One Positive Thing About Your LEAST Favorite Sonic Game

[cosmichaos]

So, Sonic's had some good games, and just as many not so good ones. Everyone has a favorite, whether it be the one of the Classics, like Sonic 1 or 2, or maybe a Modern 2000-2010s era game like Colors or Generations. However, sometimes it's easier to call out our least favorite game and list all the bad things about it than any of the potentially good things it had going on for it. So here is a space for you to write down the name of your LEAST favorite Sonic game, and at least one thing that you liked about it. For example, if your least favorite Sonic game is Shadow the Hedgehog, then you'd write down the name of the game and say something like "but the soundtrack was nice", if you liked the soundtrack. 

I'll go first.

My least favorite Sonic game is Sonic Colors on the Wii (lower your pitchforks and torches, I really like the DS version if it's any consolation), but I won't deny that aside from having a crazy good soundtrack, the game is pretty solid in the gameplay and level design departments. I still think that a few earlier titles that will go unnamed have better design than any of the 2D/3D cross platformers we've gotten have had, but in terms of 2010s to present day, Colors plays much better than some other games from that generation.

[Blue Blood]

Apart from those that rate something like Sonic 4 as their least favourite game, 99% of answers are going to be "but the soundtrack is great". 

My least favourite game is easily Forces. Even though it's easily not the worst Sonic game out there, it rubs me entirely the wrong way. Everything about it is misguided and shallow. That game was made purely on the back of "Generations was good, edgy is popular and fan art exists". Yeah, some of the soundtrack is great (and some of it not), but is there anything else that I could say about it? At a real push, maybe the Wispons' special abilities were the best implementation of such in the series at the time, but they aren't great and I'd argue that the Emerald powers in Superstars are handled better. 

Lemme think about this. There must be something I can find to like about Forces. 

[Tornado]

8 minutes ago, Blue Blood said:

Lemme think about this. There must be something I can find to like about Forces. 

The guy who got doing the detailed level geometry off to the sides in stages that you'd never notice because you are Boosting 2 Win showed the fuck up in Forces just like he did in Heroes.

[Shaddy Zaphod]

Well "decent OST" is a gimme for most of these, but I'm struggling to figure out exactly what my least-favorite Sonic game is. Shadow the hedgehog has the most squandered potential and utterly bone-headed decisions, but Lost World 3D pisses me off the most. Eh, screw it, I'll do both.

Shadow the hedgehog's structure and system of progression is truly horrid, but I don't inherently hate the idea of a Sonic game with branching levels. The story, fuck no, but a classic-style game where which goalpost you found could send you to a different act would be neat, and a good way of keeping the playthrough length the same while also having more levels to justify a bigger game and more replay value.

Lost World 3D...well, I'm basically just parroting Johnny from...wow, a decade ago now, but I do like that it actually sticks to its guns on the core gameplay and each level actually does stuff with the mechanics it uses from the outset. The fact that those levels are exhaustingly long and punishing is a significant drawback to this, but it is more focused with its design than the HD version. I've long felt that if you broke them up and removed some of the padded bullshit (along with maybe adding some floors where there's just pits before), a lot of the 3DS stages could make a decent-enough expansion mod to the HD game. Obviously I'm in no position to ask that of SEGA or modders, but obviously the fact that I want it means something.

Oh, y'know, I guess "least favorite" could also just mean "most utterly boring and forgettable", in which case the medal is easily swept by Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal. It's legitimately hard to think of what I like about that game. I hate the crystal quotas, I hate the levels being somehow both mazelike and too linear, and I hate that it's propped up as the better side of RoL despite being an infinitely less-interesting game. I suppose the environments look alright? But again, that's a gimme for most Sonic games.

[ShadowXeldron]

Sonic 4: Episode 1's soundtrack might be bad but the compositions are really good. That's all I've got.

[cosmichaos]

5 hours ago, Shaddy Zaphod said:

Oh, y'know, I guess "least favorite" could also just mean "most utterly boring and forgettable", in which case the medal is easily swept by Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal. It's legitimately hard to think of what I like about that game. I hate the crystal quotas, I hate the levels being somehow both mazelike and too linear, and I hate that it's propped up as the better side of RoL despite being an infinitely less-interesting game. I suppose the environments look alright? But again, that's a gimme for most Sonic games.

