Disney’s next feature film, Zootopia 2, is expected to hit theaters this upcoming week! And if early box office projections are anything to go by, this film is about to become the MASSIVE hit that both Disney and movie theaters desperately need for the Thanksgiving weekend and for the remainder of 2025! In China alone, the hype to the sequel of Disney Animation’s 2016 billion dollar grosser is UNMATCHED, the kind of hype that Hollywood hasn’t seen from them with one of their own movies since before the Covid-19 pandemic happened. It is currently tracking to make at least $200+ million in it’s opening weekend in China ALONE. Combined that with the $150+ million domestically and perhaps another $150+ million in other international areas, Zootopia 2 could make up over half a billion dollars in it’s opening weekend alone, which would make it the best opening weekend for an animated film of all time! If that is true, Disney will most certainly be able to end what has been quite an uneven year for them on the highest note possible with Zootopia 2 and Avatar: The Way of Water later next month, making up for their financial losses this year with films such as Snow White (2025), Thunderbolts*, Elio, and Tron: Ares. Right before we see Zootopia 2 come out in theaters, I want to turn our attention to the main behind the camera for Disney’s highly anticipated animated sequel, that man being Jared Bush.
For those who don’t know, Jared Bush has been a highly respected animator and artist who has worked for the Walt Disney Company since 2014. Since he’s been there, he has been responsible for some of the most beloved Disney films released for over the past decade. He wrote and co-directed the original Zootopia, he wrote the screenplay for the original Moana and it’s sequel, Moana 2, and wrote and directed Encanto. Even those that have been very critically of Disney for the past decade would admit that at least three of the four films I’ve mentioned are among Disney’s very best films in recent memory, some of which that stands proudly among Disney’s all-time best work in animation!
However, he now has a bit more power this time around with the company! Last year, it was confirmed that he was promoted to being the chief creative officer for Walt Disney Animation Studios after the previous CCO Jennifer Lee stepped down in order to put her focus on upcoming Frozen sequels, one of which is currently due for a release date in November 2027. This was a move clearly done to course corrected after the absolute mess that Disney has become since the brief era with former CEO Bob Chapek began.
Outside of the instant modern classic Encanto (which again was written and directed by Jared Bush himself) and the record-breaking smash hit that was Frozen II (which was co-written and co-directed by Jennifer Lee herself), the last five years have not been too kind to Mickey Mouse and friends whatsoever. That’s not to say the likes of Raya and the Last Dragon, Strange World, and even Wish don’t have their fans but those films were either completely forgotten about entirely from the general public by the time they came out or straight up IMPLODED at the box office in laughable fashion, resulting in over hundreds of million dollars lost for the higher ups at Disney! Because of that, they needed to make major chances with their main animation division and that starts with putting the man who has been largely responsible for the company’s most successful work in animated form that did not come for Pixar since 2014, that man again being Jared Bush!
And his tender has gotten off to a pretty good start, at least if box office numbers are anything to go by. While garnering mixed reviews at the time of release, Moana 2 ended up being a smash hit when it came out last November, grossing over a billion dollars in 2024, become the third highest grossing film that year and Disney Animation’s first billion dollar hit since Frozen II. Originally envisioned as a miniseries for Disney Plus, the follow-up to 2016’s Moana was reworked into being a feature length film, as a response to the multiple financial bombs and hundreds of million dollars lost that put a large dent in the company’s stock in 2023, the 100th year anniversary for Walt Disney, an anniversary that I’m sure everyone and their mother would love to forget about!
The next big film we have in Bush’s tenure is Zootopia 2, the film that I imagine he put the majority of the work in while he was the the current CCO for Disney Animation Studios and was given complete control over with little to no interference from the higher ups due to his solid track record. Because of that, I fully trust him to deliver an exceptional sequel that builds upon the original Zootopia in ways that are organic and respectful. Considering Zootopia 2 was always plan to be a feature film from the start, I imagine Jared had a much more creative vision for what he wanted a follow-up to Zootopia to be like, more so than he likely would have for a Moana follow-up before that got turned into a movie.
With both sequels to Moana and Zootopia being potential billion dollar grossers and then some, I don’t think Iger and company could not ask more from Jared Bush to start off his run as the main man in charge of Disney Animation Studios if they tried. He’ll be able to deliver the financial results that the company desperately wants and needs alone with continuing to expand some of the most beloved Disney brands throughout the past decade that will pave ways for future sequels and merchandise. Oh, and also keeping the movie theater going experience alive also helps too!
That really begs the question that I put on the title of this piece: Will Jared Bush save Disney? Is he the man that Disney has been looking for? Is he the creative consultant that the company needs to present themselves much more positively among the general public? Is he the one that can kickstart a brand new golden area for Disney, the era that matches the Renaissance era of the late 1980s to 1990s or even their box office juggernaut era of the previous decade? While I do think personally that Jared Bush is a very talented animator that can help guide the next generation of animators in ways that Disney legend Ron Clements is currently trying to do with the company, I still need to see more consistency and a greater look of his overall vision for me to make such a claim.
While Moana 2 was a big hit and I’m sure Zootopia 2 and future Frozen sequels will follow suit, I need to see more how he will help guide more original Disney projects for the future, being able to successfully launch brand new IPs instead of just banking on what has already worked and milking it until the cow is completely dry. While Bush has been successful in that regard in helping Zootopia and Moana becoming the successful IPs they have been since the 2010s along with making the lone 2020s Disney modern classic in Encanto, I need to see how other folks will fair in that regard under his supervision. While he was able to create new original Disney classics by himself, let’s see how he will fare in guiding others to do the same thing.
For me, the first big test with Mr. Bush will be with Hexed, Disney Animation’s next feature animated film that is expected to arrive for the holiday season in 2026. The premise we have gotten thus far for the film involves an awkward teenage boy and his Type-A mom discovering that what makes him unusual, might just be his magical powers that will turn their lives and a secret world of magic, upside down. This is set to be directed by Josie Trinidad (writer for Zootopia and Ralph Breaks The Internet) and Jason Hand (director of Moana 2). While the premise itself sounds like an interesting departure from recent Disney films, particularly with a strong emphasis on a relationship between a mother and son being the potential driving force, I will need to see more info on that to be fully convinced.
And as much as certain folks claim that original animated films don’t sell anymore and that’s why Disney has to constant rely on animated sequels and live-action remakes to keep themselves afloat, the success of K-Pop Demon Hunters this year proved otherwise. It showed that people will indeed watch original animated films if it’s done exceptionally well. Despite having only a handful of theatrical screenings, that Korean animated flick was able to set the whole on FIRE when it hit streaming during the summer this year, breaking viewings records for Netflix and selling out merchandise left and right in ways that no one saw coming. That animated musical left such an impact on pop culture throughout 2025, with it being beloved by both girls AND boys all around the world, selling out Halloween costumes with boys and girls all around the world dressing up as their favorite member of the Huntrix or the Saja Boys. I can’t recall seeing an original animated film musical that left such a massive impact on pop culture since Frozen in 2013. K-Pop Demon Hunters was the kind of original animated films that Disney used to be able to do in their SLEEP but haven’t been able to wide AWAKE in recent memory.
The reason that films like Strange World, Wish, and Elio were massive bombs had nothing to do with the fact that they were original animated films, it was because they weren’t particularly good original animated films or ones that Disney themselves had any faith in. Those three films put such a stain on the company’s reputation and left such a sour taste in many people’s mouths, making them look at Disney in a completely different way than they have prior. It also didn’t help that the behind the scenes drama for these films were so disastrous and the marketing was so lackluster that you have to wonder if Disney was purposely trying to sabotaged them in order to justify their recent creative and business decisions. Those original animated films failed because Disney had no faith in them, not because they were original animated films.
