What Would You Do Differently: The 2010s Era

[Mike Arcade]

It took Generations to get here but all good things come to those who wait, such as this WWYDD! We explode this very transitional time in the games from highs to lows and how we would do things differently. Now for this first question I've got a special one for ya, something that could blow your minds on how this would be different...

How different would Sonic Mania and Forces be if they took place in the opposite's era and what would the end result be? (Mania in the Modern Era and Forces in the Classic Era)

What I mean is what would the games be like had they taken this very different approach, so now Sonic Mania is the 3D Modern game and Sonic Forces is the 2D Classic game. Just how would they change and what sort of aesthetic and style changes would that entice? I'm really looking forward to your answers for this one folks, good luck!

[Ishapar]

If 2d Classic Sonic was given the storyline/plot of Forces, I honestly could see Sega hinting more to characters and franchises seen in the Classic Sonic era.  We already seen Fang, Bean, an Bark being cameoed in Mania, so I would assume they would be back as full characters for Sonic to interact with.  I could see Robotnik having references more to Satam and Archie Robotnik as they center around him conquering Sonic's world, and I wouldn't doubt if one of Robotniks' croonies from the older shows (Scratch and Grounder or Snively) made cameo appearances to fill in Eggman's current two bumbling robots.  I am not sure if Sega would hint at the FF, though, seeing how Sega doesn't like to tie in to the older Sega of America characters.  If the FF did make an appearance, however, I could see Sega taking the risk of making them the extra playable characters that would replace the fan-made character seen in the modern Forces game and with them an element of gameplay change.  Sonic (and the FF if Sega dared to take that risk) would have similar gameplays that the characters in Sonic 3 have (fast running speed, spin jump, spindash), but like Sonic 3, the characters would have different gimmicks that would allow them to interact with the environment differently and either find hidden goodies, complete specific missions, or discover secret pathways.  If this was the case, then the wisp gimmick would be thrown out of the game (wisps and classic Sonic don't go hand to hand).  I could also see 2d Sonic finally having a scripted story instead of non-narrative cutscenes in the older titles, and the scripts would probably play more with either the American characteristic of Sonic or his more quiet self seen in Sonic CD. 

Modern Sonic and Mania?  I don't think I would see much of a difference with this and any other boost game.  I doubt Sega would take the risk of trying a new formula like Lost World or Boom at this point, so the game would probably be similar to Sonic Colors in game mechanics.  They would probably keep to the same story outline seen in the 2d Sonic game, but I have a feeling they would use scripted cutscenes which means all the characters would behave as their modern appearances.  This means that poor Knuckles would be back to a bumbling idiot instead of the island smart hero we see in the 2d game.  I also could see Sega only making Sonic as the playable character to focus again on the boost mechanic meaning Tails and Knuckles are back to be supporting characters.  Modern characters would also probably have some cameos to replace Fang, Bean, and Bark (most likely Shadow, Blaze, or Silver...maybe even Big).  In summary, a 3d Sonic Mania would probably be similar to Sonic Colors in gameplay and plot, so the game probably wouldn't be as big of a deal as the 2d Mania has proven to be.

[WarTraveller]

If there was a cult dedicated to Dark Gaia, how would it look and act? Would they oppose Sonic or see his Werehog form as a diety? 

[Mike Arcade]

On 4/27/2018 at 6:08 AM, WarTraveller said:

If there was a cult dedicated to Dark Gaia, how would it look and act? Would they oppose Sonic or see his Werehog form as a diety? 

Whose to say, although I'll say this it's a very neat and interesting thought. They'd probably be the secondary villains who end up stealing the spotlight from Eggman near the end of the game, much like others before him since Adventure 1. If anything they would try to control Sonic or goad him to join them in the "birth of the new world". Maybe they'd be like the Cult in Kirby Star Allies in a sense, I mean really such a concept could go in many different ways. I think Unleashed is fine but it definitely would have made the story more interesting that's for sure.

So, with Sonic Mania Plus finally out there's been a lot of talk regarding having other characters be playable for the game. Personally I think the Roster is overall perfect for Sonic Mania now with Mighty and Ray making a long awaited return but still I have to wonder what your thoughts are on this one folks.

If you could bring in other playable characters into Sonic Mania Plus who would they be and why?

[Mike Arcade]

I’m bringing this topic back! And with recent news on there still being a lack of Freedom Fighters, I ask you this…

How would you bring in the Freedom Fighters in the Sega Games?

[MoKat]

7 hours ago, Mike Arcade said:

How would you bring in the Freedom Fighters in the Sega Games?

I've always been in favor of an RPG, perhaps something like Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, with the core FFs as playble characters. Well, I dunno if anybody would actually use Antione if he were an option, but still each character could have a defined role & skills that would be logical for said role. There would be different missions to complete, and maybe not all characters would be available for a given mission.