Kids favorite: Sonic!?

[Gregory DG]

I've had a couple of kids classes this summer. In the Robotics class a kid asked me if I had ever played Sonic. I said, "Sonic the Hedgehog? I was playing Sonic 1 before you were born!"

 

And today in the Video Game Design class a different kid asked if I had a Sonic game and went on about how he plays it on his DS.

 

Neither kid seemed to care much about Mario. But Sonic! Apparently he's cooler than Mario with the 9-12 age group. This is just such a surprise to me. :!:

Edited June 11, 2007 by Gregory DG

[Segataritensoftii]

I'm not surprised. Sega is trying to gear sonic at a much wider age group these days.

[Gabriel]

I definitely get an impression that Mario is one of those characters like Bugs Bunny or Mickey Mouse. He really isn't a kid favorite character as much as he's a nostalgic icon. He's meant more for the 30-something NES generation to look at and then want to buy the image to indoctrinate their kids.

 

Sonic had better (damning with faint praise) and longer lasting cartoons. That may have something to do with it too.

[moycon]

Mario is an over weight, hirsute Italian plumber. He runs around in sewers so he probably smells like ass...Not exactly the image of coolness.

[n8littlefield]

It doesn't really surprise me that much actually. I have a niece and a friend's daughter who both know and love Sonic - my niece from the GBA titles and the other girl from the Sonic Mega Collection. Alot of kids started gaming on the GBA and many parents also buy the retro compilations for their kids since they know the games, know they aren't violent, and know the controls will be simple. The Mario console games are pretty tough for younger gamers, so it makes sense they would know Sonic more.

 

Also, Sonic Wii is absolutely awesome!

[Jess Ragan]

I've had a couple of kids classes this summer. In the Robotics class a kid asked me if I had ever played Sonic.

 

Don't you mean your Robotniks class?

 

JR

[xenomorpher]

Mario is an over weight, hirsute Italian plumber. He runs around in sewers so he probably smells like ass...Not exactly the image of coolness.

 

Yeah and jumping on turtles tends to get old. However running at incredible speeds doesn't.

[NintendoDieScreaming]

I remember in Kindergarten when we used to play outside, everyone always argued over who got to be Sonic and Tails. Oh, nostalgia!

 

(I was almost always Tails, btw.)

[Video]

Yeah, Sonic's cool, and he apeals to young people today, partly because he is still getting new games (not just rehashes of old stuff like Mario Sigh )

 

Just be sure to take a "show and tell" day or something with your class, and bring your Master system or Genny so you can show your great grand daddy Sonic games in glorious 16 color and super slow ass graphics (in comparrision to todays sonic games that is) Sonic is awesome. Yeah, no doubt about it.

[Gregory DG]

^^ Yeah, we played Sonic 1, Sonic & Knuckes, and Sonic Crackers (on Gen32 emulator), and Sonic Adventure (Dreamcast.)

 

How do you answer questions like, "Why does Sonic wear gloves? What does he look like without the gloves? What's that blue streak he makes? What are the Choas? Why is the killer whale attacking me?"

[Room 34]

My kid is obsessed with all things Mario these days. Granted, he's only 4. He can play the hell out of New Super Mario Bros. though!

 

He was really into the party games on Sonic and the Secret Rings when we first got the Wii, but once I started letting him play the DS (and eventually gave him my old one when I bought a DS Lite), he's been all Mario, all the time. It even edged out his last obsession, which was Pokemon! (Mainly because he can't play the Pokemon games yet -- too much reading. He was into the TV show and the toys.)

 

Maybe in a few years he'll be into Sonic again. I can see how older pre-teen kids would think Sonic was "cooler" than Mario.

[Jess Ragan]

How do you answer questions like, "Why does Sonic wear gloves? What does he look like without the gloves? What's that blue streak he makes? What are the Choas? Why is the killer whale attacking me?"

 

In order... Sonic's design was based on old cartoon characters like Oswald the Rabbit, probably better than he would without the shoes, he's too fast to see with the naked eye, they're cute little water critters designed to cash in on the virtual pet craze of the late 90's, and because it looks cool.

 

JR

[Gregory DG]

How do you answer questions like, "Why does Sonic wear gloves? What does he look like without the gloves? What's that blue streak he makes? What are the Choas? Why is the killer whale attacking me?"

