Jim Sterling at Destructiod, like many people in the online community, has had it with the perpetual complaints from video game “fans”. In two of his recent articles published over the last day, he specifically singles out the current responses to Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1. Jim tackles a lot of the complaints that have so far been made about Sonic 4:
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — Sonic was never about speed. Sure, speed was a factor, but it was there as a gameplay reward, not a gameplay substitute. The focus was on level design, and you’d get short sections of rails-like speed as little exhilarating treats throughout the game. Go play the first three Sonic games again and try to tell me that it was about speed. Compare Sonic 3 to Sonic 4 and try to tell me that Sonic is “too slow.”
Then there are other arguments. Petitions for Sonic to be redesigned so that he looks exactly like his 16-bit counterpart. People going so far as to criticize the fact that Sonic has some color in his eyes, or that his legs are too long. Once again, this is a game people have wanted for a long time, and as soon as they get it, they start finding other things to moan about.
You can read the full article at Destructoid.
Not only this, it turns out that there are some generating petitions that involve buying Sonic 1 on Sonic 4 launch day (A very original idea, of course – see: Rage Against the Machine for Christmas No. 1 ), effectively telling SEGA they want a remake of the original rather than something new.
So, what is your opinion then? Is Jim right? Should supposed fans who don’t like what they’ve seen of Sonic the Hedgehog 4 so far shut up? Perhaps if the series is so far gone in your opinion, maybe you should stop playing the games…or as Jim puts it “Maybe just shut up about everything and try to enjoy something.”
Sonic: “ITS ALL ABOUT SPEED!!”
I think he is right, people really need to stop complaining about every little thing. I personally would have liked an old school looking sonic, but I’m just grateful that we are getting Sonic 4. I also don’t see any point in a remake of the first game. Heck, if they did I wouldn’t be surprised if they put Sonic’s new look in it, that would make even more people mad.
Guessing my point is just to enjoy what we already have as it is, the genesis sonic games will always be enjoyable and great, and don’t be afraid of style changes for the new games, heck if they didn’t make changes someone would probably complain about that. lol, give Sega a chance people.
I definitely agree in that fact that the excessive whiners/haters/nay sayers should shut up, or at the least quiet to a low murmur. These are basically a particular troll of the Sonic fandom that rise up every new game and complain about everything.
I’m not saying people can’t be entitled to their opinion (I personally think the jump animation in the trailer and leaked footage looks kind of awkward), but they don’t need to go blasting a game to bits before we even get to play it, let alone get a really good look at it. Maybe I’m just overly optimistic, but I like to think the game is innocent of suck until proven guilty of fail.
So there’s my little rant on the subject.
Interesting, if you check out the petition signatures you’ll see a signature ” RubyEclipse on Feb 19, 2010
Comments: Do not worry, all is being taken care of for Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I ”
I believe this is in response to a previous signature “I think Sega will fix any bugs that are in the game now. I even think they may change the design for Sonic too. I don’t think the game looks bad how it is now though. The new Sonic looks really good in the game”
So I guess this really does mean online petitions are completely worthless if a rep from the company the petition is for is using the petition as discussion board.
i think people complaining is dumb, its as dumb as going to a movie with a bunch of friends to comedy movie, and everyone laughs at the movie and then walk out saying it sucked. and you wonder what the heck pissed em off because you had a great time.
I Read about this earlier on at ssmb this is very retarded i must say but looking at the Sigs page of that site there over 21 pages of names im very ashamed to called myself a sonic fan now ,These SO CALLED FANS need to take a fucking chill pill and wait for more fucking trailers and infomation so they can see a finalise game god damnit
Allright people, can somebody tell me the last Sonic game that was liked by both the media AND the fans?
If I find it enjoyable, then I like it. I’m not going to go whining about graphics so much. Anyway, whiners should really try to find something good in Sonic 4. I personally haven’t played enough sonic games to start complaining. I have my personal taste. So does everyone else. But really, enough is enough. How much more can we push out of Sega? They have limits too.
