Over at the official Summer of Sonic website, organizer and founder Dreadknux announced that SOS 2012 will see the return of Sonic Team head, Takashi Iizuka!
In 2011 Mr Iizuka came to SOS to celebrate Sonic’s birthday as well as party with the fans. After the show he told us that he had a fantastic day. Well it seems that he wants another fantastic day as he’s now coming back for round Act 2.
So far Dreadknux has confirmed that Mr Iizuka will be taking questions from the fans in a Q&A session and fans will be able to meet with him on the day, however more details as to how you can meet him and how you can ask him a question will be given out at a later date.
Source: Summer of Sonic 2012 website.
“Extra Extra!” Not got SOS tickets yet? Don’t despair! Wave 2 will be this Friday at 6PM GMT, see this update for more information.
If only I could go!
cool.
Now if i could only look into the future where the line will start for autographs…
My Sonic 3 & Sonic Colours cases are lacking in autograph-levels
Wave 2 is coming out at 6PM *UK time* (so British Summer Time, or GMT+1). That’s actually 5PM GMT. Wouldn’t want anyone missing tickets due to any confusion.
Can I ask how you sussed that out? The last wave was at 12pm GMT, and I got my tickets AT 12pm GMT.
I want to see Yuji Naka there. Not this wash up.
I successfully registered but haven’t heard any thing back yet. Does that mean I have to reapply for tickets?
Oh dear God. You invited the wrong person. You need to invite Yuji Naka and Naoto Oshima. These are the gentlemen in put Sonic on the map. If Iizuka was in charge at the time, Sonic would of flopped big time.
He was parked in the same lot as I was after Sonic Boom.. I took his picture as he lit up, gave me an awkward look and jumped into a car with 3 other people 😛
Now’s your chance brits! Everyone learn how to say “Can we please have Episode 3?” in Japanese, shout it all at once and we’ll get the game 😀
Now now guys we all Know Naka and Oshima created Sonic and are the best but Iizuka is the producer now and the latest games like Sonic Colors have been pretty good partly thanks to him, just hope you guys get to ask him intelligent questions.
*high fives*
@Chris K. Yeah, cause Naka was a part of such great projects such as Heroes, Shadow the Hedgehog, and Sonic ’06
^ This.
@ Darkgomugomu
Shadow The Hedgehog is a game I still hope get’s a sequel.
And I personally enjoyed the story and music of Sonic 06, just not the gameplay.
So… Null and void if you are hoping for an argument.
Yuji Naka instead please SOS.
Literally, Yuji Naka, SOS!!! Save Our Sonic!!!
A sequel to shadow would be cool.
But you know what the first shadow game was lacking co-op play.
think about it. O
n almost every level in shadow the hedgehog there was an asist charicter now make that character a co-op character and that would be AWESOME.
and let shadow have some beter chaos powers the old ones took to long to get to full and when they were full you had to use them.
You could not wait until you really needed it like when you wher surrounded by enemies.
and one more thing if they made a sequel they should speed up the gameplay a bit it kind of went fast then slow then fast again then slow again.
Imagine this…
Episode 3 or Sonic 5 comes out… And nobody knows he was involved… It is made a greater secret than the Michael Jackson rumors…
Then suddenly… Credits… Producer’s roll up… “YUJI NAKA” followed by “NAOTO OSHIMA”
Followed by a special thanks to the fans for wanting them back…
…I could just jizz then and there…
@Chris K. ….how the fuck do you enjoy 06’s story? it was convoluted with more holes in it than swiss cheese, time theories intertwine making the whole thing a fuck-fest of confusion, and so many superfluous characters that only served to assault the ears with terrible voice acting.
Just let him be, I think he admitted the gameplay sucked anyway.
Exactly. But let him speak his piece. He has all due right.
Sonic 06s story= WTF WHY DID ELISE kiss sonic type of story.
horrible if you ask me.
Only Good Contribution The game gave was mephiles.
Otherwise it was pretty stupid.
06 must’ve been his first game,
I’m just joking :} although I dont think 06 is a great game I respect you if you do. It IS a tragic game in the sense that Naka left before the game was half made thus complications arose. I really think Sonic 06 had so much potential and Naka was really working hard on it at E3, I guess Naka hit a wall on 06, ah well.
