Template:Sonic the Hedgehog/doc

In times past the Sonic game templates were subject to edit wars over different points of view. The following criteria are a set of principles to guide inclusion of games in a particular navigational template, and is considered a standard that all editors should follow. However, they are not set in stone and should be treated with common sense and the occasional exception. When editing this page, please ensure that your revision reflects consensus. When in doubt, discuss first on the |talk page.

The purpose of this inclusion criteria is to decide what is included in Sonic games and where a game goes if it is unsuitable for the "Main series." Successful main series games usually appear under "Main series," while the Game Gear series and all other Game Boy games are generally placed under "Handheld games." All other games that were somehow lacking in either story, gameplay, reception or platform would be under "Spin-offs." However, this guide was not designed to go into detail about how a spin-off is different from a handhand game. When in doubt, don't move it.

General inclusion criteria for "Main series" games
A console or handlheld game can appear under the "Main series" heading only if all of these conditions are satisfied:
 * 1) The game references other games directly before or later games make reference to it;
 * 2) The game does not have "odd gameplay" for a Sonic game;
 * 3) Sonic is the main character or a prominent playable character in the game;
 * 4) The plot ties in with other games; and
 * 5) SEGA or other developers have not explicitly designated the game as being outside the main series.

A game can appear under the appropriate subheading under "Spin-offs" if it fails to satisfy these criteria.

Using this criteria
The foremost example of using this criteria is the inclusion of the Sonic Advance series and Sonic Rush under "Main series." The other criteria are more directly verified. Each game has a linked story (1), are platformers (2), Sonic is the main character (3), and they do not contradict each other (4). Sonic Rush and the Sonic Advance series belong in the main template because the first five conditions have been satisfied and SEGA has not otherwise designated them as being outside the main series.

A trivial example of how this inclusion criteria works would be demonstrating that Sonic Riders is a spin off because it fails criterion 2 (gameplay) in the first group and 6 (not a handheld game) in the second group. Another example is Sonic Battle which satisfies all criteria in the first group except for criteria 2 (it is a fighting game), and so it is a handheld game because it satisfies criterion 5 in the second group. In an even more bizarre case, Knuckles' Chaotix would be a spinoff because it does not feature Sonic. On the other hand, Sonic Pinball Party is not under "Handheld games" because it fails criterion 2 (not a platformer).

A word of warning
Every single attempt by Wikipedians to classify articles with endless sets of "inclusion criteria" has long since proven to be nothing more than an exercise in frustration. There will always be occasions when an article will not fall neatly into one single niche, and these articles tend to make rules like this worthless. When implementing this inclusion criteria, please remember to use common sense and consider that perhaps the most useful piece of information on this page might not be the inclusion criteria but the introductory message.