Why do you still like the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise?

[Rabbitearsblog]

So, for those of you who have been with the franchise for over 10 years or more or for those of you who left the franchise at some point, but came back to it afterwards, why do you still like the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise?

For me, I've been with this franchise since Sonic the Hedgehog 2 came out and even though there was a time period where I preferred other franchises like Dragon Ball Z over Sonic, I still always had a soft spot for this franchise.  I still love this franchise because I love the characters and the world they live in.  I remembered when I first saw the colorful world of Emerald Hill Zone and Casino Night in Sonic 2 and being so impressed with the colorful settings of the game!  And when Sonic Adventure first came out, I was so impressed by the fantastic storytelling going on in this game and that made me see that the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise is more than capable of putting out fantastic stories.

[Ghelatlishol]

Honestly, I couldn't quite nail down THE reasons why I've been a Sonic fan or why I continue to be one.

What I do know basically boils down to the following:

• The colors and speed since 1991 have had me hooked to the screen.
• I remember actively assigning the names of zones to places I went in real life and imagining I was there!
• The concept of helping out animal friends and being the cool, good guy really stuck with me. Also, Dr. Robotnik, while a bad guy, is pretty cool with his ability to make just about anything.
• The cartoons of the 90s were fun and fleshed out the character, both Sonic SatAM and AoSTH.
• The music is incomparable and very well written. My uncle used to make me burned CDs with the music from the games on it, and I'd listen to it on car rides, bus trips (for school and field trips,) etc. 

I've always suspected that Sonic is the very reason I even became a musician/teacher of music. It's such a rich mine to delve into, and it just gives me both a sense of peace and excitement at once to listen to and study the music for the games. 

Also, my experience with Sonic kind of stops at 2006. Not that I suddenly had such an adverse reaction to Sonic 06 (which actually...lol) but I just stopped being able to keep up with more modern games (though I did try Sonic Mania and Generations, both geared to us nostalgic ones.) 

There's a purity to Sonic. The concept is simple but wholesome (which is probably why Shadow the Hedgehog was a bit of a stretch.) He's remained so viable as a video game character precisely because those who've grown up with him can still remember and love his old ways (and watch with anticipation his new ones) and he also appeals to an entirely new generation each time they come onto the scene.

Believe me, it drives me nuts as a 30+ year old that my students can so easily find Sonic clothing, toys, merchandise, etc. It was difficult in the 90s where I'm from. I've barely started to allow myself to purchase merchandise (pictures, posters, etc.) because I thought that part of me was childish and in the past. Not so. Based on the amount of people I know with houses full of sports teams merchandise and/or Marvel/Star Wars/Disney items...I think I can do what I want. Haha.

[Palas]

Sonic is a huge part of how I approach playing and games; playing and games are a huge part of how I approach everything else.

[Cuz]

Sonic hitting on freedom and rebellion is a source of the appeal. I find the morals of Sonic the character up until Pontac and Graff started writing the series to be inspiring. Add to that the enviroments from Angel Island Zone to Tidal Tempest, to name a few, how alive they are. The archie comics growing with the times helped alot. A cast that stuck around from 1993 to 2017 without getting stale, a side of the franchise that wasn't afraid of it's past and embraced it.

I stick around because Sonic still has that potential to chase the wind, and the franchise could change policy at anytime. 

Edited December 18, 2023 by Cuz

[Rokit]

Sonic was the first video game I ever played on the Master System, so the franchise stayed with me throughout my childhood. I wanted to read Sonic comics so I taught myself to read so I could. If I wanted to draw, I would just draw Sonic.

After that the franchise just permeated through my life, I saved up my allowance and got a Dreamcast for Sonic Adventure, I submitted artwork on deviantart around 2003-04 and frequented teamARTAIL, Fireball20xl and Sonic HQ and it was just something I was always there for until Sonic 06 came out and was such a huge disappointment around when I was 15 that other interests took over and I just fell off keeping up with it until Sonic Generations pulled me back in. 

It’s funny. My Dad remarried and had more kids, they’re 25 years younger than me but they’re just as crazy about Sonic as I was at their age. 
 

 

[Danj86]

On 12/15/2023 at 8:25 PM, Ghelatlishol said:

Believe me, it drives me nuts as a 30+ year old that my students can so easily find Sonic clothing, toys, merchandise, etc. It was difficult in the 90s where I'm from. I've barely started to allow myself to purchase merchandise (pictures, posters, etc.) because I thought that part of me was childish and in the past. Not so. Based on the amount of people I know with houses full of sports teams merchandise and/or Marvel/Star Wars/Disney items...I think I can do what I want. Haha.

Ah, you speak a truth that I too have experienced. Being young in the 90s and seeing merchandise for everything except Sonic or Mario which were always the biggest things I was into. Sometimes we'd get lucky and find a Sonic plush in a claw machine, but since those were rigged, it's usually take a small fortune to get one, if your particularly unlucky. We'd always find the claw machines on special days out to visit the beach so it was nice to get merchandise on special occasions like that. But still annoying!! I'm sure if they actually appeared in a shop, they would've ended up costing less money we spent trying to win one.

Kids today are so lucky. And unlucky in other ways, but now to the primary question at hand.

On 12/15/2023 at 10:55 AM, Rabbitearsblog said:

So, for those of you who have been with the franchise for over 10 years or more or for those of you who left the franchise at some point, but came back to it afterwards, why do you still like the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise?

Back when I was young, it had to be the colourful world and characters that drew me in. Being the youngest in my family, I was naturally drawn to what my siblings were doing. By Sonic 2, I was actually able to take part in the experience. Being younger, I could stumble about, not really understanding or knowing what I was supposed to do, but still manage to assist my brothers who would play as Sonic. Except for in Special Stages, those were the bane of my existence back then.

Sonic 3 would allow me to play a more active role by carrying Sonic around and not making the Special Stages depended on a player 2 not making mistakes. The early games made such a good impression on me that I would stick close to the series since then. Even getting to reprise my role as the assistant in Sonic Adventure. Though with the unfortunate downside to this is Tails getting hurt of Sonic jumps into him.

In fact, the colourful word and corny dialogue are essential to my enjoyment as the darker vibe and cringe inducing dialogue was very off putting in Shadow The Hedgehog. That and the awful voice acting. It was never perfect before, but took a considerable hit south from here. It was actually Sonic Unleashed that pulled me back in after I had considered moving on from the series.

In the end, it seems to be tone that draws me into the franchise the most. The gameplay can change and I'd mostly tolerate it as long as it kept the fun world with varied environments. That's probably why I found the Sonic Boom setting so bland compared to the main series.

[RadicalLaRuby]

Sonic 2 oozed with style, color and visuals and fun unique characters. And as the first game I've played and heavily connected with artistically, I'm always looking to see how they maintain or evolve said style, for better or worse.

 

Overall, my heart's tethered to the serie, Knuckles Chaotix style. For me, ain't no escape from it.