Do you think he deserves another chance?
DiscussionIn fairness, most Sonic characters don't even have backstories. So the story of how he got his powers and his first encounter with Sonic being kind of dull doesn't really have to hold him back so long as he has personality and flair.
I'll give you that, there aren't many intricately crafted backstories or even some backstories alone in Sonic, but when you consider how much effort and detail Sonic Team put into characters like Shadow and Silver, who made their debut 11-16 years before forces, it feels like they could've done some more.
I also like to bring his powers and the Phantom Ruby into these types of discussions. He has outstanding powers, but just aren't developed through gameplay too much. I like the concept though, becoming one with the Ruby to be stronger. I don't like the buildup to it (he got bullied and insulted by Shadow).
It would be nice to see him come back with some more story, but as you say, it doesn't have to be that case as long as he is fleshed out a little.
We literally know basically nothing about the background of Sonic, Tails, or Amy. The only thing we know about Knuckles is that he has been sitting alone on an island guarding an emerald maybe since he hatched-- but then... he can speak and such, so who taught him that?
We know nothing about Big. Same with the Chaotix.
We know Rouge was a famous thief and then I guess got caught and made a spy as of Sonic Adventure 2, but really her background is vague.
Cream stands out as the only character who actually has a parent.
So I think it doesn't really matter as long as he is just the over-dramatic, angst dog boy in a mask who works for Eggman and uses telekinetic powers in battle. There is no need to over-extend his concept beyond that.
Personally when it comes down to it I think having a bad backstory is way worse than just not really having one at all, your flair is really bogged down by a bad backstory.
Tbh I actually love his story, it’s stupid but I think if they made it canonically stupid it would work amazingly
Compared to normal people he was incredibly strong but when compared to the sonic cast he’s severely outmatched, and being so used to being the strongest he was called weak once after he had been beaten so easily and he simply lost it
He then gains powers so he’s on par with them, and what does he do? Be the edgiest and pettiest loser imaginable. He has powers only limited by his imagination but he’s so uncreative that all he makes is past sonic villains and squares
He’s a complete loser that’s been given god-like powers and all he can think of is “no i’ll show that meany who called me weak >:(“
We love insecure villains in this house 🙌🙌
This is exactly why his story feels unfinished. We got act one, wherein he tries to establish himself as tough only to absolutely get his ass handed to him, then gets given god-like powers and uses them to crush the opposition, then we got act two where the resistance fights back, and even learns to nullify his powers. But then he gets a brief fight with Sonic in act 3 but with no resolution. The last we see of Infinite he's just flying off as if he has something still to do and the rest of the story is (admittedly rightfully) about stopping Eggman.
But there's no conclusion for Infinite. Hs ending, according to the Encyclospeedia is that he died off screen. We don't truly beat him, we don't get any sort of moment where he fully turns on Eggman, we don't get a scene where he either learns to overcome his self doubt or falls because of it, he just vainishs from the plot.
What makes it so frustrating is that the circumstances of Infinite's existence make bringing him back so interesting. When you look at many of the other non-Eggman villains, what would they seriously do if they came back. Dark Gaia would just do exactly what he did before, Mephiles would probably still be trying to become a god again with the goal of destroying everything again, and even with Black Doom returning for Sonic X Shadow Generations, his main goal from what we've seen seems purely to be trying to restore himself back as he was to carry on where he left off. There's nothing really new, just more of the same.
But Infinite would be interesting because what made him special isn't something he is, nor something he was bon with but something he was given that was subsequently taken away. Put yourself in those shoes for a second. You're a normal mortal who suddenly gets given god like powers. You start manipulating reality, bending things to your will, and get used to the idea of being the most powerful being in existence, able to have anything you wanted. Then one day it's just taken from you, and you have to go back to being a mere mortal, except now you're also globally famous as the former god, most of the world hates you for what you did, and you have to adjust to this entirely new status quo of being so much weaker and also more reviled. That is an incredibly interesting angle to pick up a character from, and there are plenty of writers who would take a character and run with it, with multiple possible angles. Just off the top of my head:
Infinite redemption arc. He realises he's done wrong and does what he can to try to make it right somehow. Some characters might accept the apology, others might not, and you see how far he needs to go to get back into people's good graces, and mine drama from whether or not he should be forgiven. Imagine that in particular in IDW's setting where Sonic already gets flack for letting villains live, along with how much the Restoration would resent Infinite.
