Dear Editor,

Last week, I believe I was majorly hornswoggled. We have transitioned to the infamous post-summer video game drought where we are all stuck waiting for new releases in the winter holiday season. I’m bored. I need a new game. I needed a sign. What looked like a group of over a hundred Loyola students and faculty collected in the Peace Quad attracted me. They were cheering for something. I’m not typically in the loop with what is happening around campus, so I was curious. A part of me even suspected this to be some game news I desperately wanted.

The banner was released, and I immediately knew this was news for a new Sonic game. Yes, I said “Sonic.” I was desperate enough to play a Sonic game even though we all know the recent releases have been rather subpar compared to the earlier games. I’m not particularly excited about the already announced games, one involving Sonic skiing in the Winter Olympics with Mario, as if we need another Mario or Sonic sports game. Will this game include mundane Chao raising again? Maybe Eggman summons some unstoppable terror and calls in Sonic to save the day? How about Mighty the Armadillo? Where did he go? Will we suffer another forced fishing mini-game as Big the Cat? But wait! This banner displays a red hedgehog-like character. Could this truly be another new character to pollute the franchise? Sega is falling back into bad habit again.

I was too engrossed in my rapid thoughts to pay attention to the event, but I briefly overheard a person finish his sentence: “…new Loyola logo.” I give a sigh of relief. Phew, Sega is not making a mistake with a red hedgehog. But my sigh might have been premature. What is Loyola doing with this cartoon wolf who resembles a Sonic world OC like one would see all over an amateur’s profile on deviantArt? I know Sega might make the mistake of crowding their game with too many cartoon animals, but I had higher expectations for Loyola’s new logo. Somewhere out there I can hear choked sobs of a fourteen year old on deviantArt mourning the unauthorized use of his “original” fan character “Viper the Wolf” as the template for a college sports mascot. Maybe our cross-country sprinters will run at the speed of sound, inspired by our newfound recolored Sonic mascot.

I knew Sega might change their logo, but I didn’t realize Loyola was adopting Sonic as ours. It’s not the exciting video game news I wanted, but at least I get pleasure from imagining our red Mascot blurred across the basketball court. However, if he starts wearing gloves and shoes while spouting phrases like, “You’re too slow!” then maybe we should expect lawsuits.

Disappointed gamer and Loyola student,

Devin Michael Burgess

history junior