In order... Sonic's design was based on old cartoon characters like Oswald the Rabbit, probably better than he would without the shoes, he's too fast to see with the naked eye, they're cute little water critters designed to cash in on the virtual pet craze of the late 90's, and because it looks cool.

Heh, try saying that to a 9 year old without causing him to ask even MORE innane questions.

[sigma]

How do you answer questions like, "Why does Sonic wear gloves? What does he look like without the gloves? What's that blue streak he makes? What are the Choas? Why is the killer whale attacking me?"

In order... Sonic's design was based on old cartoon characters like Oswald the Rabbit, probably better than he would without the shoes, he's too fast to see with the naked eye, they're cute little water critters designed to cash in on the virtual pet craze of the late 90's, and because it looks cool.

Heh, try saying that to a 9 year old without causing him to ask even MORE innane questions.

"Because you touch yourself at night."

[Gregory DG]

"Because you touch yourself at night."

Kid: "I don't understand. Whadda ya mean?"

 

(Believe me, the questions never stop with a 9 year old!)

[warmachine]

I think that the reason that sonic has more draw to younger kids than mario does

is because of the colors. obviously, the genesis didn't have as rich of a color palate

as the snes, so the sonic games use a lot of contrasting primary colors like reds, greens,

blues, yellows, and browns, which makes the games almost jump out in your face,

where as the mario games on the snes used a lot of pastel colors like olive green, brick red,

sky blue, pink, and violet that kind of blended in with each other and don't provide much visual excitement.

Edited June 12, 2007 by warmachine

[A Sprite]

Kids are naturally attracted to shameless cool. It's a big dangerous world out there, and anyone who can not only make good in it, but do so in style has their attention.

 

If you think about it, kids liking Sonic after all these years isn't really all that surprising.

 

Look at Batman. He's older than many grandmothers.

 

And has a worthless sidekick.

 

And a furry fetish.

 

And there was once an evil machine enhanced Batman.

 

And his games are sometimes garbage too...

[MCHufnagel]

Look at Batman. He's older than many grandmothers.

 

And his games are sometimes garbage too...

Sometimes?

 

My 12 year old son hates all things Mario and loves old school Sonic. Now my 14 year old will play Paper Mario and Super Mario RPG, but that's about it. I think the reason is that I'm an old Sega fanboy and never thought highly of Mario myself.

[NintendoDieScreaming]

My 12 year old son hates all things Mario and loves old school Sonic. Now my 14 year old will play Paper Mario and Super Mario RPG, but that's about it. I think the reason is that I'm an old Sega fanboy and never thought highly of Mario myself.

 

You have trained them well, young warrior.

[BrianC]

Look at Batman. He's older than many grandmothers.

 

And his games are sometimes garbage too...

Sometimes?

 

I don't see a need for the smiley. While many of the newer Batman games aren't good, some of the earlier ones like Batman NES, the GB Batman, Batman Returns SNES, and the GB Batman Return of the Joker were well done. I also heard good things about the SNES Adventures of Batman and Robin, the GB Batman the Animated Series, the Genesis Batman, and that isometric Spectrum Batman game.

[MCHufnagel]

Look at Batman. He's older than many grandmothers.

 

And his games are sometimes garbage too...

Sometimes?

 

I don't see a need for the smiley. While many of the newer Batman games aren't good, some of the earlier ones like Batman NES, the GB Batman, Batman Returns SNES, and the GB Batman Return of the Joker were well done. I also heard good things about the SNES Adventures of Batman and Robin, the GB Batman the Animated Series, the Genesis Batman, and that isometric Spectrum Batman game.

The reason why I put a smiley there is because A Sprite said that sometimes Batman games were garbage. While I feel the complete opposite. I think that only sometimes Batman games weren't garbage. I only really liked the NES & GB Batman and the GB version of Return Of The Joker. Just a matter of taste I guess.

[BrianC]

The reason why I put a smiley there is because A Sprite said that sometimes Batman games were garbage.

 

You misunderstood. I fully understood what you meant. I felt the smiley made light of A Sprite's post over a minor manner of semantics.

Edited June 14, 2007 by BrianC