Post by Beeth on Nov 9, 2010 20:03:41 GMT
So, as promised, here is the next batch, complete with another piece of seriously overused dramatic background music.
7: Gamma/Omega etc.
Let’s see. The ballad of the main E-Series monstrosity Gamma is one of a robot that, while initially cold and emotionless, develops emotions and strives to become more “human”, so to speak. Now where have I heard that before? ....Well, where have I not heard that before!
So, having built up this whole, woefully clichéd storyline (not forgetting the whole heel face turn on his creator to escape the dark side, as it were), what do they go and do? Kill him off at the end of the game. To be fair, this was the best thing they could’ve done for the character. With crud like that, milking it would’ve been a totally moronic thing to do.
Well, funnily enough, they did. As well as featuring a whole group of doppelgangers within the same game, no less (Beta, Delta, Epsilon and Zeta, and not forgetting the prototype Zero), they went on to resurrect Gamma in Sonic Battle, except they didn’t. Well, it was Gamma, but it was a completely different Gamma, who had all the mannerisms of original Gamma as well as the potential for a similar development, but didn’t, basically. But none of that matters anyway as they created another E-Series entry, in the form of Omega. So to sum up, they wanted to bring back the character so they resurrected him, but decided at the same time to replace him with a meatier version of itself. Yeeeeeah.....
As if that wasn’t confusing enough, Battle also saw the introduction of E-121 Phi. Who looked nothing like any of the other robots of the series, but instead looked like a grey Emerl. It didn’t even have the right number; it should’ve been E-120! Dear me, an IQ of 300 and Doctor Eggman apparently can’t even count.
Finally, to top it off, the role is clearly cursed. In 1999, Steve Broadie provided the voice for Gamma. Two years later, he died. In 2006, Maddie Blaustein provided the voice for Omega. Two years later, he/she died. That’s one freaky pattern right there. Sega, lay this character to rest before it does the same to your voice cast.
6: Silver
I actually really like Silver as a character in the series. I believe I’m one of the few that do. So it pains me to say what an awful character he is, essentially because, like a good many of the other characters in the franchise, he was never given a chance in the first place.
Firstly, he’s called Silver. Yet another triumph for the Sonic Character Naming Corporation, I don’t think. Secondly, he’s a hedgehog. As if the series desperately needed a third hedgehog protagonist. Generally, the most effort the design department ever put into creating their new characters is finding a new species with which to assign them. It really didn’t help the character’s cause that they chose to make him a hedgehog, given that they already had Shadow from a few years prior. I mean, there’s so many other species they could’ve picked for Silver. Just look at that ridiculous “hairdo” for example. It’s as if the design team were halfway through designing a cockatoo, then handed the job over to some random Sonic fan on DeviantArt, who duly made a generic fancharacter out of him.
But the most critical thing behind the character’s failure? I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that his voice is (or was, assuming the actor’s been changed) utterly annoying. This was a man who felt compelled to whine and screech every single line, and managed to make cheese out of even the most mundane snippets of speech. Even his vocals for taking damage proved grating. It sounded like he was taking the piss out of bird calling or something rather than being walloped in the stomach by a fellow spinning hedgehog. I’d sooner have replaced all the sound files with samples of a distressed hippo. It really didn’t help that Silver’s debut game just so happened to be the worst of the whole franchise either.
It really is a true shame, as this character could’ve gone on to become a shining example of originality, a pioneering gameplay style and prominent gay icon of the Sonic series. Instead, what we got was just another tedious cliché. And one of the biggest of the series, to boot.
5: Sonic
But of course. What sort of a list would this be if I different give a mention to the title character himself? Sonic the Hedgehog. The hedgehog with attitude, a need for speed, a passion for thrashin (Robotnik’s schemes) and a bit of rabbit turd for a nose.
You know, Sonic’s spectacular fall from grace is nothing short of a travesty on the part of the developers. As has been mentioned, the Mario series continues to be successful by sticking largely to a formula the fans all know and love, relying more on sound gameplay than backstory and not using the character as an excuse to cash in on his own popularity. It happens, but to nowhere near the extent of everyone’s favourite blue ‘hog.
If you look back through many of the recent main efforts, ranging from circa 2003-2009, all have been heavily panned by critics and fans alike, with the general consensus being that the games are no better than mediocre. 2006’s Sonic The Hedgehog, which conveniently sits slap bang in the middle of that time period, is considered universally to be the lowest point of the entire franchise, something which the developers are now desperate to reverse.
Thing is, Sonic’s never really been that good a character in the first place. Even at the height of his popularity around 1993, which saw several take-offs for the series, Sonic would still come across as incredibly arrogant, languishing in his newfound fame, spouting predictably cringeworthy catchphrases. Several fans, admittedly myself included, long for those glory days of Sonic popularity, merchandising and marketing. Though in retrospect, you have to admit it was still a bit crap. When it gets to the point that random magazines are printing horribly-scripted “interviews with Sonic” (most of which seem to put across the non-fact that Sonic speakswaytoofastforpeopletounderstandhimproperly...) and Right Said Fred are releasing a godawful pop song with the vaguest of references to the character, you just have to stand back, and think “.....oh, dear gawd...”. If anything, the nostalgia is largely based around Sega’s back catalogue as a whole, not just the mascot himself. The only reason he’s at the forefront is just that: he is a mascot. A mascot that has been flogged to near death by his developers.
