Yeah, you read the title. And look at me, making a thinkpiece like I'm some great reporter or something.(I'm really not!)
We're past halfway into 2020, and it's bleak: We've had to deal with mass unrest and a planet-wide pandemic that's made everyone irritable, agitated and/or fed up with the fact that everything's been postponed. And, to nobody's surprise, that includes Sonic The Hedgehog and whatever kind of game the blue blur's got hidden up his quills. Is it the fabled Adventure Remake? Is it a numbered sequel to a game long since forgotten? Is it something that's going to become a big disappointment?
Frankly, I don't care too much about what will happen, because after all, it's Sonic. A good number of us are probably going to consume whatever new things come out revolving around it anyway. But, I really want to talk about that third question I posed earlier. I've noticed that Sonic fans, especially this year more than ever have gotten really, really abrasive, mostly on Twitter's side of things, no less. Opinionated people with bigger followings that stir the pot, out-of-touch fans that simply get mad at one person and don't see the bigger picture, or talented, creative folk up and leaving the community altogether because it's just gotten very volatile because there's nothing to talk about other than driving one another up the walls.
To that, I say we've had enough of sharing the same old opinions, or trying to force others to think differently.
I say we broaden our horizons with alternative videogame series as a whole.
There are tons of games out there that might scratch the itch we're dying for, whether that be something that finally gives you that deepened story edge, or the good gameplay you'd wish to expect to see from Sonic, or maybe you just want to waste your time a bit more till we get to a new announcement. Though I can't speak for anybody who might share the same views as mine, please allow me to show off the sorts of games I've been playing to get my mind off of Sonic and the negativity that just can't go away from it for just a little while, at least until I'm reminded on Twitter again about how the official Sonic page is bad and needs to remove itself because they keep making memes and not pushing anything else.
(Geez, SEGA has like 10 accounts on there, they can't just market everything on the Sonic one. What else do you expect 'em to do?)
This game right here is cool as hell. Set in a fictional Japanese city that embraces the high life of the late 1980s after the economy boomed and gave us amazing, high-budget anime films like AKIRA, you get to play as Kazuma Kiryu, a small-time yakuza of the Tojo Clan, framed for a crime he didn't commit and needing to clear his name over a piece of land in which the crime took place at, which proves to be extremely vital to the clan, tied to a name. Makoto Makimura. As such, it's a race against time to find out what that name means, and what kind of bigger plot this really snowballs into with plenty of intense, easy to pick up beat-em-up action gameplay segments.
But, between the story and fights, you get to partake in a city life PACKED with activities. Bowling, disco dancing, gladiator matches, karaoke, Shogi, sidequests, slot car racing, real estate management, cabaret clubs, an entire line of SEGA arcades you can visit to play arcade versions of popular games like OutRun and Space Harrier- and that's not even all of the activities you can do.
Personally, I had a lot of fun with this game when I got hooked into the story, and it sets you up incredibly well for the games that follow after this. You can actually snag this game and the two sequels on PC through Steam, or buy the remakes, plus the entire PS3 collection for PS4. Xbox players get lucky too, since the first three on PC are on Game Pass!
DEVIL MAY CRY, 1-5
(not 2 though, you can skip that)
This series right here is nuts in all the good ways. Originally helmed by Hideki Kamiya(Bayonetta) and later passed onto Hideaki Itsuno(Dragon's Dogma), this is the grandfather series of high-intensity character action, all because a canned build of Resident Evil 4 paved the way. Though the picture here shows a character that's a son of another character, the games revolve around the sons of Sparda, a demon that sealed the underworld away from the real world, harbouring a peaceful time for the world above.
But, since evil always finds a way to bust on through to the other side, you get to play as Dante, the wise-cracking, yet laid back action hero who always comes equipped with a sword and two guns, doing what he does best- demon slaying. The story beats mixed with the gameplay shouldn't work due to how mad the action of it all is, but the cutscenes make it all work out- and it does it well. The games are usually 20-25 mission stints that have separated, good levels with bosses, some of them dropping sweet loot that you can use as new weapons.
I recommend starting with 3, since that's the first chronological game and absolutely kills it in terms of gameplay. 5 is the perfected blend of 3 and every other game that came before it, so you're also welcome to start with that. The entire series is available on Xbox, PC, PS4, and Switch!(just the first three though at this time of writing)
RIVALS OF AETHER
(seriously try this out, you'll love it)
Look! An indie game right outta left field! But, this is actually way, way more interesting than anyone could ever think of if it was just a simple platform fighter to them.
