I guess taste differs.
I love them, mostly in Sonic: Lost World & Fire and Ice.
Especially the way Orbot talks, so polite, like a British gentleman.
So contrast with the way Cubot talks.
And the way they look up to their big brother, Metal Sonic, are kinda cute.
I never liked them because, well... I mean, I get it, Sonic games these days are more developed characters and stories than Classic-Dreamcast era of Sonic games. And in stories, usually characters talk amongst one another for plot explanation and progression.
Just like in the Sonic cartoons, Dr. Robotnik was often teamed with "henchbots" in which he shares his schemes with which in turn explains to the audience.
But, that's why I never liked Orbot and Cubot that much. Dr. Eggman never needed "henchbots" up until Sonic Colours. Other than that, they're useless as hechbots. At least Scratch and Grounder went on the field to try and catch Sonic and Decoe and Bocoe often assist Dr. Eggman in co-piloting his machines or helping him escape. But Orbot and Cubot, they're mostly there for plot-dumping. They don't really do much of anything else. In which case, why can't Dr. Eggman just talk to a random Eggpawn?
This is why I think Orbot and Cubot would be better off as just Sonic Boom characters because it's both a TV series, where henchbots are usually expected, and back-and-forth plot-banter with Dr. Eggman.
Now, you could say I feel the same way for Sage, but I don't. Sage wasn't made just for lore-dumping, I believe Cyber Space effected her core programming, I dunno if Dr. Eggman intended for her to appear like a little girl when originally she was a small round device he stuck on a Portal. But because her AI was more advance than he expected, instead of rejecting her, he started to feel fatherly towards her and Sage recouperated this with desire to be his daughter. To me, this felt like a more developed partnership than Orbot and Cubot.
I just think Dr. Eggman is better off as a solo act and that Orbot and Cubot don't really do much.
And since we're opening up now, I'll be honest too.
I never liked Chip, Surge, and Kitsunami.
Chip, I like. And even if you don't like him, he only appeared in the one game, so "writing him back in" would be "near" impossible for Sonic Team.
But as for Surge and Kitsunami, well, I have mixed feelings for them. Especially Surge.
Surge is pretty much Scourge's replacement. It's that obvious. But at the same time, it seems they're going for a Harley Quinn approach with her. She started off a punk girl villain, but because she's got more popular than expected, she's becoming punk girl hero. It just reminds me how Harley Quinn started off as a villainous lackey and girlfriend of the Joker but in recently years become more of an independent anti-hero whose now dating Poison Ivy.
But, another thing I feel rather unsure of is, while IDW-exclusive Sonic characters have yet to appear in "canon" games, Sonic Team seems adamant on reinforcing the idea that Tangle, Whisper and potentially other IDW-exclusive characters may still be canon.
I just don't think it's a good idea for IDW Sonic comics to remain "canon" to the games.
Compare the first issue of Archie Sonic comics and how it was supposed to be a rough continuation of SatAM at the time. Compare it to the last pre-SGW issue and just how vastly different it has become save for the core characters. This is because over time characters, stories and elements come and go that reshaped the Archie Sonic comics into something entirely different and independent of the source it started from.
And I believe the same is happening with IDW Sonic comics. It started off as a direct-sequel to Sonic Forces, but it has introduced its own characters, its own stories, its own backstories here and there and slowly shaping into becoming its own thing that's not covered in the games. In yet, Sonic Team wants the fans to accept IDW Sonic as "canon", which I just struggle to accept.
Not only that, but wouldn't making the comics canon also be a liability? What if, ""purely hypothetically"", something snaps in Ian Flynn's brain, and he wants to "Pull a Penders", as in to take legal rights to all the characters and content he contributed to Sonic the Hedgehog. That means Sonic games he has written for (Frontiers, SXSG) as well as Sonic games that star his characters (Speed Sim, Speed Battle, Rumble, Crossworld) will either have to remove his characters or be blacklisted from Sonic Team.
I say purely hypothetically, given Flynn likely won't and likely can't if Sega's legal team learned over Ken Pender's lawsuits. But anything bad that ends up in IDW Sonic comics could end up having poor reflection on the games.
Another ""purely hypothetical"" example, let's say IDW Sonic comic hired a brand-new artist and story writer. The guy is new to the business but still well received. They allow the new guy to introduce his character into the comic, a teen or young adult character, who ends up on good terms with Cream the Rabbit. Maybe as her tutor, babysitter for when Amy is not around, or just someone that is "trusted".
And then, a few years later, Sonic Team or IDW finds out that artist-story writer is a nonce! They could promptly fire him, but the fact he put a represented character of himself into the comic, especially as a "friend of Cream", well, it would be too late by then. Even if Sonic Team says "this character is no longer canon!", the fact Sonic Team reinforces the fact IDW Sonic comics are canon to the games mean the damage would've already been done.
I know these hypothetical examples are truly out there and beyond than likely to ever happen, but I still think that Sega's decision to make the IDW Sonic comics' canon to the games could potentially be a bad idea in the long run. That it's not too late for Sonic Team to de-canonize the comics, or the very least accept IDW Sonic characters with revised backstories.
