40 replies to this topic

[RedAuthar]

 

No the death knell to Sega. It's people like Bytor, the classic fans, that made Sonic as popular as he is today and now SEGA is spitting on their childhood icons with pointless revisionism. Let's face it. Sonic's fanbase is mostly adult know, little kids are too busy playing COD and GTA because their parents don't know nor care any better. Sonic is for the teens, twentysomethings, and older. SEGA was trying to apeall to the crowd years ago anyways. It's our wallets that keep their hearts beating, they better respect that fact.

 

While the active Sonic fanbase across the Internet perhaps skews toward older demographics, especially on sites like this, I'm fairly sure that the bulk of sales for both the comics and games are from children. People like you and I are part of a niche group, one that, from a financial standpoint, is rather insignificant. Sonic's always been aimed primarily at kids. We're just kids that grew up and gradually found ourselves outside the target demographic.

 

It's frustrating, and I feel Sega has increasingly lost sight of making the series appeal to a wider age range as it did in the early 90s, but as long as Sonic remains popular among children our own support honestly means little.

 

That said, I imagine that older fans make up a greater proportion of the comic's audience than in the case of the games, so it's possible that backlash from the recent series of events will nonetheless have an appreciable effect on sales.

 

So true.  Many of the original target audience grew up and expect more from the series.  However that's the double ended sword.  Many newer generations of fans are turning away because too many older gen fans are saying the newer games aren't good because they aren't like they used to be. 

 

Same with the comics, the people who review them are usually older fans who don't like the current direction.  The newer generation of fans (who are the targeted audience) also turn away because the old gen advises them to.  SEGA and Archie can't appease both so their leaning towards hoping the new game fans will catch on to the comics if they make them more like the games.  

 

Also, since all the older generation does is complain anymore, mayhaps Archie and SEGA don't feel they should even waste their time appeasing them anymore. 

[Robthe1st]

Sonic will and always be aim for small children. Just like Disney (Like Mickey Mouse and his friends) characters has always been.

 

I'm sure small children will love Sonic now and then ten years or so later.. They stop watching the TV show, the comics, or playing games with it and play something else like Grand Theft Auto!  But, the new kiddy fans will always interfere with Sonic forever in every generations.  

 

No the death knell to Sega. It's people like Bytor, the classic fans, that made Sonic as popular as he is today and now SEGA is spitting on their childhood icons with pointless revisionism. Let's face it. Sonic's fanbase is mostly adult know, little kids are too busy playing COD and GTA because their parents don't know nor care any better. Sonic is for the teens, twentysomethings, and older. SEGA was trying to apeall to the crowd years ago anyways. It's our wallets that keep their hearts beating, they better respect that fact.

 

 

 

I like to believe you, I'm still working of my Sonic fanfic story, support to be aim for teenagers. If you want Sonic to be aim for older teenagers and mostly adults, that's not going to work and Sega will never accept it. Sonic is shape as a kiddy cartoon style... I mean, try invite teenagers and some adults in some focus room and to see what's their reaction on Sonic.

[RedAuthar]

 

It will be interesting to see where the comic will go from here, but I expect it to become more and more like the games until the Freedom Fighters are completely written out, at that point no one will really care for the mangled relic of past success/glory that is Archie Sonic; it will fade away as well.

If you've read the most recent issues it's the Freedom Fighters characters that are getting all the panel time.  If your worried about them disappearing, at the moment your fears are unfounded. 

 

 

 And no, saying that Archie is only supporting the younger fans because they don't complain as much is Stier Scheiße pure and simple; it's not like Archie is trying to appease any fans right now, the only one being appeased is Sega of Japan period, end of story.

Honestly?  How many sites do you see complaining about the older comics/games?  All I see is people being nostalgic or those who've disliked the comic/games from the start.  The older generation of Sonic fans are the ones who do all the complaining.  I've yet to see even the newer generation defend themselves.  Between the two, even I'd rather appease the ones that aren't complaining rather than fail over and over to the ones that are.  