Ugh, yeah, I forgot about how shitty Shattered Crystal's level progression was. I would have to sit there for hours replaying the same three stages to find the stupid rocks that were in the dumbest places. It's a shame because even though I love Sonic Boom, I won't sit here and say that the games based off of it were anything more than just "wow, look, it exists". I think it had potential, but someone kept botching that potential time and time again.

[MetalSkulkBane]

From mainline Sonic games I think Rise of Lyric is the worst and the story sucks too. You might call it better than 06 or Shadow, I call it not remarkable in any way.

Except for Eggman, he is pretty great. Despite the "new bad guy take-over" routine and goofy (kinda looser-ish) characterization, he's actually very competent. He manipulates Sonic into releasing Lyric, then he keeps adapting trying to find a way to defeat Lyric (his robots, Metal, mech) and during the final battle, he actually saves the day, in a moment that is somehow cool and funny at once.

[Shaddy Zaphod]

3 hours ago, cosmichaos said:

Ugh, yeah, I forgot about how shitty Shattered Crystal's level progression was. I would have to sit there for hours replaying the same three stages to find the stupid rocks that were in the dumbest places. It's a shame because even though I love Sonic Boom, I won't sit here and say that the games based off of it were anything more than just "wow, look, it exists". I think it had potential, but someone kept botching that potential time and time again.

I think Fire and Ice is actually pretty good. And while the polish can make it less embarrassing, it's funny when I get sideways looks for saying Shattered Crystal is a worse game than Rise of Lyric. RoL is simply more interesting! Even the ways that it sucks are more tolerable than just walling off progression.

Edited January 17 by Shaddy Zaphod

[Indigo Rush]

I couldn't possibly pick one solitary Sonic game as my least favorite, but I'll try and limit myself to two major releases that are notorious one way or the other. Besides having a good soundtrack, y'know.

Sonic Unleashed: the attention to detail in the hub worlds and overall gorgeous graphics keep baiting me to want to play it again. 

Sonic and the Black Knight: the UI and art direction. Seriously, it makes me sad that the game ended up being so unfun, it really pushes the envelope on the Wii's hardware. 

[SolidSurgeTT]

In theory I like the gameplay flow of Sonic 360. It's got enough going on that spending time cruising Soleanna is a worthwhile endeavor. However the excess of loading gets in the way severely.

[MetalSkulkBane]

47 minutes ago, SolidSurgeTT said:

In theory I like the gameplay flow of Sonic 360. It's got enough going on that spending time cruising Soleanna is a worthwhile endeavor. However the excess of loading gets in the way severely.

Check fanmod "Project P-06". It's Sonic 2006 but finished and good. It's hugely popular.

12 hours ago, Blue Blood said:

Lemme think about this. There must be something I can find to like about Forces. 

What about Avatar making?

[castell-neath]

Sonhc Forces is by far my least favourite game for many,many reasons.

The best bit from it for me is the return of Silver. We need more Silver!

[Blue Blood]

1 hour ago, MetalSkulkBane said:

What about Avatar making?

Lol no. That's one of the worst things about the game.

In terms of depth, it's outdone by Toontown. And I'm really not fussed about seeing my stand-in character be BFFs with Sonic. Avatar characters are rarely fun, least of all one that's lacking personality or role that the player can influence and would have been better served by an existing or properly defined new character. 

 

[Xandur]

19 hours ago, Blue Blood said:

Lemme think about this. There must be something I can find to like about Forces. 

I can think of one great thing to come out of Forces - a certain character. I'll give you a hint: his name starts with I and ends with E. 

As for my answer, my least favorite game would probably be RoL. It was just so... dull. It had the same generic beat-em-up gameplay as Skylanders, but at least Skylanders had the toys-to-life gimmick going on for it. RoL had nothing. And don't even get me started on the writing.

That being said, I've gotta say that I actually liked the Boom character designs (mostly). God-awful proportions and blue arms aside, I think the accessories that the characters wore in Boom added a bit of charm to them, especially for Tails. I wouldn't be opposed to the gear that Tails wore in Boom becoming a permanent part of his actual design. Not a fan of the excessive bandages(?) that every character had on in that game, though; dunno what was up with that. Eggman's uniform looked really clean too.

