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IJBM: That, As Far As The Fanbase Is Concerned, I Can't Like Both Sonic Renditions
First things first, spare me your "Before I even clicked on the thread title..." posts; they are just as predictable as the OP's of certain topics. Bear with me here, people, this is the first serious IJBM thread that I've actually made here. In fact, this has bugging me for quite a while, while was only magnified with the release of the trailer for the new Sonic game. Reading through the comments section on this page (a poor decision, perhaps, but bear with me here) was pretty much the "last straw" of sorts. Alrighty, let's just get to the thesis of this thread: it just plain bugs me that apparently, as far as the fanbase is concerned, I'm "not allowed" to hold both renditions of Sonic the Hedgehog in equal regard.
TL;DR: See thread title.
Going through various gaming sites throughout the years (some pertaining to gaming news in general, others pertaining to the Sonic series specifically), I've come across this weird bit of observation in most of them:
If I said that I like the "classic" rendition of Sonic, I would get labeled as an asshole-ish "retrofag". You know, the sort of person who just can't seem to enjoy any of the new titles, regardless of how good they actually are. That particular kind of guy who hates other fans for actually liking the new titles. The type of neophobe who would only be happy if the series just stayed with how the "classic" series worked.
However, if I said that I like the "contemporary" rendition of Sonic as well, I would get labeled as an idiotic sycophant. You know the type; the childish ignoramus who would buy anything pertaining to a certain label, regardless of its actual quality. The types who would defend games like, say, Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 and say that they're better than games like Super Mario Galaxy without a shred of irony (whatever that means nowadays).
One could say that this sort of thing shouldn't bug me so much, and they'd be right to some extent. Still, this sort of cartoonish exaggeration has always rubbed me the wrong way. I mean, I like both "renditions" equally. Heck, look at my current avatar if you don't believe me, or don't, I wouldn't blame ya. I could just chalk this up as being yet another example of the broken fanbase's unpleasability. However, that would, again, implicitly label me as a person who can't be pleased with anything, which couldn't be further from the truth. Maybe I'm just something of a bleedin' heart...
At this point, I'm probably just venting like an underwater volcano, but I had to get this out somehow. Since this is the perfect site for it, I figured I could vent it in a way that could hopefully spark some actual discussion. So... yeah.
TL;DR: See thread title.
Comments
When it comes to trying to identify negative fans they are usually all grouped into one bunch, and use that stereotype to try and "predict" the attitude of the person in question, depending on how they like the game or work.
Each fandom/hatedom has different stereotypes and groups, and mostly everyone who does not want their opinion to be opposed will categorize people who don't fit their similar style into a group of certain players, usually in a negative sense.
I'll have my staff get right on it.
Anyways, the problem here is Fandumb. You get the same problem in almost any long lived series
I'm not seeing how this follows, but yeah, from an outsider's perspective it's just another broken fanbase RAEGing, don't let it get to you.
Edit: ^ I think he knows that. The problem is that the different people who like something for different reasons can't accept it. That's what all of this comes to.
You do realize that when one part of the fandom slams you for liking the classic games, and the other part slams you for liking the recent games, those aren't the same people talking, right?
It's not like he's saying "IJBM: Sonic fans can't make up their hivemind about which character design for Sonic is better." More like, he's complaining that there is a large segment of the fanbase that vocally hates one, and an equally large segment of the fanbase vocally hates the other.
The reality of Sonic 4: Episode 1 showed us that was not going to happen.
^ Much of the fanbase reacted favorably to Sonic Colors, which is actually ironic (yay I used it correctly!) in that they'ver been a-hatin' on THREEDEE Sonic ever since Shadow, possibly even Heroes, and have been clamoring for a return to Sonic's 2D roots. And now they like the 3D Sonic game more than the 2D Sonic game.
That's what I call Secret of Evermore Syndrome. When Secret of Evermore came out, people were complaining about the lack of music in the game. But today, people rejoiced when a game uses ambient sounds and/or music for much of the game, like Shadow of the Colossus. I don't know if both groups are the same people, but yeah.
Finally, Internet Explorer freezes when I click on Show Source, so I can't quote via html.
^^^ and ^^^^^ Agreed.
Sonic 4: Retro Sonic fans wanted a return to Genesis style Sonic gameplay. SEGA gave them gameplay like Sonic Rush, with levels/enemies/bosses recycled from the Genesis games, on an overpriced downloadable title.
Sonic Colours: Modern Sonic fans wanted something like Sonic Unleashed, only without the Werehog. SEGA gave them Sonic Unleashed gameplay without the Werehog. Added in the elemental shields from Sonic 3, only calling them Wisps this time around. Original levels. No swords or guns or beastiality. BAM. Was it really that hard? :-)
Because the failures of the 3D era, which related to the misuse of non-Sonic characters, resulted in a backlash against extra characters to the extent that SEGA no longer finds it necessary to include playable Tails, Knuckles, and/or Amy in its 2D titles. (But that's just me. And I'm joking; I don't have hate for 3D green eyed Sonic. Just... regret.)
EDIT: And homing attack. And the death of pinball physics in Sonic gameplay. See, it's not about the green eyes looking uglier than the black eyes or anything... it's about SEGA being unable to reproduce a classic-style game again. That's what the Sonic 4: Episode 1 cacophony was all about. The one game that was meant to appeal to us retrofags, and they couldn't come anywhere close. But ah well. :-)
"Classic and Modern Sonic can get along just fine; why can't we at least tolerate each other without resorting to this whole Us vs. Them nonsense?"
It's just that when SEGA panders to one side of the fanbase too heavily, it creates problems with the other side. As much popularity as Sonic Colours enjoyed, it did get disappointment from some of the fans who actually did enjoy varied gameplay and figures like Shadow, for example. For as much criticism as Sonic 4 received, a lot of the modern fans loved the take on it, and they wish the oldschool fans would be quiet. SEGA doesn't do well juggling the different branches of its fanbase, so when it appeals to one, it often alienates the other. The "Us vs. Them" mentality creates itself.