Fan Feedback May Not Have Been in Vain
So far, nearly all indications show that Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is not selling to expectations, or at least the expectations one would expect for being Sega’s flagship Holiday title of 2012. So it’s a bit surprising to see Sumo executive producer Steve Lycett confirm, at minimum, significant progress on bringing DLC to the multi-terrain racer.
On Thursday, Lycett afforded an update on the Sega forums:
Actually… We got approval for a specific character this morning. But that’s all I can say right now…
You may remember a while back when those same forums hosted a poll asking about preferred character choices for DLC, if the idea ever got off the ground. Thousands offered their input, and the top choices were taken by Lycett to convince Sega of supporting the racer beyond the base release.
If we hear of any further developments, we will pass that along here.
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@Josh but the way u stated in your argument that sonic had no form in anyway of sex appeal is the problem where there is a character who actually has it. I don’t care if you don’t like the character. I like her and if it makes me a perv. Then hell I could give two shits. But plainly excluding a character and their fans because of their design is foolish to be honest. We could talk about Ulala about design too but u don’t see me going like screw this I don’t want her in. Her fans are consist of pervs.
@Gnat1
Did I say that? I never said “everyone who likes Miku is a lonely perverted freak”. I never even insinuated that. I said that Miku is DESIGNED to cater to lonely perverted freaks. Whether or not there are people who like her that aren’t such is a moot point because the WHOLE POINT of her existence is to sell figurines and bodypillows to lonely perverted freaks. She is tailor-made for that audience.
@277Sonic
No, you asked me to defend Rouge. I wasn’t defending Rouge in any way. Sonic is not made to be sexy. They do not sell Sonic games specifically to people who jerk off to Rouge the Bat. My whole argument is that Miku IS a fanservice character, specifically designed to sell to people who jerk off to her. The creators of Rouge didn’t care about whether or not she would be fetishized because that would never be the focal point of Sonic games that have her in them. She’s just a bat who happens to have sultry eyes and large breasts; the other characters never call attention to these features, nor do they seem to be interested in Rouge in any way other than as a friend. And no the same could not be said for Ulala because Ulala has never been marketed as a “real” idol, she’s a goofy girl in a hi-tech goofy universe which exudes campy cartoon aesthetic from every pore. Miku doesn’t have a “universe” that she originates from, she is treated as a “real world idol”, in order to engage the fantasies of otaku losers who fantasize about meeting her and marrying her. She necessarily functions in the real world to keep otaku believing that illusion.
So a character has approved I hope Hatsune Miku is the one that got picked and this is coming from the guy who likes her songs and her character all together (My favorite songs are ODDS&ENDS and Black Rock Shooter both by Ryo (Supercell))
I never stated sonic was made to be sexy, the other female sonic characters don’t have large breast and sultry eyes and are normal. But she is the one out of line. The way you stated your argument seemed like sonic had no sex appeal characters which therefore I wanted you to defend rouge in that case. For Ulala, she has a skirt and has a top that shows her naval area. That’s pretty much sex appeal even though it is cartoony it still is sex appeal and the same is for Miku even if she is seen as a real idol she is cartoony as well.
Yay, merchandise sales = sexual gratification! I better return all my Sonic plushes before someone starts assuming I like to put my dick in them. Jesus kid, wtf.
I assume the reason Sega bothered to give Knuckles a profile, or bothered to mention that he prefers grapes in the Sonic 3 instruction manual wa also a sick ploy to cater to the furry weaboo market’s desire to mate with anthros. What a sick company!
ChoaticFox: “I love how people are all up in arms about Miku’s popularity allegedly being due to some kind of sick perversion, while I’ve never seen ANYONE around here complaining about Bayonetta. who was literally designed and marketed as a walking sex toy from day one.”
FUCKING THANK YOU!
@Josh
Wow, you’re an even bigger fool that SSJSonicXX14.
-Do you know WHY they bothered giving Miku a bloodtype? There exists a pseudo science/myth that says that a person’s personality is determined partially by their bloodtype. It’s SUPER common in Japan to give a character a bloodtype when you design them. Naruto is B, Ichigo Kurosaki is A, Light Yagami is A, so I guess these guys were designed specifically for perverts too right? All of that shit is common place (to varying degrees) when designing a character in Japan because it lends a certain immersion to the universe.
-You’re making shit up about her “sexual memes” being accepted by the company though. The only time they’ve ever even shown her underwear was in a FANMADE design for a competition promotion by Coke (it wasn’t graphic, just sorta there).
