GamesMaster, a gaming magazine, very recently sat down with the new head of Sonic Team, Masahiro Kumono, and together they discussed details concerning the upcoming game “Sonic the Hedgehog,” for the Playstation 3 and X-Box 360. Originally printed in magazine form, the interview will be transcripted here for your reading pleasure.
“GM: What have you been able to do on the next-gen consoles that wasn’t previous in the previous Sonics?
MK: We can’t reveal everything but it’s going to be more story based, more cinematic and much more realistic.
GM: What’s the best looking thing in the new game?
MK: We’ve got detailed lighting and shadows on everything at a level that just wouldn’t have been possible before.
GM: Can you tell us more about the town levels where you select your level? Are there mini-games and challenges?
MK: This is where you’ll find out more about the main storyline and also complete non-essential missions.
GM: Can you tell us more about how you interact with the human characters?
MK: We can’t tell you everything but maybe Sonic will visit the down to do some shopping and get some tips and information from the human characters.
GM: It’s Sonic’s 15th birthday – how are you celebrating the anniversary in the game?
MK: Because it’s the 15th anniversary of Sonic and also the starting point for Sonic on the next-gen consoles we’ve made the concept completely new but reused some classic stages. So you’ll recognize some of your favorite stages from old Sonic games.
GM: At E3 2005, Sega showed a video that showed next-generation Sonic. Will the finished game match that video or is it expecting too much from the hardware?
MK: At that point we expected the graphics to look like that on the next-gen machines, but the final version will be much better than that video, much more powerful.
GM: From developing Sonic, which is more powerful in your opinion, Xbox 360 or PS3?
MK: We don’t have all the information on the PS3 yet, but maybe PS3 is going to be more powerful in the end.
GM: Which level is going to blow us away with its graphics?
MK: Silver can pick up and throw nearly every object he can see, so those levels will really impress you, I hope.
GM: You want the game to appeal to older audiences. How will you achieve this?
MK: This has story, multiple routes, mini games, speech. We expand the storyline and gameplay and each level has depth that older gamers will find appealing as well as the kids! The main point is that there is more reality and more humans to interact with.”
The original article is availiable in the August 2006 issue of GameMaster magazine, and has a lot more info on the game in the article as well as this interview. Scans of the article can be found in this forum topic at the Sonic 2 Beta forums. Also worth mentioning is the Sonic WildFire article in the same magazine. Check it out!