Have you ever witnessed the downfall of a fanbase you belong to firsthand?
- Thread starter User 73706
- Start date
grimshawish
Banned
Sonic: Everyone and their mother has turned their backs on this franchise.
Okay, a little hyperbolic. However, back in the age of Sega's dominance, the genesis, the dreamcast where they began to fall and then their eventual collapse, didn't people love sonic?
Weren't the games kids played till the depths of night that little blue hedgehog? What happened to that? And I'm not in any way excusing Sega's poor showing with Sonic Games. I understand that it's hard to believe in the franchise after being burned over and over, yet its just so sad to see such a mighty mascot, that was, at least I thought, on par with Mario at his hay day, fall. Yes, Sonic Adventure, Adventure 2, Secret Rings, Unleashed, and I can go on and on about the terrible to mediocre games produced. The spin-offs that rubbed people the wrong way (looking at Shadow the Hedgehog).
And finally, I know the deviation from Sonic the free spirit to Sonic and friends hurt. It hurt everyone. Hell, it's horrible to even count off the additions each game. But okay, let's get past that. Still, he's something reminiscent in all of our childhoods, if you weren't a square. Currently, only hardcore Sonic fans...or furry lovers are completely in his corner.
No, even I'm not in his corner. Sonic colors was good, Generation was amazing, but I can't see myself trusting Sonic again, or Sega for that matter. It contradicts everything I said previously, but that's just how it is. The dwindling of a fanbase.
Okay, a little hyperbolic. However, back in the age of Sega's dominance, the genesis, the dreamcast where they began to fall and then their eventual collapse, didn't people love sonic?
Weren't the games kids played till the depths of night that little blue hedgehog? What happened to that? And I'm not in any way excusing Sega's poor showing with Sonic Games. I understand that it's hard to believe in the franchise after being burned over and over, yet its just so sad to see such a mighty mascot, that was, at least I thought, on par with Mario at his hay day, fall. Yes, Sonic Adventure, Adventure 2, Secret Rings, Unleashed, and I can go on and on about the terrible to mediocre games produced. The spin-offs that rubbed people the wrong way (looking at Shadow the Hedgehog).
And finally, I know the deviation from Sonic the free spirit to Sonic and friends hurt. It hurt everyone. Hell, it's horrible to even count off the additions each game. But okay, let's get past that. Still, he's something reminiscent in all of our childhoods, if you weren't a square. Currently, only hardcore Sonic fans...or furry lovers are completely in his corner.
No, even I'm not in his corner. Sonic colors was good, Generation was amazing, but I can't see myself trusting Sonic again, or Sega for that matter. It contradicts everything I said previously, but that's just how it is. The dwindling of a fanbase.
MaverickHunterX
Member
Perhaps the greatest 8 bit video game icon next to Mario, and yet, the last few years, the fan base has become either conspiracy theorists or people who basically given up at another shot at redemption...(despite this isn't the first time Megaman died...)
The horror, we've become like Mother fans!
J/k
RawkHawk2010
Member
Yeah. Banjo's.
I don't think I need to explain.
I don't think I need to explain.
I was just making a post about this.
The dance game community is not even close to what it used to be.
Sucks DDR was dying out even back in 2003 because no new games were announced until ITG took that crown in 2004/2005 and especially in 2006 when ITG2 came out.
The dance game community has simmered down to around 150-200 that still go to local tournaments. That and with custom songs everyone has gotten so good that it's practically impossible for newbies to even have a hope of catching up.
When you're a Megaman fan you have to wonder what you're fighting for.
I remember when all the whining threads went from "Demoman is OP!" to "Hats are too rare!"
I was also sort of a Sonic fan (don't hate) by the time of Spax3. It was just a huge mess and I'm glad I was just a spectator.
Muffdraul
Member
Oh yeah, console fanboy fighting has always existed, at least since the days of Atari vs. Intellivision. But that was like two different countries going to war. With FFVII, it was weird to all of a sudden see so many people who were fans of the same thing, the FF franchise suddenly fighting amongst themselves, and so goddamn viciously. Before that there would be things like people arguing about whether Phantasy Star or Lunar was better than FF. Even that seemed tame compared to when people started fighting about FFVI vs. FFVII or whatever. Things definitely got more intense.
