That old debate.. Sonic Vs. Mario

[O-chan]

Being a long time fan of both franchises I gotta say that in the gaming world there is no competition: It's Mario.

The reason why is that overall Mario has had a far healthier gaming history than Sonic. I still go back and play the classic Mario games and not just for nostalgia but because they are fun. Sure I love to play Sonic 1, 2, and CD but Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles seem to be a little more of a chore for me. The Adventure games are also fun but don't bring me in like Mario 64.

Where Sonic does have Mario beat is in the comic book and animation franchise.

Mario has had 3 animated adaptations (Super Show, Mario 2, and Mario World)
1 anime movie that never saw the light of day here.
1 live action movie that was an adaptation nightmare.
1 comic book series that was cancelled
3 Japanese OVAs that never saw the light of day here, again
and the Super Mario Adventures manga that ran in Nintendo Power

Sonic has had 3 American adaptations (AoSTH,SatAM, Underground)
1 anime movie/OAV that did come here
a 78 episode anime series that got an extended run in countries outside of Japan.
and the most important one...
a long running comic book series that to this day is still going and is approaching it's 225th issue (and that's not counting all the spin-offs and specials).

and then there's the Sonic manga and Sonic the Comic which seem to have their fandoms.

I think the point is both characters are very iconic in the video game industry and despite Sonic's spotty gaming record it didn't stop the comic from being published or for his inclusion in Brawl so SEGA did do something right in the marketing department.

O-chan

 

[veemonjosh]

Personally, I feel, in terms of gameplay, Sonic wins in the 2D department, while Mario wins in the 3D department (though, unlike most, I actually do enjoy nearly all of Sonic's 3D games, even the so-called "bad" ones...besides Sonic 06). Once I play Sonic Colors, that might actually change.

In terms of the characters, I really don't like how the Mario characters have become largely like most of the main Disney characters: squeaky-clean corporate icons who have shallow personalities. This is part of why I love the Paper Mario series, they actually give real depth to characters like Luigi, Peach, and Bowser. But the Sonic series, on the other hand, has established character traits for pretty much everyone and you can really connect with them (being able to say more than 10 words a game definitely helps this). In terms of the star characters themselves, to make vague superhero comparisons, Mario is a chubby italian plumber* version of Superman and Sonic is Spider-Man if he were a hedgehog and had super-speed instead of spider powers; I prefer Spider-Man, so I go with Sonic.

*- (Is he even still a plumber? He hasn't "plumb'd" anything in at least 20 years.)

Plus, I draw quite a bit of inspiration from the Sonic mythos in my own book series, so overall I feel I should go with Sonic on this one.

Sonic has had 3 American adaptations (AoSTH,SatAM, Underground)
1 anime movie/OAV that did come here
a 78 episode anime series that got an extended run in countries outside of Japan.
and the most important one...
a long running comic book series that to this day is still going and is approaching it's 225th issue (and that's not counting all the spin-offs and specials).

Don't forget the UK "Sonic the Comic", which also got 223 issues (not counting the online continuation).

 

[defunctzombie]

Sonic vs. Mario how? Better driver? Better kisser? Better penmanship? Better bass player? Better beer chugger? Better pole vaulter? Better sleepwalker? Better Richard III? Better sneezer? Better souffle cook? Let's break it down.

You win the thread, sir.

 

[Azrayel]

Mario, I've played his games, know this character like the back of my hand, and know the cast. This has been the game I've been playing since the SNES.

I didn't get introduced into Sonic until 2007 which was when I bought a gamecube off ebay that came with Sonic Heroes. I thought that game was ok but I really didn't understand the hype people had for this game. So I never finished the game. Year later I got Sonic DX and the Mega Collection, I really didn't like DX because it was that 3D junk I disliked from Heroes. Mega Collection I didn't like I found playing his 2D platformer hard and was trying to use the guy too much like Mario and it wouldn't work, because at this point I was trying to become a fan badly but to no avail. I had got a Genesis in 2009 that came with Sonic 2, but I didn't try and play it. It wasn't until this year that I started getting the hang of Sonic by playing its roots on the Genesis and giving the Mega Collection another go. The series is nice but I still perfer Mario.

I think it's one of those things where when I was younger and if I had a Genesis instead of a SNES I think I would have been a bigger Sonic fan than a Mario fan.

 

[GWOtaku]

If you want a better challenge, Sonic. Mario has had more excellent mainline games though, and as I like to say time and again there's nothing matching the Galaxy series right now.

 

[Eddy]

I like both franchises but I have to give this one to Mario. Just compare the games side by side and there's no contest. Even Sonic's more decent 3D outings are blown out of the water by Mario's (keep in mind I still have to play Colors) and while I love Sonic 2 and 3 & Knuckles, I have to give the "better game" title to games like Mario 3, World, and Yoshi's Island.

Plus, Mario seems to be able to adapt himself into other genres flawlessly. The Mario RPG games are some of the finest I've ever played, both Mario games and RPG.