However, if Disney actually has full faith in Hexed and other future original animated films going forward and Jared Bush is giving full reign to deliver in high quality films and stellar box office results like he’s done so far, then I will be happy to claim that the man did in fact save Disney and should be deserving of the majority of the credit for the company’s resurrection. All they have to do is find the right people for the job and not allow studio executives to butt in and mess their whole film up and they might be successful in launching original animated films and kickstart brand new franchises with fully original IPs.
To answer the question for this piece, while I do think we need to see how Jared Bush does settling into his new role as CCO and seeing how his overall vision for the company plays out in the next few years, I do believe he is the right man to lead the charge to get Disney back on top for the foreseeable future. The man has been solely responsible for the company’s greatest work since he joined them in 2014 and I fully expect him to continue delivering great work as both director and CCO. He may have some stumbles along the way but I think if everything comes together in the next 3-5 years once he’s comfortable in the full driving seat, Jared Bush might just put his name out there as being not just an exceptionally animator but as the man that saved Disney.
Let’s hope he puts just as much focus on creating new stories as much as the company will be demanding him to put focus on upcoming sequels and remakes. Let’s hope that he allows Jennifer Lee to take her time on Frozen III and IV so it doesn’t become a rushed mess like Frozen II was (I already have a whole piece about the history of that film). Let’s hope he’s able to usher in the next generation of animators that he will be able to pass the baton to successfully once he retires. More importantly, let’s just hope he is able to lead Disney to become the animation company that we all remember them being from our childhoods. As much as I can’t guarantee that any of this will happen, given his recent track record, Jared Bush does at least give me some faith that he will be one day be referred to as the man that saved Disney.
Now, if only he could stop that live-action Moana remake from happening (which he is writing btw).
Yeah, Disney is screwed!
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(FYI, did you know that the original Moana won’t be even 10 years old by the time this remake comes out?!)
(No joke! The live-action remake is coming out in July 2026 next year whereas the original animated film came out in November 2016!)
(Not even 10 full years and they are ALREADY making a live-action remake of Moana! Even before they get around to doing a live-action Tangled with Sabrina Carpenter as Rapunzel or a live-action Frozen with Anya-Taylor Joy as Elsa!)
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(I guess this is our punishment for not showing up to the theaters for Black Adam!)
(Curse you Dwyane Johnson and your “hierarchy of power”!)
(Bro actually thought he was cooking there?!?!?!)
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(I surely can’t wait until he finally gives up on acting and wrestling and becomes our president in 10 years!)
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(That’s actually gonna happen, isn’t it?!)
(Just like Sonic predicted!)
(And that will be our punishment for not showing up to theaters for The Smashing Machine!)
Sonic the Hedgehog is now 34 years old! 34 years and counting of some of the very best and very worst that gaming has head to offer! In case you haven’t figured that out with the multiple Sonic pieces that I’ve written on this blog, I’ve always been a big fan of Sonic the Hedgehog since I was a kid. Sonic as a character is someone that always has appeal to me with his cockiness, incredible sense of speed, but also having a big heart for himself and those he cares about. He’s always been so appealing to me that I’ve been following this roller coaster of a franchise for over two full decades now.
To celebrate the release of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, I’ve decided to do a ranking of my top 10 personal favorite Sonic games to date! Not necessarily what I think its the best from an objective standpoint but the Sonic games that I’ve had the most fond memories of and still do to this very day.
First, here’s a couple of games that BARELY made it off this list:
The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog
Never in a million years would I think that a visual novel game where you just point and click at things made by the social media group from SEGA would end up being quite good but here you go! This is a game that came out on April 1st, 2023 on the PC, strictly as a April Fools Day prank. To put it simply, it’s Sonic and his friends in a murder mystery party. I would tell you more but that would spoil all the fun to be had with this game. Just know that this is a very well done visual novel and point-and-click adventure made with a lot of love from the SEGA Social team, who clearly loves Sonic as much as the fans do. If that sounds like your jam, then please go download this game right now on your PC if you haven’t already. It’s 100% free!
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
This is an example of a kart racing sequel that is better than the original in just about every way. With even smoother controls, more creative racetracks, a more expanded roster of characters, and offering a better sense of challenge than before, Sonic &All-Stars Racing Transformed is one of the few out there that would give Mario Kart a run for it’s money. It’s only off of the list because of some difficulty spikes with specific challenges, a couple of aggravating glitches I tend to run into, and there is one Sonic kart racer that was able to do what this game did just a little bit better. If you love Sonic and racing games, then this is definitely a must-play!
And also in case you are wondering, SONIC IS DRIVING A CAR TO MAKE IT FAIR TO THE OTHER RACERS!
THAT IS ALL!
Sonic The Hedgehog 2
A sequel that takes everything that works about the original and expands upon it in every single way. As a result, Sonic The Hedgehog 2 manages to be not just as good as the original but even better. Better controls, level designs, graphics, backgrounds, environments, and especially music! With an even greater sense of speed, more memorable level designs, and the introduction of the cutesy fox known as Tails, this is no doubt a great sequel. The only thing that keeps this one from being on this list is the very final boss. To this day, I still find it incredibly cheap, hard as ball and makes the ending of the game incredibly frustrating every time I replay it. Still a classic without a doubt but the fact the game always ends on a rather sour note prevents it from finding a spot on the list!
Now, here we go to the main top 10! Once again, these are ranked based on being my personal favorites, NOT of objective quality!
10.) Sonic Frontiers
That’s right! I actually found a spot for this one! This might be guilty of many of the same flaws that have plagued prior 3D Sonic games but unlike with most recent entries in the series, there is actually plenty of charm hidden within that makes the experience super enjoyable! The overall core formula and open zones work well here and does help set a promising template for future Sonic games. It’s also nice to see more care put into the story and characterization than it has been for quite some time. And Super Sonic has been more badass than he is here! This is a game that has grown on me since it came out and I’ve come to find more things to love and appreciate about it as time goes by. Yes, the pinball level sucks, some of the grinding sucks, and the “true” final boss sucks (The ONE thing that The Final Horizon DLC improved on!), but none of those were enough to ruin the many hours I’ve spend on this game! Sonic Frontiers is about as imperfect as you can expect a Sonic game to be but for the first time in a long while, it did leave me with an actual feeling of optimism for Sonic moving forward. If you ask me, that is more than enough to justify this being at #10!
9.) Sonic Advance/Sonic Advance 3
These two are basically neck-and-neck for my favorite of the Advance games. While the console games have been inconsistent in terms of quality, the handheld entries have had quite a few gems that don’t get the recognition they deserve when they came out in the 2000s. These two games are good examples of the perfect formula for Sonic in 2D form. Expanding upon the classic games in respectful ways, adding characters/elements to the gameplay along with a sense of speed and platforming that help make the experience more enjoyable rather than hinder it, and just working as their own unique Sonic games, the Sonic Advance series (minus the middling as hell second one) works wonder as one of the better Sonic experiences. They both have issues (Advance 1 has ridiculous bosses and Advance 3 has ridiculous Chao padding) but as a whole, Sonic Advance & Sonic Advance 3 are two 2D Sonic games that still stand out quite well for the Blue Blur.
8.) Sonic Colors
Sonic Team followed up Sonic Unleashed by making a game that added more to the well-received aspects of it (the daytime stages) along with removing the not so well-received aspects of it (the nighttime stages). Sonic Colors understands the core appeal of Sonic by featuring top-notch speed, solid platforming, incredibly fun and unique level designs, and some of the best power-ups in the series with the Wisps. And this was also the game that introduced Roger Craig Smith as the blue blur we all know and love, who is still going strong in the role to this very day! There may be a bit too much 2D levels for some and the story/humor is admittedly hit (any scene with Eggman and his robots) or miss (Baldy McNosehair) but this is easily among the best 3D Sonic games to date. And even though the comparisons to Super Mario Galaxy are undeniable, Sonic Colors is still able to provide a fresh and exhilarating experience that certainly feels like Sonic the Hedgehog.
