What a Sonic Game Should Be

Super Mario is one of the best gaming franchises, if not the best in the gaming industry; it has survived the 2D era through 8-bit to 16-bit into the 3D era with Super Mario 64. In my opinion Mario made the best transition into this brand new format; it nailed many aspects of 3D gameplay be it the camera, the large hub like stages, the hidden rooms and the collectables (Stars,Stars,Stars). Arguably it is the best 3D platformer ever, it set the benchmark so high that many believe no other has even come close to touching it.

Sonic in my opinion bested Mario in the 2D era. It was your usual platformer with a unique and tasteful twist: Momentum Based gameplay. In many ways the two games where the same, you have a starting point and an end point you pick up power ups to allow yourself to more easily traverse the stages/zones and a basic health system of which is different but basically the same as well. Sonic had the edge over Mario in one basic principle, momentum. Everything that you did in the game was affected by the amount of speed that you managed to gain, too much in an awkward situation would need an expert to pass through without getting hurt by hazards, managing your speed dependant on the situation you were in is vital in order for you to maintain a steady flow through the level. This is what made Sonic unique and this is what gave the game it's flavour.

Mario moved into 3D by dramatically changing it's formula; it was no longer a "start here, end here" formula. The first stage starts with a star and a simple hint for the player to go off, your then thrown into an open world that you can explore and run through giving you the choice if you want to complete that specific challenge and find that specific star or if you just want to run around like an idiot (I definitely did when I was little) that was fine to.

This is where Sonic failed, the game stayed relatively the same with adventure with a starting point in each stage and an ending point but it made one MASSIVE mistake; they got rid of the edge: Momentum. Not only did Sonic not advance and reinvent itself into the 3D platform, it also destroyed what made it unique and enjoyable to all fans. Exploration GONE, Momentum GONE, Fantasy worlds GONE.

Mario was successful because it reinvented itself while maintaining all the original principles that made the originals great. Sonic failed because it destroyed EVERYTHING that made it better then Mario.

In my opinion for a Sonic game to work; for it to actually gain hardcore members of the gaming community, radical changes need to be made. What is happening now to the franchise is leading my to believe that my dream will NEVER EVER happen; but to whoever is reading this if you agree with everything posted here, spread the word go to the Sega Forums and post it there show Sega what we want to see in our beloved franchise, tell them that a platforming game CAN compete with the FPS craze that exists at the moment. This is a BASIC outline of what I think can help this game move forward, here it goes.

This is my dream of a true next generation Sonic game…

Character Design:

Basically remain the same as the Classic Characters from Sonic Generations, preferably having Tails as noticeably smaller then Sonic.

Gameplay (Single Player):

3D Momentum Based Gameplay

That's right, momentum based gameplay in a 3D environment; don't tell me that this is too difficult, there are fan games out there that are doing an excellent job of creating a physics engine that works appropriately to 3D geometry. If a small group of fans can create a physics engine like that then what is stopping a large professional group like Sonic Team from doing the same?

Super Massive Zones

Amazing wonderland like vistas with scenery that is out of this world even for a fantasy. These stages should have large waterfalls that drop down into deep ravines leading into underwater labyrinths (just to give you an idea of what it should look like). These Zones have to be MASSIVE and not tacked on. As a player we should be enticed to explore these massive worlds, colour should fill every inch of these landscapes and badniks and other hazards should also exist to enhance the level of difficulty. Each level there should be capsules imprisoning little animals in them, of course set up by robotnik; which are hidden throughout the zone. There should be cues in the game that catch the eye of the player, tall ancient looking towers with a shining spark at the top should attract the player to investigate; exploration, exploration, exploration. Everyone remembers the classic checkpoint lamp post right? Well I have a new use for it, in order to successfully find the capsules, lamposts can be seen throughout the zone with each lampost providing the player with hints about where particular capsules may be hidden; descriptions of the area, colour, symbols, all of which are written like a riddle. These lamposts provide the player with the necessary hints to progress throughout the stage and find the hidden collectable, an undiscovered lampost will have a blue ball on the tip (much like is 2D counterpart) and it will be turned red once the player has seen the hint allowing the player to recognise whether or not they are making progress. Imagine the feeling of discovering new lamposts and activating them just like the good old days, a couple of spins on the spot and it turns red to indicate that it is a newly found checkpoint. These checkpoints also provide the player with another form of help, once the checkpoint is activated the player is instantly save to that location in the game, if they decide to stop playing they will be instantly returned to that checkpoint in the zone once they boot up their game again.

