I have a bit of a conundrum.
I’ve been wanting to talk about the Sonic the Hedgehog series. I mentioned in Episode 16 of the Downpour Podcast how I liked Shadow the Hedgehog better than Sonic Heroes and said how I would write a Musing on it. Then, when Sonic Lost World was announced, I decided to change that from a one-time article to a series of articles that focus on my love/hate relationship with the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. I would talk about various aspects in the franchise, from comparing the old Sonic the Hedgehog TV series and Sonic X to the evolution of 3D Sonic games.
Just one problem: I haven’t played a few important Sonic games. Moreover, I ended up trading in a number of my 3D Sonic games. Seriously, the only 3D Sonic game I own right now is Sonic Colors. Why I did that is a bit complicated. They weren’t bad games, necessarily. But the only thing I can pinpoint is that they had the Sonic X cast of characters, which bugged me (one major character in particular).
The thing is, I want to do right by this franchise. That means that if I go through with this, I’ll need to go back through and play all the games over again. And that will mean that I’ll need to re-buy all those games once more.
The good news is that I can easily find a number of the main series games, though I may have to settle for PS2 ports of Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic Heroes instead of the GameCube ports that I had back in the day. As for games like Sonic CD and the Adventure games, I should be able to get those games on Steam fairly easily. But don’t ask for Sonic 06. I may want to do through as much as I can for this but I’m not stupid (plus, I don’t really have the means to play it). I may also skip Sonic Generations since it’s pretty much a remastering of old levels and I don’t know if my computer has enough blast processing to properly handle the game.
In addition to the main series games, I also want to look at a number of non-sports spinoffs and handheld games, a number of which are unlockable in Sonic Adventure DX. Pretty much, it would be the handheld games up until the Advance games since I can’t find my GBA at the moment and I don’t own a PSP to play Rivals. As for spinoffs, I’ve already decided to buy Shadow the Hedgehog for this. I also want to look at Sonic and the Secret Rings, Sonic and the Black Knight, and Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood. This is non-negotiable. If I’m going to do this, I need to play as much as I can.
And if you’re asking about the cartoons and anime, I have access to them via Netflix and Hulu, so I’m set there.
I’m asking all of you this one question: Do you want to see me go through the Sonic franchise and analyze it? I’m willing to make the time and monetary commitment but I want to know what you guys feel first before I go through with it. Leave a comment below and let me know what you feel. I’ll base my decision on your arguments.
