Video game characters evolve over decade

The red-capped plumber of Nintendo lore — Mario — is still an international icon of gaming and good old-fashioned heroism.

But where has Sonic the Hedgehog’s legacy gone?

Some storied video game franchises have flourished over the past ten years, while some have floundered.

“There are certain characters that are good for bouncing enemies instead of shooting them,” Royal Oak freshman Kyle Funk said.

While Mario has picked up a spin attack here and a few fancier jumps there, his repertoire has stayed relatively consistent from “Super Mario Bros.” to “Super Mario Galaxy.”

Except for a few forays into tennis, golf and go-karting, of course.

“I love the Mario Golf and Tennis Games for N64,” Ubly freshman Alex Osentoski said as he reminisced about his favorite games of years ago.

A rapid change

But Sonic the Hedgehog saw a decade which matched parent company Sega’s financial troubles.

The Sonic platformers for Sega Genesis are widely held as gaming classics, and “Sonic Adventure” for Sega Dreamcast was received as a successful three-dimensional translation of their signature fast-paced gameplay.

Newer games in the series such as “Shadow the Hedgehog” and “Sonic Unleashed” emphasized new mechanics and a darker world and were poorly received by many long-time fans, such as Alec Trupiano.

“The biggest thing I miss is the old Sonic games. I hate the new Sonic games,” the Roseville sophomore said.

Other franchises

Many other franchises have continued from the ’90s into the present day with similarly mixed results.

One of them is “Madden,” which transformed into the most recognizable sports video game franchise of all time.

While Osentoski still enjoys the series, he said he felt like the games have lost something over the years.

“They’re focusing too much on realism instead of giving the gamer a good time,” he said.

One popular series that underwent a major reinvention in the last decade was “Resident Evil.”

While the series popularized the “survival horror” genre in 1996 with fixed camera angles and a grave sense of desperation throughout each battle, 2004’s “Resident Evil 4” revolutionized the series’ controls and perspective.

“It’s gone from survival horror to survival action,” said Berkley senior Timothy Wing.

He said the fourth game is one of his favorites, but he said he felt “Resident Evil 5” strayed too far from the original formula of slow paced terror and suffered for it.

“I want to play Resident Evil with the lights off at two in the morning,” Wing said.