Sonic Colors's Story: Your Opinion

[Sega DogTagz]

I don’t even see why Sega needed to establish the Wisp’s like that at all. Well, of course I understand, but when you think about it I didn’t want to fight Perfect Chaos to save the citizens of Station Square. I didn’t want to stop the Eclipse Cannon to prevent harm to the President and I certainly didn’t want to stop Metal Sonic due to some need to stay an ill fate to a random flicky.

I did those things because I was Sonic and I wanted to stick it to Eggman/Shadow/Metal or whoever was in my way. Colors need not go any farther than that in my book. Sonic sees injustice, he runs to stomp it out. That’s who he is and what he does. It was more about doing the right thing than the people he was actually helping.

[The Weeb with No Name]

I'm not entirely sure why this game had cutscenes, other than to display the new talent behind Sonic and Tails.

Beyond that, they felt grossly unnecessary. Sonic talking shit to a boss was one of the dumbest things I've ever seen him do. But at least Tails lampshades it in a funny way.

[ilcane87]

Personally, I put this storyline together with the one in Unleashed, classifying them as "silly lighthearted", which makes them the worst stories in any mainstream Sonic game, save for Sonic Heroes which was "no-plot lighthearted".

They were basically trying to put in a story without putting it in (fearing that people would complain about there being too much storyline, -sigh- ), so we ended up with a number of uninteresting cutscenes that are all basically the same, either Sonic and Tails forcing some "humor", or Eggman doing some silly things Sonic X style.

I mean, I'm all for Sonic-Tails development and Eggman funnies, but you can't build an entire plot around those, or it becomes dull pretty quickly.

Black Knight had a wonderful story that I'd call "lighthearted done Right", and that's really what they should look at when they don't want too much drama, but at least an entertaining plot. It had it all: good humor, several references, good acting, awesome music, perfect characterization, multiple characters, plot twists; it was simple and cheerful while still looking solid and serious when needed, while Colors/Unleashes always felt like they had an excuse of a plot to keep you going from level to level, but you always knew there was nothing much to find out about it.

(In fact, Black Knight was an excellent game at everything but controls, too bad many people won't ever try it because of the biased negative reviews it got... )

For reference, the games I think had a Really good storyline are Sonic Battle, Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic & the Black Knight, and exclusively Shadow's part of the story in Sonic 06.

[SuperStingray]

While I personally would have preferred a bit more of a slightly "epic" flavor, I really wouldn't change anything about the story. It's fun at best and harmless at worst. It adds as much to the experience of the game as you want it to and will never end up detrimenting the game as a whole.

(It's beyond me why Yahtzee chose the cutscenes (entirely skippable no less) as his excuse to not review the game.)

[CanofEpicSauce]

If anything, the story and characterization was perfect for Sonic Colors.

The thing is that the game doesn't take itself to seriously. It's short, it's simple, but it WORKS. I was sick and tired of all of the deep and complicated stories, because lets be real, we're playing a game about a cartoon hedgehog that runs fast so I don't think it has to be complicated. If anything, the game focused more on gameplay, and that's why so many critics and reviewers loved the game. It was just Sonic and Tails against Eggman to save creatures that he's enslaving. And that's the way UH-HUH UH-HUH I LIKE IT.

The writers did a great job with the source material that they had. Sure there were a bit of corny lines here an there, but the story, as well as the gameplay, was much better than the ones seen in Shadow the Hedgheog, Sonic 06, and Sonic Unleashed. Sonic games need more stories like Colors's in my opinion because while story might be a great thing to have, it's all about gameplay in the end, especially when it's with a platformer.

So my opinion is that the story in Colors is the way it's supposed to be.

[RidersDX]

I was sick and tired of all of the deep and complicated stories, because lets be real, we're playing a game about a cartoon hedgehog that runs fast so I don't think it has to be complicated.

But you can also argue that it can, because the Sonic series isn't all light-hearted and laid back, it's evolved from that. In my opinion, Sonic Colors kinda blends in with other platformers because most cartoony platformers really don't have much of a plot. In my opinion, Sonic's complicated plots make the series stand out. I actually did enjoy the plots of Shadow, Sonic 06, and Unleashed mind you. There are fans that really like the complicated plots. People actually got excited for Free Riders when it was announced it had a plot, remember? I don't think complicated plots should go away, because whether fans want to admit it or not, there are alot out there that have grown to love the epic Sonic stories, like myself. I love trying to stop Eggman in the games with the epic plots because it feels important to. And I love transforming into Super Sonic at the end and finally saving the world because when I finish, it feels like I really did go through a truly epic Sonic adventure. Story for me, adds motivation. I wasn't very motivated to get further in Colors, because I knew there wasn't going to be much to see as a reward.

