Sonic Dev Admits Reason Why Recent Sonic Games Have Suffered

Ever since Sonic Adventure 2 on the Sega Dreamcast the hedgehog has suffered some pretty poor releases. Sonic fans have been hurting for a long time now with titles like "Sonic Riders" and more recently "Sonic The Hedgehog". What little good will gamers had left for the blue blur is quickly evaporating thanks to Sonic Unleashed, an otherwise decent Sonic game ruined by brawling levels that turn Sonic into a werehog combatant. So why exactly do the development team keep screwing things up exactly? David Clayman caught up with a member of the development team on Sonic Unleashed and asked them exactly this.

[TheColbertinator]

If they decrease the length to make it better that is fine.But I think most would agree on simply making Sonic back into a 2D game again.Its just like Megaman,they are 2D characters and should be in 2D games

[Bigbangbing]

Have you played Sonic Adventure 1 & 2 ?

while i think it would be cool if they make a XBLA Sonic 2D but with 3D graphics .. like LBP or Bionic commando rearmed

but i want Sonic Adventure style :"(

[PirateThom]

nbnt - have you played Sonic Rush on DS?

It basically is that, it's just 2.5 Sonic and it's fun!

[Mr Fancy Pants]

MegaMan Legends was great specially the sequel! There you have your 3-D MM game. Sonic Adventure(the first one) is an example of a well made 3-D Sonic game.

[Bigbangbing]

@ PirateThom

i don't have DS .. :(

[TheColbertinator]

@NBNT

Of course I did.I enjoyed them but I would still prefer a 2D Sonic game.

@Pirate Thom

Yeah Sonic Rush was good but many would like to see Sonic 5 be on PSN/XBLA/Wiiware more.

[Milky Joe]

Right on Mr Colbert. If they can't make a full length game and manage to keep the pace throughout, they should make a PSN etc. only game with a short run time (but plenty of unlockeables and time trials and stuff to give it plenty of replay value for little-to-no extra development time) and then give it a lower price.

Still, I never thought about it like this. I always just assumed the dev team had no idea what they were doing but this makes a lot of sense.

[Captain_Sony]

Sorry I just dont buy it. There are plenty of ways to get around that and it just seems that they are wanting to make excuses for something that failed, when they probably thought it would be the greatest thing added to Sonic ever.

[Milky Joe]

I'm pretty sure that by now they would've realised that people just want to run as Sonic. It's probably been said in every review of every game since the last decent one.

I don't think there's any reason not to believe them.

[iamtehpwn]

"uhm...WE can't make a real sonic game because it takes too much damn work. Take werehog. mmkthxbye"

[Jerkapotamus]

That would really be ideal for me. Offer a two to three hour classic sonic experience and offer it for $15-$20. I would probably get it.

[ThanatosDMC]

But... i like Megaman Legends 1 & 2. Sonic on the other hand was just not my cup of tea. They should just stop with Sonic and create a different game.

[SuperM]

What was so poor about that response?

I was thinking just the same thing when i saw videos of sonic unleashed. Huge 3d enviroments that you pass through in a matter of seconds. Sure they could use 8 years to make the game, but is it really fair to complain that they dont use that much time? If they did they would go bankrupt and they would have to update the engine several times, perhaps even switch console to make the game up to date. Too Human anyone?

[psnDevistator356]

They were just lazy?

God cmon we've been suffering with bad Sonic games just because they didn't want to work hard?

[Mr Fancy Pants]

mmmm interesting, lets read it...

[PirateThom]

I'd rather they make it a download title with running only than bulk it with crap to make it a disc title.

Honestly, that's a poor excuse for subpar games.

[Rob0g0rilla]

Just listen to the fans.

Make it cheaper if it's that short.

[Smacktard]

Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 were terrible. The only good levels were the speed levels. The knuckles and rogue levels in SA2 were absolutely AWFUL.

[Gambit07]

totally agree, I still have the limited edition SA2, god they fcked it up, I never played a sonic game after that.

[Mcrmarcher]

2D Sonic was fun as hell, so was Sonic adventure 1&2 on the Dreamcast,there were also some good Sonic games released on the gameboy as well. Wish they would make a new Sonic game worth playing.

[nirun]

what about tracks? think of wipeout HD meets Sonic Unleashed.

nobody is asking for completely diverse scenery. make some FAST tracks with decent (repeating if they have to) background visuals.

