May have also Accidentally Confirmed Download Only
With so little information coming out about Project Needlemouse since the first trailer was released in September, anything new on the next Sonic, in theory, would be most welcome. In this case, that may not be so, because if the hints dropped in the video below are any indication, a notable number of fans could be shut out of playing the game.
That’s because the interview below with Sega France’s Franck Sebastien, conducted by DigitalGames.fr and translated by Benjamin Daniel, may indicate Project Needlemouse will be a download-only experience. When taking about the game, Sebastien makes a clear reference in this translated statement:
But with Project Needlemouse, I think that Sega wanted to settle [sic] demands, because there’s a lot a nostalgic gamers out there, and on XBOX Live or PSN…(pause)…you have a lot of hardcore gamers. And the old versions of Sonic games are selling very well on these platforms, so there’s a real market for these kinds of products. [...] The idea really is to finally please all these hardcore gamers, because we love them at Sega.
Sebastien made that remark when juxtposing press reception of Sonic Unleashed to the game’s target audience–children, according to him. He then transitioned into some Needlemouse discussion, and that’s where you hear the juxtaposition with XBOX Live and PSN–and no talk about the Nintendo Wii.
The Wii shutout may have been a given, as the Needlemouse trailer touted the game as HD. The Wii is not an HD console. What wasn’t clear to this point was whether Needlemouse would be released on disc or as a download. It now looks very possible the latter will be the case.
You can watch the interview, translated and in context, below. Decide for yourself what it means, and then talk about in our comments section.
Loading ...
All I know is that Shadow Complex is my current favorite 360 title. Download only won’t be the end of the world. Still, if that’s an excuse to make a really short game, or an HD remake, then it could be a problem.
Download only? Really? That’s a tad disappointing, really.
@serpx: Most kid games don’t sell on 360/PS3.
That’s cuz they’re all buying Halo. lolol
I don’t get all the hate against download only-games. They’re a lot cheaper than retail games and.. you know.
@Skai Cyan: I don’t think it would be a dumb move. Download games are cheaper to make, cheaper and easier to distribute and often reach a larger audience than retail games.
Also, 480p is not “low-end HD”. On TV sets, HD is 720 and higher.
…they don’t even have classic Sonic on PSN.
Also, please release it in physical format. At least a special edition or something.
The guy’s right, reviewers hate SU, but my friends and I and younger kids LOVE it. Especially the werehog. Plus, don’t be mad at them for focusing on kids. After all, you were kids when you first played sonic, weren’t you? Should the series grow up because you did? Anyway, this doesn’t mean it’s download at all. Nor does it mean it’s not on the wii.
I think you’ve all read far too much into this. I think what he’s getting at is that they’re going to develop the game with hardcore gamers in mind, like the people who play the classics on XBLA and PSN. He’s just using that as comparison and not because they’ve decided to release the game digitally.
James wants to screw little kiddies, folks.
oh crap! Its a no – no for the wii, and its download only!?!
On my birthday i`m gonna buy one of those PSN vouchers and keep it until the games out! (lol) shame everythings abit too exspensive these days… 
and also……….
THANK GOD I DON`T JUST OWN NINTENDO ANYMORE!!!!!!!!
hahaha!!!!!! phew… lol.
Nothing’s been confirmed as download only, don’t get hissy about it guys I’m sure that won’t be the case.
I’m not buying it – completely going on a whim over here, but I don’t see why this’d be downloadable only.
after reading everyones comments there, you all seem pretty pissed! heh… well I knew it was gonna be DL only anyway because this game will be like…… a couple of hours long! (about, 2 and a half, = the speed)
and no offence to wii owners (i`m one too like but…) maybe you should start moving on. I did once i saw how SU on the Wii looked, it was a piece of shit! It looks like Medievil on Playstation 1!!!! *shivers* And for some reason when I DID buy it on wii aswell, I was right, it was shit! And 360`s had super quality fun, graphics, controls and hardly any bugs whats so ever! Yeah the frames stutted a few times but not as bad as PS3`s framerates, and………….. ANYWAY! What I`m saying is, ahem…. boys + girls ask for an next – gen console for christmas this year! Get good tuned up games on the HD consoles! And don`t just stick with Nintendo wii!!
basically….. move on.
phew, what a speech… heh lol!
(although I think I know whats gonna happen now……..best get my chainsaw….)
@Tailsthehedgehog: yo tails! Long time no see! did you see my speech?! I hope it weren`t typed in the wrong way(s)…
*gulp!*
@Epicenter: Particularly how? As it is, I agree with him 100 percent. Kids of the 90s were “Hooked on Sonic” without these stupid gimmicks of today. Why should today be so different? This is why Mario succeeds and Sonic doesn’t. He doesn’t have something tacked on for each title, yet does something new each time.
When will Sonic fanboys/fangirls learn?
