To summarize all of the below, I have two problems with the story: Characterization and plot. In other words, the whole thing.
After playing through this a second time, I realize that the characterization wasn’t as bad as I thought. The reason I felt turned off by it was because almost every character interaction is comedic filler, and I’ve always considered Sonic storylines to be about action, not comedy. The personalities weren’t done wrong for the most part; I just found the situations they were in unfitting. Still, there’re a few things I’d like to cover.
It’s worth noting that before this game, Sonic characters displayed little personality. Small hints at vague personal traits and beliefs were made in instruction manuals, but nothing else. The Sonic Adventure games, the first games to feature in-game dialogue, still managed to avoid deeply defining the cast. This time around, though, they’ve taken one or two personality traits from each character and focused on them. Here’re my thoughts on that:
-For Sonic, it’s his irresponsibility and attitude. In Sonic’s case, they got it right. I had no problems with him.
-I forget who I’m quoting, but in this game Tails has been upgraded from mechanically inclined to Wile E. Coyote. I’m not happy about that. I can understand how you might disagree with me on this, so I won’t go deep into it. I just think it’s too cartoonish. Other than his mind, they focused on the fact that he’s still a kid, which is good. Maybe a bit too much sometimes, like here:
But that’s a tough act to balance and overall they did fine.Tails: But you’re always so mean to us! And I’m not supposed to talk to strangers!
-Knuckles, I had problems with.
Knuckles: !!! That robot! That’s the one who’s been robbing the jewelry stores around town.
Sonic: H-hey... Just chill for a second Knuckles! This robot is powered by “Chaos Emeralds...â€￾
[Knuckles raises is fist in anger.]
Knuckles: Shut up! I’m going to tear this rustbucket apart to teach it a lesson!
Sonic: Oh, boy...There’s no stopping Knuckles once he gets all riled up. OK, listen up Emerl. This guy won’t listen to anybody who is weaker than he is. So if we want to talk to him about “Chaos Emeralds,â€￾ you’ve got to beat him first.
Knuckles is passionate, not belligerent. He likes to fight, but he won’t start one over nothing. I know this scene is just an excuse for a battle with Knuckles, but it’s still out of character.Knuckles: What is this thing Sonic?
[Sonic looks confused.]
Sonic: Beats me!
[Knuckles look angry again.]
Knuckles: You can’t fool me, Sonic!
Knuckles: Yo, Emerl! What’s up?
Emerl: ... ... ...
Knuckles: Oh, you don’t wanna talk to me, eh?
[Tails looks ready to fight.]
Tails: Knuckles, we have no time for this right now!
Emerl: No time! No time! No time! No time!
[Knuckles raises a fist.]
Knuckles: Why you little...
Emerl: You little! You little! You little! You little!
[Tails looks upset.]
Tails: Hey, stop it, Emerl!
[Emerl goes into a fight with Knuckles]
Not only is this more belligerence, it’s stupidity. Knuckles is gullible, but he’s not stupid. He learns. And he’s seen robots before; they’re not some mystery to him. He should’ve been able to figure out by now that it isn’t talking to him because it’s a brainless machine, not because it’s trying to insult him. But it’s funny, and 90% of this game is comedic filler.Knuckles: I wonder what that woman is up to now. Hey, Emerl, did she pull any
kind of tricks on you?
Emerl: ... ... ...
[Knuckles raises a fist.]
Knuckles: Hey, why won’t you listen to me?!?
...so when did Knuckles become a pansy?Knuckles: The harder he trains, the stronger he gets? Here’s a warrior after my own heart! I must help him reach his full potential! He’s with Sonic?! If Sonic trains him, he’ll never grow strong! They’re probably at “Tails’ Labâ€￾. I must find them!
...so when did Knuckles become a pansy?Emerl: Hello! Where the heck have you been?
Rouge: Looks like your little baby has got quite a mouth on him.
Knuckles: Hey, it's not me, blame Sonic!
Rouge: Quick to blame others, as usual, I see.
...
Knuckles: All right, all right. I'll be more careful.
...so when did Knuckles become a pansy?Emerel: Thank you very much! Looks like you've got a use after all!
Rouge: Well, I never...! How exactly are you raising him, anyway?
Knuckles: S-sorry...
On a side note, I think it’s about time they tone down on Knuckles’s gullibility. At first, he’d never had contact with the outside world and was naïve, but he’s been around awhile now and should be able to see through at least some tricks. It would’ve impressed me if they’d done that, but instead they stuck with their comedic guns and poked fun at him.
