Ahead of Sonic Lost World’s release, Nintendo Life have sat down with the one and only Takashi Iizuka to talk exclusivity, hardware limitations and the current reputation of the franchise among other interesting morsels for you to get your hedgehog-hungry teeth into!
You can read the full interview over at Nintendo Life (which I would highly recommend), but here’s a small extract!
NL: What’s the most important message about Sonic Lost World that you want to share with Wii U and/or 3DS gamers?
Takashi Iizuka: I feel that after buying the Wii U console, there may be certain amount of consumers whom didn’t have the chance to fully enjoy this great console yet. Sonic Lost World contains the feature and the convenience of GamePad, new enjoyment and potential using Miiverse, which allows this title to let player fully enjoy Wii U.
Not just for Sonic fan, but it is a title that has the volume and gameplay which all platform action fans would enjoy, so for players who already have Wii U, please try and enjoy this game. And please brag that you played this Wii U version.
With the 3DS, If you want to play a 3D action game, this is what I really recommend. Not just the 3D action but great cut scenes and plenty of volume, I feel this title is a “must buy” title for 3DS user.
Please enjoy this Sonic Lost World, the strange world made in 3D.
Sonic Lost World is released October 18 in Europe, October 19 in Australia, October 24 in Japan and October 29 in the US on both Wii U and 3DS. Excited? Let us know which version you’ll be picking up in the comments!
You’re the director Iizuka, I’d be more worried if you thought otherwise! 😛
I am Excited and also tomorrow is Sonic lost World demo for WiiU and 3DS on US or EU!
We can only hope and expect that. It hasn’t been confirmed, but I suppose it will make sense if it does.
I’ll pick up the 3DS version. . Maybe on release or if TRU breaks the street date.. Or I might get it for Xmas..
Hopefully it’ll sell really well showing that Nintendo is a good home for the blue blur.. It should .. there’s nothing really else out on the U right now.. as for the 3DS version it still has Pokemon to contend with for the next 2 months.
Sales might even come down to the number of people owning a 360 or PS3 along with a U .. They’d opt out on the game in favour of GTA or the upcoming Call of Duty game
Hm, so the director of the game says that you should buy the game? Hm… really? Well, okay. c:
Hehe, and also suggests to brag about Wii U version, that is, “advertise” it xD
Oh, Iizuka.. that confident rascal. 🙂
Well, it better damn be!
Buy me first a WiiU!!
If not PORT THIS FREAKING GAME TO OTHER CONSOLES AND PC GODDAMNIT!!!
I doubt this game will be able to be ported considering how it was built
I got my copy today!
At times I’m amazed that Sega fans are so unsympathetic to the plight of Nintendo. There was an article on Gengame where Sega flat out said that Sonic sells better on Nintendo consoles, hence why the Wii had more Sonic games than the 360/PS3. Don’t believe me, look at the sales figures. Unleashed despite not having a “hedgehog engine” sold better on the Wii and PS2. Why? Because those are systems kids have. Also all the Lost World only on Nintendo whining is no different than the Bayonetta 2 whining. We complain about Nintendo consoles not having good third party games but then when they get a cool exclusive 3rd party game, we throw a fit because we can’t play it.
And Sega fans, if the tables were turned and the WiiU was called the Dreamcast 2 and had this game, you wouldn’t be whining, you would’ve bought it already and don’t tell me Sega’s never made a giant clunky controller with a screen on it. Example: Dreamcast controller.
And good for Izuka supporting Nintendo and the WiiU. As opposed to those EA a-holes.
Wait… it did?
Sonic 06, Sonic Unleashed, Sonic Generations.
Secret Rings, Sonic Unleashed, Black Knight, Colors.
Ahh. It did.
06 was infamous, Secret Rings was hit-and-miss.
Sonic Unleashed was pretty cool, ill-received by some, and the Wii had a watered down port that was also on PS2.
Black Knight was the next storybook game… same thing with less.
And Generations and Colors were highly received. I’d say Generations more so, similar to the Unleashed vs Unleashed thing. But in this case Colors was a lot more like the HD gamestyle than Unleashed Wii was. And some liked Colors more.
