Why Sonic's Story in 06 Doesn't Work | Characters In-Depth

Поділитися
Вставка
  • Опубліковано 25 лис 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 1,1 тис.

  • @charactersin-depth3472
    @charactersin-depth3472  6 місяців тому +6

    I need to correct myself on something. Tails did have some impact in the story. It was him who located the Cyan Chaos Emerald in Flame Core.

  • @dankayur2910
    @dankayur2910 4 роки тому +907

    Sonic teaching Elise the simple joy of running, free from all responsibility, was incredibly in character and a fitting enough basis for the sheltered princess to idolise him. But no, him reciprocating her feelings as the romance of the story was not who Sonic is.

    • @donathan2933
      @donathan2933 4 роки тому +126

      exactly if they got rid of the bestiality romance, Sonic's story would've been at least more tolerable

    • @dankayur2910
      @dankayur2910 4 роки тому +98

      @@donathan2933 Or if it was a one-sided thing that never amounted to anything, beyond triggering the necessary emotion when Sonic died.

    • @donathan2933
      @donathan2933 4 роки тому +3

      @@dankayur2910 true but one sided?

    • @dankayur2910
      @dankayur2910 4 роки тому +73

      @@donathan2933 It's not really in Sonic's character to form relationships like that.

    • @donathan2933
      @donathan2933 4 роки тому +3

      @@dankayur2910 true

  • @isaiahrivers7117
    @isaiahrivers7117 4 роки тому +512

    There was an episode in Sonic X where Sonic bonded with this girl called Helen and there were no romance in that. They could've replicated that in 06 with Sonic and Elise and not copy something that was in the Super Mario games where Mario had to save the princess all the time and get a kiss at the end.

    • @rainpooper7088
      @rainpooper7088 4 роки тому +114

      Yeah, that episode was great. It basically was Chris‘ entire character arc done right in just one episode.

    • @donathan2933
      @donathan2933 4 роки тому +33

      @@rainpooper7088 exactly but hey I'm glad they didn't write Chris well in X, because aside from Amy I needed another character to hate on in that show

    • @zemox2534
      @zemox2534 4 роки тому +55

      The episode with Helen was the best Sonic X episode. I love the bond between Sonic and Helen and how kind Somic was.

    • @donathan2933
      @donathan2933 4 роки тому +46

      @@zemox2534 I agree the 2010's could've learned a thing or two about Sonic being a kind and selfless hero with a spin off edge and snark instead devolving him into an annoying egotistical douchebag

    • @bluecheese7447
      @bluecheese7447 4 роки тому +1

      Exactly was I been saying

  • @silverluigi9792
    @silverluigi9792 4 роки тому +1584

    It's funny. The game's called SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, but Sonic does almost nothing compared to Shadow and Silver.

    • @maude7420
      @maude7420 4 роки тому +80

      He's just as important, Iblis would have been released from Elise due to the Egg Carrier's crash I think if it wasn't for him

    • @silverluigi9792
      @silverluigi9792 4 роки тому +139

      @@maude7420 I see your point, and I do agree to some extent, but I do think what I said still stands since Sonic doesn't really do much when it come to the main villain (since he hardly even met Mephilis), and the fact he does the same thing in this game throughout most of the story. I did also say compared to. Yes, he does have some baring on the plot, but compared to Shadow (who tries to stop Mephilis which includes sealing him in the past) and Silver (who is tricked by Mephilis for most of the game), Sonic doesn't do as much.
      But hey, that's how I interpret things. You can have your own thoughts.

    • @MaminakaMrpaperbag
      @MaminakaMrpaperbag 4 роки тому +38

      Sonic was useless in this game

    • @SuperSonicWarrior93
      @SuperSonicWarrior93 4 роки тому +36

      The only way it would make sense to name a 3D Sonic game "Sonic The Hedgehog", is if the game was diving into Sonic's backstory.

    • @electrocast
      @electrocast 4 роки тому +23

      given the game's character-based story structure & overall feel, i'd say this one was meant to be titled sonic adventure 3. can you imagine the parallel universe where this happened & the fandom didn't cry for a sonic adventure 3 for 15 years

  • @nicegoatdoctor8224
    @nicegoatdoctor8224 4 роки тому +681

    Shadow: I’m forced to face the (kind of literal) demons of my past and deal with the fact that the entire world will unjustly betray me.
    Silver: I come from a ruined time and have to come to terms that I’ve been manipulated and sacrifice my only friend to save my world.
    Sonic: I have to go on a bunch of fetch quests.

    • @yellowmello1223
      @yellowmello1223 4 роки тому +117

      Sonic: Uh oh, my princess is in another castle! Gotta go!

    • @MoskusMoskiferus1611
      @MoskusMoskiferus1611 4 роки тому +9

      This needs more Likes

    • @nicegoatdoctor8224
      @nicegoatdoctor8224 4 роки тому +9

      mahoushoujo maisoon
      Get your head out of the gutter!

    • @kidvega0450
      @kidvega0450 4 роки тому +13

      Anyone else reading this in the snapcube voices?

    • @danielledoeswhat
      @danielledoeswhat 4 роки тому +5

      And it. Is. So. ANNOYING!
      Edit: my like made the like count be 123 and that makes me happy.

  • @the_acquainted_guy
    @the_acquainted_guy 4 роки тому +551

    Compared to Shadow's and Silver's stories, it does kind of feel like a downgrade. It's kind of like a C-Plot in a TV Show that only connects with the main story right at the end.

  • @NinjaKingAce
    @NinjaKingAce 4 роки тому +457

    Also, Shahra, from Secret Rings, is what Elise should've been. Not only does she work better as a traveling companion, (for reasons stated in the video,) but Sonic gives her the same advice of "Why so glum? You should smile more," but it feels more genuine, partly because there's no forced romantic undertones, Sonic's just trying to cheer her up. It also helps that Sonic's personality isn't muted, like it is in '06. He's the same Sonic we've come to expect from the Adventure era

    • @crocodileman94
      @crocodileman94 4 роки тому +79

      I guess the employees who were removed from 06 in order to create Secret Rings were the ones who were supposed to write Elise's character.

    • @beckab4726
      @beckab4726 4 роки тому +29

      @@crocodileman94 ok but that actually would make a lot of sense 😂

    • @jordancromwell
      @jordancromwell 4 роки тому +15

      @@crocodileman94 I can believe that

    • @OmarRodriguez-pj3qy
      @OmarRodriguez-pj3qy 4 роки тому +40

      Blaze also would've definitely fit the role of having the responsibility of a Princess and being the vessel of a world ending flame. She actually became more reclusive because of the weight of her responsibility and tried to handle them on her own in Sonic Rush! She didn't do much in 06 anyway so that being her role would've fit perfectly.

    • @beckab4726
      @beckab4726 4 роки тому +38

      @@OmarRodriguez-pj3qy Right?! Blaze would have made so much more sense! "Sol" emeralds, "Sol-eana"! Sol- means sun in a Latin, it would have fit perfectly

  • @StylusShade
    @StylusShade 4 роки тому +425

    I've always admired how the Jason Griffith Sonic was more laidback and arguably more mature version of the character, but they didn't have the time or manpower to fully pull it off here. The only time it truly works in this game is when he accepts Silver's help despite he tried to kill him twice.

    • @donathan2933
      @donathan2933 4 роки тому +95

      agreed. When Jason Griffith first voiced Sonic (in the games not Sonic as a whole) Sonic developed a bit. He became less immature, cocky and cheeky and much more calm, mature, caring and laid back while still maintaining the edge and sense of Adventure. The Black Knight was arguably Sonic's best portrayal ever in the games

    • @F0re5tMan
      @F0re5tMan 4 роки тому +45

      @@donathan2933 Agreed. Black Knight also featured Griffith's best Shadow performance (even though it was technically Lancelot).

    • @shockwavespider3942
      @shockwavespider3942 4 роки тому +3

      It's like he's a different person

    • @F0re5tMan
      @F0re5tMan 4 роки тому +1

      @@shockwavespider3942 Agreed.

    • @donathan2933
      @donathan2933 4 роки тому

      @@jjayrichardsfilms cool

  • @fruitloops2058
    @fruitloops2058 4 роки тому +1016

    When your story is the worst part of a game named about you.

    • @san9-943
      @san9-943 4 роки тому +49

      Watch me whip!
      Now watch me named named!

    • @xeno4693
      @xeno4693 4 роки тому +13

      @@san9-943 stfu

    • @san9-943
      @san9-943 4 роки тому +28

      @@xeno4693 understandable have a nice day

    • @michia3765
      @michia3765 4 роки тому +7

      @@san9-943 😂

    • @nicholas_gurr
      @nicholas_gurr 4 роки тому +7

      @@san9-943 Get name name’d

  • @skyscavenger7732
    @skyscavenger7732 4 роки тому +65

    I'll summarize why in three sentences:
    Shadow's story: Discover the story of Soleanna and the true nature of Mephiles.
    Silver's story: Find a way to defeat Iblis and save the future.
    Sonic's story: Run after Eggman to rescue Elise.

  • @imanobody7911
    @imanobody7911 4 роки тому +315

    Because he doesn't encounter Mephiles at all and he doesn't even know that Mephiles exists! And for some reason Shadow and Rouge didn't warn them about Mephiles when they met in the future. Literally the entirety of Sonic's story was rescuing Elise which got kidnapped like 5 times throughout the story while the main story was around Shadow and Silver.
    But despite all of that, I loved 06's story. For once the main focus of the story wasn't only on Sonic (like all the 2010's games). Such a shame that we never got to see him team up with Shadow and Silver again and they got left out and butchered to one dimentional side characters...

