>>528635830
The Japanese title loosely puts it in the series inb4 Rush Adventure it has the hubs and permanent-upgrade items, and the writing and characterization is actually fairly on point, it was just taken a completely different direction by revamping the gameplay and de-emphasizing the playable cast. If Sonic 2006 hadn't bombed magnificently, they probably would have stuck closer to the original production notes instead of going on a never-ending journey of soul-searching that continues to this day.