In terms of characters? That depends. The Mario characters may not have very deep personalities outside of the RPGs but in those RPGs the personalities of the characters run deeper than anything I've seen in Sonic. Not to mention the attachment of a complex story and adding his never ending line of buddies is one of the things that has been dragging Sonic down.

 

[Classic Speedy]

Mario is 10 times better. I've never really liked Sonic that much. Even the 16 bit games that people always praise as classics aren't that good, certainly not on the level of Super Mario World. Sonic is mostly hype.

I played some of Sonic 3 & Knuckles last night and it's still a very fun experience, so I'd have to disagree with you. I really don't think you're giving the games enough credit; hype can only carry a series for so long before the players realize they've been had. But if the Sonic games are still beloved by many gamers today, isn't it possible that they actually enjoy them and aren't just going along with the crowd because of hype?

All that said, I prefer the Mario series overall. It has a better batting average, and made the jump to 3D easier.

 

[Shawn Hopkins]

I played some of Sonic 3 & Knuckles last night and it's still a very fun experience, so I'd have to disagree with you. I really don't think you're giving the games enough credit; hype can only carry a series for so long before the players realize they've been had. But if the Sonic games are still beloved by many gamers today, isn't it possible that they actually enjoy them and aren't just going along with the crowd because of hype?

All that said, I prefer the Mario series overall. It has a better batting average, and made the jump to 3D easier.

I really just don't like them. I've tried to get into them but they aren't that much fun.

And I'm not saying hype in the tired Internet sense of "overrated." I mean Sega's marketing hype. Two words for you, "Blast Processing."

Sonic's reputation was built on hype. He's sort of this marketing creation designed to be aggressively "kewl" and have "attitude." Although he was also obsessively adopted by people with Furry tendencies. It gets weird. But the point is, without the hype it would just be another platformer with a neat gimmick. Maybe fondly remembered by the hardcore and nostalgic, but not this media empire that it became.

 

[Tak Mazé]

Sonic has been a bit hit and miss lately (for a long time actually). Sonic Rush was a nice game but there hasn't really been anything spectacular since the end of the Megadrive.

On the other hand, Mario has been consistently good over the last couple of decades but come on... A plumber who eats mushrooms to get big? These sorts of irrational power-ups and gameplay elements were fine when you were constricted with what you had to work with in the 80's, but it seems rather out of place now.
At least Sonic made the effort to get with the times, even if it didn't make him more fun.

Mario can be excused though, simply because the games are so fun, you don't care who the protagonist is.

 

[Shawn Hopkins]

One reason Mario games are generally better than Sonic games is that they don't have a story and Mario doesn't really talk. There's ust a fun, barebones motivation for Mario to do what he does. Then you can focus on the game and Mario sort of becomes a proxy for you. They don't really need more than that. Sonic's darkest hour was when he got a huge, annoying supporting cast and a bunch of anime melodrama. I know I'd rather be jumping around with Mario than listening to Shadow whine or trying to figure out what the heck Cream is. It just doesn't fit this type of game and giving Sonic an overly developed personality and story made him distant from the player. The JRPGs are a different story, though, those are from a genre that has developed in a way that telling a player-distancing story is expected.

 

[Rynnec]

One reason Mario games are generally better than Sonic games is that they don't have a story and Mario doesn't really talk. There's ust a fun, barebones motivation for Mario to do what he does. Then you can focus on the game and Mario sort of becomes a proxy for you. They don't really need more than that. Sonic's darkest hour was when he got a huge, annoying supporting cast and a bunch of anime melodrama. I know I'd rather be jumping around with Mario than listening to Shadow whine or trying to figure out what the heck Cream is. It just doesn't fit this type of game and giving Sonic an overly developed personality and story made him distant from the player. The JRPGs are a different story, though, those are from a genre that has developed in a way that telling a player-distancing story is expected.

I 'kinda' agree with this. I don't mind Sonic having a voice (as long a GOOD one. like the one we have now.) or a story, but the stories we were getting from 2004 to 2007 took themselves too seriously for their on good. It's ok for Sonic to have a 'serious' storyline, but it also needs to poke fun at itself a few times. One of the reasons I like Blazblue's storyline, even though it's VERY convoluted and confusing, is that it dosen't take itself so seriously all the time, and you get a sense that everyone involved with the story had a blast working on it. You don't get that sense when playing Sonic 06.. Fortunately the writing of the recent games have been improving. So hopefully Sega can actually make this series' storylines enjoyable again. Who knows maybe Shadow and Silver will become more entertaining characters from now on.

 

[Mist]

The first three Mario games for the NES are near-perfection. (I actually got out my NES today and replayed them. Got really far in Mario 3, had a bunch of lives and two whistles, but then the cartridge froze. Durrr.)