7.) Sonic Rush
Being the game that introduces the boost mechanics that would eventually become a stable for Modern Sonic, Sonic Rush makes for one of the most thoroughly enjoyable and unique Sonic games throughout his history. The main highlight here is seeing the introduction to fan-favorite Blaze the Cat, arguably the best female character in the entire franchise, and getting the perfect sense of speed with Sonic that you never really got with the series up to this point. There’s some repetition of playing the same levels twice and newly introduced villain, Eggman Nega sucks on literally every single level, but this is one I can recommend to those who are not even fans of Sonic. With top notch speed, fast platforming, and a SUPER awesome soundtrack, Sonic Rush is an absolute gem that should not be missed! Just a damn shame this had to come out the same day as Shadow the Hedgehog!
6.) Sonic Adventure
While this has certainly shown it’s age in many areas, there is still more than enough about Sonic Adventure, A.K.A. the first official 3D Sonic game, that works very well to this day. The gameplay that still works (namely Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Gamma) remain some of the very best in all of 3D Sonic, the hub world of Station Square is fun to explore and gives you that perfect sense of adventure that makes the title accurate, and it’s neat to have every main character in the story get their own arcs and development throughout, something which didn’t happen in the Sonic series until this game. Even the dated elements like the cheesy animation, dialogue, and voice acting are at least good for a laugh, both intentionally and unintentionally, that you can have a blast with them.. This might’ve been even higher on the list if it wasn’t for those Big the Cat fishing missions but I still rate the original Sonic Adventure very highly to this day. If it wasn’t for this game, who knows where Sonic the Hedgehog would be in the year 2025!
5.) Sonic Unleashed
One of the most divisive installments in the franchise is among my favorites. While opinions certainly vary on the SD port of this game, the HD version of Sonic Unleashed has the thrills and action that I could ever want from a Sonic game. The daytime stages delivers an incredibly sense of speed and fast platforming that I always love replaying through, the story is simplistic but still has that nice mix of light and dark nature that most Sonic stories lack, the graphics still look stunning even over 17 years later, the soundtrack is outstanding and among the very best in the franchise, the variety this game contains in terms of gameplay and unlockables is off the charts, exploring the hub worlds of all the different countries acts greatly to that “world adventure” spirit, and even I’m not shame to admit I even kinda like that silly Werehog (If you don’t at least get some goosebumps during the night boss fights, you are a total loser! Just saying!)! I totally understand the reasons to hate this game but I remain a fan to this very day just like how I was back in 2008. This game has been gaining a cult following over the years and I’m glad to admit that I was a part of that crowd from the very beginning.
4.) Sonic 3 & Knuckles
To many people, Sonic 3 & Knuckles is the absolute definite Sonic game and it’s easy to see why! Taking the best aspects of all the previous games that has come before it while introducing one of the best characters in the franchise known as Knuckles. The levels are more expanded upon than ever before giving you multiple paths and ways to the goal, every character controls perfectly with not a single one being a chore to play, the story itself takes a few unexpected turns, and even the bosses and special stages (which I weren’t a fan of in the past) are actually quite great here. I just wish I didn’t need to collect all the emeralds TWICE in order to get the full final Super Sonic boss fight! However, masterfully combining speed, platforming, and exploration, this remains a top-tier Sonic experience. While there are many people that considers Sonic 3&K to be the very best Sonic game ever made (and I would definitely not argue that opinion one bit), it’s not quite the full Sonic package for me the way these next three Sonic games are.
3.) Sonic Racing CrossWorlds
The newest addition to the Sonic kart racing canon is not only the best Sonic racing game to date but might perhaps be the best kart racing game to date that is NOT Mario Kart! This has more of an expanded roster of characters, more creative and unique race tracks, more vehicles you can choose to race with, whether it’s with cars or hover boards, and more amounts of fan service than any of the Sonic racing games! You also got great online modes, fun character interactions during Rival mode, multiples pathways with each crossworld you enter, tons of unlockables to collect, and plenty of DLC on the horizon to keep you entertained with the game for quite some time (Unfortunately, not free though!). This is just the perfect example of a kart racing game that is the absolute complete package from top to bottom! If Mario Kart 8 didn’t exist, this might legit be my new favorite kart racing game and the one that I see myself playing the most for the foreseeable future! Sonic Racing CrossWorlds checks all the boxes and then some and continues Sonic’s great track record of the 2020s! Eat it, Mario Kart World!
2.) Sonic Mania
By being a beautiful and well done remix of the original classic games, along with introducing a handful of wonderful original levels of its own, Christian Whitehead’s Sonic Mania helps craft an entry that feels more of a worthy follow-up to Sonic 3 & Knuckles than both episodes of Sonic 4 combined. There’s more extras, unlockable and playable characters than ever before, the gameplay from the Classic games that everyone knows and love is giving the right upgrade and in some ways, surpasses the original games, and I don’t think Super Sonic has looked, sound, and been more fun to control than he’s done here. And even though many of the levels themselves have been taking from other Sonic games, they’ve been changed and expanded upon well enough to where they feel like completely new levels in their own right, giving that sense you are playing through these levels for the very first time. Even to those that aren’t the biggest fans of Classic Sonic, I would highly recommend this one as I consider Sonic Mania to be the definite Classic Sonic experience.
1.) Sonic X Shadow Generations
My favorite Sonic game to date is the one that features the most Sonic out of all the games thus far……along with a bit of Shadow. When it comes to Sonic Generations, it acts a wonderful celebration of the first two decades of Sonic the Hedgehog, perfecting both the classic 2D style gameplay along with the modern 3D style gameplay by recreating the best levels from previous Sonic games and making them feel new and unique on their own. When it comes to Shadow Generations, this might just be the very best version of 3D Sonic as a whole. With incredibly unique level designs, crazy and out-of-this-world set pieces, a gameplay style that manages to combine the best elements of both Sonic Generations and SonicFrontiers respectively while leaving off any fat, and even quite a touching story about Shadow and the two people he cares about the most in Maria and Gerald Robotnik. Call it cheating if you may but there is not other Sonic (or Shadow) experience that always satisfies more than Sonic X Shadow Generations. . Because of all that and more, Sonic X Shadow Generations is my favorite Sonic game to date!
With this weekend’s release of Sonic The Hedgehog 3, now is a good time to talk about what I consider to be the best video game movies ever made. Despite all the constant negative reputation surrounding films that acts as adaption of well-known gaming franchises, I think most would agree that there has been an enormous quality leap for those in recent years. While I still believe there was always a solid video game movie flick every now and then, it was sometime between the late 2010s and early 2020s which saw much better and more faithful video game adaptions in movie forms. Perhaps it has to do with more cast and crew involved with these projects nowadays that actually have a knowledge and respect towards the property it’s based on but, it’s definitely nice and refreshing to see better video game flicks come out as of late, especially after several years of folks claiming that video game just can’t work in movie form whatsoever.
Now that another video game movie in Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is now out in theaters, I’m gonna talk about 15 video game films that I believe are legit good and are worthy of their source material. A friendly reminder that I am only referring to movies that are STRICTLY adaption of video games and not just ones that have video game elements to them. That’s why you won’t see movies such as Wreck-It Ralph and Free Guy on here. Now, let’s talk about video games films that actually got it right!
15.) The Angry Birds Movie 2
As someone who found the 2016’s Angry Birds to be aggressively mediocre and forgettable, I was thoroughly surprised how much better The Angry Birds Movie 2 was in about every way. It’s able to deliver more heart and humor than the original with beautiful animation, some decent character moments, and a voice cast that seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves the whole way through. Director Thurop Van Orman is able to bring the amount of energy and creativity he provided with his other work in animation to make an enjoyable Angry Birds movie this time around. It’s certainly by no means great but better than it has any right to be.