    • @purpledragon1945
      @purpledragon1945 4 роки тому +28

      Yeah your right, sonic is useless to the actual story’s plot

    • @ultrairrelevantnobody1862
      @ultrairrelevantnobody1862 4 роки тому +40

      Kind of weird how 06 is pretty much the opposite of the 2010s games story wise. Sonic is the only capable hero in the meta era, whereas here he contributes very little of importance.

    • @michia3765
      @michia3765 4 роки тому +49

      I completely agree with you! Seriously, I believe if Sonic 06 never got rushed, it's story maybe could've been on of the best Sonic stories. I mean, 06 at least *tried* to build up a interesting story, with the concept of having the story told from different perspectives of each characters (Sonic story, Shadow story, Silver story). I personally loved that. However, the Sonic story was... The most Uninteresting thing about the story, (imo) and was more there for the Love story aspect of Elice and Sonic. Seriously, the first look into 06 for me was, I actually was hyped, seeing that it had a more darker Storytelling, similar to SA2 But as I played the Sonic story, I suddenly lost more and more motivation, until the introduction of the new characters. I played the Shadow Story, (Shadow was the best written in that game imo) and got more into it. Then I played the Silver Story, I somehow started to actually love the story. And I know that game had A LOT OF PLOT HOLES, but for me personal, the Story *was* the only reason I even look back on 06, simply even with all it flaws it was interesting to me. I don't really share the opinion that dark Storytelling in Sonic is bad. I actually would prefer a more deep Storytelling like in SA2 or Sonic and the black knight. It doesn't have to be "Edgy" like in Shadow the hedgehog. It can be more light hearted like in Unleashed. I seriously prefer all of those games Story's, over every "Story" they brought us in 2010 - 2017.
      *Thanks for reading my horribly written comment lmao*

    • @imanobody7911
      @imanobody7911 4 роки тому +11

      @@michia3765 Couldn't say it better myself

    • @donathan2933
      @donathan2933 4 роки тому +3

      agreed I liked 06's story for the most part

  • @SSand4
    @SSand4 4 роки тому +84

    In the spirit of fairness, I think the problem *wasn't* a lack of ideas, it was the fact the SEGA rushed the game out to meet a set-in-stone release date, and on top of that kept yanking around the production team to different projects.
    From what I've heard, they *had* a lot of ideas, potentially great ideas....they just weren't given the time and team stability to actually *finish* them.
    The game as released wasn't done, plain and simple. It needed another 4 months of severe crunch to a year of normal work to be finished.
    So I cut the writers and game designers a lot of slack for this one, they were practically sabotaged and set-up for failure by their corporate overlords.
    Also, obligatory Snapcube Fandub reference:
    Eggman: "I've kidnapped you like 17 times now! How many times is it gonna take?!"
    Elise: "I feel like it'll be at least 18."

    • @RobotGlovesArt
      @RobotGlovesArt 3 роки тому

      I disagree. Majority of the writing felt like padding, even in Shadow's story after fighting Mephiles the first time. If they were going to be ambitious, at least have a clear story instead of trying to mesh different stories together for the anniversary game. Unless there were actual deleted storylines that didn't make it or background material like in the Adventure games.

  • @tiablue9106
    @tiablue9106 4 роки тому +183

    It also doesn’t help that sonic seems SO uninvested in anything aside from Eggman taking Elise. Sees mephiles in the future? Doesn’t question his presence. Silver attacks him like 3 times? He never rly questions why. Comes back after being killed by Mephiles? Just immediately goes to defeat Solaris, no big deal. Hell, we find out in the other stories that Elise saw silver in the past, and in sonic’s opening cutscene she thinks Sonic IS silver, yet she has no reaction to the real silver?? Why don’t they even talk abt him? It’s like sonic’s story was intent on being disconnected from shadow and silver

    • @blairomani
      @blairomani 4 роки тому +33

      Your not wrong, I was so confused when she met Silver that there was no kind of interaction.

    • @jacobmonks3722
      @jacobmonks3722 4 роки тому +9

      The answer to those questions is the same answer for pretty much every problem this game has: not enough time or resources.

    • @tiablue9106
      @tiablue9106 4 роки тому +27

      @@jacobmonks3722 oh yeah, they had enough time for eggman to kidnap elise and explain his plan to her 5 times, time for tails and knuckles, but no time to gives sonic's story any sense of real weight, structure or logic whatsoever lol even as a first draft it doesn't work

    • @HannahBanina
      @HannahBanina 3 роки тому +12

      IIRC Knuckles of all people was literally the only one to acknowledge Mephiles at all in Sonic's campaign ("Who was that guy? He looked just like Shadow!") and then Sonic and Tails just ignored him and went right over to the computer. Geez, give the guy a little credit, Sonic 🙄

    • @DLxxx
      @DLxxx 3 роки тому +8

      Sonic DOES question Silver though, lol. I know what you mean, it's not like he demands answers or tries to interrogate him, but he's not so distracted that he doesn’t seriously question why the guy is trying to kill him.
      After their first fight, Silver scoffs at him, confused as to how someone so weak could cause the destruction of the world, Sonic says "What do you.. mean?" Only to be dismissed. This juxtaposed to their final meet up, where Silver saves Sonic in Kingdom Valley, and Sonic asks "So.. what's going on?" And this time, Silver explains his intentions to save Elise.

  • @kata5917
    @kata5917 4 роки тому +100

    Sonic is basically the love interest in his own story. Elise is the one developing and learning new information, relevant to herself and her world. Even that stupid final scene of them laughing is meant to show how far SHE'S come. He doesn't learn any abilities that push the narrative forward (except the ones when he's holding Elise) or even have a personal stake in the story by the end, except that he cares about Elise.
    The whole 'Iblis trigger' thing only matters because his death makes Elise cry, because she loves him. Mephilis killing him was completely impersonal. Elise could have gotten close with anyone and they would have become the Iblis trigger. Sonic got fridged in his own story and it honestly astounds me. How do you treat your main boy with this much disrespect??

    • @bunsmasterbunny
      @bunsmasterbunny 2 роки тому +6

      That's what makes it great. Sonic has never been the main character of his own stories so having someone else grow and develop as the main story is wonderful. The other two only happen because Mephiles needs Sonic's to happen. And Sonic is the only one who could have brought Elise out of her depression because of being the kind of person he is. It's beautiful and the best scenario in the game for that reason.

  • @castform7
    @castform7 4 роки тому +128

    Sonic summarized how most people felt about his campaign in one simple sentence. *"How long is this gonna go on."*

  • @VincentEternal
    @VincentEternal 4 роки тому +100

    Honestly Sonic story feels like bad story dlc at times. Like dlc that was created after the game came out just to explain where the character was while everyone was off doing much more important and interesting things.

  • @MrCwazie
    @MrCwazie 4 роки тому +115

    Well, in Silver's defense, I don't think he was meant to be a rival to sonic in 06.

    • @thatonemanbehindthegarbage7126
      @thatonemanbehindthegarbage7126 4 роки тому +35

      While I do agree that he wasn’t meant to be much of a rival...SEGA did kinda present that way. Doesn’t help that before the games release people were already comparing him to Shadow.

    • @jamiegioca9448
      @jamiegioca9448 4 роки тому +15

      Of course not. He doesn't have the time for BS that Shadow and Jet had

    • @kieranstark7213
      @kieranstark7213 3 роки тому +3

      He should be a rival a lot more often, that way they could have an epic battle of powers (they might both have Super speed and telekinesis)!

    • @kieranstark7213
      @kieranstark7213 3 роки тому +3

      He should be a rival a lot more often, that way they could have an epic battle of powers (they might both have Super speed and psychokinesis)!

    • @DLxxx
      @DLxxx 3 роки тому +7

      He was, to an extent, and I absolutely think it could've worked, but they didn't go as hard with it as they should have. You could still have all the same story beats with Silver being manipulated, but change things up so that there's a sense of progression in there relationship, beyond just Silver's change of heart.
      First, when Silver attacks Sonic at the start, Silver should NOT have had any implications of losing (even if he didn't in the end). It should've either been a clear, visible draw, with Silver gaining the upper hand once Sonic turns his back on him, or Silver should've just flat out won. And afterward, Sonic should reflect on the interaction, and wonder what Silver's story was. Acknowledging him as something to be VERY cautious of going forward. That way, Sonic would have something to pay him back for (perhaps he blames him for Elise getting captured again). Also, Elise should've reacted more to Silver's appearance. She initially thought Sonic WAS Silver when they first met, but she never says anything to him when he actually shows up? Even a small acknowledgement like: "It's you!" Could've served to add more weight to the meeting, and acted as a pay off to Elise's vision of Silver in the opening CGI. After Elise is saved again, Sonic could ask her WHERE she's seen Silver before, which could prompt a conversation about the Solaris project, and the disaster that happened ten years ago. Perhaps even tell him that Silver was the one who "saved" her all those years ago.
      When they encounter again in Radical Train, THIS is where we should've gotten their big rematch, with Sonic at the point of *demanding* answers, and looking to pay him back for before. This time, Sonic ends the fight victorious, briefly standing over Silver, but instead of asking if he's OK, he just says (through exhausted, grit teeth) "Now... Talk!!" Only for Silver to tell him to "shut up!", before blasting him into a nearby wall, and reversing their position. "I'm doing this because I HAVE TO!" Silver paralyses Sonic in his psychic grip, preparing to deal the final blow. Elise screams for him to stop, but he steals himself, nearly going through with it before Shadow finally intervenes. Things play out the same way they do in the game, and Silver and Sonic reconcile in Kingdom Valley. Except this time, Sonic is more cautious at first, reving up for another match, before seeing Silver has no interest in fighting, and so lowering his guard, before asking him (calmly) "So.. you gonna tell me what's going on?" Silver quietly nods. "Circumstances have changed... I need to rescue the princess.." And Sonic, remembering what Elise told him about Silver before, agrees. Playfully saying something like "It's about time. Let's go!"

