User:Glaber/the sonic suck theroy

One thing Sega really needs to learn nowadays is continuity merge.

Now before you pounce on me for suggesting that, read me out.

It's Sega's fault that the Sonic fanbase is so divided. The reason? A divided continuity. Sonic has had at least several continuities going. SatAM Archie, AoSTH, Sonic Under Ground, The Manga, Fleetway, The Canceld before it's first episode Sonic Cartoon for Europe, Sonic X, the chapter books, the kids books.

Nintendo and Mario on the other hand had seemed to master continuity merge. In Mario 64, we finally learn Princess Toadstool's first name to be Peach. Which was for some time her name in Japan.

Getting back to Sonic, Sonic Adventure had the opportunity to pull a Peach Toadstool but didn't. instead Sega tried to replace the continuity with what they had going in Japan already and completely toss out everything from Sega America (SatAM and Archie) and Sega Europe (Fleetway). If there is one thing people like is continuity of continuity. If you remember, the Fleetway cast died when the official comic went. Sure they continue in STC Online, but that's like following Sonic Genesis or Ghosts of the Future on Middle Ground comics.

I don't really know what was going on with Fleetway at the time they kicked the bucket, but for some reason Sonic wasn't saving them. Archie, however, was still going strong, or at least strong enough to continue. The Archie Sonic Comic had a few close calls with the Super specials dieing, Knuckles needing to merge back in and one could argue that even Archie Sonic X didn't have that staying power, even with Ian writing the stories.

Of course the Main series it self came close a few times due to either a story arch, to much focus on the love interests, or even what an author wanted to do that would change the perspective of an established character dramatically.

Now with Fleetway gone, something had to fill the void. So Both Archie imports and STC Online came in to fill it. Sega in the mean time failed to take notice of the continuity that was spreading from Archie and Sega USA. Instead they tried to further the Japanese continuity on the world. On the surface this seems to work, but if some kid has been reading the Archie comic for some time now, he or she may start to wonder where Sonic's other friends are.

Speaking of the comic again, Archie comics actually seen fit to go through with continuity merge, the change from Robotnik of SatAM to the Eggman we have today, Bringing in the countries from Unleashed, the poor tie-ins that go nowhere unlike the early days, Shadow, G.U.N. The S.S.S.S.S.Squad from AOSTH, and some time soon even Cream the Rabbit (authors note: About time.)

Sure one could argue that Sonic has WAY to many friends, but Can't you also say the same about Mario? Sure they don't show up as frequently, but then that could be one of the problems with Sonic. Friend frequency. Sonic many friend show up way too often and cause some people to hate them and the idea of adding characters to the Sonic Games. I personally don't hold this view. The thing I believe to be the problem with the characters is to many PLAYABLE characters. It's not that Sonic has too many friends, it that too many of them are playable. How many Mario Characters do you usually get to play as in a non party Mario game? Normally it's 1 to 4 max At least without counting the Mario RPGs and up to 6 total (Mario, Luigi, Toad, Peach, Yoshi, Bowser Koopa). With Sonic, he could have up to 12 Playable (Sonic Heroes) down to just one as 2 (Unleashed).