/vr/ - Retro Games

>>8644565
Was Sonic ever good?
Yes, for its time it had marvelous graphics and presented something that almost no one else on the market was doing at the time. It was innovative and was a massive marketing success. However in hindsight, games like dinamite headdy, rystar and rocket knight adventures were a lot more visually and technically impressive than Sonic 1. While its gimmick was great, the first game took off because everybody hopped into "Nintendo's only market competitor". Not really because it had something the market didnt. Sonic could have easily been replaced by any other SEGA mascot character and done pretty well if sold as the face of the company.
>Did it deserve a sequel?
Due to its popularity in the US? Absolutley. But if observed as a stand alone title with nothing behind it, I could easily imagine Sonic 1 going the way of Sega's other forgotten IP's.

>Is it better than other mascot characters that came after?
Thats a bit harder to answer. In the cases of blatant market shills, (like Bubzy, and Awsome Possum) its yes. However there are some decent diamonds in the rough that deserved a second chance at life, and some idea's I personally feel could have gone down a different avenue.

In conclusion, Sonic 1 is a good game. Its easy to see why some people have it as their number one. However I see it in the same vein as Mario 1. You have a great premise and gimmick, but there are some flaws that could be ironed out later down the line (looking at you Labrinth Zone). Just like you, there were dozens of conecpts that could have made it big. In making it, you killed off those dreams.