  • @juswadweebus
    @juswadweebus 4 роки тому +154

    6:49
    For a second, I thought my phone froze

  • @vladc137
    @vladc137 4 роки тому +98

    Honestly, pretty much everything you said here was valid. Sonic's story is by far the weakest in what's otherwise a really cool and good story. Instead of kidnapping, Elise needed more time to develop, so the player could feel for her a bit more. She isn't bad conceptually, but I would probably axe the romance and go more for a friendship angle.

    • @SonicGamerGirl2006
      @SonicGamerGirl2006 4 роки тому +19

      I 100% agree with you. Elise should have been written as one of Sonic's friends RATHER THAN a... love interest. :|

    • @bunsmasterbunny
      @bunsmasterbunny 2 роки тому +1

      The kidnapping led to development. She has just as much as any other Sonic character and her story is as well done as any of theirs. There's nothing wrong with her being in love with him either.

    • @sudowoodo5826
      @sudowoodo5826 2 роки тому

      @@bunsmasterbunny nothing wrong ? Idk man that sh*t is borderline zoophilia

  • @grievousmarkv
    @grievousmarkv 4 роки тому +52

    We need a Silver the hedgehog game where it serves as the proper reboot for sonic 06.

  • @mariaaguirre6730
    @mariaaguirre6730 4 роки тому +31

    Mario: It's a me, Mario
    Sonic: It's a me, Sonic
    Mario: It doesn't come out for you, shut up

  • @Vitz_atelier
    @Vitz_atelier 4 роки тому +67

    Kinda sad that in the end it wasn't HIS WORLD after all.

  • @Eriorguez
    @Eriorguez 4 роки тому +73

    Still thinking Elise should had been a kid about Maria's age.
    And still thinking Tails and Knuckles should have had a stronger role, even if as the guys who have Sonic's back. Have Knuckles be tracking Eggman on his own, just to run into Sonic and team up, rather than being a delivery boy.
    And have them be competent. The Heroes character dynamics being at play in this one would had been golden.
    Also, yeah, Eggman as a Bond villain is... meh.

    • @KingdomHeartsBrawler
      @KingdomHeartsBrawler 4 роки тому +12

      Robotnik being a Bond villain was pulled off much better in Sonic Adventure 2.

    • @donathan2933
      @donathan2933 4 роки тому +6

      @@KingdomHeartsBrawler exactly but in Adventure 2 everyone was portrayed well. EVERYONE

    • @KingdomHeartsBrawler
      @KingdomHeartsBrawler 4 роки тому +1

      @@donathan2933 True.

    • @donathan2933
      @donathan2933 4 роки тому

      @@KingdomHeartsBrawler yup

    • @tiagocervera5661
      @tiagocervera5661 Рік тому

      The reason i thounght that knuckles was there in 06 was becuase i thounght tails went to tell knuckles what was happing

  • @biodock2003
    @biodock2003 4 роки тому +146

    It’s like Cars 2, the main character barely has an impact on the story

    • @games_on_phone89
      @games_on_phone89 4 роки тому +27

      pretty sure the main character in Cars 2 is Mater; it's not like in the 1st and 3rd ones where Mcqueen's the lead

    • @biodock2003
      @biodock2003 4 роки тому +9

      @@games_on_phone89 But Lightening McQueen is the main character of the franchise but the movie just focuses on a side character

    • @games_on_phone89
      @games_on_phone89 4 роки тому +23

      @@biodock2003 yes, mcqueen IS the franchise's protagonist, but i'm just saying that mater was the sequel's protagonist

    • @rabiahbosriali4218
      @rabiahbosriali4218 4 роки тому +16

      @@biodock2003 Also, the franchise is called "Cars", not "Lightning McQueen".

    • @Comic3665
      @Comic3665 4 роки тому +3

      @@rabiahbosriali4218 he never once implied that the series was called Lightning McQueen

  • @psyxypher3881
    @psyxypher3881 4 роки тому +41

    Been saying this for a long time. You could've had 06 with just Shadow and Silver.
    Too bad SEGA didn't think of making THIS Shadow's game.

    • @donathan2933
      @donathan2933 4 роки тому +6

      exactly

    • @autobotproductions1244
      @autobotproductions1244 2 роки тому +6

      It really feels more like a Shadow the Hedgehog game than the actual Shadow the Hedgehog game

  • @donathan2933
    @donathan2933 4 роки тому +117

    I feel like during this part of the Dark era, Sonic as a character seemed less focused on, so he and Tails and Knuckles were temporarily pushed to the side while characters like Shadow, Blaze and Silver have more compelling developing stories. Not counting Sonic's story 06 had a decent story and plot overall, Silver and especially Shadow's stories were the best

    • @calebproductions1264
      @calebproductions1264 4 роки тому +1

      Blaze was more less focused as some of the other characters in the story yet she’s the only good character to play as in this game.

    • @donathan2933
      @donathan2933 4 роки тому +1

      @@calebproductions1264 the only good character to play as. Shadow and Silver weren't good to play as? Bullshit

    • @calebproductions1264
      @calebproductions1264 4 роки тому +3

      Well sorry for being honest.

    • @donathan2933
      @donathan2933 4 роки тому +1

      @@calebproductions1264 no sorry to you for being opinionated

    • @flarestorm9417
      @flarestorm9417 4 роки тому +10

      Yeah, in 06 it feels like Tails and Knuckles just get put in or taken out of Sonic's story at arbitrary times. Where were Tails and Knuckles during Radical Train and Kingdom Valley? Sonic travels back in time, then Tails and Knuckles just show up again in Aquatic Base. And then they get left behind when Sonic boards Eggman's ship and just stroll through town with Amy after.

  • @theminecraft2516
    @theminecraft2516 4 роки тому +92

    I think Sonic’s story in 06 is the fourth worst story next to Shadow 2005, Sonic Forces, and Sonic Lostworld
    Shadow and Silver’s story tell a really good story though, even if there are a few plot holes
    Edit: I forgot Colors existed, I’d put it above Sonic Forces but below Sonic Lostworld

    • @SlashCraftJack
      @SlashCraftJack 4 роки тому +19

      If we had one definitive route for Shadow's game, it would have been decent, but we have to play all routes so I didn't attempt it.

    • @nicholasbarbee2374
      @nicholasbarbee2374 4 роки тому +7

      Sometimes, I wonder if Shadow 05 is meant to leave questioning things, like a grey character in an RPG game would. I'm still theorizing those paths to this day!😨 At the same time, I know they messed up big in different fields of that game.

    • @Lazypackmule
      @Lazypackmule 4 роки тому +5

      I believe ow the edge does in fact have a route that's more or less 'canon'
      Like, there are several important things that only happen in certain levels, and plenty of mission objectives that would never actually line up with Shadow's motivation, not to mention ones that blatantly can't happen

    • @gameman5804
      @gameman5804 4 роки тому

      @@theminecraft2516 06 is still number one for me. I genuinely hate a good 90% of it's guts.

    • @ChaddyFantome
      @ChaddyFantome 4 роки тому +1

      Shadow and Silver's story dont hold up at all. Mephiles' motivations make absolutely zero sense.

  • @HikaruBaskerville
    @HikaruBaskerville 4 роки тому +26

    I’ve been one of those people to knock Elise as a character, and for the most part, now that I watch and listen to what you had to say, now I have a solid understanding why I knock her and why it’s actually pretty wrong.its not exactly the character’s fault that the writers couldn’t get it right.

  • @comicbookking3446
    @comicbookking3446 4 роки тому +71

    Elise didn't really need to kiss Sonic to resurrect him

    • @maude7420
      @maude7420 4 роки тому +4

      I guess it was necessary lol
      Made the scenery more grand and all
      It's hard to agree against the fact that it failed tho
      Would be a shame if people kept mentionning that for 14 years tho!

    • @calebproductions1264
      @calebproductions1264 4 роки тому +15

      Same thing with disney characters kissing an animal, yet I don’t hear people complain about that, it’s always just sonic.

    • @Celestial7Heavens
      @Celestial7Heavens 4 роки тому +10

      She could had revived him with her tears that would had casted into sunlight like in the movie Tangled.
      It would had made a nice reference to Soleanna’s Sun God Solaris. Looks like Disney executed the idea better.

    • @rynobehnke8289
      @rynobehnke8289 4 роки тому +18

      To be fair its made a bit more clear WHY she did it in the Japanese version.
      Quick explanation.
      -Mephiles kills Sonic by shattering his soul.
      -Elise notes that his soul is still with them in the wind
      -Silver suggest that Elise can stuff Sonic's brocken souls in her to put it together like she did with Iblis the last 10 years.
      -The Chaos Emeralds put Sonic's soul fragments into Elise like there did 10 years ago with Iblis
      -Elise smooched Sonic's soul back into his body
      symbolism

    • @blitz4506
      @blitz4506 4 роки тому +1

      some peope say that she was meant to be a vessel for sonic to be brought back

  • @silverjrbr2
    @silverjrbr2 4 роки тому +54

    in this game the story of Sonic is not good but the story of silver and shadow are great. this game introduced me to my favorite character (Silver) so I love 06

    • @michia3765
      @michia3765 4 роки тому +13

      Most of the people who said that 06 had a bad Story, *only* talked about Sonic story in 99% of the case, like the other story's weren't existed or anything... I get that, the Sonic story is the one people got first introduced to, and we'll can't deny that the Sonic story is the worst part of the main story. But I'm kinda sick of people calling it the worst Sonic story just because of Elice. I don't know if that's true, but I have the feeling that those people haven't even looked at all the stories.

    • @michia3765
      @michia3765 4 роки тому +7

      Also, me too! Silver was the reason why I got into 06. I loved his Story, and I love Silver as a character. He was and still is my favorite Sonic character.

