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00:00Sonic, if you leave here to go on another adventure, remember this place.
00:07Definitely!
00:08Welcome to Mojo Plays and today we're looking back at the Blue Blur's most disappointing, frustrating and downright disastrous adventures.
00:16We're considering broken mechanics, questionable creative decisions, wasted potential and the damage each release inflicted on Sonic's already turbulent reputation.
00:25That doesn't mean every game here is completely without merit. Sonic fans can find a great soundtrack, imaginative concepts or
00:31nostalgic memory in almost anything.
00:33But when the music is the best part of a game about moving at supersonic speed, something has probably gone
00:38very wrong.
00:39Who put you in charge? I say Tails and I will stay back and protect the village and you and
00:46Sonic take the elevator.
00:47Before we begin, we publish new content all week long, so be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to
00:53get notified about our latest videos.
00:56Sonic and the Secret Rings
00:58My name's Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog.
01:01Very well then, Sonic. The Legendary Hedgehog.
01:07Following the catastrophic reception of Sonic the Hedgehog in 2006, Sonic and the Secret Rings represented an opportunity to start
01:15rebuilding.
01:15Its Arabian Night setting was colourful, the OST slapped and the idea of Sonic racing through storybook worlds had plenty
01:22of potential.
01:23Unfortunately, he apparently entered the book without bringing conventional controls.
01:27Sonic runs forward automatically, while players steer by tilting the Wii remote from side to side.
01:32Jumping requires pulling the controller backwards before thrusting it forwards.
01:36And attacking enemies depends on motion inputs that don't always feel as precise as the game demands.
01:49Sonic initially moves with all the agility of a shopping cart.
01:52The campaign also repeatedly recycles its stages through missions involving ring collection, enemy elimination, time limits and avoiding particular objects.
02:01Some challenges are enjoyable, but others seem designed to test whether the controller can survive being introduced to a nearby
02:07wall.
02:08There's good material buried here, but Secret Rings often feels like Sonic was forced to adapt to the Wii remote,
02:14rather than the Wii remote being used to enhance Sonic.
02:17I told you, I'm not a rat!
02:23I'm a hedgehog!
02:25Sonic Shuffle
02:35The success of Mario Party naturally inspired competitors, and Sega already had a colourful collection of characters perfectly suited to
02:42a multiplayer board game.
02:44What could possibly go wrong?
02:46Quite a lot, apparently.
02:47Sonic Shuffle sends Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy across elaborate game boards, while players collect pieces of the precious stone
02:54and compete in minigames.
02:55The visual presentation remains charming, and its card-based movement system offers more strategy than simply rolling dice.
03:02Unfortunately, every turn takes long enough for Eggman to complete another orbital superweapon.
03:06Sonic Shuffle
03:16The pacing is painfully slow, thanks to extended animations, computer-controlled opponents and frequent loading screens.
03:24Worse, the minigames, the most important part of any party game, vary wildly in quality.
03:30Some are confusing, others are unresponsive, and many end before players fully understood what they were supposed to do.
03:36Sonic Shuffle isn't devoid of creativity, but its sluggish structure is completely at odds with the franchise's defining quality.
03:43Somehow, Sega made a Sonic game in which waiting is the primary mechanic.
03:54Sonic the Fighters
04:01Compared with the failures higher on this list, Sonic the Fighters is more awkward curiosity than franchise-destroying nightmare.
04:08However, even devoted Sonic fans may struggle to explain why the blue blur needed a fighting game, especially one this
04:15clunky.
04:16Originally released in arcades, the game uses simplified three-button combat built around attacking, blocking and activating barriers.
04:23Characters include Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, S.B.O. Fang and lesser known fighters such as Bean the Dynamite and
04:29Bark the Polar Bear.
04:30The game's biggest problem is that the combat is shallow.
04:41Matches frequently become frantic button-mashing contests, character balance is questionable and the limited moveset offers little incentive to develop
04:48any kind of mastery.
04:50Later home releases made the game more accessible and even added characters, helping it develop a nostalgic following.
04:55But measured against Sega's stronger arcade fighters, it feels more like an entertaining bonus mode stretched into a standalone release.
05:11Sonic R
05:18Can you feel the sunshine? Absolutely.
05:21Can you feel your character responding correctly while attempting to turn left?
05:25Considerably less so.
05:27Sonic R has one of the most appealing concepts in the franchise.
