What Would You Do Differently? The Classic Era

[Mike Arcade]

We've had this topic on just about every Sonic Series that has a topic on it, so naturally it's about time we had this for The Games itself. Now in WWYDD we can see just what would we do and change to Sega Sonic itself, so get creative, grab those rings, and clear these questions and answers we post and see. I'll start us off with a very tricky question, one that's almost unthinkable for many.

If you made Sonic and he couldn't be a hedgehog for whatever reason, what would you make Sonic be?

[WarTraveller]

4 hours ago, Mike Arcade said:

If you made Sonic and he couldn't be a hedgehog for whatever reason, what would you make Sonic be?

A wolf. Because wolves are savage and they're awesome. Heck, one of the original designs for Sonic was a wolf. Think it got reworked into that...thing from Tails' Labyrinth.

[ByTor, Prince of Ro’den]

A human, a very fast one.

[F07E]

The legally acceptable rabbit not to be confused with the popular cult classic released in 1988.

[WarTraveller]

4 hours ago, F07E said:

The legally acceptable rabbit not to be confused with the popular cult classic released in 1988.

The what now?

[F07E]

 

17 minutes ago, WarTraveller said:

The what now?

The rabbit like design they had early on, given there was a human girlfriend as well and it's seems like inspiration may have been taken from Roger rabbit.

[WarTraveller]

21 minutes ago, F07E said:

 

The rabbit like design they had early on, given there was a human girlfriend as well and it's seems like inspiration may have been taken from Roger rabbit.

Oh, THAT rabbit. Got it.

[Ishapar]

If you are trying to keep the cool attitude approach, than you need a creature that can embody that trope along with the speed factor.  A human could get away with it, but humans are already over-used.  I could see sometype of big cat taking the place of a hedgehog as they are considered awesome by many cultures in the world and do have the speed factor. 

When I was younger, I used to use a frog toy and pretended he was Sonic...if there wasn't already a frog gaming icon I would maybe suggest the frog.

[Mike Arcade]

WOW it's been way too long since the games had a WWYDD, so with the talk of a certain few upcoming games I figured it would be nice to bring this back in!

For starters I got a question regarding Sonic Unleashed, the game that brought Sonic back from the brink despite some criticism and one overly long Comic Book Adaption.

How would you make a sequel to Sonic Unleashed? Would you still have The Werehog?

Normally I don't usually answer the very question I ask until later on, but considering how the Temp Chat started this I figured I'd throw my two cents in on this. For one I wouldn't ditch the Werehog funny enough, rather it would be retooled and actually be called a Werewolf because Werehog isn't a good name at all.

Here's the thing, for some reason Sega kept alluding to Altered Beast in one trailer with the Altered Beast Wolf Howl, which is rather odd but a fun nod. Well, why not just take that and go full throttle! Have a sequel to Sonic Unleashed, however this time around Sonic can use different Beast Forms at anytime! You could switch to the Werewolf/Werehog and back to normal at first, but gain new powers and abilities later on such as a Weredragon, Werebear, Weretiger, and so forth! Perhaps Sonic's friends and antiquates have been turned into these Werebeasts by someone and it's up to Sonic to fight and get those powers out of them, that is if you want Sonic's cast to make an appearance anyway,could just be a random monster but I think that has much more weight to it fighting Altered Feral versions of his allies and rivals if you ask me.

Unlike The Wisps once you get those Beast Forms you can activate them for as long as you want, depending on how you go with this concept you can have a meter for balance or not, either way you'd use these new forms to solve puzzles and find new areas throughout the levels. Think of it like how Wonder Boy The Dragon's Trap handled it's transformations and you get the idea. Regarding the story you could have Eggman as the villain or not, though a break from him would be nice sans maybe a level or area. You could have this Sorcerer (Think Naugus maybe) who is trying to use Gaia's Power to bring back this other Eldeitch Monster that's connected to it and causes trouble throughout the world, hence Sonic and Co in tow but lose the fight, Sonic meets someone connected to this baddie and that starts Sonic's New World Adventure. This Ally could also be a Rival to Sonic or something, either way that's how'd I do it.

It would be the Majora's Mask/Wonder Boy The Dragon's Trap/Alex Kidd in Shinobi World of Sonic.

So guys, up for the question? Also what other questions regarding WWYDD will you make? That's up to you!

[Ishapar]

If you wanted a sequel to Sonic Unleashed, then I think Chip's reappearance is more important than Sonic's werehog form.  They ended with a tight bond at the end of Unleashed, and the ending seemed to raise the possibility of Chip meeting Sonic again.

