What keeps you coming back to the franchise?

[Solid SOAP]

Basically, what I'd like to know from the fanbase of the franchise in which the quality is so inconsistent and unpredictable, what, exactly, keeps you coming back for more? Specifically, from 2004-2008, what made you stay with the franchise for so long after countless disappointments? Hell, even if you were happy with the franchises' biggest blunders, what keeps you coming back regardless?

Basically, I've always loved the franchise since Sonic 2, and I've bought most of the games that SEGA had to offer since Adventure 2 as I didn't own a Genesis. The characters have always interested me and I loved the gameplay of the franchise since day 1. There are honestly very few games that have as fun gameplay as the best Sonic has to offer for me, replaying Sonic stages is infinitely more fun than replaying most, if not all, platforming stages to me, because there's so much depth to it. There's room for exploration, for speed-running, for playing around with the physics and controls (This goes for newer games such as Colors and Generations as well, mind), and so much more.

However, despite all that I love in the series, it's also kind of a guilty pleasure for me as well. The game's storylines have been absolutely atrocious since Heroes, and the voice acting and dialogue has always been something my friends and I laugh at. So while I love the gameplay, I love coming back to the franchise to laugh at its abominable attempts at story telling and character development. Another kind of ridiculous thing that even I don't understand, is that I kind of just like seeing where the next game will take the franchise, for better or for worse. Each game is so different in style, gameplay, themes, atmosphere, etc, it's interesting to see where Sonic goes next. Will the next game be a terrible exposition, where Sonic goes into space to make love to the space princess as he fights alien dinosaurs? Maybe, you never really know with this franchise, which is one reason I love coming back to it.

Also, I'd just like to say that I genuinely enjoy hyping the games up when they're announced. More and more I've been distancing myself from the internet in favor of other priorities such as school, my social life, and other things. However, the one thing I keep coming back to is to see where the franchise is heading next, as whenever a new game comes out there's always a new one around the corner, be it an awesome new game or a shitty one. The fanbase, when you look in the right places (Here and Retro specifically), are an awesome group of people who are a joy to talk to and discuss the series with. It really sucks that people assume all Sonic fans are psycho furries who spend 99% of their time fantasizing about relationships between characters and making shitty fan-characters out of them, when the reality is a lot of the people in this fanbase simply just like the games and want to talk about them, or are extremely creative and talented individuals capable of making awesome homages and such. It's just about the only part of the internet I really care about anymore and it's great to be apart of.

Edited January 30, 2012 by Solid SOAP

[Tornado]

I'd be lying if this website wasn't the main deciding reason.

[sonfan1984]

I stayed with the franchise cause I still liked some of the games even some of the ones that people hated and it got slam in reviews. I still like Heroes, HD Unleashed, Secret Rings, the Rush series, etc. The only games I don't like is Sonic 06, Shadow and Black Knight but the other games I still get some enjoyment out of them.

Edited January 30, 2012 by sonfan1984

[Indigo Rush]

This place for starters... and because Sonic is kind of part of who I am. I can't help but care about where the series goes next, no matter how much I tell myself otherwise.

[Kuzu]

I can't even say its this place or any other forum, I didn't join any Sonic forum until 2007....so I dunno, I guess Sonic just stood out to me, and to be fair I didn't know how bad the games were back then.

[Ferno]

I got into the franchise around the SA2 era, so when things went downhill it wasn't as bad for me, I didn't really notice until I started frequenting the internet, and plus I was alot younger and didn't view my games under a magnifying glass back then when it came to quality.

Though I must admit that my interest in Sonic has started to wane a little in recent years, due to a combination of the games changing from what I've been used to and was comfortable with, and my interests widening in general. Not gonna lie though, every time a new mainstream game is announced, my interest always skyrockets again. I guess that's what's keeping me in, seeing where they take this franchise over the years, and being here to discuss it.

[Solkia]

I can't really think of a way to say it without sounding incredibly corny.

[Alluusio]

My first Sonic game was Heroes and I liked it. I didn't know much about the franchise back then but I loved the amount of speed it had while also challenging your platforming skills. I loved Riders too and bought Shadow the hedgehog even though I knew how bad it was. It was around that time that I started to see Sonic related things on the internet and learn more about the franchise. I quickly learned that the series was going downhill (at least that's what majority of the people thought, but I was young back then and blindly believed everything they said). After that I kind of lost interest. I would've liked to try SA2 since I heard so much praise for it, but I didn't have a console to play it on. I promised myself that I would never buy a Sonic game again since things weren't looking so good. (This was around 2007).

