So, it’s now confirmed.

Sonic the Hedgehog is going to be a playable character on the upcoming Super Smash Bros Brawl for Nintendo Wii.

I guess, with the events of the past few years, including Sega withdrawing from the console market and publishing software on Nintendo platforms, this really shouldn’t come as a huge shock. In fact, since Sega is developing an Olympic themed game with Sonic and Mario together, and Nintendo has opened up the possibility of 3rd party characters appearing in Smash Bros by way of Solid Snake, it seems like having Sonic in the next Super Smash Bros is a forgone conclusion. And yet, despite how inevitable this is, it’s still a huge deal.

Back in the 16bit era, it was all about Nintendo vs Sega. Super NES vs Genesis. Mario vs Sonic. I was, and still am, a Nintendo supporter, and so back then it meant that I HATED Sonic. He was the enemy. I never liked the little bit of the Sonic games that I had played, and I resented the way he was marketed as a “hedgehog with attitude“. I was very anti-Sonic, to say the least. I would even draw pictures of Mario shooting Sonic or beating him up! My stance on the character has, of course, softened over the years, but I’ve never really been able to warm up to the Sonic franchise.

It seems now that the quality of Sonic’s games over the past few years has been diluted to such a point that I really don’t understand why there is such a loyal fanbase to this character. But clearly it does exist and it must be pretty exciting for them to see Sonic appear in this game. As for me, I have mixed feelings. On one hand, I don’t care about this character at all, and his appearance was not going to be a deal breaker, considering that this game is pretty much a guaranteed purchase from me with or without him. I would probably rather not have Sonic in my Smash Bros. if I had the choice. On the other hand, something about this is really interesting. I lived through an era where a game starring both Mario and Sonic together would be preposterous! If someone had told me about this 15 years ago, I would have thought that the world was going to crack in half first! But here it is, and it’s real. I guess it just goes to show how times can change and how what was once unfathomable can eventually become true. Though I doubt that other members from the cast of the infamous pirate game “World Heroes 2” will be appearing!

So, in the spirit of competition, I welcome Sonic and his fans to the realm of Smash. I’m willing to give him a chance and let bygones be bygones. But… I have a feeling that at some point, my early-teenaged Nintendo fanboy self will resurface and take a measure of joy in having Mario beat the bloody blue hell out of that overly caffinated weasel. Oops… did I just say that?

Anyway, I still don’t have a Wii yet. That sucks.

Sayonara.