Sega West President Cites Chronicles, M&S as Standouts
The full interview between VG24/7 and Sega West head Mike Hayes was published this morning. Toward the tail end of the interview, Hayes talks more about the future of Sonic as he sees it, using Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood to frame his case.
“in terms of imagination, I actually thought what we did with Chronicles was pretty good, which was actually trying to do something with Sonic that wasn’t just about speed and getting from A to B as effectively as possible,” Hayes said. “And that, I thought, was a pretty good game. Sold reasonably well, didn’t break any record, but I enjoyed that because it was different. And that gives us kind of a clue about mainly the future of Sonic. There are chances for him to sort of arc out to do different things, maybe.”
In addition to Chronicles, Hayes heralded the Mario and Sonic franchise, and in particular Sega’s relationship with Nintendo in that context.
“For me personally, doing that deal with Nintendo when we were such adversaries and bringing the two greatest icons together, for me, is a real sense of pride,” Hayes said.
The Sega West president also singled out Sonic Colors as “hugely popular” and “an excellent game.” Still, he cited M&S and Chronicles as his standout moments for the franchise during his tenure.
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im happy sonic has variety to keep things from getting stale, but lets hope they dont get TOO carried away,*cough*Black Knight*Cough*.
He is just towing company lines why is this noteworthy exactly other than it brings in the hits?
To me turn-based RPGs, werehogs, guns etc. are just them trying to emulate something popular at the time, but as always, its never as good. The traditional Sonic gameplay is what ST does best, and are the most unique aspects of the series and why I play them, so i cant say i’m jumping for joy at the idea the series veering off into different genres tbh.
Hmm. This could end up as a good thing or a bad thing.
Well, they mucked up turn-based RPG’s, hack ‘n slash, gunplay and i don’t know what else. I wouldn’t buy a Sonic game that wasn’t completely traditional Sonic gameplay anymore. Call me close minded, but when ST go out of their comfort zone the results are never good. Thats just my opinion.
Sonic and Mario RPG… There’s a %85 chance it’ll be good if the devs who worked on the Mario RPGs worked on it. XD
Ugh sorry for the two similar comments here, it said the first didn’t register lol.
@QuietGuy92
I’m Pretty sure he means genres outside of platforming.
Pff… they can’t even get platformers right and they want to move towards other things? But seriously how is this news? Sonic has always had non-platformer games.
@Stephen
I didn’t know that. My bad.
I don’t mind. It sounds cool to me. It just better not be mediocre like Sonic Chronicles. Christ, was that terrible.
It’s agreeable that they can get racing games right now. But probable if they just stick with the devs of All-Stars Racing.
Let me get this straight. This guy is touting Chronicles as a success?
And we should pay attention to him, why?
Jeez, hasn’t Sonic’s criticism pretty much always come from him doing “different things”? They need to perfect the core gameplay of his platformers first.
Though I must say I really liked All-Stars Racing. If they do any more spinoffs I hope they are high-quality like that.
@Queitguy92
“Let Tails play like he did in Sonic 2″
uhhh…no…how about “Let Tails play like he did in Sonic 3″ because Tails couldn’t fly in Sonic 2…at least to my memory… *fires up Genesis* *plays as Tails* *cannot fly* nope…can’t fly…so let Tails play like he did in Sonic 3 where the PLAYER could fly as Tails instead of playing a reskinned Sonic…
Most of the time, this ends up as a bad thing. SEGA will never learn.
It should be noted that “doing different things” could be anything, not subjected to merely different gameplay styles/different genres.
For all we know, they could be capitalizing on Classic Sonic’s popularity as we speak.
I think it should go a little something like this. One year they release a classic sonic game like say “sonic 4″ not sonic 4 episode 1 that dosnt count, then next year they release a modern game “sonic adventure 3″ then in between every couple years or so they release spinoff games like M&S and chronicles. it would keep things fresh and it would satisfy both fanbases instead of letting one simply overpower the other like most franchises
Sonic definitely has the potential to work in other genres, just as much so as Mario… but I think the keys to making it work are:
a) letting another developer familiar with the genre handle it (as was the case for Chronicles and ASR)
b) not trying to MIX those new genres in with the traditional Sonic gameplay. You’ve gotta go all or nothing if you’re gonna experiment with genres… Sonic Team has proved that the mix-n’match style of “innovation” generally only bastardizes the traditional Sonic experience.