But I guess the occasional simple plot is okay, I mean, we got Sonic Heroes after all, right? I hope Sega goes for a story that's bigger in the next major Sonic game and keep the good gameplay. Complicated stories do get alot of hate simply cause the gameplay of those games was flawed. I know Sega can make a game that has both though. I mean, there's the Rush series, which had both a great plot and great gameplay.

And Eggman was the main villain in both of em too!

Edited December 28, 2010 by RidersDX

[Kuzu]

You guys complaining that there wasn't much of a story really need to look back at what that caused. Remember Heroes? and how everyone complained about its story(Or lack of story I should say), well remember what came out next? Yeah so be careful what you guys wish for, you might just get it, and regret it.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

You guys complaining that there wasn't much of a story really need to look back at what that caused. Remember Heroes? and how everyone complained about its story(Or lack of story I should say), well remember what came out next? Yeah so be careful what you guys wish for, you might just get it, and regret it.

I think Sonic Team knows full well that those of us who want more story also don't want any convulted bullshit that came with the games after Heroes.

Unleashed and SatBK are indicators of those, and Colors is more of an attempt to streamline the plots in the future. It wasn't bad, but they can do better, and I can safely say they're trying.

[RidersDX]

You guys complaining that there wasn't much of a story really need to look back at what that caused. Remember Heroes? and how everyone complained about its story(Or lack of story I should say), well remember what came out next? Yeah so be careful what you guys wish for, you might just get it, and regret it.

Ya see, that's not really fair. Because Sega is actually TRYING to make Sonic good this time around. Back then, Sega tried to turn to other things just to make Sonic sell. I can't help but mention the perfect example, which is they gave Shadow guns because they wanted the people into shooters to buy the game. Sega is now trying to make Sonic sell for its quality, so really, is it fair to say the same thing will happen again if they put emphasis on story again? Besides, there are Sonic games with BOTH a good story and good gameplay. It IS possible to do both.

And you know what, I love Heroes. It was actually my first ever Sonic game. I didn't really mind the lack of story because there was really no emphasis on a story. There are no cutscenes with filler corny jokes. Only cutscenes when necessary. Colors has cutscenes whenever it can filled with useless jokes that don't contribute to the plot at all. So honestly, if they really want to make a Sonic game with a simple story, I would rather they go the Heroes route with barely any cutscenes. If they need cutscenes though, it has to be a good plot, not a plot that's just there because they need a plot.

[CanofEpicSauce]

But you can also argue that it can, because the Sonic series isn't all light-hearted and laid back, it's evolved from that. In my opinion, Sonic Colors kinda blends in with other platformers because most cartoony platformers really don't have much of a plot. In my opinion, Sonic's complicated plots make the series stand out. I actually did enjoy the plots of Shadow, Sonic 06, and Unleashed mind you. There are fans that really like the complicated plots. People actually got excited for Free Riders when it was announced it had a plot, remember? I don't think complicated plots should go away, because whether fans want to admit it or not, there are alot out there that have grown to love the epic Sonic stories, like myself. I love trying to stop Eggman in the games with the epic plots because it feels important to. And I love transforming into Super Sonic at the end and finally saving the world because when I finish, it feels like I really did go through a truly epic Sonic adventure. Story for me, adds motivation. I wasn't very motivated to get further in Colors, because I knew there wasn't going to be much to see as a reward.

But I guess the occasional simple plot is okay, I mean, we got Sonic Heroes after all, right? I hope Sega goes for a story that's bigger in the next major Sonic game and keep the good gameplay. Complicated stories do get alot of hate simply cause the gameplay of those games was flawed. I know Sega can make a game that has both though. I mean, there's the Rush series, which had both a great plot and great gameplay.

And Eggman was the main villain in both of em too!

OK so you say Sonic stories evolved from that? But at what cost? If anything people should only play Sonic games for gameplay, and not for a bunch plot twists and characters NOBODY cares about. Not to mention the stories in Shadow, 06, and Unleashed were very unneccessary and flat out BAD. So in general, Sonic stories have "evolved" for the worse. Plus, story shouldn't be the thing that makes Sonic stand out, it should be the fast, fun, ring collecting, robot destroying, gameplay, besides, isn' that the reason Sonic was so popular back in the 90s? You also said that there are Sonic fans that enjoy big stories in Sonic games, well I can counter that by saying most gamers and a huge part of the Sonic fanbase hates big stories in Sonic games. If really think about, critics loved Sonic Colors's story because it didn't try too hard. Why would I wanna look into an "epic" Sonic game story if it's not even cannon most of the games, and it might not even be good? I mean, look at Mario. Sure, many people criticize the fact he doesn't have story, but people usually talk about the gameplay when it comes to Mario games, and that's what I want for Sonic too.

