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Kikizo teaser interview sheds light on the future of Sonic

Kikizo have conducted an interview with Akinori Nishiyama and Takashi Yuda, who are the key producers for Sonic Rush and Sonic Riders respectively. The full interview won't be published until later today, but the site currently contains a brief preview article, which reveals a few interesting details about Sonic Team’s plans for the future of the Sonic series.

Nishiyama discusses his strong admiration for 2D games and his desire to keep the format alive for as long as he can. He hopes that user demand will be high enough to allow him to produce a sequel to Sonic Rush.

Yuda explains that the decision to produce Sonic Riders came from strong fan demand for a Sonic racing game. He has plans for other Sonic spin-offs too, but reassures Kikizo that these will be “suitable for fansâ€￾.

The full preview article can be found here

I never seen Yuda before.

That "suitable for fans" line has a pretty ominous ring to it.

Well the full thing is up. No new news on the Next Gen Sonic title but it's interesting to hear hope on another Sonic Rush style title and also hope of further marrying a 3D Sonic title on a 2D axis.

I don't care how many other titles they are working on if they refuse to give us any clues and there is now a small glimmer of hope that Sonic Riders won't be utter pants.

However...

I think that Shadow was a really good idea. It's certainly a challenge for the team. There's actually one theory that Shadow might become more popular than Sonic.

I agree the idea behind Shadow was a good one but in reality was executed appallingly. I don’t think Sonic is in any danger yet.

PSMad wrote:I agree the idea behind Shadow was a good one but in reality was executed appallingly. I don’t think Sonic is in any danger yet.

I don't think you're paying enough attention to pop culture. Shadow is what the teenies <i>want</i>.

Owen Axel wrote:That "suitable for fans" line has a pretty ominous ring to it.

Sort of like Shadow the Hedgehog. Many die-hard fans of the Sonic franchise(especially the young ones) like it.

Everyone else though it was crap.

Yuda: I'm not actually involved with the 15th Anniversary title. I'm involved in something quite big, so I can't really say what.

And what, pray tell, could be bigger for the Sonic Team than a next-gen Sonic title that promises to bring the much-maligned character back from the brink of mediocrity?

Seriously, I want to know.

Shadow the Hedgehog 2.

Well, Sonic Riders 2, but Shadow is funnier.

PSMad wrote: I don’t think Sonic is in any danger yet.

But is it really a 'danger'? Sega only really seem to be interested in milking Sonic (even the big name Sonic titles such as Heroes and Shadow feel more like spin-offs as opposed to true continuations of the series).

If Shadow became Sega's new mascot, then Sonic Team could take a break from Sonic allowing them to recharge their ideas. The character of Shadow also lends himself more to the spin-off games that Sonic Team seem eager to create.

^_^

Unfortunately for Nishiyama I'm not sure if "user demand" will be high enough for a Rush 2 . I haven't seen any US figures, but not only did it not make the top 40 charts in the UK, it only debuted at 40th place in Japan (you can find this weeks sales figures here), which I can't help but find extremely disappointing. Then again, I have no idea how well the Advance games sold over there, but I know at least all 3 of them debuted in the top 40 uk, unlike Rush.

Just as I feared.

When SONICTEAM finally produces a good game, it fails to out-sell their crappy ones. These lack of sells might continue to motivate SONICTEAM to keep producing crappy games if they do not see results soon. Hopefully the reasons for this ordeal is because...

- People are still trying to get the bad taste from Heroes and Shadow out of their mouths.

- With Christmas coming, maybe they are just waiting to get the proper Sonic game [and a DS] on a more suitable day. I know I am.

- People are busy with other DS games right now and are not in the mood to purchase another at the moment. I can see why this is with Mario Kart DS out on the same day.

There is hope though. When, or if, SONICTEAM reads the reviews Shadow's been getting, SONICTEAM will finally realize their 3D games suck, stop screwing around, and work extra hard on Sonic the Hedgehog to ensure their apology is for real. Plus, with every gaming source pissed at SONICTEAM, their interviewers will finally stop playing tea-party and give SONICTEAM the truth they desperately need.

Another amazing thing is that not only is Heroes also still in the UK top 40, both it and Shadow moved up positions this week, Shadow to 15th and Heroes to 32nd. Rush remained nowhere.

Even though Rush isn't in the top 40 it's the second best selling DS game this week, after Mario Kart DS. I really do love the game and pray for a new and improved Rush 2.

I hear a lot of people actually like Shadow The Hedgehog and am appalled by that fact. So even I got suckered in and laid down £30 for the game but after playing it I'm not too proud to admit it's utter rubbish. I might even try and see the final ending if I can be bothered. I don't dislike the Shadow character totally but surely he can't overtake Sonic to become the most popular Hedgehog?

*looks at the UK chart list*

Man, the UK really has some shit taste in games. The Matrix: Path of Neo in the top ten?!?

...though I admit our sales list probably won't be any better. XD =(

I think it's just because everybody loves the PSP over here. Seeing someone with a DS is so ridiculously rare, I've only known of three people to have one; one is my mate Jonny and the other two were random Japanese girls I saw on a train to London. I'm guessing that Shadow and Heroes are so high up because everyone already has PS2s and (but not so much) Gamecubes, and have yet to "get" the whole DS thing, assuming they ever will give it a chance when the PSP has the vice-like grip on the market that it does.

Well that'd be all fine and well if Mario Kart DS hadn't debuted in 13th place this week, proving there's at least enough DS owners to make an impact on the charts. All 3 versions of Nintendogs sold enough combined to get them either 1st or 2nd place too.

Also, unbelievably the reality is that the DS has actually been outselling the PSP in the UK recently, but I'm positive it can only be due to a lack of PSP stock.

I've seen more PSPs than DSs being USED, but out of the many times I've seen a PSP I've only ever seen it being used to play a game once. Most of the time people are just walking around using the PSP as an MP3 player.

I see PSPs all the time around here, too. More specifically, I see them sitting in massive, untouched piles at EB, Zellers, and Walmart.

I see kids wandering around with DS's all the time, though, especially the new red one.

It just don't add up...

Ngangbius wrote:Man, the UK really has some shit taste in games.

It's true. =(

I personnally loved the sonic game but I really hated the DS and their stupid touch screen crap.

Yeah, I hate fun, too.

I just don't care for handhelds anymore, I kept buying the new GameBoys and like a few games and never got around to playing them, so I just said screw it, and stopped buying them altogether.

However, the situation where I live is a lot like what Esrever said. I know of one person that owns a PSP, and I've never seen another walking around with one or anything. The one dude that I know bought one got it the day it came out and regrets it, he said its sole purpose is to use while he is on the toilet. I see DS's around, not as often as I saw GBA's, but still around.

I got a PSP but I only use it to play WipEout at work. I might get rid of it and get a DS instead, at least there are some more worthwhile games on offer.
On the other hand, it's the only way I can actually kick the Head Chefs arse.

I see people playing DS's pretty frequently at my college, but only the occasional PSP, and all the little kids that live in my neighborhood are always carrying GBA SP's with them. So far I think I've only seen one person with a Game Boy Micro.

I know a bunch of people that actually own both a PSP and DS, but they usually just carry their DS with them because:

1. No AAA titles on PSP (well, except for Lumines)
2. Mario Kart DS ( I swear to god, every fucker at my school with a DS has this game)
3. They don't want their PSP to break or they don't want to get mugged by people who see the white headphones and think it's an iPod.
4. Jump Superstars (well, this only applies to the otaku)
5. You can't watch PSP Porn in a crowded place like my school