Infinite wants revenge. He's simply now a desperate man with nothing to lose. No squad, no backing of the Eggman empire, he's now just taking really petty shots whenever he can. He no longer values his own life, and is getting into really petty fights with Shadow, Eggman, Sonic, and whoever else he feels wronged him, forcibly pushing himself to get stronger so he can try to go toe to toe with these characters. Can he do it, or is he in over his head? Would Sonic go easy on a powerless Infinite? Can he learn to overcome his desire for revenge or will it consume him.
Related to 2, but slightly different, Infinite craves power and starts gathering all sorts of minor MacGuffin's. The sort of things that give really low stakes powers, such as being able to levitate small rocks, temporary intangibility, or Wolverine-like claws. Things that on their own aren't worth going for, but Infinite is too blind to the idea of power for powers sake that he doesn't care and is just getting whatever he can until he has a list of small abilities as long as his arm and they start interacting in weird ways. Can he control his new powers as they merge, or does he lose himself to them? Would this enable him to get more powers, would you end up with a situation where Infinite has so many random powers that he's corrupted beyond mortality and eventually becomes that eldritch monster that Super Sonic needs to beat?
But no, SEGA thinks he should just be dead, and because the fandom hated the writing of Forces there's no push to get him bought back and instead we've got Black Doom returning to pick up where he left off, and the fandom wants Mephiles back to once again do evil for the sake of being evil.
Agreed, Infinite's backstory was AWFUL (if that's what you're referring to).
YEEEEEES
I don't see why not, but given that his powers were connected to the Phantom Ruby it might be difficult to explain why he still has powers.
Unless it's like a "residual" thing-- like the Hard Boiled Heavies can still be the Hard Boiled Heavies without the Phantom Ruby, so while Infinite won't be able to actively warp reality he may still have whatever basic "float/telekinesis" powers he gave himself.
Which could mean that he could share a general ability set with Silver.
I’d love to see what kind of trouble he’d cause without powers.
In boom he'd definitely be a comic relief who appeared out of nowhere every episode just to insult shadow lmao
And then Shadow would come back with an insult so shattering that it would complete ruin Infinite, leaving him to retreat until the next episode.
I mean Infinite prior to getting the Ruby was already "the worlds greatest Mercenary" putting at least on Fang's level already without anything extra.
So while he properly on a return would no longer be as OP as he was in Forces would he still have plenty of power.
Yes.
In fact, I think EVERYTHING in Forces deserves another chance someday because that game had some pretty good ideas.
I kinda want a remake of Forces that completely revamps almost EVERYTHING about the game, most importantly the story and gameplay
The amazing idea of making every level really boring
So glad Frontiers came along and replaced the boring platforming with *checks notes * big empty fields with lots of floating rails and springs, along with the occasional fight where you just mash buttons.
I don't love Frontiers but it's still better than Forces
Honestly, they're both fine. The hate Forces gets is overblown, but Frontiers is not the renaissance of the franchise that the fandom wants it to be either.
I'd agree Frontiers is better, but it's hardly a massive step up in quality. Going from a 75% to a 76%, sort of deal, not going from 4/10 to 9/10 like the fandom insists.
I mean even if you find Frontiers boring unless you want to spend all our life with Big will you have to interact with the gameplay systems in Frontiers.