I admit that I thought Sonic as a werebeast was neat, but I fail to see how it works with the idea of Dark Gaia.  I would think Sonic would turn into more of his Dark Sonic form in Sonic X before turning into a werehog.  Maybe that could be the basis of a sequel?  In Unleashed, Sonic was pure enough to not allow Dark Gaia to corrupt him; this time, what if Sonic fails and Dark Gaia has some sort of control over him?  This could easily lead to a Dark Sonic form that Sonic has to control while fighting Dark Gaia again.  The game could have some of the moral factors of Shadow the Hedgehog with different endings resulting from how much you control Dark Sonic, but if you give in too much to Dark Gaia, it becomes a game over as Sonic is fully corrupted and helps to destroy Mobias.

Naugus could be a good choice for the sequel villian; but I would suggest an original villian that wants to use Gaia's power to destroy Mobias.  If you want to be a little crazy, you could have Scourge (Evil Twin Sonic) arouse Dark Gaia for the evlz and to try to corrupt Sonic with Gaia's power.

[Mike Arcade]

On 2/17/2017 at 3:59 PM, Ishapar said:

If you wanted a sequel to Sonic Unleashed, then I think Chip's reappearance is more important than Sonic's werehog form.  They ended with a tight bond at the end of Unleashed, and the ending seemed to raise the possibility of Chip meeting Sonic again.

I admit that I thought Sonic as a werebeast was neat, but I fail to see how it works with the idea of Dark Gaia.  I would think Sonic would turn into more of his Dark Sonic form in Sonic X before turning into a werehog.  Maybe that could be the basis of a sequel?  In Unleashed, Sonic was pure enough to not allow Dark Gaia to corrupt him; this time, what if Sonic fails and Dark Gaia has some sort of control over him?  This could easily lead to a Dark Sonic form that Sonic has to control while fighting Dark Gaia again.  The game could have some of the moral factors of Shadow the Hedgehog with different endings resulting from how much you control Dark Sonic, but if you give in too much to Dark Gaia, it becomes a game over as Sonic is fully corrupted and helps to destroy Mobias.

Naugus could be a good choice for the sequel villian; but I would suggest an original villian that wants to use Gaia's power to destroy Mobias.  If you want to be a little crazy, you could have Scourge (Evil Twin Sonic) arouse Dark Gaia for the evlz and to try to corrupt Sonic with Gaia's power.

Didn't think of it like that, again I never played any of Unleashed and only watched it, I suppose my idea for an Unleashed Sequel is a bit more looser similar to what Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 are regarding story and such.

[Ishapar]

But then wouldn't it be just another Sonic title, not a direct sequel?

[WarTraveller]

I dunno, I would do something a bit...different. Have it sort of a multi-power struggle, perhaps focusing on a different werebeast or mythical creature. I have a solid idea of what I mean by that;

• Have Dark Gaia and Chip come back, but seeing as Eggman is a tad more competent this time 'round, have him properly control Dark Gaia by taking Chip hostage and using his energies to balance Dark Gaia - and weaken it.
• Meanwhile, the energies released by this event infects the world, releasing more Dark Gaia minions - and creating a clone of the Werehog separate from Sonic himself. They go wild, the Werehog becomes their leader and they set out to ravage the world.
• And if that isn't enough, all of this results in the creation of the Blood Moon; an artefact of mysterious power that attracts and empowers vampires. To the point that one in particular within the area seems to find it the best way to send those creatures back to where they came.
• This all results in a four-way battle; Team Sonic vs Eggman's Dark Gaia Robots, the Dark Gaia Savages and the mysterious new vampire character..

As for the gameplay...hmm...

[WarTraveller]

Okay, I've got another idea. Another question, as it were.

If you had to handle Elise in Sonic 06, and her relation with Sonic was still integral to the plot, how would you handle those two factors?

[Akessel92]

What about making Amy into a magic user?

[Wulfsbane]

Sonic Heroes showed the setting change every two stages with little to no explanation given, how would you connect each "area" to the next one?"

[Mike Arcade]

On 2/22/2017 at 5:23 PM, WarTraveller said:

Okay, I've got another idea. Another question, as it were.

If you had to handle Elise in Sonic 06, and her relation with Sonic was still integral to the plot, how would you handle those two factors?

Hmm, I'd say they could work as good friends and leave it at that, just have it better written and give her some interesting and neat moments such as not taking any crap from Eggman and having her army actually DO something.