Both the Halo community and the Sonic community.
The Halo community, especially on GAF, just kinda tore itself apart and it seems even the core seems to have given up on the franchise and is now willing to lambast everything related to Halo to keep a smile on their faces. Legitimate discussion has run it's course and there's nothing really left to say about the games or Halo at large, and there hasn't been anything new since a month after Halo 4 came out. 343 taking so much time to make significant changes in areas uniformly agreed upon has just left the community in an odd state of only being there to shit on the franchise but doing so "out of love for the franchise." The Halo OTs are one of the most off-topic community thread there are because of aforementioned reasons, and I wish it were a place for constructive or even fruitful discussion but it isn't; partly for reasons the community is responsible and partly for reasons 343/Bungie is responsible for with the direction the franchise has taken. Halo 5 will decide whether the franchise and it's community will die altogether, and Destiny is a serious threat to the longevity of Halo.
The Sonic community consists of a bunch of people who grew up with the blue hedgehog, and pretty much those who remain are the ones who have Sonic so tightly intertwined with their childhoods that the quality of game doesn't matter much anymore as long as it's half-serviceable. Standards have been lowered and lowered and lowered and some still find the games acceptable, despite them all lacking the soul and gameplay satisfaction they once had. I don't blame them, but I can't do it anymore. The more and more I look at it, Sonic has overstayed his welcome as a platformer and hasn't transitioned as well as we'd all like to think into modern times, or even Dreamcast times. The games really haven't stood the test of time very well at all. When the best Sonic game in many, many years is a kart racer, you have to wonder how far Sonic has fallen.
The Halo community, especially on GAF, just kinda tore itself apart and it seems even the core seems to have given up on the franchise and is now willing to lambast everything related to Halo to keep a smile on their faces. Legitimate discussion has run it's course and there's nothing really left to say about the games or Halo at large, and there hasn't been anything new since a month after Halo 4 came out. 343 taking so much time to make significant changes in areas uniformly agreed upon has just left the community in an odd state of only being there to shit on the franchise but doing so "out of love for the franchise." The Halo OTs are one of the most off-topic community thread there are because of aforementioned reasons, and I wish it were a place for constructive or even fruitful discussion but it isn't; partly for reasons the community is responsible and partly for reasons 343/Bungie is responsible for with the direction the franchise has taken. Halo 5 will decide whether the franchise and it's community will die altogether, and Destiny is a serious threat to the longevity of Halo.
The Sonic community consists of a bunch of people who grew up with the blue hedgehog, and pretty much those who remain are the ones who have Sonic so tightly intertwined with their childhoods that the quality of game doesn't matter much anymore as long as it's half-serviceable. Standards have been lowered and lowered and lowered and some still find the games acceptable, despite them all lacking the soul and gameplay satisfaction they once had. I don't blame them, but I can't do it anymore. The more and more I look at it, Sonic has overstayed his welcome as a platformer and hasn't transitioned as well as we'd all like to think into modern times, or even Dreamcast times. The games really haven't stood the test of time very well at all. When the best Sonic game in many, many years is a kart racer, you have to wonder how far Sonic has fallen.
Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew
Banned
Gaming related:
1. Street Fighter (or any fighting game for that matter). I tried so hard getting back into fighting genre but the hardcore scene has completely ruined it for me. The combo-less, super-less, glitch-less, juggle-less, focus-less fighting games don't exist anymore and it makes me sad. Combos and Supers, I can handle and appreciate. Juggles, focus, and all the other bullshit like gems and whatnot has ruined the genre for me. Even casual games like Playstation Battle Royale are too hardcore for me now.
2. Resident Evil (or any horror game for that matter). Less about story, more about horror. What the fuck happened?! Resident Evil 3 is one of the most engaging games I've ever played. So is Dino Crisis. You could sense the future when they moved to Dino Crisis 2 and all you ever need is Dual-SMG to win the game. The "HOLY SHITCOCK VOLUME INCREASED TO 11" screeching sounds are more annoying than scary. I replayed the original Silent Hill a few years ago, and while the game doesn't have anything popping out or any screeching sounds or fast enemies, it is genuinely scary! Whenever I enter a room and you sense there is something present, I just want to run the fuck away and scream like a little girl. I miss that! I still remember the combination to the safe in Dino Crisis (LEO and SOL). That's the power of smart design.
