Thank You Sega.
NOTE: I don’t really have anything funny to say here, and my writing is all over the place because I’m incredibly stressed and running on a mere hour of sleep. I’ll probably end up waking up tomorrow and deleting this post because it’s terrible, so make sure to read it while you can.
Sega just announced (and by “just” I mean a week ago) that they’re releasing a new Sonic game which, god willing, will actually be a Sonic game, rather than a furry-pandering circle-jerk. It’s 2D, HD, and fast… kind of like this was a year and a half ago. Nonetheless, I am totally hot for the idea of a new well-made 2D Sonic game. Honestly, I’m just as hot for the idea of a well-made 3D Sonic game, like the original Sonic Adventure; it’s just that in 10 years Sega has repeatedly proved themselves completely unable to deliver on that front. Hell, even Sonic Adventure 2 wasn’t very good (mainly because it was Tails and Knuckles Shitty, Stupid Adventure, and not really Sonic Adventure).
But, hopefully, all that is about to change. Sega has finally, FINALLY admitted that the Sonic games have basically been shitty lately.
I’d like to take a second to note that I feel bad about linking to Destructoid. I hate them so much, mostly due to their ridiculous tendency to make ultimate, total, and obviously incorrect statements. For example, in this article when they state that Sonic’s credibility is finished, which will likely be fixed by this game, and also in this article when they state that “the destruction of Sonic’s legacy is currently making them money, and why would they stop that?” The answer to that question is because it fucking isn’t making them money, and that attempting to cash in on the 2D games is the only way they’re making money. God I fucking hate Destructoid for that exact reason. They’re the Fox News of gaming journalism. Ugh. My writing is terrible today. Random tirade over.
So, with this admission, not only is Sega admitting that the major underlying problem with the new Sonic games is that they suck, they’re also completely caving to my worldview, namely that older games are infinitely better the newer games. Hopefully other industries will follow, and we’ll start seeing Surge and Pop Quiz Popcorn hit the stores again.
So, I guess that’s all I really had to say. Thank you, Sega, for recognizing and admitting this terrible problem you have. Admitting you have a problem is the first step toward recovery. Don’t worry about coming to the party I was throwing for you. It was just an intervention.
Comments
Leave a Reply
raddevon on 09.16.2009
I’m sure Sonic could be modernized in some way, but it is not the way Sega has been trying for the past several years. I too loved Sonic Adventure, but Sega has really been slipping lately… not just with Sonic but in general. If this is what it takes for them to pull it back together, so be it.
My worry is this. Once upon a time (Sonic Adventure), there was a team at Sega who could do 3D Sonic right. That team is either dead or they are mere shadows of their former selves. Will they even be able to pull together a good 2D Sonic game? I’m hoping for yes, but I’m a bit pessimistic.
Ninjapocalypse on 09.19.2009
Unfortunately, as I mentioned earlier, Sega has seemed more concerned with appealing to their creepy but loyal group of furries by adding more anthropomorphic rabbit whores than concentrating on making a good game, and I definitely agree that in general they have been slipping. What makes me really excited about this new game is that it seems that they’re actually acknowledging their past mistakes and moving on. Additionally, the last few handheld 2D Sonic games were actually pretty good. I haven’t played Sonic Rush yet, but I’ve heard really good things about it.
I think the biggest problem with the newer games is that the main heads of Sonic Team, Yuji Naka, Hirokazu Yasuhara, and Naoto Oshima, have both left. Yuji Naka, the main programmer, left in 2006 (along with 10 members of the classic Sonic Team) to form a studio called Prope (which is concerned with helping independent game designers complete and publish their games). (I should also note here that Yuji Naka has nothing to do with the shitty Sonic games released since Sonic Adventure, because, until 2006 when he left, all the main Sonic games seem to have been designed by Sonic Team USA, which sucks.) Naoto Oshima (character designer) (along with a lot of the rest of Sonic Team and some of the team responsible for Panzer Dragoon) left in 1999 after Sonic Adventure to form Artoon. Hirokazu Yasuhara, the level designer, went on to Naughty Dog in 2002, and has worked on some pretty great games since then, including Jak and Daxter and Uncharted.
Despite those key members missing, I think that, assuming they maintain the development values they claim to possess this time around, this game will be great. If they ditch those ideals, though, they’re screwed, and I don’t think the “hardcorez” audience will be willing to forgive them again. Then again, if they did, I would probably continue maintaining hope there would be another classic Sonic game, even with no justification for doing so, so maybe I’m wrong.