I mean it could have been possible after all, it would be tricky but it can be done. Although if it were me I'd have Elise be someone else COUGHSallyorBlazeCOUGH
 

On 3/5/2017 at 0:32 AM, Akessel92 said:

What about making Amy into a magic user?

You mean What if Amy had mystical abilities? I do like the idea of Amy having more defined abilities other then just being super strong and having a toy hammer for no reason, considering all that's known about Amy's so-called "Mystical" abilities in the games is she did a Tarot reading before Sonic CD doesn't really prove anything. Granted there are a number of ways you can take from that and go from there though, would make for something much more interesting then just a fan girl.

 

4 hours ago, Wulfsbane said:

Sonic Heroes showed the setting change every two stages with little to no explanation given, how would you connect each "area" to the next one?"

Much like how they did so in S3&K with a scene probably in-game or by cutscene that would transition them from one area to the next, such as say the Cyclone for Team Sonic having auto pilot and flying them from Ocean Palace to Grand Metropolis, Team Dark finding a Teleporter that leads them to the City, Team Rose just on the outskirts of Ocean Palace to see the upcoming city on the horizon, and Team Chaotix hopping on one of those cannons and being fired to the city. XP

Between those two stages is the hardest transition if you ask me, the rest is rather easy to see how it goes from there. I do think that each team gets to the next duo of locals in different ways though.

I would like to reiterate that question Akessel proposed though making it more broader as well, How would you make Amy Rose in the games and what would you do with her? Also no you can't just say not have her at all this time either.  

[Wulfsbane]

27 minutes ago, TheRedAuthar said:

Uh how is that different than most all Sonic games.  

Humor me.

Adventure kinda linked to each other. Same as Adventure 2, and '06

[Mike Arcade]

I'm bringing this topic back, I think it's about time we get those gears turning in our heads for some fun.

Since the most recent game in the series as of this post (Sonic Forces) once more included the Wisps again it brings to me an interesting question regarding this rather simplistic looking aliens and all of that Hyper-go-on energy they have. XP

How would you handle the Wisps and would they be recurring in the series?

[WarTraveller]

12 hours ago, Mike Arcade said:

How would you handle the Wisps and would they be recurring in the series?

The way they are handled in Colours is fine, I wouldn't change any of it. I do kind of appreciate that Sonic Team handles the Wisps as more than just Character of the Day type stuff, but there is no reason nor any solid justification for them appearing in other games (outside of Runners, but that is of questionable continuity if it's not just outright non-canon), so they would not return unless there was a Sonic Colours 2 or something.

[Mike Arcade]

Okay maybe that question wasn't great, then again the Wisps aren't really popular to begin with so there's that. Alright I got a better question for you all and this one is about Sonic Mania. Now we know that there are quite a lot of Classic Stages in Mania making most of the game although thankfully I feel that they are very fresh takes and even Green Hill and Chemical Plant were really good, however most do agree that they would have preferred all new stages. Yet I never see anyone ask this...

If you could replace or add any classic stages with others in Sonic Mania what would they be and why?

By others I mean other Classic Stages if that wasn't obvious,  I'm just curious as I do have some others I would choose myself to add or replace myself but I want to hear what you guys have to say first.

[Mike Arcade]

Okay maybe that question was a little too exclusive for those who don't have the game at this point, tell you what I'll add in another question that's been bugging me lately regarding a certain black and red hedgehog.

If you made Shadow a different animal that isn't a Hedgehog what would it be, why, and how would that change things in the series?

[WarTraveller]

On 11/20/2017 at 10:07 PM, Mike Arcade said:

If you could replace or add any classic stages with others in Sonic Mania what would they be and why?

 

1. Replace Green Hill with Emerald Hill Zone. Still an Opening Stage, can still have the Wrecking Balls as a boss, even the Death Egg Robot but for the love of Chaos just not Green Hil Zone again.
2. Replace Lava Reef with something a bit more meta; Wave Ocean. Stardust Speedway already references Wave Ocean's music in its own remix, so it's not like the Mythology Gags were purely from the Classic era. Rather than just go back in time, why not show Mania!Sonic the future that, if you believe the theory that Generations caused a split in the timelines so that Classic Sonic will no longer become Modern Sonic, he will likely never see?

3 hours ago, Mike Arcade said:

If you made Shadow a different animal that isn't a Hedgehog what would it be, why, and how would that change things in the series?

A Jackal. They are more mythological creatures; they are "often depicted as clever sorcerers in the myths and legends of their regions", so having one infused with the DNA of an alien race that may as well be a myth to Earth, it would make a bit more sense. It would require a rewrite of Sonic Adventure 2's opening, perhaps Terios (the beta design) was a backup plan to Shadow and stole the Chaos Emerald, so it'd be a bit easier to swallow that GUN think it's Sonic. Also, when a certain Infinity-loving edgelord comes around, perhaps their interactions could be a touch more poignant.