14.) Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
This is one that gets a ton of flack from fans but it’s much better than it’s haters would want you to believe. While this is certainly a departure from the games themselves with a setting that takes place on Earth in the year 2065, it still succeeds on it’s own merits of telling a new and original story. Instead of trying to awkwardly cram an entire plot of a RPG game into a single film with all of the famous fantasy elements of the game shoehorned in, it puts more on an emphasis on blending the sci-fi and fantasy genre together with a more straightforward and different plot that can stand on it’s own merits. Yeah, the CGI animation hasn’t aged particularly well (especially with eerie eyes of the characters) and those that were expecting a complete “easter egg” fest will be disappointed, but Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is still a fairly interesting adaption overall from the creator of Final Fantasy himself.
13.) Tomb Raider (2018)
While I always had soft spot for the two prior Tomb Raider movies with Angelina Jolie, the 2018 film with Alicia Vikander is still the best and most faithful film adaption of Lara Croft to date. Borrowing heavily from the recent rebooted video game series by Crystal Dynamics, we get to see the origin of Lara Croft’s early adventures where she’s much younger, less experienced, and more reckless. Alicia Vikander is great in the role and does a good job on portraying the version of Lara that is confident but still having to constantly question herself. It certainly does acquire a certain suspension of disbelief, kinda like with the games, and there are times where there’s a bit too much fan service for it’s own good, but for what’s it worth, it’s still an enjoyable time and I would certainly be open for a sequel with Vikander’s return.
12.) Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City
This is another one that gets a lot of hate from both critics and fans. While I can somewhat understand critics not digging it, I don’t understand the reasons for fans rejecting it. Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is about the biggest love letter to the Resident Evil franchise that has been on film to date. Many of the references and call-backs to the games are very well utilized here with a cast that are very comfortable in their roles, kills that are gruesome and effective, and has the same kind of tone, style, and feel that the games provided. The plot is overstuffed with an attempt to combine the plot of the first two games into one movie and there definitely are changes to the material that are presented here but that shouldn’t be enough to dismiss this one entirely, especially for longtime fans of the series. If you were someone that was deeply infuriated by the Resident Evil films from Paul W.S. Anderson, Johannes Roberts’s Welcome to Raccoon City might just give you the Resident Evil movie fix you’ve been waiting for.
11.) Professor Layton & The Eternal Diva
If you want a video game flick that can provided an intriguing mystery and a puzzle that you won’t be able to solve in a heartbeat, look no further than Professor Layton and the Enteral Diva. For a gaming franchise where puzzles are it’s main point, this adaption is one that has more than enough brain teasers to satisfy longtime fans and even get more newcomers interest in it. You also have some well-done animation, an art style that fits very well with the games it’s based on, a talented voice cast, and a story about memory and mortality that stands well on it’s own. To say any more will be spoiling but there’s plenty to like here from both fans of the series and those that enjoy a good mystery thriller.
10.) Detective Pikachu
A Pokémon movie had all the potential to work as a feature film, especially since there had already been several straight-to-dvd films that had come before this. However, there had never been a well-known live-action Pokémon movie until 2019’s Detective Pikachu. Thankfully, it is able to deliver a good time that fully embraces the world that Pokémon is established in while maintaining a good sense of humor throughout. Ryan Reynolds works very well as Pikachu and has good chemistry with Justice Smith’s Tim, forming the perfect kind of bond ship I imagine players always saw themselves with their own fellow Pokémon from their favorite installments in the series. It doesn’t break any new ground but Detective Pikachu has plenty of heart, laughs, and amusing set pieces that will likely leave any die hard Pokémon fan with a smile on their face after watching it.
9.) Rampage
It’s a monster movie with The Rock! What else could you possibly want?! Rampage acts as an adaptation of a very popular arcade game that was also released on the original Nintendo Entertainment System back in the ’90s. The results is basically a feature film that plays like a straight up monster movie where monsters attack the city and the main character has to attempt to save the city. Does it follow every trope for these kind of movies to a t? Sure, but it’s still a lot of fun for those that have a fondness for these kind of movies and of course, have a fondness for the Rock kicking serious butt. And it might just be even better than the majority of the current Monsterverse films.
8.) Sonic The Hedgehog
This was a film that everyone and their mother was determined to hate the moment the very first trailer dropped with the fugly Sonic design. But then, the film was delayed to change up the design and things looked more promising. Then we all saw it and it was pretty damn good. Sonic the Hedgehog is one of the very few films to take the whole “cartoon characters in the real world” gimmick and actually make it work. Even if it didn’t film didn’t act as a proper adaption for Sonic, it works very well as a story about a young kid that’s trying to find his place in the world. Ben Schwartz is great as Sonic and plays off of James Marsden very well but it’s Jim Carrey that steals the show as Robotnik as everyone expected. It certainly does hit plenty of the notes that these “family movies but for kids” flicks do but for what it’s worth, Sonic the Hedgehog got something for everyone to enjoy.
7.) Gran Turismo
The newest video game movie directed by Neil Blomkamp is much better than it had any right to be. Gran Turismo follows the (shockingly) true story of an expert gamer turning into a full-time racer. Despite the actual story being something you can see coming a mile away with the inclusions of many of the typical cliches for sport movies, it’s able to overcome all of that thanks to superb directing, incredibly tense and well-done racing sequences, sound design that’s off the charts, and having a surprising amount of heart throughout. At it’s core, it’s basically a story of someone being able to make their dreams come true once they are able to get their one shot at it. And of course, David Harbour is always welcome in anything! Keep your expectations in check and you might be find yourself surprised at how much of a fun and moving ride this is!
6.) Silent Hill
Back then, the best kind of video game movies weren’t so much the ones that felt the most faithful to the games but more of the ones that’s able to fully embrace the subgenre that the games were a part off and build a stand alone story out of that. 2006’s Silent Hill was able to deliver exactly that by going into full horror and thriller mode with the exact kind of mood and atmosphere that the games themselves embraced. The monsters themselves are great, the tension and suspense is felt completely throughout, and it’s somehow able to bring the sleepy town of “Silent Hill” to life. Despite initially getting panned by critics at the time of it’s release, fans of Silent Hill have come to love and appreciate this film adaption. Just skip the sequel entirely!
5.) Mortal Kombat
Despite this being the Mortal Kombat movie with the PG-13 rating with practically no gore to speak off, the 1995 version is still the best MK movie release to date. It’s able to capture all the fun, camp, action, and over-the-top-ness that the game series provided. It’s able to provide the entire cast of characters with their own arcs and personal moments to shine along with a plot that’s surprisingly very functional with no useless filler to speak of. Even if it does strip itself from the gore and certain elements from the games, it’s still able to work incredibly well as an adaption by fully capturing the spirit of the 90s and the central essence that the franchise has embraced since the beginning. While this has been surpassed in recent years as being the best video game movie ever made, it’s still stands comfortably as one of the very best.
4.) The Super Mario Bros. Movie
To be honest, if we are going by video games in terms of straight up faithfulness to the games themselves, this would likely be #1 easily. The Super Mario Bros. Movie is the one video game movie that feels like it was 100% ripped straight from the games in terms of it’s animation, style, world building, and amount of fan service throughout. It even works quite well as a simple story of a complete zero turning into a complete hero along with the importance of brotherhood. It’s just so much fun seeing characters such as Mario, Princess Peach, Donkey Kong, and Toad kicking butt together on the big screen for the first time ever. Not even the tropes from Illumination Animation that brought down their prior movies such as an obvious celebrity heavy voice cast and awkwardly inserted song tracks are able to bring this one down. If only Luigi didn’t get done dirty and Yoshi played any role whatsoever that this could have been ranked higher. And yes, Chris Pratt was just fine as Mario and Jack Black was as perfect as Bowser as you would expected. I’m gonna go listen to Peaches again.
3.) Werewolves Within
Here’s one that very few people know is actually a video game movie or even are aware of it’s existence. That needs to change ASAP because Werewolves Within is an absolute slam dunk of a motion picture and is one of the very best video games films ever made. Despite making significant changes to the source material, it’s able to remaining very true to the entire point of the game, which of course is guessing who is suppose to be the werewolf among a certain group. At the end of the day, all that matters is getting the core appeal of the series you are adapting along with crafting a film that can stand well on it’s own two feet. It’s very well made, the characters are very entertaining, everyone from the cast and crew is clearly having a blast, and the mystery of the werewolf will keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat until the very end. Just like with Professor Layton and the Enteral Diva, it works greatly as a mystery thriller for fans of the source material and for newcomers as well.
