Nope, Mario has at least two running speeds, sometimes three depending on the game, and the only game that’s “Flat” is the very first one. And it’s only even partly true here, there is plenty beyond flat ground to do even here. And lots of hills and different terrains and heights in the sequels. Have you even played any besides the first one? And his jump also changes depending on your momentum, you can jump both higher and farther depending on how fast you’re running and how long you’ve been running and that’s even true for the first and second games, which I might add are the only two where he only has two running speeds as opposed to three.
I just stated my opinion that I think Mario feels better. If you like sonic better there is certainly nothing wrong with that they are well designed games for sure, but you don’t have to make up facts that are in no way true to do so.
I’ve played the first and second games (the one that’s a reskin of some other game 😛), and I’ve seen plenty of gameplay from the other ones. All of the terrain variation in the Mario sequels is still built out of straight lines. From World:
I was simply unaware that the sequels utilized any momentum based ability. Still, as you say, the most running speeds he has is three, which means the game puts very specific boundaries around the speed and ability to gain momentum. Speed and momentum are very natural and gradual in the Sonic games, allowing the player to even gain a faster speed than one could achieve just by running straight for enough time. That’s what I was referring to; the vast amount of control you have of the character and the existence of a complete physics engine that mimics natural momentum rather than reaching set precise speeds.
I apologize that my statement may have been uninformed, but my opinion still stands. And once again, I wasn’t trying to say it’s objective and you can’t prefer Mario.