I've never cared much about any of the Mario characters. They seem so incredibly one-dimensional in their character that they're just entirely uninteresting. Basically, they have no personality, which is what makes a character. Sonic isn't a particularly great character himself, but certainly better than any of the Mario characters. Sonic is arrogant, kinda' lazy, and likes to win. It's not much, but at least there is some personality to be seen there. I've realized that a lot of young men like characters that lack personality or emotion. They just want a straight-to-the-point game or show without a complicated plot or quirky characters. Which is why things like Mario, Dragonball Z, and Call of Duty are so popular. But yeah, both make good games.