 

On top of that yes Archie has to appease SEGA of Japan first because they are working with their characters and stories, however they haven't outright done anything to alienate fans.  Many of these changes that we complain about are their attempt to salvage their fan base.  Rather than drop the freedom Fighters, they've been modified to stay in.  Rather than deal with all the problems caused by the lawsuit and the fact that everyone hated the current storyline, Archie just retconned it out so we could get back to adventure faster.  Archie is trying to appease the fans, their just not giving them exactly what they want because they don't want to alienate other fans or SoJ.  Just because they are unsuccessful in their methods doesn't mean they didn't try.  

[Robthe1st]

I hate it how history is getting re-written based on current events. I guess it's true, "If you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it, and you will even come to believe it yourself."

Back in the early 1990s I can tell you that grown adults loved and played Sonic; and it is fact that it was marketed at the mainstream, not just children.

 

And it'll continue to be. I know some adults enjoy playing Sonic games back then. Hell, I did read a history when Walt Disney make his first sound Mickey Mouse animation short call: "Steamboat Willie" And when it first premier during the late 20's, it was appearing to adults, teens, and children. And like always: Mickey Mouse will be aim for children maybe of the style of it (The style of it for children). And that's what Sonic is: The style of it for children.

[RedAuthar]

I hate it how history is getting re-written based on current events. I guess it's true, "If you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it, and you will even come to believe it yourself."

Back in the early 1990s I can tell you that grown adults loved and played Sonic; and it is fact that it was marketed at the mainstream, not just children.

It was marketed to whomever would buy it.  

 

More adults bought it for their kids than for themselves, ergo, SEGA focused on that market.  

 

More accurately Sonic was never marketed to an Adult audience, some just picked it up, like with Mario and quite a few other games.  Just like how the original Disney Cartoons and Looney Tunes were marketed towards the general audience but later became more kid oriented because that's where it sold better. 

[RedAuthar]

 

You haven't been around many Sonic internet sites have you, or even YouTube, it's all over the place. Sonamy vs. Sonsal?

Uh...newer generation isn't limited to SEGA Sonic fans who technically were here before SatAM and Archie fans.  I'm meaning like those new to Sonic (games/comics/otherwise) in general.  Might clear things up.  I don't disagree, personally I find the SEGA fans the worst offenders of any complaining, but that's not who I was defending. 

 

You can argue about why the changes have taken place but to place the blame on the classic fans is not only fallacy, but is a balled-faced lie; no one but those at Archie knows the full reason(s) behind this.

I'm not putting the blame on the classic fans.  But if I was Archie I wouldn't be trying to appease them because their so divided it's nigh impossible to do so.  So instead I focus on the newer generation that doesn't have any complaints because they weren't reading the older comics or playing the older games.

 

Also with the constant threat of the older fans pulling out, why should Archie feel obligated to do things for them?  Honestly when someone claims their not interested in the current direction, they usually stop buying.  If that's the case, why change things when the newer fans don't seem to care?  For every fan lost a new one has been gained.

 

 

hey're not easy to deal with and haven't had the fans' best interests at heart for decades.

If you mean SoJ, I think they're more interested in the Japanese Audience than the Western Audiences.  I agree they don't seem to make the changes many fans ask of them. 

[Uncle Ben]

I think Sega doesnt wanna admit that its fan base is the older crowd...

[TheRedStranger]

I think Sega doesnt wanna admit that its fan base is the older crowd...

 

And mostly American or American leaning when comes to continuity. SoJ and it's ethnocentric puppet-mastery over SoA (the people who made Sonic who he is) and now Archie is a choice that is killing the company and trying to kill Sonic, via incomptence and cultural/demographic ignorance of their own market

[Uncle Ben]

 

I think Sega doesnt wanna admit that its fan base is the older crowd...

 

And mostly American or American leaning when comes to continuity. SoJ and it's ethnocentric puppet-mastery over SoA (the people who made Sonic who he is) and now Archie is a choice that is killing the company and trying to kill Sonic, via incomptence and cultural/demographic ignorance of their own market

 

 

Basically

[furrykef]

That ship has sailed, though. I'd wager the majority of Sonic fans today don't want any of the American continuities to take over Sonicdom in general, either because they were never fans of them in the first place or they've grown to like the status quo.

[Robthe1st]

That ship has sailed, though. I'd wager the majority of Sonic fans today don't want any of the American continuities to take over Sonicdom in general, either because they were never fans of them in the first place or they've grown to like the status quo.

 

That's true.

