Well I hope I don't have to read more to be able to see that.
Sonic (or anything) doesn't have to be original to be cool.
And whether or not Sonic is original has nothing to do with how expressive it is.
Let me put it this way... comparing a book to a movie. Now the movie can be a mainstream action flick that's really cliched and tired, and the book could be really clever and original, but the movie is regardless more expressive than the book, because it's a movie, and it comes alive with live actors, dialogue, etc.
And that's much like comparing Mario to Sonic, or Mario to any of the big 'mature' vg game franchises, with Mario being the book.
But I guess 'creative' doesn't apply to what I'm saying since the book is most definitely not less creative just because it's a book.
Not to say Sonic isn't creative, either. Though you wouldn't find that out from the plot, I guess. But you see, there's other things besides plot.
And Sonic characters are consistently great because of how well they're executed. With what you're saying you'd think that the new ones are wearing shades and baseball caps and carrying skateboards with them, and saying contemporary slang terms. (instead of "radical") But... they're not. They're just Sonic characters, and they're amazing. They've fabricated a franchise in which anime angst anti-hero, big-busted Fujiko clone, mystical ninja, NY detective, 12 year old cooties, a typical loli, a prepubescent Green lantern, a tech-savvy sidekick, and a go-getter "I can do anything" main character all share the same world, one in which it all works, and it's great. They filled their roles and their archetypes, they earned their fans, and not only are they consistent with the franchise but they've come to define it.
