Repairing Sonic for the new decade

[Phos]

http://www.smile.talktalk.net/sj_index/nss/nss_index/

or tl;dr

http://sonicjam.wikidot.com/nssnsi:summary

/thread

E: Oh wait, he says the homeing attack should be kept. It needs to be modified so it doesn't interfere with pinball physics.

Edited March 22, 2009 by Phos

[123654]

http://www.smile.talktalk.net/sj_index/nss/nss_index/

or tl;dr

http://sonicjam.wikidot.com/nssnsi:summary

/thread

E: Oh wait, he says the homeing attack should be kept. It needs to be modified so it doesn't interfere with pinball physics.

They could incorporate pinball physics into the homing attack. Perhaps hitting an enemy sends Sonic bouncing.

[ovarloard]

It depends what you mean by bouncing... because in a way, the recoil from the attack is bouncing, as it sends Sonic back into the air.

[Blacklightning]

Technically, Werehog isn't Sonic (or even Sonic-styled, for that matter)

Umm, yes he is.

, so the fact that they made two separate game engines shouldn't matter. Most of the characters move a whole lot faster than the Werehog, and they don't have to do the precise platforming that he does, at least not with the sometimes annoying jump-and-grab mechanics.

The speed or precision shouldn't matter in the slightest. It's easily possible to make a playstyle that only needs slight modification to contribute to the perks of both forms, and the fact that they didn't bother, I can only attribute to lazyness. Or bad thinking, whatever might suit you better.

The two actually share somewhat common traits with each other already (werehog's ability to increase speed as well as Sonic's ability to attack outside of the Homing Attack), so it's really puzzling that they couldn't just use the same base of code for both and just tweak it between each character. Not only would it likely save them a hell of a lot of time on crafting two seperate playstyles, more likely than not you'd also alienate far less fans on account of the fact that they'd still be used in somewhat similar ways.

Unleashed (Wii) wasn't nearly as fast as its hi-def counterpart, and the boost doesn't keep going constantly. (It's possible to run out of boost. Gasp!) You can make it through without using the boost if you so wish, but you can also choose to boost basically the whole way, and as long as you heed the obvious (don't run into obstacles while on water or walls), you should be fine. Its levels are big enough to be fun, although the bigger still, the better still.

You could say the exact same thing about the hi-def versions. Fact of the matter is, the point has flown right over your head. The only reason the game is even functional with the boost implemented is because the game does most of the actual steering for you and confines you to a strict linear plain. Had Unleashed been given any ounce of freedom like any traditional platformer, it would've been disastrous. Moreso especially, considering that the game inherently encourages you to abuse the boost to its fullest extent, then punishes you repeatedly for doing so.

If you were to instill any meaningful sense of exploration to a Sonic game, not only would you have to clearly outline where a boost will and will not get you killed, you'd have to adjust the level design accordingly so as not to punish the natural incentive of the level (here's a hint, genius: that incentive ain't always speed).

[Phos]

Animals in Sonic's world don't have fur, Werehog has fur. Seems pretty cut and dry to me.

Had Unleashed been given any ounce of freedom like any traditional platformer, it would've been disastrous.

Simple way to get around this: no bottomless pits. Edited March 22, 2009 by Phos

[Blacklightning]

Animals in Sonic's world don't have fur, Werehog has fur. Seems pretty cut and dry to me.

Why that should even matter is beyond me. A Sonic-style character with visible fur is still a Sonic-style character. Either way, it's completely besides the point as I was addressing a gameplay issue.

Simple way to get around this: no bottomless pits.

That's only step one. It's not like bottomless pits are the only badly-placed obstacle out there.

[Phos]

Not having definite/discrete fur seems to be part of the style.

That's only step one. It's not like bottomless pits are the only badly-placed obstacle out there.

Yeah, but it fixes a pretty good chuck of problems that would arise. But in my personal "fixing Unleashed", it's (broad) step 1 of about 20, so yeah.

[jackskellinghog]

I'll be blunt guys. Sonic is in crisis and now that this decade is nearly its end, its time for a serious evaluation. Im talking to you Sega/Sonic Team. Let me start off from my standpoint of the franchise.