These lamposts would also be very valuable to the player, they will be considered as part of the collectable system.

Because of the grand scale of these zones the player will need to play smart and think smart, some occasions may require Sonic to activate switches so that platforms like the ones seen in green hill start to move. This can open the players access to other portions of the zone and may also help them get across to their desired location. On other occasions a player may be required to scale a high point in a stage only to drop down off it, rolling and gaining speed and momentum (think Sonic CD Opening scene) to vault across a ravine or a cliffs edge to another platform across a section of the zone. A practice stage will provide the first time player with a plethora of situations and ways of which they can pass them and use the environment to their advantage, after this tutorial is shown the player may be able to return to it for future reference but will not be given any in game prompts during the real in-game stages.

Robotnik will also feature in these Zones like a true Sonic game should; as the main and only true antagonist of the game. Upon exploration throughout the zone a player may stumble across a situation where the desired capsule can only be accessed through a battle with Robotnik. Most battles will come about through an ambush, an example being Sonic walking into an underground cave with a large pool of water in the bottom of this cave; the water glistens up against the rocks in the cave with freckles of light seeping through the tiny cracks in the ceiling of the cave. The entry that Sonic comes from has a large shutter door close behind him with the Robotnik insignia marked on it; a deep sinister laugh echoes throughout the cave and a large mechanical leviathan comes out of the water the iconic boss music comes on instrumentally, this is the boss battle.

I am not going to go into complete detail as to how this battle would take place, nor the dynamics of the battle; but I am going to say that physics would play a massive part in defeating Robotnik. These boss battles won't be as easy as attacking the base of the robotic structure either, the player will have to think about how they are going to defeat this boss, through use of the environment? An opening after a powerful attack from Robotnik? This will be for the player to discover.

These capsules will be amazingly hard to find, they would not be easy in any way shape or form to find. The massive Zones will have two acts each, with the first act being day time and the second being night time, each act will have five capsules for the player to discover with the boss battle alternating between each act in each succeeding zone. These two differences will change the way the stage is displayed with the capsules being hidden in a completely different locations in the zone. The landscape will look different dependant on the act. Day time might provide you with a highly intensified level of badniks throughout the zone while its night time counterpart may require the player to carry around lanterns or torches to light up their way.

Gameplay (Multiplayer):

The multiplayer aspect of the Sonic franchise has never been tended to as it should be. There is so much potential in this side of the game and it is sad to see it be constantly neglected. To be completely honest, Sonic 2 had the best multiplayer aspect and even that multiplayer game mode was limited to three of the single player zones and one special zone. The following is a “short” description of what I believe could entice new players to join the Sonic bandwagon.

Two player Co-op

Something that has existed in the franchise before but hasn’t really been expanded on, something that can be greatly improved upon in today’s day and age. Players today more often than not play over an online service; be it Xbox Live or the Play Station Network.

The Co-op mode would exist within the single player mode with the second player being allowed to play as Tails, you can have your times recorded for the time in which it took for you and your partner to complete the game co-operatively.

Competitive Multiplayer

Competitive Race

This aspect of the game would return to the basics; starting point and ending point. A basic track would be crafted within locations of the single player zones with a clear cut indicator on the players HUD, an arrow in the top middle section of the screen showing the direction that the players must travel toward. Using skills learned from the single player aspect of the game, casual players may use the more easier techniques while the more experienced will use the land geometry to their advantage, trick jumping and getting to the end at a much more faster pace than others.

There would be a limit of eight players a game with all of your opponents appearing as “ghosts” on screen. Players may also have the choice to play as tails*

*Tails will inherit all of Sonic’s momentum characteristics in order to keep variety maintain and competitive gameplay.