Mix this up with some platforming requiring momentum (think LBP physics), while including the spring like mechanism from Sonic games.

Even if Sonic was unleashed in some robust pinball machine like world to go back and fourth to complete tasks at break neck speeds, that would be a true testament to sonic while keeping it next gen.

[nirun]

i like sonic better than mario. i bought sega genesis over the super nintendo (foolishly, I was a wee child then) *yay for ren and stimpy bundle* hahaha

[nirun]

i just watched the gametrailers review.

the werewolf stages... the enemies spawn and die exactly like Kingdom Hearts.. hmmm

[gacibula]

They should make sonic into a paper mario like game. Keep it 2d, keep it sonic style. I loved sonic 1, 2, 3, and knuckles. Great games!!

If they did a paper mario style sonic... kick @$$

[Captain_Sony]

Well there is a Sonic RPG from Bioware for the DS.

[ultimolu]

2D Sonic was awesome.

I think they're trying too hard with the series.:/

[Yi-Long]

... I think the mistake that Sega makes, is that they think Sonic is ONLY about running, but the first 2d Sonic games were just very entertaining and enjoyable PLATFORMERS, where the lead-character was a fast guy, sure, but that's not what made it so great.

They should just go back to making 2d, sprite-based Sonic platformers like the first 2 megadrive games and Sonic CD.

[Bits-N-Kibbles]

a PSN game with nothing but running and some multi online for replay value. hell, just recreate the classics in the new 3d style or something and no one would complain. Unless they charged $50-$60 for each game or something

[Mr_Luke]

I have a magical sentence for Sonic developers: "Sonic 2D HD". Simple, HD, and again with its wonderful speed and appeal. Stop the 3D experiments, Sonic had to be 2D, like Castlevania. For me Sonic died with Sonic & Knuckles for Mega Drive (little exception for Chaotic on X32 and the Dreamcast episodes).

[bokharij]

game will be good and none the less what people say I'm getting Sonic Unleashed(for PS3). More for the Sonic half, but also for the werehog half. Sonic games seem to now be moving back into the right direction.

[name]

Sonic needs to become a psn/xbla series like megaman. Release classic style sonic games with new levels.

[Captain_Sony]

Dont forget Wiiware. That is after all where the best MM9 times are. Even the guy who is number 1 on PSN admits Wii is where the action is.

[LinuxGuru]

Make Sonic 2D again, and everyone will be happy. Myself included.

[Nitrowolf2]

Make it like LBP graphics style. Keep it as a 2D game, and charge about 10-20 bucks for it on psn/xbl

[iamtehpwn]

Why not make a Sonic game like LBP?
It can keep the Unleashed game play, minus Werehog,
However, All levels are User generated.

[Nike]

If it were that easy to pinpoint what they've been doing wrong all these years with the Sonic franchise, Sega might have done it all those years ago when Sonic Adventure 2: Battle was releaseed, and most definitely done so when Sonic Heroes came along. Quite frankly, Sonic Team isn't what it used to be - most of the original members including Yuji Naka have left (though, he's oddly still on Sega's payroll) and the crappiest titles (Sonic the Hedgehog for 360 and PS3) weren't handled by the team at all. In fact, they divided the total members into two, and the real Sonic Team members went on to work for the superior but still fundamentally flawed Sonic and the Secret Rings.

Anywho, fans are fickle. Some like those extra characters, and others like those pure speed stages. Some like the variety SA2 brought with its grinding and stunts and lightspeed dashing while others think Sonic needs to be taken back to 2D. Regardless, whatever Sega does, if they just, I don't know, do it RIGHT without the typical video game fallacies (bad framerate, bad levels, bad story, etc.), at least one segment would love them and the others would appreciate them. At least no one would outright feel sorry for them.

[mugoldeneagle03]

Worked for me, they just needed to be less story driven I think...Or maybe I'm forgetting somthing.

All I do remember is logging some serious hours back when I first got my Dreamcast :)

[PS360PCROCKS]

so they are lazy?

[Arsenic13]

How about Sega make something worth while like lets say SHENMUE 3. Sonic is so played out, drop him already Sega. You whole revenue which is small comes from children and mentally disabled ppl.