    • @theminecraft2516
      @theminecraft2516 4 роки тому +1

      I like 06 because it’s fun

    • @orngng
      @orngng 4 роки тому +8

      Michiaー the worst thing is that people say 06 is bad without actually playing the game at all it could be just some sheep following

    • @theminecraft2516
      @theminecraft2516 4 роки тому +3

      Izaak Yeah I literally read a comment below a dunkey video and he said 06 was worse than Bubsy 3D smh

  • @tab-xp8fb
    @tab-xp8fb 4 роки тому +56

    I think it would've helped if elise was actually emotionless (or just not emote well) and learned to really live life through sonic. As for tails and knuckles, I feel like they could've done something together while they weren't with sonic. Maybe a new threat to soleanna appears and after debating with sonic they realize how important the situation is and decide to split up. Maybe they even meet amy and work with her, idk, just something. It would worked even better since the game would've had individual stories. I guess it would be weird for them to split up halfway through the story though. I don't think silver needs to be a rival though.

    • @donathan2933
      @donathan2933 4 роки тому

      agreed

    • @amandaslough125
      @amandaslough125 4 роки тому +1

      Actually, if they met up with Amy, they could have done a few side missions that function like Aonic Heroes. Amy substituting as their speed type.

    • @donathan2933
      @donathan2933 4 роки тому

      @@amandaslough125 guess so

    • @Xcopyz
      @Xcopyz 4 роки тому +5

      I like the emotionless Elise idea. She's create a better contrast with Sonic and the characters would work off each other better.

    • @donathan2933
      @donathan2933 4 роки тому

      @@Xcopyz guess so

  • @SnowyOwlKonnen
    @SnowyOwlKonnen 4 роки тому +53

    You did a good job explaining a lot of the issues with Sonic's story mode.
    Though I do have one small criticism. I disagree that the issue with Sonic and Elise having some sort of romance isn't because they are two different species.
    There are plenty of stories with that premise like "Who Framed Rodger Rabbit", "Beauty and the Beast" as well as a bunch of Sci-Fi stories with humans and aliens.
    (Also before anyone point's it out, yes the Beast turns into a human, but be honest with yourself. Belle would have continued to love him even if he didn't turn back. xD)
    The problem is the writing and how oddly Sonic act's to fit into said writing, which you did mention.
    Aside from that. Good video dude.

    • @Lugbzurg
      @Lugbzurg 4 роки тому +16

      So much this. There's a plethora of "Human X Non-Human" stories out there that NEVER get criticized for doing this, yet Sonic '06's take gets condemned on the concept of being "Human X Non-Human" alone moreso than just how poor the execution was.

    • @MaximumSpider19
      @MaximumSpider19 4 роки тому +9

      Roger and Jessica Rabbit get a pass because their romance is played up for laughs. The Beast and Belle get a pass because at least the Beast was human at some point before the spell was cast on him.

    • @MaximumSpider19
      @MaximumSpider19 4 роки тому

      @@jjayrichardsfilms I have yet to watch the rest of the 2012 series, but doesn't she end up with Casey anyway? Besides, that gets a pass too, because the show at least goes out of its way to tell the audience how weird it is through certain characters.

    • @MaximumSpider19
      @MaximumSpider19 4 роки тому +3

      @@jjayrichardsfilms Which version? In the Mirage Comics she ends up with Casey, same with the live action movies. In the 2003 series she also ends up with Casey, and ends up marrying him in the finale. IDW, she’s with Casey. In the Michael Bay films, it was Mikey who had the hots for her, and guess what? People didn’t like that either. And any human on mutant romance in the 87 cartoon I immediately put it in the same category as Roger and Jessica. Also, Sonic may ACT human but does he look human? Anatomically speaking, no. His head is bigger than Elise’s entire body. An anthropomorphic animal is still an animal.

    • @millicentsimba3131
      @millicentsimba3131 4 роки тому +1

      @@MaximumSpider19 um look i see where your trying to go with this, but a human is also an animal, its just advanced. an anthropomorphic animal is an animal with human qualities making it an advanced animal. and why do the other human and anthro relationships get a pass? "because for laughs" what excuse is that? "because he was human at a point" well now he became an animal with *HUMAN* qualities and inhuman proportions but it still worked as Belle fell in love with him when he was a beast not when he was human, you see my point? it can work with proper writing but it wasn't the case in 06. its like the other guy said if it was a human and a normal animal it would be disgusting but since their anthropomorphs meaning they act like humans its not weird at all. just needs proper writing. also you shouldnt really be going for michael bay films to prove your point they are universally hated

  • @ApexPredator1000
    @ApexPredator1000 4 роки тому +22

    Furthers the point that there's more positive to learn from 06 than not.
    06 was 90% right idea; just need to tweak some parts and flesh out the rest. It was a really good pie that got taken out of the oven way too early.
    I'd love for new Sonic games to go this direction with stories again; they just need to put the time in and keep the passion throughout.

    • @ZUnknownFox
      @ZUnknownFox 4 роки тому +4

      also sonic 06 was rushed because it was the 15th anniversary game but still even if they took another 8 months to a year the game would've been way more polished and might've become known as the best game.

    • @RobotGlovesArt
      @RobotGlovesArt 3 роки тому +1

      I prefer if it was more like the Adventure games in direction. 06 felt like it wanted to be a JRPG with magic, light and darkness cliches and reliance on very specific actions in order to drive the plot. The Adventure games did a better job feeling like Sonic's science fantasy action genre.

  • @NinjaKingAce
    @NinjaKingAce 4 роки тому +39

    '06 is like the opposite of Adventure. In Sonic Adventure, Sonic's campaign is the main story, while all the other campaigns are side stories. In '06, Shadow and Silver's campaigns are the main story, and Sonic's campaign is a side story

    • @bleakburd4965
      @bleakburd4965 3 роки тому +6

      I'd say that 06 is the opposite of the 2010's games in terms of story. In the 2010's, Sonic was the only character with significance while in 06, he's a side character

    • @gameman5804
      @gameman5804 3 роки тому +2

      @@bleakburd4965
      He’s not wrong though.

  • @brickenawesomefilms6301
    @brickenawesomefilms6301 4 роки тому +35

    I can't help but find the thumbnail to this video to be incredibly funny.

  • @zemox2534
    @zemox2534 4 роки тому +31

    I feel bad for Sonic. The game is named after him and yet, his story sections are the worse part of the game. If the developers made more effort to fix the glitches, pacing issues and made Sonic more relevant to the Mephiles plot sonic 06 would have been better received

    • @SuperSonicWarrior93
      @SuperSonicWarrior93 3 роки тому

      Yup. And actually standing a chance against Silver.

    • @ruqiyofarah9427
      @ruqiyofarah9427 3 роки тому

      If u think that’s bad just look at the reception of the game

  • @TheAzulmagia
    @TheAzulmagia 4 роки тому +33

    Sonic's story doesn't work because the plot is just him saving the same girl five times in a row without once interacting with the main villain.

  • @sulphurous2656
    @sulphurous2656 4 роки тому +13

    "At least Optimus and Megatron interacted with eachother before..." Bullseye with that analogy. Sonic could have definitely learned something from Transformers this decade.

  • @RotcodFox
    @RotcodFox 4 роки тому +44

    I actually do like Sonic 06, even if I have many problems with it. Most Sonic stages are pretty great, and Silver's story is overall decent 👌 (haven't touched Shadow's story since the stages are supposedly terrible)

    • @amagicalbeing7427
      @amagicalbeing7427 4 роки тому +20

      Shadows Story is amazing my favourite of them all

    • @the_acquainted_guy
      @the_acquainted_guy 4 роки тому +19

      @@amagicalbeing7427 it really is. It's one of my favourite stories in the entire Sonic franchise.

    • @imanobody7911
      @imanobody7911 4 роки тому +11

      Not all of them are terrible but the story and character development definitely makes up for it

    • @michia3765
      @michia3765 4 роки тому +3

      @@amagicalbeing7427 Mine too. It actually was the highlight for me in 06. And yes, the Silver story is decent imo

    • @michia3765
      @michia3765 4 роки тому +3

      @@the_acquainted_guy I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks that.

  • @Joshua_Lara101
    @Joshua_Lara101 4 роки тому +12

    I kind of agree I mean all Sonic did was save Elise while Shadow and Silver stories actually had them do something important.

  • @Truehero1057
    @Truehero1057 7 днів тому +1

    6:48 This part made me think the video was buffering. I couldn't help but laugh after hearing you say "Why couldn't they land too?"

  • @vocalcalibration8033
    @vocalcalibration8033 4 роки тому +20

    I take issue with the implication Jet was a bad rival. I WILL fight you on this!

    • @ZUnknownFox
      @ZUnknownFox 4 роки тому

      but he was, he was added in a game where his goal is to win a race on a hoverboard and compete for an emerald... he doesn't really do anything more than just be a very competitive guy who will cheat if he has to.

    • @vocalcalibration8033
      @vocalcalibration8033 4 роки тому +4

      @@ZUnknownFox Okay well first of all he never knowingly cheats, Wave does that on her own and never tells him about it.
      Second, he is the only character to challenge Sonic's title of fastest thing alive directly and he does this despite not having any known super powers like Sonic or Shadow, meaning he earned his abilities.
      Third, he's one of the few character to visibly get under Sonic's skin.
      Fourth, while not directly related to him being Sonic's rival, he is one of the more developed Sonic characters. Though his arc isn't as obvious as someone like Shadow or Blaze there's a pretty clear character progression from Riders to Free Riders.
      Finally, I could describe any character how you did and make them sound like shit. Metal Sonic is just evil Sonic who doesn't have any depth outside of the last twenty minutes of one game. Shadow is just dark Sonic with way too many hangups who should've stayed dead. Ya see? Easy. And to be clear I like both of those characters.

