An Unlikely Hero | |
Here's the first in our occasional series of discussion features. Add your thoughts using the 'Comments' link below.
The bestselling videogame in the UK last week was Sonic Mega Collection Plus, a compilation of Sonic's greatest hits from the Mega Drive and Game Gear years. And in 2004, Sonic Heroes was the sixth bestselling game in the UK overall, outperforming big hitters like Burnout 3 and Spider-Man 2. Surprised? How about this: that same game, a full year after its release, is still at number eight in this week’s all-price chart.
Nor does Sonic’s current popularity end there. Last year, at the Golden Joysticks awards, readers of The Sun voted Sonic their Ultimate Gaming Hero, beating out Tommy Vercetti, Master Chief and the once-ubiquitous Lara Croft. As well as producing the extraordinary spectacle of Little Britain’s Marjorie Dawes cuddling up to an eight-foot hedgehog, the award also raised an interesting conundrum: just how does he do it?
It should be all over for Sonic. The videogame giant for whom he was an emblem has long since admitted defeat in the consumer hardware space. His transition to the 3D world has not been convincing, steadily declining in quality from his debut in Sonic Adventure (itself far from flawless). His characterisation has become increasingly unlikeable, the 16bit charisma replaced by whiny off-the-peg Americanisms. And his 2D incarnations? Well, few videogame commentators would argue that 2D is alive and kicking. With no hardware for him to represent, and no standout software to represent him, it should be all over.
And yet it isn’t. He’s riding high, maintaining a profile against all the odds. Mario, once the most widely recognisable game character in the world, didn’t make a dent on The Sun’s readers’ consciousness. Tommy Vercetti, the antihero who led a gaming revolution, didn’t stand a chance. So what is his secret? Is it good box art? Sonic Heroes’ vibrant foil treatment was certainly eye-catching. Is it canny pricing? The £29.99 price tag of the Mega Collection certainly takes it one step further into ‘impulse’ territory. Can his cartoon second life, currently showing on Jetix, really be pushing the game to number two in the Xbox charts?
Or is the answer simply that new gamers are a lot more like old gamers than many publishers give them credit for? Is it that new gamers like bright colours just as much as old gamers? Can it be that new gamers have just as strong an enthusiasm for geeky videogame heritage as 16bit enthusiasts do? Is Mega Collection Plus’ brutally old-fashioned approach to unlocking its content still exerting its masochistic appeal? Can it be that the thirst for truly excellent, truly pure platformers is as strong as it ever was? Can it be that 2D gaming isn’t dead at all?
We want to know what you think. So tell us.
Source: www.edge-online.co.uk
posted by Pedro Silva @ 11:15 da manhã
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