This Mario Fan Says, "Check Out Sonic Lost World!"

So as part of a rather large three-game announcement for Wii U, Sega unveiled the new big 3D Sonic platformer titled Sonic Lost World. To the dismay of many an Xbox/PS3 Sega fan, the game is, like Bayonetta's sequel before it, exclusive to the Wii U. Coupled with Nintendo designers aiding in the development of the game, it is rapidly shaping up to be a rather fine tuned and otherwise far improved Sonic game over previous recent installments.

Within two months of the release of this game will come Super Mario 3D World, a new 3D Mario platformer that uses the same gameplay style as Super Mario 3D Land on the 3DS but applies multiplayer and a, uhh... cat suit...?

I have been a long time Mario/Sonic fan as a kid and have always flip-flopped on which one was my favorite. They both had cartoons when I was a kid that I watched and they both had games new and old that I loved to play. So to say that I've had my fill of both characters is a bit of an understatement. During generation six when Sonic started his franchise degradation, it became very easy to choose Mario as my all time favorite game mascot. With the release of Shadow the Hedgehog, I quickly let go of my love for the Sonic franchise and watched it feel into a very deep obscurity for the next half a decade. So for a time I was able to enjoy the Mario franchise on its own as a platformer king with very few contenders that could potentially rival it in design and appeal.

Fast forward to today where the latest iterations are on the rise, both exclusive for the Wii U, both expected to push some big numbers.

Would it be too crazy for me to say that I'm actually much more excited for the Sonic game?

Don't get me wrong; I loved Super Mario 3D Land and I would probably get 3D World at launch if not for its lack of online play. But Sonic's latest installment not only looks incredibly fresh, it's shaping up to be one of the best 3D Sonic games since (in my opinion) Sonic Adventure 2: Battle. Just from a gameplay perspective, it's fast, it has the Wisps from Colors (one of the best aspects of that particular game) and has done away with the Unleashed/Colors/Generations gameplay in favor of something new, more natural and more complimentary to Sonic's platforming and not just his speed.

I'm a pretty big Mario fan, there's no denying that. But this new Sonic game has me much more excited than Mario 3D World. It makes me wonder if perhaps hell is freezing over if I'm just losing my mind. Just to note, this is not my way of saying 3D World will be a bad or disappointing game, but I believe the experience is not quite as fresh. Discovering the lack of online play also diminished much of my enthusiasm for the game. While Sonic Lost World lacks online multiplayer as well (although strangely it is present in the 3DS version), its single player gameplay seems to be more than making up for it in the long run.

Jokes aside, it goes to show how far the two franchises have come. Mario's seen dominance for the past decade and I feel like this may be the one time things may be different and that's not necessarily a bad thing. While I know many Wii U owners out there are most assuredly getting Mario 3D World, I definitely hope they will open their minds to this new Sonic game as well. I don't think any fan of any platformer should miss out on it. I guess the point of this blog is me pointing out the irony of this little difference of planes as I continue anticipating one Wii U game a little bit more than another each day.

So what are your thoughts on these two titles? Any Mario vs. Sonic memories of your own?