In Forces can you ignore all additional Wispons, Sonic can deal with large chunks of his stages by just boosting straight ahead
And while Classic Sonic technically has designed that forces you to engage with its mechanics all the time so is Classic Sonic also controlling to badly that its almost a bad thing that I can't just hold down 1 button to beat 80% of the stage.
Frontiers also has in general a far better reward structure in place with optional dialogue, viewing the map, unlocking rails and short cuts to get faster around the islands and so on.
Vs Forces which really only has more cosmetic options as rewards for interacting with the game design more.
None of this is wrong, and I don't disagree.
But I thought the 3D fans loved games where a high skill player can jump over half the stages obstacles without engaging with them. Wasn't that what made the Spin-dash so good in Adventure?
When it comes to game opinions, my opinions are that the two games simply aren't that far from each other. Forces has problems, but so does Frontiers. The problems they have are very different from each other. Forces has short stages that leads to a short campaign (that's about the same length as Generations' campaign), and has some places where level design is lacking.
But Frontiers has issues related to draw distance and aesthetic environment design, and has equally bland level design (when it's not lifting levels wholesale from previous games), along with a combat system that for the most part is mindless - and yes I know Forces combat is also mindless, but Forces doesn't put combat as front and centre as Frontiers does.
Forces also weirdly looks more visually appealing in a lot of places. Forces levels take place in detailed locations with transitional backgrounds, and in particular the war-torn city aesthetic genuinely looks incredible, it's vibrant, it's full of little details, it's genuinely captivating when you first see it. Conversely, Frontiers looks like a generic Unity asset map with Sonic ramps and springs littered around, and it's stages are just floating blocks from levels in weird endless voids.
Again, this isn't to say that I think Forces is better than Frontiers, or even that Frontiers is shit. Just that I don't think the gulf of quality is as wide as this fandom thinks it is.
Fundamentally, Forces suffers from being a victim of it's own ambition. Coming out right after Mania, with gameplay clearly trying to say "This is Generations 2", and with a story tease that made fans sit up and go "Oh shit, they care about continuity, we're going to feast on this", only to then get served a lukewarm slice of plain toast. Forces wasn't as good as Generations and felt like a letdown. Meanwhile very little was said of Frontiers, and then when it came out people were more pleasantly surprised.
I think if you meet Forces on it's own terms, without the distinction of what it is, what it represents, or what it was trying to be, it's actually fine. Again, not amazing, it's not the best game in the series, not a hidden gem, not a last-known-good I'd want Sonic Team to return to, but also not the absolute disaster the fandom thinks it is. Meanwhile, Frontiers is just the blueprint for an actual good game, but it, of itself, isn't there yet.
I can entirely understand what you mean and I won't disagree that Frontiers has issues (a lot of which born from last minute changes as initial concepts proved to be to boring)
But the reason even tho it has its draw distance issues, lack of proper integration of its challenges into the world, the combat system being really half-backed and some mechanics like climbing are not working properly I have to put it quite a bit high about Forces than you seem to is because of foundational gameplay flaws in Forces that are no where near as pronounced in Frontiers.
Forces was build of Sonic Lost World and that is rather obvious but it was not properly optimized for a boost game (or a classic Sonic game, Classic Sonic alone is so bad in Forces it makes me choose Frontiers over it) as there is no smooth acceleration after a few steps will the game just jump from Walk to Run mode from Lost World. The boost being super flout-y due to being build off Super Sonic's boost in Lost World but now speed up with level design not compensating for it, basic 2d platforming as Sonic being way to hard because of how messy the controls are and a highly unreliable homing attack all come together to make the actual character controls of Forces really flawed in ways Frontiers isn't (Frontiers really used the opportunity to iron out a lot of the badly executed alterations Forces did from Lost Worlds)
This combined with the fact that all to often Sonic's stages to compensate for these control issues becoming highly automated makes playing Forces just far less fun in my opinion at least.
Also for this point:
But I thought the 3D fans loved games where a high skill player can jump over half the stages obstacles without engaging with them. Wasn't that what made the Spin-dash so good in Adventure?
