I don't know if there's another topic like this, but this still seems really redundant as we go through this discussion eery time a game with new characters is announced.

Lol

There can never be too many characters. Just live with it.

Yes, there is such a thing as too many characters. It is shown when not enough attention is given to the main hero(Sonic)--i.e. he lacks the most levels, seemed tacked on or unneccsary to the plot, or if the other characters play like Sonic(complete with Sonic-like levels) only better.

Also, it doesn't help if the new character plays too similar to the hero.

The solution is obviously to make more characters that are NPCs - plot-relevant or otherwise - and just have the same playable characters interact with 'em.

Works with Mario, doesn't it?

The Mario platformers don't even use a big cast of playable chracters. Most of the time, the playable characters is limited to Mario with occasionaly Luigi. Heck, even Luigi is missing in SM64 and Sunshine. Most of the NPCs in that franchise are usually one-shot characters or stay as bosses for future games.

That's my point. Limit the playable characters to a select few (in Mario's case, Mario and Luigi, usually; Wario and Yoshi, occasionally; everyone else, rarely; in Sonic's case, Sonic, Tails and Knux should be it, at most), then have a large cast of one-shot NPCs that for some reason or another keep coming back to entertain us.

I have to agree with Shadow Hog. Thoguh I don't mind all of the extra Sonic characters, that does'nt mean I want to play as all of them. I think that's where Shadow got it right, where in his game, you play one character all the way through while interacting with the other characters. That's how it should be done.

Well, sort of. I don't like having all the characters screaming conflicting demands at me, or even talking like that during gameplay; just cutscenes work for me.

Aye. What I should have said was the concept of the Shadow game, not the execution of it. Regardless, it was nice not being forced to play every single character.

Just for once I'd like a game where you play as Sonic. That's it. Everyone else in it is'nt played. Hopefully, that's the direction the next gen Sonic game is taking.

I might have agree when I was younger, but what drew me into MMO games was being able to have some choice in who you play. Even the the ones made for massive scale events with thousands of people give you some choice in what you look like.

It's a pretty divided topic as some people like true RPG's where you are one character and everything is bent to that character. Others like to decide their character or just flat out don't care and want something else entirely (Like the old speed feeling in the sonic games.)

~Rico

I'm one of the few that has absolutely no problem with the abundance of characters. It'd be nice if their gameplay differentiated, though. All the characters created so far have the potential to play differently - it just hasn't been tapped.

I thought most people didn't have a problem with it.

~Rico

^What, with the huge abundance of playable Sonic characters? You are mistaken, my friend. This goes beyond the Sonic fan community.

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I'm one of the few that has absolutely no problem with the abundance of characters. It'd be nice if their gameplay differentiated, though. All the characters created so far have the potential to play differently - it just hasn't been tapped.

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And that the big problem that goes back to my statement of the other characters playing Sonic-designed levels which seems to be true for the Advance series. They seemed to be more gimmick characters in a weak attempt to extend the replay value of the games. What's the point of even just putting Tails and Knuckles when they lack any character specific branches, paths, bosses, secrets, etc within their levels other than to cater to their fanbases?

I think none of those characters are real....no. Sonic just runs off stage, puts on a costume and runs back out! So fast that he is able to cause the illusion of multiple characters being on scene at once!

I KNEW sonic could fly. He just fakes it unless he's in super sayjin mode.

~Rico

Meh. I wouldn't mind it so much if characters kinda... stopped coming back. and the limit on returning characters was to a certain franchise or just didn't exsisted. (Okay, what I just said made no sense @_@. Basically: Babylon Rogues, Only in Riders Games.) I mean Chaos and Tikal left, Big pretty much left. Rouge looked like she was gonna stay. Shadow was SUPPOSED to die...

Eh, I just think we need a limit on permanent characters.