    • @ZUnknownFox
      @ZUnknownFox 4 роки тому

      @@vocalcalibration8033 "challenging sonics title of being the fastest thing alive" uh no because jet never runs that title means with his own 2 feet jet uses a hover board.
      yeah jet got under sonics skin by mocking him, not by actually doing anything really bad to him.
      I don't know of any progression he ever had he still shows himself the same to me as when he was introduced.
      Metal sonic was created to replicate and destroy sonic and therefor a direct rival because he is the opposite of sonic.
      Shadow is a rival because shadow's characetr arc makes him unable to know who is good or bad he's a rival to sonic because he doesn't undertsand.
      basically no jet is a terrible character and not really even a good rival. he's more of sonics bully

    • @vocalcalibration8033
      @vocalcalibration8033 4 роки тому +1

      @@ZUnknownFox Alright whatever homeslice, think what you want.

    • @beta511ee4
      @beta511ee4 4 роки тому

      @@ZUnknownFox Your opinion, m8.

  • @Densester
    @Densester 4 роки тому +8

    "But which one of us is the _real_ captain?"

  • @DICEBOY22
    @DICEBOY22 4 роки тому +13

    What would be incredible if thier was a Sonic 3D Adventure collection that had Adventure 1 and 2 battle remastered, Shadow the Hedgehog Remastered and Sonic 06 completely redone without the glitches
    Then in Marketing Sega cucks Nintendo and says it will be available on X date and will be available digitally forever for as long as the services in question exist on each platform.

  • @StarDragonNova
    @StarDragonNova 4 роки тому +7

    Speculation before the video comes out (is about to premiere):
    I speculate this will talk about mephiles not being in the story and the story itself being inconsequential.
    Kinda disagree since I think the devs expected you to have a lot of questions that are answered in the last 3 stories.but I do kinda agree that knuckles and tails are underutilized, but that's just because so many events are happening in such a short amount of time. but I think it's understandable since there are about like 10 protagonist that all need some amount of screen time.
    Many people have the impression that not much happens in sonic's story, but that's not true, the game just leaves you with a lot of questions. ​throughout the whole game sonic is attacked or tricked by things he doesn't understand, sonic himself doesn't have time to answer these questions, however, many players finish the other stories before sonic's, which makes sonic's story almost seem irrelevant in comparason, however if one chooses to finish sonic's story first it is more engaging.

  • @TiagoMonteiroArt
    @TiagoMonteiroArt 4 роки тому +5

    12:09 Yeah, she was unconscious through the whole thing. But to make it worse, she seems to remember Silver, thinking Sonic to be him when she first sees him, but then, as someone pointed out in the comments, she has zero-reaction when she sees actual Silver. Yeah, the game is inconsistent to unfathomable degrees, that much we already knew.

    • @bleakburd4965
      @bleakburd4965 4 роки тому +2

      I swear Sonic's story campaign tries to disconnect from Shadow's and Silver's

  • @ivanvera1354
    @ivanvera1354 4 роки тому +7

    Your vídeo Made me think the Sonic story must be the last story they were developing. It would make sense because every problem in the Game are in his story. That would explain the low Quality of the characters, dialogues, etc.
    It's a shame the Game was ruined by Sega's insistence on rushing the job.
    Nice vídeo dude! 👍

  • @calistusjay60
    @calistusjay60 4 роки тому +18

    The game should’ve been a Shadow The Hedgehog sequel.

    • @sezunemizuhana3870
      @sezunemizuhana3870 3 роки тому +1

      It doesn't help that Shadow's story here was much better than in Shadow 2005.

  • @emotion_deluxe
    @emotion_deluxe 4 роки тому +5

    Please, PLEASE talk about amy's involvement in 06. I've got a lot of anger about how they treated her, but 06 is sadly her most in character Amy iteration.
    that aside, I'm really sad this version of amy was dropped for modern amy. I like how she took matters into her own hands by going after eggman on her own (though i wish we got more on that part of her adventure, like a level or two explaining how she found out about elise being kidnapped) which is much more profound than any initiative she tried to take in SA2.
    amy standing up to silver was also a much more profound and developed amy after all the running away she did in SA1 and damsel rolls she took in SA2. I like to imagine that sonic AND amy fought silver together, but even though that's not the case there's no way amy wasn't aware of how strong silver was despite wanting to defend sonic. that moment alone shows that amy really DOES care deeply for him and isn't just obsessed with sonic. she was literally putting her life between the 2 and i think that really makes her selfless character arc from SA1 come full circle. Plus, it's nice to see her drop the codependency and show that she can really stand up for herself. man i wish her storyline wasn't cut from the game's final build. we know nothing about her motives :(
    Amy is selfless and full of love to give, and believes that anyone is deserving of that. She'll defend anyone she cares about without a second thought, and she's a really tough formidable opponent. She's also an excellent judge of character lol I'm so upset that modern amy has watered her down do much.

    • @espurrseyes42
      @espurrseyes42 4 роки тому

      How exactly is Amy saying she'd SIMP for Sonic even if he as the bad guy in character for her?

    • @emotion_deluxe
      @emotion_deluxe 4 роки тому

      @@espurrseyes42 i think the message she was trying to get across was that she sees him for who he really is and if the world doesn't, she'll still believe in him.

    • @espurrseyes42
      @espurrseyes42 4 роки тому

      @@emotion_deluxe
      Well they didn't do a good job at getting that message across (though funnily enough, I think that sums up the conflict Shadow was having doing his campaign). The exact line in question was "If I had to choose between the world and Sonic, I would choose Sonic.". Admittedly, that probably would've still worked if there was another line after saying something about how the Sonic she knows would never destroy the world, but by itself, it just sounds like she's saying she'd stick with him no matter how bad he became.
      EDIT: Slight correction: She says that line AFTER Silver gives her a brief explanation of why he's trying to kill Sonic. While he's talking, she interrupts him to say "No! I don't believe it. *Even if that were true,* If I had to choose between the world and Sonic, I would choose Sonic!". That's the FULL set of dialogue she gives after hearing that Sonic [allegedly] destroys the world. So it's not that she believes in Sonic that he'd never do something like that. Even if he DID do something like that, she'd still side with him.

  • @bigfudge2031
    @bigfudge2031 2 роки тому +3

    Imagine the game literally being named after you and being the only character on the front of the box and then being the 4th or 5th most important/interesting character in the game.

  • @sevenchaos7156
    @sevenchaos7156 4 роки тому +9

    I know that this is a game that is 2006 and is "the worst" Sonic game so we should move on.....but you make great points. I still learn something everyday

    • @elfascisto6549
      @elfascisto6549 3 роки тому +1

      Sonic Boom is the worse sonic game. 06 at least had effort put into it

  • @DoctorMarc1
    @DoctorMarc1 4 роки тому +7

    I would be very interested in seeing you do a video about Eggman Nega one of the days.

  • @unnamed0845
    @unnamed0845 4 роки тому +6

    photorealistic eggman is the most terrifying thing I have ever seen

  • @epicmaj8r
    @epicmaj8r 4 роки тому +4

    Honestly, Shadow's story was way more interesting and in depth than Sonic's. Shadow went through a lot of character development and his battle against Mephiles is very symbolic too. Also, Mephiles was a very compelling villain in the story, in the franchise in general imo. He managed to do what no other Sonic villain did, which was successfully kill Sonic. Despite not interacting with him at all. For Sonic, his story wasn't as amazing and memorable as Shadow's. It honestly felt more like Shadow's game than Sonic's game since Shadow had more action in regards to story and villains

  • @Nov-5062
    @Nov-5062 3 роки тому +7

    Mephiles never meeting Sonic actually made me love the game's story even more. Think about it: Mephiles doesn't care about Sonic in the slightest, He never talked to him or even said its name, because why should he? what can he benefit from it?
    There's this huge vicious plot of destroying time itself, made by one of the most dangerous creatures in the world, and the main protagonist don't know shוt about it. The writers must had alot of balls to make such a bold, risky story, and I love it.

    • @chimanruler15
      @chimanruler15 3 роки тому +3

      This is a fair point, but Mephiles didn't really need any of them, tbh. All he needed to do was to make Elise cry. Killing Sonic just happened to be the best way to do that, though not the only way, so Sonic would have technically been the most important person in his plan. Silver was nothing more than a useless puppet. Shadow would have been a bonus ally, but he wasn't necessary for Mephiles's plan, either.

  • @ianbrennan9635
    @ianbrennan9635 3 роки тому +3

    So, what have learned here?
    1. Speed up the pacing more
    2. Make Tails and Knuckles more prominent
    3. Scrap the romance
    4. Have Sonic face Mephiles at one point
    5. Have Elise only be captured once (the end of the story before Kingdom Valley is a good place)
    6. Have Sonic and Silver’s fight happen later
    7. In general, raise the stakes so that Sonic doesn’t feel overshadowed in his own story

  • @mechajay3358
    @mechajay3358 4 роки тому +6

    Basically, it doesn't even feel like Sonic's game, more like he's just along for the ride. Just goes to show how much potential 06 could've had to be a great game.

  • @JonnySpec
    @JonnySpec 4 роки тому +3

    Hmm, I guess for Sonic Unleashed, Sonic Team learned to go back to "opening cutscene -> first stage" (even if that stage is a tutorial level)
    Although nowadays the games go "first stage -> first cutscene"

  • @Someguyhere111
    @Someguyhere111 4 роки тому +6

    I always had a theory Sonic's story is the way it is because of criticisms about previous Sonic games' stories being 'too dark and serious for a game about a blue hedgehog'. Combined with criticisms about 'Sonic's stupid friends', and they made Sonic's story simple and Mario-esque (in terms of it essentially just being 'resuce the princess'), whilst giving the real story to Shadow and Silver. If you only want a simple story about a blue hedgehog going fast and beating up robots, you can have just that and ignore his 'stupid friends' and the 'too serious story'.
    Also, I really don't have any issue with romance in Sonic. It was just terribly written in '06. Elise's crush on Sonic works but if Sonic was meant to have the same feelings for Elise, they failed to get that across or make it work right. And no, the kiss doesn't bother me. It's just a kiss, and one done to save his life at that, similar to if it was just CPR.

