The Sonic the Hedgehog Movie has finally released after being delayed due to having to redesign the title character, but it still made it just in time for Valentine's Day. While the reviews begin pouring in, we thought we'd take a look at the company behind the movie and take a guess at what its plans for Sonic and what it should do with its various story-driven IPs.
This is mostly inspired by the Sega opening logo that, like the current MCU logo, showcased a number of the company's video game properties, with Sonic in the center. With video game movies finally coming up to a higher quality than in previous years, and Sonic even seeing positive reviews, there is room for Sega to explore future film franchises using some of there most famous games.
For anyone who hasn't seen the Sonic movie yet, no need to worry about spoilers from this article. We won't be talking about tSonic's end credits scene or any important plot points. Instead, this will be a look at some of the best games for Sega to take to the big screen after Sonic.
Shenmue
Starting off strong with one of the Sega Dreamcast's most beloved franchises, Shenmue's heavy emphasis on story would make it a clear choice to put on film. With a focus on martial arts and a story of vengeance and justice, a Shenmue movie would be an epic callback to classic kung-fu movies, much in the way that the games themselves were. Although, the recent Shenmue 3 release might put Sega's ownership on the property in a strange legality, but considering how the series originally intended to proceed beyond three titles, that one can be ignored for a film series.
Although, this might be devisive among players as die-hard fans may call for a the full length walk through Guilin becoming its own feature film. Iffy gameplay decisions aside, the unraveling mystery of Ryo Hazuki and the death of his father made for a compelling enough experience for players to fully fund the third game.
Shinobi
As one of Sega's oldest franchises, Shinobi comes all the way back from 1987 when it first launched to arcade cabinets. Since then, the series continued to regularly release games to Sega systems until eventually moving on to the PS2 after the fall of the Dreamcast. However, the long running set of titles has gone quiet since 2011 with the mixed launch of Shinobi/Shinobi 3D for the Nintendo 3DS, only putting up re-releases over the past few years like the fairly successful Sega Ages: Shinobi.
With the host of characters available to pull from the series, Shinobi would be a prime choice for a tense experience with an emphasis on the title character hunting down the laundry list of enemy ninjas. Later games in the series even have more of a story to follow up on, with the two from the PS2 era even going far enough as to give the playable ninja the name Hotsuma and a backstory involving a dead/traitor brother. This would be an interesting series to put to film, possibly even as a miniseries rather than a single feature film.
Persona
The Shin Megami series hasn't always been a Sega property, but thanks to the 2016 merger of Atlus USA with Sega, the company now has the valuable IP to work with under its ownership. Any one of the Persona games is already an intractable anime series on its own, but the stories are rich enough to be explored in film as well. Considering the thriving fan base for the series, even calling for a Persona 3 remake, there is certainly a market for more Persona content.
As for which Persona to make into a movie, it might be best for Sega to look at the themes of the games together and make an original story as opposed to adapting one that's already been written. Considering that any single character arch from any of the games are long and complex enough to be a full movie, there are plenty of places to take inspiration from.
Phantasy Star
If the recent Phantasy Star Online 2 beta has proved anything, its that there is a thriving community ready to jump back into one of Sega's oldest franchises. With the series having gone mostly silent for some time, a new movie would be a strong way to introduce new viewers to the world of Phantasy Star. There have been releases within the past decade or so, mostly relegated to mobile platforms or re-releases, but with the new Phantasy Star Online 2 getting ready to hit shelves, now would be a great time for a Phantasy Star movie to hit screens.
Similar to the Persona series, however, it may be best to look at an original story with Phantasy Star as opposed to trying to recycle a previous storyline from the series. With a whole universe to explore in Phantasy Star, there's plenty of room for a studio to explore the themes and history of the series, complete with distant worlds and fantastical alien races.
Yakuza
This is easily the most sincere entry among Sega's franchises that deserve to be set to film. The Yakuza series has amassed a massive cult following as the series is about to release its seventh mainline game, plus the prequel Yakuza 0. In fact, that wildly successful prequel would be the perfect place for a Yakuza movie to jump off from, although somewhat altered to fit into the frame of a feature film.
Considering the host of eccentric characters on display in the Yakuza series, it would make for an incredible ride on the big screen. That is if the filmmakers don't spend all of their time doing Karaoke and Pachinco like most of the players end up doing. Although, that might be entertaining enough on its own to watch.
Bonus: Ecco the Dolphin
This is more of a little bonus for anyone unlucky enough to forget that Sega once made a game about a dolphin that uses echolocation to fight off an alien queen. Granted, it might not exactly be too family friendly once the final battle from the original Ecco the Dolphin game on the Sega Genesis. Then again, a new dolphin movie shows up almost every summer, so why not use whatever is left over from the unfinished Ecco the Dolphin 2 and turn it into a summer blockbuster?
Sonic the Hedgehog is now playing in theaters.