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Denver, 4:15 AM
Wed Nov 25
53 posts in the last 24 hours
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08/13/09
08/12/09
1. 2D gameplay, with possible exception of bonuslevels
2. Visual style isn't that important at all: they could keep the current 3D look, revert back to 2D or even try something cell-shading.
3. Story: Robotnik needs the 7 Chaos Emeralds and/or Master Emerald to power random doomsday device to conquer world, Sonic (and friends?) try to stop him. No new character taht will turn out to be the final boss, just Robotnik.
4. Only put in other playable characters in they dont radically change the experience.
5. Keep things as simple as possible. Example: no need for a worldmap if you can just have "X Zone, Act 1. X Zone, Act 2. X Zone, Boss act."
Oh, and realize the only addition to the series after the original trilogy/tetralogy people liked were the Chao.You'd think they would've done this on a console again by now
08/12/09
I will tell you why they haven't.
It's all about money. We on kotaku are not nearly as loud as 4 million sugar-sucking 9-year-olds who are currently growing up with Sonic X. Think about that. Growing up with Sonic X. Now consider that the more recent glut of Sonic games, since about Sonic Heroes, are resembling kids cartoons even more with each game. Terrible voice acting, nonsense throwaway story and simplistic gameplay with no hidden complex level of mastery or challenge. The bottom line here is that since Sonic Adventure 2 became a Gamecube title and the pre-teens and younger got wind of Sonic v. Shadow, Sega sort of stumbled into this kiddy pool and now there's one foot in and one foot out. Look no further than Sonic Unleashed to see my point. They got me to buy it, didn't they? Because I, probably like you, thought the daytime levels might have been worth the 50 bucks (for the record, I thought they had a lot of potential and some were downright fun).
Going backwards in time, like what you say they should do (and don't get me wrong, I would be first in line for Sonic 4 with a sleeping bag and a pillow), is a way to get an older generation to catch on to your product. Problem, competition is so fierce in that market that its a risk they just don't feel they can afford to take. Even a "simple" game like you and I would love to have would cost a lot to make if they're going to do that fanservice correctly, a la Mega Man 9. Sonic Team can only do one or two things at a time anyway. They're growing in popularity with little people and falling away with bigger people. So with one foot in the kiddy pool and one foot on dry land, the water's nice and warm on a hot day that is the current economic climate.
We, the loudmouth minority of the gaming community, are just the ass end of a risk assessment. It's a tough break, but don't hold your breath for this game of your dreams or you may not live to comment tomorrow.
The only hope we have is that Sonic will go through one of those "growing up" phases in order to keep the attention of the market they already have as they grow older. To do that, they won't be able to skimp on the gameplay and maximize their profits at the same time. And even though the cycle will inevitably repeat and SuperSonik Jr. will complain about the same things we have, there may be a few years where we can all come up for air and appreciate a more complex and mature take on Sonic. And by "more complex and mature", I am referring to, of course, something similar to the glory days of old that you and I so desperately pine for.
EDIT: Damn line breaks.
08/12/09
"The bottom line here is that since Sonic Adventure 2 became a Gamecube title and the pre-teens and younger got wind of Sonic v. Shadow, Sega sort of stumbled into this kiddy pool and now there's one foot in and one foot out."
lol, I'm sorry, but I just can't take your post seriously when you're implying that the old Sonic games were somehow more mature than the ones we have now. You played as anthropomorphic hedgehog that was blue, ran really fast, loved chili dogs, and was somehow able to convert giant floating rings into something that protected him from harm. You fought an evil genius and his robots alongside other anthropomorphic animals.
...
The majority of people who play Sonic games in the early generations? Kids. The majority of people who play Sonic games in the current generation? Kids. I don't know where you're getting the idea what Sonic was a mature game for mature gamers (such as yourself, right?). Take Sega's advertising a little too seriously back then?
08/12/09
You're missing my point completely to start a new and pointless argument. I don't mean mature like "grown up with guns and tattoos" mature. Of course a talking, running hedgehog with his own cartoons isn't mature in that sense. Maybe I should have spelled it out. Would "raw" or "distilled" be a better choice?
Gameplay has changed over those years and with it has gone the trials and tribulations of "GAME OVER" and, heaven forbid, running out of rings, which is pretty hard to do past since Sonic 2. Gone are the times where you had to stop and jump on an enemy to kill it. Maybe even dodge their attack (OMG HOW DO I DO THAT?). You just boost right through them now. Players are coddled with tutorials and infinite continues. Why bother including a manual these days?
What's more, gone are the masterwork 16-bit soundtracks of catchy and intricate stage themes, replaced by electric power chords and swelling instrumentation that is undoubtedly less unique and memorable that it ever was "back in the day". It's just another example of how working with less has, in many minds, produced much more.
The gameplay is what is mature. It's mature in its simplicity. It's a challenge of player versus game and not some happy trip down the yellow-brick road together like today's hand-holding adventures. And though sonic was never really that hard since Sonic 2, it was fun for a lot of the same reasons.
EDIT: I will conquer the line breaks!
08/12/09
@Who wants toast?:
Sega Called. They got your memo and released your game back trough time to four years ago.
08/12/09
08/12/09
Give it a try Sega and you'll see.
08/12/09
I say they just pay the Mega Man 9 guys (did Capcom do it in house?) and split the winnings. Of which there are sure to be plenty.
