Would You Like To See The Avatar Return In Future Sonic Games?

[VOLTAG3]

So, regardless of what you might personally think about Sonic Forces, one part that I think the majority of us can agree on is that the customisation of your avatar was awesome, by far my favourite mechanic in the game. I loved the variety of options available for species and clothing styles, and the reward system the game had for these items, gifting you more cool stuff for your avatar for completing challenges in the game. Personally I would really like to see the customisation elements from Sonic Forces return in future Sonic games.

There's just so much that could be done with it. If it gets released on the same platforms, we could be given options to import our previous characters from Forces. This could even play into the medal system they had going, for example they could double the amount of total medals to earn for your character, which means if you import a fully leveled character from Forces you could have the advantage of already being halfway there, and it would make medal grinding less of an issue. Not to mention expansion and improvements to the system, like more species, extra voices and hairstyles, perhaps a better way of classing customisation so that the same outfit doesn't have 3 slots just because of the different colors. Heck, give us our own color schemes to use in a spectrum paint tool style, and while we're at it, decals and tattoo like options, I could go on, and this is to improve a system that's already really great. I wouldn't be mad if they made it just the same, but I would be a little disappointed.

But then there's the issue of game play, and story problems. Not everyone likes the Avatar style of play, or the idea of Wispons. I was fine with it myself but it did feel a little too similar to Modern Sonic at points. How would you change or add things to make the Avatar game play more appealing? As for the story, well that's kind of difficult, if you consider the note that Sonic Forces left on, I'm not really sure what could be done there. Maybe the avatar can have a spin off story, separate from Sonic's own, but linked in to a final boss encounter like the Adventure games did? Or even just give the avatar their own separate game, but after Shadow the Hedgehog came out, I doubt that's gonna happen.

Then you also have the problem of the time frame. How long should there be before the avatar could return? Should it be in the very next game, or should we maybe wait for more titles to pass by first. After all, we don't want the Avatar to end up like Classic Sonic is in the modern games: Overused, unnecessary and redundant.

[Blue Blood]

Relegate the Avatar to spin-off that puts them at the centre of attention, and capitalises on the multiplayer aspects that come naturally to such a feature. 

I have absolutely no interest in a custom character, especially not when it's got all the depth of a flash dress up game. I want to see Knuckles, Tails, Shadow, Amy... Absolutely fucking anyone except a blank slate that's meant to represent me. An avatar certainly has no place alongside existing characters in an existing universe. There is clearly a market that wants to see more character customisation, but I just don't think that it belongs at all and that it should be distanced from the main game. If the Avatar was separated entirely, it could be developed into something much larger and deeper (as I said before, multiplayer could be a huge draw) without detracting from what Sonic already is.

I just hate the idea of injecting a flimsy, inconsequential and ultimately uncanon entity into a series that I've always enjoyed for its universe. I am not a part of that universe and nor is any OC I make with a handful pre-designed parts, no matter how many times Sonic calls me "partner". There's already so much to draw from or new things that could be made. Custom characters feel like an appeal to the lowest common denominator in Forces (in the same way that every aspect of that game is a shallow cash-grab from a different audience), rather than something worth any energy.

[VOLTAG3]

12 minutes ago, SaberX said:

Nope. My personnal opinion about avatar is that is a waste of playable character and something I never cared in a Sonic game. The reason it shouldnt return is that avatar give some fake sense that you are playing "your favorite character", when in reality your favorite character is there but either never gonna be playable or never be seen again.

Also, the main difference between Sonic and the countless games with your create your character is that those games let you play other characters besides your avatar.

 

In resume: avatar is a lame function and it doesnt fit a franchise with such a cast of colorful and different characters.

That's fair enough. I wonder if the "personnal" thing was intentional, heh heh. I can't say I totally agree but I do understand where you're coming from, I myself am very disappointed in how we rarely ever see most the colorful cast of Sonic characters being playable again. At the same time though, I do want to point out that it's just not feasible to try and make so many characters playable in a single game, that resulted in a huge mess last time SEGA tried it. Which means there are going to be compromises and cutbacks, and people are gonna be left disappointed either way if their specific favourite characters don't make the cut.

[Eurisko]

I'd like to see it implemented again at some point but in what capacity I'm not sure. The Avatar character in Forces just seemed a little too shoe-horned in to the story, I think this sort of thing would better be suited to something like an All Stars Racing for example as you could already use your Xbox 360 avatar in that game and would be a great addition for that.

[VOLTAG3]

24 minutes ago, Blue Blood said:

Relegate the Avatar to spin-off that puts them at the centre of attention, and capitalises on the multiplayer aspects that come naturally to such a feature. 

I have absolutely no interest in a custom character, especially not when it's got all the depth of a flash dress up game. I want to see Knuckles, Tails, Shadow, Amy... Absolutely fucking anyone except a blank slate that's meant to represent me. An avatar certainly has no place alongside existing characters in an existing universe. There is clearly a market that wants to see more character customisation  I just don't think that it belongs at all and that it should be distanced from the main game. If the Avatar was separated entirely, it could be developed into something much larger and deeper (as I said before, multiplayer could be a huge draw) without detracting from what Sonic already is.