I said it before and I’ll say it again: JUST BE GRATEFUL THEY STARTED THE SERIES UP AGAIN
People are never happy anymore. Yes people should be able to voice their opinions, but the shouldnt be hypocrits about it when they finally get what they want. In my opinion, the ‘buying sonic 1 on sonic 4 launch day’ petition is completely stupid. Sonic 4 should stay sonic 4 till the end.
“petitions that involve buying Sonic 1 on Sonic 4 launch day”
Are you f**king kidding me?
Are there really people that are this upset about Sonic 4 that they would really go that far?
I frown upon you people and I’m sure SEGA will too. Way to be supportive, guys!
The announcement of Sonic 4 has turned out to be one of the worst things that’s ever happened to this fanbase.
I bet that the majority of these ‘fans’, who complain about the tiny details about a game that we know little of, will buy it and forget all about their accusations against it and love it.
People complain. This guy needs to get over it. Going on about how they shouldn’t is just idiotic.
I haven’t bought a Sonic game since Heroes. I’ve either rented or received review copies of games since then. I really tire of the “you’ll buy it anyway” line. Some of us legitimately don’t buy the stuff, but still hold an affinity for the character (hence why I am still here after all these years). That said, I don’t dislike anybody who wants to stray on the optimistic side of things. That’s just how everything is in life. You’re not going to have 100% optimism from a fanbase of hundreds-of-thousands of people. It’s an inevitability that you cannot avoid nor prevent.
The “Buy Sonic 1” petition is really silly. Show SEGA who’s boss buying SEGA stuff? That doesn’t make any sense. Those kids who made that one should think about what they’re posting.
“[E]ffectively telling SEGA they want a remake of the original rather than something new.”
What? No, that’s not what they’re telling them. That’s what -nobody- is telling them. From what we have seen of Sonic 4, they ARE getting said remake. Most people are displeased by the LACK of new things.
Jim Sterling is just doing the hip thing and putting down the disgruntled folk, like most people here do. He forgets that complaining about complaining is still, in fact, complaining. It’s not like his rant is going to make anything better. His feelings on the subject are no different than mine, yours, or anybody’s for that matter. He just happens to put them on a popular gaming site.
I don’t understand why people put “fans” in quotes or tell those like myself to leave/stop playing. I’ve been upset with my favorite hockey and football team for the last 6 years, judging them the whole time. Despite all their losing and frustration they cause me, I can’t let them go. I can’t just bandwagon onto someone else and forget about them. I have too much of a history with them. Do I still watch them and hope that they eventually fix their problems? Yes. You can be critical of your favorite thing and still be a fan of it, contrary to popular belief.
Sometimes you need that vocal minority to balance you out, anyway. Gotta juice, Bruce.
I’m a fan of what Jim Sterling does, and I do agree with what he is saying haha. Then again at the same time this arguing and crap is nothing NEW to the franchise, so in a way though his post is kind of redundant.
Thank you Brad.
Sonic fans do nothing but complain, since the moment they announced the mysterious Project Needlemouse on 9/9/09 I KNEW once we got some solid info people would complain. It’s the Sonic cycle. My advice to you: play the first 3 Sonic games over again, they weren’t these HUGE GREAT AMAZING GAMES. They are compared to Sonic 06 and Shadow the Hedgehog, but right now this game is looking like a console version of the Advance series, which was just as good as the classics.
Face it, we’re never getting Jaleel White back, we’re never getting the round belly back, we’re never getting the black pupils back. You’ll see them in toys, you’ll see them in DVDs, you’ll see them on T-Shirts, you WONT see them in a new video game.
@Kail: Bioware did give us Swatbots, roboticization, and Sonic’s love of chili dogs in a game. Personally I can’t wait for the sequel to Sonic Chronicles.