-I didn’t like the whole ‘Emerl is our baby’ bit they did with Amy, and that’s all she does for the whole game. It felt like an episode of Sonic X. Not that Sonic X was terrible. But it was kiddy. And so is this gag.
-The only thing Cream has said before this game was 2 or 3 lines in Advance 2, so there’s nothing to screw up. She’s a filler character. I liked her development, though. Emerl’s refusal to fight and her gradual acceptance of fighting was one of the few good scenes.
-Rouge is just made for comedy. No need to touch her. No problems here.
We’ll get into Shadow later. Eggman was flawless.
After playing through a second time, I’ve found that the plot was much WORSE than I remembered. First of all, it was boring. 90% of the game is comedic filler. The entire chapters of Tails (except for one scene), Rouge, Knuckles, Amy, and Cream are pure filler. Their only purpose is to establish a relationship between Emerl and all the characters, which I assume is also supposed to create an emotional attachment between the player and him. On top of that, far too many characters and concepts that should have been put to bed are shamelessly revived to exploit their original popularity. And the story itself repeatedly makes no sense.
You’re probably expecting me to bring up the setting. Emerald Town. Rouge owns a Casino. Amy and Cream share an apartment. Knuckles on Holly Summit. While that’s all annoying, it’s bearable.
What really got to me was all of this:
Right from the get-go, this game doesn’t make sense. Since when is Sonic concerned with the well-being of Eggman’s robots? Normally, he either destroys them to free the animal trapped inside or destroys them to prevent the havoc whose creation is their sole purpose for existing. When did they become good guys? And don’t you say Gamma. Gamma was a pink bird, not a robot, and the only reason it wasn’t destroyed on sight was because the bird overcame the mental inhibitors/ programming /whatever with maternal love and helped Amy. And even after Amy told Sonic about the good Gamma had done, he still hesitated to let it go. Now he wants to FIX Eggbots he finds lying around?Sonic: Man, I’m so bored.
[Sonic looks surprised when he sees the robot.]
Sonic: Hmm? What’s this? It’s a robot!
Robot: ... ... ...
Sonic: Are you all right?
Robot: ... ... ...
Sonic: I wonder if it’s busted. Look at all this dust. I wonder how long it’s
been here. Hey! Are you all right?
[The robot looks around.]
Robot: ... ... ...
Sonic: Hey it’s moving now! Need any help? Can you walk by yourself?
Robot: ... ... ...
Sonic: Can’t speak, eh? Well it figures. Can’t expect much from ol’ Eggman.
Well, let’s get you over to Tails’ first, so we can help you out!
So basically the conversation went like this:Tails: Well, I know two things. 1: it’s powered by “Chaos Emeraldsâ€￾. Once we
give it more “Chaos Emeraldsâ€￾, it will regain its energy and even be able to
speak properly.
Sonic: Maybe that’s why Eggman...
Tails: My next discovery about this robot is even more stunning. This robot is
capable of adopting attack techniques either by observation, or by being
attacked by the attack techniques.
...
Sonic: Hmph... It all sound so complicated, but basically this robot has the
ability to learn our moves right? If that’s the case, then let’s start
training it! Let’s do a “KO Battleâ€￾! The one who gets “10 KOsâ€￾ first wins, OK?
Are you ready, Tails?
...
Tails: “Chaos Emeralds...â€￾ Hey, Sonic! Let’s go see Knuckles!
Sonic: Hey! Yeah. Knuckles might be able to help us out! Especially since he’s
familiar with “Chaos Emeraldsâ€￾! OK, are you ready, Emerl?
Sonic: Hey Tails, check out this robot.
Tails: It looks like Eggman built it. It runs on Chaos Emeralds and has the power to absorb our fighting moves.
Sonic: I see...hey Tails, how about we give it all 7 Chaos Emeralds and teach it all our fighting moves...ya know...just to see what happens.
Tails: Cool!
They have no idea how it’s programmed. At this point they still believe that Eggman created it.
I know that Sonic is supposed to be somewhat irresponsible and that Tails is somewhat submissive to Sonic, but this is either ridiculously exaggerated or just plain nonsense.Tails: Your structural data will tell us who your creator was, what you were created for, and so on... Since I already know you were created by Eggman, I need to be on my guard.
Strange that they’d remember its name. They only heard Eggman shout it once. They never met it after that. Why would they consider it a friend? And if it were really Gamma, wouldn’t they want to free the animal inside? Anyway, including a Gamma rip-off (not even the original character, just a look alike...) screams unoriginality and milking past success.Sonic: Hey, there’s another robot over there!
