I have to disagree with the last statement. While I like your parallel between Sunset and Silver (a lot), EqG was met with mixed reactions and reviews. Yes, there were missed opportunities, but there are enough good things about it that many people address to prevent it from being considered terrible. Sonic Next Gen, on the other hand, had too much going against it that Sonic and Blaze (the two characters with the best control) couldn't save it, leaving it 95-99% terrible.