In a recent poll, IGN asked readers to vote for their most overrated video game characters and the top 10 results are now in.
Here’s a list –
1. Master Chief
2. Lara Croft
3. Sonic The Hedgehog
4. Marcus Fenix
5. Chris Redfield
6. Kratos
7. Pac-Man
8. Big Daddy
9. Altair
10. Donkey Kong
As you can see IGN reader votes placed Sonic as the 3rd most overrated video game character, the only two they consider more overrated than Sonic are Lara Croft and Master Chief which is already causing a stir in the Xbox community but should the Sonic community take this in an equally immature manner? Well no, this is a gaming press sites poll like any other to be taken with a grain of salt.
Everyone has opinions and their own different tastes in gaming, what one person likes doesn’t mean another person will like it whether it is a good or bad game. This poll has allowed people to vote on a wide range of characters from various different genre’s too so the vote was always going to be messy and end up with some of the most popular characters ever included in this list.
Some people will no doubt give this list some credibility but that’s their opinion and viewpoint. Yes Sonic has had a rough time for a few years now games wise but I really believe that the gameplay of the Sonic stages in Sonic Unleashed was a big step in the right direction.
Now what are your views on this? Do you think Sonic deserves his spot in 3rd place? Do you think people should listen to it or just shake it off and ignore it?
Thanks to Flamerstreak over at his SSMB topic for the info.
Well i take it with a grain of salt. We the Sonic fans still love him and it dosent matter what others say it is what i think and hope evryone in the Sonic community think the same^_^
I would have put Sonic on the UNDERRATED poll. He’s getting slammed way too much these days by critics, but I personally don’t see why. Yes, his games could have been better, but I found enjoyment out of them. I agree, Shadzter, the Unleashed day stages WERE a step in the right direction. A few more months of work on that style, and we have at least an 8/10 Sonic game there. (Minus the Werehog, of course).
Cloud, Mario, and Sephiroth should have been in there instead, with Cloud and Sephiroth grabbing at LEAST the number 4 spot. The other would get the next one up.
Well, to be honest, I’ve never heard of Chris Redfield or Marcus Fenix at all, so one can understand how they’re in there. Overrated characters should include anything that’s come out of Nintendo since the nineties since Pokémon games are the only games they’ve released since then that I actually like.
But then again, this is IGN.
You know, these arguments would probably have less chance of festering if you lot would learn not to grant glorification to this pointless shit with front page posts, followed by a spiel about “opinion” and “bias” and ect. ect. ect. that defeats its’ own point when you then go and ask “SO WHAT CHU THINK FELLAS?”
Like Eliza said who cares what the reviewers say we still love Sonic : good or bad
Meh, It’s IGN, so I don’t pay much attention. I’m just surprised that Master Chief got the top spot.
Umiyuri: Oi! leave Nintendo alone! The only new mascots they came up with since the nineties are the Pikmin, and if anything, they’re underrated
I would put Sonic on the underrated list. Sonic is not overrated. Absolutely not!
I think Mario and all the Nintendo games are waaayy to overrated. Meh, a game like brawl dosen’t deserv 9.5.
But that’s just my opinion.
And I say like Humble Fellow, it’s IGNorant.
Osnic: Brawl doesn’t deserve 9.5!? You have officially left me speechless with surprise and anger! If anything, 9.5 isn’t high enough!
*looks at reviews of SU* That doesn’t seem overrated.
Wait… *looks at other Sonic game reviews* Nope, don’t see anything overrated here.
right. sonic games are just oversold!!
ahh hate nintendo games think they are overrated and the masterchief is also great who should be here is a certain fat guy in blue trousers. O_o
ahhh and brawl is something else… it deserve 9.5 because it is the best game on the wii, after all it has SONIC!!!!!
i ask myself who rated that. IGN themself?
I too take this with a half a grain of salt. I agree that Sonic is, if anything, underrated. Compare the great and good SOnic games to the poor and awful ones, Sonic comes out on top. Tomb Raider on the other hand I totally agree with. And Master Chief has always felt like a PC game character, not video game. I also would toss Sephiroth, Crash and Spiro on that list.
PS – Did anybody catch the stupid caption under Sonic as Santa?