Tails: Sonic! It’s another one of Eggman’s robots!
Sonic: Hey, it looks just like Gamma!
Tails: Hey, long time no see, Gamma! ... ...
Sonic: Well Tails, I kinda raped his mom back on the Egg Carrier–IT’S A FREAKIN’ BADNIK! WHAT DID YOU EXPECT?!Tails: Gee, that scared me!
Sonic: I guess this isn’t Gamma...
Tails: I wonder why it tried to attack us...
Knuckles: I know this because I have cable now. Guarding the Master Emerald got boring.Knuckles: !!! That robot! That’s the one who’s been robbing the jewelry stores around town.
...or he’ll do what he was designed to do: kill us all. Are they all naïve or stupid?Sonic: Sound like a plan! So how would we reset him?
[Rouge crosses her arms.]
Rouge: I... I don’t know.
Sonic: What? You don’t know?
Tails: So all we have to do is find all 7 “Chaos Emeraldsâ€￾ and then find a way to reset him!
Rouge: Then, he’ll be free, once and for all!
Come on, this is the first game with a story they’d released since SA2. You’d think they could wait at least one game before rehashing the exact same story.President: An ancient weapon, “Gizoidâ€￾, which was sealed and misplaced 50 years ago, has been recovered by Eggman...
This is just a minor point, but breaking the emeralds makes me uncomfortable. I’m sure you can imagine the reasons why. I’m not saying this was detrimental to the game; it just seemed somewhat blasphemous.Eggman: I used the raw data from that robot to build a much better robot. Its name is E121 “Phiâ€￾!
...
These guys are powered by pieces of the “Chaos Emeraldâ€￾. I created
“Phiâ€￾ by using Emerald shards from the Chaos Emerald I crushed!
...last time you didn’t ask any questions. Last time you didn’t know or care who the robot was.Knuckles: Gamma, is that you? Last time, you ran off without even answering me
So...Tails can magically reassemble the Chaos Emeralds? Wouldn’t that be Knuckles’s department?Knuckles: Look what we found!
Tails: Hey! The last two “Emerald shardsâ€￾! I have enough shards to make a whole “Chaos Emeraldâ€￾!!! Hold on one second...
...what? Now all of a sudden the emerald shards can just combine themselves? That’s some lazy writing, man.Gamma: The “Emerald shardâ€￾ is leaving me...
[“1â€￾ “Emerald shardâ€￾ acquired. “Chaos Emeraldâ€￾ created]
Cream: Oh! The combined “Chaos Emeraldâ€￾ has been absorbed by Emerl!
He’s only been in one game, yet they still manage to make him out of character. More on this in a minute.Shadow: I’m not here to steal him, I’m here to welcome him as a fellow weapon of war.
Stupid or naïve? I’m still deciding.Sonic: I’ve heard that he who collects 7 “Chaos Emeraldsâ€￾ will be granted unlimited energy. So, are you trying to tell me that awakening Emerl is dangerous?
On a side note, this would indicate that he’s not a clone after all (or that the real one is alive), because he remembers final hazard. For it to be a clone, Eggman would have to have done some kind of neural scan to copy his memories, and that would have to take place after SA2.Sonic: Maybe you’ve forgotten, but I seem to recall you saving humanity at one point.
Shadow: ...that was for Maria.
All you guys who were complaining about Shadow being too dark and whiny in the other topic? If this is cannon, I agree now. I don’t like this.Shadow: No, you are wrong. We were created as weapons. If the people of this world ever want peace, they must destroy us.
You mean like you? Are you a weapon or not? Or do you just consider yourself useless? ‘Cause I do. You were supposed to die a meaningful death. Instead you’re dying the slow death of a meaningless existence.Sonic: And one more thing! Rouge said that there’s a keyword that can free Emerl! If we could find out what it is, Emerl could become just a normal robot!
Shadow: Ha! Such hopeless dreams... Weapons have no need for a conscience. Freedom? What use is a weapon that does not follow orders?!
Didn’t you just fight Shadow a short while ago to prevent him from getting this robot? Haven’t you consumed your every waking thought with the empowerment and safekeeping of this thing? And now you just give it up? All that depressing talk must’ve made him apathetic.Sonic: All right, all right! Just take Emerl already! If you’re not going to listen to me, then do whatever you want.