I at least have a personal vendetta against these people. All the time they claim Sonic Robo Blast 2 and Sonic GT and all the other fan projects that go in that directions are "Just like the classics" make me wonder if they ever played the classics given that you sure as hell aren't gonna fly over all of Emerald Hill in one max spindash off a slop.
Adventure 1's spindash was due to being spamable quite over powered but even than was it not designed to allow the player to just jump over all obstacles in the game the only major skip needs a pixel perfect jump followed with a auto dash in Speed Highway (wall clipping not withstanding) And the reason is quite simple because Sonic in Adventure still had weight and air drag while these fan projects that due what you just wrote there truly have a feather lite Sonic just jump over half the stage off a single slop.
Tho the "just jump over half the stage" type people certainly found there grove in Frontiers after the uncapped nature of jumping of rails was found (and ever since update 2 can they also just create weightless Sonic in the settings something I didn't do I might have reduce the air drag but certainly not erased it.)
I feel like instead of rewriting him, they could just continue his story, add more stuff, tough him up, maybe have a game where we have to save him from the Phantom Ruby's corruption or smth(or whatever the heck happened to him at the end of Forces)
If they go that "save him from the Phantom Ruby" route I hope the Avatar returns and is the main character in regards to that, because I wanna see how people would react to that
Yes, absolutely. I think Infinte and Mephiles should be in Shadow's campaign in SxSG, since Shadow had such an impact on them. I think this would ve a great oppurtunity to make them better, and by "them" i mean Infinite, because he was written poorly in Forces.
Mephiles 10000% NEEDs to be in the game (and probably will so no worries), but i think Infinite is asking too much, he met him once
Yeah that's fair
We have time shenanigans already, messing with the future is fairplay
The issue with putting infinite in there is Shadow Generations takes place at the same time as Sonic Generations meaning Shadow hasn’t met infinite yet
Yeah, that mekes sense. I didn't think of that. I just want Infinte to be fixed so bad :(
Time Eater = Past and Future colliding
100% yes, his character design, power and personality are all incredible. Forces has potential and he's one of the reasons why, forces plot was good on base level in my opinion and Infinite was so cool.
The last time a bad Sonic character got a second chance, he became very popular in the fandom.
Out of curiosity, who was that?
He used just an evil Sonic with leather jacket and shades. Every could kick ass. Then he became a fan favorite after Ian Flynn write for him.
Oh definitely
I think Infinite is pretty unique. We don't really have a lot of """mobian""" (for lack of a better term) villains, and his powers/aesthetics are interesting.
Beyond that, there are IMPLICATIONS of a deeper character that are never expanded upon. In the comic The Rise of Infinite, he briefly mentions that he's bored of the world, that he's just been "going through the motions." And it's interesting that the first thing that happened upon touching the phantom ruby was seeing a wasteland, establishing that he genuinely does want to bring ruin to the world.
But we just... never get an explanation for why. What's the untapped psychology?
Also, there's potential to explore how the Phantom Ruby has affected his life. He was experimented on for months to get it working for him, right? Did that create any sort of link to it? What happened when he was absorbed into the phantom ruby? My guess has always been that Eggman experimented with making his body into a Phantom Ruby projection- and rather than getting absorbed, he was just "retracted" back into it by Eggman. Stuff like that could make for interesting follow up stories about if he considers the ruby a burden or a gift. Could even explore the phantom ruby's origins, what if it's tied to the technology of the ancients, or the gems found on their planet?
There's a lot they could still do with him, he feels really untapped.
I've spelled it out elsewhere, but I really think the sequel story for Infinite is him trying to deal with the fact that he's lost god-like powers by seeking out whatever other powers via MacGuffin's he can. Start with the sort of small potatoes powers that even Eggman thinks is a waste of time using, like basic flight, electrified hands, being able to levitate small metal objects, real mundane stuff. But then slowly escalate over the course of the game and mix and match the powers so that Infinite is doing things like creating electrified bullets that stick to walls and floors.