[gumgum99]

I think the reason why they had too do all that was they finally made him fast, but too fast. They just need to cut back the speed a bit so the levels won't have to act as compensation(think Sonic adventure speed but faster). Also, I guess, they could throw in a 2D Downloadable game too so the Genesis era fans can get their fix as well(although last time I checked, Sonic rush was that fix).

You gotta admit that those Sega Dev got a sense of humor in a way.

First they made him too slow in Sonic Next-gen, now they made him too fast.

Come on, Sega, what's going on here! >.<

[Ps_alm3k]

make a valkyria chronicle 2!! Now!!!!

[ChickeyCantor]

They could just do a 2D platformer, they know they can.
But a company doesn't wants to stand still and not try to "innovate".

I say to hell with Sega and just make a 2D platfomer....the fans are screaming for it.
Hell put me on charge and even i can best the current team.

[gumgum99]

just make him slower. you don't really have to make him 300mph to get that sense of speed.

our eyes get overwhelmed by just 100+mph and that's where burnout drops in.
the best speed for sonic in gaming, I think, is about 150 or less. Apparently the sega team was so obsessed with speed that they went off the grid.

I still can't believe they thought that was the logical choice. The solution was such a no brainer.

[freeblue]

ask RARE to make a sonic game. RARE is great at creating huge platform level and worlds that player has to explore with vehicles. so good thing that Sonic has great speed, so no vehicles are required. and RARE creativity and artist style should fit Sonic game easily.

[JasonXE]

to much Japanese culture influence in Sonic games. Look at what it did to jrpgs.

[Andras84]

If you can't make a proper game, and you know you just do stuff to fill it out with b.s. than why make it on the first place? We don't need to get a new Sonic game every year!! They should take their time and do those levels right.

Lazy devs confirmed!!!

[jax07]

He is not saying that they don't want to do the work. The problem is that Sonic is so damn fast that even with the miles and miles of tracks to run on the game would be finished far too soon. You know good and well you would not buy a sixty dollar game that lasted 3 hours. GumGum99 has by far the best solution to this problem in mentioning making him slower.

[SSCOOLCHEA]

SONIC and MARIO IS GAY AND FOR LIL KIDS . But fkn stupids kids are into shooters and the stupid wii . AND F@ggots buy the xbots

[AngryTypingGuy]

Mario made the jump to 3D quite nicely. However since the main focus of Sonic is to go as fast as possible, it should be left at 2D. They could make it 2D with 3D visualizations, similar to the last Street Fighter.

[levy]

sounds kinda stupid.... ok, just do it like this... all the time and work spent on creating the "warehog" mechanics and levels, just focus it on the "speed" levels. You know, it's a sonic game, and the fans wants nothing more. And if it takes so much time, just Take That Time and release it later. Or are they saying that it will be too expensive? lol

[Gambit07]

I think the dev just spit some BS when he was put on the spot.

[PS3Freak]

that man sounds like a 14 year old girl. like... like .... like. But on the subject, i would love to have a good sonic game sometime.

[GIJeff]

why not make a random level generator that builds levels in real time? I've done it with 2d, its not hard. Everyone seems to like sonic better in 2d, at least his movement. Looking back on old sonic games, the funnest part was running fast through environments and jumping on critter heads. Those environments could be created on the fly in real time, gawd that'd be fun.

[killcycle]

people say sonic died because it went 3D but i say WTF!!!!
sonic adventure 2 was my favourite game for a very long time. The reason they suck now is because they keep making him fight and pull off stupid combo attacks. Just let him run ffs

[na2ru1]

Please remake Sonic's looks to match the old classic look. Maybe then, he will run as slow as Sonic 1, 2, 3 and Knuckles.

That way, perhaps the old floating platforms will be more frequent, and swinging, and perhaps multipathes will appear.

Nowadays it's always too much speed. hold forward and jump when needed.

[SinnedNogara]

Wow what an excuse. What they should do is put a lot of puzzles and mazes into these games, as well as make those miles and miles and miles of track for Sonic to run on, and large bosses instead of the Werehog.

[Arsenic13]

Sega wouldnt suck if they released Shenmue 3 already.

[american_ninja]

If only Sega would just hire all the amazing experts of Sonic game design found everywhere in the video game community and gaming media, Sonic would be great again.

You see where that line of thought begins to fall apart.