This selection of games comes from Sonic's rough patch, but many believe he may now be in his golden age. (Ben Heathcote, CMRU.ca)
He’s known as many things. The blue blur, the fastest thing alive, the legendary hedgehog, all nicknames for one creature: Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic is often viewed as being in the upper echelon of video game mascots; such as his industry and olympic rival, Mario. But recently, it seems like recognition alone hasn’t been enough to help the success of the franchise.
What happened to Sonic?
Over the past five years, entries in the Sonic franchise have been met with mediocre reviews. According to the review aggregator, Metacritic, a majority of recent releases within the franchise have failed to climb above a critic rating of 75 out of 100 — a stark contrast to the praise received by the franchise in the early 2000’s.
Is he really making a comeback?
However, SEGA seems to be looking to put an end to the common misconception of Sonic’s mediocrity. Before the year rounds out, the final part of the cinematic Sonic the Hedgehog trilogy will be released across cinemas worldwide. Considering the two previous entries managed to quadruple their respective budgets, it should be no surprise that SEGA wants to make sure that the world knows what’s to come for the blue hedgehog.
What to expect
There’s certainly no shortage of promotional hedgehog content to keep an eye out for. The movie tie-in game Sonic x Shadow Generations releases later this month on Oct. 25th, the animated short series Sonic x Shadow Generations: Dark Beginnings is available to watch on YouTube, and SEGA has also been showing off a real-life replica of the motorcycle that’s commonly seen alongside Sonic’s doppleganger/adversary, Shadow the Hedgehog.
With so much to look forward to, it’s hard to deny that 2024 must be the year of the hedgehog.
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