SatAM ran for 2 seasons and proved that the Sonic franchise had potential to grow in a positive direction. When it was canceled, it was Sega's decision to continue using those characters in the comic book. Now, heres what irks me. If SatAM wasn't popular among American audiences, then why is the comic still in publication and focusing on the Freedom Fighters as their central characters? Simple. Cause it works! Sega has spent this entire decade trying to recton the Sonic story through each game with stupid gimmicks that detract from his iconic environment. Mobius. Surrealistic backgrounds. Badniks. A society of anthropomorphic creatures. Ever since Sonic was transported into modern Earth, roaming with humans, I can't help but think he feels uncomfortable since it's not his world. It's the typical fish out of water scenario that makes the games and stories feel out of place. The entire franchise within the last 10 years has been an unstructured, incoherent mess. Sonic Unleashed again was a great experience but I have my opinions on how this game really would capture that classic feel.

1. This is obvious. Eliminate the slow, lumbering werehog character and the stages. They were not fun and mostly felt like a chore. Remember, for a game that uses the name SONIC, it's supposed to be about speed. Not waving your stretching arms around in a God of War setting. Keep it consistent and don't complicate the game play.

2. Transplant the daytime stages into a Mobius scenery. As aesthetically beautiful the environments were, it felt stale cause we've seen it over and over again. How about something that exceeds reality like checkerboard terrain and origami flowers. I've mentioned this many times, but placing Sonic on modern day Earth is just boring and uncreative.

3. Bring back the classic badniks that were a staple in original games with a 3D upgrade. Mario and Zelda have been around longer than Sonic, but their modern games manage to please their fans cause they still use the original elements that made it great. Mario Galaxy is an excellent template for Sega to follow. The Mario series builds upon its previous games buy keeping the landscapes and enemies to maintain its recognition. However, Nintendo will gradually introduce new characters without cramming them down our throats. I can defiantly see Princess Sally, Bunnie, Rotor and Antonie appear in future Sonic games, but not all at once. Kinda like how the Mario series gradually introduced Wario, Wauiji, Daisy, and Rosalina. It would feel claustrophobic if all those Mario characters made their dubut in one game. That's a bit intimidating and that's exactly how I feel about Sega. Tails and Knuckles were a welcoming edition cause Sega at one time, didn't want rush their ideas. Well this portion went off tangents, but let's back on track.

What do you think of when someone mentions Mario? Goombas, Koopa Troopas, and Piranha Plants. What about Sonic? For me, it's been Buzzbots, Catakillers, and Crabmeats. Who has Sonic's inventory of villainy been these days? Generic looking robots. Just removing what made Sonic fun detaches me from the series since it doesn't resemble what it used to be. Bottom line, Id love to see the classic badniks and a well paced introduction to the freedom fighters in the games.

5. The music. The cheesy 80s hair metal has to go. It's just a reflection of how bad these recent games have gotten and it adds nothing to help the experience. Lets again go back to Mario. The signature theme has re-appeared in various mixes throughout Nintendo's library Mario games. Nintendo acknowledges that Mario 1's overworld theme will and forever be Mario's theme. Why? It gives the character identity. When a character's theme is constantly changed, we loose interest and have nothing to connect that character with. When was the last time we heard Green Hill Zone? or even the start up screen from Sonic 1? Yeah, I can't remember either. Wouldn't it be somewhat nostalgic and refreshing is Sega reused those classic themes, gave it an updated beat and implemented them in the games? I can easily imagine a remix of Chemical Plant Zone playing during the intense an exhilarating rollercoaster ride that is Eggmanland. Sonic Team was heading in the right direction to use an instrumental score instead of god awful lyrics written from a group that aspires to be Poison cover band. Enough with the horrible lyrics and atrociously bad singing. Bring back the techno/electronica soundtrack from the original games. Give Sonic his musical identity back.

5. Humans. They just don't belong in a Sonic game. That poor hedgehog and his furry pals probably feel self-conscience being the only ones of their kind roaming around on Earth. I had that same impression when I watched Sonic X. As Milo stated a couple months ago, humans are boring cause we see them in everyday life. How about a Sonic game that takes place on Mobius where Sonic doesn't feel alienated and can be surrounded by his kind? Watching SatAM and reading the Comics are more gripping cause it immerses into a world that doesn't exist; hence the sci-fi fantasy aspect of it. I would love to see 33rd century Mobius in the games. Its backgrounds, terrains, atmosphere, how its society functions.