It all changed when I saw Sonic Rush in one store. I didn't have anything else to play at the time and I really needed something to cheer me up since my dad was discovered to have a brain cancer. The game looked interesting to me and I got it since it was pretty cheap too. And I loved it. After that I got interested in the Classic games and bought Sonic Mega Collection Plus. I played through all the classic games. It took a bit of time to fully appreciate them but I still found them a blast to play. And I got stuck to that barrel of doom too. The most embarrassing thing was that my little sister figured it out on her first try >.<

Then I got the Wii and started to look for SA2 since I finally had a console to play it on. I got it, and it still is my favorite Sonic game. Things were starting to look good for the franchise, since the release of Unleashed was just around the corner. I got it and liked it, although it could've been a lot better. After that I found no reason to leave the franchise since things were finally picking up. I started to collect all the Sonic games that I had missed except by the ones released on HD consoles since I didn't have any of those and they weren't worth buying just for a few Sonic games. Besides, I was happy with my Wii since Colors and Sonic 4 were announced for it. I really liked both of those games, I still do.

Nowadays I'm a huge fan of the series. I have somewhat enjoyed every title I have played so far, even though I do realize their flaws. But I'm not looking for flaws when I play. I look for enjoyment and fun and no Sonic game to this day has failed to deliver that to me.

...Maybe that's why I' m one of the few people who actually enjoy playing Sonic 4...

[Diogenes]

Habit and hope, mostly. This is a series I've followed in depth for about 10 years now, and one that was a not-insignificant part of my childhood before that. Even if I don't really like a lot of the games that have come out recently, even if I'm not really happy with the main direction the series seems to be going in, it's not something I can easily drop. The good memories of past games, the small hints that they might return, and plain old inertia have kept me from cutting ties with the series in spite of how often it's disappointed me.

In somewhat less unhealthy matters, I do genuinely enjoy discussing the series; what works, what doesn't, why, how to fix this or that, etc.

[Chaos Warp]

I'm not honestly sure. Maybe it's the charming character, maybe it's the always fun (but with various amounts of flaws depending on the game) fast-paced gameplay, maybe it's the music and aesthetics, I'm not sure! All I know is that I will probably be a Sonic fan for the rest of my life. Long Live the Blue Blur!

[Mick]

The speed and the challenge, basically. The graphics are another factor. The graphics keep getting better and better over time. I love the new stuff they incorporated in the franchise such as the homing attack and the ranks whenever you beat a stage.

Sonic is the best video game character of all-time, IMHO. Yes, I even like him more than Tails to be honest. Tails ain't the reason why I go back to the franchise. Indeed he is my favorite character, but it's Sonic who counts the most. I'm a rare one... I'm in my late 20's and I go back to the franchise.

I came back to the franchise since 2008. I have collected all of the new games since 2008 (with the exception of Sonic 4, due to not having any the consoles for it). I unfortunately have not played the Sonic Adventures, Sonic Advances and whatever else I'm missing...

[DC111]

A lot of it is Sonic (the character and the games), and most ironically it's the era that everyone else thought was utter shit. I found that to be the era with the most memorable stories and characterization. I love great gameplay but that's not what makes me look back on something with nostalgia and fondness; it's mostly the stories and characters. When the games are disappointing me for whatever reason, I kinda fall back on well-written fanfiction. And even on the rare occasion I'm just not into Sonic period, it's the people I've become friends with on various sites that keep me sticking around.

I honestly don't think I'll ever stop coming back to the franchise at this point.

[Tori Himemiya]

Honestly I would say nothing but I really keep coming back just for old times sake.

Right now I'm waiting for the Sonic game that would wow everyone, one that has evolved while keeping its basic concept not one dwelling in the past or trying to please fans and critics. But I doubt Sega gets anything yet.

But in the meantime I'm here in the Sonic fanbase because of SSMB's great community.

[ovarloard]

Because nothing in the franchise ever alienated me in the first place.

Despite panning by the critics, I've enjoyed pretty much every modern Sonic game (although I can't say I've played '06). There's that sheer sense of speed that nothing else can capture quite like Sonic does - even if he is wielding a sword or a board as he goes.