Party Race

Party race exists under all the same principles as competitive race with the exception of two factors: Players show up as existing Sonic’s and not as “ghosts” and players can DIRECTLY affect each other through use of in game power ups and abilities. Monitors would be placed throughout the stages with various “power ups” and “abilities” of which may be used to bolster the players performance or to slow down others.
Each Sonic will be uniquely coloured to allow the player to distinguish each opponent from one another; the player will appear to themselves as the “real” Sonic but to others as another. Players may also get a choice to play as Tails, with Tails unique momentum characteristics being available as well as his individual abilities.

Relay Race

Relay race consists of four teams of two. With one run for each player each game. One member from each team has a starting point and begins racing toward their team mate at the other end of the zone. Once they reach their team mate their team mate then begins their run. To make matters interesting one major thing changes; the terrain and land geometry dramatically changes and distorts causing the second runner to learn a new path. The waiting player gets to watch their team mate run and can switch to their opponents view and watch them as well. On second runners will be met with a dramatic change in land geometry and terrain; the first player to be tagged, will trigger this change in the terrain. The land will change from the beginning point to the end point giving stragglers a chance to survive, players left to far behind may face being trapped in the environment causing their team to lose the game.

There is a competitive and party format to this game variant.

Lampost Shuffle

A fun game that can be played in a free for all or team variant. Several lampposts are placed in a large symmetrical arena with players spawning into the map at neutral locations. The basic objective of the game is to run and “activate” as many lampposts as you can before time runs out. The amount of lampposts are determined by the amount of players in the match. An indicator at the top right corner of the player screen will show how many lampposts are active at that current moment in time.

Players will NOT be given indication as to where the lampposts are located and they must be found. After a small amount of time expires the lampposts “shuffle” positions on the arena and a new set of lampposts a given.

There are three rounds in a game.

As a player you are given an individual colour as a “banner”. When a lamppost is struck it will turn to the colour of your banner to indicate that you have successfully captured that point.

In a free for all game players can simply convert their opponent’s lamppost to their own banners colour individually. In a team game, two players are required to be within close proximity of the lamppost and one another in order to convert their opponent’s lamppost to their colour.

Custom Content

Zone Creator

A large blank canvas for players to create their own Single and Multiplayer levels. It would be a basic map creator with a large grid on a vertical and horizontal axis; players will be able to take sections of terrain from Single and Multiplayer maps to create their own unique Zones. Terrain blocks will “snap” to one another and can then be edited and molded with several different tools; elevating terrain and depressing it to create shape and character.

Zones can be created to practice trick jumps, muck around in or race in; the choice is up to the player. Objective points can be placed in the Zones such as starting points and ending points, lampposts and checkpoints and much else.

Well that is it for now; I congratulate anyone who was capable of reading through all of that and I also apologise for any spelling errors or things that might not have made complete sense.

If this thread proves to be a hot topic I will do an update later on in the week for music and it's effects in separate locations in a Zone; subtle changes in tone and pacing to help illustrate an environment and atmosphere, things of that sort.

My friend, great minds think alike, it seems. I've seen many descriptions written by "fans" of what their ideal Sonic game should be; alas, it turns out that most of these would end up being the usual pile of garbage (or worse) rather than a decent game.
You, however, got it pretty much right. To anyone who can imagine it properly, that is exactly what a Sonic game should be.

Not much to add, except:

Basically remain the same as the Classic Characters from Sonic Generations, preferably having Tails as noticeably smaller then Sonic.

Also, make Sonic look cooler, rather than baby-ish like in SG. He looked fine, but they kiddified him a bit (or perhaps made him look more "kind" than the real classic Sonic used to). This was done, to easily pass him off as a younger version of the ugly modern model (which, of course, is nonsense).
Classic Sonic always looked cool (well, provided he was drawn by a good artist). Not kiddy, not fat, not younger, just a well designed, cool teenage cartoon character.
I'm sure most people have already seen this, but anyway, here's a fake model that I find looks even better than SG's




And for the love of god. If characters talk in the game, then for the love of everything that is good, don't make Sonic mute, because that's retarded, and anyone in their right mind would facepalm right through the back wall if Sega did that (oh wait).
If there's any dialogue at all in the game, then Sonic should be a smartass.

That's right, momentum based gameplay in a 3D environment; don't tell me that this is too difficult, there are fan games out there that are doing an excellent job of creating a physics engine that works appropriately to 3D geometry.

