Sonic the Hedgehog 4

[Sega DogTagz]

we'll find out for sure in a week or so I'll bet.

That is pretty optimistic. I wasnt expecting to see anything else on Needlemouse for a good long while.

I already pitched my tent up for the long haul of waiting for more info.

[Remy]

They'll probably accidentally upload a heap of media to their FTP again in the next few days.

[ArtFenix]

Pfft we already know the cutscenes should be crafted by those masterful artists at Bioware

Are you talking about those rubbish lame-looking comic style cutscenes from Sonic chronicles?

[ShadiWulf]

They'll probably accidentally upload a heap of media to their FTP again in the next few days.

Haha, I think most of the stuff on their FTP is put on it in advance. I think once in a while someone uploads the files with the wrong permissions set, hence all the leaks =P

All the files on their FTP have dates on the folder of when they are revealed.

[JamieDawg]

If this game follows the Unleashed way of putting out media, a new trailer will come out in 2 months from now and between that time period they'll be giving interviews at Gamespot, IGN, etc. starting in just a few weeks time from now.

Edited September 11, 2009 by Tizo Teh Hedgie

[Agent York]

Dude, the game will probably be at Tokyo Game Show in some form at the end of the month.

I bet that's when we'll get more info.

[blackherox]

For whatever reason, this is a HD game, get over it.

Whhatever console the game is on is no concern to be,neither does it bother me in the slightest. But if the game isn't coming to the Wii (which is an assumption at this point untill we find out more) well in my opinion they lose out on a chunk of that market. Granted I guess if its 2D it'll e chaeper to make and the sales of Mario nd Sonic at the Winter Olympic games will more than make up for any loses (if at all) occured by this game.

plenty of people are interested in the HD version of this game- regardless of this boards particular Wii mentality. and Sonic 06, despite being complete shit, sold very well on 360 indeed.

The market being far greater on the Wii console and Sonic Wii games selling much much more on said consoles.

I'm disgusted with your claim SEGA's hardcore fanbase is on the wii!

As far as Sega commercial success goes, it sounds perfectly logical to me. Besides Sega Super Stars Tennis (which was bundled with the 360 for a while). I don't see any million sellers on the 360 or PS3. That and the Wii being the est selling console this generation does ya know have something to do with it.

EDit: Let me re-emphasis that I not to bothered about what system its on (I'm actually hoping to get a PS3 slim sometime soon).

Edited September 11, 2009 by blackherox

[FeathersMcGraw]

At the end of the day Sega aren't thick, I'm sure they're well aware of what is finanicially viable and what isn't. The HD consoles have already demonstrated a market for these games, so why not take advantage of that? (as well as the added benefits of developing on a HD Console?). The fact that the Wii may have a bigger market for these games is irrelevant and certainly doesn't make the former a redundant venture as a lot of people are suggesting, especially when you take into account that the Wii platform will probably be getting it's own title anyway.

What Wentos said doesn't make much financial sense. Why make the HD versions anyway, when you can put ll your resources into the Wii version, which you know for a fact will sell the most copies and make you much more money? You shouldn't have to recoporate for losses. Unless of course, they just want to do it solely on the basis of fanservice.

But why put more resources into the Wii version when you know the market will buy any old shit anyway?

Edited September 11, 2009 by FeathersMcGraw

[SuperLink]

Sega can be a bit thick. They released Sonic 2006 and a Wii port probably would have:

a ) Not looked much worse, it looked awful anyway

b ) Stopped the game from bombing so badly

They made the right choice with Unleashed, and it would be sooo easy to make this on Wii aswell.

HD games aren't amazingly impressive when released for download (Shadow Complex is one of the best looking on there, and that doesn't exactly take your breath away) so a retail Wii port wouldn't look half shabby.

Even though I'll probably get the 360 version anyway.

Still, Remzy said "the Wii will probably get a different game"

Which is probably true, but if it's gonna be Sonic with a mace or Sonic with an auto-fire crossbow I don't wanna know >>

Edited September 11, 2009 by SuperLink

[FeathersMcGraw]

Sega can be a bit thick. They released Sonic 2006 which looked awful

Thing is though that game went on to make Platinum, who's thick? Sega or the Consumers? It wasn't so much a comment on their development prowess but rather their business sense, and if they can make that shit reach platinum they're obviously doing something right.

Edited September 11, 2009 by FeathersMcGraw

[SuperLink]

and if they can make that shit reach platinum they're obviously doing something right.

Can't think of anything other than the 5 letter name in the game title and the fact that the adverts throw around words like "next-gen" and "revolutionary".

[FeathersMcGraw]

Can't think of anything other than the 5 letter name in the game title and the fact that the adverts throw around words like "next-gen" and "revolutionary".

Doesn't really matter, they makes games to make money, they made a game, it made a lot of money, from a business point of view the job's a good 'un.

At the end of the day they aren't blind sheep who would wilfully develop games knowing their likelihood of profit is slim were it not for the guidance of adolescent forum goers, contary to some people's suggestions.