Regarding the main point though, I’m looking forward to Sonic 4. Will it be perfect? Probably not. Will it be fun? Probably, and I hope so, but if not, it’s only $5 down the drain. And if it does indeed suck, well then I’ve got both the Sonic Collections for the gamecube and the Sonic Megamix to play.
I agree whole-heartedly that people complaining are nitpicking in Sonic 4’s case. Personally, I think Sonic 4 looks fine. His modernized and 3D design is something I’m well accustom to and would rather keep that way.
It’s become very annoying that everyone talks shit about the 3D generation of Sonic. Some even complain that even Sonic Adventure wasn’t even good… are you kidding!? Sonic Adventure was well received at launch and was a great move to the 3D realm. Sonic Adventure 2 was pretty good as well. Sonic Heroes was a unique and certainly different, but fun nonetheless considering the levels and music were some of the BEST the 3D Sonic games have ever seen. Shadow the Hedgehog was okay. And honestly, Sonic Unleashed, Sonic’s latest outing was HARDLY that bad. Gameplay was tight, easy to play and I while I enjoyed the day stages more, the night stages I didn’t really mind at all. In all honestly, the only games I consider extremely poor as of late was Sonic 06, and Sonic & the Black Knight… both of which felt completely unplayable.
I’m truly a loyal Sonic fan ’til the bitter end. I believe in Sega’s ability and give them the benefit of the doubt. While everyone remains closed-minded, I remain open to new ideas and concepts the Sega comes up with for Sonic. I’m not quick to pass judgement until I’ve actually played and experience the game and even then, I don’t heavily criticize and bitch like everyone else unless I have a good reason.
he’s actually right
Wow. He totally missed me. His article ironically seems to support my position. God, Sonic 4 looks like it plays like hell. I so hope I’m wrong, but Sonic Advance-Sonic Rush Adventure are a real mountain of evidence. Poor blue hedgehog…
Goddamn, why do people think the Handheld 2D games were bad. For crying out loud. Technically you shouldn’t judge a game by its rating out of 100 or out of 10 (even though ALL of these games were around the 9.0 ballpark), it should be judged by the fun you had with it.
Tell me you didn’t enjoy playing Sonic advance and Sonic Rush. They had thier flaws, but they were nonetheless an absolute blast to play.
As for Sonic 4, if it plays like the Handhelds, then so beit, it’ll still be good, and fun…..at the very least. If its Mega Drive quality, then we have some work of genius here, if its better than that….we really have found the right development team…
Destructoid got it. I couldn’t have said it better myself. So-called “fans” don’t know wtf they want and when Sega delivers, they aren’t satisfied and continue to complain about the most irrelevant things. It’s these type of people in the Sonic community that think so negatively about everything that it really has become a real annoyance and frustrating for real fans like myself.
Amen, Scartillery. I’m always baffled when people complain that there haven’t been any good Sonic games since the Genesis, as if the handheld games never existed. I’ve only played the first Sonic Advance game, but it’s absolutely brilliant, and I still play it to this day. I also loved the Rush games, and while I haven’t played many of the 3D games (mostly due to having less time/money to spend on games), I did play Sonic Adventure 2 for the Gamecube and managed to enjoy it, despite reading a negative review prior to buying it.
As for the floaty jump physics, they do look a little awkward, but damn, I’d like to know how so many people got to actually play already somehow. Even if the gameplay looks a little weird, there’s no way to tell how it actually feels until you pick up a controller yourself and start playing.
There they go. they are always going to show out for sonic and sega is frowning upon those people saying it’s a shame they cant get their heads out of the past. the classic sonic will always be our green eyed one no matter what he’s still our chilidog, adventure seeking hog and they still be fools . Oh well by the way SEGA keep up the good work if this doesn’t please them it will please all the mature sonic fans not those babies.
Destructoid never lies
Sega will/should never get to please such broken fanbase…ever again
Wow, i swear, anyone who signs that petition, should just kill themselves. They should join sega, and make their own game. Then kill themselves
I’ll take what ever Sega dishes out. Coming soon Sonic Unleashed 2 featuring the new Wear-Fox and Wearchidna
…yay?