I just hate the idea of injecting a flimsy, inconsequential and ultimately uncanon entity into a series that I've always enjoyed for its universe. I am not a part of that universe and nor is any OC I make with a handful pre-designed parts, no matter how many times Sonic calls me "partner". There's already so much to draw from or new things that could be made. Custom characters feel like an appeal to the lowest common denominator in Forces (in the same way that every aspect of that game is a shallow cash-grab from a different audience), rather than something worth any energy.

That's a solid idea, separate the avatar as it's own thing so that the people who don't like it don't have to put up with it in later series entries. I've already kind of discussed the difficulties of implementing other characters into the games with SaberX, so I won't elaborate on that part of the issue. Though I'm curious as to how these multiplayer elements would be implemented. After all, SEGA's not gonna come out with a Sonic themed MMO or RPG any time soon because Sonic Chronicles bombed. I know those aren't the only kind of games with multiplayer elements but they're the main examples I'm getting off the top of my head for what this game would be like. It also seems to be clear, when we start talking about each aspect aiming for another audience and bringing that into the discussion, that Forces as a whole is another case of SEGA trying to please everybody, but ending up pleasing nobody, and that's unfortunate, but true in my eyes.

13 minutes ago, Eurisko said:

I'd like to see it implemented again at some point but in what capacity I'm not sure. The Avatar character in Forces just seemed a little too shoe-horned in to the story, I think this sort of thing would better be suited to something like an All Stars Racing for example as you could already use your Xbox 360 avatar in that game and would be a great addition for that.

Ooh, that's something I never thought of. It'd be a small but welcome addition. Granted, obviously you wouldn't be able to customise the avatar's car to fit your liking like the character, so that might turn some people off but I'm all for it.

[A person, that exists]

Nope. 

Like, Sonic has a crap ton of unsued characters already, so why add EVEN more to the pile? Wouldn't it be better to just make the other characters playable? 

Not to mention that the avatar's "Guns" are way too OP, and the levels don't make up for that in level design, enemy patterns/placement and length.

Like, it's a good ONE GAME GIMMICK, like the Wisps or Classic Sonic. Once it appears in more games it looses it's charm and becomes irritating.

And if you argument is that "I wanna play as a recolored/bird/ninja Sonic" then there's these fellas. 

At least they have SOME DEGREE of character and, you know, are actually very similar in gameplay to Sonic, so adding them into a boost game would be a piece of cake.

Spoiler

 

[Meta77]

He'll yes I'd love to and I'm sure we will see him again but hopefully in his own title like Sega originally planned for him. 

[VOLTAG3]

1 hour ago, Meta77 said:

He'll yes I'd love to and I'm sure we will see him again but hopefully in his own title like Sega originally planned for him. 

Wait, really? That was a thing? Also, it can possibly be a she as well remember XD

[Jango]

No thanks. Keep it at DeviantArt.

[Splash the Otter]

Yes yes yes yes yes! I mean not in every game, but it's something that deserves to return. I actually think there should be a side series that runs concurrenty with the main games and focuses entirely on the Avatar.
As for the main series, I'd like to see Buddy (the red wolf that was used to promote Forces) become his own character and be included alongside other characters as opposed to replacing them.

 

[Kellan]

Absolutely. I’d love to see the Avatar again. Like, call me… uh, whatever the opposite of “jaded” is, but having the Avatar really did make me feel a little bit more invested in the story. I know that sounds silly, but it did its job well for me.

[mayday2592]

I can see it working in a party game or racing spinoff. Maybe even in a mode similar to the game world stages in Colors, but the avatar shouldnt be a core feature in the main games.

[Nicky Nicardo]

For me, personally, the answer is YES. The Avatar was the main feature that got me interested in Sonic Forces in the first place, and despite how short the game was and the plot not having much to it, I loved how the Avatar was used and integrated into the story. Sure, in the next game, I'd want the controls to be MUCH better and the customization options to be expanded on a LOT, but yeah.

However, I do realize that I'm probably in the extreme minority here who'd want a second or third game with a custom OC in it - I don't think that's a feature that most casual game fans or Sonic fans care about, and that's fine.

To me, however, character customization is one of the things I absolutely love and always look for in any game that I play.

Now, as far as timeline is concerned... I don't know. I think if they revamped the customization and added more options/clothes/animal types/etc., it could easily work in whatever the next Sonic game is.

[Deep Dive Devin]

Keep it to the online or multiplayer, but yeah. The issue is that they have to be a silent non-character in the story context, which doesn't make for an interesting piece to Sonic's already-limited plot structure.

