> Sonic the Hedgehog is basically a 2D platform game where Sonic frees animals from being turned into robots by the evil Doctor Robotnik (a more fitting name than Eggman I might add). Sonic can jump or roll into a spiky ball and destroy his enemies while racing through levels and collecting rings that both keep him alive (if he is hit by an enemy without rings he will die) and can give him extra lives if the player collects enough. He can also find power ups that shield him or make him run faster. Sonic already runs quite fast so it's a challenge to keep him under control. He can also find a power up that makes him invincible for a short period of time. The player can save their progress at check points placed throughout levels (so they don't have to start the whole level again).

     > What defines Sonic for me is both speed and escaping the jaws of death. Unfortunately it's not easy to balance the two into something harmonious with equal weight at the same time that flows, so what inevitably happens is the gameplay falls into the trap of being too focused on one area.

     > If I was put in charge of a new 3D Sonic game, I would focus on speed, platform jumping and dodging death, while at the same time give the player more control over their actions (as opposed to being on linear rails all the time). I would focus mostly on Sonic instead of his million friends (despite the demand for them) and add many more boss encounters. The reason I feel there should be more emphasis on boss encounters is because they can be epic without being trite if each boss has its own unique abilities. Sonic showcases his death defying speed and agility in these closed encounters more as well. The first boss in Sonic Adventure 2 is the perfect example of a boss that weaved all the best parts of Sonic's gameplay into a single encounter

     > The pinnacle of the franchise for me is Sonic Adventure for the Dreamcast because it successfully took Sonic's original gameplay into the 3D realm (Sonic became what he was originally meant to be but in 3D). Everything afterwards was shaped and reshaped much more so by supply and demand (and lack of integrity in Sonic 2006's case), but I digress. I also loved Sonic R because it proved that the Saturn wasn't merely a 2D console, not to mention it was actually a good racing game. Sonic R had a truly beautiful graphics engine that should have been used earlier and far more often.

     > Much more serious investment in Sonic will not only give Sega more brand recognition but associate Sega with quality. Any negative PR can be cancelled out if you have gamers on your side. Instead of living on the fumes of the past (which is always tempting because it's easier) Sega will be better served if they return to what created those lingering fumes in the first place. Stoke those fires of creativity again. Extremely successful flagship titles such as Sonic will help pave the way for other Sega games (such as Phantasy Star Online 2) that might reach a wider audience if Sega themselves had a wider audience. But what would I know? >:)