@Greg the cat: I don`t mind the gimmicks. o.o
Greg: What part of new Sonic Team, wanting to change the formula,dont you understand? Sonic is not Mario thus he shouldnt, in todays time, be compared to him. And were the fanboys? Pfft
“The idea really is to finally please all these hardcore gamers, because we love them at Sega.”
if you love us, you’ll release it on all three consoles!!!
another thing, making it downloadable only? a bad idea, my friends.
2010:
Rocket Knight: Download Only
Project Needlemouse: Download Only?
Welcome to the age of owning stuff not on proper mediums such as discs. Bravo.
dang.. i really wanted a cool old-school HD sonic boxart in my games collection
> Haven’t seen a single gameplay video.
> Impying 2D games take up alot of space.
You guys are silly gooses.
Let’s face it. You all have internet connections and you are going to download it.
If you don’t have an HD console then ask for one for Christmas. They’re both the same damn price and are cheap enough for anybody to afford.
Now if you’ll excuse me you silly boys I have to get back to playing R&CF: A Crack in Time!!!
It’s official, no matter what choice SEGA makes, the fans will claw at them for every little thing.
I agree, epesically since the video doesn’t even confirm anything. People just blows thing out of proportion.
@ ALL Wii GRAPHIC HATERS; Okay if you are a nastalgia fan, why do you have such a hatred for the nintendo wii just for not having hd graphics? They shouldn’t even have to redisign the game completly. All they’d have to do is numb the graphics down to the wii’s potential, and keep the level design intact, like they apear to be doing with Sonic and SEGA ASR. And another thing, Why would you all be so happy if the game weren’t on Wii? I mean, I own a Wii AND a PS3, and if this game comes out for both consoles (along with 360 of course), I’d probably get the ps3 version anyway. Besides, I’m not selfish, and I’d really like to see nintendo fans happy with they’re sonic game. It would also increase the reputation of sonic, and isn’t that what we wanted all along?
Hang on. Were talking about this article relating to the teaser trailer. Every video game that is launched in CD once they had teaser trailers and other info. And remember with the Unleashed gameplay footage and questions in gamespot, one of the Sega of America’s employee said that unleashed will have Knuckles and Shadow but he was wrong. I sincerely doubt that it’s a download for PSN and XBOX Live. But he did bring out the point were after sega finally had to stop on the hardware business, they turned to nintendo to make profit making video games for nintendo consoles as what Wentos pointed out for what sega did to revive the Sonic franchise and he noted that Sega did love the werehog stages in unleashed but hardcore gamers think it sucked which got sega thinking how can we please our old sonic fans for so long. Yet Sega of Japan knows what game will be and we still have to guess what they’re thinking for project needlemouse.
And also the title say if “May confirm”. It might not.
@ GREG THE CAT; And when will the”Mario ROCKS and Sonic SUCKS” sayers learn? No, seriously, I agree with you about the other stuff concerning gimmicks, etc. , but comparing mario to sonic the way people do these days is just plain bias heres why-
1: Sega stopped making consoles years ago, therefore, sega and nintendo are no longer competing.
2: Mario is the best selling video game franchise around, so wouldn’t saying that sonic sucks just because he can’t beat him be like saying that EVERYTHING SUCKS and Mario is the ONLY GOOD VIDEOGAME FRANCHISE OUT THERE?
You decide;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_video_game_franchises
I’m not trying to be mean, greg. So sorry if I went a bit overboard.
That’s one more reason for me to stop spending so much money on Sonic merchandise and get a PS3.
it’s way too early to make any decisions. I haven’t seen a good sonic game since SBK and its time for another legit game
stop comparing mario and sonic you can play both, and like both.
I like sonic more then mario just because sonic have a better characters,and I don’t see anyone comparing mega man to mario , or kirby , or metal gear.
I don’t know why sonic
@ megasonic:THANK YOU! MY POINT EXACTLY! Finally someone who thinks like I do. Mario is the best selling franchise so to anyone who does youtube videos/accounts completely revolving around the whole “sonic is gay, mario kicks his ass, he has better newer games” talk, should think about other franchises,and how that must mean that they suck too
Bottom line: As stated in my previous reply to greg the cat, Mario is the best selling video game franchise around, so wouldn’t saying that sonic sucks just because he can’t beat him be like saying that EVERYTHING SUCKS and Mario is the ONLY GOOD VIDEOGAME FRANCHISE OUT THERE?
You decide;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_Selling_Video_Game_Franchises
I’d like to make SEGA feel as if they made the right decision… but being a Nintendo fan I would like to take a few precious seconds, just a few, to say the following, helpful and informative statement:
DAMN YOU SEGA!!!
We still don’t know what platform this will be on, he just said that hardcore gamers on the PSN & XBLA buy the older ones, there’s still a chance for a retail release. One reason I say it should be hand drawn is so it can get a Wii release (HD or not).
“But with Project Needlemouse, I think that Sega wanted to settle [sic] demands, because there’s a lot a nostalgic gamers out there, and on XBOX Live or PSN…(pause)…you have a lot of hardcore gamers. And the old versions of Sonic games are selling very well on these platforms, so there’s a real market for these kinds of products. [...] The idea really is to finally please all these hardcore gamers, because we love them at Sega.”