Sonic should be accessible to all gamers. Sonic Colors and 4 had that accessibility and pick up and play gameplay which is why people liked it. People play Sonic games for, who? Sonic the Hedgehog, and maybe Tails and Knuckles, but not for an endless barrage of characters, giant plots, and loads of dialogue.

So in short, SEGA should just keep the focus on gameplay and ignore big stories.

Edited December 28, 2010 by FranticDarkness

[Mega]

But I guess the occasional simple plot is okay, I mean, we got Sonic Heroes after all, right? I hope Sega goes for a story that's bigger in the next major Sonic game and keep the good gameplay. Complicated stories do get alot of hate simply cause the gameplay of those games was flawed. I know Sega can make a game that has both though. I mean, there's the Rush series, which had both a great plot and great gameplay.

My problem with the complicated plots is that they're... all the same plot structure! It's basically:

* Robotnik has some new scheme that puts the world in danger!

* Chaos emeralds are almost always involved!

* Introduce new friends or enemies and some supernatural force that Robotnik wants to control (or is just there for some other reason)

* Supernatural force overthrows Robotnik, Sonic (and friends) must turn Super to defeat it!

I'm sorry, but I have a lot of problems with this. For one, I find Super Sonic boss fights to be the biggest cop out ever in 3D games. A good final boss should allow you to use the skills you learned during the game to defeat the enemy. Super Sonic boss fights do not do this; you just float around in empty space. Secondly, I think it's much more epic for Sonic to defeat a powerful foe without the Emeralds. Super Sonic is just godmode; of course he's going to win. With a normal Sonic final boss, there's a greater challenge. He isn't invincible, and he can't float.

Honestly, there are only two Super Sonic boss fights that I found challenging, and that's the Doomsday and Perfect Chaos. Even so, I hate how it's almost always obligatory to have Sonic transform to face his final foe. I'd rather have that formula tossed aside for a while. IF there must be Super Sonic, just keep him as a bonus you get from Special Stages.

[Diogenes]

If anything people should only play Sonic games for gameplay,

No. Storytelling is a part of games.

and not for a bunch plot twists and characters NOBODY cares about.

If nobody cared, nobody would be arguing for a better story.

Plus, story shouldn't be the thing that makes Sonic stand out,

So it can't have a good story anyway? Graphics shouldn't be what makes Sonic stand out, thus everything should be made in Atari graphics. Music shouldn't be what makes Sonic stand out, thus there's no sound in the game. Do you see how this is stupid yet?

You also said that there are Sonic fans that enjoy big stories in Sonic games, well I can counter that by saying most gamers and a huge part of the Sonic fanbase hates big stories in Sonic games.

And do you know why? Because a lot of them sucked. So, if we make some that don't suck...maybe they wont hate them!

If really think about, critics loved Sonic Colors's story because it didn't try too hard.

They liked it because it was entertaining. Part of that is because it didn't delve into overdramatic schlock or take itself more seriously than a cartoon hedgehog can support. It certainly wasn't "oh wow look at how lazy it is, 10/10!"

[RidersDX]

OK so you say Sonic stories evolved from that? But at what cost? If anything people should only play Sonic games for gameplay, and not for a bunch plot twists and characters NOBODY cares about. Not to mention the stories in Shadow, 06, and Unleashed were very unneccessary and flat out BAD. So in general, Sonic stories have "evolved" for the worse. Plus, story shouldn't be the thing that makes Sonic stand out, it should be the fast, fun, ring collecting, robot destroying, gameplay, besides, isn' that the reason Sonic was so popular back in the 90s? You also said that there are Sonic fans that enjoy big stories in Sonic games, well I can counter that by saying most gamers and a huge part of the Sonic fanbase hates big stories in Sonic games. If really think about, critics loved Sonic Colors's story because it didn't try too hard. Why would I wanna look into an "epic" Sonic game story if it's not even cannon most of the games, and it might not even be good? I mean, look at Mario. Sure, many people criticize the fact he doesn't have story, but people usually talk about the gameplay when it comes to Mario games, and that's what I want for Sonic too.

Sonic should be accessible to all gamers. Sonic Colors and 4 had that accessibility and pick up and play gameplay which is why people liked it. People play Sonic games for, who? Sonic the Hedgehog, and maybe Tails and Knuckles, but not for an endless barrage of characters, giant plots, and loads of dialogue.

So in short, SEGA should just keep the focus on gameplay and ignore big stories.

