sonic boom had so much wasted potential

(I need to address once more than the Sonic Boom games are an awful dumpster fire, and that this entry is more about what was supposed to come out of it that im really upset didn't appear as results)

ok anyway

Sonic Boom as a whole was meant to be created for two main reasons: a western approach to the franchise in an attempt to appeal to western audiences, and to broaden the entirety of Sonic's world as whole, which is expected in most games but was really meant to be explored in this one. And this was always the plan, BRB (Big Red button) was in a great place with the game, and while concept trailers and art were being heavily guarded and stripped by Sega, who wanted to maintain the franchise's overall "speed" idea entirely in an effort to be able to appeal to a younger audience and sell more merchandise, BRB was on a great path- from what we can see, character designs look a lot better when it comes to animation balance- for once, proportions aren't so vastly different between limbs, which means that when it came to animating them in 3D, the "mascot syndrome" they'd developed in previous games had faded almost entirely, and finally they looked like normal cartoons. The designs were also pushed when it came to expressiveness, making them a lot more fluid. And, we can't talk about the design without discussing the change in overall appearance- character's finally have fitting clothing for their surroundings (for instance, it makes a lot more sense to have Amy wearing a dynamic leather outfit and durable boots in a rainforest than it does to have her in a little pink dress and rubber boots). While the use of sports tape can be a little overbearing, I like the approach it takes with the characters in their understanding of their athletic ability, and its a cool touch and clashes well with their overall surroundings. Now, in the final game, disappointingly there were some outfits in concept art that looked great and very fitting on the characters that got cut simply because of the sudden approaching deadline (which I'll talk about later), such as Tails having shorts/overalls with a tool belt, or Amy with a scarf much like Sonic's. The frequency that these things appeared in concept art would suggest that they were designs meant to heavily be considered for the final game, but because of time reasons and Sega's strict expectations, they were sadly cut. However, overall, there was MUCH good to come from these designs. But of course, as Sega does, BRB was forced to minimize the potential of these designs due to a huge stoop in graphics quality in the final game, leaving character's faces relatively stiff just as usual. Such a disappointment. Regardless, the evening out of the proportions still definitely helped, and the characters move and function much more fluidly.

Aside from character designs, setting and zone level designs also had much to bring to the table- concept art for the world this game took place in looked vast and broad and ASTOUNDING, so much detail, so much potential for new stories and lore, things that could enhance and stretch gameplay entertainment ability. Gameplay was initially intended to host a larger multiplayer group, meaning levels had intricate team-dependent puzzles and functions that hosted great level design. And yet, it was all shut down. Due to the huge shift in graphics endurance the console Sonic Boom would be featured on faced, and the quickly increasing deadline Sega had set, all of this beautiful concept art and even drafted gameplay had to be stripped bare, leaving a bland, rain forest scenery with poor lighting and a consistent but boring appearance. At times it can be nauseating to watch.

Now i can't leave out what I was really most excited for from this game, which was finally, genuinely good character development. BRB's initial take on the Sonic team had much more varying approaches, one of which could have saved the game entirely even if everything else were to have sucked regardless: Sonic's ego. throughout the game, Sonic is portrayed as feeling as if the rest of the team if more of a bother to him than a help, which can seem bad. But again I must say, this is about what the game was supposed to be, and not what came out of it. Initially, the plan of Sonic's character development was meant to start with him as a self obsessed jerk, but overtime became more accepting of the help of others. You can see little bits of this sprinkled throughout the final game, and its very refreshing alone, but again, the majority of it was cut. Aside from Sonic, the other main three characters experienced their own incredible personality additions for once. It isnt just Sonic working to prove they are necessary, as they too have their own new qualities that define them. No longer do any of them serve the sole purpose of being there just to use their strengths to aid or follow Sonic. Tails is witty, and is portrayed less as a sidekick and more as a technological genius and a very important part of the team. And of course, we can't leave out Amy, who for once isn't focused solely on being around and helping Sonic whenever she can. She's independent, strong and good-hearted, motivated and expressive, but still maintaining that sassy fun she had before. And last but not least, Knuckles has finally developed a stand out personality. While this personality is him playing more of a dumb-jock role, it adds some really funny bits to both the game and later in the television series. For once, he isn't just stumbling around on the sidelines of a game being the hot head obsessed with a big gem. Overall, the characters just feel real- finally all of them are bringing something important to the team, both in strengths and recognizing their flaws (cough sonic cough).

And finally, the most important part of this game entirely, was the potential for the gameplay. The game was set up with the initial approach of having your character's abilities and power-ups grow in quality and quantity as you progressed. This can be seen a LOT in concept art, along with the use of Enerbeams being emphasized so much more. You can tell this was an object that was meant to be utilized a ton in the final game, but in actuality only appears for the most basic of uses, due to BRB not having enough time to add on to their abilities. Aside from that, in the final game, characters are left with about 2-3 special moves each, which was not at ALL the plan in the beginning. Regardless of character gameplay, levels are repetitive and consistent in appearance as I mentioned before. It's just a mess.

Now, why? Why did it have to turn out like this? Why did possibly one of the greatest sub-franchises of Sonic fall so far from is throne?

Sega. (and nintendo). During the production of this game, Sega was working with a contract it had made with nintendo to produce a few Sonic games for Nintendo consoles. And of course, they picked the game that- for YEARS- had been being made to be run on a high graphics console such as a Playstation or the PC,

to run on the wretched Wii U. 

This decision crushed the game's production entirely, as Sega dropped this reality on BRB- happily awaiting with their beautiful, almost complete masterpiece- far less than a YEAR before the release date! You wanna talk about a scum move, well there you have it. Years of work into an entire FRANCHISE let alone the game itself was now dissolving in just a few months as BRB scrambled to make this game just somehow barely function on the hell spawn that is the Wii U. (Really, Sega?! You couldn't have waited like a few more years until the Switch was in production?? You had to plop this incredible game on the miracle of a handheld device you can't even take out of your living room?)

And so, after all that work, Sonic Boom Rise of Lyric was destroyed, and thats not even including the DS game

but the TV show is fine. At least that had some good to show of the franchise.

(please, Sega, revive this franchise give it one more chance to prove itself for what it can be- and this time, dont MESS WITH IT just LET IT BE)