  • @shellyvision9693
    @shellyvision9693 4 роки тому +8

    You should make a video about Vector and how they always insert him into teams he doesn't belong in.

    • @AmeliaPlayz
      @AmeliaPlayz 4 роки тому

      Yeah what's up with that? He's also the most popular Chaotixs member according to Sega.

  • @Aeoncalcos91
    @Aeoncalcos91 4 роки тому +10

    Sonic probably had the least amount of focus in the story, and considering his name is also the title of this game, that's pretty surprising.

  • @dr.shakib9961
    @dr.shakib9961 4 роки тому +3

    I love the random Roger Sonic clips through the video.

  • @rayenswift8843
    @rayenswift8843 4 роки тому +10

    They gave sonic Mario's play here. Rescue A PRINCESS dozen times. Silver could be way better in this game but yknow I personally love this game except for some flaws.
    I LOVE MARIO THO with SONIC

    • @efrainsantiago4787
      @efrainsantiago4787 4 роки тому +2

      Alright that could work. But I think Sonic shouldn't try to hard to be Mario, he should just take things easy and chill,something that
      Both Mario and Mickey mouse are capable of on their own.

  • @AdamPhantasm
    @AdamPhantasm 4 роки тому +5

    08:31 "Well this sucks." I always loved that line X'D

  • @metis7534
    @metis7534 3 роки тому +4

    6:00 love how he names section 3 “we can” to reference the team sonic theme from heroes

  • @Obi-Wan_Kenobi
    @Obi-Wan_Kenobi 4 роки тому +15

    Sonic '06's opening cutscene was so good it tricked millions of people into playing the game.
    This guys at Sega are evil geniuses.

    • @blairomani
      @blairomani 4 роки тому +3

      I know right, the opening cutscene is just the best.

  • @lightyearpig12
    @lightyearpig12 3 роки тому +4

    If Sonic 06 was a Shadow the Hedgehog sequel where you’d also play as Silver, barely anything would change.

  • @daniisd2555
    @daniisd2555 4 роки тому +3

    When the video froze i was like DID MY COMPUTER CRASH!?

  • @tazzreviews1578
    @tazzreviews1578 4 роки тому +8

    Another problem is Mephilas himself. His plan makes no sense and he has to real motivation other being generically evil.

    • @bunsmasterbunny
      @bunsmasterbunny 2 роки тому

      His plan is to cause Elise enough emotional plain in order for to cry tears of despair so iblis will be released with his full power. That way he can join with him again (which he couldn’t do with the future version as it was released by her death and is struggling to maintain its power.)

    • @therealfulgens
      @therealfulgens 2 роки тому

      @@bunsmasterbunny they never say that in game. Guess they didn’t think the story completely through.

  • @blainetate743
    @blainetate743 3 роки тому +4

    The best part about Sonic’s Chaos Emerald during SA2? It wasn’t even a real Chaos Emerald! The same properties maybe, but not the same power.

  • @d0tty
    @d0tty 4 роки тому +29

    Sonic 06 kinda ruined the adventure formula, Sonic story he just saves the princess the like 4 times and thats the point of his story. And the paceing is bad
    I think sliver story was ok or meh, i do like blaze and his story had the real meat of the game with Memphis but sliver has a rival like you said was bad.
    Shadow has the best story in my opinion its just kinda odd but his story is good. And I like rogue and omega they were good.
    The final story is meh i don't really know what to think but its ok.
    And whats the point of tails,knuckles,and amy they sre just there. And why is eggman even here.
    And why did eslie kiss sonic like why, you can't defend that
    Sonic story is the worst
    Silver story is ok
    Shadow story is the best

    • @Xcopyz
      @Xcopyz 4 роки тому +3

      Actually, Amy helps change Silver through her interaction with him. So even she was more useful than Tails and Knuckles in this game.

    • @d0tty
      @d0tty 4 роки тому +2

      @@Xcopyz well your not wrong i just forget she did that

    • @Xcopyz
      @Xcopyz 4 роки тому

      @@d0tty Its fine, I don't expect anyone to remember every scene.

    • @d0tty
      @d0tty 4 роки тому

      @@Xcopyz i could remember every scence in sonic adventure 2

    • @Xcopyz
      @Xcopyz 4 роки тому

      @@d0tty Sonic 06 is longer than Sonic Adventure 2 tho.

  • @DatMentalGamer
    @DatMentalGamer 4 роки тому +7

    they really should've called this "Shadow: The Hedgehog 2" or "Silver: The Hedgehog"

    • @blairomani
      @blairomani 4 роки тому +3

      Honestly it should have Been Silver The Hedgehog, Sonic And shadow already have games and this is really Silvers first appearance. He even gets a badass animated cutscene when we officially meet him.

    • @DatMentalGamer
      @DatMentalGamer 4 роки тому +2

      @@blairomani true

    • @tiagocervera5661
      @tiagocervera5661 Рік тому

      If this was going to be a reboot thin they should've called it Sonic evolution

  • @baked7423
    @baked7423 4 роки тому +6

    It's hard to top shadow and silver stories. Especially shadows, the ending scene really is great and wraps up shadow nicely. Sonic I feel was the weakest due to the fact he had the least plot relevance. He never met mephiles and only contributes by saving elise from the egg carrier. I feel it might of been done on purpose in a way so he wouldn't get all the spotlight and they could focus on shadow and silver.. Then at the end of the game he got it back. They needed someone to hang with elise and between the 3, sonic made the most sense. To me it sorta fits as shadow and silver are like batman as in working from the shadows (no pun intended). While sonic is like superman as in being a hero so he is front and center with elise and trying to help her grow. Doesn't mean the story was great and could be improved but I think what they were going for is neat.

    • @donathan2933
      @donathan2933 4 роки тому

      agreed Shadow was at his best in 06 yes even better than Adventure 2

  • @bahes3466
    @bahes3466 4 роки тому +11

    Despite that it's bad they still have a great villain (and i mean mephiles)

    • @maude7420
      @maude7420 4 роки тому +1

      Change disk already it's been 14 years

    • @retron99
      @retron99 4 роки тому +1

      Why do people keep saying Mephiles was some kind of underrated villain? Nothing he did made any logical sense.

    • @bleakburd4965
      @bleakburd4965 4 роки тому

      @@retron99 I agree with you. A lot of fans think he's the best for one reason: He killed Sonic. The problem is that the execution was so lame. Just because a villain killed the protagonist doesn't make them good. It's how they go about it that matters.

    • @beta511ee4
      @beta511ee4 4 роки тому

      @@bleakburd4965 Your opinion, m8. And funnily enough, I don’t disagree.

  • @ladyviren
    @ladyviren 4 роки тому +4

    Definitely agree with everything here. And it’s a shame, say what you want but characters like shadow were at their peak here, the writing at times is powerful and fantastic. It’s just a shame it fumbled in the end. When you were talking about the intro I had just realized that sonic is tone deaf as hell in this game. In the opening he’s sonic but for the rest of the game it’s like he’s just going through the motions. I probably never noticed it because no one else did, literally no one except you has explicitly mentioned how tone deaf sonic is in this game. And I hate the fact that he still is. Everyone else around him in current games have been stripped of their development, either being op (shadow), incompetent (tails), or being made into something they’re not (Amy literally becoming a sally clone). And it’s sad. Like , yeah sega you effed up big, but in terms of character writing and charm you did it nearly perfectly. I really want them to get ambitious again with their writing, because even if it’s not sa2 2.0, at the very least it’ll be distinct, fun, and most importantly of all, genuine.

  • @Axxidous
    @Axxidous 4 роки тому +5

    While I do like the general story of 06, I have to agree that Sonic’s is really lackluster. Though I think Sonic is more of a rival for Silver’s story than Silver is for Sonic’s. Also, I actually prefer that Sonic and Mephiles hadn’t really interested before Mephiles attempted to kill Sonic. Because it kinda makes it more strange. Sonic was almost killed by someone who didn’t even know of.

  • @DapperFella
    @DapperFella 3 роки тому +4

    The story would be 99% identical without Sonic at all. All he contributed was being killed so Elise would cry, then being resurrected to help fight Solaris (which Silver and Shadow probably could've done without him). I feel like fixing Sonic's story would've made this game much less of a black sheep. Yes it'd still have so many bugs, but the level design was mostly pretty good, Shadow's story was the best we've seen of Shadow outside of his debut, and Silver's story wasn't bad either.

  • @Multigameguy35
    @Multigameguy35 4 роки тому +2

    Maybe Elise should've been given some powers thanks to housing Iblis. Like being able to turn into a small flame that could follow Sonic throughout stages, almost like a Tikal or Navi. Then she wouldn't have to be forcibly removed so Sonic could have fast stages.

  • @danielledoeswhat
    @danielledoeswhat 4 роки тому +5

    I swear, Sonic’s story is so infuriating! Nothing happed! And hat one scene with Tails and Knuckles not being able to land just felt insulting. And nothing even happened! I just..
    I wonder what kind of impact Mephiles would’ve had on his story. Since he likes screwing with people and manipulating them, maybe he’d try to attack his ego. Maybe he’d point out how repetitive Sonic’s job is, how he isn’t contributing anything, how he’s not the _real_ hero in this situation. All of Sonic’s failures would be targeted. And Mephiles would do everything in his power to prove that he’s right. Sonic might not care about what he says the first time around, but it starts to pile up as the game progresses. I mean, Silver and Shadow have already done their jobs and then some, but Sonic can’t even protect one girl without help? And he loses her anyway!
    I know that this wouldn’t fix Sonic’s story, but at least Mephiles interacts with him more than once so when he final kills Sonic, it means something. Plus, it would give Sonic something else to fight besides Eggman; self doubt.
    I dunno, just brainstorming here.
    On an unrelated note, Sonic definitely has the best theme out of the three hedgies. That’s something positive, at least.