That's your lot for today. Riveting, isn't it.
7: Gamma/Omega etc.
Let’s see. The ballad of the main E-Series monstrosity Gamma is one of a robot that, while initially cold and emotionless, develops emotions and strives to become more “human”, so to speak. Now where have I heard that before? ....Well, where have I not heard that before!
So, having built up this whole, woefully clichéd storyline (not forgetting the whole heel face turn on his creator to escape the dark side, as it were), what do they go and do? Kill him off at the end of the game. To be fair, this was the best thing they could’ve done for the character. With crud like that, milking it would’ve been a totally moronic thing to do.
Well, funnily enough, they did. As well as featuring a whole group of doppelgangers within the same game, no less (Beta, Delta, Epsilon and Zeta, and not forgetting the prototype Zero), they went on to resurrect Gamma in Sonic Battle, except they didn’t. Well, it was Gamma, but it was a completely different Gamma, who had all the mannerisms of original Gamma as well as the potential for a similar development, but didn’t, basically. But none of that matters anyway as they created another E-Series entry, in the form of Omega. So to sum up, they wanted to bring back the character so they resurrected him, but decided at the same time to replace him with a meatier version of itself. Yeeeeeah.....
As if that wasn’t confusing enough, Battle also saw the introduction of E-121 Phi. Who looked nothing like any of the other robots of the series, but instead looked like a grey Emerl. It didn’t even have the right number; it should’ve been E-120! Dear me, an IQ of 300 and Doctor Eggman apparently can’t even count.
Finally, to top it off, the role is clearly cursed. In 1999, Steve Broadie provided the voice for Gamma. Two years later, he died. In 2006, Maddie Blaustein provided the voice for Omega. Two years later, he/she died. That’s one freaky pattern right there. Sega, lay this character to rest before it does the same to your voice cast.
6: Silver
I actually really like Silver as a character in the series. I believe I’m one of the few that do. So it pains me to say what an awful character he is, essentially because, like a good many of the other characters in the franchise, he was never given a chance in the first place.
Firstly, he’s called Silver. Yet another triumph for the Sonic Character Naming Corporation, I don’t think. Secondly, he’s a hedgehog. As if the series desperately needed a third hedgehog protagonist. Generally, the most effort the design department ever put into creating their new characters is finding a new species with which to assign them. It really didn’t help the character’s cause that they chose to make him a hedgehog, given that they already had Shadow from a few years prior. I mean, there’s so many other species they could’ve picked for Silver. Just look at that ridiculous “hairdo” for example. It’s as if the design team were halfway through designing a cockatoo, then handed the job over to some random Sonic fan on DeviantArt, who duly made a generic fancharacter out of him.
But the most critical thing behind the character’s failure? I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that his voice is (or was, assuming the actor’s been changed) utterly annoying. This was a man who felt compelled to whine and screech every single line, and managed to make cheese out of even the most mundane snippets of speech. Even his vocals for taking damage proved grating. It sounded like he was taking the piss out of bird calling or something rather than being walloped in the stomach by a fellow spinning hedgehog. I’d sooner have replaced all the sound files with samples of a distressed hippo. It really didn’t help that Silver’s debut game just so happened to be the worst of the whole franchise either.
It really is a true shame, as this character could’ve gone on to become a shining example of originality, a pioneering gameplay style and prominent gay icon of the Sonic series. Instead, what we got was just another tedious cliché. And one of the biggest of the series, to boot.
5: Sonic
But of course. What sort of a list would this be if I different give a mention to the title character himself? Sonic the Hedgehog. The hedgehog with attitude, a need for speed, a passion for thrashin (Robotnik’s schemes) and a bit of rabbit turd for a nose.
You know, Sonic’s spectacular fall from grace is nothing short of a travesty on the part of the developers. As has been mentioned, the Mario series continues to be successful by sticking largely to a formula the fans all know and love, relying more on sound gameplay than backstory and not using the character as an excuse to cash in on his own popularity. It happens, but to nowhere near the extent of everyone’s favourite blue ‘hog.
If you look back through many of the recent main efforts, ranging from circa 2003-2009, all have been heavily panned by critics and fans alike, with the general consensus being that the games are no better than mediocre. 2006’s Sonic The Hedgehog, which conveniently sits slap bang in the middle of that time period, is considered universally to be the lowest point of the entire franchise, something which the developers are now desperate to reverse.
Thing is, Sonic’s never really been that good a character in the first place. Even at the height of his popularity around 1993, which saw several take-offs for the series, Sonic would still come across as incredibly arrogant, languishing in his newfound fame, spouting predictably cringeworthy catchphrases. Several fans, admittedly myself included, long for those glory days of Sonic popularity, merchandising and marketing. Though in retrospect, you have to admit it was still a bit crap. When it gets to the point that random magazines are printing horribly-scripted “interviews with Sonic” (most of which seem to put across the non-fact that Sonic speakswaytoofastforpeopletounderstandhimproperly...) and Right Said Fred are releasing a godawful pop song with the vaguest of references to the character, you just have to stand back, and think “.....oh, dear gawd...”. If anything, the nostalgia is largely based around Sega’s back catalogue as a whole, not just the mascot himself. The only reason he’s at the forefront is just that: he is a mascot. A mascot that has been flogged to near death by his developers.
That's your lot for today. Riveting, isn't it.