Then as the story goes on you just keeping ramping up the powers until Infinite's so lost in madness, so full of unstable powers, and they've merged to such a crazy degree that actually fighting him goes from "It's just Infinite, he can wait", to "If we don't stop Infinite right now, he might destroy the entire city". Have his entire story that power corrupts an individual and have him slowly lose more and more of himself as he gains more and more powers until he's so unstable, out of control and incapable of not using his powers, until it comes to the point where it's time for a final fight and you have to literally knock the powers off of him, at which point you then end with the standard 'too much power is bad' spiel, and either give him closure by accepting he shouldn't have done it, actually kill him, or let him realise that Sonic saved him and have him bow out not necessarily turning good, but no longer with a grudge against the world.
YES
all they need to do is execute his of backstory in a better way and make him a threatening villain.
Like maybe showing his bond with the jackal squad better so we can better understand his decent into madness. Infinite could have been like the older the brother nod the group, leading and helping them survive and the reason he focused so much on being considered weak was due to how his shortcomings affected his team. He wasn’t strong to safe nor avenge them which led to him wanting to seek greater strength along with leaving him broken because the few people he cared about are now gone.
As to his new current role, I think he should be the Frieza of the Sonic universe if you catch my drift. He can match our heroes in physical capabilities as well as being able to keep up with the chaos powers thanks to the phantom ruby. He causes untold havoc across thousands of zones and manages to get away by the smallest hair while caring nothing about the innocents he slaughters.
He could even have a sort of darkly comical side like, again, abridged Frieza. Really the possibilities as to what to do with Infinite are far from finite.
Yes, if he returns I’d like him to both be written better, and maybe have some bandages on him, or other stuff to him, as a reference to his amazing concept art
100%
Yes. He's one of the funniest sonic villains and gladly have more of him than Zavok.
I really feel like Ian Flynn is just waiting for the right moment to put him in IDW. Imagine how he could play into the current Surge and Kitt thing.
Yes
Yes definitely, dude's design goes HARD!
Yes, he most certainly does. And it's not because "Oh he defeated Sonic in that one cutscene", it's because he had the chance to have a well written story if it wasn't for the poor execution in how to tell it.
It would've been so cool to not only fight Eggman's badniks, but also have Infinite's mercenary squad hunt down the resistance and show that some of Infinite's own squad members either have respect, or fear of what he's become. Another thing that would've made him as a character better is obviously the cutscene where he repeats the phrase, "I am not weak!". This could have worked, but the problem was we were given nothing about him to understand why we should care. If an actual boss fight was made where you fight him and since Shadow has worked with GUN before, then it can be said that Shadow got word from GUN about a dangerous mercenary who hasn't lost a battle. And the boss fight should reflect just how dangerous this mercenary soon to be Infinite is. Sure it may still not be perfect, but we would get a better understanding as to why Infinite felt fear at that moment and wanted revenge on Shadow. The thing with Infinite is that you don't need to start from the ground up and rebuild him, we just need to have a reason on why he should be feared and actually see just how dangerous he is both as a mercenary and as someone who has the power to create any kind of physical illusions.
And sure, there are cutscenes and levels showing just how powerful Infinite is with the phantom ruby. But it would've been better, and made people care at the very least a little bit, if Infinite was constantly changing the layout of the level or when you destroyed something like a robot, it turns into those red cubes and fades away. It would've went perfectly with what the characters tried to convey that he is making a unlimited amount of armies for Eggman, and it would've been cool to see in a level, like on Chemical Plant where you need a shuttle to rescue Sonic, to see Infinite either behind or right beside you changing the layout making you believe you are somewhere else different and away from the goal.
