Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
UK EditionUK US EditionUS CA EditionCanada AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
Subscribe now
Don't miss these
The Outer Worlds 2
RPGs The Outer Worlds 2 lead says his RPG isn't a critique of capitalism, but Baldur's Gate 3's publishing lead isn't so sure: "Expression in video games is cooked"
Two figures stand in front of a towering mechanical giant in a snowy setting
MMO Games Devs behind sci-fi survival game Once Human promise to "replace the asset in question" after No Man's Sky comparisons reach Sean Murray
GTA 4
Grand Theft Auto Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser says GTA games are "not as good as" Charles Dickens books, "but they are similar" in their world-building
Stranger Things season 5
Sci-Fi Shows "Unforgivable" Stranger Things season 5 NES blooper has retro game fans fuming, albeit mostly jokingly
Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles in Sonic 3
Live Action Movies Sonic the Hedgehog is getting a new spin-off movie in 2028
How to enter GTA 5 cheats
Grand Theft Auto Rockstar co-founder and former GTA lead writer Dan Houser says "AI is eventually going to eat itself," and that the people behind chatbots and AI models "aren’t fully rounded humans"
Thomas the Tank Engine in Morrowind
The Elder Scrolls Modder who first put Thomas the Tank Engine into Skyrim flips the bird at the lawyers, does it again in Morrowind: "I fundamentally do not view toy company CEOs or media CEOs as people"
Judas
FPS Games Bioshock creator Ken Levine's new narrative FPS Judas was shaped by a "stream of consciousness" where an anti-social character prefers vending machines to people: "Conversation is a prelude to failure"
Link holds up the Master Sword in a screenshot of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
RPGs Monkey Island legend Ron Gilbert had big plans for a retro Zelda-style open-world RPG, but publishers said no: "They didn’t look at it as 'we're gonna make $100 million and it’s worth investing in'"
Knack
Survival Games No Man's Sky lead says Sony has a "KNACK for this kind of thing" as people try and riddle out the viral Game Awards teaser – that, or "Geoff is simply opening a hell portal"
Mark Cerny in front of Ghost of Yotei PS5 model
Games PS5 architect Mark Cerny says an intense Nintendo rivalry turned Sega into a "sweatshop" when he worked there: "Three people. Three months. That's a game"
Total Chaos screenshot of a creature springing up in the air towards the protagonist, who wields a wrench in a dark, wooded area. The Indie Spotlight logo can be seen in the top right-hand corner of the image
Horror Games Nearly 10 years later, Doom 2 mod Total Chaos is reborn as a standalone horror FPS I'll be playing all winter, and it makes Silent Hill look like a rom-com
The Outer Worlds 2
RPGs The Outer Worlds 2 director doesn't want games to be "preachy," but the RPG's capitalist satire strikes a nerve "because this thing happens all the damn time, and we're just seeing it over and over on a loop"
Best Sonic games - Sonic the Hedgehog title card
Sonic the Hedgehog The 25 best Sonic games of all time
samus looking at the camera in her armor with her helmet on
Action Games Metroid Prime 4: Beyond players are finding Samus' sidekick so annoying they are sharing hints for how to lessen the cringe: "I shut off voice volume completely and instantly felt better"
Trending
  • Best Games of 2025
  • The Future of Total War
  • Fallout Season 2
  • Gift Guides
  • New Games for 2025
  1. Games
  2. Platformer
  3. Sonic the Hedgehog
  4. Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric

Sonic complains about the absurdity of modern life

Features
By Andy Hartup published 30 April 2014

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Get off my lawn!

Get off my lawn!

Its a long time since 1991. The Internet is an all-dominating thing, everyone owns a mobile phone, and a skinny-mocha-double-decaf-latte-with-chips is widely available on every street corner of every city ever. Probably. Thing is, while he was King of Games in 1991, Sonic the Hedgehog has struggled to adapt to modern life. Hes the gaming equivalent of the old man who lives three doors down, shaking his cane at the local kids, and telling them not to roll their scooterboards near his bins.