Edited September 11, 2009 by FeathersMcGraw

[Candescence]

Sonic 06 DID reach a million with both versions sales combined... EVENTUALLY. It was an incredibly slow seller, and chances are people were waiting for it to hit the bargin bin anyway.

Edited September 11, 2009 by The Sniper

[ShadiWulf]

SEGA's plan is right here, from the Mike Hayes interview, quite obvious =P

You can't please them all, Sega has learned.

"If you read everything, we need to be all things to all gamers with Sonic, and that's a difficult thing to do," said Mike Hayes, the head of Sega Europe and, as of last month, the head of Sega of America as well. "Trying to put everything into one game and making everybody happy is impossible. And I think that's something clear going forward."

So as Sega proceeds to, in Hayes' words, "review our Sonic road map," fans young and old should prepare for an approach that will produce Sonic games that won't satisfy everyone at once.

Sega's core Sonic target, in fact, isn't those who grew up with Sonic. It's those who are growing up now. "It very much is in that under 12 group," Hayes said. "And what we have to do is make a Sonic that is of a quality that delights that audience, first and foremost. I'd argue that we very much achieved that with products like Sonic Heroes on PS2, and I think we did that with Mario and Sonic 1 on Wii and DS. I think we did it some ways with Sonic and the Secret Rings on Wii. I think [the Wii's Sonic and the] Black Knight was a good game."

Hayes is less satisfied with Sega's execution of those Sonic games that have been on the more powerful Xbox 360 and PS3 platforms. "I think we've had challenges with [the 2006] Sonic the Hedgehog and Unleashed," he said. "[The 2006 game] Sonic the Hedgehog sells extremely well at a budget price. So clearly it's very popular with a young audience. But first and foremost is: We've got to make a quality game for that audience. Does quality mean it's got to be a Metacritic 90 percent? Well not necessarily. It's just got to be quality that's appropriate for them. Then we've got our core fans, and what we need to do is now and then produce a Sonic that will appeal to those fans specifically. "

It's that last group — those core Sonic fans — who seem to be the ones grumbling most on sites like this one about the fate of the franchise. Hayes suggested some ways Sega might produce a Sonic for that community: "Often it can be looking at another take on the nostalgic take on Sonic. Or re-issues. They're very popular. Fans do like that."

Hayes and the rest of Sega want to make the old-time Sonic fans happy. They just need those fans to not expect their Sonic in every Sonic game. So… the plan? Most of it is not being revealed, yet, of course, but the general strategy is to make core Sonic games pretty much every other year, "character derivative" games between those and, on occasion, off-shoots that involve Sonic doing new physical activities such as playing tennis, skateboarding (as in Sonic Riders), or racing cars, as in the upcoming Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing.

The Sega brass hopes their plan will generate something Sonic for everyone. "Trying to appease all those audiences is really hard," Ratcliffe said. "But we are flattered, because we've taken nostalgic fans with us on a journey for almost 20 years and they're still passionate about Sonic."

http://kotaku.com/5336675/sega-impossible-to-please-all-sonic-fans-with-one-sonic-game

[SuperLink]

I'm not sure, they always say stuff like that but the fact remains:

Maybe people would like Sonic if all his 3D games were really worth playing?

I mean come on; whether you love them or not, they're bug ridden, they have horrible modes you'd rather not play (Big the Cat, Werehog, Guns/Vehicles), and more often then not there are control or camera issues (trivial as they may be)

The sooner Sega realise this the sooner all Sonic fans will enjoy a 3D game. There is actually a good reason that people stand by the classics (although I wish they'd pay more attention to Dimps' games)

Edited September 11, 2009 by SuperLink

[ShadiWulf]

Theres most likely another 3D game coming in 2011... for Sonic's 20th birthday. This is a Sonic game that isn't meant for Sonic's 12 and under audience, this is one that is meant to appeal to his core fans as mike hayes puts it.

[SuperLink]

Here's hoping his 20th anniv is really something special, unlike his awful 15th.

Maybe it could finally be the 3D game to bring Sonic into the modern era for good.

But who the fuck am I kidding. xD Still it's nice to dream.

[JaidynReiman]

On the subject of Mike Hayes, he makes a good point. The "core fanbase" are the ones most disliking the games. However, there are more "casual gamers" on the market now that buy games just to have fun, so making a quality game for them first is a good idea. Now that that -has- happened (well, Unleashed is a quality game, there's just some flaws that put off core members of the fanbase, like required medal collecting and the Werehog), they can concentrate on pleasing the core fanbase.

^ That's what I'm thinking, too. Frankly, I think that it was the intention of Unleashed, as well, but Hashimoto put in the Werehog while everyone was telling him not to. A lot of people probably would've liked Sonic Unleashed more if it didn't have the Werehog in it. And as mentioned, the other thing is required medal collecting.