People DO care about those plot twists and characters. Shadow was so freakin' popular that he got his own game. There are also people that just love characters like Tails, Knuckles, Silver, Blaze, all the characters. There are even people that want Mighty back in the games. There ARE people that care about the stories and characters of Sonic games. There are people that like the, "endless barrage of characters."

Going for the simple stories will please people who are not even fans of Sonic, because they don't look at Sonic as a serious video game series. What about the fans of Sonic that do? I think Sega should put its own fans first over trying to please the critics. Isn't there a reason Sonic is still so popular? It's everything Sega has done for the series, not just the gameplay. Unlike you, I LOVE the stories of Sonic games. I really enjoyed Unleashed and Shadow's story, and even the 06 story, except the lil romance between Sonic + Elise of course.

Part of the fun for me getting through a Sonic game is just the action and drama of the Sonic plots, how it just motivates me to wanna keep playing through the game. For me, that really does contribute to the gameplay addicting wise, so with a simple plot, it does take away from the gameplay for me, because I don't feel as addicted to the gameplay to keep going. When I first picked up Colors, I stopped playing after two hours, cause I honestly got bored. With most Sonic games, that doesn't happen at all.

[Mega]

Going for the simple stories will please people who are not even fans of Sonic, because they don't look at Sonic as a serious video game series.

But quite a few Sonic fans hate the way the serious stories work, particularly those who are older fans that grew up with the series. I have nothing against a plot with some serious undertones, so long as it's not forced as hell. Sonic 3&Knuckles, IMO, had a better plot than most of the 3D games, and it didn't have a single line of dialogue! Its story was also pretty simple.

[Kuzu]

My problem with the complicated plots is that they're... all the same plot structure! It's basically:

* Robotnik has some new scheme that puts the world in danger!

* Chaos emeralds are almost always involved!

* Introduce new friends or enemies and some supernatural force that Robotnik wants to control (or is just there for some other reason)

* Supernatural force overthrows Robotnik, Sonic (and friends) must turn Super to defeat it!

I'm sorry, but I have a lot of problems with this. For one, I find Super Sonic boss fights to be the biggest cop out ever in 3D games. A good final boss should allow you to use the skills you learned during the game to defeat the enemy. Super Sonic boss fights do not do this; you just float around in empty space. Secondly, I think it's much more epic for Sonic to defeat a powerful foe without the Emeralds. Super Sonic is just godmode; of course he's going to win. With a normal Sonic final boss, there's a greater challenge. He isn't invincible, and he can't float.

Honestly, there are only two Super Sonic boss fights that I found challenging, and that's the Doomsday and Perfect Chaos. Even so, I hate how it's almost always obligatory to have Sonic transform to face his final foe. I'd rather have that formula tossed aside for a while. IF there must be Super Sonic, just keep him as a bonus you get from Special Stages.

Yeah, but there's character development thrown in between all of that, and honeslty that's a lot more than just "Eggman's causing trouble, stop him", the Chaos Emeralds are involved because they're the center of all the damn conflict in the series(Yes in the 90's as well), and you do realize that Super Sonic can get hurt just as easily as normal Sonic nowadays, so everything you just said is bollocks, especially since in games like Heroes and ShTH Super Form, controls no different from normal gameplay, and not completely different like you say it is.

Honeslty I like the idea of Sonic needing more power to take on an even more powerful foe, the problem is that its been done to death, they just need to tone down how many times it happens because it literally happened in EVERY game after S3&K, and after the 3rd time, it lost its charm. Heroes would've been better if it was just a straight up fight between Sonic and Metal Sonic no Metal Overlord or that other crap, Black Doom had no reason to transform and could've just fought Shadow on foot. 06 and Unleashed are the only times I can actually justify going Super because he was fighting physical gods which I would imagine would take more than what he had at that point.

[Gotta Go Rational]

I was dissapointed with Sonic Colours overall, and being someone who enjoys story/character development in games, the story was definitley one of the most underwhelming aspects of the game.

I'm never really a fan of stories where the protaganist's objective is laid out from the beginning, then spends the entire story arc working towards that objective, with the finale being the completion of it.

Unleashed and Colours are two examples of this. Unleashed's objective: Go heal the shattered planet. Unleashed's finale: The shattered planet is healed. Colour's objective: Free the Wisps from the amusement park. Colour's finale: The wisps are freed from the amusement park. I think it's better where you're kept in the dark about where the story is going to go next, with plot twists and new developments potentially causing the character's objectives to change throughout the adventure.