As we all know, curmudgeonly old people love to complain about things. Usually in the form of letters. So, Ive imagined the stuff Sonic might complain about, as a brain-addled old mascot, slowly going insane as he tries to make sense high-definition, sat-nav, and twerking. Heres a snapshot of his last few weeks

Page 1 of 9
Page 1 of 9
The jewellery shenanigans

The jewellery shenanigans

Dear sir
I am writing to complain about my recent purchase from your Green Hill store. While I am happy with the 100 gold rings I bought (and Im pleased to tell you that I managed to get all of them home without incident this week. Last week I bumped into someone on the way home and lost a large percentage of them), I am yet to receive the extra life, which was promised to me as part of your current in-store promotion.

Further more, I noticed that--when I arrived home--there was no trans-dimensional portal to jump through. I span the sign outside my house as usual, but was unable to transport myself to another realm. I find this most disturbing. When I purchased a number of your rings back in 1991, I was granted free access to the Chaos realm. Is this a service you no longer provide? If so, I may have to consider buying my jewellery from a different retailer. I await your response.
Yours concerned
S. The Hedgehog

Page 2 of 9
Page 2 of 9
The TV incident

The TV incident

Dear Sir
Im writing to complain about my recent purchase from your Spring Yard store. I bought one of your televisions, and installed it in my living room. I went to a significant amount of trouble to find one with a fuzzy picture, and an old, square screen. Last week, I saw a commercial for a pair of red shoes. Naturally, I took this as my cue to headbutt my television set to pieces.

Not only did this cause severe cranial bleeding (thankfully, my neighbour was kind enough to drive me to the hospital in his Hyundai after I waited 5 hours for a flying fox to turn up), but--to add insult to injury--I am yet to receive my free pair of shoes. Are they lost in the mail? Or have you discontinued this service, which I relied upon so heavily in the 90s? I anxiously await your response.
Yours,
S. The Hedgehog

Page 3 of 9
Page 3 of 9
The shoe fiasco

The shoe fiasco

Dear Sir
Im writing to complain about my recent purchase from your Marble Zone store. After a recent fiasco involving the television company you partner with, I was forced to purchase a pair of your red sneakers from a shop. They are from your Michael Jackson signature range. It took a significant amount of effort to track these shoes down, as they were barely in fashion during the 90s, when I acquired my first pair.

However, despite the inconvenience I was happy to have purchased them. Upon returning home I put the shoes on my feet and found that I was unable to run any faster than normal. In fact, the pointy ends slowed me down, and the stiff leather has given me a blister on my left heel. This is most unsatisfactory. When I last purchased these shoes in 1991, they doubled my running speed: now they just make me look like an aging rockstar, which is not a look I wish to cultivate. I shall be returning these shoes forthwith, and I expect a full refund or a new television.
Yours angrily,
S. The Hedgehog

Page 4 of 9
Page 4 of 9
The rabbit debacle

The rabbit debacle

Dear Sir
Im writing to complain about my recent treatment by the staff in your Scrap Brain store. Upon visiting your shop, I was pleased to see that you had an excellent array of robots (although the fact that youre marketing these death-machines to children shows a distinct lack of moral fibre). I purchased one that resembled a rabbit, and immediately smashed it to pieces hoping to liberate the bunny that was trapped inside.

Much to my annoyance (and the horror of my fellow shoppers) I discovered that the rabbit had already escaped from inside the robot. Incensed, I began to smash all the other robots in your store, and was able to destroy six more before security escorted me out. There wasnt a SINGLE animal contained inside any of your robots. No wonder the children in your store were crying as I broke them open. I shall be writing to your regulators forthwith as standards are clearly slipping.
Yours,
S. The Hedgehog

Page 5 of 9
Page 5 of 9
The hot tub catastrophe

The hot tub catastrophe

Dear Sir
Im writing to complain about my recent purchase from your Starlight Zone store. I have had a difficult past few weeks, and have been struggling to adapt to the modern way of life. Feeling the need to relax, I bought one of your hot tubs from something called the Internet, and had it installed in my house.