Honestly yeah. I’d like the series to explore more non-Eggman villains who can actually exist alongside him without just replacing him as the final boss. And given that Eggman presumably took the Phantom Ruby from him at the end of Forces (though the presentation of that is very vague) there’s definite promise to having Infinite looking for a new source of power to get revenge on both Sonic and Eggman. It’d be the first time the series has ever done that kind of three way conflict since like…Shadow the Hedgehog (except for the final boss of Mania).
Despite Forces’ execution, I have a bit of a soft spot for Infinite because he’s the closest thing to what I want out of Sonic villains. A lot of 2000’s final bosses are these nebulous, shallow god monsters who don’t fit in the universe, look like they were pulled out of a bad JRPG and just get shoehorned in to raise the stakes for the final boss. Infinite actually looks and feels like a Sonic character in a way Solaris or Dark Gaia just didn’t, and has an actual dynamic with both Sonic and Eggman in way they lacked (additionally shout-out to Starline in the comics who is effectively a better executed version of a lot of the things I like about Infinite). I’d definitely be down for giving him another shot.
YES YES YES!!! I need him back!!
Yes, I love Illusion/Reality Manipulator characters
Only reason why I rewatch movies like Far From Home
This is not a question the answer is yes, and i would be surprised if IDW isn't itching to use him
Yes
Ye
Absolutely yes, he needs another chance 🙌
I personally never cared, but I wouldn’t mind if we got to see him again one way or another!
Very much so, I think with a good writer he could be one of the best villains in the series
Absolutely. I would love to see him in a future game.
Definitely yes
Absolutely. He needs to be retconned like Broly or elaborate more on his backstory.
I'll just say it: if he had a good final encounter fight, and didn't have the "I'm not weak" scene, Infinite would easily be considered in the pantheon of Sonic villains. This man's got aura unmatched.
I wanna see him unmasked and give him a redemption arc!
As someone who does this in a lot of my AU concepts I am ALL FOR canon Infinite doing the same, though him remaining a villain would also be acceptable.
Yeah. If Ian Flynn got the chance to rewrite him, I bet he could be an excellent character
if the writers cook the yeah be can be a compelling villain
Yes definitely absolutely
If he wears the cool Warlock outfit yes.
If Black Doom can get a second chance, there's absolutely no reason as to why Infinite can't.
Yes
No
Nah, send his ass back to the phantom dimension or whatever it was called
YES
I would love to see him come back in the Idw comics. Have Ian give him the same treatment he gave Zavok.
He was wasted potential and DESERVES to redeem himself. We need him as a stand alone villain, fueled by revenge!
I think he has potential but I'm indifferent
He does, and Forces even shows his potential in one particular level, but there needs to be a lot of work done to not only retcon his so far only appearance, but to also re-establish him in the world at large given just how hard they dropped the ball with him and how they just throw him away in one fell swoop
I’ll be waiting
Yes just ‘cause I think his theme is really funny
Yes
Hear me out… he could be a boss in shadows part of generations
Yes.
I think FORCES itself deserves another chance could've been so much cooler than it was
He has a cool design, cool powerset, and his voice is cool. He could be a good villain.. we just need better writers for him
I haven't played the game myself, but I think Infinite should ABSOLUTELY get another chance. If there's ANY way to make him half as cool as his theme from the soundtrack, I'd take it without question. :D
Let's give Tails' cousin a second chance
Sure, after all, why not?
Bro whenever I see this guy all I can think of is
EPIC RAP BATTLES OF HISTORY
HYDROGEN BOMB
VS
COUGHING BABYYYYYY
(I like him tho he looks cool)
Bro can’t even fight Sonic
Yes, but with a full reboot, not a sequel. They didn't even know what Infinite WAS when writing Forces, they keep saying Eggman created him and he was built in a lab, but that's obviously not the story they went with. A merc who's team was killed by Shadow and has been driven mad is an awesome concept for a very disturbed character- they just screwed it up big time.