6. Romances. Enough with the bestiality SEGA! We've seen it in Sonic 06, Secret Rings, and now Black Knight. The compatibility between an animal and a human doesn't exactly sit right and we cringe everytime a female human is all up in Sonic's grill. It's disgusting and vile. If these games keep using princesses, why not one that�

Edited March 22, 2009 by jackskellinghog

[Miko]

So many things here that are opinion... I despise the Satam univerese and think that saturday morning cartoon characters wouldn't do any favours for our hedgehog at this stage in his life. I like Crush 40, Jun is apart of SEGA. I think that they are a respectable band, and a lot of their music Is catchy and personally, have taken Sonic's theme to be one of their songs.

1. Why or why don't you feel the main cast of SatAM will work.

2. You like Crush 40, and Jun is apart of SEGA. from a marketting perspective however, the genre of music they're producing is veeery limiting in demographic. At least the technobeat didn't really throw itself onto a particular subculture much more then any others. If we're talking about repairing the franchise from a perspective of broadening the people who like the series (as personal opinion is kind of weak and can easily negate in nature).

EDIT: Oh also, the Archie comic book series in my opinion is so shoddily written and hard to follow that It would make the plot worse. I'd rather not have archie fan theories shoved down my throat thankyou.

Archie's sales also wouldn't support right now the idea everything's working spiffy.

[Double Agent Motobug]

Okay, okay. I'll share what I'd do, let's see how many agree. xD;

Keep Sonic Unleashed's engine, including the Hedgehog (Graphics) Engine.

Anyway, moving along.

[Level Design]

The levels would no longer be limited to tiny little paths. It'd probably follow the same idea as the Wii version of unleashed; There would be somewhat set tracks, but they'd be wide, allowing for lots of right and left movement. Of course, though, there would be (ENTIRELY) different paths to go through. If they were vertically stacked, the lowest route would be more obstacle heavy, and filled with more enemies, while the upper paths would have more platforming challenge (so if you fell, you'd just fall down to the lower path, instead of dying.), although, not every alternate path would be vertically stacked.

In some stages, there could be a place where the level branches off into two different endings, or even more! Your time and rank would be categorized for which goal you'd end at. For example, Let's say there's two endings, Ending A and B, you race through the level and get a time of 3:14 (pi!) on the stage, and get an S. When you check the records for that level, there'd be two categories, "Ending A, Ending B", and your time and rank would be under Ending B.

HOWEVER. What if Ending A takes longer to get to? Well, I imagine the rankings would be calculated differently, depending on which goal you get to. So maybe you'd need "Under 4 minutes" for Goal B, but "Under 6 minutes" for goal A. And of course, the harder goal would merit more of a reward for beating it (if any.)

This would have no (or very little) effect on the story.

I don't really care where the levels are located. So long as they axe the bottomless pits, and if they keep the general feel of Unleashed, Semi Inspired by real life, but bright and cartoony to match Sonic's style. Perfect medium for everyone, I'd say.

Another thing, is that Sonic wouldn't die by touching water. He'd go under like he used to. That'd allow for much more interesting level designs, and (perhaps) more like Labyrinth Zone. xP

[sonic/Controls]

First things first, axe the Werehog or any other types of gameplay that isn't based on Sonic's core gameplay. (So you know, slight variations like in S3&K, Sonic Rush (sorta) or Black Knight, is great.), Of course, don't make it like Heroes or Rivals, where it just feels like a skin for Team Sonic, either.

Secondly, Axe the boost (Or alternatively, make it a power up box, for a one time use. Think a hold-able speed shoes power up. xD), So that you aren't tempted to go a million miles per hour through a stage, where you're not supposed to.

Keep the core gameplay of Sonic Unleashed down, however (though with some improvements; Since they'd have experience with it.) And of course, for people who love nostalgia, and since the boost is gone, Crouching (B/O*) and pressing the jump button (A/X*) would start revving the Spindash. In the 2D sections, however, it could be done by just holding down and tapping A, like the older games, and the handheld ones.

Pressing B while going fast would cause Sonic to curl up and roll, and he'd (GRADUALLY) lose momentum, depending on the inclines/terrain. Pressing B again while curled up would un-curl Sonic, like in Sa1, sort of, so that it could be used as a replacement for the sliding in Unleashed.

And perhaps allow a camera-reset button, but it's not really necessary I suppose. Sonic 06 had the right idea, however. I've been one of the lucky few who hasn't had too many camera issues with Sonic games (asides from Sonic 06, Unleashed in the Werehog parts, and both Storybook games), but it'd make a lot of people happy to have that option.