It's really not that hard. They just need the proper mindset: make a character that behaves and controls somewhat like a ball would in a 3D environment (when interacting with slopes and curves and such).
It's been done many times, Metroid Prime's morph ball is a good example (though it's lighter than Sonic would need to be).
If Sega claims that it's too hard, they're full of crap, and lazy.
But we knew that already.

Thanks for reading this Eternal; I spent a considerable amount of time working on this and attempting to plot out what I think would make an amazing Sonic game so I appreciate the time.

I agree with what you said about the design, it is why I said "basically the same" though because to be honest, Classic Sonic from SG does look pretty damned amazing; he is just missing that edge that the original had and like you pointed out with the picture above, it's not that hard to make a few changes to an already existing model.

One thing that I think Sega absolutely nailed was Classic Tails. He was designed to be cute. Not only did they get his image perfect, they also managed to nail his voice and his persona. His voice is childish enough to be adorable and not annoying which is incredibly hard to achieve (eg modern tails voice). The fact that Tails moves to toward the enemy twice in SG is also reflective of the confidence that Sonic has given him; I have never liked Tails being a pussy in the most recent modern rendition of him, the only time that he should ever be afraid is when Sonic is no where near in sight, because Sonic in many ways is his confidence.

Back on topic though. I have always thought that if they were to give Sonic a voice, he shouldn't be a blabber mouth; sure he should hit us up with a sarcastic remark or two to show his arrogance. Personally I have always had a liking for the one comment that Sonic makes if you leave the game in Sonic CD.

The "I'm outta here!" is smart, it's a quick way to illustrate Sonic's impatience and I think that the short simplistic nature of this comment is what adds to the beauty of Sonic. I believe that he should show his persona more through his actions rather then constantly speaking; no not like Generations where he is constantly miming, that was just ridiculous but through serious action. Destroying badniks, displays of compassion for half trapped animals in badnik armor; that is what builds compassion.

One thing that I need to add to the gameplay section of this article is the badnik generator attached to the capsules; slowly one by one each little animal is being transformed into Robotnik's minions this large generator that is to the side of the capsule also releases pollution that is damaging the environment around it.

I believe that this would further add to the atmosphere and sinister nature behind Robotnik.

The ideas you brought up sound pretty cool, Porto.

One thing I don't really agree with is, well, the character design. I've said before that I think Modern Sonic just looks cooler, but I wouldn't mind if Classic Sonic returned. But you wouldn't want at least a slight update to his look? I'm not saying just put in Modern Sonic, paint his green eyes black and call him Classic Sonic, but would you really just want them to cut and paste his Generations model into a new game? If you guys are all complaining about character de-evolution, then certainly there is some way you would want an update to Classic Sonic's look that you don't find awkward or ugly.

But other than that, the concepts you brought up intrigue me greatly. In a good way, obviously. I especially like the idea of a Zone creator. I don't own too many games other than Smash Bros. Brawl or DBZ Ultimate Tenkaichi that put focus on user-generated content. I would have Little Big Planet, but I don't have a PS3, and the general art-style of the game just bugs me. But I digress. All in all, I would love to see Sega do this for an official game.

EDIT: And before anyone says, I don't find that Sonic 4 logo edit as "character evolution". IF anything, I find that ugly. To me, it's a poor edit of the Sonic 4 logo with Classic Sonic's eyes just slapped on. -_- But I digress.

Thanks for the kind comments Amuro!

On the character design, I would like to say that I did say "basically remain the same" obviously there could be a few minor adjustments to Sonic to give him back more of that edge that he had in Sonic 1 to 3 and Knuckles but I truly don't think that a character needs to continue being "updated" once the design has been proven to be perfect (not saying the generations model is perfect, just saying that the original design is).

Personally I really have a distaste for modern's design; not only that but I also really hate the way that he is characterised in Generations. In my opinion Sonic's original design needs to be brought back, I do realise that some people (like yourself) prefer his modern rendition for it's "cooler" design but to be completely honest, I don't think it would take long for that audience to adjust to the original design anyway.