3. Sonic (or any platforming game for that matter). You know how you make someone hate your guts and make them piss in someone's grave? By ruining their childhood. Its like going back to watching Evil Dead and realizing how bad the fake projector moon looks or how bad the puppets look or how you can tell that someone is underneath the hardwood floor and making the dismembered body move. Is it a bad thing though? Hell no! Now the exact same problem exists in Sonic, but its a different scenario. Sega has ruined my childhood by making Sonic a "totally rad" character who talks and acts like a jerk and despite having shitty friends, he will go for the damsel in distress in full-on bestiality mode, with a villain who has an identity crisis. Its more cringe-worthy than looking at Dante trying to be relevant in today's society. Atleast he is true to his original character and I respect that and can enjoy that. Sega does not know what to do with Sonic anymore. They have made so many different shitty iterations of it that they don't know which fanbase to market the next game to anymore. Its like watching a WWE character go through a dozen different gimmicks in the past decade; you don't even know by the end if he's a heel or a face character. Not only have they fully deviated from the original gameplay elements but they've tried to cater to the adult crowd by doing what they can do best: make the game "harder and hardcore". No Sega (and every other company out there). As much as we pretend to love all these trial and error bullshit, we don't. Oh, you just realized it? Good. I hope we get a normal gamepl- wait a minute... why the fuck did you make it so shit easy with all these different shitty characters that no one cares about?! What the fuck is up with the story elements?! Do you know why Mario is more successful than Sonic? Its because they did not try to change what didn't require fixing. We all know the basic story of Mario that is always followed through: Mario vs Bowser; winner gets to nail Peach. Simple as that! Sonic is about Sonic vs Robotnik/Eggman; winner gets to keep the emeralds and the cute animals locked up in containers. Even Sonic 3D Blast and Sonic Spinball were more true to the damn genre than the current iterations.
1. Street Fighter (or any fighting game for that matter). I tried so hard getting back into fighting genre but the hardcore scene has completely ruined it for me. The combo-less, super-less, glitch-less, juggle-less, focus-less fighting games don't exist anymore and it makes me sad. Combos and Supers, I can handle and appreciate. Juggles, focus, and all the other bullshit like gems and whatnot has ruined the genre for me. Even casual games like Playstation Battle Royale are too hardcore for me now.
2. Resident Evil (or any horror game for that matter). Less about story, more about horror. What the fuck happened?! Resident Evil 3 is one of the most engaging games I've ever played. So is Dino Crisis. You could sense the future when they moved to Dino Crisis 2 and all you ever need is Dual-SMG to win the game. The "HOLY SHITCOCK VOLUME INCREASED TO 11" screeching sounds are more annoying than scary. I replayed the original Silent Hill a few years ago, and while the game doesn't have anything popping out or any screeching sounds or fast enemies, it is genuinely scary! Whenever I enter a room and you sense there is something present, I just want to run the fuck away and scream like a little girl. I miss that! I still remember the combination to the safe in Dino Crisis (LEO and SOL). That's the power of smart design.