I’m confused. Since when has Sonic the Hedgehog(the original 16-bit games most of all) was considered a “hardcore” franchise? Those titles only used the d-pad and one button for goodness sake. They are about as hardcore as Tetris, Pac-Man and Super Mario in that they were made to appeal to everyone.
Trying to only aim for the “hardcore” crowd instead of allowing everyone to play this game like in the past or separating this franchise by demographic through choice and game design releases seems like a yet an another mistep in getting this franchise back on the right track.
I just sent in a news tip that could debunk this. Apparently there’s rumors of “a new Nintendo console will be launched worldwide in the third quarter of 2010. This “Wii 2″ will reportedly get a Blu-ray drive, and support 1080p for games and movies.”
This is according to http://www.maxconsole.net/?mode=news&newsid=37744
Download only and only for XBOX and PS3? I don’t think it’s about quality issues, because a game like this would probably run just fine on a Gamecube since I’m assuming graphics will be silimar to Smash Bros….what a jip.
Well fuck your shit Sega, if I wasn’t sure then, I’m certain that you’re dead to me now.
I hope Project Needlemouse falls flat on its face. Thankfully it will. Sega’s too incompetent to produce anything of quality, even the so called “back to their roots” Sonic games.
Yes, Sonic has always been aimed at children. That’s why he held up his middle finger in the Sonic OVA, kids love that.
@ MilesDX Wow really? We don’t even know if that’s true or not.
I don’t think we need a new console out in 2010. I probably saying that is fake.
@Sam: You do realise that people in Japan are relaxed about that kind of thing anyway, right? The fact that Sonic flipped him off actually doesn’t change the fact that the OVA was still a kid’s cartoon. Sonic X was still a kid’s cartoon when Kanemaru unleashed the ‘S’ word in the second episode.
Okay, let’s just call under-twelves the ‘target demographic’. They’re who the games are designed to appeal to. The people who used to play the games mostly fell into the target demographic back then (you would have a bunch of teenagers there, too, but they weren’t the target demographic). Nowadays, these people have grown up, and many have moved on. Those who haven’t are called the periphery demographic. The games are not designed for them and weren’t designed for them, but they still play them. In the great toss-up between children and adults, who do you think SEGA are going to aim for in their game design?
So you end up surprised when a SEGA representative reminds you of this fact. Xd Oi.
@JJ: I think the hardcore thing is… well, think about classic cars. They were nice back in the day, and lots of people owned them. Go forward in time, and the people who still have them are considered hardcore fans of cars, right? Something like that. Things aren’t made to be held onto more than two years in this world. The games that appealed to people back in the day have a pretty low chance of appealing now to a modern audience until Nintendo remake it and it’s the next big thing… but even then it’s redesigned so, in reality, it’s not the same at all.
(Wasn’t this supposed to be about Project Needlemouse obviously not being on Nintendo Wii because PNM is a HD title and the Wii can’t handle HD graphics?)
Can’t be hard to port it over to wiiware later with lower graphics.
Can’t be hard to port to wiiware without the hd.
Guess I won’t be buying this game after all….
Would there perhaps be any chance of a PC version of this made available, rather than just PSN and Xbox only? I have neither a PS3 or an Xbox, but I do have a nice HD computer setup for gaming. I would love to see Needlemouse available for my computer.
downloadable only?….fuck
so just because its gonna be a claasic game youre gonna make it hard to come by and not treat it like a proper game
wait whats this “werehog is loved”….!?! WHAT!!!!
and whats this about focusing on the kids?
BULLSHIT!
the kids werent the ones who enjoyed the classic sonic stuff
and sega wounders why its in the dumbs
“Sam: You do realise that people in Japan are relaxed about that kind of thing anyway, right? The fact that Sonic flipped him off actually doesn’t change the fact that the OVA was still a kid’s cartoon. Sonic X was still a kid’s cartoon when Kanemaru unleashed the ‘S’ word in the second episode”
That was in the Japanese version of Sonic X. The middle finger as well as some of the risque material in the OVA persisted in the English version. Sonic X is a 4kids tailored cartoon, and that is shall remain. Sonic OVA on the other hand, isn’t very different from what you’d see on Adult Swim’s anime.
Hate to break it to you if you do watch Sonic X, but it is more so tailored to children.
Xbox live and Hardcore gamers? LOL
Comment aside, I don’t get why they would want to keep Wii owners out of the loop. I have a PS3 so it wouldn’t affect me to much, but my friend would be sad to not be able to play this.
i think that if you dont release it on the wii you risk alianating gamers 14 and under that only have a wii. plus if its downlod only you also alianating gamers who dont have internet. all and all it would be like me stuck with a wii and no wireless:(
PLZ BE ON WIIII!!!! WII NEED IT!!!! LOTS of SONIC fans have the WII because it is AWSOME!!! SEGA PLZ PUT IT ON THE WII!!!!!!