If I am going to be completely and brutally honest, majority of the fanbase for modern Sonic is of a much younger age to those who prefer Classic and the only real reason as to why they even like the modern Sonic games is because they are faster.

In fact I got into an argument with a "fan" over deviantart about which game required more skill. His argument was that it takes quick reflex's to be able to play a modern Sonic game: Sad. The modern Sonic games for the most part take barely any skill with the best way to clear the stages being repeat, repeat, repeat then memorise and you should be able to pass the stage. When I explained this to him he just stated that the modern Sonic games are better anyway because "they are getting faster and faster", at this point I just gave up.

You yourself have stated that the Classic's take a large amount of skill in order to complete successfully, an experienced player can be smart about the geometry around them and can use it to their advantage in order to make it to the higher ground.

Momentum Based Gameplay will always take more skill then what the modern Sonic sections have to offer, this isn't an opinion it's a fact; think about what it takes to clear a modern Sonic game and then think about that same thing with a Classic. Lands apart in skill range.

Considering the whole Classic vs Modern thing, 'twould be best if SEGA used Sonic games as a multiverse sort of thing. On one hand, you have a series of games with Classic Sonic, and on the other, a series with Modern Sonic. Kinda like Legend of Zelda, having the two timelines and such. They could actually use Generations as the splitting point, since if Classic Sonic knows all the crap that happened in his future, he can have a general idea of how to avoid it, and the whole incident just created two seperate timelines. They can run with it from there. The only other option I can see is to have a new design that's neither modern nor classic. But surely the multiverse suggestion could easily work, as long as SEGA wasn't lazy about it. >___>

I reckon your ideas are great, Port, although I think they're too specific for a general suggestion to SEGA, they can't legally use specific ideas, given to them by fans, can they? I dunno, but regardless, they seem like great ideas.

I'd give them permission to if they were to do a good job of it; heck I'd be tremendously happy if they were to hire me to help give them a sense of direction with a project like this, it would be amazing.

Considering the whole Classic vs Modern thing, 'twould be best if SEGA used Sonic games as a multiverse sort of thing. On one hand, you have a series of games with Classic Sonic, and on the other, a series with Modern Sonic. Kinda like Legend of Zelda, having the two timelines and such. They could actually use Generations as the splitting point, since if Classic Sonic knows all the crap that happened in his future, he can have a general idea of how to avoid it, and the whole incident just created two seperate timelines. They can run with it from there. The only other option I can see is to have a new design that's neither modern nor classic. But surely the multiverse suggestion could easily work, as long as SEGA wasn't lazy about it. >___>

I reckon your ideas are great, Port, although I think they're too specific for a general suggestion to SEGA, they can't legally use specific ideas, given to them by fans, can they? I dunno, but regardless, they seem like great ideas.

You actually bring a clever idea out there, Flaccid- and given the points you brought up there, it does make sense. That way, the Classic fans have his games, Modern fans have their games, and the folks in the middle can have both.

On the whole design subject, Port, as much as I liked Sonic's look in the adventure series, I do agree that nowadays, Sonic's starting to look weird. It's as if they're tweaking his design every single game. Bringing back Classic Sonic's design (with a few minor tweaks, as someone mentioned) would give a fresh, clean slate for people to look at, and be a wonderful change for many of the Classic fans that still await his return. In that case, I almost completely agree with you, because it's for the best in the end.

On every single other aspect, I liked a lot of your ideas- makes you wish SEGA listened to pointers such as the lamppost redesign and zone creator instead of 'more speed more speed more speed'.

Thanks Solar! It would be nice if at least one employee down at Sonic Team was to read through my article.

To me, it's a poor edit of the Sonic 4 logo with Classic Sonic's eyes just slapped on.

Except it looks nothing like the Sonic 4 logo's Sonic, it looks more like SG's Sonic except more edgy and cool. The facial features are all completely different, the head's shape is different, and the proportions are different. It doesn't look like a modified Wronic, it looks like a proper drawing of classic Sonic.

Eternal Angel of Truth wrote:

To me, it's a poor edit of the Sonic 4 logo with Classic Sonic's eyes just slapped on.

Except it looks nothing like the Sonic 4 logo's Sonic, it looks more like SG's Sonic except more edgy and cool.

