The Sonic Franchise is in a ditch. I think that everyone who know the blue hedgehog well could conclude that Sonic just wasn't the same since his transition to 3D. His games are now targets for GT and GameSpot to ridicule, pan and beat to the ground.

            So what did SEGA do wrong this time? What does it need to do in order to return to the level of games from Mario and Legend of Zelda. That's why I am writing this opinion piece. I think that I could give good advice to Sonic Team Board Room so that the Blue Hedgehog can rise again.

            Now you might think "There you go again. An outsider who has no background on Sonic yapping out advice". But I've come prepared. I've done an awful lot of research and even had some hands-on experiences with the Blue Blazer. I think that my advice could, no matter how small, make a positive difference. 

            But before coming to the top 3 things on SEGA's To-do list, here are the solutions to improve the Sonic franchise which I DON'T agree with.

1. Overhauling the Sonic cast

There are a lot of fans for Tails (I am a Tails fan), Knuckles, Shadow (especially) and Silver. Losing those guys would probably create an uprising within Sonic fans. It's especially painful if the new characters aren't received by those fans and are also uninteresting, resulting in an indifferent gaming public and a bitter fan-base. Not a winning formula.

2. Overhauling the voice-cast

I've heard constant complaint about the 4-Kids dub, and I could understand (especially in Sonic 360). But even if the game had the best voice team in the world, it won't create a difference in gameplay. In fact, some people think that Jason Griffith who voiced Sonic is improving. I think people need to be patient with the guys. Remember, the fundamentals of Sonic games are top priority. Voice-acting comes way behind that.

3. Overhauling/ Giving up on Gimmicks

Some people are talking about getting back to basics: Stick Sonic back into 2D world, Emerald Hill Zone, and take on Dr. Eggman (or Robotnik) and save little animals. However, this theory has its flaws. How? Think of this:

In the early days of Gaming, there was Space Wars and Pong. Those were very popular in their time.

But do we like those games now? Probably not. They're way too old and out of fashion compared to games today. That's the main reason behind the flaw of returning to fundamentals. I'll explain my argument later on, but just remember that formulas that worked in the past might not work nowadays.

4. Giving up on Sonic, Shut Down the Sonic Franchise

That is an ABSOLUTE NO-NO! Thanks alot, freakin' Gametrailers. They kept referring Sonic as being in life-support, but I totally disagree with that. The franchise frankly bounced back from its poor start (from Sonic 360) and had some mild success. NOT overwhelming success, but success nevertheless.

Sonic and the Secret Rings was a good game to most critics, so was Sonic Chronicles, so that means that Sonic Team (and BioWare for Sonic Chronicles) were at least doing SOMETHING right. They didn't exactly epic-failed in every aspect of gaming. They just need to look above mediocrity and aim for the skies.

Also, failure isn't a final destination, but just a pathway to success. I think that this goes for nearly everything, including video games, including Sonic the Hedgehog.

OK, so I've outlined the things which I don't want to see from SEGA, and I hope they are reading this. I have hope that in my lifetime, I would see Sonic become glorious once again and be compared to gaming legends like Mario, Legend of Zelda, and maybe even Final Fantasy (albeit for different reasons).

All Sonic teams need to do is follow steps that I would write about later on. Then before they know it, they are back on the track to stardom.

Coming Soon: The First Step to Fixing Sonic. What is it going to be? You're going to have to wait to find out...

Sincerely,

RayCarter

Now, this is a semi-review of FusionFall, the recent Cartoon Network  MMRPG. I call it  "semi" because i haven't paid for the game to fully play it, although I believe that I have played enough to make a solid opinion on the game.

At first, I had doubts on FusionFall, because I thought it was style over substance, and I stayed away from it for a while. But I overcame my fear for it and tried it.
How did I receive the experience? Well, here are my general thoughts on FusionFall...

Story: You are sent by Dexter and his stupid sister Dee Dee into a dystopian Cartoon Network future, where the planet is attacked by creatures from Planet Fuse, and you are now trying to stop them. At the same time, you need to find pieces to rebuild the time machine and send you back in time. The story is OK, I guess, but right now I feel that the story will give some sort of urgency to players, but that's about it.

Gameplay: Well, the gameplay is mediocre at best. First of all, the stats are very simple: Attack vs. one enemy, ATK vs. Multiple enemies, and Defense. Not only are the first 2 a bit confusing to me, but it's difficult to see the difference if you improve on these attributes. Also, pacing is very suspect here. You can  moving along flat terrain for about 5 minutes and it can get really boring (gets even worse if you're lost).

Then the fighting is really mindless. You can't dodge opponent's attacks, so all you do is stand there and shoot  (or slash) your enemies (including bosses) and hope that they die sooner than you. It doesn't feel like fighting, because there are no tactics, strategies or anything. The only gimmick you have are the Nanoes. These are the little versions of CN characters after you beat their fusion counterparts. They do a little bit of effects, like Buttercup can stun opponents, Numbuh 2 can increase your end of fight looting in terms of Taros (currency). But they aren't that important in terms of fighting and gameplay. There's some platforming, and the parts are not difficult.

In fact, this game is actually pretty darn easy. You always have a map to guide you where you need to go, and the process is usually the same. Go to one place, blast Fusion enemies, grab a couple of items, repeat, then fight a Fusion boss, get Nano, repeat. That summarizes the gameplay for FusionFall.

Presentation: At least they did a good job in making the game look good. The environments are varying and clear, so are the character models and the houses and structures. The sound doesn't reflect the urgency of the moment. It's frilicy-frolicky, and it ignores the desparate moment of saving the world most of the time.

BARs: Pretty open-ended, like any RPG. You can chage your character, buy different items and weapons, and you can spend time blasting enemies for free time. That is, if you can stand the shallow combat. OK, I guess.

Overall: Now, I have to admit, that I do have a bit of scorn on Cartoon Network. Since cartoons like Hi-Hi Puffy Ami-Yumi, Winx Club, PPG Z and other anime-like cartoon, I moved out and exiled myself. But I feel that I have put aside that feeling for this semi-review.

So now for my verdict: If you like all that boring combat, if you are a fan of Cartoon Cartoons and if you are a MMRPG fanatic, this could be for you. Anyone who is different, who want some depth in the fighting might want to go something else.

Predicted mark in an actual review: 6.5/10 (or 13/20, about 3.5 stars).

Hello to anyone who is reading this,

So, for the first time in my amateur career, I've decided to write a review of a game, which was for Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity. I am sorry that it was over 2000 words, but I felt like I had to explain everything.