I liked Sa2's crouching for grinding, too. They made it too flashy in Heroes and everything else, imo, so now it just looks like they're bouncing around on the rails, or dancing, or something. (Fun fact, Unleashed has this too, but you can't quickstep while you're crouching, so uh, fail.)

[story]

Well, really? I don't care too much, if the game's good. But I like what Unleashed had going for it. It was a serious story, filled with the lightheartedness of older Sonic, and it was funny to boot. The characters were portrayed nicely, and even Eggman got his own cutscene(s.). Perhaps, though, at the end of every 'chapter' of the game, there'd be a cut to whatever Eggman's doing, just to keep him in the story. xD I'd like if the game had soliloquy moments for Sonic, too, but *Shrug*

So really, I don't care. Include whoever, introduce how many ever new characters, as long as it plays well.

There'd be at least 14 levels, and lots of things to do in each of them, with additional (OPTIONAL) missions, and collectable (OPTIONAL) Emblems in each one, that would go about unlocking something cool if you got them all in the level. Super Sonic would be playable as well, and perhaps -HE- would have the boost that would be axed from Sonic's normal gameplay, to make him seem millions of times faster, even though regular Sonic sure can move, too.

...oh right, and make the drifting work better! It's my favorite move in Unleashed, but in the 360 version, I can't use it to save my life, it doesn't corner tightly enough. The Wii version is ace, though, imo.

^^ So that's what I'd do.

(*Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 controls.)

(Edit: oi, I think I posted this in the wrong topic o__o; )

Edited March 23, 2009 by Yusuke

[Stephen]

I disagree, sonic is good on Earth the comics can be to sci fi at times and that would be nerdy in a game.

[RainbowLizard]

No matter what you try, do or change in a Sonic game, it will NEVER be seen as universally 'good'. The fanbase is very unsatisfiable, and there will never be a 'good' Sonic game again, because of how far the series has gone. If what a lot of SSMB people want happens, and Shadow, Rouge, Blaze, etc. Never show up in a Sonic game, you can be sure as hell that there will be everyone bitching. 'SEGA have kicked out Shadow and they have alienated the fanbase because a majority thinks he's awesome'.

Heck, you'd probably find it easier kicking Sonic out of the Sonic games than you would kick out any other characters.

The fanbase of Sonic is unsatisfiable and there is no way of repairing the franchise. Pessimistic I know, but that's how I see it.

[Blazey Firekitty]

Not having definite/discrete fur seems to be part of the style.

Does this mean I would be correct in assuming that Sonic and all his friends are made of smooth, shiny rubber?

[Flyboy Fox]

Were-Sonic had much more visible/obvious fur because he was a were-wolf type creature and his 'shagginess' added to his wild look. It doesn't make him not Sonic-styled, and it doesn't mean the rest of the cast don't have fur - just that there wasn't any real need to emphasise the fur in most cases.

[Phos]

Does this mean I would be correct in assuming that Sonic and all his friends are made of smooth, shiny rubber?

Sonic is made out of blue.

And what's with the Werehogog growing hair out of his quills? It makes them even more like tubes of flesh then they already where.

[Flyboy Fox]

Admittedly, the furry quills did disturb me a little. It made him look like a plushie.

[Sean]

I thought it made him look more like an actual hedgehog than Sonic did.

[Serperior]

SatAM ran for 2 seasons and proved that the Sonic franchise had potential to grow in a positive direction. When it was canceled, it was Sega's decision to continue using those characters in the comic book. Now, heres what irks me. If SatAM wasn't popular among American audiences, then why is the comic still in publication and focusing on the Freedom Fighters as their central characters? Simple. Cause it works! Sega has spent this entire decade trying to recton the Sonic story through each game with stupid gimmicks that detract from his iconic environment. Mobius. Surrealistic backgrounds. Badniks. A society of anthropomorphic creatures. Ever since Sonic was transported into modern Earth, roaming with humans, I can't help but think he feels uncomfortable since it's not his world. It's the typical fish out of water scenario that makes the games and stories feel out of place. The entire franchise within the last 10 years has been an unstructured, incoherent mess. Sonic Unleashed again was a great experience but I have my opinions on how this game really would capture that classic feel.

So because Sonic isnt in Green Hill Zone he's out of place...riiight.

1. This is obvious. Eliminate the slow, lumbering werehog character and the stages. They were not fun and mostly felt like a chore. Remember, for a game that uses the name SONIC, it's supposed to be about speed. Not waving your stretching arms around in a God of War setting. Keep it consistent and don't complicate the game play.