[Mike Arcade]

Interesting choices, although I do enjoy and overall agree with Sonic Mania's classic stages as they are given new life, Emerald Hill would have been my default first stage choice. Don't agree on Wave Ocean but hey one level from beyond the classic era would have been a surprise. I actually have a list of what such alternate choices for different classic levels would be, some that act as substitutes for other levels while most of my choices are more preference than anything else.

Flying Battery is a cool level though my tastes for an alternative would go towards Wing Fortress, which I think wouldn't be the same as what we got but then again Sonic 4 Episode II does have a level that acts similar to it. Stardust Speedway was a perfect choice to have after being stilted in Generations, but 2nd place would go to Star Light if only for it being similar precursor to it. My Sonic CD choice levels Stardust aside I'd say a lot would find odd, Tidal Tempest is one of my favorite water levels in the series with it's US Track being one of my favorites in the game. My next choice from SCD is a level that is often hated (and I don't get why) that also has a great US track, Wacky Workbench. Just how manic that level is makes it a step beyond any other Factory level in a Sonic Game making it truly unique and a personal favorite in any Sonic game. From S3&K no doubt about it I'd go for Launch Base and Sky Sanctuary, great tracks and iconic levels. Yes Sky Sanctuary was in Generations but we never did get a rematch with a certain other Metal Doppleganger...

My last choices are from spin-off games whose levels are sadly ignored for Mania (at least the team added elements from them like the floating bubbles), one would be Meta Junglira from Triple Trouble with it being part Jungle level and part Collision Chaos from Sonic CD. However the one level I'd add in Sonic Mania more so than any other that was completely looked over has got to be...

Toxic Caves

This level SHOULD have been in Sonic Mania, absolutely beautiful and iconic.1/2 Sewer/Underground Level , the other half all Pinball, I would have loved to see what a full fledged Sonic Level with Toxic Caves would have been like. Fighting Rexxon as a sub-boss and then end Toxic Caves with a rematch against Scorpius. It's one of the few missed opportunities Mania didn't pick up on. Maybe one day we'll finally Return to Toxic Caves.

As for what animal Shadow could have been, well other than the whole mistaken identity thing Shadow as a Hedgehog made absolutely no sense to me, the fact anyone would confuse Shadow for Sonic makes no sense at all. Considering the Artificial Chaos, Chaos Drives, the Master Emerald-like Alter in the Ark, and The Gizoid/Emerl it's safe to say Gerald studied the Echidnas and even managed to create all of these things based on or around them...soo why isn't he Shadow the Echidna? No really why would he choose Hedgehog over Echidna, I mean you'd think in trying to cure Maria regarding Project Shadow which the goal of that being immortality he'd also not only cure Maria but see if he could revive in a small part the Echidna race through it, if only to see what an living Echidna would be like. Considering that would also be right after SA1 which was heavily based on the Echidnas with Chaos around it would feel a lot more like a sequel to it than a mostly stand alone game and sequel basically in gameplay and name only. At least it would make a LOT more sense, plus while he'd of course still be a rival to Sonic as it IS a Sonic game Knuckles would also end up being a rival to him as well. There would be a lot my dynamics to that, Knuckles is technically not alone anymore but the only other Echidna he knows wants nothing to do with him, come to think of it that reminds me a bit of Dr. Zachary from STC. XP

Also because of such a change Knuckles wouldn't lose his place as Sonic's Rival AND BOTH now have a new Rival to contend to, I'd say that would be a win-win. As for where they'd get the Echidna DNA...I mean come on if they went to Angel Island or somewhere that the Echidnas had been in you can't tell me they couldn't find any bones or remains from them right? At least that implication makes sense and brings in a lot more lore and story into the series, I'd pick Echidna if I had a choice.

My 2nd choice for what animal Shadow could have been would be some type of Lizard...since you know his prototype was the BioLIZARD, I mean why not just use the DNA of what you already have? I know The Biolizard isn't a Mobian but Black Doom's DNA does have some strange properties so who knows. Not as exciting or adds much compared to my Echidna answer but it makes more sense than what they went with.

[Mike Arcade]

[UPDATE[

From now on this topic shall only be used for the Classic Games of the era from 1991 all the way to before Sonic Adventure 1's release as to make more broad topics about the games' respective eras. Sorry for the inconvenience.