This blog is in a sense a "remake" itself of another blog of mine three years a go called What makes a Sonic Adventure game. The blog was more of a series of oppinions and ideas on the proposed idea if any of the games Sonic Adventure or Sonic Adventure 2 is ever made. My oppinions also extend to the proposed idea of "Sonic Adventure 3" which is pretty much the Half-Life 3 of the Sonic fandom by now despite all the other successor games we've had.
Some abbreviations:
SA1 = Sonic Adventure
SADX = Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut
BetterSADX = Better Sonic Adventure DX
SA2 = Sonic Adventure 2
SA2B = Sonic Adventure 2 Battle
SA1&2 = Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 as a compilation
SA3 = Sonic Adventure 3
Sonic '06 = Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
Games such as Sonic Heroes, Sonic Unleashed, Sonic Colours, Sonic Generations, Sonic Lost World and Sonic Forces, I usually refer to them by the word after Sonic's name.
Reintroducing the Adventure series[]
If there will be a SA3, the fans should be reintroduced to SA1 and SA2.
Sonic has been around since 1991 and so there are fans who would be in their 30s by now who have grown up with Sonic the Hedgehog. I should know, I'm 32. So I can be regarded as one of many "older fans".
But as Sonic is a franchise, it's marketed for a demograph for the age group between kids to teens. While Sega acknowledge and treat it's older fans over media outlets like twitter and made games in the past that resonated well with a wide age-range for it's audience the games are still marketed for todays kids, thus they're more "younger fans". Games like Colours and Lost World having vibrant colours and humour that young impressionable kids may enjoy and find funny while older fans may groan or complain about.
I'm also taking into account "new fans", those who are perhaps older than the target demograph but still got introduced to Sonic and like him so far.
Those fans would not be introduced to Sonic or Sega the same way we the older fans known him. We grew up during the time of Dreamcast, GameCube, XBox and PlayStation 2 or older fans who had the Sega Saturn or PlayStation 1, N64 or other older consoles while they're still growing up in the time of XBox One, Switch and PlayStation 4. It's likely that those fresh new Sonic fans would be so into Sonic that they will play his older games to get to know him and see what he's like.
What I'm getting at is that while we the older fans know what SA1 and SA2 is, there will be fans who are not as familiar with the game as other fans. or may not be adherent to play those games due to their dated graphics and dialogue.
This is why before we have Sonic Adventure 3, we should have a remakes of Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 and that these remakes should be released as a compilation.
This way the modern audience would be reintroduce to the Adventure games and would not only make way for Sonic Adventure 3 but provide Sonic Team resources they can reuse from the compilation to make SA3 with. It would be more oppotune for Sonic Team to make SA3 the sequel to SA1&2 than it would be for a 20 year old game.
Graphics[]
In my older blog I proposed that the graphics should be comparable to the Wii U quality of graphics. My reasons was because like Sonic Mania I too believed that if Sonic TEam will make new games based on past era's they should aim to recreate the aesthetic's provided during the era.
However while Sonic Mania was made with Mega Drive graphics in mind (or the very least the Mega CD 32X), the game itself looks like it more belongs on the Sega Saturn with it's use of low-poly 3D special stages and high-quality animated cutscenes. That said it's understandable that Sonic Mania was made to appeal to the classic-era fans while still appeal to the interest of the modern audience.
Photonarts inc.[]
One of my many criticism of Sonic Forces is the graphics. They're not as good as Sonic Generations and seem more cartoony. But I give the game credit for balancing and decorating some scenery in the game really well, especially the City which has nice war-ruined architecture and post-raining visuals.
That said while I don't think Sonic Forces visual design looks great for a modern Sonic game I believe such visual designs would fit great for a modern dreamcast-esque game. It has the right blend of colourful with attempt of realism which the games Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 attempted at the time for the Dreamcast so I believe Force's visual design would be a great choice for SA1&2. Checking Sonic Forces credits I believe the games visual design was managed by a group called Photonarts inc. If that is correct then I wouldn't mind them giving SA1&2 the fresh coat of paint.
Humans[]
In SA1 they debut as low-poly anime characters, with some improovement in quality by Shadow's game
In SOnic '06 they appear as realistic mid-poly characters.
by Unleashed they all look like they're from a Looney Tunes cartoon, or some describe them like people from Pixar movies.
Instead of one or the other, why not animesque humans? Something that blends western stylized with anime, the same style emulated by Teen Titans and Avatar which are anime-inspired american cartoons.
Gameplay[]
When I first got SADX on Steam I felt there was something off with the gameplay controls. They didn't feel as smooth or as responsive as how I remembered it for GameCube. This was because SADX for Steam was more of a direct port of the game from console with essential tweaks to make it function as a rerelease.
