In defense of Pontac and Graff

I know this is an unpopular opinion, call me crazy, but I don’t think Pontac and Graff are that bad of writers. Yes, their writing sucked in Lost World and Forces, but I think Colors and Generations were their best work.

Colors haters love to bash the writing because of the jokes and say, “What was SEGA thinking in hiring writers that knew nothing about the Sonic series?!” Well, I can answer that.

First off, they were already writers for SEGA. Before Sonic Colors, they wrote for MadWorld, a game published by SEGA that was a success. Why SHOULDN’T they use writers already at their disposal instead of going through the trouble of hiring new writers? Especially considering that Pontac had experience writing for kids shows in the past (ToddWorld, LazyTown, etc.), and Takashi Iizuka said that Sonic Colors was made with children in mind. That being said, it only makes sense to bring in a writer that not only has wrote for you before with successful results, but has experience in writing for children’s media?

Secondly, it’s not about what you know about the source material; it’s about what you DO with what you know about the source material. Complaining about hiring writers who knew nothing about Sonic implies that prior knowledge of a series automatically guarantees a good story. And anyone who’s played Sonic ‘06 knows that isn’t true. The story with plot holes and inconsistencies galore was written by people that wrote for past Sonic games and other media. Is prior knowledge of a product a plus? Sure. But what matters most is your writing talent. Besides, obviously their knowledge grew as they continued.

I also think they nailed Sonic and Tails’ chemistry, despite their lack of knowledge. In Sonic Colors, that is. Sonic Lost World is a different story.

Pontac and Graff also mastered the art of consistency in Sonic stories from Colors to Forces which (correct me if I’m wrong) is something the Sonic series wasn’t particularly known for. Orbot appeared in Sonic Colors aong with Cubot and was first introduced in Sonic Unleashed. In the cutscene before the Time Eater boss level in Sonic Generations, there’s a flashback to the post-credits cutscene in Sonic Colors where Eggman flies away, leaving Orbot and Cubot stranded in space. In Sonic Lost World, Sonic says “Baldy McNosehair” again, which was from Sonic Colors. In Sonic Forces, Modern Sonic says to Classic Sonic, “It’s been generations since I’ve seen you!”

You see? But that gets overlooked because “BALDY MCNOSEHAIR NOT FUNNY BAWWWWWWW ME HATE INKY STINKY META ERA!!!!11!1!!1”