Meh, if that's how you see it, you're certainly free to. I don't really see the appeal of it, but that's just me. Don't let my opinion of it take away from your views.

EDIT: And just so you guys know, I hated how Sonic looked in the logo for Sonic 4. So including how he looked in 2006, this is the second instance where I find Modern Sonic ugly.

Porto, this was an amzing entry. You've summed up everything perfectly!

I only have a couple of things to add:

The lamposts: The riddle idea is brilliant! But I's also like to see something in the vein of Sonic 3K, that when you had a certain amount of rings, a mni-game would open up, depending on your current amount of rings. What do you say?

I also saw you have an idea of making one act in the daytime and act 2 in the night time; here's my idea.

Why not, a la Pokemon or Animal Crossing, make a day and night and in-game clock features, based on what time it actually is?

The system would operate on a 24-hour cycle, and the scenerey would change depending on what time your console was set to.

For example, you'd have bright sunny days if you were playing around 9 AM till Noon, crimson sunsets if you were playing around 6 or 7 at night, midnight-blue, starry skies at night, like 8 PM to 5 AM, and around 6 or 7 in the morning, it would be the break of twilight?

The enimies' competence can also be based around this. They'd normally be hardy and strong during the day, but you can also make it so that if you sneak around at night, you can catch them off-guard sleeping, or super drowsy around 6 in the morning.

Just a thought.

@Anon: "The enemies' competence can also be based around this. They'd normally be hardy and strong during the day, but you can also make it so that if you sneak around at night, you can catch them off-guard sleeping, or super drowsy around 6 in the morning."

I know that you said it was just an idea, but wouldn't that make the enemies really easy to kill? lol I'm not trying to start anything, I'm just saying, if the enemies were to fall asleep during nighttime sections, then that'd probably make it easy for Sonic to just pwn them and move on. Shouldn't there be something other than stationary obstacles trying to kill Sonic?

Amuro wrote:@Anon: "The enemies' competence can also be based around this. They'd normally be hardy and strong during the day, but you can also make it so that if you sneak around at night, you can catch them off-guard sleeping, or super drowsy around 6 in the morning."

I know that you said it was just an idea, but wouldn't that make the enemies really easy to kill? lol I'm not trying to start anything, I'm just saying, if the enemies were to fall asleep during nighttime sections, then that'd probably make it easy for Sonic to just pwn them and move on. Shouldn't there be something other than stationary obstacles trying to kill Sonic?

Well, there can be many different types of enemies, such as nocturnal ones that you didn't even see during the day, etc. Plus the standard ones can be woken up and super alert and try to kill you then. There can also be certain enemies that you'll only see at certain times.

Anon wrote:Porto, this was an amzing entry. You've summed up everything perfectly!

I only have a couple of things to add:

The lamposts: The riddle idea is brilliant! But I's also like to see something in the vein of Sonic 3K, that when you had a certain amount of rings, a mni-game would open up, depending on your current amount of rings. What do you say?

I also saw you have an idea of making one act in the daytime and act 2 in the night time; here's my idea.

Why not, a la Pokemon or Animal Crossing, make a day and night and in-game clock features, based on what time it actually is?

The system would operate on a 24-hour cycle, and the scenerey would change depending on what time your console was set to.

For example, you'd have bright sunny days if you were playing around 9 AM till Noon, crimson sunsets if you were playing around 6 or 7 at night, midnight-blue, starry skies at night, like 8 PM to 5 AM, and around 6 or 7 in the morning, it would be the break of twilight?

The enimies' competence can also be based around this. They'd normally be hardy and strong during the day, but you can also make it so that if you sneak around at night, you can catch them off-guard sleeping, or super drowsy around 6 in the morning.

Just a thought.

That actually sounds really good; the 24 Hour cycle thing that is. It would be cool because nocturnal badniks like batbot's can become more aggressive. I guess I could switch it up to just ten capsules a Zone and just leave the Day to night idea as a visual flair.

On the lampost, I assume that your talking about the special stages; that's something I am going to expand on very soon; considering the amount success this thread seems to be having. The special stage concept I have is probably one of the most unique ones I have ever thought of so keep watching this thread, favourite it and I will be sure to update it further!