The Sonic the Hedgehog series needs help. Sega is screwing up an icon, a character that, frankly, deserves better. We know it’s possible to make good Sonic games. We’ve seen them in action. The Sega Genesis, Saturn, and Dreamcast titles were all deserving of praise. We’ve even seen more recent examples, in the form of Sonic Rush and Sonic Generations . The character can do well, but drastic measures need to be taken.
Sega needs to step back from Sonic the Hedgehog . Instead of relying on the character as a means of making a quick buck, resulting in a momentary influx of cash before people realize they’ve purchased a steaming pile, the company has to put him on the shelf. I’m not talking about a permanent retirement, of course. However, it’s time to go ahead and press the pause button on the series.
The reason being, Sega needs time to think. Sonic the Hedgehog is a very viable character and property. The fact that people are still willing to buy his games, despite titles like Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Boom , show there’s an affection that ignores even the most abysmal abominations. People can, and will, forgive. But, it’s time to go ahead and be drastic to keep people from giving up on the character and series entirely.
Especially since now is the perfect time to put Sonic the Hedgehog games on hold. Mainly because Sonic Boom was so bad. The Wii U game in particular was filled with all kinds of unforgiveable offenses. There are graphical issues, gameplay problems, bugs and glitches galore, and of course a script that often falters. Sonic fans are forgiving, but one has to wonder if they’re ” Sonic Boom forgiving.” People need time to forget a game this bad.
Plus, Sega has the luxury of taking a Sonic break without worrying about people forgetting the blue hedgehog. Even though the Sonic Boom games were failures, the TV show seems to be doing pretty well. Kids, and even some people young at heart, dig it. Sega also has those Sonic mobile games the company keeps churning out. The company could rely on the show and game to keep the character relevant and bring in money.
This would then allow them to do something crucial. Sega could temporarily retire Sonic for at least two years, maybe even three. During that time, the company could put together a comprehensive game timeline that would allow the character to get at least two, maybe even three, games which fit together. There could be shared gameplay mechanics, timelines, and elements, things that would give the series a sense of consistency and allow the developers behind to put in the time and effort needed to make the next games ones fans can be proud of.