Is it just me, or did he never seem concerned with this before? In fact, I don’t think he’s ever considered himself a weapon. He was a life form who acted on his own, not a machine following some programming. In SA2, he tried to kill everyone because his memory was fouled up, not because he felt compelled to do so from an order from his master.Shadow: Tell me... What am I? What is the Gizoid? We were created as weapons, so why is it that we have hearts? Why do we have souls?! What the heck are we?!
Chaos control without a Chaos Emerald? Blasphemy. Or maybe not. Sonic and Shadow’s battle in SA2 leaves that open.Emerl: You sure about that? I don’t want you whining that you didn’t have your “Chaos Emerald.â€￾
Shadow: I no longer need it. I have Maria in my heart.
What? After that whole big speech Rouge gave and that stuff about the heart of Maria, you still can’t accept having a soul? Or was he just looking for an excuse to get away from them? Doesn’t sound good either way.Emerl: (Long speech about being happy and loving everyone)
Shadow: Hmph! There’s no need for a weapon to have feelings. ...this is ridiculous! I’m leaving!
First of all, we’ve heard the journal entry where he records first hearing about Maria’s death. He sounded much more distraught. Second, I’m pretty sure he went insane faster than that.Gerald’s Journal:
I have heard there was an accident at the research facility... ... ... Everything...Everything is gone. My own Maria's name was among the list of casualties. My beloved granddaughter...They tell me her parting words were 'Bring hope to humanity.' I have decided that the keyword to activate the Gizoid's free-willed emotions-based AI program will be those very words. 'Bring hope to all humanity.' My poor, poor Maria...
We KNOW he went insane faster than that. Maria is dead! She meant everything to him! It shouldn’t take more than a week for him to start losing it. Really, how can you go from begging humanity to stop wars one minute to plotting Armageddon the next? He isn’t supposed to be giving Shadow a heart. He’s supposed to be telling him to kill everyone. And why not Gizoid too? Why not unleash him instead of Shadow? Or both?Gerald’s Journal: A heritage of the past I dug out, “Gizoidâ€￾ ...And the ultimate life form I created by my own hands, Shadow... I equipped both with “heart.â€￾ If all powers are not what is to be obtained for oneself, but what is to be born from hearts that yearn for someone, I believe all conflicts should cease to exist. Please...If there is anyone listening to my prayers... bring hope to humanity."
Um, when did Chaos get here? Um, and when did he start working for Eggman? Um, I’m going to assume this is a translation error or something.Eggman: Um, The Phis were all destroyed. Chaos and Gamma are useless too.
Score one more for the rehashers.Eggman: Hah hah hah!!! Enough with the small talk! I have no use for this pile of junk anyway! I have completed the perfect weapon! I have installed the “Final Egg Blasterâ€￾ on the ultimate planet destroying battleship...â€￾the Death Eggâ€￾!!! Haaaah hah hah hah!
Thanks for the blatant foreshadowing, Tails! But doesn’t Eggman always announce his plans? Doesn’t he always dare Sonic to stop him? Isn’t that half of why he’s always trying to take over the world anyway? To play with Sonic?Tails: But something’s not right. Why would he be so out and out honest about his plans? Even the government keeps some things a secret... It feels too deliberate... Like he’s trying to lure us into following him. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.
Wow, screw Chaos Control! All we need is one of these warp things and we can go anywhere on the planet and the surrounding atmosphere instantly, even if you have no idea what’s there and teleport yourself into solid matter!Tails: Anyway, I’ll go fetch a warp transporter so we can reach the battleship, so go to “Holly Summitâ€￾ and I’ll meet you there!
for no reason,Knuckles: You came, as expected...
Sonic: Knuckles... What on Earth is this...?
Knuckles: When the battleship appeared, the “Estuaryâ€￾ instantly froze over,
Let’s count: The whole 50 years ago story, Gerald and the Ark, Shadow and Chaos Control, Gamma, the Death Egg, and now Chaos.and “Chaosâ€￾ appeared. He’s just sitting there, guarding the “Death Egg.â€￾
This has gotta be the worst line in the game. I’ll let them get away with calling Chaos a god, but what’s he doing here? His purpose was the guard the chao and the emerald shrine. Neither are here. And didn’t Chaos and Tikal ascend into magical happy land at the end of SA1, putting their spirits to rest? This is the most blatant cameo of all, and it doesn’t even make sense. And Chaos’s moves suck anyway. Writers gots-ta die, yo.Knuckles: Chaos is the guardian god of the Chao. He only shows himself in times of great crisis. Looks like we’re in deep trouble this time!