08/12/09
08/12/09
08/12/09
I have hopes for Bayonetta and Inifinite Space (even if I can't tell how the heck you actually play it), but they need to get back on some palatable content QUICK or they're going to fold again.
08/12/09
08/12/09
Norte Americanos no hables ingles anymore.
08/12/09
And that is just speaking for the people who actually can understand english.
The rest (which is the bigest part) of the people can only "shool english" which is only good enough for arcade games...
08/12/09
IMO, if Yakuza 3 were released with subtitles, the kind of gamers who are waiting for this game would make the effort, even if they aren't perfectly fluent in English.
Now, of course the ideal solution for Western gamers would be a full localisation in 4 or 5 major languages. But if the choice is between English subs or nothing at all, I say bring on the subs.
It's really a matter of how much money Sega would be willing to invest on localisation (should they decide to go ahead with an international release, that is...).
08/12/09
08/12/09
I'm sure at some point I'll say something so outrageously witty that I'll earn one the old fashioned way.
You know, sunshine, dog's asses, infinite monkeys on infinite typewriters, and all that...
08/12/09
08/12/09
For example, do you think you might be giving SEGA more love than they deserve because you played lots of NHL 94 on the Genesis, and now you equate good gaming fun with the SEGA brand?
08/12/09
Now however, Yu has been laying low and some of their recent good games have been overlooked in rants because of Sonic hate and Yakuza 3 envy, etc. They're a great software developer still, I just think they've slightly lost their way.
08/12/09
But yeah, I see your point.
08/12/09
I would say, though, that Afterburner, Outrun, Golden Axe, and Shinobi I remember for the arcade versions. That doesn't discount the fact that they were great games by SEGA, but they won't be recapturing the extreme awesomeness that was the full motion Afterburner game.
08/12/09
So, yeah, it was the games. :)
08/12/09
08/12/09
Finally Daytona USA is awesome.
08/12/09
I remember SEGA fondly because of their games - many of those games defined my childhood experience with interactive media. I would run down a list of games, but I'm sure you know what they are already.
It wasn't just the games, though. Like Hayes said, SEGA took risks (and copied Nintendo more than a fair bit :P ) with their games and their corporate structure. My favorite SEGA era began with the NAOMI; shortly after its introduction SEGA gave actual identities to its AM development teams to encourage competition in development (the birth of Smilebit, Overworks, WOW, etc.). This was an exciting time and many great titles were produced. This is the SEGA I fondly remember. I'd like to see a third renaissance from them someday.
08/12/09
You should all be ashamed!
08/12/09
08/12/09
08/12/09
looks at the two highest rated Sega games on the Wii...
Madworld - 81%
The House of the Dead: Overkill - 78%
Meh.
08/12/09
08/12/09
08/12/09
We can't help but compare a game like The Conduit for example, with the Overkills and the Halos because that's where that particular genre has gone and we want that for the Wii. But we seldom get it. And when we get it...its mediocre. That's what is killing me about the Wii.
08/12/09
anything above at most 60% cannot be called medicore. 70% is a good score, it's better than average aka above medicore.
08/12/09
Dramatics set aside, I think Sega sits in a very neutral position right now. They are a developer with the potential to do just about anything they want right now. It's true that one doesn't really feel any particular sense of identity from Sega, but maybe they're still in a transitional phase. In recent years, it's felt like Sega has moved towards defining itself as a mass producer of crap that sells faster than hotcakes, but I'm not sure it's too late for them to move in a different direction. One day, I think we might again look to Sega as a publisher of creative, engaging, and revolutionary IPs.
08/12/09
08/12/09
08/12/09
Stop "considering it" and just DO it.
08/12/09
Please give us a new Streets of Rage. For too long of the streets been silent. It is time for them to rage once more.
Sincerely,
Taggart6
08/12/09
08/12/09
By the way, new a Shining Force game would be amazing. Not a mediocre action-RPG for the DS, mind you. A full-blown next-gen epic to live up to the legacy left behind by Shining Force and Shining Force II. Unlikely, but it would blow my mind, let me tell you.
As an alternative, I certainly wouldn't object to a downloadable remake of the original Shining Force complete with graphical overhaul a la Street Fighter II HD Remix, Bionic Commando Rearmed, Turtles in Time, etc.
08/12/09
08/12/09
Yep, the Golden Axe remake is such a gem. So is Sonic on the Xbox 360/PS3 as well as The Golden Compass and The Club.
Apparently, the Sonic Team is not necessarily an entirely different story.
I'm also not at all happy that the Valkyria Chronicles sequel is on the craptastic PSP.
08/12/09
08/12/09
" "It could be the consumers didn't like the art style," he said. "It could be the consumers had enough Mature-rated games to play on 360 and PS3 and didn't need a new experience on Wii." "
He should probably also consider the fact that the "mature" themes in madworld aren't necessarily mature at all. I'm down with violent video games, but games that glorify violence for the sake of violence haven't appealled to me for years. I found the art style interesting, but all the reviews I read focused on the gruesome death scenes and juvenile humor from the announcers. The game as described by the reviewers didn't appeal to me at all.
I think the two major defining elements of madworld on display may have appealled to two different demographics. Those who like games as art and those who still think mortal kombat is a solid fighting game franchise :P
08/12/09