Two fat, sweaty men got to talk to the head of Sonic Team.
Although we were running very late and exhausted (fat men were not meant to run!), we got a chance to interview Sonic Team’s head guy, Takashi Iizuka. We once again apologize to Sega for our lateness. Dang traffic.
The interview was focused solely on Sonic Colors for the Wii. He played two levels for us. One from Tropical Resort and another from Sweet Mountain. At the end of his game session, it was time for questions. We were short on time, so we were only able to get a few questions in.
SS – Is this game made with just children in mind, or more for a general audience?
Iizuka – Of course, we are putting in kid friendly elements, but it’s not just for kids. The are some challenging elements put in as well.
SS – Who are the music composers for the Wii and DS versions?
Iizuka – There’s not one composer. It’s the Sega Sound Team. It’s pretty much the same people who worked on Sonic Unleashed.
SS – What was the inspiration behind this game?
Iizuka – First we wanted to work with what was successful in the past. Like Sonic Unleashed’s daytime game play and add the Wisp Color powers to give it more variety.
SS – What was the decision behind making this Wii/DS exclusive?
Iizuka – It’s difficult to get into details. We basically used Sonic Rush and Sonic Unleashed Wii as models for the game play.
SS – What is the length of the game, in hours?
Iizuka – The game’s still in development, but in previous Sonic games, there would be an act 1 and act 2 of a zone. In this case, for each of these worlds there are several stages. Also, once you get more color powers from other worlds, you can go back to older levels and find new paths to access. It also depends on how dedicated you are to finding all the items in the game.
SS – Is this game made from the ground up, or does it use any previous assets?
Iizuka – Completely new as far as art and engine. Obviously, the game play is inspired by Sonic Unleashed.
SS – When is the game due?
Iizuka – This holiday season.
SS – What is the little Robotnik ship flying around the planets?
Iizuka – (Laughs) Sorry, we can’t talk about that yet.
SS – Last question, any chance of a new NiGHTS or Burning Rangers game?
Iizuka – (Laughs) We can’t talk about that right now.
SS – Thank you so much for your time. .
Iizuka – You’re welcome.
Izuka… I never thought I ‘m gonna say this, but you DID it.
Whoever’s idea it was to ask about NiGHTS, i Sir Valentine on behalf of the NiGHTS fanbase thanks you *bows*
No really, thank you for getting that in there, i really appreciate it 🙂
Aside from that, Sonic Colours actually looks like a good game. I love the whole neon glow thing with the wisps. This game might actually be a reason for me to use my Nintendo again, lol.
why do you pleople ask for other games like NiGHTS knowing that they’ll most likely NOT give any info about it?
Hopes for a new NiGHTS? (I won’t get my hopes up too much.)
And looking at the gameplay, I could have sworn it looked like the Hedgehog Engine… but it’s only 30 seconds so what do I know.
Did you guys get to play the game at all, Jason?
I just don’t get why they wouldnt have made it for the 360 and PS3 too…
if it plays like unleashed then why not? Im a bit annoyed cos this looks awesome and ill never be able to play it properly =[
Similarly, why are the wii owners getting left out of sonic free riders when theres the balance board…
We just had a Nights and it wasn’t that good
^Which is why it needs to be done properly with full dev time :p You wait over 10 years for a sequel to a killer game and you expect better. A lot of people did.
But getting back to Sonic Colours it looks fun and I’m actually looking forward to it. Sonic games are best when they aren’t trying to take themselves hideously serious.
Yeah, and Colors aint. I’ve been playing the game more and noticed some more things. I’ll be writing the final, in depth preview tonight, putting it up at midnight.
The impression I had from this interview is that mr. Lizuka was too ‘hurried’ and his answers were too short…
I think I already got my fill of sonic rush style but the wii one sounds wonderful!
lol @ night question because we all know eventually they’ll get to it xD
NiGHTS was Nuckles question. As far as the DS one goes, it’s a little more different from Rush than you might think. My hands-on will be up soon.
They pretty much confirmed one of the two. “We can’t talk about that” is always a confirmation of something.
@ Andy Avenue
Sonic Colors: The reason that the game won’t be on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 is this; SEGA wants money. Wii and DS have sold… a lot. The same reasoning explains the download only Sonic 4. Download only= nothing but profit.
Sonic Free Riders:The Wii doesn’t have an input method like Kinect, and the PlayStation eye isn’t as advanced as it used to be (remember eyedentify?) so they can’t handle free riders gameplay style, and catering to those audiences would take more time, so the game wouldn’t be complete by Kinect launch.
Wouldn’t NiGHTS on the 3DS be cool? Please to no more hold your arms out and fly-type controls.
But I’m totally psyched for this game. Both versions. I think it’s gonna be sweet.
lol, props on the NiGHTS question Nuckles 😉