I think if they go back to a similar system as the classic games where you have multiple characters, but the same stages, each character can traverse the levels in their own way with their own unique abilities. Sonic Team can even include storylines for each character as long as you aren't required to play through all of them to get the true ending of the game. Though, I think unlocking something extra by playing through multiple storylines wouldn't be too bad, as long as it isn't difficult to achieve. Something like unlocking Super Sonic should be available just in Sonic's storyline.

Actually, I kinda think that it would be a good idea for this game, too... And I would like cutscenes, but as others have stated, make them optional. There can still be in-game scenes, though, similar to the classics. I think they should have dialog (and maybe voices), but there could be an option to remove it so fans of the classics can have their "no-dialog" cutscenes that they crave.

[SuperLink]

Like I said on another forum, sometimes I get the feeling they would complain even if you could turn cutscenes off entirely.

Just because they're there.

[Frozen Nitrogen]

Actually, I kinda think that it would be a good idea for this game, too... And I would like cutscenes, but as others have stated, make them optional. There can still be in-game scenes, though, similar to the classics. I think they should have dialog (and maybe voices), but there could be an option to remove it so fans of the classics can have their "no-dialog" cutscenes that they crave.

While I accept that it wouldn't hurt to make cutscenes optional (because I can always just glue down the "On" option), it boggles my mind that there are really fans who hate Sonic storytelling so much that they would prefer to metaphorically poke their own eyes out when it comes to cutscenes.

...although, just before I pressed the "Add Reply" button, I remembered the Sonic '06 scene where Amy and Elise talk about their respective (or not so respective! ) crushes. And I physically cannot watch that clip. So fair enough.

Less Elise, more Cosmic Eternity, plz.

[SuperLink]

While I accept that it wouldn't hurt to make cutscenes optional (because I can always just glue down the "On" option), it boggles my mind that there are really fans who hate Sonic storytelling so much that they would prefer to metaphorically poke their own eyes out when it comes to cutscenes.

It may not seem so on a Sonic fansite like this, but people like that are more common than you may think.

Over half of the members on another forum I frequent find every shred of storyline and voice acting since 1999 to be utterly unbearable, then they start with the whole "Sonic never spoke in the classics" crap.

Funnily enough they probably loved the cartoons.

[turbojet]

Like I said on another forum, sometimes I get the feeling they would complain even if you could turn cutscenes off entirely.

Just because they're there.

CCS pointed out that you can skip over most cutscenes in the game so there isn't any point argueing and complaining over what you can skip over.

[SuperLink]

CCS pointed out that you can skip over most cutscenes in the game so there isn't any point argueing and complaining over what you can skip over.

Which is what I've said to "them" countless times, but like I said they still complain.

It's always "Sonic doesn't need story or character development, he's a blue hedgehog saving his friends from Doctor Robotnik's Badniks"

Mentioning the name Eggman is illegal.

[turbojet]

I think dividing the fanbase is the most idiotic batshit ideology ever. I'm pretty sure any of the guys who grew up playing Sonic Adventure before the Genesis titles can certainly enjoy a 2-D Sonic game. It's absurd that these retro elites just want Sonic to be pixel shaded, checker-boarded, mute, and devoid of an actual plot. I say Sonic Team should have fun with the title and put as much as they want to. Screw the fans because a fanbase this large and divided can't agree on what to put on their butter toast let alone a Sonic game.

If you like Sonic in any form of media, whether it be the comics, videogames, cartoon series, or all, you are a Sonic fan. End of story.

[blackherox]

At the end of the day Sega aren't thick, I'm sure they're well aware of what is finanicially viable and what isn't.

While Sega aren't thick, they have mad loses on games.

The HD consoles have already demonstrated a market for these games, so why not take advantage of that? (as well as the added benefits of developing on a HD Console?).

What? if were talking about solid releases here, I hardly see the sales potentially of what you saying (at least in respect to the wii), given the lack of platforming games on PS3/360 (more so the 360) and what seems to be of interset on said consoles. If its downloadable for XBL and PSN, well thats another story.

The fact that the Wii may have a bigger market for these games is irrelevant and certainly doesn't make the former a redundant venture as a lot of people are suggesting, especially when you take into account that the Wii platform will probably be getting it's own title anyway.

I never said it was redudant. But having a bigger market is in noway irrelevant. Far from it in fact. If you have a larger market potentiall intereted in said game compared to a smaller market in another, obviously the chances of you selling more money on that console increase. I don't expect for example a game like Carnival Games too sell what it did on the Wii (3 million) on say the 360 or PS3, because that type of market isn't as abundant on those consoles. I'm not saying the former is redundant, but so say the size of the market is irrelevant is a bit off in my opinion.

But why put more resources into the Wii version when you know the market will buy any old shit anyway?

The same reason, why Sega will make more sports games with Mario and Sonic, then a platformer. Cheaper development costs, and so more money can go into marketing (an understanding of the market there targeting) and advertisement and hence more money.