Sometimes I wonder what’s going on with Sega. When the @sonic_hedgehog Twitter account was called to my attention by Shaun, posting funny stuff that was genuinely aware of the Sonic fan community, such as making Sanic “gotta go fast" jokes and recalling the nightmare of Carnival Night Zone from Sonic 3 and Knuckles:
@TheJokingSkarf Thanks! It's also helpful to know how to induce fear into a fellow Sonic fan. For example: pic.twitter.com/1kLS3CxEms
— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) June 9, 2015
I thought, this is great! But when will the Sonic Cycle hit? The Sonic Cycle, as you well know, means that anything that seems great with Sonic will eventually disappoint. Like, Sega will start a Sonic remake series headed up by a couple of long-time super-nerd mega-fans, and then stop commissioning them right as the best game in the series, that also isn’t on iOS already, is due up. Y’know, just as an example.
And lo, the Sonic Cycle has struck hard, as Sega has just announced that Sonic Dash (Free) is crossing over with Angry Birds Epic (Free) in a new update. You can collect Angry Birds Epic tokens that can be used to unlock Red, Chuck, and Bomb, and if unlocked, they will be playable after the event ends.
Look, Sega, I ain’t even mad any more. But this crossover feels forced. Like, does the universe really need this? It’s not like the Sonic and Mario games where at least you had two defining mascots from the 16-bit era crossing over. Sure, it would be a money-making enterprise but it makes sense too! This is a spin-off RPG from a popular mobile franchise coming to an endless runner starring an aging mascot whose best days and best games are clearly behind him. It just feels forced and unnecessary. The world would be neither a better nor a worse place had this not existed.
Of course, if the revenue earned from this crossover was then used to fund Sonic 3 and Knuckles, I’d be cool with it. I’d be buying so many in-app purchases to make that happen, there isn’t enough blast processing that could handle the speed of my transactions.
