Are gamers so used to playing easy games that they can't take a game over every now and then? Maybe it is because I play old games and new games at the same time but game overs do not bother me. I see it as a way for me to improve my skill. If I win all the time is it really a game?
Also Sonic is not even that hard of a game. I beat the game in one sitting multiple times when I was in middle school. I am pretty sure grown people are better than that.