With an active workshop community on Steam that I'm part of, and doubling down on all sorts of competitive features that don't get expanded on all too well with Super Smash Bros., you too can make your dreams of giving Sonic a custom moveset and the love you think he deserves- just need the programming and design knowhow to do it. There's plenty to do, and a Definitive Edition on the way that you should definitely look into!
There's a story mode that you can play and engorge yourself with, a competitive online community, and the character roster has a few interesting crossovers in it like Shovel Knight and Ori! They're all interesting picks, but they really, really make for worthwhile characters- and you can even apply your own custom colour palettes to them for added personalisation! It's a very, very solid fighter from the genius known as Dan Fornace, and there's plenty more he's teased for this in the future! This can be bought on all platforms(Definitive Edition will be on Switch), but I'd get the PC version if I were you- since it's one of the best ways you can get Sonic to fight against Shadow without relying on stuffing mods into a console or emulator.
LETHAL LEAGUE: BLAZE
(also try the first game, Lethal League)
Good lord; I love this game. Not just for how nuts the visual style is, but for how quick-paced and brutal matches can be, especially with a stellar cast of characters with their own distinct advantages and disadvantages, honestly. It's nuts, but I love it so much, just because it harkens back to those sharp, distinct, experimental styles of the 00s and brings it in to the fresh, new modern day while keeping a completely original look. And all you have to do, is play the perfect fusion of volleyball and baseball.
The vibes it gives out are off the charts, with stages that dynamically change that depend on how fast the ball moves when you whack it, the massively satisfying pauses you get when successfully KO-ing your opponent or just hitting that aforementioned ball. The game's well-optimised, too, being built in Unity and able to handle high speeds. There's killer music involved, and it has Hideki Naganuma on the listing, who you may know as Sonic Rush's and Jet Set Radio's composer.
You can find this on Steam and all consoles right now, and for a fairly cheap price, you can pick up and put this down just as easily- it's even got a bare-bones, yet nicely put-together campaign mode that might make for a good few hours of your time. Team REPTILE are damn good at their craft, I don't care what anybody else says.
Of course, these are just four games that I've personally been playing recently, and it's helped with getting through things and genuinely finding new pastimes, like practising on LL:B, or simply trying to find more content in the Yakuza games that are chock-full of it! There's so, so much more to video games than just Sonic, and you just need something to fall back on instead of talking to a brick wall over and over again. You'll just drive yourself up the wall, and good things come to those who wait- so why bother when you can just enjoy Sonic for what he is, and find some new tastes?
This has been D The Hedgehog making his opinion and trying to recommend some things to people.
I'm gonna go sign off now. :P
We're past halfway into 2020, and it's bleak: We've had to deal with mass unrest and a planet-wide pandemic that's made everyone irritable, agitated and/or fed up with the fact that everything's been postponed. And, to nobody's surprise, that includes Sonic The Hedgehog and whatever kind of game the blue blur's got hidden up his quills. Is it the fabled Adventure Remake? Is it a numbered sequel to a game long since forgotten? Is it something that's going to become a big disappointment?
Frankly, I don't care too much about what will happen, because after all, it's Sonic. A good number of us are probably going to consume whatever new things come out revolving around it anyway. But, I really want to talk about that third question I posed earlier. I've noticed that Sonic fans, especially this year more than ever have gotten really, really abrasive, mostly on Twitter's side of things, no less. Opinionated people with bigger followings that stir the pot, out-of-touch fans that simply get mad at one person and don't see the bigger picture, or talented, creative folk up and leaving the community altogether because it's just gotten very volatile because there's nothing to talk about other than driving one another up the walls.
To that, I say we've had enough of sharing the same old opinions, or trying to force others to think differently.
I say we broaden our horizons with alternative videogame series as a whole.
There are tons of games out there that might scratch the itch we're dying for, whether that be something that finally gives you that deepened story edge, or the good gameplay you'd wish to expect to see from Sonic, or maybe you just want to waste your time a bit more till we get to a new announcement. Though I can't speak for anybody who might share the same views as mine, please allow me to show off the sorts of games I've been playing to get my mind off of Sonic and the negativity that just can't go away from it for just a little while, at least until I'm reminded on Twitter again about how the official Sonic page is bad and needs to remove itself because they keep making memes and not pushing anything else.
(Geez, SEGA has like 10 accounts on there, they can't just market everything on the Sonic one. What else do you expect 'em to do?)
