Sonic Wild Fire: Sonic in a Solo Adventure! (Wiiii!)

Recent happenings of pertinence to Sonic fans.
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Esrever
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Post by Esrever »

I know it's hard to tell from only a few seconds of footage, but based on the placement of those spiketraps I'd say this is a game where Sonic automatically runs forwards and you just veer him left and right. Not that I wouldn't love to be wrong on this one, but that's what it looks like to me.

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Post by SegaSonic »

Hmm..thats would suck.

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Post by FlashTHD »

Developed by SEGA Studios
USA? Outlook not so good.

It's also not a pleasant sign when the story synopsis immedeately makes you think back to Sonic's Gameworld. What kiddie-riffic bile is this? Did the Shadow game prove them incapable of writing a half-decent story or what? The controls don't sound terribly appealing - tilting to move left and right could work if executed correctly, but I don't like the prospect of sharply jerking the controller around to attack when that could be done via a (gasp) button.

As always, my pitiful dialup connection beats me over the head when it comes to downloads, so could someone plz post screens from the video?

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James McGeachie
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Post by James McGeachie »

I definitely don't think the left and right movement control is the case, I'm sure they know fine well no one in their right mind would want that. I admit he seems to be following those little lights a bit too closely, almost like he's following a set path, but I really can't see them making an entire game where you just control him left and right. Perhaps they're still experimenting at the moment too though, although presentation wise it does look like a fair amount of work has went into it.

EDIT: Wait, what am I saying, I just read that press release thing again, I can't believe I didn't take that in. What a load of tripe. Ugghh nevermind I've been completely off today, I think it's all been too much for me to handle, one hell of a day and not enough sleep to handle the intake.

Anyway how utterly annoying. I was starting to really like the visual style of this game and it seemed to have potential, but this doesn't even sound remotely like a Sonic game, which is extremely ironic considering this is actually a solo adventure for a change.

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FlashTHD
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Post by FlashTHD »

James McGeachie wrote:EDIT: Wait, what am I saying, I just read that press release thing again, I can't believe I didn't take that in. What a load of tripe. Ugghh nevermind I've been completely off today, I think it's all been too much for me to handle, one hell of a day and not enough sleep to handle the intake.
Agreed, more info pouring in to comment on than I can handle. The E3 effect, I guess. Or pure confusion on my end on what the hell Wild Fire is supposed to be.

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Post by Ngangbius »

FlashTHD wrote:
Developed by SEGA Studios
USA? Outlook not so good.
FYI, there are two SEGA Studios, USA and China. Though SEGA Studios could be the generic term for Sega developing it as Sega's PR lists VF5 as being developed by SEGA Studios also.

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Post by FlashTHD »

Hm, Yojiro Ogawa is the producer. Someone refresh my memory on what he's done for the series. Gamespot conducted this interview:
GameSpot: When did development on the game start? How much did you know about the Wii hardware and controller at that time?

Yojiro Ogawa: Exact date of starting the project we can't disclose, but not very long ago! That's actually a difficult question to answer! We had similar information to what information had been released publicly.

GS: How are you taking advantage of the Wii hardware?

YO: The controller is very unique, but also very simple, so we wanted to develop in a manner that complemented this--unique but simple. We want the players to touch the controller as much as possible, but still wanted to focus on making the experience with the controller simple.

GS: Where did the inspiration for the story come from?

YO: We wanted to show the world inside books--filled with adventures, monsters, etc. So we focused on books that children read, but adults also are familiar with. We wanted to create something completely different for Sonic, an entirely new adventure to the Sonic world.

GS: How did you settle on the way players would use the controller?

YO: The Wii's main concept is to be accessible for the whole family. With this controller, the team could have made things very complicated, but we wanted to stay on board with Nintendo's original concept--making it easy to use for the entire family. So we settled on a simple but original use of the controller.

GS: Did you settle on the controls before or after you came up with a game premise?

YO: The game concept and story came first, then we worked on the use of the controller.