I assumed that--because it has plenty of air-bubbles rising from the floor--I would be able to breathe perfectly fine while underwater. This was not the case. My friend Knuckles--who I was sharing the hot tub with--had to give me CPR after only 30 seconds, as I was unable to catch the air-bubbles in my mouth. None of this would have been a concern if I had received the extra life that I am still owed following my purchase of rings from the local jewellers. I find this situation very distressing and I demand a refund on my hot tub immediately.
Yours,
S. The Hedgehog

Page 6 of 9
Page 6 of 9
The dreadful wait

The dreadful wait

Dear Sir,
Im writing to complain about your service. As a pizza takeaway establishment, Im aware that you pride yourself on the speed of your delivery. Your marketing material states that if I wait longer than 10 minutes for your food, then I do not pay for it. This is convenient for myself, as I have an unfortunate affliction that causes me to die if I wait in the same place for 10 minutes.

Last night, your pizza delivery was three minutes late--making 13 minutes in total for delivery. This would have been disastrous for me had my extra life from the jewellers not arrived in the post that very morning. I have now squandered my extra life after only possessing it for a painfully short time. I demand a refund for my pizza, and that you change your marketing materials immediately, as you are clearly unable to fulfil the promises you make to your customers.
Yours defiantly,
S. The Hedgehog

Page 7 of 9
Page 7 of 9
The inevitable crime

The inevitable crime

Dear Go Compare
I wish to offer my most sincere apologies for lacerating your company spokesperson last week. I have nothing to say in my defence, other than that I thought he was someone else. I appreciate your leniency in this matter, and the fact that neither yourselves or the gentleman in question have decided to take this case to court.

I further agree to pay for all damages caused when I headbutted his car. To raise the money, I have decided to sell off my substantial ring collection, and one pair of red shoes, which I have barely worn.
Yours apologetically,
S. The Hedgehog

Page 8 of 9
Page 8 of 9
No complaints

No complaints

Those damn kids, eh? With their PlayBoxes, and their Interwebs, and their twerking. In my day all this was fields. Bah, the youth of today don't realise how lucky they are. Want to leave a comment? Write me a letter. No-one writes letters anymore. It's all email, and instant messaging, and twerking. I need a nap.

Want more features? Bah, in my day we didn't even have shoes! Have a look at 10 Secrets Make Street Fighter 2 So Damn Special. And while you're at it here's one about How Video Game Characters Have Changed Over 20 Years. Not that you deserve them, with your mobile phones, and your iPads, and your twerking.

Page 9 of 9
Page 9 of 9
CATEGORIES
Wii-u Nintendo Platforms
Andy Hartup
Andy Hartup
Social Links Navigation
Read more
Sonic Rumble
The latest Sonic game is getting ripped apart on Steam: "In what world can you get a whole, fully featured, actually fun racing game for less than the price of 2 skins here"
 
 
Kirby Air Riders
Nintendo, seemingly unfazed by how the same approach failed during the Wii U era, delivers a truly bizarre advertisement for its next big Switch 2 exclusive Kirby Air Riders
 
 
A racecar driver lifts his visor and stares, bug-eyed, at the viewer in an ad for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
The Mario Kart World shade couldn't be any more obvious as Sega tells you to "leave the open road behind" and play Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds in a throwback to the '90s console wars
 
 
Best Sonic games - Sonic the Hedgehog title card
The 25 best Sonic games of all time
 
 
samus looking at the camera in her armor with her helmet on
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond players are finding Samus' sidekick so annoying they are sharing hints for how to lessen the cringe: "I shut off voice volume completely and instantly felt better"
 
 
SpongeBog SquarePants jumps for joy in front of his burger car in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
Sonic Racing CrossWorlds' Avatar and SpongeBob packs are a start, but I'm desperate for classic Sega rep – Crazy Taxi, when?
 