I’d be interested in seeing different genres of Sonic games, if done right. However, these sports games really don’t do it for me. Maybe another (better) Sonic Shuffle would be fun, but in general these re-skinned Wii Sports type games aren’t really that special.
@Tatsumaki
Mediocre and terrible are two entirely different words. Something can’t really be both.
Good. Variety is the spice of life. As long as it’s well made, i have no problem with it.
@Quietguy92
Sonic games have always took place on Earth. Were you under the impressuon they took place somewhere else?
@Superfield
It was a minor success. Nearly a million copies sold if i remember correctly. But yeah, not a game i’d like to remember.
I’m still waiting for Sonic Chronicles 2 here! C’mon, Sega! Pwease?
While trying new things is great for a franchise it is important to not let the extras effect the quality of the main game in your franchise. They should never loose focus on what makes Sonic…Sonic (they lost focus for a while of that when they began giving characters dark pasts, guns, swords). Also, why does Sega not take some of these ideas and create new non-sonic related games with them (like the werehog sections of Sonic Unleashed could have been used in a non-Sonic beat ‘em up game [with obvious polishing]).
I kinda hate that sonic does so many things, it’s just a way of sega saying, we don’t know what the hell to do with sonic. Mario was always the same, for instance, 64, sunshine and galaxy all had the same gameplay style, just different environments, and new twists. This goes for all serious, such as Zelda, metroid, CoD, bioshock, etc.. Sonic never had a stable path, due to all the bad games, last and current decade.
ASR was good, there’s nothing wrong with trying to gameplay styles with spin off games, but i mean shit, every year it’s some new cheesy game lol
@Tristan
Is it okay if you could delete my previous comment that was submitted at 6:39? I didn’t know what the main topic was REALLY about just moments later.
@DalekXSaxon
I’ve just played Sonic 2 and you’re right. I thought Tails could fly in S2 like he did in S3. Thanks for fixing my mistake.
@SonikDude101
Actually, that’s the Japanese canon. In the western canon, the earlier games took on a fictional planet called Mobius (thanks to AoSTH and SatAM) and/or known in the Sonic OVA as Planet Freedom. I miss Sonic running around in the pinball-esque world of the classics and would love if Sega brought that surreal, dreamy atmosphere back in the 3D games. But I have no problems with Sonic and company on Earth.
chronicles, ok, mario and sonic, no please, just no more…
I applaud sega for having the guts to try to do something different with the series, but unfortunately every time they do this the results are less than spectacular. But who’s to say they didn’t learn from their mistakes this time?
I’ll give them a chance. Who’s to say they didn’t learn from their mistakes?
Its a good idea for Sega to provide different genres for the franchise, as long as they don’t suck or made just for the sake of money.
For Chronicles, it was okay for Sonic’s 1st RPG. But had its music fixed, included some good multiplayer, and improve on some of the dialogue in the story, it would’ve been much better. All-Stars Racing on the other hand, is awesome and usually I’m not a fan of racing games (except for the Mario Kart series).
As long as Sonic Team don’t use the “innovative” mesh-mash of recent games in the main series, I think we’re in good hands. Hopefully.
As long as it’s a Mario & Sonic adventure game. No more M & S Olympics games. Also, I actually didn’t mind Chronicles (except for the underwhelming cut-scenes and lackluster music). As long as Bioware (or whoever else happens to develop the sequel) can improve on these little nitpicks of mine, they could have a hit on their hands. Considering the level of talent they have at Bioware, that shouldn’t even be an issue…
By different things I hope they mean add more characters. But other than that, I think Sonic’s doing great! Why does he need to change?
Hey guys, don’t forget the fact that chronicles was made by bioware, not st.
I’m fine with whatever they come up with as long as they never go back to the grimdark serious business-tone and as long as the games are fun to play. That shouldn’t be too much to ask.
@Sonic52789
You’re probably the only person on the planet that thinks the series needs more characters.
@Quietguy
Multiplayer? In an RPG?
Last thought: real world Sonic still sucks. Every time I boot up the Generations demo and play GHZ, my heart and soul scream “THIS!” at the top of their lungs. Reality stifles creativity. I’m so sick of seeing Sonic running around in realistic human environments when he could be running around in gorgeous surrealistic worlds that are literally overflowing with character. It’s just a damn shame.
FINALLY! Chronicles is mentioned!
