How the new age meshes with the old age »

          Some think it can't be done. Others think that the new age and old generation are all the same continuity. Many think that the new age is the reintroduction of Sonic and that the old age didn't happen (why, I don't know). Which one of these is more likely? And if the old age and new age are the same continuity, what is a good way for them to mesh? First off, let's try to scout out some evidence that the new age can indeed be meshed with the old age.

           First piece of evidence: Sonic Adventure. Amy and Tails' flashbacks. Amy has a flashback of Sonic saving her from Metal Sonic (reminiscent of Sonic CD, obviously) and talking about the old days in an intriguing milieu that stresses the style and plot elements of the old games. Tails has a flashback depicting Sonic running past him and Tails pursuing the blue blur; Sonic looking back at the fox as he tried to catch up — a scenario that is perfectly identical to how Sonic & Tails met in the Japanes Sonic 2 storyline description. Let's not forget how all of the characters knew each other, showing evidence of a past. In other words, the old games.

            Next, Sonic Heroes. Metal Sonic & Sonic's rivalry is brewed up again, which hasn't been actively present since pre Sonic Adventure titles. This is well-affirmed judging by when Metal Sonic says, "Long time no see" to his organic counterpart.

            Albeit, those are the two more substantial pieces of evidence that the old generation is still considered part of the overall continuity, there have been many other bits of evidence sprinkled onto this fabulous hunk of ice cream we know as the new generation of Sonic. Look at all of the small animals have made a cameo such as Flicky. But the biggest piece of evidence that the new age and old age are all part of the same ongoing continuity is simple: Sonic Team can't just throw away all of Sonic's glory years. Think about it.

            Okay, so now that that is done, our next objective is to determine how the old age goes into the new age. What game could the new age actually start with to make the continuity stable? Here are some solutions:

Solution #1: This is for the game purists. This one is pretty easy: just say that the new generation started with Sonic Adventure. You could say it took place right after Sonic R if you believe in Solution #2 for the age dispute and black & fat, or green & lean plothole articles, or you could say it took place several years after Sonic R if you believe in Solution #1 for those articles. However, like for the next solution, the absolute best choices would be to say Sonic Advance and Sonic Advance 2 took place before Sonic Adventure. Since in SA:DX, Cream is seen flying around. Her cameo emphasizes her familiarity with Sonic, meaning she knew him before the SA saga. So it's best to say Sonic Advance and Sonic Advance 2 took place before the beloved Sonic Adventure. This is also ideal since Sonic Advance and Sonic Advance 2's storylines are quite similar to how the plot of an old game would be.

Solution #2: This is for those of who you think Sonic X is canon. The new age meshes with the old age quite easily with Sonic X. Why? Because they already offered an explanation. Sonic & co were transported from their world to the world of the humans which ties in with the Sonic Adventure series. However, Cream & Sonic knew each other before the warp to the world of humans. So, like the above solution, it is prudent to say that Sonic Advance 1 and 2 took place before the Chaos Control that took them to the human Earth.

Solution #3: This solution is for you obviously unimaginative folk out there: there was no old generation and Sonic Adventure was the reintroduction of Sonic the Hedgehog as we know it. Anybody who would use this solution has obscure views on the Sonic universe, but nonetheless, those who do still have my respect.

Conclusion: The old age of Sonic is one we will never forget. No matter how intriguing and how cool this new generation may be, the principle that the old generation was what made Sonic so famous is a piece of history that remains carved in stone. And the mere notion that all of those years of his will be taken away from the continuity is pure blasphemy. So the best we can do is speculate how it meshes with the new age, and actually, it can fit with the new age quite smoothly. Overall, plothole solved.