2.) Sonic The Hedgehog 2
While there’s certainly an argument to be made about The Super Mario Bros. Movie being a more faithful adaption and Werewolves Within being an objectively better movie overall, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is able to find that perfect balance of being faithful to the source material while also staying strong as it’s own film. It’s able to expand on the themes of the first film very well with Sonic wanting to come into his own as a hero along with learning to accept Tom as a father figure. You also have more elements from the source material thrown in here that work wonderfully here. Tails is cuter than a bag of kittens and a complete fanboy for Sonic, Jim Carrey is back and better than ever as Robotnik, and Knuckles whose played perfectly by Idris Elba, has never been cooler and more badass than he has been here. Not to mention, the final 30 minutes is everything that any Sonic fan could possibly dream off seeing in a Sonic movie. Even if you don’t care for the wedding subplot (which I actually liked and found it pretty funny), there is plenty for anyone to enjoy here. If you are a fan of Sonic, someone who enjoyed the first movie, or just want to have a good and fun time overall, then Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a video game movie for you!
1.) Sonic The Hedgehog 3
Just when you thought it couldn’t get better than Sonic 2, Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is able to sweep in and take the crown as not just the best Sonic movie to date but also the very best video game movie to date! This is just about every Sonic’s fans dream come true! The Sonic characters themselves are at the absolute forefront with more focus than ever, the action and set pieces are all exhilarating and fun, the CGI is a treat for the eyes, there is more fan service and easter eggs than before, it’s able to adapt the storylines from Sonic Adventure 2 and Shadow the Hedgehog near perfectly, and Keanu Reeves predictably kills it as Shadow, as the character gives more depth and development than he arguably has in any other Sonic medium! It’s also nice to see how Sonic himself has grown through out the trilogy and seeing Jim Carrey bounce off well…..himself is an absolute laugh riot! This is just a series of films that keeps getting better with each installment and if the post credit scenes for this one is anything to go by, the next one could be even better! Is it high art? Probably not! But does it understand the assignment? Hell yeah, it does! Whether you are a longtime fan or a newcomer that has recently got into the series or someone that enjoys a good time, Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is an absolute triumph and is my personal favorite video game movie to date!
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is set to hit theaters very soon and it’s perhaps the most anticipated movie for the rest of 2024. In what has been a very chaotic year, what better way to cap it all off than with our favorite blue hedgehog squaring off against our favorite lion baddie in Mufasa just days before Christmas. We’ll see if the box office race ends up being closer to Barbieheimer from July of last year or Memorial Day Weekend 2011 where Kung Fu Panda 2 got dominated by The Hangover Part II (I will still never forgive the world for that!).
Even so, I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that it has been a really exciting time to be a Sonic fan as of late. Since the 2020s rolled around, Sonic fans have been getting a lot of new and exciting content to enjoy. You got some new quality games such as Sonic Frontiers, Sonic Superstars, The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog,Sonic Dream Team, and Sonic X Shadow Generations, you got some new tv/streaming series with Sonic Prime and Knuckles, and of course, you got the two new Sonic movies with the third one coming out very soon with an insane amount of hype from Sonic fans and even common moviegoers alike. That’s not to say that ALL of the content I’ve mentioned have been successful or critically acclaimed (Sonic Superstars suffered from abysmal boss fights, Knuckles turned into the Wade Whipple Show once the actual plot got going, and just imagine how much of a drop in quality Sonic Prime would have suffered from if Shadow was NOT in it) but for the most part, there has been more good to come from Sonic than bad for the majority of the 2020s.
It’s all of this and more as to why I believe that Sonic is about to achieve a new level of peak with the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 3. The kind of peak that this franchise was able to achieve during the Genesis and Dreamcast days. The kind of peak that would put Sonic on the roadmap as an IP that demands to be taken seriously in any form of media. The kind of peak that I thought we were getting with the franchise in the early 2010s after Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations. Lastly, the kind of peak that will see the 2020s as being a new renaissance of Sonic the Hedgehog and make the Blue Blur more popular than ever.
This all started with the release of the original Sonic the Hedgehog movie back in 2020. It was a movie that was met with initial controversy due to many fans not taken too kindly to Sonic’s movie design. About a week after the backlash against the movie ensued, director Jeff Fowler announced that they would go back and fix the design of Sonic into a brand new one that would look more faithful to the character. Although this caused the movie to be delayed three months from it’s original release slate of November 2019, it all turned out to be for the better as the movie turned out to be a solid hit at the box office and the casual audience alike. Although it likely would’ve done better in theaters had it not come out before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, it was still enough of a success to greenlight a sequel. It was from that moment where the Sonic brand would transform himself into a multimedia movie franchise.
This led to Sonic the Hedgehog 2, which was considered to be even better than it’s predecessor and the most successful video game movie that does NOT involve a certain plumber with a red hat. It received praised from fans for incorporating many elements from the video games such as the addition of Tails and Knuckles, the Master Emerald, more set pieces that mirror levels from the games, and who could forget the birth of SUPER SONIC!!!! Perhaps the big cherry on top included a post-credit scene that teased the next movie would be focused on introducing the fan-favorite character known as Shadow the Hedgehog, set to be played by the legendary Keanu Reeves.
When it comes to the games themselves, the two main ones that have come out this decade include Sonic Frontiers and this year’s Sonic X Shadow Generations. With Sonic Frontiers, while the initial critical reviews were quite mixed, the fan response was much more positive. The majority of the praise went into the open zones, giving Sonic more freedom to control than ever, the boss fights, the soundtrack, and containing some of the best writing that this series has had in ages, particularly involving the characterization of the main cast of characters we’ve all come to known and love over the past few decades. It definitely had it’s flaws, particularly the unpolished cyberspace levels and a handful of unnecessary elements added to the gameplay (*cough* Pinball level *cough*), but even the more mixed reviews agreed that it was a step in the right direction compared to the last few main Sonic games and set the future of Sonic with a really solid foundation to build upon with upcoming games.
With Sonic X Shadow Generations, it made for perhaps the most well received Sonic game that the series has had in a very LONG time. It gained a reception that it has perhaps not been seen since the days of Sonic Adventure or the Gameboy/DS adventures with Sonic Advance and Sonic Rush. Not even the original Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations got this amount of praise attached to it at the time which both games came out. A 2024 remaster of Sonic Generations updated to modern consoles/PC would have been satisfying enough to longtime fans of the series but what makes this one stand out stronger than most is it’s inclusion to a brand new story mode involving fan-favorite Shadow the Hedgehog. It’s able to do Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury even better than the actual Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury. With incredibly unique level designs, crazy and out-of-this-world set pieces, masterfully done remixes, a gameplay style that manages to combine the best elements of Generations and Frontiers respectively, and even quite a touching story about Shadow and the two people he cares about the most in Maria and Gerald Robotnik. This even manages to make Black Doom less lame. That’s how good this game is!
When it comes to the other games that have come out in the past four years, they were mostly a mixed bag but nothing that indicated a complete and total failure. Sonic Superstars could have been a solid and newly original 2D Sonic game but suffered big time from the inclusion of it’s new mechanics and horrible boss fights, Sonic Dream Team made for an enjoyable mobile game but could have fared much better as an actual console game, and The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog is about as good of an April Fools Joke as one could hope and made for one unique love letter to the fans. Even so, there has yet to be a single Sonic game to come out in this decade that gained as much of a universally negative reaction on the levels of Sonic 06 and Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric. If that alone is not a step up from the past two decades, then I don’t know what is.
And now we are about to have Sonic the Hedgehog 3 arrive worldwide in theaters! Not only is this meant to cap off to what SEGA originally dubber 2024 as the “Year of Shadow”, but it might just be the thing that expand Sonic’s popularity even further than ever before. Just imagine the numerous amounts of possibilities that can come from the Sonic franchise if Sonic 3 is a hit!