But Sonic definitely appeals to me more than Mario. I remember my parents taking me to Toys R Us when I was 6. I stopped by a TV playing Sonic in Green Hill Zone and it was love at first sight. The graphics were beyond anything the NES could do. And Sonic's character design. I'm sure people probably think of Sonic as a "poochy" type character, but to me, his spiky blue hair just oozed coolness. Seeing him run through a loop-de-loop made my jaw drop. (Hey, it was 1991. We didn't have HD graphics, motion control or online play!) Thus began my lifelong obsession with Sonic the Hedgehog.

I agree 100% with VeemonJosh's comments about Mario being just a corporate mascot. He's one of the most iconic videogame characters of all-time, but he lacks any depth or personality, and he sounds like Mickey Mouse. (I have always hated hated HATED his voice in the 3D games. Mario should have a Brooklyn accent like in the cartoons!)

A lot of people complain that Sonic never made a good transition into 3D. While that is true for certain games (Shadow the Hedgehog was awful, and I hear Sonic2k6 is a buggy mess) I kinda feel that way about Mario, actually. Mario 64 was a great game, but really, any character could have been the star of it. Mario 64 didn't "feel" like the Mario I knew from the NES/SNES at ALL. Neither did Sunshine. (I haven't played Galaxy, but I do want to try it.) And that waterpack was just awful. I enjoyed the Sonic Adventure series more than any 3D Mario title.

And what's with all the pointless Mario spinoffs? We DO NOT NEED NINE MARIO PARTY GAMES.

As for music, I think it's no contest that Sonic is the victor. Most Mario games just consist of cartoonish "doo-dee-doo" type music, while Sonic's music consists of cool techno and rock music. (No matter how bad Sonic's games have gotten in recent years, they have all had consistently great music. Sonic2k6, a game considered to be the worst game of the decade, has some amazing music, just Youtube search "His World" or "Solaris Phase 2" if you don't believe me)

As for character, Sonic appeals to me more. His character design is striking and "cool" he's an impatient, cocky wiseguy who always tries to do the right thing (although he could use some better writers for his dialogue) instead of stomping on goofy, cartoonish characters, he takes down entire armies of deadly robots, and will often cause massive explosions when doing so (The Genesis games usually ended with a giant explosion which Sonic had to outrun) Then of course, there's Super Sonic. Doomsday Zone in Sonic & Knuckles makes Sonic look like an incredible badass. Mario could never pull off moves like that.

Which isn't to say I hate Mario. Like I said earlier, his NES/SNES games are near-perfection, and I watched all of his cartoons as a kid. I just wish he was more like he was in the NES/SNES era. (But games like New Super Mario Bros and Super Paper Mario are a step in the right direction)

One reason Mario games are generally better than Sonic games is that they don't have a story and Mario doesn't really talk. There's ust a fun, barebones motivation for Mario to do what he does. Then you can focus on the game and Mario sort of becomes a proxy for you. They don't really need more than that. Sonic's darkest hour was when he got a huge, annoying supporting cast and a bunch of anime melodrama. I know I'd rather be jumping around with Mario than listening to Shadow whine or trying to figure out what the heck Cream is. It just doesn't fit this type of game and giving Sonic an overly developed personality and story made him distant from the player. The JRPGs are a different story, though, those are from a genre that has developed in a way that telling a player-distancing story is expected.

A lot of people complain about the storylines of Sonic games, but being a fan of the character, I love seeing new stories for him. Especially the Adventure series. (Obvious exceptions however, would be Sonic Heroes, Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic2k6 and Unleashed.) Adding a story to the game gives it more depth, and gives the characters more personality.

I'm sure Mario fans, despite his games being critically praised, would like a bit more story in his games..

 

[Rynnec]

I'm sure Mario fans, despite his games being critically praised, would like a bit more story in his games..

Mario does have story in his games. The RPG games that is. If you mean more story for the platformers then...no. Let Mario be Mario, and let Sonic be Sonic.

 

[defunctzombie]

Mario does have a lot of story. Look at the Mario and Luigi series. Superstar Saga and Bowser's Inside Story are the only ones I've played of the three, but they are excellent games with some platformer elements. Even some of the older main series games have stories. Bowser and his wand stealing children in 3, Yoshi working to reunite the babies in World 2, Bowser Jr messing up the place in Sunshine, etc...

 

[Marvin Tikvah]

As for music, I think it's no contest that Sonic is the victor. Most Mario games just consist of cartoonish "doo-dee-doo" type music, while Sonic's music consists of cool techno and rock music.

Umm, I think you might want to try more than those perfect NES Mario games you like. The soundtrack in Mario games is always changing, ranging from the relaxing melodies of Sunshine to the orchestrated symphonies in Galaxy 2. The RPGs and spin-offs don't slouch either. The Thousand Year Door and Super Paper Mario have one of the best soundtracks of the RPG series as well.

 

[Tak Mazé]

Both have great music for the most part, although I'd say Sonic's suited his game style better and has a lot more pre-recorded tracks, as opposed to midi instrument ones in most (maybe all, not sure if Galaxy is pre-recorded or not) Mario games.