>>536903734
Mr. Anon, I do appreciate you providing the full text, but I assure you, I was quite aware of Mr. Flynn's stated reasoning. It does not change my position. In fact, it only reinforces it.

Mr. Flynn is correct that power creep can be problematic. However, his quote is a confession. It is an admission that he is incapable of writing a story around them. He cannot think of sufficient arbitrary, external barriers. He asks, "why doesn't Amy just turn into magical girl with giant world-ending hammer whenever there's a problem?" A competent writer would not need to ask this question. A competent writer would create a narrative where that is not a logical question for the audience to be wondering. They would know how to properly limit and ground powers and transformations within their world. To make adventures truly episodic and self-contained. To make their characters not walking breathing Mary Sues.
The problem is not the potential for new forms. The problem is a writer who sees the cast through the lens of power levels instead of character. Mr. Flynn's immediate jump to a "world-ending hammer" as far as an empowered Ms. Amy goes shows he does not understand how alternative forms and special powers could work beyond a comedic escalation of force.

This is the core issue. Mr. Flynn is a former Archie staffer, not a student of the actual games. He thinks in terms of comic book power scaling, not in terms of the character who is "like the wind." Mr. Sonic's appeal is his indomitable will and spirit. Mr. Flynn's fear of having to write around empowered characters is the same creative failing that led Mr. Kitching to his "evil Super Sonic" concept.
Both men see a simple concept. A hero who can rise to new heights, and instead of writing compelling stories that make it work, they fear their own ability to make it a non-intrusive part of the world. It is a substitute for talent and an understanding of their core and the emotional core of Sonic storytelling.

>>536813032
It is a mercy she was not in those games. Her character was spared the indignity that befell the others.
Look at what they did to Mr. Tails. The Meta Era was not kind to him. The writers, using Mr. Maekawa's work as a template, turned him into a stand-in for Ms. Sally. He became a tactician who fusses with a tablet and gets kidnapped. For Ms. Sally, who has no powers, relying on Mr. Sonic is understandable. For Mr. Tails, a hero in his own right, it is pathetic character regression.
And what of the other games? '06 did a disservice to its entire cast. Forces was a confused story that failed to use its characters properly. Being absent from a poorly written story is a greater kindness than being included only to be misused. Ms. Cream was spared the worst of the series' writing, which is more than can be said for Mr. Tails and Ms. Amy.

Her value is not determined by an appearance in a game that would fail her character. It is better to be absent than to be present and written poorly.