It wasn't until I downloaded BetterSADX that it felt more like how I remembered it all within the comfort of my XBox 360 controller. That said it would be nice if the remake of SA1 was as fixed as BetterSADX achieved.
As for SA2 controls, given theres no "BetterSA2B" mod it would be nice if it's remake had just as responsive physics and controls as it's original game.
For a SA1&2 remake it would be fair if given both games are made in the same development if they share a physics engine that make them more easier to work on together.
And of course some golden rules:
- No Boost. The original Adventure gameplay was suppose to be a three-dimensional translation of the gameplay Sonic had for his Classic-era of games.
- D-pad or other analogue stick to freely view your surroundings. Given you're no longer confined to a lane, you can freely explore and should be allowed to look through a first-person perspective if needed.
New Content[]
Action Stages[]
As a remake, that means it will look new but will still play the same as before. To fans who never played the original Adventure games mean they will experiance the adventure for the first time and enjoy the challenges the game provides. But for veteran fans who played the original Adventure games over and over the game will not provide them much of anything if they already know the layout, traps and routes of the stages.
Therefore while I would like the story to be faithful to the original as a remake it would be great if all the Action Stages were remastered. These remastered stages still have familiar paths and directions but deliver them in a new way to catch the veterans off-guard and challenge them as they would for the new players. Make it feel fresh for both old and new. It would give their nostalgia something more worthwhile if moments and details they remember are expanded on.
For example, what if the tornado in Windy Valley had additional islands to ascend or Casinopolis gets a third pinball field? Or if Lost World allowed you to explore additional jungle area with scattered ruins right before the hall of lights where you usually pass by a cliff corridor over such jungle.
It just be nice if all the Action Stages were "Encore Mode" for veteran fans.
Of course I am not talking exclusively about SA1, I would like SA2 stages to be remastered in same fashion.
Adventure Fields[]
While I would like the Action Stages to be remastered, the Adventure Fields can remain faithful to the original. The only change I would make would be to make the jungle feel more like a dense jungle than just a maze with solid walls that look like jungle. While it was still a well made jungle given what was capable for the Dreamcast at the time it would be nice if the jungle was remasterd entirely to the point that may make veteran players feel genuinely lost at times.
While it maybe a bit of a stretch even for Sega, what if they get the studios who made the Yakuza games to design Station Square and Speed Highway's dawn area? Playing Yakuza 0 and looking at the shop windows and casinos that uses optical illusions to appear full and interesting but really 2.5D windows, I was reminded of Station Square when I explored the streets. It would be cool if Station Square takes a few pages from Yakuza's book.
Day cycle and Weather[]
SA1 had a day cycle but it was exclusively story scripted, as in the time of day changed during the progress of the story. Day cycle was a feature added in the mod BetterSADX where in freeplay if you take the train in the station the time of day will change when you reach the destination. Usually Evening→Night→Day. I just think it be nice if they kept this in freeplay mode given it gives the Adventure Field more variety of apperance.
I would also suggest a weather cycle. Rain was somewhat attempted in Sonic's fight with Chaos 0 but that was the only time it rained in Station Square. In Forces puddles of water could be seen throughout some stages, and they had good reflection and looked convincing so it be nice if that was implimented in the Adventure games. it be nice to see how weather can change the aesthetics of the adventure fields.
If the programmers want to they can go as far as making the Adventure Fields weather change the apperance of related Action Stages. For example stormy weather in Mystic Ruins may make Windy Valley more difficult with dark imposing clouds and more wind-based challenges, or a snowstorm in Icecap which makes the snowboarding segment more radical. It would also be interesting if the human NPCs respond to the weather in various ways, such as go for cover or go to specific areas and offer new dialogue.
Weather ideas:
- Clear
- Rain (Ranging from light drizzle to heavy downpoor)
- Stormy (Higher chance of happening during downpoor)
- Snow (Higher chance of happening during December)
Imagine going to the Mystic Ruins only it's raining, with heavy clouds above and a slight grey filter over the camera to emphasize the weather more. Or if you go to Station Square and it's gently snowing, the snow building up on the pavements and buildings. It would make revisiting these old Adventure Fields feel different every time.
(There's actually a mod called Christmas in Station Square which mostly replace various textures to make the city look covered in snow.)
Seasonal and online event[]
These days Sonic Team doesn't bother putting seasonal events in their video games, other than mobile releases which is more HardLight's doing, but Sonic Adventure originally had DLC events for Christmas, Halloween and New Year. It be cool if they did that again,only instead of an event that Sega themselves must schedule and organise it simply be cosmetic changes that appear depending on the internal calender of your console or computer.
