SEGA Removing "Poor" and "Average" Sonic Titles From Retail

[Liontamer]

http://www.sonicstadium.org/news/2010/10/sega-removing-poor-and-average-sonic-titles-from-retail/

I have to say, this was an interesting announcement.

Any thoughts on what should stay on store shelves?

OK, just looking through Metacritic, these games are being pulled (current gen only):

Sonic the Hedgehog 2006

Sonic Unleashed

Sonic and the Black Knight

Sonic Classic Collection DS

Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games

Sonic and the Secret Rings

Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity

Sonic Rivals

Sonic Rivals 2

and these are staying:

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing

Sonic Rush

Sonic Rush Adventure

Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection

[The Damned]

I would have guessed they would be pulling all of them.

[EC2151]

Gee now there's an easy-to-spot pattern of quality.

[José the Bronx Rican]

Wow, five whole minutes for the snidest, most obvious comment to appear? Things are looking up.

[Benjamin Briggs]

I have this sinking feeling that this is sega's only idea for improving the quality of the franchise

you know instead of making some sonic games that aren't fucking horrible

[Ferret]

Dear Sega: experimenting is nice but don't attenuate it to the point that you can't recognize the core elements that made the games fun to begin with.

Also stop making crap.

[EC2151]

While Sonic Rush and Rush Adventure aren't the GREATEST, they are easily the best Sonic games to be released in a good long while- that is to say, they are really GOOD.

Heck, I'd even bite and say Rush 1 was fantastic.

When people clamor for a return to Sonics' roots, why do they always forget Rush and Rush Adventure, and the three good Sonic Advance titles?

[Benjamin Briggs]

I'd rather have a 3d sonic game that isn't broken than a return to sonic's roots

[WillRock]

SEGA, if you are ashamed of your shitty sonic games, then don't make shitty sonic games to begin with.

[Dafydd]

SEGA, if you are ashamed of your shitty sonic games, then don't make shitty sonic games to begin with.

You said it.

[lazygecko]

Didn't Mario & Sonic sell something like 5 million?

[AkumajoBelmont]

Rush and Adventure were not good at all, imo. There was no subtlety to the mechanics, and it was all go, go, go... in a bad way.

I'm very much looking forward to Sonic 4... as it's the game that looks closest to the original games physics.

Sonic without Sonic-Physics is wrong.

[lazygecko]

Sonic Rush was the usual hold-right fest that Sonic Advance degenerated into starting with the second one, along with unpredictable trial-and-error spikes and bottomless pits. In addition to the stages just being really barren overall, barely any enemies around except those times when you are locked into a room and need to kill them all to proceed. It was far from one of the better Sonic games.

[Garpocalypse]

Unleashed is getting pulled?! That was such a great game, with the exception of most of the werehog levels.

S4 in less then a week and my xbox gave me the great E74 a few days ago and I have to wait two weeks for a new system to play it on.

On the plus side, I haven't been this productive in years. Music and work have been picking up for me nicely. Guess I gotta give something up....

That'll be it. Monday I am punching my boss in the back of the head.

[Emunator]

I'm with chthonic, I'd loooove to see something 3D that can capture what I liked about Sonic Adventure 2. All complaints aside, that's one of my all-time favorite games and I hold it in extremely high regard, and I don't see any reason they couldn't recreate that feeling in a new game.

[DarkeSword]

Saw Sonic Colors for Wii in action today at NYCC. Looks very good, though it's very much DIMPS Sonic gameplay (speed boosters, etc.).

[Strike911]

Geez, those are a lot of games. Even if they're awful, Sega acknowledging this is the first step in the right direction in what- 8 or 9 years? Ha.

... unless they think too many Sonic titles are just over saturating the market. Yeah, there are too many Sonic titles, but even worse there are too many bad Sonic titles.

I fondly remember the time when Sonic was in his heyday. Maybe this will lead to better Sonic games, and a return to what made the series great.

Not holding my breath though. Sega should just let the series air out a little; maybe that's what they're doing.

[EC2151]

Eh, I still liked Sonic Rush and the advance titles. I saw Rush kinda for what the title is, a rush. It was fun to blast through the stages, and there were some good bosses here and there.

Anyhoo, you also have to remember that the original Sonic team hasn't worked on a Sonic game for how long now? Like, since Sonic Adventure 2 or something? (not sure).

The point is, much like the sad, sad story that is Rare, the group that made the series great is long gone.

[Strike911]

The point is, much like the sad, sad story that is Rare, the group that made the series great is long gone.

Oh yeah, didn't most of the original Sonic Team staff leave the team? It's just Sonic Team only in name at this point, right?

[The Coop]

I wonder how long it'll take for the ebay sellers to start their "OMG L@@K RARE COPY OF SEGA-PULLED SONIC UNLEASHED" bullshit?

[Overflow]

So does this mean I can finally get a copy of Sonic 2005 for $2?

I can't figure Adventure out. I was able to do the first couple of sonic levels, but I have NO CLUE what to do in the Tails level; The Ruins. I really don't like the hub areas.

[Arek the Absolute]

i liked adventure and adventure 2

[LuketheXjesse]

i liked adventure and adventure 2

Pretty much this, though I kind of liked Sonic Heroes too.

[halc]

i'm seeing a distinct lack of shadow the hedgehog on this list

[Xenon Odyssey]

i'm seeing a distinct lack of shadow the hedgehog on this list

that's cuz shadow the hedgehog was the shit.

just kidding, that game blew something else