Yuji Naka just got sick of the higher ups and non-negotiable team members telling him how to make his games and etc.
To be honest, nothing can ever beat Sonic 3 & Knuckles as well as the two Sonic Adventure titles.
But yes, I did also enjoy Shadow and 06.
Yuji Naka can not be held responsible for 06 since he left shortly after Heroes and Shadow.
Two good games since Sonic Adventure 2 and you all think of and protect Iizuka as a game god.
Sorry, but no.
What do you mean 2 good games.
Sonic 4 episode 2 was a pretty good game.
it just was to easy.
and a bit short
I can,t go -.-
But I must Ask him questions !!!!
he must make sonic unleashed 2 !! with out werehog or someting but let chip retun and more sonic anime storys >:D
Yea he should make a sonic unleashed 2 to but with a hell better warethog.
Its not sonic unleashed without the warethog
If they made the warehogs levels much better and made him stronger and able to grab onto anything and do cooler moves that would be a really good sonic unleashed 2.
Imagine a super fight at the beginning of the game 😀
Can we stop bickering in here, please? It’s childish. Iizuka is a great guest, and sniffing at it is making you look like ungrateful brats. Naka-san and Ohshima-san do not work for SEGA anymore. There is no way we will be able to get these guys back, unless we’re talking about a Sonic anniversary event. If you wanted to meet Naka, you should have done it last year. Where the hell were you?
Plus, quick history lesson for all the Iizuka-haters out there. Shadow the Hedgehog was a misfire. Sonic Heroes was an experimental slip (but Yuji Naka was just as much to blame for that one). Neither Iizuka nor Naka had any real involvement in Sonic 06 or Sonic Unleashed. Iizuka returns as producer for Sonic Colours, Sonic 4-1, Sonic Generations and Sonic 4-2. Whatever your grand expectations were of Sonic 4, they were pretty good games – that makes his batting average much better than you guys are making it out to be.
Shut up and move on. Be happy for once in your lives.
Yea sonic 4 episode 2 was an awesome game i think it is underrated.
Well said that man.
Well said. It’s a free convention people and the fact the Takashi Iizuki is going to be there makes the whole thing even sweeter.
If you are bitter about it don’t turn up (and give me your ticket…) or just say, par-take in many of the other great things that will be at SOS’12 instead of hanging out with Iizuki. Jeez…..
Why does everyone hate Heroes? I found it more enjoyable and relevant to the series than Adventure 2
The design and story, however game play was good I guess.
Can you please add a “Like” button to the comments page so I can like this a million times? I for one will look forward to seeing Iizuka again, with or without Naka.
Hi Dreadknux. What is up? I am doing great. Just wanted to say a couple things!
Iizuka directed Adventure 2, Heroes, Shadow, and Nights: Journey of Dreams before Sonic Team USA closed it doors. I know some people love Adventure 2, but at the end of the day it’s not that great. And…I don’t know if you can really say that Heroes is just as much Naka’s fault as it is Iizuka’s. The producer doesn’t always have that much involvement…I’ve always been under the impression that Naka wasn’t that invested in the Sonic franchise past the first Sonic Adventure, and he just really signed off on everything. Sure, he could have made a bigger stink and changed things, but…he was more interested in games like Phantasy Star Online. Naka always seemed like a fellow who wanted to move on to the next thing, and not just focus on Sonic for the rest of his days.
As of now, Iizuka has filled the role Naka had in Colors and Generations – the overseeing Producer who might not be as involved as he wants to seem in the public eye. Just like Naka. I think he has had more involvement with Sonic 4 (though the first wasn’t that great, and the second is just mediocre?) but Iizuka is not this grand marshal for all things Sonic. He is not the second coming that so many people want to make him out to be. After making four mediocre to outright terrible games, he was then rewarded with being put in charge of Sonic Team. And if he has a much bigger part in the next wave of Sonic gaming…I’m worried we’ll be right back to the era we all want to forget.