I don't think the problem is having too many characters as much as it is having too many redundant characters.
Sonic Adventure 2 is the perfect example of this via Rouge the Bat. Rouge is basically a composite of two preexisting characters: She's Knuckles and Fang put together with Cleavage added, which wouldn't be too bad if at least her Stages were unique, but they're just lame clones of Knuckles' lame treasure-hunting levels.
So while adding new characters is not necessarily a bad thing, they should at least fill a niche that isn't already occupied by an earlier character, or they should have some necessary connection to the story, like the new characters in Sonic Adventure 1.

Too many characters is what really ruins Archie for me. You have a lot of characters that are one shots with no purpose other than a single story or game.

Well I thought Rouge was working for the government... or was that only for Sonic X? Meh they should have used Nack. Knuckles is too block headed for a romantic interest and Nack could at least shoot things. And his abilities wouldn't have been totaly identical to Knuckles but ah well. Its too late now. Nobody wants Rouge to die or leave so she's here to stay.

And off topic. As far as Archie is concerned I heard rumors they are going to kill off someone. Oooh I wonder who. Or maybe its already happened! Gah! ....I don't care. They could probably never use Nack in a Sega game because he's copywrited to Archie, right?

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They could probably never use Nack in a Sega game because he's copywrited to Archie, right?

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Wrong! Even characters exclusive to and created by Archie (such as Julie-Su, Tommy, Nate Morgan) are owned by Sega to do with as they please. That is why that rumor, about Mighty's creator owning the rights to Mighty keeps Mighty from showing up in other games, is incorrect.

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They could probably never use Nack in a Sega game because he's copywrited to Archie, right?

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Eh? Fang debuted in Sonic and Tails 2 aka Sonic Triple Trouble, not the comics and appeared in Sonic Drift 2 and Sonic the Fighters. So yeah, being a game-created character, he has a bigger chance of appearing in a new Sonic game than Sally, Bunnie, etc.

I think the main problem is that most of the characters 'overstay their welcome.' Instead of taking their course they were intended for, Sonic Team decides to make them stay longer than they were suppose to be.

Shadow: The most obvious character. Should have stayed dead instead of coming back to life to please the 'I'm conforming so I want a an evil looking, angsty bada** character' fans

E-102: Haven't been bought back directly, but with Omega and Chaos Gamma, you get the picture.

Big: Well Big appearently left. He was needed one last time for an extra team for Sonic Heroes. (Which seemed like a reunion game IMO) I wouldn't mind if he made cameoes like SA2 though.

Hopefully, the Babylon Rogues will only appear in the Riders series and the Chaotix won't go stale.

I agree. The abundance of extra characters takes away from possible further development of Sonic's game. I think that it should revolve around 3 characters at the most, namely Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles.

Amy isn't very interesting. Big is just a stupid one dimensional character whose only gameplay purpose was that "bash fishing" craze at the time. Rouge is a photocopy of Knuckles with boobs. And as much as I like Shadow, well, the same thing goes for him and Sonic.

I feel that E-102 could be worked with and improved on if they wanted to ever incorporate him in a game.

Basically, people want to play Sonic. Gamers want to get the most out of Sonic. You couldn't play as Toad or Yoshi (although it would have 0wned) in SM64, could you? Sonic Team hasn't offered what players want, instead we get a bunch of filler. (Except for SA1, they worked that out okay).

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Rouge is a photocopy of Knuckles with boobs. And as much as I like Shadow, well, the same thing goes for him and Sonic.

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Shadow is a photocopy of Sonic with boobs?

First off:

I actually like Amy. She's just about the funniest character they have. Gotta love the mallet!

Second, I think the problem is not exactly having TOO MANY characters, rather, it's having too many UNDERUSED caracters.

Third- if they had Gamma (preferably with all of Chaos Gamma's new gadgets a well as his trusty missile launcher and jetpack from Adventure), Mighty, and Ray return, I would probably buy three copies of the game- if not more .
No, I'm NOT kidding.