The rivalry between SEGA and Nintendo was legendary back in the ‘90s, although the latter clearly came out the winner. Although both companies are friendly now, SEGA has stated that they still hope Sonic can surpass Mario one day, which probably won’t ever happen in any of our lifetimes.
Osamu Ohashi, a SEGA executive, spoke in an an interview for the company’s job recruitment site, revealing that he still wants Sonic to beat Mario. Ohashi wants Sonic to excel at everything Mario does, whether it’s video games or movies, with hopes of a Sonic area in Universal Studios one day.
“Simply put, we want to surpass Mario,” Ohashi said. “Sonic is a game that was originally developed to compete with Mario, and it still hasn’t achieved that goal. Because we respect Mario, our goal is to catch up and surpass him.”
While competition in the gaming industry is always good, the various decisions made with Sonic by SEGA are the main reason why their mascot can’t compete with Nintendo’s. There are plenty of reasons to criticise Nintendo, but the company always does right by Mario, as Super Mario Bros. Wonder shows.
Unfortunately, the Sonic franchise has suffered from a number of SEGA’s decisions. Many will remember how they rushed Sonic ‘06 on PS3 and Xbox 360, resulting in one of the worst 3D platformers ever made. Sonic Forces in 2017 was also criticized by many for being one of the company’s laziest efforts, with a three-hour campaign that failed to thrill fans and critics alike.
Granted, things have gotten a bit better for the blue hedgehog in recent years. Sonic Superstars launched three days before Super Mario Bros. Wonder and it had good reviews, though nowhere near as good as Mario’s. It’s not just 2D Sonic either, as Sonic Frontiers also had decent reviews and was praised for having a free epilogue that adds extra playable characters.
Even if his games aren’t the best, Sonic does have success in other mediums that Mario hasn’t touched recently. Sonic Prime on Netflix is a solid enough animated series that uses the multiverse concept in fun, albeit unoriginal, ways. Many fans also enjoy the current IDW line of Sonic comics, with writer Ian Flynn gaining a ton of praise, which led to him writing the story for Sonic Frontiers.
Read More: Sonic 3 Movie and Knuckles TV Spin-off Have Been Announced
Fans who want SEGA to have a fighting chance can pick up Sonic Superstars now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
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