Now here's something you don't here every day. Most people think the key to Sonic the Hedgehog's success was speed. Commenter Daemon_Gildas thinks it's time he retired his red sneakers for a pair of walking shoes in today's Speak Up on Kotaku.
I'm just gonna say it:
I think it's time for Sonic the Hedgehog to abandon Speed.
Frankly, I liked Sonic better when it was about platforming, with cpeed simply being a by-product of playing well. I don't care anything about "momentum", either; I want precision. Honestly, Sonic could take a few cues from Mario.
Assuming the camera-angle allows for it, design levels as if you were designing them for Mario, and then stretch the gaps and raise the platform just a *bit*, so that Sonic feels a bit quicker, but still players similarly.
I'm about as big a fan-boy is there is, but I think people need to take off the rose-colored sunglasses and remember what a bitch it was to platform with Sonic back when he controlled like a goddamn marble.
I'm not saying he needs to ape on Mario's style completely, as Sonic could do without arbitrary, gimmicky Power-ups, but in terms of level design, there's a reason why people like Mario games still and not so much Sonic.
Oh, and for the record, I happen to like the Sonic Adventure design of Sonic. DEAL WITH IT!!!
About Speak Up on Kotaku: Our readers have a lot to say, and sometimes what they have to say has nothing to do with the stories we run. That's why we have a forum on Kotaku called Speak Up. That's the place to post anecdotes, photos, game tips and hints, and anything you want to share with Kotaku at large. Every weekday we'll pull one of the best Speak Up posts we can find and highlight it here.
(Image via Beyx)