The reason why Sonic can't stop sucking
By Scarabus 39 Comments
..and his name is Akinori Nishiyama.
Listen to this. This is an interview he did with "Level", a swedish gaming mag, entitled "Five minutes with Akinori Nishiyama".
This is how it reads, translated into english:
LVL: Why did you start working at Sega?
AN: I started my career at Sega in 1989. That was the time when the console war between Sega and Nintendo was at its peak. Sega was the underdog, but they were on their way to becoming bigger. I liked the idea of working for such a company and that's why I applied there. I was an artist at first and worked with a handful of Master system games before I got the opportunity to do Phantasy star IV. After that I became more of a producer and soon enough I ended up with the Sonic Team. It has mostly been about Sonic games but the highlight was probably Phantasy Star Online.
LVL: Lately, Sonic's stardom has dwindled somewhat. Does Sonic still have anything to offer? Why is he popular?
AN: Obviously it's important for Sonic to be fast, but I don't think you should forget about Sonic's special character either. He's cocky and independent. Sonic doesn't listen to what other people say and does things in his own way. I think this free mentality appeals to a lot of those who likes Sonic. That's why we want to get more personal with Sonic Unleashed. Sonic should not just be a hedgehog that runs very fast. It's just as important why he's running and what he's thinking about while running.
(This is where the interview turns interesting)
LVL: Haven't that been the biggest problem with the latest Sonic games? He walks too much and falls in love?
AN: Well, I don't agree. There are two kinds of games: the ones that appeals to your mind and the ones that appeals to your body. Sonic have so far been very much about the physical: to press buttons at the right moment and to get breathless from the high speeds. Because I've worked with games in so many different genres I believe I have good opportunities to bring out the other side of Sonic, the deeper side.
LVL: What does it mean that Yuji Naka is no longer working with Sonic Team? After all, he is the father of Sonic.
AN: While working on the whole Sonic franchise, the idea has been to keep Sonic the same as much as possible, but of course we need to change him, and I don't think Naka would had liked the idea of turning Sonic into a monster in Sonic Unleashed. I actually met him recently and he looked at me hesitantly and said: "Was that such a good idea?"
There you have it. The reason why Sonic started kissing girls and overall became a francise for furries and ignorant 10 year olds.
Akinori Nishiyama, in your Sonic franchise, fucking it all up, with a vengeance!