GS: Where did the inspiration for the setting and action in the Wii game come from?

YO: We had three inspirations: we wanted players to experience a new and different type of adventure; second, we wanted to revolutionize Sonic himself; and third, after playing many popular game titles, I wanted to figure what was truly fun about these games, and what about them makes them appealing. I used these ideas as the inspiration for this title.

GS: What other Sonic characters will we see in the game? Will any be playable?

YO: You'll see some familiar characters, but in a different light. There will be new adventures of course, but Sonic will be the hero of the story.

GS: What kind of multiplayer options will the game offer?

YO: There will be multiplayer options so people can play with friends and family, but we are still investigating these options. We expect people to want to play quite a bit with their friends!

GS: What's been the biggest challenge in developing the game?

YO: The biggest challenge is how to actually synchronize the Sonic speed with the new controller--to experience the fun and speed of Sonic utilizing an entirely new instrument, through the controller.

GS: What are your thoughts on the Wii hardware and controller now that you've worked on the platform?

YO: When the DS came out, players were really excited about the new style of gameplay; the Wii is the same, offering a totally new way to play games, and we are exited to use these new features in innovating Sonic. The new controller can do a lot of fun things, but for Sonic, we just want to focus on one--controlling Sonic's speed up and down inclinations through new environments, in a manner that anyone can enjoy.

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Post by Frieza2000 »

I like the <i>approach</i> to the game. A spacey, minimalist story and simplistic gameplay. It harkens back to the olden days of Sonic R, Tails's Sky Patrol, and the weird ones like Gameworld. It's not exactly the finest showing of the series, but I enjoyed strolling my way through those tiny games. I picture this as something similar; a short and charming trip with little to no replay value that has about as much impact on the series as the titles listed above.

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Post by Professor Machenstein »

I feel some have been iffy about this quirky, simplistic approach because most people have now grown on the angsty "Dragon Ball Z" approach recent Sonic games have retained. No pleasing either way...

"Moan! SONIC the Hedgehog has too much angst!"

"Wa! Sonic Wild Fire sounds too kiddie!"

So without further ado, I will retract my statement about favoring Sonic Wild Fire over SONIC the Hedgehog and simply hope the both of them the best of luck. Sonic no longer comes in just one style. You have your "dark" Sonic games, you have your quirky, minimalist Sonic games. Just buy the ones you like more.

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Post by Protodude »

I think the story sounds just fine, to be honest. I'm curious to see this Arabian type setting in a Sonic game.

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Post by Senbei »

GS: What other Sonic characters will we see in the game? Will any be playable?

YO: You'll see some familiar characters, but in a different light.
How much you want to bet that Eggman plays the evil vizier?

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Post by DackAttac »

If that means that the canon (or otherwise) supporting characters will be cast as roles in classic fairy tales with Sonic held as the constant protagonist, put me on the "not bitching" list. The plot gives them a lot of legroom to boot.
Professor Machenstein wrote:So without further ado, I will retract my statement about favoring Sonic Wild Fire over SONIC the Hedgehog and simply hope the both of them the best of luck. Sonic no longer comes in just one style. You have your "dark" Sonic games, you have your quirky, minimalist Sonic games. Just buy the ones you like more.
You know, when they announced that a different game might be made on the Wii, I had a feeling that they might try to be more adventurous on the 360 & PS3, while trying to hone in the gameplay with the "Heroes" vibe on the Wii. I was hoping this further, when Eggman seemed to take on an appearance that practically forbids him being the comic relief in S06 (as I'll be calling it, after its predicted release date. It needs a damn acronymn, people!) While I really appreciate the somber tone (the anime jokes in Riders amused me 40% of the time, raised bile for the rest), seeing Eggman in his SA-drawn style, grinning ear to ear, somehow seemed to do the character justice in his status of supervillian. That's just me flapping my piehole, though.