So out of ALL the awesome promo art they use a so-so one used exclusively for the holiday season in April. What do they mean “…Yeah.”?? It’s holiday promo art! Speaking of “…Yeah.” images check out some Mario images that actually warrent a “…Yeah.”:
http://img471.imageshack.us/img471/1403/hotelmariointrogiffastrq1.gif
http://www.videogamemm.com/d/5015-9/Super+Mario+World+Christmas+Plush+Set.jpg
Crap sake, Mario’s more overated than Sonic, but do you see him on the list???
dont they mean under rated? id expect to see mario on this list (no affence to mario fans)
Right, that’s the last straw!
Do you know why Mario isn’t on this list? It’s because his fame is highly justified by the fact that every single one of his games are superior to every single one of Sonic’s games in every respect!
I find this attitude from every single on of you highly unfair. Nintendo welcomed Sega with open arms when the Dreamcast went down the drain, and this is how you lot thank them!?
If it hadn’t been for Nintendo, there would be a LOT less Sonic games out there. And if I may…
Sonic Advance 1, 2, and 3
Sonic Rush and Rush Adventure
Secret Rings
M&S Olympics
Chronicles
And to a lesser extent…
Black Knight
Think about it, it would have been a 2 year gap between the godawful 06, and the quite simply brilliant Unleashed, with only the Riders and Rivals series to keep us company.
Just think about that for a moment.
I rest my case…
“Nintendo welcomed Sega with open arms when the Dreamcast went down the drain, and this is how you lot thank them!?”
…
Get off of my internet.
GET OFF!!!
Barry: You can’t own the internet you moron!
While I’m at it, more food for thought.
If Mario never exsisted, then neither would Sonic. Sega created him specifically to counter Mario!
Now, I know I may sound whiny, but I’ve been a Mario fan for 15 years, and I’m not going to stand by and let you insult him like this!
Why in hell is Pac-Man on that list?!
@Humble Fellow:
SEGA could’ve easily put their games on another console. PlayStation Portable (yes, I am aware of the Rivals series), PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360. There’s more consoles to choose from than just Nintendo. If you ask me, Secret Rings and Black Knight would’ve been better on a different console without the motion controls.
And another question, why the hell ISN’T Cloud Strife on that list?!
LowCaloriePie: Yeah I know. It’s just that I think Sonic games are better on Nintendo consoles than Microsoft or Sony. And I’m not being biased here, Secret Rings was MUCH better than 06.
I wouldn’t be surprised if, one day in the not-too-distant future, Sega start making games just for Nintendo. Maybe then we could have a PROPER Mario & Sonic game. (Not that I’ve got anything againt the Olympic series mind.)
And also, why isn’t Crash Bandicoot on the list!? That doesn’t make a lick of sense!
I have to admit it gave me a shock, but m’eh. 😛
LowCaloriePie: Because Cloud Strife has many fangirls and fanboys who will tear IGN a new one. As for Sonic fans, they’ve already directly insulted some of the more vocal ones and are now just not caring at all because they are -aiming- to get a rise out of us. Needless to say, they’re winning.
Also, Pacman’s on the list because of the 3D Pacman games. Honest crap, and yet we still regard Pacman so highly in modern society. Of course, there’s a point to it not being on the list – you can turn a robot vaccuum into a Pacman with some LEDs and control it with a Wiimote, as shown on YouTube. It’s hilarious.
HumbleFellow: “Right, that’s the last straw!” Mate, what? Is it me or did this comment actually come much too soon? Last straws usually come after putting up for a lot longer than this. Then again, this is me and my stupid observations.
“Do you know why Mario isn’t on this list? It’s because his fame is highly justified by the fact that every single one of his games are superior to every single one of Sonic’s games in every respect!” We know that. Everybody knows that. Doesn’t stop a single one of us from thinking what we think and playing what we play, because what we like isn’t ruled over by any declaration of superiority, no matter how many of us accept the statement. I can admit Sonic games are s*** and still play them because I like playing them, funnily enough. For example, I’d rather play Sonic Riders: SSS than Mario Kart because I just find Riders more fun.
“Nintendo welcomed Sega with open arms when the Dreamcast went down the drain, and this is how you lot thank them!?” The point at which SEGA moved to releasing Sonic games on other consoles is when many consider the quality to have dropped considerably. The key example here being: Sonic Adventure Two garnered much better reviews on the Dreamcast than on the Gamecube even though the Gamecube version controls and camera were tweaked to be better and more content was added. The two versions were released in the -exact same year-.