Save this comment. (This is NOT a troll) In 1-2 years Sonic Relinquished is coming out. It will be like the daytime stages in Sonic Unleashed but the Spin Dash and momentum will return. Sonic will look the same as he does in Unleashed and Tails will also be playable.
Again, save this comment and you’ll all see ;D
FINALLY!! im 100% with u man! “fans” that just bitch and complain need to shut up big time! it really gets old reading their pathetic excuse of a smig of a complaint
@ Brad: Some valid counter points there. I agree, I don’t think we’ll ever have unilateral agreement on anything, but when does that ever happen? I certainly don’t blame those approaching this title with extreme scepticism either. However, I would rather wait and see what the finished article yields, rather than make assumptions on what the game will be like from a few stills, 1 minute of leaked video and a picture of classic Robotnik.
When you say you haven’t bought any games since Heroes Brad, does that mean you have not played any of these titles? If it does, I think you’re definitely tarring all the titles with the same brush, which is not fair as there are some very good titles, like Rush, that are pretty sturdy games.
I think it could be argued the “hip thing” is to also put down the optomistic folk too, so I think it’s unfair to say we’re biased here as there are a fair few comments arguing both points. Granted his rant isn’t exactly going to make fans with such highly polarized views suddenly alter their opinion, but it does highlight that the amount of pissing and moaning going on is rediculous. Unfortunately structured arguements are lost in the sea of throwaway fanboy comments.
As much as I think it’s great we can voice our opinions on games, fans who have not had sizeable issues with the majority of the modern titles (and there must be a few judging from sales) have grown tired and frustrated of hearing the same old demands that we’ve been hearing for years on end. I think we’re at a position now where SEGA are listening in to what the fans want. Sensible voiced, opinions like “yes, we want a 2D platformer in the style of the classic titles” and “Can we avoid a remake” from a collective majority of the fan base would have a much greater chance of being acknowledged by SEGA, and I think there is still possibility they would listen to constructive comments this far into development. The truth is we never have this. The response is usually aggressive, and regardless of past games, that shouldn’t be on. Maybe the screen cap of the boss is a joke in the game, and maybe we’re not in for the remake a large portion of the community has already decided this game must be? Again, assumptions have been made; sure we might be on to another bad title, but there are few who can make an assessment with any certainty at this stage.
As far as my football team goes Brad, they’re abismal. They used to be amazing, and I watch old videos wishing they could play like that again. The reality is, it’s not 1992 anymore. The players are different and the game is different. Regardless of their success, I, like you with Sonic, will stick by them.
When I stop enjoying football, I will stop watching…
I agree with Brad, on this one. Everything here has been said before, just seems like a bad case of deju-vu. I wouldn’t say we are the worst Fanbase, because we do band together from time to time. It’s just the fact that no one knows what the true Sonic experience is anymore. I’m at the point, where i’m bored writing about this topic. It’s getting stale, everyone will has there opinion. Hell, videogame reviews are opinions. We don’t go around telling them to shut up. Because, that’s their job. I feel as consumers, we get a say as well. But, how about we get the game first. This subject is unless really, complaning about complaning that’s grade school at best. *Sigh* When’s the next Sonic game so we can complain some more woot!
Nerds, it’s cheap. Buy it. Its a good deal. Now Shut Up. Play, be happy.
YES! this man be speaken my language, you all talk about this being a sonic community, and yet i read about how we dont get what we want after we finally get what we fucking asked for! SEGA just isnt good enough for you huh?! go suck on mario until you get tired of people who do the same thing every day! MOSES CHRIST!?!? Will Patton, are you reading this shiz!?
i don’t give a sh** about opinions of others.
opinions are different guys, just stop listening to the complains and be excited for sonic 4.
i said this already but i say it again:
classic fans waited 16 years for this! there is a reason they’re cautious with that. they don’t want to be disappointed again.
so ignore the complains easily.