SA1 and SA2 are great examples of games where the plot moves on and actually advances throughout the game. The beginning of SA2, for example, has Sonic escaping from G.U.N after Eggman releases Shadow from Prison Island. The character's spend a lot of time throughout the game trying to figure out what the hell is actually going on, and the player has no idea at this point that the finale of the game will involve Super Sonic and Super Shadow racing to save the planet from being nuked into oblivion by a plummeting Chaos Emerald fueled Space Colony. The point being is that throughout the game, there are multiple story arcs (Sonic on the Run, Locating the president, Rouge's true identity, Shadow potentially having manipulated memories, Knuckle's search for the Master Emerald Fragments, What G.U.N did do Gerald, Sonic and Co's infiltration of Eggman's base and later the Space Colony) that make the storyline so much richer and gives it a bit more leverage and depth. Sonic Unleashed does have some of this, with the revelation of Chip's true identity and purspose, but aside from that, the plot doesn't really move forward until the finale.

In addition to that, a lot of Sonic games of late have been bringing brand new aspects of the Sonic Universe that have not been referenced or spoken of previously. (The Gaia destory/heal cycle, The wisps' existance, the storybook dimensions, Iblis etc.) This is good, and I'm always up for the introduction of new things in Sonic games. (Yep, including gameplay.)

However, I think it would be cool if Sega elaborated and built new storylines from themes that have been previously established in Sonic games. The Emeralds are obviously a consistently recurring theme in the games, but I think SA1 is a great example of how the writers were able to build a storyline connected to the previously established Angel Island, Master Emerald, Knuckles being the last of his kind. etc. and create a new original storyline yet still maintaining a connection with the previous games. You could argue SA2 did this too, revealing a little more of Eggman's mysterious past with the first reference of his Grandfather.

Sonic Chronicles to me, is a perfect modern example of how it could be done, and if that story had've been implemented into a main series game, I think it'd be much more revered than it is now.

I also think that the inclusion of human's in the games makes the universe of Sonic feel much more populated (which I think is good), and also adds a little more drama to the story as it's a physical example of who Sonic is fighting to save when he saves the planet.

In terms of character, I think Sonic was spot on in Colours. He still felt like himself, optimistic, friendly, upbeat, a little sarcastic, but with a strong sense of justice, a love of freedom and a staunch opposition to any sort of oppression.

I agree with others here in that Colours' story was very bare bones, with wasted opportunities as to where they could've went with it. (The mind control thing is set up for example, then just sort of forgotten about.) My favourite aspect of what plot it did convey was the relationship between Sonic and Tails. I thought it very well done, and you could sense their long and shared history throughout their conversations.

I'm still glad they attempted a storyline though, because one of the main appealing points about the Sonic series for me, is that I enjoy the character and universe of Sonic. I enjoy having these (sometimes) epic adventures alongside him. I like to see the world, stories and characters evolve as the series goes on, rather than regress back to simplicity.

This is one of the main reasons as to why I like Sonic much more than Mario. Mario is practically mute. To me, so much of someone's personality and character is expressed through what they say, and how they say it, and that to me is what makes me unable to connect with Mario in a way that I can connect with someone like Sonic. Yes, Mario fans will argue that it's Mario's movements, occasional yelps and facial expressions that express his character, but it can only be done in a very limited way, and when Mario's only reaction to someone speaking to him is to stare back at them, it makes it a little difficult to get the feel of his personality. I've heard game developers sometimes say that the reason some protaganist's speak rarely (or not at all) is because they want the player to feel like they are the protaganist and they can inject their own personality into the character. Personally, I'd take getting to know the character over pretending I am the character anyday.

I've heard people say that they don't play Sonic for the story or characterization, they just play it to run fast. I don't, and I enjoy the variation of gameplay that the series has offered over the years. I also don't enjoy playing it singularly (or perhaps even primarily) for the gameplay.

I love the Universe, and would like Sonic to be more than just a spiky blue casket that I can use to move fast.

That's a very disjointed, badly structured and sometimes off topic point of view I've just put across. But it's more about my views on the role Colours' story plays in the identity of the series as a whole, so think of it as that please.

[RidersDX]

But quite a few Sonic fans hate the way the serious stories work, particularly those who are older fans that grew up with the series.

That's understandable. I grew up with the modern Sonic games, I didn't play the classic Sonic games until I got Sonic Mega Collection Plus. I grew up loving the Adventure series, so it's natural I would want Sega to keep the serious plots. All the critics played the older Sonic games first, that's why they love Colors, because it's so retro friendly. I mean really, some sites just plain praised Sonic 4 because it's Sonic 4, despite the issues there are with the game. I tried to really love Colors, but I can't help but wish it also had some elements that fans of the Adventure games would like too.