05:30Sonic and his friends competing in races, primarily on foot, using their individual abilities to discover shortcuts and collect hidden
05:37items.
05:38Its courses contain branching paths, secret characters, chaos emeralds and bright environments that feel like classic Sonic zones converted into
05:45three-dimensional racetracks.
05:46Then you start to move.
05:56The handling is astonishingly slippery, causing characters to bounce between walls as though every course has been polished with industrial
06:03lubricant.
06:04Sonic may be fast, but maintaining control during sharp corners requires patience and memorization rather than reflexes.
06:11The camera struggles to communicate upcoming turns, while the small selection of tracks and characters makes the game feel thin
06:17even by 1997 standards.
06:20It's a terrible racing game wrapped in an irresistibly upbeat soundtrack.
06:24Maybe this is why Sonic does all his racing these days in cars.
06:35Sonic Chronicles The Dark Brotherhood
06:45A Sonic role-playing game developed by BioWare sounds like the kind of combination fans could only conjure in their
06:50wildest dreams.
06:51On paper, it has everything. Party-based combat, dialogue choices, an original sci-fi storyline, even references to the franchise's
07:00most obscure lore.
07:01Alas, this isn't Sonic meets Mass Effect, it's Sonic meets Anthem.
07:06Sonic Chronicles follows our favourite speedster as he investigates the disappearance of Knuckles and confronts the mysterious Nocturnus clan.
07:13It's just a shame that the gameplay is the antithesis of what Sonic is all about.
07:24Combat relies heavily on repetitive touch screen prompts. Special attacks require players to tap, drag and trace patterns.
07:30Meaning every significant battle becomes an extended sequence of stylus exercises.
07:35Enemy encounters grow tedious, movement through the environments can feel cumbersome and the presentation lacks the energy associated with Sonic.
07:43The soundtrack is especially infamous, containing compositions that range from annoying to eardrum eviscerating.
07:50For a franchise known for rescuing weak games with incredible music, that is practically a criminal offence.
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08:19Sonic Labyrinth.
08:22Sonic Labyrinth.
08:27Dr. Robotnik has replaced Sonic's usual footwear with special shoes that prevent him from running quickly or jumping normally.
08:33That is the actual premise. Imagine making a Batman game where his cape is confiscated or a Mario game where
08:39jumping is prohibited.
08:41Sonic Labyrinth deliberately removes the hero's defining ability and then asks players to slowly navigate isometric mazes while searching for
08:48keys.
08:50Sonic can still use a spin dash providing occasional bursts of speed but movement here is generally lethargic.
08:58Sonic Labyrinth.
09:03The isometric perspective makes judging angles difficult, while visually repetitive environments ensure players frequently lose track of where they've already
09:11been.
09:11Falling from platforms or missing turns can force substantial backtracking, turning every level into a test of patience.
09:17A slower Sonic puzzle game could theoretically work, the franchise has always contained exploration, alternate routes and hidden collectibles, but
09:25Labyrinth doesn't replace speed with sufficiently clever obstacles or satisfying navigation.
09:30It just feels like Sonic is being punished for wearing the wrong shoes.
09:41Sonic Forces
09:52Unlike many entries on this list, Sonic Forces isn't especially broken.
09:57It runs, it looks polished and players can generally complete it without falling through reality.
10:01Its biggest sin is making an exciting premise feel completely forgettable.
10:07Eggman has conquered most of the world, Sonic is believed dead.
10:10His friends have formed a resistance, while players are given the opportunity to create an original avatar and join the
10:16fight.
10:17The game even brings classic Sonic into the storyline.
10:20That setup should produce one of Sonic's biggest and most dramatic adventures.
10:24Instead, the campaign lasts only a few hours, and most stages are extremely short.
10:29Good luck out there!
10:31You get plenty already, leave the rest to us!
10:33Good luck out there!
10:34Good luck out there!
10:38Modern Sonic frequently races through automatic sequences.
10:42Classic Sonic controls less naturally than he did in Sonic Generations,
10:45and the player's custom fanfic character relies on weapons that aren't exactly fun to use.
10:51The whole affair feels weightless.
10:53This is especially egregious given that Forces had just released shortly after the brilliance that was Sonic Mania.
10:59One game understood exactly why Sonic worked.
11:03The other seemed afraid to let players control him for longer than 90 seconds at a time.
