Sonic on Other Consoles: A Good or a Bad Thing?

It's the bedtime story that you tell to your kids in bed, or the scary ghost story you tell your brother or sister in a tent. That fabled story of when SEGA was a respectable console manufacturer. And the most interesting chapter - the Dreamcast saga - where the company bailed out from their fans and went third party. There was outrage. There was disappointment. There were even death threats to the arcade company being mumbled under most irrational people's breaths.

But for SEGA to survive, they needed to make this move. Ultimately, the fans should understand that, otherwise how can they be fans of the company? The alternative was to soak in the epitaph of one of the greatest games developers in the industry.

Two or three years down the line, and we see that SEGA could well be double-backing on itself and what they said, although some well-built relationships have been formed within the company. Smilebit have been shaking hands with Mr. Bill Gates™ of Windowsland™, with AM2 not far behind (despite the Xbox's constant failure to make a stand in Japan, which is most ironic), making games destined to be exclusive to Microsoft's big money box for the foreseeable future. You can also see the majority of SEGA studios teaming up with the casual gamer's no-brainer option: making exclusive games for the PlayStation 2.

Finally, we have the Nintendo Gamecube's support network. Plenty of SEGA games (although paltry compared to the exclusive luxuries that the other two consoles get pampered with - Beach Spikers anyone? *Yak*), sure, but at least Nintendo have become good exclusive pals with Amusement Vision and Soni-

... Erm. Was I going to say Sonic Team?

Backtrack to the very morning, I decide to write this: hanging at my reliable Gamecube news site, checking out the latest screenshots of Sonic Adventure DX. "Tasty," I thought - although it was really nothing I hadn't seen (or completed) before. I would most probably get SA:DX just for the sake of being one of the most avid collectors of the blue blur out there. Exactly the same reason I bought Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, in fact (another port from an old Dreamcast title).

Then something caught my eye. SEGA's E3 list for May 2003. Perfect, I thought, as I read with glee, the latest Sonic game information caught my eye. Heart thumping with immense excitement for the official word on "Sonic Heroes" (that's what it's gonna be called, natch), I read something that might shake up the fury meters of some Nintendo/Sonic fanboys:

"SEGA's legendary mascot Sonic The Hedgehog makes his historic PlayStation 2 and Xbox debut!"

Port-o-bingo?

Let's take a short history lesson. When SEGA split from the console market and onto third party production, it was made quite clear that Nintendo would be Sonic Team's mainstay. Because of that, Sonic fans have been happy that they can get all their Sonic games on one console.

Meanwhile, Nintendo fans have a chance to not only see what Mario's former arch rival is capable of, but they also get some exclusive 'ammo' in the rather over-exaggerated and over-publicised console war. Because, besides Nintendo's own games, there aren't not a lot of exclusives on Gamecube to attract casual gamers. Sonic was seen as one standout reason to get a Gamecube over a PS2 or Xbox.

And Sonic Team, quite frankly, seem to exclusively be on something of a porting job. The first Gamecube "exclusive" was in the form of Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, which was nowhere near as exciting to play as the original Dreamcast counterpart (and is actually a worse version). But it was an enjoyable game nonetheless. I certainly didn't mind Sonic Team working on one port just to make themselves known on Nintendo's new console. I was certain that the big Sonic gaming guns would come after SA2:B. What came next?

Sonic Mega Collection. Good value for those who have never experienced Sonic before, but I could have played any of those games without shelling out £40 - and would have definitely been better off without the cack Archie scans and boring-as-hell movies, cheers Japan VRI.

Then we had Phantasy Star Online. Ah yes, Sonic Team's chief cash cow. A very very good game in it's right, but why did it have to be ported to every single console in existence? Rather than just making a proper sequel that wasn't repetitive to play on your own?

A few months ago I was beginning to worry about the state of Sonic Team - never before had they been so dependent on bringing out rehashes of old Dreamcast games.

After PSO, here comes the inevitable - what everyone had been predicting since day one - Sonic Adventure 1 ported and tweaked in some obscure way to make it a "Director's Cut". While in my opinion SA1 was better than SA2... I don't think there was really any need to bring this one out on Gamecube? When they could have been concentrating on original games?

Not to Worry...

My point thus far is that most people (including Sonic fans that have become Nintendo fans) could feel like they have been mistreated by Sonic Team. Who can blame them really - the studio could have made one or two exclusive new Sonic games on Gamecube before dipping their toe in the water for other consoles. It wouldn't have been at a loss either - seeings as pretty much every Sonic fan had taken heed of Naka-san's apparaisal of Nintendo's machine and bought a Gamecube.

In this respect, the main question those people will be asking is "Will Sonic Team just leave Gamecube now that they're looking at Xbox and PS2? Leaving all of the real Sonic fans behind while the studio tries to appeal to non-Sonic-fans?"

And my answer to that would be: Not a chance.

Yes, it does seem that Sonic fans have been given a bit of a raw deal - Sonic Team has only up to this point [in this generation of consoles] provided ports of games we pretty much already own. I am slightly dubious about Sonic Team's outreach to non-Sonic fans, as that would mean even more ports and perhaps - worst comes to worst - a complete departure of "true Sonic gameplay" in later games.

Looking at SEGA's E3 list, it seems that only Sonic Heroes is destined for a multi-platform release. The other games are sticking with Gamecube and Game Boy Advance, which is an echo of what Naka-san was talking about a few years back when he said "If you're a fan of Sonic Team, it's best to get a Gamecube". Which is a huge relief.

And to be honest, Sonic is the mascot of SEGA after all - and perhaps the best way of getting the entire company known is to let the hedgehog stretch his feet on more than one platform. As has been said many times before, Sonic Team has some kind of crush on the Gamecube, so if there are any Sonic games being released soon, you can bet your bottom dollar they will at least head to Nintendo's console first. You know, the console you bought because you were led to believe that the newest Sonic games would release there.

You see? He wasn't lying, was our Naka-san. Quite why Sonic is heading to different platforms now probably has to do with a SEGA-controlled decision to gain a bit more respect for its company name. Or, it was Naka's idea of 'dipping a toe in the water' in order to spread the name and popularity of the blue blur.

Besides, take a look at what's to come to reward loyal Sonic Team fans - exclusive to Gamecube. Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg looks set be a true-to-form comeback of the innovative Sonic Team that we knew back in the NiGHTS into dreams... days. Phantasy Star Online Episode III, being a possible Ninty exclusive, leaves loads of room for Game Boy Advance and e-Reader connectivity (what with the game being based on cards and all).

And let's not forget what's a given anyway - Sonic Heroes. Even if that one isn't exclusive, Gamecube owners are still getting it.

The only fear anyone should have with this multi-platform Sonic business is the fact that Sonic Team may not be used to making multiple versions of the same game. The studio's only experience so far has been working on Phantasy Star Online Episodes I & II. But we sense, like PSO, that Sonic Heroes will be made for each console with their unique strengths in mind. Which could mean that the Gamecube and Xbox versions shouldn't have terrible PS2 graphics, etc.

So no, Sonic Team is not turning its backs on us loyal fans, but rather reaching out to potential new fans. This is the 'Year of Sonic' in full swing.

Funnily enough, all this fuss about GC ports, and Naka-san hasn't even made a Saturn remake of NiGHTS yet!