man this has gotta be the single most successful redesign of a character in video game history. this vibe is tangibly different from the sega genesis days and to this day it's permanently imprinted upon the soul of every 3D sonic game, except the ones very loudly calling back to 2D sonic. this style didn't just change the soul of the games, it became a pillar of fandoms and the furry community and a hugely important mode of expression for young people making their first forays into drawing original characters. there's an entire multigenerational lineage of visual artistic influence that has its roots at this funky blue circle boy shooting finger guns through his legs, and i think that's great
it's so good that they even made the 2D advance games follow the style, and those sprites are still the best Sonic has ever looked in game for my money
i was actually thinking about this regarding superstars which tbf does look at least decent (i think the 3d models of the characters are quite charming), but it has very little personality still. it's just what you imagine in your head when someone says "2.5D platformer" imo. i think that's why it's not really popping outside of Sonic fans who are starving for a good game. myself included ofc
i really wish they would inject some flair and style into Sonic. a lot of fangames do a great job at this so it's not impossible by any means. (honestly Mario wonder is basically that vs the new smb games that all had a real bland look as well)
i guess I've drifted off topic but i guess i just really think Sonic needs a style refresh like they did for adventure
Imagine a new sonic game that was deliberately leaning extremely hard into Y2K aesthetics, while also being cel-shaded and stylized to be more reminiscent of the art done of him for Sonic Adventure promotional material