[MetalSkulkBane]

6 hours ago, Xandur said:

I can think of one great thing to come out of Forces - a certain character. I'll give you a hint: his name starts with I and ends with E. 

I think you'll find a finite number of fans of this guy,

I wanted to like him, there are many good things I can say about him, but somehow Infinite is less than the sum of his parts.

[Xandur]

2 hours ago, MetalSkulkBane said:

I wanted to like him, there are many good things I can say about him, but somehow Infinite is less than the sum of his parts.

He'll get his time to shine... one day...

[MetalSkulkBane]

6 hours ago, Xandur said:

He'll get his time to shine... one day...

I find it fascinating that he somehow doesn't work, despite voice, design, theme song, and overall many elements that should elevate him to at least "pretty cool". People got attached to much worse characters.

I think the main problem is that there is a difference between "making character strong" and "Making character FEEL strong". The game fails to make you respect his threat like Archie's Enerjak (let alone Dark Enerjak), so he comes off as a poser, despite being stupidly OP. He's not as edgy as the internet claims, but because he can't sell it, it's so easy to mock him.

[IHaveACaseOfSonicMania]

Sonic Lost World is one of my least favorite games, but this one makes me annoyed at how it broke the goal of Sonic in the first place, to rival Mario, this game has so many similarities. But if I must give it some positives, they got Eggman down just right, some of the music is quite good, though some of it doesn't go towards my tastes, and the level design, from what I've seen, could be quite fun. I haven't played it but the reasons listed earlier, I just find those flaws unforgiving, however in terms of gameplay (going of footage and putting aside from the fact there is run button in a god damn Sonic game) and music, it makes me see some good things.

[Maple Syrup]

I am not a big fan of 06 and Forces. But they gave me Silver and Infinite!

[Xandur]

2 hours ago, MetalSkulkBane said:

I think the main problem is that there is a difference between "making character strong" and "Making character FEEL strong". The game fails to make you respect his threat like Archie's Enerjak (let alone Dark Enerjak), so he comes off as a poser, despite being stupidly OP. He's not as edgy as the internet claims, but because he can't sell it, it's so easy to mock him.

I like to look at his character as being a deliberately faux OP character. From his oversold backstory, to him hiding behind a mask, to his powers literally revolving around fake illusions, Infinite's entire character is the embodiment of all bark and no bite. Big shadow, tiny tree.

Obviously, when writing Forces, the writers didn't intend for his character to be seen that way; but they just dropped the ball on him so hard that it's possible to look at him through that lense. I think there's a lot of room for Infinite to have a potential interesting character arc - one where he goes from being a crybaby hyping himself up, to being a true villain that experienced actual trauma (e.g. from him being stuck in Null Space ever since Forces or something like that). 

Once again, this obviously wasn't intentional on the writers' part... they're just bad at writing villains, apparently. But I think it's an interesting way of viewing his character. Embrace his flaws to give him a new meaning. 

[Cosmos Rogue]

I can imagine a timeline where the mission structure and branching level progression seen in Shadow's game could have dovetailed with a lot of what Sonic Team liked to do in their games back in the early 2000s, but of course they implemented those ideas in a terrible way in a game that wasn't really suited for that sort of thing and that was that.

[NightFire]

Sonic Forces while not having a very good reception still has some cool elements like the world map and some of the music tracks, the return of some characters in the mainline games that had not been in the series for a while(Chaotix/Silver), and I like Infinite’s design/concept(I just think that if they gave him a better character arc or he was in a better game he would have been better received).   

[ChaosCTRL]

Forces is probably my least favorite game, at least out of what I’ve played. There are a lot of things I dislike about it, but there are some positive aspects to it as well. The idea of a custom character that is able to work alongside the main cast is a fun idea, though perhaps a little more fleshing out would be nice. I do also like the story CONCEPTUALLY. Eggman taking over the world with a new ally. Sonic being incapacitated for a time and needing rescued. The idea of an illusionist villain like Infinite. All of those things I like (though they painfully failed to deliver on all these things)

I will say, Shadow was actually characterized decently well in Forces. He seems to legitimately care about Omega’s well being. He isn’t arguing with Sonic, but rather trying to help. He actual SMILES a couple times. He doesn’t seem excessively edgy for the sake of it. (Aside from when he beat up Infinite and called him weak) There has been so much better for Shadow over the years, but there has also been so much worse.