And it doesn't hurt that Sonic tracks are definitely up there in terms of video game music quality.

[Salamander]

Because the games are fun, have characters I like, and use interesting design tropes, although the last couple of years haven't been really great for the things that drew me in in the first place.

[sonfan1984]

I kinda fall back on well-written fanfiction.

lol, if you can even find some that are well written these days. I'm kinda giving up on Sonic fanfiction.

[ArtFenix]

Being the so-called Adventure fan, I don't really like that they changed the formula and introduced the Unleashed formula. What's even worse, they basically got rid of all the characters and just forgot about good stories. That's not all. They changed the style to a more cartoony and western and I don't hear Jun Senoue and Crush 40 as often as I used to.

Now, I got used to the unleashed formula and I even like some things in it, especially now, when Generations improved it so much Over bland and unbelievably linear unleashed and shitty Colors level structure. I got used to the absence of Crush 40 in most games. There are still things that I can't stand though: forced 2D parts in main 3D games, occasional boostfest, forced stupid humor, lack of other playable characters, lack of other characters involved in stories and the stories themselves, which have become utter shit. I really loved the atmosphere the games had until unleashed. maybe it's because they were more animeysh or more japanese than now..

Basically, most of the things that got me into the series have gone[[[.

So, what keeps me coming back to the franchise?

Well, like many of you have said, Sonic is a part of me. A part of my childhood, a part of my life.

I also like a lot of characters, even if they rarely appear in main games now.. I still think that the music is the only constant in Sonic games. It's THAT great. I find some levels just beautiful or interesting. It's like I am running through them, not Sonic. I know no other game that could have such levels. Gameplay is still enjoyable, even if it's not the adventure gameplay which I just LOVE. And besides, I've found a hobby: AMV/GMV making [and since 2003 I've been collecting official Sonic videos and cutscenes], so almost every Sonic game gives me new material for the work. I especially love CG scenes/openings/endings in Sonic games.

And I still hope they'll bring back other playable characters, great stories and Full 3D gameplay. like in the adventures.

That's my two cents xD.

Edited January 30, 2012 by ArtFenix

[SilentDoom]

Because Sonic fundamentally still remains different to almost every other platformer. How many platformers try to fundamentally replicate Mario in how it functions? Loads. How many try to replicate Sonic? Almost none. The combination of so many different elements, coupled with consistently amazing visuals and soundtracks constantly make me want more when it comes to Sonic games.

Furthermore, Sonic games have awesome hype build ups

[Commissar Hurricane]

I stopped paying attention to the franchise for years at a time, but I have always returned.

Not sure why, I don't think there was anything specific about the games that made interested once more.

I like to think it was because it was a Sonic game.

[Blue Blood]

Simple, I like Sonic games. Right from when I first played Sonic 1 through to when I joined the online community around the time of Heroes' announcement through to the present. I give the series a lot of flack, mainly because it doesn't hold up to the standard it used to or to the other series I adore so much, but that doesn't mean I'm not a fan or that Sonic doesn't still play a huge role in my life.

Also I <3 you guys.

[MugiMikey]

I'm not that much of a gamer, but Sonic games are the only ones I consistently play. I've been following the series since 1994, and there are many things that bring me back to it such as the simplicity, the visually appealing and colorful character designs, the music, and the biggest factor is probably because I grew up with it. I've never had a chance to lose interest; it's just one of those passionate hobbies.

They changed the style to a more cartoony and western and I don't hear Jun Senoue and Crush 40 as often as I used to.

I really loved the atmosphere the games had until unleashed. maybe it's because they were more animeysh or more japanese than now..

[ArtFenix]

Ha. That's funny, because I think Sonic works a lot better in a cartoonier style. Sonic is considered a western franchise anyway and was hardly ever popular in Japan, so I dunno if the anime style really fits anymore.

[Kuzu]

Yeah, I know that. I just think the style they had before Unleashed was the best. I think it felt like there was a soul and like in every game there was the same atmosphere, the same feel of ONE universe with one continuity. It's hard to explain.

The moon.

[ArtFenix]

The moon.

You just couldn't save your sarcastic jokes, could you?

I said It's hard to explain.

..and the moon has nothing to do with what I meant and even if it did, it was nothing compared to what shattered rotten pieces of continuity we have now.

Edited January 30, 2012 by ArtFenix

[Soniman]

The porn

Err, I mean the great community and great games!