I think you should probably take a few deep breaths and go onto a different page if you walk into another comment you don’t like. If you’re going to have a reaction like that, you can just not visit this site again. It’s that simple. (And many apologies if this sounds snappy or sarcastic. I really try hard not to sound like that.)
The list is controversial on purpose and I’d argue most of the characters in the list don’t deserve to be on it. I also like the fact that an IGN almost contradict themselves listing Sonic as an overrated character despite not rating him at all in recent years.
@ FlashTHD, noboy else seems to mind so just ignore it.
Umiyuri: Yeah, I admit I was probably a bit over the top… I’ve had a rough day…
It’s just that Mario is a franchise I literally grew up with, (I’ve been playing the games since I was 5,) and I don’t like it when people say anything bad about him.
Also, I admit I could’ve done a bit more research on the Dreamcast thing.
Being both a Sonic and Mario fan for years, I can’t say Sonic should be on that list, nor Mario. But I must disagree about Sonic being on the list, after all, his only decent Main-series game in years was SU. But I also think that Mario shouldn’t have been considered for that list, because is his game’s DESERVE the good ratings, then it’s not overrated. But, overall, It’s entirely based on opinion, and I can respect that =D
While we’ve kissed and made up on the Mario/Sonic thing, I do have to say that Mario does at the very least deserve the #10 spot. It seems that every time a non-standard Sonic game is announced, IGN moans and groans. But when Mario Tennis/Racing/Olympics/Tai-Bo is announced, IGN leaps about with glee. Why can’t Mario go back to the basics just like Sonic “should” (I say that in quotes as IGN believes this, not me).
Mario and Sonic are both awesome and don’t deserve a place on this list, but if the bar is lowered for Sonic, then Mario shouldn’t be considered exempt. Notice that Donkey Kong made the list and yet he had done almost as many rhythm/racing/fighting games as Mario. Had DK one Wii platformer on the same ratings level as Sonic Heroes (aka mediocre), he wouldn’t be here.
I’m… going to go out on a limb and say that IGN doesn’t quite understand what “overrated” means based on what they said for most of that list. “Overrated” does not mean “they have bad games in our opinions lol.” >_> Sonic is FAR from OVERrated. More like he deserves the “Most Slammed Character By Annoying Critics Like Us” award. 😛 We all know IGN hates Sonic, nothing new, move on…
Master Chief totally deserved his high placement, though. But why Cloud wasn’t on that list I’ll never know.
i say ignore it thats my opinion i dont care wether or not sonic is in the top three or not all i know is that im a fan of sonic and thats all that matters to me i could care less about this list.
My point exactly C.Olimar788!
Barry: I think it’s because of personality issues. Nintendo stated that Mario doesn’t have much of a personality so that they can place him in any number of situations without it being too much of a bother. In that sense, his gimicks fit him better than Sonic’s. For example, the concept of using a water pack too clean gunk off an island is something that Mario could do well, but Sonic couldn’t. Such are the adventages of a character who isn’t based on speed.
K… So he’s number 3 on the list. Let’s see their reasons why.
“Let the series die.”
Holy hell… Where did that come from and what relevance does that have to do with the character being overrated?
Humble Fellow, 06 was better than secret rings
….Donkey Kong is overrated? I could’ve sworn after 64 he became like… nothing.
And Pac-Man? Where the hell did he come from? I haven’t seen him in like 10 or so years?
I agree with other posters, IGN has confused the definition of “overrated” with “over saturated” and/or “where are they now???”
IGNorant.
It was a fan poll. And quite frankly, it doesn’t make sense- if Sonic is supposedly so bad to so many users and journalists on that site, isn’t acknowledging Sonic as so overrated saying that he’s almost universally perceived as awesome?