Online events are events that Sega themselves make to update with for promotional othger reasons.
Revised Mission Mode[]
Such as missions that corrospond to seasonal events or DLCs. All the Sonic X content from the missions replaced.
Music[]
On October 10, 2019, Sonic's YouTube channel released a remix of Station Square's theme. While it had a bit of Spagonia flare to it it showed they still got it.
And of course, Adventure games wouldn't be an adventure without Crush 40 with theme for Sonic and the games themselves.
Voice Actors[]
My oppinion still remains from last time. I would prefer the available Dreamcast-era voice actors to reprise their roles if they can. Granted Ryan Drummond's union would insist on their terms and condition but it be more worth while if Sonic Team can get as many Dreamcast-era voice actors back as possible to voice the remake. Any particular voice actors that are unavailable should be substituted with their Sonic X voice actors.
While it may seem a lot to ask for Sega the effort would be appreciated, especially for Dreamcast-era fans.
While sega wouldn't have to given they already have a current voice cast for their modern games, there will still be uproar from those diehard Dreamcast fans who would find it blasphemous.
The only character who I would like to have a completely original voice would be Tails. In the Adventure games he was voiced by a genuine child actor (The Bringas brothers), it would be great if Tails was once again voiced by a child actor. The current voice actor of Lincoln Loud comes to mind.
Of course the voice actingcontract wouldn't just cover S1&2 but also SA3, and any promotional recordings as well.
I know what I'm asking for is somewhat ridiculous over little reason (not like all the other stuff I'm expecting would be plausable in SA1&2 remake) but I would still appreciate it if Sega goes through the trouble for it.
Chao Gardens[]
My thoughts and ideas on chao are so elaborate that I made another blog on if I remade Chao Gardens.
The only difference from before is that instead of collectible cards for chao battles Sega may want to instead sell virtual cards on the Chao Adventure 3 app instead, it be more cost efficient that way and save in forgeries.
As said before Sega could of given pokémon a run for it's money if they marketed chao right.
Steam Workshop[]
This would be particularly awesome... if SA1&2 was released on Steam it comes with a workshop. Modding community will be granted tools to make stages and upload them to the workshop. Subscribing to these submissions will update the "Stage Select" for the game it was made for to allow the stage to be playable. Downloading character skins or alt characters for freeplay mode and such.
Very minor changes I would make in SA1[]
As in some final changes to details that serve as nods to references than any significance or change to the game.
Sonic's shoes[]
Have Sonic wear the Hi-Speed Shoes.
While Sonic technically doesn't wear them until the next game it would make Sonic more defined from how he appears in modern games. You could say it defines him more as "Dreamcast Sonic" even though he never appears in Generations.
Amy remembers the good old days[]
In Amy's first cutscene when her story starts out, she reminisce of the old days when Sonic saved her from Metal Sonic. Given the daydream used pictures of prototype Windy Valley and that they appeared as their current models we don't know if she was recalling Sonic CD or another adventure we don't know of.
I'd simply make her flashback to Sonic CDs ending cinematic.
Tails' dream[]
After the first Sky Chase, Tails fell to the jungles of Mystic Ruins and was unconscious. He dreamt of chasing Sonic through those jungles. This left some fans perplex as they don't know if he was remembering how he first met Sonic which was nothing at all like this, or if it was purely a dream based on current events.
If it's the later then leave it as it is, it's fine. If it's suppose to be memories of how they first met then just gameplay footage of Emerald Hill Zone from Sonic 2. Eitherwhich it both consist of Tails chasing after Sonic so it still sticks to the message.
What I want for Sonic Adventure 3=[]
The idea is Sonic Team would save time and development on SA3 if they made SA1&2 first and recycle content from it to make SA3.
It's not my place on saying what exactly what I want from Sonic Adventure 3 or what story it should have, but I believe to be a good Sonic Adventure game it would require the following things that the previous games had:
- At least six playable characters, all playable equally one way or another.
- Dr. Eggman doing a genuine act of terrorism. In SA1 he attempted to blow up Station square with a missle, in SA2 he threatened to blow Amy's brains across the colony ARK's floor in a hostage situation. While as a "villain" he used ancient water elementals and space lasers to threaten the world with, these acts of villainy are more 90s comic villainly. It's when Eggman is threatening or commiting such acts of violence or war that reminds the audience he's still a threat and not an idle villain.
- To take place before Sonic Heroes. I'd much have it as a direct sequel and set somewhen two decades a go than continue on from Sonic Forces or such. It make nose sense why Sonic's gameplay change so radically.
If Sonic Team wanted to, they could make SA3 fill in some gaps that Sonic Heroes started with, such as how Metal Sonic became Neo and what Eggman did to cause or prevent it.