YAKUZA 0
(NAME ANOTHER GAME THAT ALLOWS YOU TO HAVE FUN WITH REAL ESTATE.)
(NAME ANOTHER GAME THAT ALLOWS YOU TO HAVE FUN WITH REAL ESTATE.)
This game right here is cool as hell. Set in a fictional Japanese city that embraces the high life of the late 1980s after the economy boomed and gave us amazing, high-budget anime films like AKIRA, you get to play as Kazuma Kiryu, a small-time yakuza of the Tojo Clan, framed for a crime he didn't commit and needing to clear his name over a piece of land in which the crime took place at, which proves to be extremely vital to the clan, tied to a name. Makoto Makimura. As such, it's a race against time to find out what that name means, and what kind of bigger plot this really snowballs into with plenty of intense, easy to pick up beat-em-up action gameplay segments.
But, between the story and fights, you get to partake in a city life PACKED with activities. Bowling, disco dancing, gladiator matches, karaoke, Shogi, sidequests, slot car racing, real estate management, cabaret clubs, an entire line of SEGA arcades you can visit to play arcade versions of popular games like OutRun and Space Harrier- and that's not even all of the activities you can do.
Personally, I had a lot of fun with this game when I got hooked into the story, and it sets you up incredibly well for the games that follow after this. You can actually snag this game and the two sequels on PC through Steam, or buy the remakes, plus the entire PS3 collection for PS4. Xbox players get lucky too, since the first three on PC are on Game Pass!
DEVIL MAY CRY, 1-5
(not 2 though, you can skip that)
But, since evil always finds a way to bust on through to the other side, you get to play as Dante, the wise-cracking, yet laid back action hero who always comes equipped with a sword and two guns, doing what he does best- demon slaying. The story beats mixed with the gameplay shouldn't work due to how mad the action of it all is, but the cutscenes make it all work out- and it does it well. The games are usually 20-25 mission stints that have separated, good levels with bosses, some of them dropping sweet loot that you can use as new weapons.
I recommend starting with 3, since that's the first chronological game and absolutely kills it in terms of gameplay. 5 is the perfected blend of 3 and every other game that came before it, so you're also welcome to start with that. The entire series is available on Xbox, PC, PS4, and Switch!(just the first three though at this time of writing)
RIVALS OF AETHER
(seriously try this out, you'll love it)
With an active workshop community on Steam that I'm part of, and doubling down on all sorts of competitive features that don't get expanded on all too well with Super Smash Bros., you too can make your dreams of giving Sonic a custom moveset and the love you think he deserves- just need the programming and design knowhow to do it. There's plenty to do, and a Definitive Edition on the way that you should definitely look into!
There's a story mode that you can play and engorge yourself with, a competitive online community, and the character roster has a few interesting crossovers in it like Shovel Knight and Ori! They're all interesting picks, but they really, really make for worthwhile characters- and you can even apply your own custom colour palettes to them for added personalisation! It's a very, very solid fighter from the genius known as Dan Fornace, and there's plenty more he's teased for this in the future! This can be bought on all platforms(Definitive Edition will be on Switch), but I'd get the PC version if I were you- since it's one of the best ways you can get Sonic to fight against Shadow without relying on stuffing mods into a console or emulator.
LETHAL LEAGUE: BLAZE
(also try the first game, Lethal League)
The vibes it gives out are off the charts, with stages that dynamically change that depend on how fast the ball moves when you whack it, the massively satisfying pauses you get when successfully KO-ing your opponent or just hitting that aforementioned ball. The game's well-optimised, too, being built in Unity and able to handle high speeds. There's killer music involved, and it has Hideki Naganuma on the listing, who you may know as Sonic Rush's and Jet Set Radio's composer.
You can find this on Steam and all consoles right now, and for a fairly cheap price, you can pick up and put this down just as easily- it's even got a bare-bones, yet nicely put-together campaign mode that might make for a good few hours of your time. Team REPTILE are damn good at their craft, I don't care what anybody else says.
Of course, these are just four games that I've personally been playing recently, and it's helped with getting through things and genuinely finding new pastimes, like practising on LL:B, or simply trying to find more content in the Yakuza games that are chock-full of it! There's so, so much more to video games than just Sonic, and you just need something to fall back on instead of talking to a brick wall over and over again. You'll just drive yourself up the wall, and good things come to those who wait- so why bother when you can just enjoy Sonic for what he is, and find some new tastes?
This has been D The Hedgehog making his opinion and trying to recommend some things to people.
I'm gonna go sign off now. :P