It was a one game gimmick and your treating it like its going to be here forever...why?

2. Transplant the daytime stages into a Mobius scenery. As aesthetically beautiful the environments were, it felt stale cause we've seen it over and over again. How about something that exceeds reality like checkerboard terrain and origami flowers. I've mentioned this many times, but placing Sonic on modern day Earth is just boring and uncreative.

Well at least on the earth settings we dont see a generic Green Hill re colour/edit in every single game

3. Bring back the classic badniks that were a staple in original games with a 3D upgrade. Mario and Zelda have been around longer than Sonic, but their modern games manage to please their fans cause they still use the original elements that made it great. Mario Galaxy is an excellent template for Sega to follow. The Mario series builds upon its previous games buy keeping the landscapes and enemies to maintain its recognition. However, Nintendo will gradually introduce new characters without cramming them down our throats. I can defiantly see Princess Sally, Bunnie, Rotor and Antonie appear in future Sonic games, but not all at once. Kinda like how the Mario series gradually introduced Wario, Wauiji, Daisy, and Rosalina. It would feel claustrophobic if all those Mario characters made their dubut in one game. That's a bit intimidating and that's exactly how I feel about Sega. Tails and Knuckles were a welcoming edition cause Sega at one time, didn't want rush their ideas. Well this portion went off tangents, but let's back on track.

Does it really matter what the robots look like. As much as I like the old badniks I dont see the big deal on what they look like. Tails and Knuckles were introduced in different games. Also how is it that introducing Sally, Rotor, Bunnie and Antoine make the series any better. For a start Rotor has been made redundant by Tails since all Rotor was good for was inventing. 2nd off Bunnie would be out of place more than anything since robotosising doesnt happen in the games canon. Antoine was made redundant by Blaze since they are both royal figures (I think). Also by todays standards Sally probably wouldn't be able to be added without knocking the age ratings of the games up due to her not wearing clothes.

5. The music. The cheesy 80s hair metal has to go. It's just a reflection of how bad these recent games have gotten and it adds nothing to help the experience. Lets again go back to Mario. The signature theme has re-appeared in various mixes throughout Nintendo's library Mario games. Nintendo acknowledges that Mario 1's overworld theme will and forever be Mario's theme. Why? It gives the character identity. When a character's theme is constantly changed, we loose interest and have nothing to connect that character with. When was the last time we heard Green Hill Zone? or even the start up screen from Sonic 1? Yeah, I can't remember either. Wouldn't it be somewhat nostalgic and refreshing is Sega reused those classic themes, gave it an updated beat and implemented them in the games? I can easily imagine a remix of Chemical Plant Zone playing during the intense an exhilarating rollercoaster ride that is Eggmanland. Sonic Team was heading in the right direction to use an instrumental score instead of god awful lyrics written from a group that aspires to be Poison cover band. Enough with the horrible lyrics and atrociously bad singing. Bring back the techno/electronica soundtrack from the original games. Give Sonic his musical identity back.

Why cant there be a mixture of both? That way everyones happy.

5. Humans. They just don't belong in a Sonic game. That poor hedgehog and his furry pals probably feel self-conscience being the only ones of their kind roaming around on Earth. I had that same impression when I watched Sonic X. As Milo stated a couple months ago, humans are boring cause we see them in everyday life. How about a Sonic game that takes place on Mobius where Sonic doesn't feel alienated and can be surrounded by his kind? Watching SatAM and reading the Comics are more gripping cause it immerses into a world that doesn't exist; hence the sci-fi fantasy aspect of it. I would love to see 33rd century Mobius in the games. Its backgrounds, terrains, atmosphere, how its society functions.

First off you're saying that Sega should get rid off Eggman. Thats just stupid. Second of all what would be the difference on whether an NPC is a human or an anthromorph. To put is simply, it doesnt. Its an NPC, its not as if it affects the plot in any way on whether NPCs are humans or animals.

6. Romances. Enough with the bestiality SEGA! We've seen it in Sonic 06, Secret Rings, and now Black Knight. The compatibility between an animal and a human doesn't exactly sit right and we cringe everytime a female human is all up in Sonic's grill. It's disgusting and vile. If these games keep using princesses, why not one that�€™s been around since the very beginning? You know who I'm taking about.