We’ll have more film installments and tv/streaming series that could expand upon the cinematic universe of Sonic even further, we’ll have upcoming that will receive more hype and anticipation than before because of newer fans that will be getting into the series, and we’ll see a new appreciation for Sonic that we perhaps have not seen throughout the entire 21st century. If Sonic 3 delivers, I would not be surprised if any if not all of these outcomes are possible.
Even so, there is more reason to be optimistic about the future of Sonic the Hedgehog than ever before. And I imagine that optimism will only grow once Sonic 3 is released to the general public and we get updated on what future Sonic games, movies, and shows is set for the future.
Whenever someone talks about Sonic in 3D form, it’s always that same form of boring, repetitive dialogue about how this is when the entire franchise went downhill. From turning Sonic eyes green to changing up the character design to being forced to play as Sonic’s “annoying” friends, that is always the kind of stuff you here from so-called critics. Similar to those that claim that SpongeBob has sucked since the first movie, the general conscious nowadays seems to be that Sonic reached his peak at the end of the classic era and that he just can never, ever be as good in the modern era.
Never mind the fact that games like Sonic Adventure 1, Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes, Sonic Colors, Sonic Generations, and Sonic X Shadow Generations got relatively positive reviews at the time of their releases or even other games like Secret Rings, Unleashed (Wii), and Frontiers got at worst a fairly lukewarm response. History always tends to be rewritten by certain critics and reviewers everywhere that Sonic has not and will never work in 3D! (Or in IGN’s case, Sonic has never been good!) I find that to be the most hyperbolic and nonsensical statement ever! Yes, there have been a handful of 3D Sonic games that are legit bad but there are plenty of others that are either good, decent, or at worst “meh”.
The biggest problem with Sonic over the years is the way that SEGA and Sonic Team is constantly trying to reinvent the franchise instead of sticking to a working formula and building upon it. Even when they have that working formula, they will eventually scrap it so they could start over from scratches and make another game that feels more like an “experiment” than an actual game. As a result, the series has becoming multiple different things over the years and because of that, people now want multiple different things. The more you try to change courses with the series, the harder it will be to please people and the more inconsistent in quality the games will be. And that is something has been painfully obvious with Sonic in the third dimension.
Now that Sonic X Shadow Generations is out, here are my rankings every main 3D Sonic game to date from worst to best!
Fyi, despite being technically a 3D game, I am NOT gonna include 3D Blast because that game is just not worth bringing up!
Also, I’m including the storybook series because why not?!
And also, Unleashed on the Wii because it’s different enough than the HD version and plenty of folks out there have that as their definite version of the game.
17.) Sonic and the Secret Rings (2007)
While this might not be the game that caused the most damage to Sonic’s reputation, I can’t think of a more infuriating 3D experience than with Sonic and the Secret Rings! It’s Aladdin-like storybook premise involving genies and magic books is an interesting idea on paper but the execution for it is probably some of the worst I’ve seen in any video game!
The levels are poorly designed, the level progression and padding is beyond stupid, and the controls are easily the worst of any 3D Sonic game and perhaps any video game ever! Sonic has never controlled so awkwardly and has never had more outrageous design choices than the ones that are present here. Throw in an annoying theme song that plays nonstop, an idiotic bad guy with such an absurdly stupid plan, and a laughable ending and you got perhaps the worst Sonic game in the main series!
Sonic and the Secret Rings is not just the worst 3D Sonic game ever made, it’s one of the worst video games I’ve ever played period! This is the only game on this list that I never beat because I don’t have the patience or insanity to do so. And keep in mind, I’m someone that played through and beat all the other games on this list, even the bad ones! That should tell you something!
16.) Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric (2014)
The most poorly received 3D Sonic title to date is not quite the worst thing to ever happen to the blue blur but it’s pretty damn close. It has a nice tone and cinematic feel to it with plenty of solid banter and voice work throughout. Unfortunately, when it comes to the actual gameplay itself, it’s about as unpolished and lackluster than you could possibly imagine for a video game!
The Ratchet & Clank treatment that Big Red Button Studios desires to give Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric does not work in the slightest, making the whole experience feel not so much like a Sonic game but a game that just happens to have Sonic characters in it. The level design is dull, the main villain Lyric is nothing more than generic bad guy #723, and plenty of folks have picked apart the number of bugs and glitches to death that it’s hardly worth bringing up. And also Shadow is here for literally no reason whatsoever!
The main results of Rise of Lyric is a show tie-in in game that was clearly rushed out of the gate to make it on time for the Sonic Boom TV series to premiere in November 2014. It’s a game that’s so bad that it practically killed Big Red Button before they even had a chance to get their foot through the door. While the main Sonic Boom show was able to win the hearts of many fans, this Wii U exclusive cash-in is best left ignored.
15.) Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
Everyone and their mother have picked this game apart and for good reason. The story is dumb and nonsensical, the controls are completely broken, many of the side characters/missions are pointless, the loading times are obnoxious and way too long, and the glitches are just everywhere, EVERYWHERE! And of course, the beasility romance makes the love story in Twilight seem believable. However, as time goes by, there is something to admire about 06 as it has the kind of scale and ambition that most games in the series didn’t have up until Frontiers.
Sonic and Blaze the Cat are mostly fun to play as (*insert Chimanruler15 forgetting who Blaze the Cat is*), the music is amazing (a consistent quality in most Sonic games), and even the glitches can be quite fun to play around with and show off to your friends. Just a shame that Sonic Team shot themselves in the foot repeatedly making dumb decision after dumb decision during development with SEGA breathing down their neck to make sure it gets released on time by Christmas 2006.
Maybe it’s because many years has passed where the wounds have had time to heal and there’s been plenty of fan mods that have helped “fixed” the game but kinda like with Shadow the Hedgehog, I do find this to be a guilty pleasure in quite a bit of areas. Would I ever call the game good? Hell no! But would I call it the worst game ever made or even my least favorite Sonic game? Hell no as well!
14.) Shadow the Hedgehog (2005)
The one time in the series where Sonic Team tried to make the Sonic franchise a bit “edgier” and more suited to “mature” audiences. Boy, was that a mistake! What we are given with Shadow The Hedgehog is a huge departure from the main series, despite still being canon to the main storyline of the franchise.
With aliens, machine guns, and a whole lot of “damns” thrown in the mix, this feels like a fan game with a script writing by a 10-year old edge lord who played way too much Call of Duty and learned a few bad words overnight. Yes, this is as completely stupid as it sounds. The most surprising thing is that the gun gameplay itself is actually quite solid and is actually the big highlight of the game. Too bad, the level themselves are too long, the narrative is convoluted as hell, and being forced to beat the game in TEN different ways in order to unlock the final story is padding at it’s absolute worst.
I will admit to finding this game to be a guilty pleasure in some areas since the plot and cutscenes are hilarious in a “so bad, it’s good” kind of way (“I’m going to destroy this damn planet!” kills me every time!). That being said, there is no damn way in hell I can call this a damn good game. (See what I did there?!). At least, this game and Black Doom would get (somewhat) of a redemption arc later on down the road nearly two decades later.
13.) Sonic and the Black Knight (2009)
The best thing you can say about The Black Knight is that it’s immensely better than Secret Rings. The controls itself are functional and the gameplay itself is actually playable. Plus, it looks and sounds great and the story/cutscenes themselves are pretty entertaining, with some of the best and sharpest writing in any Sonic game. And I don’t think Sonic has sounded any better than he does with this game with Jason Griffith killing it here! However, it still can’t quite unlock the potential of Sonic in these storybook settings.
The levels themselves are quite dull with not much challenge or momentum to it, the progression is still as dumb as it was in Secret Rings, and the majority of the experiences mostly just amounts to shaking the Wii remote over and over and over again. Not to mention, the game itself can be beaten in just three or so hours with not much post-game content for you to want to play more of it after you beat the main story.