  • @gutembergnery7985
    @gutembergnery7985 3 роки тому +2

    I 100 precent agree with you on that! 👌 i felt that they treated Sonic's campaign unfairly too for not making his story more entertaining or something meaningful for the plot to flow well and to make more importance to the story besides of him to keep constantly chasing Eggman or to keep saving Elise from being kidnapped like come on??!!! Plus if Sonic is the main focus for this game i also believed that Mephiles should've been a huge part in Sonic's story to deepen too instead of again pointless clichés we've already seen before that adds nothing to Sonic's value for this game! Thank god they got Shadow and Silver right but my poor boy Sonic ohhhh i WISH!!!!

  • @Lightning-2153
    @Lightning-2153 4 роки тому +3

    I think what they were going for with Sonic's story was a more traditional by the numbers hero's journey before the more nuanced Shadow and Silver stories, but the problem is that it's simply not executed well. The Last of Us, Telltale's The Walking Dead, and God of War 4 are all fairly generic stories, but they work because they're told nearly perfectly.
    It's worth noting that the doomed future doesn't have a hub world, so the pacing is pretty good with two stages and a boss fight back-to-back-to-back.

  • @Axxidous
    @Axxidous 4 роки тому +2

    Although I have to say, even if the intention was to push a romance between Sonic and Elise.... I didn’t see it.
    They barely talk other than him telling her to live life and smile. And she would feel attached like Chris was. But I didn’t see any implications that were specifically romantic between the two. The butterfly thing I fee could be viewed that way. But since I didn’t know it was supposed to be a romance, I didn’t see it that way. Amy makes a remark about her waiting for a man and I took it as that just being Amy making assumptions that Elise was going to deny before being cut off. The only time I saw a sign of romance was in the 3 trials to Kingdom Valley where you choose between Amy and Elise which I’m pretty sure the games haven’t implied he likes either. Then the kiss happened and it caught me off guard. So I decide to play it off as it being for the spell to work almost like in Disney or in anime.

  • @isiahduran2041
    @isiahduran2041 4 роки тому +6

    1:09 this is where the budget went

  • @Leon-wz5qh
    @Leon-wz5qh 4 роки тому +4

    Shadow development: deciding to mantein his promise to Maria and stays with his friends even if humanity will betray him
    Silver development: deciding what to do to save the world but without giving up on his friends and searching the truth
    Sonic development: ua-cam.com/video/pexqV2N1zvg/v-deo.html

    • @gameman5804
      @gameman5804 3 роки тому +1

      Silver’s Arc on paper: “basically what you said”
      Silver’s Arc in execution: “Let’s time travel back to the past and try to destroy this beast that destroyed the world! What’s that? Sonic isn’t the Iblis Trigger? Elise had him the entire time... I should tell Sonic about this...? Nah Fuck it, Imma seal it in my own screwed future where it means nothing to the rest of the story. Oh and Blaze is in this game.”

  • @deadchannel443
    @deadchannel443 4 роки тому +5

    I'm not even a Sonic fan anymore. But good god the writing gets on my nerves lmfao. I love when Sonic games had serious undertones, and keep in mind I say undertones. Because majority of the time they were fun and adventurous and had comedic moments. This game takes itself WAY too seriously, and never has fun with the characters or even comedic banter. The ONLY time the tone is where it should be - is the opening cinematic. And that's it.

  • @astriverofstrengthandknowledge
    @astriverofstrengthandknowledge 4 роки тому +5

    What I hated most about 06 plot-wise was that Sonic, the main hero who’s supposedly saved the world from the most bizarre threats, contributed almost nothing to the actual story. Compared to the other important characters like Silver, Shadow, and Mephiles, he was irrelevant.

  • @faidou9954
    @faidou9954 4 роки тому +6

    You know, the direction the newer sonic games have gone is really saddening and depressing...
    One play through of Sonic Adventure 2 was enough to show you that there wasn't going to be any other platforming video game franchise out there.The Sonic franchise needs a real return to form, back to the time when a Sonic games actually did rival Mario's games. No more nostalgia pandering, no more half assed shit work with piss poor excuses, no more Pontac and Graff tier writing, but most of all, no more chancing after Mario...
    I don't care of my gripes make me look like a mindless sonic Fanboy for pointing out why the Sonic games last decade weren't as good as they were in the 2000s or especially the 90s, any self-respecting fan of the series would be frustrated by this BS. WHY? because not only were the Sonic games from those decades better than the harsh critics lead on, but because all Sonic fans, the fans and critics (those who actually critique the franchise fairly) alike want both Sonic Team and Sega to both be and do better with the Sonic franchise, because they have done better.

    • @beta511ee4
      @beta511ee4 4 роки тому

      Well, your opinion, m8.

  • @johnhein462
    @johnhein462 4 роки тому +4

    Could you do an analysis video for Shadow and Silver's stories?

  • @therealmrmago9077
    @therealmrmago9077 4 роки тому +6

    It's almost like the writer was more interested in Shadow and silver than sonic

    • @chrisdelgado4621
      @chrisdelgado4621 3 роки тому +1

      The game was actually written by multiple writers. Sonic’s story was written by Kiyoko Yoshimura, and Shadow and Silver’s stories were written by Shiro Maekawa.

    • @therealmrmago9077
      @therealmrmago9077 3 роки тому

      @@chrisdelgado4621 that explains it

  • @atlasultima4200
    @atlasultima4200 4 роки тому +1

    I really enjoy this video as it does explain why Sonic's story is the weakest of the trio, which sucks for the main title character on an anniversary title no less. (This will be long, as these are my thoughts.)
    1. Sluggish Pacing - That is one of the main problems. Shadow and Silver starts into the action rather than holding off.
    Sonic's portion could have been the same here by either:
    A) Eggman cutting off their escape himself and having a boss battle there, acting as a distraction to not only slow Sonic down, but also capture Elise.
    B) We immediately go into Wave Ocean during the night, or even the crack of dawn, as we chase the Egg Carrier down and save Elise.
    Or C) Both, cause why not?
    That way, the player doesn't lose interest and the hub world would be more of a break to catch your breath before doing a town mission or going to the next stage.
    2. Silver is not a good rival - Wait, was he supposed to be? I don't think that was the intention, at least in my eyes. Shadow was already there to be the 'rival' in more friendly terms as they were working together. Silver was more so just a misunderstood good guy who was tricked into fighting Sonic. The guy had good intentions, but needed to be shown the truth about who's the real enemy. Which is where Shadow's story comes in. But like I said, that's probably just me. If it was the intention, it needed better execution.
    3. We Can (But mostly me) - Something that has plagued the series for a long time. What do you do with a fully established character? Go back to square one and ignore their development. This is mainly evident on Tails and Knuckles, who were the first to get this treatment. They NEED to stop doing this and make these characters... well, characters again. (Also at 6:48 - 6:52, I was looking away and thought the video stopped for a sec.)
    4. Sonic Feels... Off - This is a bit of a complicated one to explain, but here's my take. Personally, since this is a 'reboot' of the Adventure style, it makes sense that the opening would fit that direction. However, maybe later in development, they decided to make Sonic more laidback to match what Jason Griffith was going for, having Sonic be more mature than energetic like Ryan had him be. Unfortunately, due to this change and having Eggman be more realistic instead made the problem worse, especially since this was during the time where the fans was still adjusting to the 4kids cast. But that's just theoretical, I could be wrong.
    5. Elise Baggage - I definitely get this one. Elise isn't a bad character on her own, but the material she was given is why people hate her. And compared to other one-off characters, she's more fleshed out with a backstory to boot. A shame that the game itself barely does anything with it and instead we get a romantic subplot with a repetitive rescue mission structure.
    Now here's where I personally think on romance in the Sonic series. Is it his style? Not really. Can it be done? Yes. How? Again, execution. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if people don't want that because of the whole Archie comics thing with Sally and stuff, but it isn't impossible for the games to attempt this. I mean seriously, there was at least two that tried this approach before. So true, maybe Sonic just isn't the romantic type as it's not in his top priorities, but who's to say other characters can't be? Doesn't have to be the recurring cast, maybe just a one-off character to test the waters or something. But, that's just me.
    6. What Happens Again? - Like I said, romantic subplot with rescue mission structure and repetitive cutscenes. Easily fixable when you apply the choices I listed up above and just have Team Sonic go and stop Eggman like they usually do. He's after something and they're there to stop him from getting it. You can still have the self sacrifice scene with Elise accepting Eggman's offer to protect her home, having Kingdom Valley and Aquatic Base be the build-up to save her again. Less captures and have more time to flesh her character out by doing side quests or something before then.
    7. Where is Mephiles? - Good question. Unfortunately, the answer is the other two stories. Again, can be fixed by not only Sonic being warned by Shadow about him, but him just meeting Mephiles face to face. Hell, why not have Eggman and Mephiles team up? Have the latter tempt the former, like in exchange for capturing Elise which would lure Sonic into a trap, he'll show him the secret to unlock the Flames, which can transition into the Last Story. And considering Mephiles can not only control time, but also create clones, it's possible for the guy to be in more than one place if he wanted to.
    So yeah, a lot of us wish Sonic's Story was more engaging like Shadow's and Silver's. Especially since there were cool ideas implemented for his gameplay, most notably the color gems. And with the stages themselves being fun to play through, this could have been a great game all around. Sadly, we didn't get that. But personally, it's never too late for a second chance. If there's EVER an attempt to revisit this game and redo it the way they originally wanted it to be with some changes here and there, I say why not. Considering the last decade of Sonic games was... yeah, I'd welcome it.