@ChaoticFox
That’s what the reviewers said, not me.
@Sonic52789
I think the series already have enough characters than it needs. Sega could just bring back those of have been forgotten like Mighty, Ray, Fang, Bean, and Bark. They DESERVE much more credit than the likes of Shadow, Silver, Marine, and the Babylon Rouges.
@Quietguy
As a matter of fact, you DID just say it – without mentioning that you were apparently quoting reviewers.
But besides that, no matter who said it, that still doesn’t make any fucking sense XD
Yeh this could be good…this could also be bad… Hey if any of ya all remember Super Mario Bros. Z? Well I dunno folks I thoroughly enjoyed that flash series by Alvin Earthworm. There is great potential here just man SEGA please use your heads…don’t over do it like ya did in 2006. Hell Sonic in Smash Bros. Yea I was quite pleased. Ya know…somehow some way they seriously need to bend Archie’s arm to let them use SCOURGE. Gawd would that be seriously epic.
yes, sonic *could* branch off and do different things, but it doesn’t mean he should, especially when the core series has enough imperfections that can be addressed. The only reason Mario spinoffs do so well is because his core series has been (arguably IMO) perfected.
I’m glad they’re doing this. I mean, as long as it only adds and rather than replace then all is good. =)
It’s also cool to see so many styles and tones to Sonic. I mean he’s had so many over the years. The Classics were half/half fictional, and so were the Adventure series but it was a bit more relatable enviromentally. Sonic 06 was dark and “realistic” but also mythological. Colors and Riders are comical and cartoony. Shadow is cartoony and sci-fi. Heroes is just bland but it’s for kids so it makes sense there’s hardly any creativity there (at least as far as I’m concerned).
It’s interesting how Sonic fits both the cartoony and realistic world so well! They can take a cartoony world and make it feel like we’re actually in it! They can take a realistic world and be creative with it, make it more interesting. And then there’s Sonic Generations. That game has a stage from the mainstream games making them all feel part of the same world! And that’s fantastic! =D As long as the humans go back to looking a bit more normal for their rare cameos, I’m good. Pickle was cool and all but it just felt too cartoony and bubbly compared to the Sonic characters. xD Make them more realistic like the Adventure series and Shadow The Hedgehog anatomically but make them cartoonish still facially and such like that. =p
But what I’m curious is whether or not Eggman will one day show us some Eggmobile fighters like in the classics and SA1. 0.0
And while they’re branching genres, are they ever gonna get back to fighting? XD
@Foxboy
Im sorry but some fans DON’T want Sonic to run around in the real world ever again.
Sonic 1, 2, CD, and 3K all took place in a surreal, pinball-esque, cartooney world where each zone shows character. Nowadays, Sonic and friends are inhabiting a *slightly* different Earth with the crappy monster-of-the-week formula instead of letting Robotnik/Eggman stay as the main antagonist/final boss.
Sonic Adventure 1 took place in a human city (Station Square), but at least some the game’s levels retain that classic, dreamlike feeling (ex. Twinkle Park, Windy Valley, Lost World, and Red Mountain). Sonic Adventure 2 (as much as I love that game) scrapped the surreal and cartooney atmosphere and decide to go for the “dark” and “edgy” business.
In the recent games, the characters and the environments kept getting more and more realistic until everything came to a climax in Sonic 06 (the game that ALMOST KILLED Sonic the Hedgehog). And the “Beastality” shit going between Sonic and Elise was (and still is) creepy as fuck.
Sure the humans of Unleashed have a Pixar-like appearance but the game still took place in a realistic world. The only 3D games to have that classical feeling were Heroes and Colors.
But the Riders series and Shadow the Hedgehog (both character and game) are shit.
I get what he’s trying to say- that Sonic games could be successful in other genres- but I really don’t agree with citing Chronicles as an example of one of those.
I’d rather see Sonic branch out and do some more quirky titles, like Sonic Battle, that used the whole cast, played up their special abilities, had a totally new feel to it, but still told a pretty decent story. I think games like that would better suited for a Sonic spin-off than another RPG.
Hey Hayes.
You know how the majority of fans hate that he’s done all those “different things” up to now? Know how we all are loving that he’s going back to his roots as of late?
Yeah, what in the hell makes you think bringing him back to different things is a good thing?
@Haru
Well, once Sonic is back on his feet after Generations, then maybe he can do different things like in spinoffs and stuff like that.