 
Latest in Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic Rumble
The latest Sonic game is getting ripped apart on Steam: "In what world can you get a whole, fully featured, actually fun racing game for less than the price of 2 skins here"
 
 
Sonic in werehog form in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds races through Chao Park
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds has sold 1 million copies in under a month while the "overwhelmingly positive" Steam rating holds strong
 
 
Sonic Frontiers
Somewhere at Sonic Team is a whole "roadmap of Sonic titles," says head honcho Takashi Iizuka, and the devs "think about which game to release in which year"
 
 
Sonic x Shadow Generations
Sonic the Hedgehog's Takashi Iizuka said Sonic Adventure remakes aren't happening, but Sega just filed a trademark that's fueling hopes for a Shadow the Hedgehog revival
 
 
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds screenshot of Sonic wagging his finger and looking behind as he soars through the air track in a blue car with numbered rings surrounding him
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds has Sega's "secret sauce" thanks to the devs combining "the essence" of multiple other "legendary" racing games like OutRun and Initial D
 
 
Minecraft Steve in a screenshot from Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds' Summer Game Fest trailer.
Just in case you thought Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds wasn't chaotic enough, its next online event has a mode rotation dedicated to throwing items at fellow racers to earn Minecraft prizes
 
 
Latest in Features
Big Preview Total War hub image featuring Warhammer 3 characters
Explore the future of Total War in the GamesRadar+ Big Preview
 
 
Dust Bunny
Bryan Fuller's Dust Bunny is a weird and wonderful tale with one important lesson: "Believe children"
 
 
Hand using the Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con controller in its mouse setting
Here's how to use mouse controls on Metroid Prime 4, and how to make them even better
 
 
Matt Mercer smiling and Brennan Lee Mulligan talking, with a white line dividing them
I've watched 1000+ hours of D&D podcasts, here's what Critical Role 4 should learn from Dimension 20 and new DM Brennan Lee Mulligan
 
 
Art from Octopath Traveler 0 showing Alexia walking down some steps and examining statues
Octopath Traveler 0 fulfils a wish I've had since the first JRPG in the series, but it also loses something that made its predecessors special
 
 
A beautiful Mediterranean coastal fortress as depicted in concept art for Total War: Medieval 3
"Medieval 3 is, in some sense, our Half-Life 3" – Total War: Medieval 3 is finally in the works, and Creative Assembly is leaning on immersion to make it worth the 19-year wait
 
 
  1. Art from Octopath Traveler 0 showing the hero being haunted by the images of those who burned his hometown, with ghostly images of the three surrounding an image of a town on fire behind him as he walks forward
    1
    Octopath Traveler 0 review: "The strongest entry in this retro-styled JRPG series yet, I love the greater focus on tactical battles"
  2. 2
    Sleep Awake review: "An all-timer horror premise is let down by tired stealth that I feel like I'm sleepwalking through"
  3. 3
    Metroid Prime 4: Beyond review: "The series' atmosphere has never been better, while being dragged down by a boring overworld and clunky psychic powers"
  4. 4
    Routine review: "This imperfect but wonderfully atmospheric moon-based horror leaves a strong impression"
  5. 5
    Marvel Cosmic Invasion review: "Excellent '90s-tinged superhero brawling across a punchy campaign falls just short of arcade bliss"
  1. Freddy Fazbear in Five Nights at Freddy's 2
    1
    Five Nights at Freddy's 2 review: "We have waited two years for a Five Nights at Freddy's 1.5"
  2. 2
    Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery review: "Brings Knives Out back to its roots for a sequel that's almost on a par with the original"
  3. 3
    Wicked: For Good review: "Builds to an incredibly cathartic conclusion, but isn't quite as captivating as Part 1"
  4. 4
    The Running Man review: "Some fun action and Glen Powell's star power aren't enough to energize this disappointing Stephen King adaptation"
  5. 5
    Predator: Badlands review: "Die-hard fans may be disappointed, but as a blockbuster action-adventure, Badlands kills it"
  1. Noah Schnapp as Will Byers and Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna in Stranger Things season 5
    1
    Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 review: “Can the Duffer brothers stick the landing? It’s sure looking like they will”
  2. 2
    Pluribus season 1 review: "Easily one of the year's best dramas"
  3. 3
    The Witcher season 4 review: "The Henry Cavill-less fourth season is the best yet"
  4. 4
    IT: Welcome to Derry review: "A supremely confident step back into the history of Stephen King's cursed town and killer clown"
  5. 5
    Splinter Cell: Deathwatch review: "A pale imitation of the long-dormant stealth franchise"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...