With a hint of irony, I was downloading Sonic 3 the other day via the Wii’s Virtual Console. Bearing in mind the only classic Sonic game I’d played was the original, plus the mediocre 3D efforts on Dreamcast and GameCube, I was pretty excited.

However, my joy did not last. Once the download had finished I started up the game. I was so eager to re-live the memories of childhood and so it was such a shame when I actually got into the game.

I’ve come to a realisation that Sonic the Hedgehog is pretty poor. My main reason for this is the over simplified gameplay. I know simple games can and do work – often times they’re the best – but not here. A platformer needs depth. There are loads of platformers out there but only a few stand out as something new, different and interesting. Sonic has none of these things. It was new back in the day and “Wow, look how fast he goes” as we were in awe of the system rather than the game. The graphics were nice but even the original Sonic had a great soundtrack; something Sonic 3 didn’t replicate. Put simply, all you have to do to complete a Sonic level is hold the right directional pad and jump occasionally. There are the odd moments where the game shimmers some depth but these are really just glimpses of what could have been. The 3D ‘hidden stages’ in Sonic 3 were plain awful as well as causing me nausea. A pointless addition to the game in a vein attempt to showcase that the Mega Drive still had some juice left.

I thought the Mega Drive console was great even when the superior SNES was released. But I just thought Mario was far more engaging as a platforming game. Some might call me a fanboy but I assure you I’m not – I still own and play my Dreamcast regularly. It’s not my fault SEGA failed to captivate me and the market. Sonic has never really recovered. The transition to 3D was plagued with issues, most notably the camera. At times it became impossible to see what you were doing and as a result you fall into a hole. The added dimension of the ‘Adventure’ stages were a puny bid to add more depth to the game…this bid failed.

I really can’t see how the franchise can be successful on its own. I think the games will always sell but that doesn’t mean they’re any good. In fact the only time Sonic has actually put in a decent performance has been in guest appearances such as Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games or Smash Bros. Brawl. The former hardly being groundbreaking.

Nonetheless, I’m sure I’ve provoked some discussion and pretty soon I’ll be receiving threats from those wishing to defend the SEGA icon. Please don’t do that but DO comment and discuss below. It’ll be great to read your thoughts!