The Sonic series has had plenty of low points ever since it entered the 3D realm of gaming, which unfortunately has tarnished the series’ once high reputation quite a bit. The developers never seemed to really hit a point where everything fell into place, instead chasing the latest gaming trends and shoehorning them into Sonic’s world. However, Sega has said previously that they want to change that, and now they have said it again.
Product manager Jim Dyer recently spoke at Rezzed about the series and how they’ve tried to improve it, saying “Sonic is a franchise that we’ve tried to evolve but it hasn’t necessarily worked – I can openly say that. Generations and Colors were huge successes within the modern Sonic world, but it is about taking modern Sonic and making it something more.”
2017 looks to be the year where the series finally gets back on track with the 2D Sonic Mania coming in the Summer and the 3D Sonic Forces coming by the end of the year. Dyer said that Sonic Forces is “its own initiative. It is a broader game, a different sort of Sonic than what we’ve done before. It is about reinvigorating Sonic. I won’t say Forces is about making Sonic relevant again because I don’t think that is quite the right term, but we understand we have a flagship IP, this brand powerhouse that Sega wants to get back to what it should be.”
Ultimately, Sega is trying to get back in the good graces of their original fans. Sonic is what really made them a household name, and it’s unfortunate that the series is looked at in such a mediocre regard these days. Hopefully that is something that they will finally be able to turn around this year, potentially delivering two great Sonic games that bring very different styles of gameplay. Things have been looking promising for both games so far, with plenty of great Sonic Mania footage being available and the first gameplay trailer for Sonic Forces coming last month.