For a game as bizarre of a premise as this, you would think it would leave more of an impression on you than simply “meh”. Sonic and the Black Knight was so “meh” in fact that SEGA basically abandoned doing any more of these storybook arc games due to the middling reception and sales for it. You can certainly do worse but you can also do a whole lot better.
12.) Sonic Lost World (Wii U) (2013)
When I brought up in the beginning how Sonic Team has this constant nag of always trying to re-invent the wheels instead of letting a good idea simmer, Sonic Lost World is a great example of what I was referring to. The follow-up to Sonic Generations sees Sonic Team NOT trying to take the boost formula one step further but instead, takes a page from Super Mario Galaxy with floating gimmicks and putting more focus on platforming than speed. Unfortunately, the game itself never quite understands why that gameplay worked exclusively for Mario and not so much for Sonic.
Sonic Lost World a perfect definition of throwing stuff as the wall to see what sticks. A good chunk of levels work well enough and are fun to play but there’s never a consistency to the main core gameplay because it’s never established what exactly the core of the game is. The game constantly changes the rules as you go on to the point where you wonder who this game was even made for. And don’t even get me started on the story which it’s tryhard “drama” between Sonic and Tails along with the main bad guys that are simply Skylander rejects and only rival The Doom Syndicate from Megamind 2 as being the most generic and one-note bad guys to ever exist.
There’s being ambitious and then there’s just being aimless. Despite having it’s moments, SonicLost World definitely leans much closer to the latter than the former. As the good old saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
11.) Sonic Forces (2017)
After the mixed results of Lost World, Sonic Team goes back to the boost formula that made Unleashed, Colors, and Generations so successful, only to end up breaking what wasn’t originally broken. Imagine a more water-down version of Sonic Generations with a create-your-own character gimmick slapped onto it and this is basically what you get.
The levels themselves are way too short and easy, Classic Sonic is useless and butchered beyond repair, the story never goes far enough with wanting to act as a departure to the main series by letting Eggman win, and don’t get me started on Infinite and his “I AM NOT WEAK” nonsense. At least Modern Sonic is still fun to play as and there’s some enjoyment to be had with having your own custom character interact with the other main players of the Sonic franchise, even if they are about as “self-insert” as it gets.
You can make the argument that Lost World (and even Black Knight) are more polished and better made games but Forces does feel more in-line with Sonic and has at least clear idea of what target audience it has in mind. While I still find this game to be MASSIVELY over hated by Sonic fans and gamers anywhere (I seriously can’t take you seriously if you say this game is worse than Sonic 06!), there’s not much done in Sonic Forces that hasn’t been done better in plenty other Sonic games. It’s a perfectly middle-of-the-road game that deserves it’s middle-of-the-road ranking of the 3D Sonic games.
10.) Sonic Heroes (2004)
I’m gonna say straight up front that Sonic Heroes was the first Sonic game I’ve ever played. That lone fact alone makes me want to biased and put on my nostalgic goggles to have this game ranked much higher that it is. However, if I were to be unfortunately critical, I can’t deny that this game is very flawed and far from perfect.
There are good chunks of the game that are fast and fun, the level design themselves have plenty of neat gimmicks and designs that stand among the best in the franchise, the soundtrack is stellar with nearly every track being a winner, and the overall message and concept of teamwork is a great and interesting one for the Sonic series. Unfortunately, there are major issues when it comes to controls, physics, and repetition that really tank the experience for a lot of people. The game can feel too fast at times, the physics are quite sloppily, the special stages are a headache, and being forced to play the exact same game four times over in order to unlock the true final story is the exact kind of needless padding that tends to plaque a lot of Sonic games.
The good and bad of Sonic Heroes balance each other throughout the entirety of the game. It will mostly depends on what end you find yourself landing on more when playing it that will determine your overall feelings of the game as a whole. However, if there is any Sonic game that would benefit HEAVILY from a remaster, it’s this game! I’m grateful for Sonic Heroes for existing and getting me into Sonic but I wish the whole experience could have been more consistently great like the best Sonic games are.
9.) Sonic Unleashed (Wii) (2008)
The PS2/Wii version of Unleashed is quite different from it’s HD counterpart but it’s arguably the inferior version of this polarizing game. It’s doesn’t so much share the pros and cons of the HD version but has pros and cons of it’s own.
There’s no metal collecting, the night stages are much shorter, no forced hub world sections, you can actually explore the Gaia temples this time around, and even the final boss has a Punch-Out Wii section that I can’t help but love. However, there’s more night stages than necessary, less day stages than necessary, and getting extra lives is more tedious than necessary. Who seriously thought it was good idea to take away the “100 rings gives you an extra life” gimmick? It was a dumb idea when they did it in Lost World and it’s a dumb idea here. The first 2/3rds of Unleashed are relatively enjoyable with a proper balance of everything but the last third gets way too bloated and padded to a ridiculous level which will likely leave you quite exhausted by the time the credit roll.
There has been debates as to whether or not the SD or HD version of Sonic Unleashed is the better experience. I’m gonna put my foot down as say that the PS2/Wii version is the inferior version of this beloved/infamous 3D Sonic experience. It’s worth trying out if you are interest but definitely get it at a discount.
8.) Sonic Dream Team (2023)
This newest 3D installment made exclusively for IOS and Apple Devices makes for the first fully 3D Sonic game with multiple characters added to the main campaign since Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). Following the mixed results of mobile Sonic games with the likes of Sonic Dash and Sonic Forces: Speed Battle, Sonic Dream Team is able to provide the most comfortable feeling mobile Sonic game to date, with no extra expenses needed to enjoy the experience.
Being able to take control as Sonic and his friends, Dream Team is able to use it’s Inception mixed with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater quite well, with a nice variety of levels, missions, and collectibles. The graphics are bright and colorful, each character are comfortable to control along with having their own unique ability, and how in the world is it that the cutscenes have more animation than Sonic Team’s recent console games? The story itself is quite meh and it will likely take you a level or two to get used to the controls but when you get past that, there’s quite a bit of fun to be had here.
While a part of me does wish this was made for consoles and hope we do at least get a console port in the future, Sonic Dream Team is a solid mobile game made exclusively for iPhone gamers that are willing to give up a few bucks a month for Apple Arcade services. If anything, this is at least a sign that SEGA and Sonic Team haven’t fully abandon Sonic’s friends and aren’t afraid to include them in their newest games that don’t involve the Olympics or kart racing.
7.) Sonic Adventure 2 (2001)
Sonic Adventure 2 tends to be a fan-favorite of the series and the one that got an entire generation of Sonic fans into the series. It also introduced perhaps the most famous character in the series outside of Sonic himself in Shadow the Hedgehog. However, there’s a strong argument to be made that SA2 is more known for it’s reputation as oppose to it’s actual quality.
The Sonic/Shadow stages are as awesome as ever, the music still slaps, the story is cheesy but also entertaining, and the expansion of the Chao Garden along with the multiplayer mode helps increase the replay value of the game greatly, even more so than most Sonic games. Just a shame it’s still bogged down by mediocre-to-okay shooting stages with Tails and Eggman along with absolutely terrible treasure hunting stages with non-existent emerald radars with Knuckles and Rouge (Don’t get me started on those godawful water levels). I also don’t get that same sense of adventure that I got with the original Sonic Adventure due to the lack of hub worlds and containing more cluster phobic level design with all the playable characters.
Sonic Adventure 2 is a game I respect more than I actually love. I admire what it has done for the series and the foundation it has laid out throughout Sonic’s history. However, I still can’t help but shake the feeling that this is a game where the sums are better than it’s own parts. But the sums are constantly scattered throughout and pretty damn good when they occur. I’m definitely curious to see how the Sonic movie threequel is gonna adapt this game’s storyline.