[Mega]

Yeah, but there's character development thrown in between all of that, and honeslty that's a lot more than just "Eggman's causing trouble, stop him", the Chaos Emeralds are involved because they're the center of all the damn conflict in the series(Yes in the 90's as well), and you do realize that Super Sonic can get hurt just as easily as normal Sonic nowadays, so everything you just said is bollocks, especially since in games like Heroes and ShTH Super Form, controls no different from normal gameplay, and not completely different like you say it is.

Honeslty I like the idea of Sonic needing more power to take on an even more powerful foe, the problem is that its been done to death, they just need to tone down how many times it happens because it literally happened in EVERY game after S3&K, and after the 3rd time, it lost its charm. Heroes would've been better if it was just a straight up fight between Sonic and Metal Sonic no Metal Overlord or that other crap, Black Doom had no reason to transform and could've just fought Shadow on foot. 06 and Unleashed are the only times I can actually justify going Super because he was fighting physical gods which I would imagine would take more than what he had at that point.

It might've been an exaggeration, but I rather liked how the Colors story didn't involve the Emeralds at all. I don't even mind the occasional use of the Emeralds, but not every plot needs to involve them. Sonic CD had the Time Stones, for example. I'd like to see a bit more variety. As for the Super Forms, I was mostly referring to SA2 and what I remember of Shadow (keep in mind that I haven't touched that game in years).

And perhaps fighting actual gods is justified, but I'd still like to see Sonic take on something that beefed up on his own. Like you said, though, the problem is how much they shove Super Sonic and monster things into the final bosses. In S3&K it was new, so things were more forgivable.

[Scar]

I think we should attempt a more subtle approach to things. Less meaningless exposition, by having characters explain all the events to the audience. This is why most gamers hate serious Sonic plots; they're in-your-face.

Let the events speak for themselves. You can have characters talking amongst themselves like normal. This can be used for some potentially funny dialogue, that can keep the viewers entertained. Make the humour aimed at teens/adults, but make it funny enough to make a child laugh. This means straying away from some of Colours' problem of having Sonic talk to himself in cutscenes which are longer than necessary, which results in a joke being dragged out and padded, causing it to lose impact. Other characters on screen means that Sonic doesn't have to talk to himself like a retard.

The basic premise of the plot should be simple. I don't want to see some bullshit story of espionage etc in anything outside of an RPG, the main games plot should simple enough to be accessible to anybody coming in. Not so ridiculously convoluted that anybody who doesn't know is way around Sonic canon is confused and annoyed by the plot.

For example, Robotnik is once again using animals to make robots and is destroying the beautiful landscapes to build an empire. Classic Sonic dilemma

You see, you can take that very basic plot and make it quite sinister and serious, but in a way that isn't intrusive to the player.

Let the environments tell a story. The stages become more and more mechanical and polluted like they did on the Mega Drive. Show areas where animals are being converted, which Sonic has to free. Kind of like the cutscene where we see the Wisps being converted, except with a greater focus on them.

When you have these scenes you don't want the characters talking and providing exposition of why this is bad and why Robotnik should be stopped. That is the unsubtle way of dealing with it. All you need to see is the animals being harmed in a sinister way, and have Sonic, Tails, Knuckles; whoever else is there, react in horror and/or anger, and say nothing. This has much more of an impact than blatantly explaining it. Children are smart enough to realise what's going on, but more importantly, adults who are playing won't feel so annoyed by the constant talking and could possibly even be moved by its subtlety and strength.

OK its not the most advanced plot and is blatantly environmentalist, but at the very least it isn't obtrusive. It gets a message across without being so heavy handed like Heroes' bullshit "TEAMWORK!!1!" plot.

Of course you can do that with a much better thought out plot, I just used this as an example. Have the environments tell the story and build the atmosphere, and let the characters react to the story and atmosphere. They way they react to it is an indication of their character. Its the grown-up way of having a good story that isn't too complex for children/non-fans, but isn't too shallow for adults/fans.

You can have ancient ruin based levels tell a hidden story about the Sonic Universe's folklore and legends. Like secret rooms with murals and carvings and statues which tell a separate story in the background. Its purely fan-service but its there for those who seek it. If people find it, its a nice little extra if they want to see all of it, but if it doesn't interest them, they don't have to bother, and it won't annoy them by having cutscenes constantly talking about it.

TL;DR:

My main point here being, have a simple idea for a plot, with a more complex plot going on in the background. The simple plot should be maturely developed so it isn't patronising, but is still strong. Everyone can understand it, but older gamers won't feel patronised and annoyed by it. Inject humour where appropriate, to liven up the overall story

Fans looking looking around will find the hidden background story, shown through 1 or 2 secret cutscenes, but mainly told by the environment; statues, murals carvings in the walls etc. This will give us shit to talk about, but because its hidden, everybody else won't complain about the melodrama.