And…um…why is it such a bad thing if people want the original creators of the games at a Sonic the Hedgehog convention? It’s not like you would go “oh we can only have people involved in the newest season of Doctor Who” in a similar convention. Most importantly, why doesn’t anyone ever bring up the idea of having Yasuhara show up to one of those things? Since he is arguably the most important person who was involved in four of the five core titles of the classic era. Without him, Sonic would have been a completely different beast.
I wish I could go this year! D: I, for one, like Iizuka very much. I could see him at the Joypolis birthday event last year, but just from the distance. I got pictures of him like a stalker. Enjoy, all you guys who are going!
Don’t worry i feel your pain.
I’m not going either 🙁
hmmm…… i hope they at least mention a new sonic game, and more stuff on sega racing transforms
Still wish I could go, alas I won’t be around for second wave, and I doubt I’d have the money to get down there…always next year hopefully… (I’ve said that EVERY YEAR)
Thanks to Iizuka the sonic-cycle was broken in Sonic Colors, lets at least thank him for that.
And Sonic4 ep 2 is one of the best Sonic games ive played! seriously!
Do not forget all of you that thanks to him we have played Sonic Unleashed style three times in a row now with no changes.
And unless my eye’s are broken I believe the next few games are planned to be Sonic Unleashed style as well.
Is nobody getting sick of the same game play again and again?
I agree, I guess all the great programmers left Sonic Team. They have empathized too much on speed thus they view the hedgehog engine as their savior when in reality its just too constraining, then again I wonder what kind of technical challenge another Sonic Adventure type game would pose. I think Sonic 06 made them think the Sonic adventure style was flawed when it really wasn’t, then again I dont know how these new consoles can handle a SA style Sonic game.
One word. AMAZINGLY.
I really am sick and tired of the Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Rush style game play. And if they continue using it in future titles this will be one less person buying Sonic titles. At least Naka and the others before Sonic 06 knew how to make the games different and draw you in each time. Everybody accepted the changes made between Sonic 3 and Sonic Adventures 1 and 2 because the changes were fun and the story really added to the replay value. Even today the stories in the Adventure series still entertain me.
The changes made involving shooter action and playing as the bad guy’s is what fans loved and drooled over in Adventure 2. SEGA and Sonic Team need to dip back into the shooter style gamers with the future Sonic titles and they will really see a huge boost in sales.
With multiple characters that you can CHOOSE to play as like they did in Adventure 2 in the stage selects, you can CHOOSE to play only Sonic’s speed levels, or Tail’s shooter levels, this was an excellent formula. Play the stage one time in the story, and if you don’t like it, play the stages you like in stage select after you unlock them!
What is so difficult about this? Is it the fact that they will have to put a lot more effort and work into the title? Well i’m sorry but they all have seen what taking the easy way has done with Sonic 4 and it’s crappy music tracks and level designs. They are being cheap and need to start really breaking the bank on a Sonic title right down to the pennies if they want to see sales such as back in the 90’s to early 00’s.
If they stop wasting all of there money setting up stalls and such at every game convention and E3 they can find, they could use that money towards a game title and only open up an area in E3 and the SOS and Sonic Boom festivals.
Lately they have been setting up area’s in so many places they are using every penny on marketing and advertising instead of game development and employee payment.
I didn’t accept the changes. They’ve never topped S3&K, and Adventures 1 and 2 have aged badly and don’t play much better.
There, I said it. Bring on the pitchforks! 🙂
I like how you’re speaking for everybody as a collective mind.
I also like how you speak of SEGA and Sonic Team like all they do is produce only Sonic games. (This is regardless of the fact that chances are if it wasn’t for what funds were made from Sonic through the years, there probably wouldn’t be Nights or Phantasy Star.)
And I’m rather elated at how you say that the company should be less of a competitive business. (Though to be fair, for larger franchise titles, they probably put more of their budget there. As far as payment goes, it’d be better if they had more time to complete a game rather than rush it to sales because higher-ups said so…but you know, without taking Duke Nukem time.)
Honestly, I think fans gave too much emphasis for the past decade. They didn’t seem to have too many problems making acknowledged titles before then.
