Yuji Naka - Sonic titles are NOT as fun, wants to return to Sonic Team in the future

[Barry the Nomad]

What are his his recent games?

To add to that list, a LOT of pointless iOS games that almost sound like gag apps made up for a late night talk show sketch. You can see them all here, most are pointless and none are fun: http://iprope.com/index.html

Ok, Tap Runner was alright, but not great by any means.

[Kokonoe]

Apparently he made Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails as pigs.

[Johnny Boy]

Apparently he made Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails as pigs.

Coming this fall to your favorite consoles:

Sonic the HOG!

[pppp]

Why doesn't Sega make a deal with him to let Prope develop the 2D games since Sonic Team only wants to make 3D ones?

I'd like to see that.

Edited May 18, 2012 by pppp

[Autosaver]

Oh, by the way, I have the "Flick Pigs" app on my iPod. It is really fun and I recommend checking it out.

[EXshad]

Well, originally, when I played Sonic Unleashed, I found that game very challenging, but for the wrong reasons. The primary reason, at least in the daytime stages, was because the levels were filled with bottomless pits and other traps that impeded your progress, and the level required intense memorization and quick reflexes to master, rather than carefully-executed platforming like in the classic games. However, Sonic Colors fixed this problem with its level design, but as a result, it was a bit too easy since the memorization shit was one of the ONLY things that added challenge to the Unleashed style. Still, I found some levels pretty tough, primarily the final stage, Planet Wisp Act 4, and Asteroid Coaster, however even then, some of that was a cheap way of adding difficulty to the level, such as the beloved bottomless pits.

Sonic Generations fared a tiny bit better in this department, but it still wasn't enough. I only truly felt challenged by both Crisis Cities, Rooftop Run Classic, and both Planet Wisps, while the other levels were just gleeful romps through memory lane that didn't really challenge me very much at all.

Sonic 4 Episode 1 was also piss easy until the final stage, which was just stupid for so many reasons. But surprisingly, I thought Sonic 4 Episode 2 came the closest to challenging me fairly. Yes, there's a bit too many bottomless pits sometimes, but in stages such as Oil Desert, or Sky Fortress Act 3, cleverly navigating the stage and using your platforming prowess was the key to success. The bosses also were rather challenging, sans Eggman's Japanese tentacle porn machine Serpentleaf, and the last boss actually felt like a REAL last boss, putting everything you've learned in the game to the test, including how to cleverly take advantage of the combos you could perform with Tails. I'll shamelessly promote reading my review of the game so you can better understand where I'm coming from. Don't get the wrong idea though - I'm not claiming it's better than Sonic Colors or Sonic Generations because of this. Challenging doesn't always equal fun.

Still, I get what Naka-san is saying, but I don't think it's fair to claim that the difficulty not being high enough alone is the reason that the games aren't as fun as they used to be (though I found Colors, Generations, and Episode 2 to be some of the best quality titles since the Adventure games). It also has to do with a lack of ironing out some bugs, which even Generations had every so often, such as the camera getting stuck at a strange 45 degree angle here and there when attempting to change from 2D to 3D, or when you press the jump button and there's a small lag between the button being pressed and the action being performed. It also has to do with some lazy design choices, such as the automated clusterfucks of springs and boosters that permeate Sonic 4. Finally, it has to do with Sega trying to shoehorn bullshit mechanics into Sonic games that just don't belong, like treasure hunting, telekinesis, or Gumby the God of Warhog, though Sega has seemed to have ended that bullshit with Unleashed.

But as a whole, I think now is a great time to be a Sonic fan, with the home console games being as good as they were over 10 years ago. But hey, if Naka-san comes back, I welcome that too, he could very well put the quality of the titles over the top, taking them from being great to "fucking amazing and actually rivals Mario" quality.

Edited May 18, 2012 by EXshad

[Barry the Nomad]

Oh, by the way, I have the "Flick Pigs" app on my iPod. It is really fun and I recommend checking it out.

Oh yeah, I should note that Flick Pigs is a pretty inventive game. Not the next Sonic, but its fun. If you DL one prope game, make that the one.

[sonfan1984]

IMO Sonic games are never really that diffcult to begin with except for maybe a few (Sonic 1 for the Genesis and Sonic 2 for the GameGear is those few). SA1, SA2, the Advance games, Heroes, Rush games, etc all of them are piss easy but it doesn't stop people from enjoying them. People are acting like the games are easy now from Colors onward when it's been that way for years.

Edited May 18, 2012 by sonfan1984

[...]

This is really interesting. I'd love to see Naka return to Sonic Team. Iizuka can work with the 3D games, Naka with the 2D games.

[Phos]

A game involving Kiwi birds, another game involving suspiciously color coded pigs running down a track, and the relatively unknown Rodea the Sky Soldier, which for some reason seems to have vanished off the face of the earth.