HOLAS: ™
i wouldn’t blame IGN in this one becuase this was a fan poll… IGN has nothing to do with it’s readers….
anyways i see this as an answer at all that yelling, moaning and bitching that has happenend over here (and so other many places in “teh internecs”) against the reviewers…
NO, i’m not defending IGN (i couldn’t care less about their oppinion) but if i put myself in place of an “average gamer” or (let’s say) a “non-sonic gamer” i could imagine myself thinking something like this:
– my review magazine give this game (let’s say) a 3,5
– fans start appearing from everywhere screaming with CAPITALS and claiming this game deserves an “over 9000″/10
– but the review give it a 3,5….. and i like my reviewer….
so there is a lot of difference between 3,5 and “OVER 9000″…. make that equation and you have an overrated characther, it’s unfair i know…. but i think thats the way the “average gamer” thinks… =/ (in a rubbish way sorta… i could expand the concept, but my lack of english says “no-no” D: )
anyways following the topic there are some things i would like to point…
1) i will never get tired of that sonic picture xDDDDDDDDDDDD
2) i can’t see why pacman ann donkeykong and (in my true point of view) sonic are overrated xD
3) also, i don’t understand why cloud isn’t there X_x
me’h *keeps doing his life*
Eh.. the IGN list was severely lacking in generic long-haired slightly-evil sword-wielders and bald space marines.
Sonic should be on the either “oversold” or “oversaturated” list.
Donkey Kong and Pac-Man should be on the “Where did they go?” list.
Overrated= Rated higher than it deserves if I’m not mistaken………yet IGN constantly bash the games? :S
But yeah I can see where this is coming from, I think of Sonic as a drug, you play 1 good game a while back and you HAVE to keep on buying them in the hope he’ll return to his former glory no matter how awful it is. *Cough* SatBK.
i just said mario should be here because of his thousends other games,
galaxy, 64 all these games were great but i cant stay watching mario throwing baseballs
ahh and secret rings is better and 06 and ign readers are crazyO_o
These comments are extremely fanboyish and whatnot.
Yeesh. Give it a rest and ignore IGN…. They might leave us alone…. if we’re lucky, that is.
Who cares?
I could bet you that most of the people who voted Sonic as overrated would see IGN’s written up excuse and say, “WOAH! You guys missed the point ENTIRELY.”
@ GREG THE CAT:
Shit you are right.
ok must ignore ign in the future
Have you noticed that all the critics are so harsh on Sonic these days, but the Sonic games sell more than most of the other games they think are good. They say Sonic needs to die, but they keep coming back to him. Most of them think that the old ones are terrible now which are not true.
what sonic over rated how dere thery mario is sooooooooooo over raded i hate marois games i will alwas play sonic games and nothing will chage that
Haha, what a laughable poll. I noticed they can’t even spell ‘every’ properly. How could anyone take it seriously? Instead of IGN annoying the Sonic fans and we then complain about it, why don’t we find a way of annoying them? Or we could leave them alone. They seem to revel the attention we are giving them though.
However Sonic isn’t through yet and we know it.
Well, to be frank, at least the bastards didn’t place Sonic in 1st which is what I was expecting.
But it’s still pretty dissapointing.
Sonic IS underrated.
Of course, back in the 90’s, he was a god basically.
He still is nowadays, just not as known or cared about (much like my life)
But, for once with IGN, I agree with No1.
Master Chief is SO overrated.
Lara Croft is arguable, but Mario is FAR more overrated.
The others are, again, arguable.
Except for Pac-Man.
What a laughable list.
IGN are the internet equivalent of those bastards at my school picking on me because I’m a Sonic fan.
It’s not fair, but we’ve just got to leave it.
But sometimes, it’s too much (que the Sonic reviews and the final page of their history of SEGA thing)
I still hate the bastards though.
Man, that was a freaking essay!
Poor DK, he’s hardly been in a game recently.
Sure, he did have Jungle Beat which is by far the best thing he’s been in since 64, but that’s the only mainline game he’s been in.
Barrel Blast wasn’t that good, I haven’t played it though, or Jungle Beat, but ost agree that Barrel Blast’s concept wasn’t that good at all, really, an on-rail racer?
He’s seen better days on the handhelds, but he needs a time to really shine on the Wii.
Paon did wonderfully with Klonoa Wii and Jungle CLimber, so they have the ability to make a great DK platformer, they just need to get to it!
As for Pac-Man, he hasn’t seen a main game since World 3 in 2005!
He’s supposed to have a big BIG game, which is being worked on by none other than Hirokazu Yasuhara!
I’d say that these two are overrated by their Arcade games specifically. They’re still being talked about today quite a bit. So that’s probably where they seem overrated. 😛