Sonic Team struggles to realize that if you make crap games, people are going to get cranky
Matt Hawkins The ever-clueless folks that make Sonic The Hedgehog games recently stated that it’s hard to please fans of the old games. Actually it’s not. In fact, it’s pretty damn simple.
In an interview with the UK’s Official Nintendo Magazine, Sonic Generations producer Takashi Iizuka said: “Our team are always trying to present new gameplay innovations so it’s hard to please fans who like the gameplay from the older games.” Oh really? Futhermore, Iizuka also states: “However, we have included the older gameplay as part of Sonic’s 20th Anniversary, so we think the fans of the older games will enjoy it [Generations] as well.”
First off, the only reason why old time Sonic fans (I’m in that camp btw) seem a bit short is because each new game is filled with nothing but hallow promises. In recent years, every new Sonic title has been heralded as the “return to what actually works, what everyone wants, Sonic 2 and 3-like.” And it certainly seems that way at first, till you realize that Sonic also turns into a werewolf. Sorry, werehog (the fact that the aptly titled Sonic 4 felt NOTHING like its spiritual successors certainly hasn’t helped matters much).
And that’s the other thing; why haven’t they read the memo yet, about how no one cares about gameplay innovation in a Sonic game. We all just want what we liked, God, twenty years ago. And that’s just to run fast, preferablya in a straight line, period. Nothing more, nothing less. Unfortunately, anyone that’s actually played the demo that recently came out can tell you that the best hope for that old school Sonic action is, not surprisingly, yet another dud. It’s not obnoxiously bad like some of the previous installments, but it still misses the mark.
BTW, for those who have yet to see it, here’s footage from Sonic Generations version of the classic Sonic 2 level, Chemical Plant Zone…
… Oh, and a look at the Sonic Generations version of the opening level from Sonic Adventure 2 as well (which looks fine; I certainly don’t mind replaying the best, and only, good part of that particular title). But anyway, those that have again played the demo will really know what I’m talking about; because everything is so pulled back, and with Sonic being so small, things move much slower than they did before. Why? Are there any reasons for the environments to be so vast and the camera to be pulled back like that, when such things add nothing to a side-scroller?
Once more, I guess I wouldn’t be so surprised if the game was by some no name company that didn’t make its fortunes off of such games back in the day. But hey, that’s Sega for you.
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