3. Sonic (or any platforming game for that matter). You know how you make someone hate your guts and make them piss in someone's grave? By ruining their childhood. Its like going back to watching Evil Dead and realizing how bad the fake projector moon looks or how bad the puppets look or how you can tell that someone is underneath the hardwood floor and making the dismembered body move. Is it a bad thing though? Hell no! Now the exact same problem exists in Sonic, but its a different scenario. Sega has ruined my childhood by making Sonic a "totally rad" character who talks and acts like a jerk and despite having shitty friends, he will go for the damsel in distress in full-on bestiality mode, with a villain who has an identity crisis. Its more cringe-worthy than looking at Dante trying to be relevant in today's society. Atleast he is true to his original character and I respect that and can enjoy that. Sega does not know what to do with Sonic anymore. They have made so many different shitty iterations of it that they don't know which fanbase to market the next game to anymore. Its like watching a WWE character go through a dozen different gimmicks in the past decade; you don't even know by the end if he's a heel or a face character. Not only have they fully deviated from the original gameplay elements but they've tried to cater to the adult crowd by doing what they can do best: make the game "harder and hardcore". No Sega (and every other company out there). As much as we pretend to love all these trial and error bullshit, we don't. Oh, you just realized it? Good. I hope we get a normal gamepl- wait a minute... why the fuck did you make it so shit easy with all these different shitty characters that no one cares about?! What the fuck is up with the story elements?! Do you know why Mario is more successful than Sonic? Its because they did not try to change what didn't require fixing. We all know the basic story of Mario that is always followed through: Mario vs Bowser; winner gets to nail Peach. Simple as that! Sonic is about Sonic vs Robotnik/Eggman; winner gets to keep the emeralds and the cute animals locked up in containers. Even Sonic 3D Blast and Sonic Spinball were more true to the damn genre than the current iterations.
This is my biggest one. The servers that made me want to play the game vanished long ago.
SmokedMeat
Gamer™
The Pac-Man fever era where countless ripoffs were born
Shooters and side scrolling beat 'em ups in the 16-bit era.
Then there's the fighting game explosion after SF2 released in arcades.
You name it, I've seen it come and go.
Shooters and side scrolling beat 'em ups in the 16-bit era.
Then there's the fighting game explosion after SF2 released in arcades.
You name it, I've seen it come and go.
Diablo3Fans - A community brought together by a mutual love of one of gaming's best franchises and a mutual sense of anticipation for the long-awaited sequel. Literally years of patient waiting, speculation and news snippets.
And then it was unveiled and the disappointment crept in. Then RMAH was announced. And always online. And then it was released and, well, all was lost.
And then it was unveiled and the disappointment crept in. Then RMAH was announced. And always online. And then it was released and, well, all was lost.
I can't believe Halo's popularity even lasted 12 years.
Think about how impressive that is. It wouldn't last forever.
nailbombxx
Member
Maybe you should play a game of Whac-A-Mole.
ZeroGravity
Member
People not buying Metroid games in general killed the franchise.
Ahahaha, comon I still do a round of playstation all-stars every now and then and I can't combo for shit. Its all about guerrilla warfare baby. May sound like a coward, but you got to know your fights and run when the time comes. I always play quick matches though so I usually don't see those heavy combo hitters. Never really played ranked.
I remember numerous cases where I was clearly outclassed. Suprisingly, its always harder when its in tag teams and your partner bails out on you when the match starts.
It just turns into how long I can survive the round from there. Its still fun to run around and annoy people wasting time.
The MUGEN community went full circle from my point of view: Only the dedicated appeared in the beginning at the DOS era in the early 2000's, then the YouTube boom in the mid-2000's brought a fandom boom, bringing an explosion of annoying punks flame-warring and white-knighting about every aspect imaginable to man, then finally those punks lost interest and moved on in the late-2000's, leaving only the dedicated once more.
I've never played Team Fortress 2, only TFC. What do hats do?
Gunstar Ikari
Unconfirmed Member
It's amazing how Heroes/Shadow/06 have utterly demolished Sonic's reputation. Despite Colors and Generations, the series is still one of the biggest jokes in gaming, to the point that anything positive that is said about it is immediately dismissed as "fanboy talk" and "lowered expectations."
On the other hand, I don't know if the fanbase in general has ever been bearable. Definitely not since I've been on the internet, at least.
On the other hand, I don't know if the fanbase in general has ever been bearable. Definitely not since I've been on the internet, at least.
Thats a harsh way to put it. Of course they lost interest, other popular things came.
Most people I know were interested in MUGEN for the fact that you could have any character in existence fight any other character from completely different universes, or one where you would likely never see a crossover.
Rickenslacker
Banned
Make you look different. You wear them. People like them.
Bobadababy
Neo Member
Call of Duty (PC) - After 4 it was all down hill
Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew
Banned
I've had more fun playing a game of Whac-A-Mole than playing Super Street Fighter 4. Oh and Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Edition is the best thing to have ever happened to the genre. Too bad the online community for it died.
