[General Discussion] Is Sonic losing his speed?

Originally Posted by Sonic-Dude

Here a sample of the one article that pretty much explains all questions on the continuing problems with Sonic

The Great Sonic Debate:

Research Article: The Great Sonic Continuity Debate
3/09 - Written by Milo Amberlight

Sonic Team LogoAh, the continuity debate. Which version of Sonic is the real one? It's one of the most controversial and misunderstood subjects in the Sonic the Hedgehog fan base, yet also one of the most fascinating and fundamental to its existence. Whenever a question arises regarding the legitimacy, officiality, or canonicity of a particular piece of Sonic media (game, TV show, or comic), it invariably results in tension, gnashing of teeth, and—of course—the proverbial flame war. It is a veritable mine field of a topic, at times simply avoided or banned from discussion altogether.

Why? For one, human beings are sentimental creatures. On one side we have the fans who grew up with the Sonic of the early 90s, many of whom recall fondly the days of the "Freedom Fighters," "planet Mobius," "Dr. Robotnik," "Chili dogs," and clever catchphrases like "way past cool." On the other side, we have a newer generation of fans, more familiar with "Dr. Eggman," "Shadow the Hedgehog," "Station Square," "Blaze the Cat," and "Chaos Control." Of course, I am simplifying a bit for the sake of brevity. There are many different persuasions of Sonic fans, and not all fans fit neatly into these two categories. You may be a self-proclaimed games purist, or perhaps even a universal fan who enjoys just about anything with the name "Sonic" on it. That said, the idea is the same: we tend to reject what we don't know and cling to what we do.

Motivation aside, some fans take the disparities between different depictions of the Sonic universe to mean that certain games, publications, or cartoons should not be counted as part of the Sonic "canon" (list of genuine or accepted material). An example of this is the common use of the term "SegaSonic"* to delineate products viewed to be part of the "one true/official continuity," from "unofficial" material created outside of Sega or Sonic Team. In reality, this is an over simplification—a somewhat narrow-minded one—that ignores the vast majority of Sonic media, past and present.

So how did the Sonic franchise get to be such a seemingly inconsistent and contradictory mess of characters, locations, and stories? To really understand the nature of this debate, it's necessary to delve into a bit of history. Let's start with Sega itself.

See the rest right here

Yeah I agree the main problem with Sonic is its complicated and confusing storyline

Hardcore gamers like myself require better storylines in Sonic games but they cannot be so complicated I mean it's too convoluted for gamers like me

Sega needs to recognise the hardcore gamers and hurry up and make a Sonic game that focuses on the story and answers all the questions about Shadow we are desperate to have resolved

Jam it back in, in the dark.