  • @peteypiranalover
    @peteypiranalover 4 роки тому +5

    Shadow story was pretty good in this game

  • @Fanatic_Foremem
    @Fanatic_Foremem 4 роки тому +1

    12:00 most sonic games have sonics crew never figure out the big picture, with the other members getting more in-depth into what's going on, so I will say that's in line with the series structure. Sonic's story is usually "Eggman is being evil, go stop" and keeps the big reveals for the other teams and final chapter.

    • @charactersin-depth3472
      @charactersin-depth3472  4 роки тому +2

      His playthrough can have more going on. The Hero story in SA2 was more ambitious and kept you on the edge of your seat instead of wondering when the actions picks up.

    • @Fanatic_Foremem
      @Fanatic_Foremem 4 роки тому

      @@charactersin-depth3472 Certainly, heck maybe if they REALLY wanted to forge a connection with elise and sonic they could have used the more minigamey stuff when she was with him, basically being how she transitions to the areas he's trying to get to instead. Obviously it'd still need alot of polish and REALLY that first custcen should have lead into an Elise escort stage to show off her powers right away and ease people into sonics MANY abilities in this game by starting with the simplest controls.

  • @captaincz5763
    @captaincz5763 4 роки тому +24

    "The GUN commander is way worse than Elise"
    Wasn't Elise the one who was going to sacrifice the WHOLE world just so she could keep her memories of Sonic? She even said it herself, she doesn't care what happens to the world. 💀 yeah, you're right she is very self-sacrificing.

    • @charactersin-depth3472
      @charactersin-depth3472  4 роки тому +13

      To be fair, she went through with it at the end and erased her memories after a brief episode. That line was a needy bit of drama for the ending. They needed something, I guess.

    • @edwheezer6231
      @edwheezer6231 3 роки тому +10

      I would like to call your attention to an Amy line, from when she was stopping Silver from attacking Sonic:
      "Even if it was true...if I had to choose between the world and Sonic, I would choose Sonic!"
      AKA exactly what Elise said. Why is Amy not receiving the same criticism?

    • @PLAGUE-KARM
      @PLAGUE-KARM 3 роки тому

      @@crashingbasher7376 Professor Pickle was an icon

    • @bunsmasterbunny
      @bunsmasterbunny 2 роки тому +1

      Way to miss the point.

    • @tiagocervera5661
      @tiagocervera5661 Рік тому

      Now if You said elise had Sonic against his Will like Chris thorndyke a kid who desevers all the hate he can get but she dosen't

  • @knuxuki1013
    @knuxuki1013 4 роки тому +2

    Well, at least he has one of the best, if not, THE BEST theme song in the entire game, seriously, His World is my favorite song from the series as I believe it truly defines the character and it's series so well, when I hear that song, I just think about everything Sonic and his world.

  • @fishxy2123
    @fishxy2123 4 роки тому +3

    Its great to hear Dr. Stewarts theme at the beginning😂

  • @ChaosPancakes
    @ChaosPancakes 4 роки тому +1

    “Well, we had to deal with your little pets.” - Knuckles 2006
    It would’ve been cool if there were a couple mini bosses before encountering Eggman.

  • @georgesummitt1980
    @georgesummitt1980 4 роки тому +6

    In the Japanese version of 06 in the scene with the cherry blossom tree, it is implied that Elise is aware of containing Iblis inside her. The line is "I mustn't cry, can't let it out." but it was mistranslated in the English version as "I mustn't cry I can't." Yeah the localization for the Sonic series often is messy.

    • @tiablue9106
      @tiablue9106 4 роки тому

      She’s aware in the English version too, her dad tells her abt how if she cries Iblis will be released...

    • @georgesummitt1980
      @georgesummitt1980 4 роки тому +2

      @@tiablue9106 There is no way she can hear him, she was unconscious when he tells her that her cries will release Iblis.

    • @tiablue9106
      @tiablue9106 4 роки тому

      @@georgesummitt1980 idk I could be misremembering, but didn't a cutscene show Elise w/ her head on some guy's (might not have been her dad's) lap, petting her and explaining why she can't cry? And her eyes were open, like it was a while after Iblis got sealed in her, maybe after her dad died? I think she was made very aware of the reason :0

    • @georgesummitt1980
      @georgesummitt1980 4 роки тому

      @@tiablue9106 Yes there is a scene where she has a flashback of her with her father patting her on the head and he tells her not to cry but that was from before the experiment went wrong.

    • @tiablue9106
      @tiablue9106 4 роки тому

      @@georgesummitt1980 then why did he tell her that? he just wanted his daughter to be emotionless from the beginning? (I know I should prolly check for myself, but if u don't mind answering...^^;)

  • @Richforce1
    @Richforce1 4 роки тому +3

    You should check out the Princess Sally video the Game Apologist did.

  • @sparkwolf4894
    @sparkwolf4894 4 роки тому +4

    That was Awesome keep up the great work

  • @bluestreaker9242
    @bluestreaker9242 Рік тому

    I have some thoughts and it's a lot, so here goes...
    Story Surgery did an interesting [long] video on how they'd go about fixing Sonic '06 (for the most part), and I do recommend looking it up when you get the chance, but I do agree with you that there is a pattern to Sonic games that '06 decided was the mold it needed to break. Give Adventure credit, when it plopped you down in to Station Square on a new save file, you were brought right next to the first Action Stage, so you could go hit up the first level after the first boss right away, and it did so in a brilliant way by introducing us to Tails after he crashlands on the shoreline: it gave us drive to move forward. First impressions are EVERYTHING, and if you can't deliver a strong first impression, you're as good as doomed; damn the rhetoric of "It gets good eventually, I swear", look, that's all well and good, but time is a valuable thing: if the game is wasting my time with nothing happening, I'm not going to continue...that's not just a me thing, that's an EVERYONE thing.
    Meanwhile, I have kinda an idea on how you could make Sonic overcoming his rival in Silver work whilst still maintaining his agenda to thwart whatever Eggman's planning; so, you remember that epic scene where Shadow removes his Inhibitor Rings in the climax of his story? You ever notice how...odd Silver's gloves look? I always got the impression that they're meant to be some sort of futuristic device since...well...future hedgy. What if they're meant to be psionic enhancers (or maybe just regular old power enhancers in general)? Like Silver has a natural psychokinetic talent, yeah, but what if he "needed" them to become a comparable psychic warrior? We could have it implied through his perspective when he tries to shoot Sonic with a psionic pulse that one of the devices is on the fritz, hence he just missed Sonic by sheer dumb luck and not because the story said he had to miss because Sonic's wearing his handy-dandy Plot Armor. That way, we could also have a moment later down the line where it's revealed he was strong enough on his own and no longer needed the devices, so when he has that moment where he helps Sonic to stop Eggman, he gives Sonic the devices which could enhance Sonic's natural speed and give him a greater mastery over the wind, but maybe he also mentions he's doing it begrudgingly, keeping in line with how they're thematically meant to be rivals. Could even have that be like a late game powerup that gives Sonic the ability to naturally manipulate air currents...dare I say...make him an Airbender? Eh? Heck, would make that ending cutscene make WAY more sense and seem all the more epic; juxtapose him being catapulted out of the jaws of death from an exploding splintering battleship with the Hero ending of Sonic Adventure 2: the latter heavily implies he either stuck the Fake Emerald in to the Eclipse Cannon or he just absolutely wrecked house in seconds flat and finished with a smile, whereas the former just made it look like he won through sheer dumb luck (SEGA, his Plot Armor is OP, plz nerf!) which is a pure disappointment after he ran and leapt through the exploding wreckage of Eggman's battleship (I refuse to call it the Egg Carrier, '06, don't even COMPARE this hunk of junk to the Egg Carrier of Adventure fame: THAT thing at least held together better than the damn Christmas Bullet...somewhat...!)
    But yeah, Sonic at least needed *some* interaction with Mephiles; they spend all of 5 cutscenes, 2 stages, and 1 boss fight in the future and then...that's it...and of those all, Mephiles is only involved in 1 cutscene in Sonic's campaign. We get to see the future, see what happened to it, then pop right back to the past to stop it without further provocation or answers: we get HALF the story. Wouldn't it have been more interesting to have Mephiles send Silver and Blaze back, but instead of sending all 3 of them back (because by the story's own admission Solaris is an omnipresent being Mephiles can exist in the now and the back then and have an understanding of both without expressly needing to be there...which is stupid, but whatever, I digress...), he remains and confronts Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles (would be fun considering both he AND Mephiles were voiced by Dan Green), mentioning how it's "impolite to eavesdrop, you know..." and then maybe after some brief discussion, maybe saying something to the effect of "There's more to every story; the brightest light casts the longest shadow, and scant few are prepared to gaze in to that abyss, for what truths lie within will leave lasting scars", he exerts some power, and they wind up in an arena and the 3 have a fight with Mephiles and after the boss fight he says something about how in this world he is as a god and how it's futile to try and stop him and then he leaves, but not before getting one last attack in that nearly kills the 3, which I feel could build tension and hint at who Mephiles is/may be and potentially his connection to the ruination of this world, that way we could also spend more time in this future trying to hunt him down for answers and wind up finding a Chaos Emerald themself instead of the other way around, maybe allowing for more, if not just one more, potential Action Stages in the future. Course...all of that would be assuming we stick with the original framework of "them trying to find two Chaos Emeralds to criss-cross-apple-time-travel" which...I still hate with a burning blazing passion: it's a retcon that makes 2 Emeralds crisscrossing effectively MORE powerful than collecting all 7...because math is fun and totally optional, I guess... :/