– Bring back Shadow! (Sonic Heroes)
– Give Shadow his own game! (Shadow the Hedgehog)
– Make another Sonic racing game! (Sonic Riders series before Sonic and Sega Allstars)
– Do another Sonic Adventure style game! (Sonic 06)
– There’s too many characters! We just want Sonic! (Rush, Secret Rings, Black Knight, Sonic Unleashed, Sonic Colors, Sonic Generations, Sonic 4.1)
– Bring back more characters! (Cameos, Side Help, Spin-Offs, Tag Team)
– Make it just like the “classics”/games I grew up with (but only if they’re before Sonic Adventure), that’s all we want! Only make it newer, but just like my childhood! (Insert attempts while trying to keep other fans interested. Win/Fail or indifferent.)
– …It’s NOTHING LIKE MY CHILDHOOD! DO IT AGAIN! And BETTER!
“…Can’t we just say the past was great, move on and work on improving or at the very least, surviving the future?”
NO! You must bend to my every whim because I speak for everybody! Everyone else is wrong unless for some reason I mutually agree with something! I’m spending money on this! I want it done like I want because I know my ideas will make it all better!
This is why I like rayman more than I do sonic nowadays.
Mario as well(if only i had more nintendo systems)
They Make changes but still stick to the original formula. The unleashed gameplay is ok but I wish they never introduced boost in the first place. It makes the game go too fast.
Level Development was never The best with sonic due to the fact that it is a faster paced game.
unless they make a sonic game a little bit longer than it has been it is not what it used to be. And for god sakes they need to stop with this nostalgia bullshit when it comes to a 2d Game. loved the original games but For god sakes I am tired of seeing a green hill zone rehash every 2D game.
Your eyes may not be broken, but your grammar is. 😉
You people have got to stop with grammar puns like that. >_>
No lol’s, no lmfao’s, no gtfo’s…
Much better than many others on the internet.
Please stop moaning.
-Sighs-
Ah well. Fans are fans, each with there own taste and opinion. >_>
But if you all wish to see the same quality as Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Colors brought out again and again and again, you too will get bored and sick of it too eventually.
Again… this has bugger all to do with the news story.
Not quite. It helps put out there what Iizuka may by some chance see and it gives him and other SEGA staff who browse by here now and then thing’s to think about on future releases. If Iizuka want’s to please, putting your word out there for people to see is the way to do it.
No…. I think you’ll find it has bugger all to do with the story.
The article is about Iizuka coming to SOS.
Not about what you dislike about Sonic games.
-Shakes head-
Are you finished with the bugger thing? -_-
So many laughs from all the comments defending Naka, bashing Iizuka and making it out as if the Adventure/1998-2006 style was less repetitive than what we’ve had recently. Keep on crying, Sonic fans!
Hopefully I’ll be able to nab a ticket tomorrow, would love to come by and see the big man himself.
The Sonic games are finally getting good again and everyone is moaning? 🙁
why cant all the fans just get along DX Sonic is made for one thing only: Entertainment
all about enjoying yourself something to unwind on a hard working day.
Not something to take so seriously.
Iizuka is a great guy, he is doing his best job and if you ask me hes doing an awesome job.
Because some of us AREN’T as entertained and AREN’T able to relax and unwind like other fans can.
Honestly, is this THAT terrible to give to us?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3H3CmoZ0J8
So… basically:
1) Ignore the complaints that people had way back when that made the direction of Sonic games for the previous decade.
2) Remove anything truly new and innovative.
3) Then continue to complain how the developers never do anything right regardless of how much voice or no voice that they have in the game itself. (Because it’s not like they have to listen to other authority when they’re making these games. /sarcasm)
I’d say you’re better off making your own fan team and making the game how you want yourself. You know, taking the time and effort to make something like this a reality.
Like these people did- http://youtu.be/R4y9-_yxsa8
Even though the project there is discontinued, you can’t say that it can’t be done. Just get some people and go work out the game you always wanted to have. That way you’ll get just what you’re looking for~
Fans shouldn’t have to work to get what the people at Sonic Team are being paid for to give them.
Do you realize how strong the gaming market is now for shooters and the like?
Do you realize how hungry for story gamers are?
