The Sonic the Hedgehog fanbase is known for being the most loyal and yet, the most critical of fans for the vast amount of changes made to Sonic in his 25 years of existence. Ever since his change in appearance in "Sonic Adventure," people have been criticizing his new green-eyed and voice-acted persona. At the same time, people have also welcomed this new Sonic and love his new dynamic makeover with a cool attitude and love for speed.
People grew up with different versions of Sonic, but hardcore classic Sonic fans have continued to criticize and beg for a return of the original Sonic the Hedgehog way of gameplay and look. SEGA has worked to please both sides of the fanbase. One of the games that seemed to have cooled the waters was "Sonic Generations."
The game featured both classic and modern Sonic as well as stages that can be played with both versions of the character, and the gameplay matched who you played as. Several years later, with the release of another Sonic makeover, fans were once again critical of the changes and the fans were at each other's throats on who was the best yet again. SEGA tried to please the fans with displaying how great "Sonic Boom" was.
But, the glitchy games didn't reflect the success they had hoped for. Luckily for their efforts, the television show did have some success and will be receiving a second season. With the release of the trailer of Sonic's newest game, which features an appearance of both modern Sonic and classic Sonic, it looks as if SEGA may be trying to reboot the glory of "Sonic Generations" with a sequel.
While it was a success in the past, I don't think it's the direction that they should be heading towards. First of all, it seems like a weak effort to get both sets of fans back to loving Sonic again and secondly, it's too early for another generations game when the last one was released just five years ago. Further, the games that were made between those timeframes were mainly related to "Sonic Boom," not "Sonic Generations."
My hope as a Sonic fan is that SEGA goes in a fresh new start. I'm not looking to see a fourth version of Sonic, but simply take Sonic in a new direction that will wow the audience for something they have never seen or thought of before. The classic fans will always live in the nostalgic era of their childhood, wishing things were the way they were back in 1991, but it's time to move on. And making a generations game doesn't seem like the appropriate route to go.
