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Post by Ex on Oct 13, 2019 21:44:00 GMT -5
For Sonic that kind of makes sense for the 2000's and 2010's but I'm not sure how I feel about applying that logic to the 32 bit generation. What year range would you consider the 32-bit generation to be personally?
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Post by anayo on Oct 14, 2019 9:56:40 GMT -5
For Sonic that kind of makes sense for the 2000's and 2010's but I'm not sure how I feel about applying that logic to the 32 bit generation. What year range would you consider the 32-bit generation to be personally? Sega Saturn. So I guess 1995 to 1998.
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Post by Sarge on Oct 14, 2019 11:51:41 GMT -5
I'd personally go up to '99 since we got the Dreamcast then.
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Post by Ex on Oct 14, 2019 12:27:00 GMT -5
Huh. I figured you'd start at 1994 considering that's when the 32-bit PS1 debuted. Here are the Sonic releases during 1995-1998 (excluding three compilations): Sonic 3D Blast Sonic Adventure
Sonic Blast
Sonic Drift Racing
Sonic Drift 2 Sonic Labyrinth Sonic R Sonic the Fighters Sonic the Hedgehog's Gameworld Sonic's SchoolhouseI think it's logical to call ten releases in three years quantity over quality.
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Post by anayo on Oct 14, 2019 12:37:32 GMT -5
Huh. I figured you'd start at 1994 considering that's when the 32-bit PS1 debuted. Here are the Sonic releases during 1995-1998 (excluding three compilations): Sonic 3D Blast Sonic Adventure
Sonic Blast
Sonic Drift Racing
Sonic Drift 2 Sonic Labyrinth Sonic R Sonic the Fighters Sonic the Hedgehog's Gameworld Sonic's SchoolhouseI think it's logical to call ten releases in three years quantity over quality. That's fair. I always resented Sega for phoning it in with a Saturn version of 3D Blast, re-releases of the Genesis titles, and Sonic R while canning Sonic Xtreme. So I guess I was conflating quantity and quality in my head.
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Post by Sarge on Oct 14, 2019 12:59:24 GMT -5
The biggest problem is that yeah, they just did ports and a racing game (well, multiple racing games) while pretty much ignoring a proper sequel on Saturn. In a generation where Sega screwed up multiple ways, not having a reasonable Sonic title didn't help at all. While I enjoy some of the offbeat stuff Sonic Team put out, they forgot where their bread was buttered, and then spent a whole bunch of time trying to make up for that. I think they took the wrong lessons from their Saturn failure.
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Post by Ex on Oct 14, 2019 13:40:18 GMT -5
After more coffee I now understand what anayo meant about the 32-bit era. He solely meant SEGA's personal 32-bit era. So I comprehend his time-frame better now. I think it's safe to say there's not a good exclusive Sonic game on the Saturn. Probably because transitioning Sonic into polygonal 3D platforming was challenging in and of itself*, then the additional challenge of dealing with the Saturn's extremely complex programming. SEGA needed more time than they had to get a proper 3D Sonic out the door during the Saturn's short lifespan. *This was after all the era where so many game studios were struggling with the paradigm shifts of transitioning into three dimensional graphics; z-planes, positional cameras, analog movement, etc.
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Post by Sarge on Oct 14, 2019 14:19:17 GMT -5
In hindsight, they should have just gone for another 2D entry. I know 3D was the new hotness, but a fantastic-looking 2D Sonic would likely have done very, very well. Given how good the Saturn was at 2D, we could have ended up with something absolutely amazing.
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Post by Xeogred on Oct 14, 2019 14:39:01 GMT -5
A Sonic trilogy that looks just as good as Mega Man X4-6 and Symphony of the Night. Too bad that never happened... I actually like how a lot of Genesis games had ports on Sega CD / Saturn, for the completely unique OST's per platform. But yeah, Sonic seemed KIA during the 32bit era.
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Post by anayo on Oct 14, 2019 14:41:00 GMT -5
After more coffee I now understand what anayo meant about the 32-bit era. He solely meant SEGA's personal 32-bit era. So I comprehend his time-frame better now. I think it's safe to say there's not a good exclusive Sonic game on the Saturn. Probably because transitioning Sonic into polygonal 3D platforming was challenging in and of itself*, then the additional challenge of dealing with the Saturn's extremely complex programming. SEGA needed more time than they had to get a proper 3D Sonic out the door during the Saturn's short lifespan. Is there even an exclusive Sonic game on Saturn, lol? I would bring up Sonic R, but it also came out on PC back then. I am probably romanticizing something that doesn't deserve it, but I reeeaaaallly wish Sonic Xtreme had come out. It's like the way Earthbound fans feel about the unreleased N64 Earthbound game. Same thing for me. For me, Sonic Mania offers that closure. Through that game I also somewhat came to terms with how Sonic means different things to different people. My childhood is over. Kids now aren't going to care about Sonic on the Genesis. Once, my friend's 8 year old son asked me if I had played Sonic Forces. I diplomatically told him that no, I hadn't. But if he likes it what's the harm in that? He can have his version of Sonic, I can have mine. Hell, I'd have probably liked Sonic Forces if it came out when I was his age. There wasn't even a unified canon for Sonic even back in the 90's. It was fractured between the video games, the Archie comics and animated show, and that one other non-archie Saturday morning Sonic cartoon. Retro nerds like us would love a 2D Sonic on Saturn. But I have serious misgivings about how that would have fared in 1996. Sales for 2D games were plummeting and 3D games were making a lot of money. I even remember seeing 2D Playstation or N64 games as a kid and thinking they were a rip off. My mindset at the time was that you bought a next gen console for 3D polygon games. If you wanted 2D sprites, that's what Super NES and Sega Genesis were for. Then again Castlevania Symphony of the Night was 2D and it sold like gangbusters. Anyway I'd love to have been proven wrong about a 2D Sonic title on the Saturn.
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