I guess in a way, it feels like they did better with the PS306 group of games, but probably sold better with the Wii group of games.
I guess there’s also Sonic 4 episode 1 being on all 3, so that’s a tie for that title. Tho ep2 wasn’t on Wii was it? So that’s a tie for the overall number of titles. o0
Oh well. haha I don’t wanna have to buy 2/3 new gen consoles just like that anyways. Hopefully being an HD console means Sonic games will be available for Wii U even if not exclusively in the future~
I’ve pre-ordered both versions from Game. I’ll be up early tomorrow so I can my copies as soon as possible. So far I like the look of the levels; I just hope that the music is good.
I’ve listened to some of the songs in the game, and it’s amazing! It takes on an orchestral style and it’s no less than just… fitting. So yeah. You’d be right.
If it’s a must buy title, why am I not as excited for it as previous titles (buying a new console notwithstanding). I’m not a fan of the new graphical Mario-esque style, the return of Wisps or the fact that running, something that Sonic is most known for, has been removed and re-implemented as a gameplay control. It seems to be playing it way too safe and like with Colours and Generations, is sticking to a path that is both appealing to younger audiences as well as the long time fans with throwbacks and references to classic games.
Forgive me, but the part where Iizuka-san and the rest of Sonic Team ‘struggled’ to make 3D Sonic games, Sonic Adventure through to Sonic Unleashed, was the most endearing to me. It opened up to lots of experimentation to see what worked and what didn’t. Sure most of the time it didn’t but that’s what kept the series fresh and interesting. Now it’s just nostalgia and repeated gimmicks (Wisps returning and 3D to 2D gameplay has grown old fast).
Sorry if this was a bit of a rant but it’s just how I see the franchise as a whole at the moment. I’m still a big fan through and through, but Sonic Lost World doesn’t seem to be the right step to me.
It’s a busniess. I’d much rather have a stable series of games rather than a number of embarrsing subpar halfbaked experiments of the almost whole last decade that made Sonic critcs / gamers punching bag and laughing stock.
2005 – 2010
You mean half last decade?
The “nostalgia” has probably grown own because you’re still seeing it as nostalgia.
It’s part of what defines the classic series. So it’s nostalgic. But what if after reintroducing it, to younger fans who know nothing about the classic era, just see it as “new” and as additions to the series as if it were evolving more? After all, wisps and the modern gameplay is definitely new. It looks more like they’re taking stuff from all 3 past eras, putting them together and evolving them a little to define the next era. It’s possible that these throwbacks are symbolic as also doing the exact opposite: foreshadowing. C:
3DS version for me.
If only Sega and Nintendo didn’t have a deal, the glorious PC master race would’ve had yet another superior port like Generations.
You know I’m always amazed at how unsympathetic Sega fans are towards the plight of Nintendo fans given that Sony were the ones primarily responsible for Sega leaving the console market and the fact is if the WiiU was the same thing made by Sega and called “Dreamcast 2,” you wouldn’t be hating, you would’ve bought it already. Also Sega fans will say “well Sega would never make a gimmicky game pad controller” um Sega’s made their fair share of weird gimmicky crap. 32x, Sega CD, Sega Channel, the Samba D’amigo maracas, the Sega toilet, that Japanese Sonic arcade game that had you running on a treadmill.
So pretend the WiiU is the Sega Dreamcast 2 and Nintendo makes games for them and you’ll be happy.
I don’t know what happened but Sonic Lost World only took a 5,8/10 on IGN :I
Yup, the meta sites are holding some pretty low scores for this game.
Poor Izuka. How can you keep making games when all the fanbase does is complain?
Iizuka: “This is a must-buy title. That means you must buy this game. Why? Because I control Sega and I say so.”
Random Interested Buyer: “S-s-sure, I should… And you would probably tell me to buy that hedgehog human romance that even makes Twilight sound good, huh?”
Iizuka: “Well, actually, we are releasing official games for the Twilight series, too, though they’re long dead…”
Random Interested Buyer: “I could see something bad like this coming from Sega. Nope. No thanks.”
Hard sell, Iizuka. I wonder why?