Yep. Just not under the current canon (2010's and Forces). I think Infinite could be rebooted and used as a true challenge against the heroes. Not just in power, but in philosophy/ideology. He seems like the type to revel in anarchy and (excuse the FFVII spin-off reference) the Deepground mindset.
Yeah Id change his name tho its just kinda 12 year oldie
Yes
YES
DEFINITELY
ABSOLUTELY
If you want a more elaborate answer, I think there's a lot that could be done with letting him return, and it shows with how many people have had varying ideas on how such a return could happen.
He could remain a villain, becoming something of a joke while still villainous enough to be a genuine problem, reoccurring time and again like a fly that just won't stay dead. Or he could become even stronger end even more dangerous than he was in Forces, potentially forcing Sonic and Eggman to team up again. He could ally with Eggman again, or be an independent villain with interest on revenge on both the heroes and Eggman (the latter at least even has support on the idea in the form of the Otherworld Comedy epilogue)
He could get a redemption arc of some kind, or at least drop villainy in favor of neutrality. He could've been so shaken by his experience being absorbed by the Phantom Ruby that he wants nothing to do with it anymore. He could try to search for a new reason for his existence. He could be dragged kicking and screaming into redemption, slowly improving as a person while initially being EXTREMELY opposed to getting any help but being too weak from Forces to stop anyone helping him.
There's also the Jackal Squad. What did Infinite think of them? Were they like family, or merely tools to him? A common interpretation I've seen is him grieving them and that causing him to double down on his "You can count on only yourself, friendship is meaningless" mentality, and they could do that. Heck, they can very easily retcon the Jackal Squad's fate into having simply been defeated instead of killed, which opens up all sorts of potential into how to utilise them.
The possibilities are never-ending. He really has infinite potential.
Now that I think about it, I think this is one of the reasons I love making AUs for him so much.
Yes,he has so much potential and he has a badass theme song
not without a massive overhaul and if they give him a 3 dimensional personality
Definitely. Cool design and interesting powers.
YES
If it he wasn't written that bad, he would be are reallt good villain in the Sonic franchise. Sure, he deserves at least a chance
Hell yess
Yes please. I actually have an idea for a Sonic animated series, and in it Infinite is a very big deal
To be in another game yes!
Of cause should he return
Forces gave him so many angles to expand on him the fact that he currently is as one note as he is is a crime.
Just to make clear what I mean he:
Was emotionally brocken by how easily Shadow beat him while also failing to avenge his fallen comrades all while he never before lost a fight and for the first time in his life experienced fear
He was turned in a cyborg in a progress that if the other pods in the Imperial tower are anything to go by killed just about everyone else Eggman experiment on.
According to his theme song does his enhancements keep in a state of constant pain that he has to overcome to not lose himself to the Ruby
His though ability are going off a few scenes heavily modified to be more robotic almost certainly thanks to Eggman which is also almost certainly why he is fiercely loyal in Forces
He has a long past to gain the title of "The greatest Mercenary in the world" before even becoming infinite
He for no further explained reason is bored with the current state of the world and wants to burn it down
He used to have god like powers but now lost it all after losing using these powers making him sacrificing his humanity and becoming a tool for Eggman not even worth it.
And that is just what Forces and its prequel comic hold no further exploration of any of these things nor the implication from his quick appearance in last years Sonic Channel Isekai story.
There is so much to explore here like his past as a mercenary, his feelings after losing all of his powers, in what state he even would be (back to normal, worse off then before, a energy vampire that needs to keep the fake ruby in his chest feed to stay alive?)
What he wants the world to be in ruin (just image making him a proper foil for Sonic which him wishing to create a anarchic world were the strong would rule going against Sonic's usual vision of total freedom were we would still help each other)
What are his though about Eggman? Still brainwashed to obey him, freed and wanting revenge, something else entirely?
Does he regret that he gave up his freedom and humanity for power that ultimately still ended in failure or will he double down on it?
What are his exact feelings about his former troupe? Both before, during and after Forces.
