Back when the DS was taking off in the long ago times of 2005 and 2006 and some computer games were being ported to the system, it occurred to me that Civilization 3 seemed like a great fit for the system with the touchscreen and stylus helping to take the place of a mouse for PC. Looking back now, it seems I was like so many gamers that are port-begging for Switch so that they can have the games they like on a portable gaming device. I was still big into Civ 3 and it will probably always remain my favorite for the ways it advanced the series and the hours I spent playing it. With Civ 4 coming out during this time, it seemed like a smart way to extend the life for Civ 3 and get more money out of it. It never happened. Instead, we got Civilization Revolutions, a diet version of Civ. It wasn't until the Switch that Civilization finally returned to a Nintendo system since the original Civilization game which was on the SNES and used the SNES Mouse. It's wild to now see Civilization 7 shown as launching on Switch (likely Switch 2) when it debuts. I just never thought the series was going to cross back to gaming consoles like it has after all these years of staying put on PC.

As for Sonic X Shadows Generations, heaven help me, because somehow that trailer made me think about actually buying this game and caring about Sonic releases again. My Sonic interest had kind of flatlined during these Switch years but this trailer reminded me of those GameCube Sonic days and just had that look and sound of that Sonic style which I still have a soft spot in my heart for. I know the trailer was full of all kinds of the automatic or cinematic moments where you probably don't control the character too much in that moment but seeing Sonic racing through skyscraper offices or getting an assist from a killer whale or Sonic and Shadow grinding along rails just seems like speedy fun even though the games always struggle to fulfill that promise. Maybe that's why people really liked the Runner series and that style of game. The game removes controlling the speed of the character from the player and just keeps them moving along along a path with challenging moments and surprises just leaving it to the player to correctly input how to navigate the timing for the jumps or slides. Perhaps that is more of what Sonic needs for 3D. Design an awesome looking course with these crazy moments with Sonic just moving at top speed while the player just inputs when to jump or spin dash or whatever other commands might be needed. Although, I suppose that runs the risk of it just becoming a series of quick time events and that might not be too engaging. Yet, as I type this, it occurs to me that one could almost classify Rock Band and Guitar Hero as this type of gameplay. It's a long course running at a steady speed and the player has to input the correct buttons along the path. Get enough prompts wrong along the way and you lose and try again. That gameplay ended up being a huge hit. I think I just solved 3D Sonic. Sega, you're welcome and you now owe me royalties if you use this idea.