In general, I would never be so shallow as to say any mere concept of the games should be removed forever and never even considered again. I don't think Sonic games improve by subtraction, only by retooling something that doesn't work into something that does. And even then, the avatar is a perfectly functional mechanic on it's own, it's only in the context of being chained to normal Sonic story and gameplay that I think it would be cumbersome. Simply moving it to an optional side thing in multiplayer or time attack would improve everything for the better.

[Meta77]

The only reason we got what we did according to dyk was cause Sega doubted the game from the start. You can not make a good game if you doubt everything in it

[GentlemanX]

I have no idea if I want to see the Avatar gameplay return as I haven't played Forces yet. Will do that very soon though, so we'll see what I make of that.

I don't mind the Avatars coming back in a different role though. Having it implemented sort of like the Chao in Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 I think would be fine. Allow players to make their own character and use them in mini-games or something. I don't think I want the Avatar being a driving force of the story again though, as I thought it limited what Forces was able to tell quite a bit. A purely Avatar game like the spin-off people here are suggesting really doesn't appeal to me, so that's why I think putting it in a secondary mode is better. But if it was a spin-off, I wouldn't mind, I just wouldn't get it. So long as what happened with Rayman vs. Rabbids doesn't happen, I'd be okay with it existing alongside the main series.

[Blacklightning]

If you could actually customize their ability set on top of their looks at all ala Emerl I might be willing to give it another shot, but even then I'd still ultimately prefer a host of existing characters that they already borrow from anyway.

Multiplayer spinoff does sound kinda ace though, not gonna lie.

[Maxtiis]

The avatar really didn't seem to add anything to the game, so no I could do without it being in future games. That being said I, Sonic Team should really consider watching this video and apply some of the design philosophy discussed in it when designing future games.

Sonic Mania was a success for a reason and it wasn't because it had tons of content/features.

[Diogenes]

I don't think the Avatar amounted to much in Forces. Aesthetic customization is unfortunately limited largely to tacky clothes and accessories, ability customization is limited to which shooty gun and powerup you want, and narrative customization is nonexistent, with their story being entirely predetermined and pretty cliche on top of that. Any actual creativity and freedom ends after playing dress-up, making the feature less like creating your own character and more like designing someone else's.

And I'm not sure there's much to gain from trying to improve it, either. Sure, they could retool the character creation to allow a variety of sensible-looking Sonic characters, and they could probably expand your choice of abilities a bit if they really work at it...but I just don't see them ever making a game where you could properly act out your character. Sonic games aren't really structured around narrative choice; they're relatively short, linear, simplistic, and terrified of affecting the status quo, and the one time they tried to give players choices it ended up as a complete mess. So is all this really worth the effort just to see your character run through levels and go through some genericized story with maybe a few largely meaningless choices?

There are better ways to include customization in a Sonic game than an Avatar character, and there are better ways to explore your own original characters than a Sonic game. If they want to throw a character creator into a mobile game or some multiplayer-focused game then sure, whatever, but I don't see much value in it as a major feature.

[Korke]

The avatar wasn't really harmful compared to most of Forces, so I'd say yes, although I'd like the gameplay to change. How about using those hooks myself, instead of full automation, giving the possibility of actual momentum-based platforming?

And of course, no mob-walls from Sonic Rush/06, thanks.

[Dr. Detective]

No, not really. I'd love to see the costume customization thing return again though.

Running around with Sonic dressed like a ballerina and Tails dressed as Woody from Toy Story sounds like it'd be a lot of fun. 

[RedFox99]

23 hours ago, Eurisko said:

The Avatar character in Forces just seemed a little too shoe-horned in to the story,

I mean, it's rather weird that the Avatar helps turns the tides of the war while the other characters were struggling to fight back. Personally, I don't think Forces was the best game to introduce the CaC concept, especially as it seemed to at the cost of Sonic's other friends being more proactive within the man plot.

[Eurisko]

1 minute ago, RedFox99 said:

I mean, it's rather weird that the Avatar helps turns the tides of the war while the other characters were struggling to fight back.

I hadn't thought of that , but yes you're right. I suppose its to give you that feel good never give up feeling ......... or something.

[RedFox99]

3 minutes ago, Eurisko said:

I hadn't thought of that , but yes you're right. I suppose its to give you that feel good never give up feeling ......... or something.

I mean they don't really do anything that makes it understandable; plus, it makes Sonic's friends seem rather weak and useless in comparison. 

[Eurisko]

17 minutes ago, RedFox99 said:

I mean they don't really do anything that makes it understandable; plus, it makes Sonic's friends seem rather weak and useless in comparison. 

 

17 minutes ago, RedFox99 said:

I mean they don't really do anything that makes it understandable; plus, it makes Sonic's friends seem rather weak and useless in comparison. 

Yeah I see where you're coming from there , its just very forced (No pun intended). I loved the actual making your own character and I was surprised how much customisation was given to us. But the story elements didn't need to be so "Look look He/shes's part of the gang!! look look" if you catch my drift.