Points to Hands-On Access as Proof Positive
A second, short interview with Takashi Iizuka surfaced yesterday from Videogamer.com–and it directly references that dreaded Sonic Cycle.
There’s two surprising elements to take away from his remarks; the first being his apparent awareness of the now infamous and mostly standard procedure for Sonic fare since 2006. There’s no indication as to whether reporter James Orry had to explain the steps to Iizuka.
With that benefit of the doubt in mind, the second noteworthy point is his assurance Sonic Colors won’t fall under those circumstances.
“…The team is confident that this is a game everybody can really enjoy. That’s why we’ve offered a lot of hands-on for E3,” Iizuka said. “It’s something that the team is really confident from the gameplay side. It’s something that, this time, the team thinks they’ve nailed it – it’s definitely not going through the Sonic cycle!”
It will ultimately be for consumers, fans, and critics to decide whether those words serve purpose, but it’s worth noting one other thing: such direct promise hasn’t yet been given by Iizuka or anyone of his prominence for another closely watched title in the pipeline: Sonic the Hedgehog 4.
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I’m confident nobody knows what that phrase even means anymore
oh so now sonic team knows what the sonic cycle is …. 4 years of what we yelled at there faces. I hope they use it good measure.
for good measure.
srry duoble post.
Any one else feel it to be sickening that Sega should even be adressing the ‘Sonic Cycle’ by name?
Well, since he didn’t say a thing about the Sonic Cycle going for Sonic 4, I have a hunch feeling we are so getting Tails and Knuckles in the net episodes! Hooray!
@Skai: Not I. I’m glad they know what it is, but people really should shut the fuck up about Sonic 4. It IS the game people have wanted; no fucking excuses.
The team is confident that this is a game everybody can really enjoy
…I hope by “everybody” he meant everyone who likes linear boring path-like levels that encourage you to go faster and faster, crappy automated grinds and QTEs that don’t belong, and ugly looking protagonists and enemies.
It IS the game people have wanted; no fucking excuses.
Only blind fanboys believe that people wanted a crappy game where they just traced their art off of a bunch of old stages, rehashed enemies (with an insanely lame plot as an excuse to cover it up), a crappy move that makes the gameplay more automated and breaks the flow, stupid uncurling that doesn’t even make any sense, ugly characters, bland forgettable music, a jump that stops in mid-air if you release the button, and only 4 stages (all of which are rehashed).
Regardless of this so called *Sonic Cycle* BS, I am really looking forward to playing Sonic Colors for Wii. It is definitely going to be a must buy for me this holiday season just like Sonic Unleashed was two years ago. Sonic Unleashed was a fun blast to play and having more of high speed 3D to 2D gameplay, imaginative new levels to run through, and a new set of stage and character theme music to listen to from a main Sonic series game. I wish that November would come sooner.
Goodness gracious, even SEGA knows what the Sonic Cycle is! Just hope that when Sonic 4 and Sonic colors come out, people will stop complaining about the recent games in the franchise. SEGA always learns from their mistakes, and they’re doing it in a big way this time around.
There wasn’t too much ‘Sonic Cycle’ melodrama in 2008 when Unleashed was released?
@Vulpine no they dont they never learn from their mistakes they just keep making bigger ones.We ask for sonic adventure 3 we get sonic rush 3D.We ask for Sonic 4 we get Sonic Rush HD with rehashed zones and badniks from sonic 1 and 2 give me a break fanboy
oh and by Sonic Rush 3D i meant Unleashed
SEGA always learns from their mistakes,
L
O
L
and they’re doing it in a big way this time around.
By listening to the fools who thought the day Unleashed gameplay was any good at all?
THAT’S how they learn from their mistakes? Listening to idiots?
The only thing Sega is competent at is making money, tons of it, by listening to people who have no idea what they’re talking about, because they’re in the majority.
Not that there’s anything wrong with making money, of course, but a game developer that makes crap games should be criticized whether they make money or not, because them making money doesn’t give ME anything good (unless of course, I was a blind fanboy and liked their crappy games).
Wow, hilarious.
Sonic Unleashed day stages were good they just need more platform and less speed.
@Vulpine
Just hope that when Sonic 4 and Sonic colors come out, people will stop complaining about the recent games in the franchise. SEGA always learns from their mistakes, and they’re doing it in a big way this time around.
I highly doubt that people will stop complaining because it certainly doesn’t look like it to me, look right above me as a example. There will always be someone that will have a completely biased opinion like IGN’s review on Sonic Unleashed or these two freaks that love to plague the comment sections with insults to people that want to only show enthusiasm for the franchise that they love.