6.) Sonic Frontiers (2022)
In many ways, Sonic Frontiers is guilty of many of the same flaws that have plagued prior 3D Sonic games. From being overly ambitious and unfocused to throwing random ideas left and right, there’s much you can pick apart about this game. However, unlike with most recent entries in the series, there is actually some charm hidden within like a beautiful little diamond in the rough, something that makes Frontiers stand out as fondly as some of the better 3D Sonic games out there.
The overall core formula and open zones work well here and does help set a promising template for future Sonic games. It’s also nice to see more care put into the story and characterization than it has been for quite some time. And I don’t think Super Sonic has been more badass here than ever. If it removed certain gimmicks that weren’t needed (*cough* pinball table *cough*) and it had more original and polished cyberspace levels, this could have lived up to it’s absolute ambition instead of feeling like it barley missed it in many spots.
Sonic Frontiers is about as imperfect as you can expect a Sonic game to be but for the first time in a long while, it did leave me with an actual sense of hope and optimism for the Blue Blur moving forward. This is a game that has grown on me since it came out back in 2022 and I’ve come to find more things to love and appreciate about it as time goes by. This is just a game that has faded very fondly in my memory. Fingers crossed that SEGA and Sonic Team can capitalize on the strengths of this game while leaving out the weaknesses and perhaps we can have even greater Sonic experiences for the immediate future.
5.) Sonic Unleashed (HD) (2008)
One of the most divisive installments in the franchise and I can certainly understand why. It was coming off the high heel of Sonic 06, that basically shattered the remaining good will that the franchise still had up to that point, it was at that point where professional critics was basically in full “2D Sonic=Good, 3D Sonic=Bad” mode, and of course there was the inclusion of the controversial gameplay style that was the Werehog. Even so, the HD version of Sonic Unleashed has the thrills and action that I want from a mainline Sonic the Hedgehog game in the third dimension.
The daytime stages delivers the exact sense of speed and fast platforming I could ever ask for in a Sonic game, the story is simplistic but still has that nice mix of light and dark nature that most Sonic games tend to ger wrong, the hub worlds are nice, the graphics still look great even 14 years later, the soundtrack is outstanding, and even I’m not shame to admit I even kinda (mostly) like that silly Werehog (put him in the fourth Sonic movie, you cowards!). The medal grinding is quite annoying, especially on a first playthrough, and there are some extras that were quite pointless (*cough* hot dog missions *cough*). This is also certainly a game where you really have to know the “ins-and-outs” of it to truly enjoy the whole experience.
I totally understand the reasons to love and hate Sonic Unleashed but I land myself far more on the positive side than the negative one. It’s a game that just has plenty of great elements to it that is easier to appreciate now than ever before. This game has been gaining a cult following over the years and I’m glad to admit that I was a part of it from the very beginning.
4.) Sonic Colors (Wii) (2010)
Sonic Team follow up Unleashed sees them adding more to the well-received aspects of it’s predecessor (the daytime stages) by building upon it along with removing the not so well-received aspects (the nighttime stages). As a result, we get one of the best 3D Sonic games ever made! (Yes, I said it! Come right at me!)
Sonic Colors understands the core appeal of Sonic by featuring top-notch speed, solid platforming, welcome new franchise additions with the Wisp power ups, and incredibly fun and unique level designs to boot. Sure, there may be a bit too much 2D levels for some and the story/humor is admittedly hit (any scene with Eggman and his robots) or miss (Baldy McNosehair) but none of that should be enough to taint the overall experience of Colors. It’s also nice to see a Sonic game that despite borrowing elements from Mario, is still able to provide a fresh and entertaining experience that certainly feels like Sonic the Hedgehog.
While some might find the recently ported HD remastered to be quite iffy, the original Sonic Colors is still pure gold. I can’t understand for the life of me of why the majority of Sonic fans have turned on this game so harshly but I still find it to be an overall great experience and one of my personal favorite games in the series.
3.) Sonic Adventure (1999)
I would be lying if I said that the original Sonic Adventure has aged well. The graphics, animation, dialogue, and voice work are all way below par and were barely passable at the time of the game’s release. Regardless, there is still more than enough about the first official 3D Sonic game that works well. And the stuff that works, works harder than nearly EVERY single 3D Sonic game that has ever been made.
Sonic has probably the smoothest controls in any of the 3D games with the level design perhaps being the best in not just modern form but in any form, Tails races with Sonic are a blast to play, Knuckles’ treasure hunting stages are actually enjoyable here because they move at a faster clip thanks to having an actually functional emerald radar, Gamma, despite having stages that were clearly not meant for him, are a ton fun and even Amy’s story has her moments, especially with that hammer mini-game. Big the Cat’s fishing missions still sucks but if you know what you’re doing, you can beat them real quick and move on to the next story with ease. It’s also nice to have a whole hub world to go exploring and to see many of the main Sonic characters have their own arcs and development, really making you feel like that you are going on adventures with these characters. Even the dated elements like the cheesy as hell animation is at least good for a laugh, both intentionally and unintentionally.
Has the game has aged? Absolutely! Does that make it bad? Absolutely not! There is still plenty to love and appreciate about Sonic Adventure many years later. It’s because of that and more that those enjoyments are some of the best not just in 3D Sonic but in the entire Sonic franchise.
2.) Sonic Generations (HD) (2011)
One of the very best 3D Sonic games to date is the one that certainly features the most Sonic out of all the games thus far. Sonic Generations acts a wonderful celebration of the first two decades of Sonic the Hedgehog by acting as the best possible love letter to the franchise that any Sonic fan could imagine.
Perfecting both the classic 2D style gameplay along with the modern 3D style gameplay by recreating the best levels from previous Sonic games and making them feel new and unique on their own. There’s plenty of awesome extras and unlockables which features some incredible remixes of the very best tracks in the Sonic franchise. Generations gets right what it needs to get right so well that it’s shortcomings don’t matter. It doesn’t matter that the story itself is practically non-existent, has perhaps too many city levels, could have used more “deja vu” cutscenes between Sonic and Tails, and the final boss itself is awful and extremely lackluster. It would have been also nice to see DLC that aren’t fan-made or modes for the PC version only.
Even when listing any possible shortcomings, nothing can take away the absolutely triumph experience that was Sonic Generations. I don’t think there is a Sonic game that I have gone back to more than this. If that doesn’t say anything about the overall quality and enormous replay value this game has, I don’t know what does.
1.) Shadow Generations
Recency bias aside, I can’t think of a better example of 3D Sonic in his absolute peak form than with Sonic X Shadow Generations. A 2024 remaster of Sonic Generations updated to modern consoles/PC would have been satisfying enough to longtime fans of the series but what makes this one stand out stronger than most is it’s inclusion to a brand new story mode involving fan-favorite Shadow the Hedgehog. It’s able to do Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury even better than the actual Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury.
When it comes to the remaster of Sonic Generations, it’s able to provide an even cleaner and smoother experience than before by moving at a crisp 60 FPS clip, no loading times, more collectibles hidden throughout the levels with the Chao, and even being able to play as an Adventure skin of Sonic. Hit-and-miss changes to the overall dialogue aside, this is perhaps the best version of Sonic Generations to date. When it comes to Shadow Generations, this might just be the very best version of 3D Sonic as a whole. With incredibly unique level designs, crazy and out-of-this-world set pieces, masterfully done remixes, a gameplay style that manages to combine the best elements of Generations and Frontiers respectively, and even quite a touching story about Shadow and the two people he cares about the most in Maria and Gerald Robotnik. This even manages to make Black Doom less lame. That’s how good this game is!
Call it cheating if you may but if there is one 3D Sonic experience that is 100% worth your time, look no further than Sonic X Shadow Generations. Not only do you get a quality remaster that managed to do everything that Colors: Ultimate couldn’t but it’s also able to give you an engaging story and gameplay with Shadow the Hedgehog himself, definitely more so than his DLC in Forces. Because of all that and more, Sonic X Shadow Generations is the best 3D Sonic game to date! Fingers crossed that the next 3D Sonic game is even better!
Adam's Blog 