Would he continue to wear the mask and if yes why what would he be ashamed of now?
There is so much than can be done with him really.
No, I feel he doesn't. I found him boring and cliché, but I wouldn't mind if Flynn or someone wanted to do more with him. If he comes back and is just more of the same anime villain posturing, then I'll be irritated.
I will say it once more.
I would LOVE a game focused on Tails becoming his own person with Infinite returning as the villain. I just think it would be amazing.
Its been 7 years, Let's just bury him with the game he was in and move on.
it's been HOW MANY YEARS?
I'm getting old
Look at how long Cream went missing before appearing again.
Or especially how long Ray went missing before being used again. Or Mighty, Fang, Bark and Bean for that matter-- but Ray holds the record.
And regardless of how many years it has been, there has only been one modern Sonic game since Sonic Forces. Just because he didn't appear in Sonic Frontiers is no reason to dismiss him. Him and Sage being the new Team Eggman members can work in a future entry.
You're missing the point. The characters you listed were supposed to be recurring characters. Infinite is supposed to be a one off villain of many other villains before him. Like I said before let the game go.
Shadow was also meant to be a one and done character
Shadow was an extremely well written character tho and made a massive impact. There was a good argument that shadow should've come back even though it would've ruined the impact of his sacrifice.
Infinite is not a deep character or an extremely well written one. He's from a shallow and soulless game. His motivations are dumb, he sounds like he's trying too hard to be edgy, and he's dead.
Something not working out doesn't mean you should throw it away, that's something this franchise did too often
For the last time infinite is dead. Segas is not gonna revive a character because a small minority of people liked him. Especially since there is no reason to revive him.
Yeah that's like, why we're having this discussion in the first place
It's not the game.
It is just the character and picking him up to add him to the next racing game, party game or as a mini-boss or multiplayer character in a future game.
But he's not that interesting. Yeah sure put him in a party or racing game who cares but op implied he wanted him to be revived canonically.
Even if he was revived, he would basically just be an Eggman minion who acts all angsty and is constantly brooding in a dark corner and talks overly-dramatically about everything and that could all be very fun when contrasted with Eggman, Sage, Orbot & Cubot and Metal Sonic.
I think he is the first one-off villain that could have that sort of potential as a permanent part of Eggman's entourage even if we play him up mostly for comedic effect.
I think it would really work in the next Sonic cartoon show following Sonic Prime. Instead of having a bunch of Eggmans, have a few Eggman minions and he would fit right in as one of them.
Ah yes, randomly revive infinite infinite so he can be over a dramatic comedic punching bag, that totally makes sense. Also why would he constantly stay with an incompetent idiot like egg man that kinda goes against his 1 dimensional character.
It works for Metal Sonic, doesn't it? Since Infinite is driven to keep beating up those hedgehogs, that gives him a perfectly justified reason to stick with Eggman-- particularly as Eggman empowered him in the first place and he now lost the main source of that power.
The fact that he has reason to remain part of Eggman's forces are actually what seperates him from a lot of the other one-off villains. It makes him a more reasonable part of "Team Eggman" than Zavrok was.
Your right infinite will definitely work with a guy who at the height of his career failed to kill Sonic and His fan made OC who wasn't even using the chaos emeralds. Infinite would most likely just give up and go back to his original profession. And metal sonic is nowhere similar to an infinite in this case.
Your right?
Do you not know the difference between "your" and "you're"?
Anyway-- Infinite's original profession was mercenary and your argument basically serves to indicate that Eggman should no longer be the villain of the series because he has disqualified himself through failing too much.
Because, otherwise-- yes, the mercenary jackal would absolutely keep working for the rich scientist who can pay him to go beat up the hedgehogs he hates.
Metal Sonic and Infinite aren't that different now that you bring it up, role wise, just Metal Sonic got to appear in some spin-offs
They are very different.
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Yes. He had great potential, but was used terribly. Maybe if they changed his story, I'd respect his effort and character more.