Edited December 28, 2010 by Scar

[DarkLight]

Hi everyone. This is my first post on this site. I've been reading posts on this site for some time (Scary, I know).

In regards to the overall story of Colors keep in mind that the writers of Madworld wrote the script and not Sonic Team.

So I at least can excuse the cheesy/silly dialouge when Sonic Team could of wrote something better (Looks at Heroes)

Sorry that I could not make a longer post

Edited December 28, 2010 by Member

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

OK so you say Sonic stories evolved from that? But at what cost?

The cost of developers not knowing how to do a good job in making both decent gameplay and a decent plot.

If anything people should only play Sonic games for gameplay, and not for a bunch plot twists and characters NOBODY cares about.

Wait, who the hell is this "NOBODY" you're talking about? Are you sure you not just shouting bullshit, because I'm sure that's false. Not to mention you completely contradict yourself when you admit it (or at the very least acknowledge it) right here in your counterpoint:

You also said that there are Sonic fans that enjoy big stories in Sonic games, well I can counter that by saying most gamers and a huge part of the Sonic fanbase hates big stories in Sonic games.

Of which you completely fail to realize that the reason they hate it is because the people in charge didn't know how to make a decent story since SA2.

And in that regard, I'll counter your counter and say that children actually LOVE the stories in, and they far outnumber the fanbase and gamers in general and make up the most of the series sales and are anything but irrelevant in regard to this argument. But where does that honestly get us?

Not to mention the stories in Shadow, 06, and Unleashed were very unneccessary and flat out BAD.

Unleashed? Really?

Because there are many people who will disagree with you to the point they think you're stretching the truth. If anything you forgot to mention Heroes, which was not only flat out BAD like Shadow and 06, but was so paper thin that they completely failed at making a simple plot.

So in general, Sonic stories have "evolved" for the worse.

No, they haven't evolved at all. But I will say that certain parts of the fanbase are doing nothing but showing the worse side of them as far as logic is concerned.

Plus, story shouldn't be the thing that makes Sonic stand out, it should be the fast, fun, ring collecting, robot destroying, gameplay, besides, isn' that the reason Sonic was so popular back in the 90s?

There's also Music and Graphics that Sonic just so happens to stand out.

So what you're saying is that because these aren't fast, fun, reing collecting, robot destroying gameplay that these aren't the things Sonic should stand out in? Gameplay is important, but you're a fool to believe that Sonic shouldn't be allowed to have a story to stand out along side his gameplay.

If really think about, critics loved Sonic Colors's story because it didn't try too hard.

No, they loved it because it was well written which is what those of us who wanted stories to have in Sonic games. You're completely pulling that claim out of your ass.

Why would I wanna look into an "epic" Sonic game story if it's not even cannon most of the games, and it might not even be good?

Because if it IS good, it is also entertaining, which is the whole freaking point when it comes to videogames while giving you complete command of the main character in the game itself.

I mean, look at Mario. Sure, many people criticize the fact he doesn't have story, but people usually talk about the gameplay when it comes to Mario games, and that's what I want for Sonic too.

So exactly what the hell is wrong with having both a great plot and great gameplay? A lot of us just so happen to want both.

People play Sonic games for, who? Sonic the Hedgehog, and maybe Tails and Knuckles,

Actually, they play Sonic games for whatever character happens to be their favorite, that's who. And it's not limited to just Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles and you are either being ignorant or foolish to for saying otherwise.

but not for an endless barrage of characters, giant plots, and loads of dialogue.

Those aren't a bad thing if done right. Thing is, many of us know they haven't been doing a decent job at pulling it off (and the gameplay, especially in games like Heroes where the plot was paper thin and the gameplay was average at best).

Despite that, we want them to be good, and just because there are a few bad plots is not convincing evidence that Sonic cannot have a larger plot for the rest of his life.

So in short, SEGA should just keep the focus on gameplay and ignore big stories.

Or try to do a great job at doing both, while gameplay makes the primary selling point. Did that option ever occur to you?

Edited December 28, 2010 by ChaosSupremeSonic

[Sami]

Yeah, but there's character development thrown in between all of that, and honeslty that's a lot more than just "Eggman's causing trouble, stop him", the Chaos Emeralds are involved because they're the center of all the damn conflict in the series(Yes in the 90's as well)

Character development? Let's stop and think about that for a moment:

SA1 - Tails and Gamma became independent. Gamma also became sympathetic. This is good, but it only affects two members of the cast, and only one of them is actually a main character.