Nothing is prefect and neither is SEGA. I do believe that SEGA is definitely learning from their mistakes and they have also made great games recently as well. Beautiful graphics, tight gameplay, and upbeat music. The blending of retro 2D and modern 3D. I couldn’t be happier with Sonic Colors and Sonic 4. Go SEGA!!!
“SEGA always learns from their mistakes.”
I’ll tell you a secret. “Sega” is the word for “mistake” in japanese.
Have you ever heard of streets of rage, shinobi, golden axe, toe jam & earl, alex kidd, altered beast, nights, shenmue? Genesis? Dreamcast?
I don’t know if you had been born at this time, but Sega was what Nintendo, Sony, is today!
They don’t gave a shit for us. They never gave the sequel for this franchises, even with the fans begging for more!
I never bothered to look at any Colors game play until now, and… It looks… dare I say… enjoyable! As long as the difficulty is turned up, this could be great!
@ VoiceofReason
You do realize that SEGA is remaking Sonic 4 because the public didn’t like what they saw. Yeah, SEGA doesn’t learn from mistakes.
Sonic Colors is exactly what people wanted, the day stages from Unleashed with more platforming and less linear levels. Yeah, SEGA doesn’t learn from mistakes.
Please don’t bitch about a game until you have played the finished product.
well all i can say is, for those bitching about sonic 4, remember, its 1 episode in a (supposedly) 5 part game, priced at 1/5th of a retail game, with more content confirmed for future episodes. when you combine this with all the tweaking ST are doing at the minute, we really don’t know much about sonic 4. as for sonic colours, the game does look great, and with no gameplay variations (if there was we would have known by e3) it has the potential to be the definitive 3D sonic. not that thats a particularly tall order mind.
@ Edge
Don’t bother man, that’s just what he does.
You do realize that Sonic Colours exist because of the false believe that this is supossed to be what Sonic in an transition from 2D to 3D is all about?
If you would give them an proper transition, so, with a Sandbox to fuck around with, higher and lower paths that are accesable at almost everytime, I think people would enjoy this alot more. Hell, if you can do an 20+ hour Rollercoaster which I admit looks fantastic (enviroment) you should be able to do that.
I think after 20+ hours holding forward most of the time will make them think it’s really boring, maybe they will realize whats really wrong then…
I don’t even want to be associated with the Sonic Fanbase anymore. It’s a disgusting, ignorant, and immature fanbase that asks for something, then pans it because it isn’t the best game ever made, or doesn’t live up to their personal tastes.
You all call yourselves fans, I call you ignorant scum that doesn’t seem to realise that SEGA has the final say in what goes in what game. I’m sorry that just because some of you hate the homing attack, Sonic’s design or whatever, you automatically assume the game is going to be crap before it even comes out. SEGA is trying really hard to please the fans; you guys asked for this game, so you STFU and take what you get, and we all know you’ll buy the game anyway, despite how good it may be. I really do believe that SEGA has learned from their mistakes, and I, for one, put all my faith in SEGA and Sonic Team, and will continue to do so for a long way to come.
And let’s face it, the only actual Sonic-style games (not stuff like Riders or Sonic 1 GBA) that have been BAD are Shadow The Hedgehog, Sonic 06 and SATBL. Wow, 3 bad games makes a whole series terrible? I never knew that.
@JohnSeed
That’s why the wisps were created, to make the game less linear, they provide a new way to navigate through the levels, have you seen the gameplay vids? It’s hardly linear.
@voiceofreason
Most of fans, and most of reviews sites claimed the days stages gameplay was excellent, it was just the werehog that ruined it for some, if not most of the fans.
So you’re in the minority man, and nobody listens to the minority EVER.
Sorry for you man.
Voice of reason my balls.
At who is this comment directed to? And what game are you talking about?
Sonic 4 Episode 1? Well, listen to the whole reasoning, why some people can’t stand it.
First of all, almost levels Badniks and Items are uninspired (hell, the last two things are direct copys), in other Sonic games only one or two zones looked a little like previous zones, (Emerald Hill – Green Hill for example or Tidal) but in Sonic 4 Episode 1 (and there are only 4 zones) they look strongly like old ones while the other entries had many new zones to back things up.
Second is, the homing attack, like it or not, but it breaks momentum because it gives you infinity ammount of boosts, it takes away the sensation to work for the speed, of course we don’t have to use it, but would you like to train yourself not to press the button twice? (An Option would be nice, btw, Sega)
The third is the model, yeah, a small thing, but this is supossed to be a trowback and then they are using the Adventures Model, what the hell?
I don’t know who you listened to, maybe some dense idiots who just think that only old things are good or whatever, but it’s not as easy as you think it is.