The damn publisher sat on Rodea until the Wii became no longer a viable platform. The game's been done for about a year AFAIK but it looks like it won't really be released. I suspect that this experience is partly what is informing his desire to return to Sega.

I was really anticipating that game, too.

[Jadentheman]

Wasn't Yuji Naka one of the people associated it Heroes, Shadow, and 06?

[Ekaje]

The damn publisher sat on Rodea until the Wii became no longer a viable platform. The game's been done for about a year AFAIK but it looks like it won't really be released. I suspect that this experience is partly what is informing his desire to return to Sega.

I was really anticipating that game, too.

If his company did get back with SEGA, would it be possible for them to publish it, or is it stuck in the hands of the current publisher to sit on forever?

Edited May 18, 2012 by Ekaje

[Sega DogTagz]

Naka jumped ship when the franchise hit its hardest level of turbulence…. Now he is thinking about coming back? After the series has finally crested the sh@tstorm that he abandoned ship to avoid?

The talent level he brings to the table is unquestionable, but I imagine there would be some hard feelings all around if Naka ever came back to Sonic Team. From my understanding of Sega’s history, Naka was always a difficult personality to deal with. Any Sonic game he comes in to work with would immediately face a gigantic speed-bump in the form of a few disenfranchised people having a bone to pick with the dude.

I’d welcome him back with open arms, but I would kill to be a fly on the wall in the first couple development meetings.

Edited May 18, 2012 by Sega DogTagz

[blackherox]

]

Because of what Hogfather said, basically. Naka's opinion on Sonic wasn't quoted at all despite saying they were too easy, the interviewer just over-sensationalised the article by putting words into Naka's mouth.

They seem to be doing that an awful lot lately (not surprised though).

Oh and Sonic and Mario cannot be rivals. You do not sell the vast majority of copies of your franchise on a 'rival' console and yet still call yourselves 'rivals.' Thats not a rival, thats a partner.

[SenEDDtor Missile]

Naka jumped ship when the franchise hit its hardest level of turbulence…. Now he is thinking about coming back? After the series has finally crested the sh@tstom that he abandoned ship to avoid?

The talent level he brings to the table is unquestionable, but I imagine there would be some hard feelings all around if Naka ever came back to Sonic Team. From my understanding of Sega’s history, Naka was always a difficult personality to deal with. Any Sonic game he comes in to work with would immediately face a gigantic speed-bump in the form of a few disenfranchised people having a bone to pick with the dude.

I’d welcome him back with open arms, but I would kill to be a fly on the wall in the first couple development meetings.

If Sonic was a real person, I don't think he and his "father" are going to be chummy chums like they were back in the Genesis days...

[Burnt Ash]

Hmm. I'd love to see him come back, it'd be kind of cool to see what kind of things both Iizuka and Naka can come up with.

[Big Boss (legendsneverdie)]

I have no problems with Sonic the way it is now, but It could be cool having Naka work on new games.

[WarioBone]

Well, if him coming back means moar NiGHTS, then yes, please.

[Old dead account]

Maybe then we'd get some competent level design. I wonder if he's played Sonic 4 yet.

[WarioBone]

Maybe then we'd get some competent level design. I wonder if he's played Sonic 4 yet.

I imagine that'd be an...interesting...Let's Play.

[Nintendoga]

Heh it's kinda funny, last night I played some Sonic 4 Ep.2 for an hour, then I switched to Sonic 3&K for a complete run-through, and it saddened me that we would never get a fun high quality 2D Sonic game like that ever again.

Thinking of Yuji Naka returning brings me much happiness.

[Raxz]

I must REALLY suck at Sonic Unleashed/Colors/Generations if they're apparently "too easy."

[sonfan1984]

Sonic games can be easy or hard depending on how experience or inexperience the player is. When Generations came out I see a group of people on youtube complaining about Generations being hard and when you watch their playthroughs and they're not very good at the game. I think the real challenge to a Sonic game is trying to get all the chaos emeralds or try to 100% it.

[Diogenes]

I'm not really sure I understand the complaints about a game being "too easy". I get that overcoming a challenging section can be fun, but being harder does not inherently make a game better. Look at Kirby, for one, his games are for the most part very easy, but they're also very fun, and I don't think making them more difficult would really make them any better. What's really important is that the game gives you mechanics that are fun to use and plenty of opportunity to use them (in Kirby's case this is mostly the wide variety of copy powers, plenty of enemies to smash, and occasional puzzles to solve). And I think that's the problem Sonic is having, especially given that the series was never especially difficult anyway.

[SpeedKeed]

I'd like for Yuji to work on a new Sonic game it would be great to have a new Sonic game with one of the creators' involvement. But it be also great for him to prevent the reboot being made (unless I missed something).