This and That, and a New Sonic Game

From: richard ray ii roberts <rrrobe00_at_mik.uky.edu>
Date: Wed, 22 Feb 95 11:03:51 -0500

Well, I'll get a couple of comments done with first,
and then move on to my own two cents on a new game!

     As far as the inter-species breeding thing is
concerned, the either-or approach is very common, but
not universal. Note, for instance, Walt Kelly's use of
opossums with skunk tails and skunks with opossum tails
for the children of Pogo and Mamzelle Hepzibah. In the
comic they seem to have established that different
species can breed, and their children will follow the
parent of the same sex (which boggles the mind from a
genetics standpoint, but so does interspecies breeding)
On the cartoon, though, they've NEVER confirmed this,
and the cartoon and the comic share little or no
continuity - I mean, just read the latest issue. On
the other hand, Sally's father sure LOOKS like a fox,
doesn't he? And Sally and Sonic are sort of engaged,
which would imply she thinks she can carry on the royal
bloodline with hedgehog genes.

     As for Moebius's relationship to Earth, I'd like
to propose that the ONLY native intelligent species
seen so far are the dragons. Please note the wildly
different biology, vaguely reptilian and marsupial at
the same time, and the only native animal we get to see
with any continuity are those little birds, which seem
to be constructed on roughly the same biological plan
as the dragons! We've heard enough to know that the
other species have been there a good long time, at
least several centuries, but the whole place still
could have been a colony of Old Earth - which would
lead to interesting speculations about who they were
fighting the war with, hmmmm? Not to mention the
singular rarity of humans.

     On to something perhaps even more interesting -
the request for game suggestions! I have to echo just
about everybody else, and say that I would strongly
support more involvement of the other characters. Not
necessarily actually PLAYED, because you would have a
great deal of difficulty playing Bunnie or Sally in the
same kind of level you'd play Sonic/Tails/Knuckles.
Still, I noted in Sonic 3 subtle level designs that
made areas where Tails could go and Sonic couldn't, and
which tended to channel them to parts of the game more
suited to their talents. Something like that could be
employed. Conversely, alternate levels where you have
to switch characters might be nice, or short animated
bits featuring the secondary characters of the cartoon.
Anything which really brings them into the story-line
will not only please die-hard Sonic fans, but will give
the games much-needed variety.
     Also, while I don't get to play the games as much
as I'd like, I've noticed a definite trend in level
construction. In the first one, you frequently had to
charage through blindly at great speed, and unless you
knew exactly what was ahead, you were toast. I've seen
them moving away from that, and would like to encourage
continuing this trend, please!
     Going back to another repeated request, varying
the plot line slightly for whatever character you use
would lend still more variety and flexibility to the
game. Who wouldn't love to at least be ABLE to get
into a fight with Sonic? Since multi-character seems
to be the trend, and a good one in my opinion, just
remember to treat all the other characters as equals to
Sonic, especially since I doubt most people will be
choosing the blue boy. *I* always played Tails...

                        Temporarily Spouted Out,
                                        Mouse

P.S. I cannot for the LIFE of me get to the Sonic ftp
site! How am I supposed to upload my weird pictures?

Received on Wed Feb 22 1995 - 11:44:03 PST