or walk away.

Final Score: 3 Sonics out of 5

Platform: Xbox Series X
Total Playtime: 7 hours
Completion: Entire Shadow campaign, partial Sonic Generations campaign
Source: Checked out from Library