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Post by Esrever »

Screenshots!
http://watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20060510/sonic.htm

At least one of these shots (the one where he is inching along a ledge) seems to suggest that you won't be constantly barrelling forward. So, maybe I was wrong about that after all. I really thought that was what they were getting at in the press release.

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Post by Gaz »

I'm definitely more interested in this than Sonic Next Gen(or whatever you want to call). Admittidly the gameplay still sounds a little dodgy but hopefully this will be playable at E3 and we'll find out a little more. The main reasons I'm preferreing this is because it's a Sonic-only game which is the one thing I've been wanting from this series for years and it seems to have more of a fantasy setting. I've always thought Sonic works better in fantasy environments than realistic ones and while Wild Fire looks inferior graphically I think the style looks a lot better. While the story sounds odd I think it could add a bit of freshness to the series with new interpretations of different characters. I still can't say I'm completely convinced about it but I'm going to try and be optimistic.

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Post by G.Silver »

Sonic appears to be on fire:

http://watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20 ... onic05.htm

I was thinking a neat way to regulate speed would be to tilt the controller forward to accelerate and lean it back to slow him down. That way at least you control the fact that he is "always running" rather than just being boosted along constantly. Not that it really looks like it will be like that anyway.

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Post by big_smile »

One of the scenes in the Gamespot video shows an alternative route with extra bonus rings, so it probably will be possible to control Sonic's direction:

Image

I've made some screenshots of the video for those who can't access it.

The official Wild Fire website has gone live. It confirms that the name is a working title and features a CGI move of Sonic exploring the possibilities of the Wii controller.

^_^

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Post by Esrever »

Looks like Sonic's got a little heartburn!

(Someone had to say it.)

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Post by Senbei »

DackAttac wrote:If that means that the canon (or otherwise) supporting characters will be cast as roles in classic fairy tales with Sonic held as the constant protagonist, put me on the "not bitching" list. The plot gives them a lot of legroom to boot.
Yeah, that's what I was hoping for, too. Like something out of a Tiny Toons parody or that Garfield Genesis game where he played through several famous movies.

I've got to say, those screenshots do look pretty nice. Wide open spaces, cliff faces, classic spike action, rings just set for Light Dashes, and not a bottomless pit in sight (though they're probably inevitable) and all set in one of my favorite environments from SA2. Here's hoping some of the music is similar to Pyramid Cave's.

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Post by Protodude »

So wait, the fire on his chest was intentional? I thought that picture G. Silver posted was some sort of glitch or something.

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Post by Gaz »

Hands-on Sonic Wild Fire preview at IGN.

It sounds like Sonic does run along a set path yet IGN are very positive about it in their preview.

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Post by Arcade »

Well, this thing wont beat Sonic 1 on my heart.

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Post by James McGeachie »

Gaz wrote:Hands-on Sonic Wild Fire preview at IGN.

It sounds like Sonic does run along a set path yet IGN are very positive about it in their preview.
Well I'm now more interested in this than StH. I don't automatically trust MARK BOZON's opinion, but comments like "vastly" improved gameplay seem extremely positive in comparison to 1up seeming almost entirely negative about StH.

Sonic constantly moving still sounds extremely silly and it's hard to imagine it working well, but if multiple reports appear after this also stating that it's fun to play then I'll have to assume that it must. I doubt this is going to feel like a Sonic game at all, but it seems it's going to be fun at least.

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Post by Locit »

IGN is pretty positive about anything that will keep them out of sackcloth. That said, I'm excited!

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Post by Arcade »

So far it looks like a remake of that Arcade Sonic game everryone wants to play "Segasonic the hederhog", that was hard as hell, even for a Arcade game.

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Post by James McGeachie »

Arcade wrote:So far it looks like a remake of that Arcade Sonic game everryone wants to play "Segasonic the hederhog", that was hard as hell, even for a Arcade game.
Yeah it looks like that if you've been blind since birth. I seriously doubt the experience of tilting the controller feels even remotely similar to running through horribly designed isometric levels.

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