I admit the SonicXElise thing was wierd but what makes SonicXSally any better than SonicXElise. Sonic and Sally still arent the same species so what makes a hedgehog loving a squirrel any better than a hedgehog loving a human. (Once again, I dislike SonicXElise but I dislike SonicXSally as well)

7. Make Robotnik the main villian again. Whatever happened to Sonic and Robotnink duking it out? Instead we get some ungodly beast from hell that takes up the entire screen. Talk about litterally overshadowing his character. While were at it, lets restore his dignity. Ditch that ridiculous Eggman name. It's not menacing, it's embaressing.

"OH MY GAWD HIS NAYM IS EGGMAN HE SUX HE SHUD BE ROBOTNIK!!!". On a serious note its not as if his name affects how he acts.

This leads to the ultimate question. If the comic book has been successful for nearly 2 decades, wouldn't it be feasible to experiment with those characters and storylines? If Sega is still standing after creating hover boarding birds, werehogs and giving characters weapons (ie Shadow and Sonic) than I doubt using long established yet neglected material will destroy the company. The fact is that Sonic Team had 10 years to use original ideas and none of them work. There's a new decade approaching and things need to change.

Because then the Sonic cast would get even larger than before and that leads to more complaining. Also if your complaining about characters having weapons didn't they have weapons in SatAM?

[Blazey Firekitty]

"OH MY GAWD HIS NAYM IS EGGMAN HE SUX HE SHUD BE ROBOTNIK!!!". On a serious note its not as if his name affects how he acts.

An egg by any other name would smell just as sweet.

[Miko]

2nd off Bunnie would be out of place more than anything since robotosising doesnt happen in the games canon.

Even if you don't count spinball, that doesn't mean roboticization couldn't happen in a new game.

I admit the SonicXElise thing was wierd but what makes SonicXSally any better than SonicXElise.

Technically Fang was half weasel half wolf, and current SoJ polls would infer he's canon to the newer mainstream storyline. Therefore, it's rather implicative that if anything different animals are a different race/breed of the same species. Kind of like how they've explained it in Archie.

Edited March 22, 2009 by Miko

[Flyboy Fox]

An egg by any other name would smell just as sweet.

Or as rotten.

By the way, Blaziken, Antoine wasn't royalty. He was just a royal guard. Sally was the princess, so if you're going to compare anyone to Blaze, Sally makes far more sense.

I honestly don't think Antoine can be compared to anyone else in any other version of Sonic XD;

Even if you don't count spinball, that doesn't mean roboticization couldn't happen in a new game.

With the direction the characterisation of Eggman has taken, I can't imagine that he would do something like that. It's not his style.

[Miko]

Torture, and disregarding autonomy are things that Eggman has done beyond classic games. Not to mention the direction of Eggman and the whole Sonic franchise recently isn't well received anyway. He hasn't done anything with the fuzzy animals. I just love how people complain about SatAM not sticking to basic concepts, but are fine with the new aged games based off the classics doing so.

Edited March 22, 2009 by Miko

[Serperior]

By the way, Blaziken, Antoine wasn't royalty. He was just a royal guard. Sally was the princess, so if you're going to compare anyone to Blaze, Sally makes far more sense.

Yeah, I havent watched the series in a while so my memories of it arent completely clear. I never really paid attention to Antoine anyway.

[Flyboy Fox]

Torture, and disregarding autonomy are things that Eggman has done beyond classic games. Not to mention the direction of Eggman and the whole Sonic franchise recently isn't well received anyway. He hasn't done anything with the fuzzy animals. I just love how people complain about SatAM not sticking to basic concepts, but are fine with the new aged games based off the classics doing so.

I'm a huge SatAM fan, and I would LOVE to see robotization used in a game. I just don't believe that it's at all realistic given the direction things have currently gone. It would require a complete retcon of Eggman's history and personality over the past decade or so. Therefore, it's about as likely as bringing the SatAM cast into the games. A nice thought for those of us that way inclined, but entirely unrealistic and silly in reality.

The best I could ever hope for, personally, is a SatAM-based game that clearly marketted itself as stand-alone and non-canon to the main series. Because SatAM is never going to be integrated into the current game timeline. It would just fail hard. The two continuities are just too diverse.

[SuperStingray]

See, I don't get why the name "Eggman" is such a big deal. It doesn't stop him from being an great villain. I mean, there are plenty of villains who don't sound intimidating in name but are still great enemies. The Joker for one.