The worst part is that I keep on buying these games in hopes of clicking with it because I LOVVVEEE the genre. Mortal Kombat, as of now, is the best fighting game out there. Blazblue comes second.
NoirVisage
Banned
Came here specifically for this. Only the hard of the hardcore fans have remained faithful still playing DDR/Pump it Up/In The Groove/IIDX/etc.
Darth Kupi
Banned
I'm guilty of this, but in Dota2.
My mouse crapped out a couple of months back, haven't played anything in ages.
But I still bet on pro-games/trade with unwanted items friends give me.
Its an online-game-about-a-game in itself.
In TF2 hats are cosmetic items, with some exceptions. But also among its economy are guns which are side-grades to the default guns. In TF2 its like 20% functionality, and 80% e-peen.
In Dota2 Valve learned their lesson, which is why IMO its the best F2P game ever, and unlikely to be topped.
There are ONLY cosmetic items, NOTHING affects gameplay. Its all 100% e-peen.
You can buy straight from the shop, or you can trade for items, since items drop even from just playing the game. Imagine playinga F2P game and a $30 worth cosmetic drops for you at the end of the game. The game can MAKE you money just from playing it.
Valve makes its money from selling keys, which cannot drop and can only be purchased from real money. You use these on crates(also droppable) for chance at a random item with special characteristic which records stats, or a very small chance at getting a super special item which only comes from opening a crate with real money keys.
Its a gambling addiction center attached to an awesome F2P game.
Did I mention you can spend thousands of dollars, buy every cosmetic in the game, and have ZERO advantage over someone who didn't spend a cent. Yeah Dota2 is awesome.
diffusionx
Gold Member
This is exactly correct. Even Blizzard fans never got that weird.
They're status symbols, as Valve pointed out themselves.
Well, 'twas just speaking out what I personally saw back in the YouTube MUGEN circle back at its peak. Perhaps you were fortunate to not witness the same madness I did there in my teenage years.
I was a longtime Call of Duty fan until the Modern Warfare series became popular. It pains me to see people talk about "Call of Duty" and they've never played COD1 or UO. United Offensive Unscoped Rifles only servers were amazing. And the mods....so many mods for COD1 and 2 that IW neutered with COD4 (MW1). I was happy to see IW go down after MW2 and Treyarch's complacency as being IW/Activision's bitch.
The past half decade of the franchise has been a fucking joke.
I've reached that point with Battlefield as well although that franchise is still on the upswing. The current iteration of the game and the development history of DICE in recent years has completely lost it's/their focus compared to earlier titles.
The past half decade of the franchise has been a fucking joke.
I've reached that point with Battlefield as well although that franchise is still on the upswing. The current iteration of the game and the development history of DICE in recent years has completely lost it's/their focus compared to earlier titles.
Jawmuncher
Member
Resident Evil
Nothing but fighting between fans.
Whether its about scary vs action or something else. The fanbase of RE is pretty up in arms on their resoected sides do to how varied the series is now and the opinions along with it.
Nothing but fighting between fans.
Whether its about scary vs action or something else. The fanbase of RE is pretty up in arms on their resoected sides do to how varied the series is now and the opinions along with it.
nailbombxx
Member
Solution:
Buy a copy of Bayonetta 2, wait for the Wii U to drop in price.
Or wait for an (unlikely) port.
I don't get it. The popularity, I mean. I never will, I guess.
And I've spent $15 on a League of Legends skin. The TF2 community seems to be obsessed with hats in a way that doesn't even parallel other F2P games.
NoirVisage
Banned
you're ridiculous.
Few games are THAT nice. The first bayonetta wasn't one of them.
And with the way the Wii U is doing, that unlikely port is WAAAY more likely.
Gunstar Ikari
Unconfirmed Member
Perhaps the greatest 8 bit video game icon next to Mario, and yet, the last few years, the fan base has become either conspiracy theorists or people who basically given up at another shot at redemption...(despite this isn't the first time Megaman died...)
The horror, we've become like Mother fans!J/k
I started following the Mega Man fanbase during the rampant Platformer vs. Battle Network infighting. They can't possibly be as bad now as they were back then.