If you can’t like what it is is today like you did of the yesterdays you are not a fan. You’re just a picky eater.
I agree with what’s said there. Nobody’s ever happy about the stuff that THEY requested for years. And why start complaining about a character design that’s been stuck for more than a decade NOW? While we’re at it, maybe we should have Mario named Jumpman again, or Batman using a gun like he did in the very first few comics, or Bugs Bunny to look like how he did in his very first appearance?
As for me, I’m waiting for the game’s release and see how it turns out then. I care more about the gameplay than the designs (unless it’s too outrageous/completely different like Sonic looking like an actual hedgehog in a dim and gritty setting. It didn’t work for Bomberman, after all)
I think it’s valid to complain when there are valid complaints (see Sonic 06, Shadow, half of Heroes, Chronicles’ music, &c.)
But people are swooping on this, waiting for the tiniest shred of a slip-up so that they can feel vindicated about how they knew it was going to be rubbish all along.
My football team frustrates me immensely on occasion too. Last week they lost a pre-season game by one point. Should I, then, write off this entire season as being an abysmal failure? It hasn’t even started yet.
I really have to wonder what the Stadium comments section would’ve looked like in the early nineties.
Destructoid makes a very good point. People should just STFU and be happy with what they have. And if you stull don’t like it, then don’t play it. It’s that simple.
Blake : Same here all the sonic fanbase do sometimes in bitch whine about something I`m greatful we`re getting Sonic 4 & I don`t give a shit about the look Sonic has just as long it
This is a more delicate topic then people actually care for. There is a profound difference between a whiner and someone who actually looks at a games faults and shortcomings analytically. The Sonic fanbase gives good reviewers a hard time when they should just accept the fact that Sonic has decayed over the years.
However just because Sonic has become less relevant in todays gaming climate doesn’t mean we should start whinning about everthing Sega tries to do with the character. At present I have nothing to complain about concerning Sonic 4; there has been too limited informaiton on the game to give even a small verdict.
Still this won’t stop me from smacking my head when people say Sonic 06 was a good game….
i domt care bout speed as long as the story is good or thres a super sonic part
Personally, I agree that sonic fans should stop moaning. If sonic’s fans are slating him along side the sonic haters who judge the games without playing them, what hope does our favourite hedgehog have? Every sonic game I have loved, and look for the good in all of them. I’ll easily admit something I don’t like, like the wearhog levels in unleashed, but they don’t take away the fact that the sonic levels are simpy amazing. So its not a focus for me, I’m just so happy that my favourite games character is still having games made in each generation, and as for sonic 4, I couldn’t be more excited. And so should everybody, this is the one we’ve been waiting for, look for the good in it instead of trying to find something bad.
I think the guy is right, complaing about not having black eyes or about Sonic’s belly is just stupid. Its not like people will just look at sonic through the whole game until they lose about 26 lives! Even if the classic sonic would be in people would still complain if he had green eyes “Retro fan: Welp we R loyal fans an-an-an sonic havin green eye reflectz his fails!!” it does not matter at all! What mostly matters is gameplay. I mean in Sonic Labyrinth he had black eyes, did it make the game any better? No it didn’t cause people cared about gameplay and not how sonic looks!
The Sonic fanbase is a disgrace to the character it supports. No matter what it is, people will ALWAYS find SOMETHING trivial to complain about. I agree with this guy, he has a very valid point. The games weren’t even that fast.
I grew up playing the classics and watching the old cartoons myself, and at first I was skeptical of ‘new Sonic’, but I started getting into it in the last few years and I found that I do enjoy the changes and the direction that the franchise has taken. Not all the games are perfect, sure, but Unleashed is awesome and a step in the right direction. It’s a shame they feel they need to go backwards to try and please a part of the fanbase.
If people are a fan of the old games, that’s fine, but they don’t need to go whining about the changes to fans who can appreciate the new series.
I agree, whining fans seriously need to shut the fuck up.