For the whole Puplic: We want NEW things, but the gameplay to be the old like the old one (Which Sonic 4 kind of succeds but still there are the problems above listed.)
(Not going to comment on the music, either you like it or not, I think only Mad Gear is a little good.)
(EDIT – Inflammatory -T)
Otherwise, nice one sega for finally doing things right, i think 4 and colours are both shaping up nicely, shame colours isnt out for PS3 but ah well
oh yeah, and i agree with mrsmoo
i feel exactly the same
Ah, crap, this was directed at “MrsMoo” and forgot to delete Tidal (wanted to say, Tidal Tempest and Labyrinth Zone, bad Sonic CD, bad!)
@Zeth: Some, back then I only saw linear levels, but the 2D Sections look better to be honest, well atlest better than Unleashed..
@John Seed
But, you’re forgetting one important detail. This is the first installment of the whole game. There will be more, original levels in the future when the other episodes are released. As for the model, while I adore both, I prefer the new one. Sonic didn’t actually physically morph into what he is now in SA, now, did he? He’s been redesigned, almost as if the original never existed.
But the gameplay IS almost the same as the old ones? Don’t know why you’re complaining. You asked for it, and here it is.
Yeah, but I am talking about Episode 1, 2 and 3 could get new levels and stuff but this doesn’t change what Episode 1 is and why people hate and complain about it.
And I don’t remember an homing attack in Sonic 1 – 3, Knuckles or Speed Boosters scattered almost everytime before an loop. (Like an helping hand which says, “awww, let me help ya!”)
But yeah, the gameplay is the nearest to the classics since Advance 1.
@DAMN and voiceofreason
Don’t be rude, people.
@Dino
Yes, I have heard of those games and I have been around since then. Stop cussing.
@silverwind
At least someone has a positive opinion on the new games. That is good to know.
@MrsMoo
It is sad because as much as I like Sonic, the fanbase is god-awful with all of these flaming debates and I wish people would act maturely and accept the changes. Remember it’s the fanfiction writers and artists that make the series look bad, not the games (I enjoyed Sonic 2006, so stop bashing it).
@Vulpine
I’m not bashing Sonic 06, and I respect your opinion, but Sonic 06 was a very poor game.
I don’t care what anyone says, Black Knight was damn fun on a story level. And the ending was boss.
The Sonic Cycle more or less translates as “whine, bitch, moan, repeat”. It isn’t something that’s dependent on actual game quality, it’s something thought up by a certain subset of fans, with a certain opinion of how the games should be handled, who automatically get butthurt whenever any information that doesn’t correspond to their vision comes out into the woodwork. The cycle more or less starts out with the expectation that the game WILL end up sucking before anything solid comes into the hands of the player, which is sad considering that most people end up buying the games anyways to validate the opinions they’ve made up in their head as right, wasting $50-$60 bucks in the process. You just can’t win.
Inevitably, it’s a bunch of fanboy garbage that Mr. Iizuka is right in disregarding, as the Team seems pretty set on not limiting their focus to a bunch of unpleasable whackjobs anyways. Good on them.
The people who thought of the Sonic Cycle are brain-dead autistics. According to them, this would mean that Secret Rings is a fantastic game while Sonic 3 and Knuckles sucks.
I’m serious. If you lived in that time you should remember. No one needed to justify the quality of games. SEGA’s games were really good. Everybody liked.
Great games need no justification. No need to “look, you can play without using the homming attack” or this aggressive marketing “This Is Truly Sonic the Hedgehog 4 as you imagined it,” or “now we break the Sonic Cycle.” The Sonic games used to to speak for itself.
SEGA should stop saying they’re doing something good and really do something good.
Sorry if I sounded offensive. It was not my intention. I’m trying to make a serious discussion here.
When they make a really good evolution, at the level of “Mario Galaxy”, “Street Fighter IV”, then I will “accept the changes,” and agree that they “always learns from their mistakes”.
@DAMN Look, Sonic ’06 was basically Sega’s attempt at a “Sonic Adventure 3″. Sonic Adventure 3 is just a name. It makes no sense to ask for one since we already have TWO–if you wanna include Sonic Unleased–effed up versions of what it’d turn out to be; a total cluster-f**k.
I never really understood the Sonic cycle. Maybe it was because my initial introduction of the cycle was brought to my attention quite cynically due to the pessimistic reporting of Sonic titles at the Sonic Stadium. Titles since 2006 do not carry into this opinionated “cycle” very much at all. Sonic’s the only playable character in Unleashed, the DS Sonic titles are nothing short of GREAT, the ports, while overflowing, have all been enjoyable(except Sonic the Hedgehog for the GBA), and etc.