SA2 - Tails becomes independent. Again. Shadow becomes independent and sympathetic. Oh snap, deja vu.

Heroes - Nothing.

Shadow - Shadow becomes independent. Again.

06 - ... Does falling in love count?

Unleashed - Chip finds out who he is and accepts his fate. Sonic becomes self conscious about his appearance. This is good.

Colors - While the characters don't go through development per se, their personalities have been completely changed. It's like they're completely different people, and honestly, that's a good thing.

Sorry, but having a character become sympathetic/independent only really works as "character development" one time. Eventually, it just gets boring.

EDIT: Fixed a stupid spelling error and made it clear that I actually thought Unleashed did well in that department.

Edited December 28, 2010 by Dissident

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

06 - ... Does falling in love count?

I hope not...

Colors - While the characters don't go through development per se, their personalities have been completely changed. It's like they're completely different people, and honestly, that's a good thing.

Now this I disagree when you say their personalities have changed. They're really the same as it has been since SA1: Sonic being energetic and eager to get into a fight while convinced that Eggman is up to no good, Tails being independent but helpful to the main character throughout the game.

Really, the change comes with the acting and the portrayal if anything, which is the most decent we've got so far.

[RidersDX]

Colors - While the characters don't go through development per se, their personalities have been completely changed. It's like they're completely different people, and honestly, that's a good thing.

No it isn't. I honestly dislike Sonic in Colors. I felt in Colors, his cockiness was pumped up to the EXTREME. I always liked that Sonic never got too cocky, but he did show it like in the Adventure series. Although, I didn't like that he was too serious in 06 either. I like the fine line the middle the Adventure series gave him. The only other time he said "dude" was in Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.

Edited December 28, 2010 by RidersDX

[CanofEpicSauce]

People DO care about those plot twists and characters. Shadow was so freakin' popular that he got his own game. There are also people that just love characters like Tails, Knuckles, Silver, Blaze, all the characters. There are even people that want Mighty back in the games. There ARE people that care about the stories and characters of Sonic games. There are people that like the, "endless barrage of characters."

Going for the simple stories will please people who are not even fans of Sonic, because they don't look at Sonic as a serious video game series. What about the fans of Sonic that do? I think Sega should put its own fans first over trying to please the critics. Isn't there a reason Sonic is still so popular? It's everything Sega has done for the series, not just the gameplay. Unlike you, I LOVE the stories of Sonic games. I really enjoyed Unleashed and Shadow's story, and even the 06 story, except the lil romance between Sonic + Elise of course.

Part of the fun for me getting through a Sonic game is just the action and drama of the Sonic plots, how it just motivates me to wanna keep playing through the game. For me, that really does contribute to the gameplay addicting wise, so with a simple plot, it does take away from the gameplay for me, because I don't feel as addicted to the gameplay to keep going. When I first picked up Colors, I stopped playing after two hours, cause I honestly got bored. With most Sonic games, that doesn't happen at all.

Yeah, Shadow WAS popular, around Adventure 2. Why? Because Shadow served as an important part of the story. He was also freaking badass in that game, and as you would expect he became popular, so popular he was revived in Heroes even though he was planned to be killed off (Which is how it should've been). However, after Heroes, MOST people saw no need for him because lets face it, Shadow sucks as a stand alone character, plus his overall back story is just too conviluted for a kids game and so bland and generic. A lot of the people who still LOVED Shadow after Sonic Heroes were mostly kids from 5-10. The only reason why Shadow the Hedgehog was made was because of the amount of fan letters sent from kids who played too much Grand Theft Auto saying they wanted Sonic to have a gun. Sonic Team instead decided it was going to be Shadow since he's the "edgey" character. After that abomination Shadow the Hedgehog, MOST people were fed up with him. Then the barrage of characters wouldn't stop. Sure, you say people like the new characters, but how many people DO like the new characters? The only people I could think of were fans of the new games, fanfiction writers, and furries. Sure I might be generalizing a bit, but that's what I mostly see.

Plus, going to simpler stories won't only please the "non-Sonic fans" but also please the people who grew up with the classics, or the fans of games from Sonic 1 to SA2. At that time, SEGA wanted to get it right with that section of the fanbase with Colors and 4 in terms of both story AND gameplay, and they did (Not as much with 4 though). See, most people including MOST Sonic fans want simpler stories. Not to mention, with less story and gameplay styles, there's more accessiblity, meaning that more people can become fans of Sonic. If you haven't noticed, that's why Mario is so popular, because he's accessible to ever kind of gamer, gender, and age. And it seems Sonic is following that same path

Lastly, are you really saying you got bored of Colors because of story, and that you enjoy games like Shadow and 06 more?