Solar Ash Is A Great Starting Point For The Next 3D Sonic Game

Solar Ash is a great game that cherry-picks ideas from Jet Set Radio, Shadow of the Colossus, and Super Mario Galaxy. However, only one series came to mind as I skated across its teal clouds: Sonic the Hedgehog. More specifically, the 3D entries, which are the oft-maligned titles responsible for decades of headaches for the Blue Blur. 

I’ll admit that I’m a Sonic traditionalist. My love of Sonic, like many other 30-somethings, began on the Sega Genesis, so I firmly believe the character is at his best in 2D. Sonic 2 is my favorite in the series and Sonic Mania, the 2017 throwback developed by a team of fans rather than Sonic Team proper, is the best entry in years. 

The 3D installments have never gotten Sonic right. Yes, even the Adventure series, which I respect but still maintain are bad games. Sonic Colors plays the best of the batch, but even that has plenty of problems (and has a far superior 2D counterpart on DS that more people should play). I’ve always found the behind-the-back roller coaster approach takes away too much control. You’re usually just sitting there watching Sonic sprint through a zillion loops and rings. It’s less about flow and more about watching things go really fast until you can play again. When you do get your hands back on Sonic, he often feels slippery and imprecise. Losing momentum sucks because of how troublesome it is to get back on track. These games also tend to be janky overall.

Read the full article in Gameinformer