-Tails like mints, dislikes thunder. Amy’s hobby (besides shopping) is tarot reading. Blaze is afraid of heights. Knuckles like fruits, he’s afraid of ghosts. Sonic has varying degrees of hydrophobia, he likes chilli dogs, he likes his freedom. Guess all these characters have likes and dislikes, guess they’re designed for perverts too.
-So “She’s just a bat who happens to have sultry eyes and large breasts; the other characters never call attention to these features” huh? What’s this, “Wild Canyon fun, I gotta chase a bat, ha Yeah, Rouge, she’s sexy and smooth”? And I suppose the scenes in Sonic Battle where she’s being overly flirtatious with Sonic, Kunckles, Emeral and especially Tails don’t count somehow.
-Miku was designed with a voice synthesizer program, it’s only natural that she’d be an idol as a character. However she, and the first Vocaloid with an avatar (Sweet Ann), were marketed towards professional producers like the Vocaloid software before them. When they realized she was popular, THEN they played up the idol angle by giving her a bunch of merchandising like any REAL idol, inserting her into the local pop culture (through amateur videos on Nico Nico first). I’m not seeing the problem. This is the same path everything popular follows.
-Fun fact: Amy’s actually less covered up than Miku, and her design was changed to this from a more platonic one. Guess she’s designed for perverts too?
-Fun fact 2: In a popularity poll that asked who it was that people wanted to see sing at the 2012 London Olympics she beat out the likes of Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga. No amount of “otaku perverts” would beat out the legions of fans these people have, therefore she has to have tons more appeal than what your narrow mind perceives.
@Skai Cyan
Amazing
@Josh: So, let me ask ya… whose argument is messed up now?
Oh SEGA Please be Hatsune Miku I will throw my money to you
Regardless of it being Miku or not, she would never have the kind of fanbase Japan boasts. She will always be niche in the West, and being DLC in this game won’t change that at all.
Still, I remain optimistic for Ryo or Ristar, since I voted for them and all.
I’m predicting Ryo and Ristar to be the likeliest candidates, mostly because all that would be left are the vehicle designs, since both would have their character models already done.
ToeJam & Earl or Vectorman would also be likely, since there are no loops to really jump through, since Vectorman belongs to Sega and the creator of T&E gave his blessing back when fans requested them as DLC for ASR.
Miku and Bayonetta will have a few loops to jump through, what with being owned by different companies, but since Sega make the Miku rhythm games and published Bayonetta (and are considered co-owners of the franchise), there will probably not be that much anyway.
I’m not certain where I stand on Segata. On one hand, if the actor is cool with playing him, I don’t see why not.
Ultimately, I think it would come down to the profits they will bring. The problem with Bayonetta is “would fans of Bayonetta buy ASRT?”. I don’t doubt it, but I do doubt they are in massive numbers.
The same applies to Miku; she is VERY niche in the West, and it’s really unlikely that the average player would have heard of her. Bear in mind the game hasn’t been released in Japan yet, and that is where most of the money lies for Miku. I acknowledge that this game could be a springboard for her international career, but the people who are interested in her and want her in the game already know who she is. And say what you want about Danica or Ralph, but most people in the west are familiar with NASCAR, and children flock to Disney movies like Miku fans do to this DLC business. Those two are more likely to bring advertising in the West than Miku ever could.
And of course, the same thing about Miku applies to Segata; how many people actually know who he is? Sure, most people here are familiar with him, but you have to ask yourself “Would the average player know who he is? If he doesn’t, would he buy the DLC?”. Sega are not in a position to take risks given their financial status, so if it looks like the answer may be “No”, they probably won’t do it.
Overall, I’m not ruling out any of the candidates just yet, but some are certainly more likely than others. I will most likely buy the DLC regardless of character, and you’re all idiots for taking this so seriously.
I just chose Hatsune Miku just for the fact that we need more Female characters in this game but that what I want and it’s my opinion.
I hope it’s Miku!!~
DD
ALOT of people in these comments R8LY don’t want miku. So I ask: why? I think it’s the perfect chance to open her to all of the segafans that dont know her. DO IT AND I WILL FLIP
I would like at least Miku and Segata.
Miku I’ve wanted since the polls opened because I’d love it if she got more exposure in the States. I’m a huge Vocaloid fan and this would just make my day!!
Segata I want because… um, DUH? He’s freakin’ Segata Sanshiro!! He’s Sega’s Chuck Norris!!
Anyone else, I’m on the fence about, but I really would also like TJ&E. Played that as a kid and LOVED IT.
I think Ryo will be the most likely DLC since he was already in Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing AND he got the most votes.
That said, I am personally hoping for Hatsune Miku as the DLC. I think she would be an interesting character to race as (I like playing as female characters in games) and she has a car with her on it, so that would be a clever vehicle for her to use.