[RedAuthar]

 

That ship has sailed, though. I'd wager the majority of Sonic fans today don't want any of the American continuities to take over Sonicdom in general, either because they were never fans of them in the first place or they've grown to like the status quo.

 

That's true.

 

Honestly we do forget that what is called "American Sonic" is not the only Sonic in America.  SEGA of Japan's Sonic is just as popular here as SatAM or Archie. 

[RedAuthar]

I think you'd all be surprised the reception a game based on the Archie universe would get. The more and more I connect the dots with bringing the comic more in line with the games and now with the Freedom Fighters looking like proper game characters I am starting to think one might be imminent. Just look at the newest comic cover with them all in 3D; it looks like they are now game ready. I dunno if it's just false hope again, but it does give food for thought.

I still will keep the promise I made to myself about 18 years ago: if they put the FF in a game It'll be the first Sonic game I'll buy brand new; yep, "Sega: take my money!" I'll say.

Only if you can get there before me. 

[RedAuthar]

 

 

I think you'd all be surprised the reception a game based on the Archie universe would get. The more and more I connect the dots with bringing the comic more in line with the games and now with the Freedom Fighters looking like proper game characters I am starting to think one might be imminent. Just look at the newest comic cover with them all in 3D; it looks like they are now game ready. I dunno if it's just false hope again, but it does give food for thought.

I still will keep the promise I made to myself about 18 years ago: if they put the FF in a game It'll be the first Sonic game I'll buy brand new; yep, "Sega: take my money!" I'll say.

Only if you can get there before me. 

 

 

I think all of us will be running over each other to EB/Gamestop if/when it happens. The only issue I'll have is at this point I'll have to purchase a Nintendo console if I want to play it, but heck, I've waited this long and an Archie universe game would definitely worth the price of a new console in my book.

 

Just keep telling yourself, a new Zelda game will come around the corner to justify the Purchase of a Wii U. 

 

Of course if you don't like Zelda.....

 

What kind of person Doesn't like Zelda? 

[Captain Sorzo]

What kind of person Doesn't like Zelda? 

 

One like me. The series bores me to tears.

[RedAuthar]

 

What kind of person Doesn't like Zelda? 

 

One like me. The series bores me to tears.

 

You no longer qualify as a person.  

[TheRedStranger]

 

 

What kind of person Doesn't like Zelda? 

 

One like me. The series bores me to tears.

 

You no longer qualify as a person.  

 

 

 Majora's Mask is deep. Link to The Past is riveting artistically. Ocarina of Time was a amazing for it's time...

 

But yeah, Link needs way more character. Sonic trumped Link as my favorite video-game character years back. 

[furrykef]

I remember renting ALttP as a kid -- I think I rented it twice before I finally had my own copy. I've never had another experience that was like playing this game; Link's Awakening is the only other thing that comes even close. This world seemed so vast, with so many mysteries. What was this item for? How do I lift these rocks? How do I get past this stake? What's behind it, anyway? Why is there a guy in the grove who disappears when you get near him? (Actually, that's still a good question... although you do learn what happened to him, it's still a mystery why he manifests in the Light World.)

Today there are games like Skyrim that make ALttP look like nothing, and yet, they cannot inspire even a fraction of the wonder that ALttP did at the time. I guess I've gotten jaded.

[Shadow]

I really don't feel there is much left that makes me want to continue the comic. Yeah sure, all the SatAM cast is still there but the designs all of them besides Rotor have are just UGLY. Alot of the interesting drama that Ian started is now thrown out makes me all the more frustrated I stayed with this comic for this long. That its always been a clusterfuck of not knowing how to keep things good for very long. What made us like the characters in the show seemed only barely followed in the comics, and became harder and harder to like as they were whitewashed into a more Sega friendly world. It kind of makes them old and redundant when every Sega character has the strength and powers of a superhero, and they are little more than average furries with a few tricks.

Did Sega ask Naugus to change his name to Wally? I kind of doubt that. Why the hell would Archie do that for. And why kick him out when he had nothing to do with Ken Penders at all. Is this a new change now that Archie is only allowed to make stories around the Sega characters and no more comic only characters?

[RedAuthar]

Did Sega ask Naugus to change his name to Wally?

THEY DIDN'T!  

 

If you read the issue, they still call him Naugus.  Only NICOLE referred to him as Wally, likely as an insult.