A new game as the one I linked to would benefit SEGA far more than that of Sonic only game play and the repeated 2.5 and 3D mixtures they have been dishing out with the hedgehog engine. THAT has become TRULY innovative and FAR from new.
This is the perfect time to dish out a game such as that. If you don’t like certain characters and levels, that is what Story Mode and Stage Select are for. You only have to play a stage with a character once until you beat it in the story, and after that, if you don’t like certain characters and/or levels, you never have to play them again if you do not want thanks to levels unlocked in stage select.
And throwing in unlockable content would be great. Having the Chao Garden return would be as innovative as they could get with all the new thing’s you could be able to evolve them into.
Sonic Unleashed – Sonic Colors – Sonic Unleashed – Sonic Rush – Sonic Rush Adventure – SonicRivals – Sonic Rivals 2
THESE are NOT innovative. THESE are NOT new. THESE are repetitive.
The employees are hired and paid to be the innovative and creative one’s, yet they are all being allowed to get past with using the same style again and again and they all, Iizuka and the rest, need to wake up and pull out the new that they have been hired and paid to produce. Bring in NEW styles and game play and not rehash.
THIS is what Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 did.
THIS is what Sonic Heroes did.
THIS is what Shadow The Hedgehog did.
And THAT is where Sonic Team needs to return to.
Pardon me. That second Unleashed is meant to be Sonic Generations.
I find it interesting that you mention those games considering Iizuka wasn’t really running those with the exception of having his hands completely on Sonic Rivals 1 & 2, and producing Sonic Colors.
Let’s take a look shall we?
Sonic Unleashed:
– Akinori Nishiyama (Producer)
– Yoshihisa Hashimoto (Director/Lead Designer)
– Takao Hirabayashi (Lead Planner/Night Time Level Designer)
Iizuka has Level Design Special Thanks… basically he probably didn’t touch too much and just gave advice.
Sonic Rush & Rush Adventure, Iizuka basically had no hand in.
Rush:
Akinori Nishiyama (director)
Rush Adventure:
Sakae Osumi & Yukihiro Higashi (directors)
Sonic Colors:
While produced by Iizuka , Morio Kishimoto was the director and lead game designer. Which usually the director and lead game designer tends to have more of a say. But I won’t say that Iizuka’s role as a producer didn’t have influence on the game.
Sonic Generations:
Same as the above except directed by Hiroshi Miyamoto.
—–
Now for the games that you DO acknowledge the team to look back on and source to improve for future games.
Sonic Adventure 1 & 2
Basically Iizuka’s babies. He directed both, was a level designer AND game designer for both, created the chao garden…basically those games were his babies.
Sonic Heroes
Iizuka was both director and game designer.
Shadow the Hedgehog
That’s basically all Iizuka. Director, Lead Game Designer, Level Designer, …another baby of his.
And technically, he’s only been at the head of Sonic Team for about 2 years this year.
So really… the crime here would be that Iizuka hasn’t been allowed to do what he does better– be a game designer, director, when he’s stuck being producer.
Unleashed WAS innovative. It was totally new and fresh game. Entire game’s concept was extraordinary (travelling around the world) and while this game had serious flaws (lack of platforming, reflex was all that mattered, in order to have fun with werehog you must max him out first).
I don’t want to play Adventure 1/2, Heroes, or Shadow the Hedgehog, thanks.
At the end of the day, it’s impossible to please everyone, so deal with it. I’ve not been fully pleased, Sonic-wise, for nearly two decades, but you don’t hear me bitching.
I’m going to nag him to make another Sonic Shuffle.
You do that.
LOL sonic SHuffle 2
While the original was ok it wasn’t anything special
Holy cannoli, what a mess. ._________. Complete thread derail here.
Anyway, I was planning to go with Tracker but I have no cash. Nice to see Iizuka’s coming back. 🙂
I can’t believe it!!
I actually get permission from my parents to let me go and I can’t even get a damn ticket cus everyone takes them before I get a chance!! I literally applied the second it came on and they ran out before I had a chance to submit!!
I’m so annoyed!! I’m going to try for wave 3 but what are the chances with that?!?
Huh… no mention of him attending Sonic Boom? (Just found out on the Sega FB page)