I say as though I haven’t seen it in 5 games already.Sonic: Hm... So that’s the “Death Egg,â€￾ huh? I can see why the old guy was so excited... That thing’s huge!
(fails to indicate direction)(As soon as you get on the Death Egg)
Tails: Emerl? Can you hear me? We’re watching from a monitor over here!
Can’t this chapter go a single conversation without pissing me off? I know it’s just more magical technology from Tails, but they aren’t even trying to explain it anymore.We can project our voices to your location, so we’ll be cheering you on! Amy, Cream, Shadow, and Rouge should be here soon, too!
...Eggman: ... Hah! NOW!!! Launch “Final Egg Blasterâ€￾!!!
[Screen flashes white, ground shakes]
Emerl: Urk...Eggman...What are you doing?!
...
Eggman: Haaaah hah hah hah! Look! All the stars over there have been destroyed! How do you feel Gizoid? Are you ready to start capturing energy???
Ok...
I’m not even going to go into the fact that those stars are light years apart.
Or the fact that a blast that could do that would have enough gravity to be classified as a black hole and demolish everything around before it left the ship.
Or even that those stars are trillions of light years away, and even if the blast could instantly reach them, we wouldn’t know that the stars had been destroyed for trillions of years, or if they were even alive at the time of the blast to begin with.
No. We’ve already established that this game is above the laws of physics.
But you’re telling me,
That Eggman built a weapon
Without using a single Chaos Emerald
That can destroy an unknown number of star systems with a single shot.
And he’s dicking around with this Gizoid...why?
ANNIHILATE IT! You don’t need its power! Just blow the emeralds to kingdom come and nobody can stop you!
And he wasn’t even planning to use all that power! Isn’t the power to blow up a solar system enough to bluff your way into world domination?!Emerl: Launch “Final Egg Blasterâ€￾ at earth...
Eggman: What!?
...
Eggman: Knock it off, Gizoid! If the earth is gone, I won’t be able to achieve world domination!
The Master Emerald. Another translation issue, no doubt. And where DID it come from? Everybody’s standing right there, and Angel Island is nowhere in the game. I wish I got paid to write nonsense.Sonic: What’s this?! A “Master Emeraldâ€￾! Where did this come from?
Magically.Sonic: Emerl has...disappeared...
Did he disappear or explode? Are those shards of a Chaos or the Master Emerald? And are they being artlessly symbolic or literal?Shadow: This was Gerald’s final program... Should a weapon go out of control, the weapon will terminate itself... ... ... ... It is my desire to bring hope to humanity. I can’t stand it...
Cream: Sob... Emerl...
Sonic: Hey-hey! Don’t you cry! Cream!
Cream: Sonic!
Sonic: Come on, don’t cry! Emerl... is right here!
[Shard floats down]
Cream: ... Yes! As part of the “Emerald Shardsâ€￾...
The end. The Death Egg is still floating up there with it’s impossibly powerful cannon, the Master Emerald is in pieces on the floor, and the fate of the Chaos Emeralds is somewhat ambiguous. None of that is really bad; I’m just pointing it out.Tails: Someday... If the world finally knows true peace... If this world no longer needs weapons or wars... If we can make this world a truly peaceful place when we’re older... If we can make a world where there’s only laughter... Do you think we’ll be able to play with Emerl again?
Sonic: ... ... ... ...Yeah! Defiantly!
I interpret the theme of the story to be that no matter how hard you try you can’t change what you are. It might seem like you can for a while, but you can’t. You’re doomed. And if you don’t like it, you can die like Emerl. It’s kind of a stark contrast from ‘If you try, you can do anything’ and ‘Dreams come true’ and ‘Wishes are eternal.’
Not only does the story contradict previous games, it contradicts itself. It’s a cartoonish comedy that isn’t funny, forced on top of some dark theme that doesn’t belong. Grammar errors.
This is not good writing.
To quote myself after I first finished the game:
I don’t think I can ever consider this cannon. It was after this game that I first used the phrase that I’ve been using to describe Sonic Team’s every move since,As I played on, I became more and more discouraged by the Sonic Team’s newfound incompetence. Every element of the story took away from my enjoyment and left me ultimately sorry I’d wasted time playing it. If this is all they’re capable of, maybe Sonic Team should go back to making games without storylines. ... If this game represents the future of Sonic, then I think it’s time I left it behind. I hope I‘m not alone.
Now can anybody please tell me how this story is OK? Or even any better than Heroes?