What people will never understand is that if you like Sonic 06, you are a true fan. It doesn’t make you suck. It means you care more for Sega and Sonic than everyone else cause you won’t complain about the game.
But now we have people whining about whining fans! And then the original whiners will whine about them and THEN EVERYTHING WILL COME FULL CIRCLE.
But really the Sonic fanbase is by far one of the worst fanbases to be an active member in (rivaled only by Smash Bros and Final Fantasy) and this is why I only post comments in every tenth news post or so.
Sonic 4 is lookin’ great! Too many games coming out for WiiWare now though, between this, Megaman 10, Cave Story Wii…
Finally. If I was him, I would have took a bat and hunted down every ignorant whining “so called fan” out there.
The number one thing I hate is a b*tching sonic fan. Theres no end to it. Hes to slow. Complicated puzzle. BLAH BLAH STFU Gosh. Its just about running and enjoying a good time. I learned that when I played sonic unleashed xD Well actually it was sonic heroes or was it sonic adventure uh…ANYWAY back on subject, sonic unleashed made me not love sonic but become in love with him. *nods* Good times. Running through empire city and holoska, god did you see those environments, they’re truly beautiful, and thats what sonic is truly about, that and great songs from bentley and crush 40 xD.Sure there were glitches in Sonic 06 but you have to admit, those levels were wild. Sonic Storybook series and chronicles brought new elements, but the were still good.
So remember a over b*tching sonic fan isn’t a sonic fan at all. And if you do meet a real sonic fan in RL smack them and run. I did it ;P
I’m just gonna go out on a limb and ask a question…
“Do Sonic fans love the character more than the gameplay?”
After reading hundreds of comments on Sonic/gaming sites and magazines I’d have to say yes.
The modern Sonic fan lavishes the character and resents anyone who makes remarks on the character in a negative fashion. This thread may have just added fuel to the fire when perhaps what was wanted were some well thought out but still personal remarks.
The Sonic community still has a long way to go before they can be respected in the gaming world.
Yes people need to shut up! Just about every Sonic fan was crying for a “return to roots” like Mega Man 9 was and when they finally get it, they bitch and moan about every last detail. Sonic is supposed to be about much more than speed. Platforming, timing, bosses, special stages and some speed all make up Sonic games, not just speed. And from the leaked video we saw, this is exactly what Sega is doing.
Personally I am very excited about sonic 4 the only thing that
made me worry at all so far was the re use of Greenhill Zone’s boss.
I think the the character design for Sonic is way better than the old one.
I have been a fan of Sonic since the first game.
When Sonic adventure first came out i thought it was the
best Sonic game to date.
So let’s just see what happens and hope for the best.
Oh get lost. People are entitled to like the character from their experiences with the previous games and to have expectations for this one, especially given that it’s a direct revival of the original series.
It’s just that many of the people here seem to have memories, opinions and expectations that are not accurate, warranted or realistic.
Yes, finally SEGA listens to fans who want their ‘old-school’ hedgehog back, what do they do? They keep whining about some legs or some eye colour, or that Sonic’s body is not ‘exactly’ as the old-school days.
They should be happy that SEGA EVEN started on a game like this.
It looks pretty, it’s based on the original, in 2.5D and IT WILL BE A RETURN. I wonder whether some of these people moaning about it go to TSSZ News.
I actually might get it….
@HoggerTheHedgehog, I agree with you so much, it’s actually funny to hear people moaning like this, when it is something they have wanted for a LONG time XD
Does commenting on this issue make us part of the problem?
@Theo, not necessarily. If we comment against this, due to the nature, nothing extreme is going to happen. However, if you somehow AGREE with the boycott and moaning (which many will not like) than something might happen.
…. so state your views if you want to.
XDXD The icon for this thread is brilliant 🙂
Remember guys 😉 it’s gonna take ageS
I’ve been saying this for years, about the fanbase and about the mainstream reviewers. Sonic 4 will be incredible, I’m buying it the moment it comes out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgHid5fZsDk