11:14Sonic Free Riders
11:24For what it was, Sonic Riders was a neat little spin-off that gave fans hope of one day getting
11:29a great Sonic racing game.
11:31Something this sequel had every chance to nail.
11:34And then Sega decided it would be way more fun to turn the whole thing into one of the most
11:39miserable and nausea inducing experiences in the franchise to date.
11:43Designed as a launch title for Xbox Connect, the game demands players stand sideways like they're riding a board.
11:50Leaning steers, crouching increases speed, a quick hop for jumping, and reaching towards the screen performs attacks or grabs items.
11:57At least, that's what's supposed to happen.
12:06The motion tracking frequently misunderstands the player's movement, causing races to drift into walls and miss jumps.
12:13Menus also rely on motion controls, meaning that even navigating the interface can become a struggle.
12:19What should have been a fun multiplayer for the whole family ended up as a concussion waiting to happen.
12:23Now that we have cross worlds, it's unlikely we will ever see the Riders series resurface. Probably for the best.
12:30He should be thankful. It's not every day you get to race with two cuties like us. Right, Sonic?
12:36Sonic Boom, Rise of Lyric
12:39What's the matter, Sonic? Can't keep up?
12:42You were saying?
12:44I didn't mean that literally. It was a taunt. It's Villainy 101.
12:49Sonic Boom was intended to become a multimedia reinvention, spanning games, television and toys, all featuring redesigned characters.
12:56The animated series developed a devoted following. The Wii U game developed something closer to a crime scene.
13:03Rise of Lyric abandons traditional Sonic structure for a mixture of platforming, combat, puzzle solving and cooperative character switching.
13:09Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy each possess different abilities, while the Enerbeam allows them to swing across gaps and manipulate
13:15objects.
13:16None of these systems feel finished.
13:25Combat is slow and repetitive, environments are oversized and empty, dialogue loops incessantly, and framerate drops turn basic traversal into
13:33a slideshow.
13:34Characters frequently become stuck in geometry, animations break, and the camera struggles during moments requiring even modest precision.
13:42An infamous glitch involving Knuckles allowed players to jump repeatedly and bypass large portions of the game, arguably improving the
13:49experience through accidental mercy.
13:51The project suffered from a difficult development process, but that did little for anyone who had purchased the finished product.
13:56Its failure damaged the entire Sonic Boom brand before it had properly begun, and became another example of Sega launching
14:03a major Sonic game before it was ready.
14:07We did it!
14:09We did it!
14:10We can go now!
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14:36Sonic the Hedgehog
14:38Sonic!
14:39Tails!
14:41Long time no see!
14:42I'm glad you're here!
14:44I heard that you tried to save their princess from Dr Eggman!
14:48As if it would be anything else.
14:51Released to celebrate Sonic's 15th anniversary and introduce him to the 7th gaming generation, Sonic the Hedgehog was positioned as
14:57a prestigious reintroduction.
14:59It promised realistic environments, multiple playable characters, an ambitious cinematic storyline and a new era for the franchise.
15:07Instead, it became one of gaming's most famous disasters.
15:11Sonic, Shadow and newcomer Silver each received campaigns plagued by unreliable physics, awkward controls, poor collision detection and a camera
15:19seemingly determined to document the player's death from the least useful angle possible.
15:24High speed sections can launch Sonic off course before players understand what happened.
15:27Silver's telekinetic mechanics have a life of their own, while friendly computer control characters regularly behave like they are attempting
15:34to escape the game.
15:42Then, there are the loading screens.
15:45Enter a mission, load.
15:47Hear one line of dialogue, load again.
15:49Complete the mission, load thrice.
15:51As for the story, yikes.
15:54Time travel, ancient flames, a human princess repeatedly being kidnapped, Sonic's apparent death, and the infamous moment where said princess
16:02smooches his lifeless body.
16:04Sonic, come back.
16:06To me.
16:08To us.
16:13Yeah, it's a melodramatic, confusing and tonally bizarre mess.
16:17Sonic 06 permanently damaged the Hedgehog's reputation.
16:21For years, every new 3D entry was judged against the fear that another 06 might be lying in wait.
16:27Nice smile.
16:29Do you agree with our list?
16:30Does Sonic 06 still deserve the crown?
16:32Or did Rise of Lyric and Freerider somehow fall even further below rock bottom for you?
16:36Let us know in the comments.
16:38Two minutes.
16:38Two minutes.
16:38Repeat the rhythm of時.