Iizuka: Old Sonic fans are hard to please

In a recent interview in the official UK Nintendo Magazine, Sonic game director Takashi Iizuka has criticised the tough audience that is the retro Sonic fan base. “Our team are always trying to present new gameplay innovations so it’s hard to please fans who like the gameplay from the older games.”

Later on he went on to say “However, we have included the older gameplay as part of Sonic’s 20th Anniversary, so we think the fans of the older games will enjoy it [Generations] as well. We are also looking into continuing the Sonic 4 series which was released on WiiWare, and we’ll keep developing titles so more fans will enjoy the games.”

Well at the very least he’s trying to please everyone. What do you think? Are you one of these harsh fans? Or do you not even see what he’s getting at there? Let me know in the comments!

[Source: www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk]

Readers Comments (10)

  1. About Sonic 4, I noticed that my interest was rekindled after getting Super Sonic. But I don’t like his pose at the end of the Super Sonic ending.

    I agree though, the Sonic crowd can be pretty tough. I wonder if it’s difficult to emulate the original physics etc?

  2. Maybe I haven’t made it clear but I personally hated Sonic 4. Just plain bad level design. Guess I’m a part of that ‘tough crowd’.

  3. Maybe you can try unlock Super Sonic (even though that is a maddening feat) it renewed the game for me, even though everything stayed the same.

    To be honest, I really just wanted that Sonic hat for my avatar 😉

    [img]http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/ShinobiWan%20Z/avatar-body.png[/img]

  4. Manic Maverick August 6, 2011 @ 3:56 AM

    I wouldn’t say I’m a harsh fan, but I definitely hate what Sonic’s turned into. The fact that Sega has to go through so many changes to please their fans, however, is kind of sad.

  5. I’m a retro Sonic fan, but my only real complaint with the newer Sonic games is less about gameplay and more about how they lost sight of the original spirit of the game. They should just be fun, fast-paced games–no need for cheesy, melodramatic “Final Fantasy” stories, gimmicky themes (knights, werehogs) or anything like that. Sonic is a strong property on his own, so just play on his strengths rather than mooch off of other popular franchises. That’s why Sonic Generations looks like the best thing since sliced chili dogs!

  6. @Stooball
    Well I’m glad you enjoyed the hat was that the only reason you got the game?

    I haven’t played that many sonic games
    The once I liked
    sonic 1-2, 4
    sonic advance
    sonic adventure 1-2
    sonic colours
    Sonic R
    Sonic rush
    sonic allstars racing

    Not so much
    Sonic rivals
    sonic héros

    I’m missing out the once people complain about but… I think I could play with them and not be so negative…
    noticing sonic fans are hard to please yet I’m not so hard to please when it comes to sonic games I dare I say it after all the bad reviews?
    If theres no big I might actually like sonic 06!
    Gona have to try it!

  7. I’m pretty easy to please when it comes to Sonic…I don’t care about all this physics stuff or new attacks or anything like that. Each game is a different beast, just look at the Alex Kidd games on the Master System, or even how the Mario games evolved (to praise) from system to system.

    The problem in some past games was the padding…people just wanted to play as Sonic running through levels quickly with the occasional bout of platforming, but SEGA kept tacking on more characters just to pad out the runtime. And that was their self-stated reason, so you can see how things like that (or the Werehog) really thin out the game.

    The other problem is when the game is broken, like Sonic ’06 was. It was just impossible to play. The control was atrocious during the faster sequences, and then there would be so many glitches that would send you off the track and into a fall to your death for seemingly no reason at all. Honestly, no hyperbole, it’s one of the worst games ever. A real embarrassment that it made it to store shelves.

    But really, I’m easy to please. Give me Sonic and give me a little quality control and I’ll go along for whatever ride you want. I’ll even partake in the bestiality stuff with the human princess if that’s your bag, Iizuka.

    As for Sonic 4, I had a lot of fun with that, I’m anxious for the next outing. Stoob, you are a champ for getting Golden Sonic. Man, I’d kill for that patience!

  8. I don’t think I’m in the “tough crowd,” I just hate Shadow. Oh and Cream. The fact that they exist when there are simply copies of Sonic and Tails annoys the crap out of me.

    That aside, I completely see what Iizuka is talking about. I also agree with pretty much everything everyone has said so far. The Sonic games of old were awesome because they were straight-forward fun. The games today are getting too complex, which is also why Generations is going to be a safe bet for any Sonic fan.

    I don’t know if it’s really safe to say Sega should even be listening to fans anymore.

  9. The reason I kept going for Super Sonic was for the hat lol

    Grolt: It was one of those things where I kept failing over and over, and then suddenly I just played like a champ for one round.

    One thing that helps, since you can’t replay a bonus stage until you beat it: Keep your free finger over the pause button and be ready to hit that sucker in case time runs out or if you are about to hit an exit. You can simply retry and start the stage over again. 🙂

  10. Oh one thing I really don’t like is this fancy animation for looking up. Sonic sticks his foot out, then casually tilts his head up. And Super Sonic slowly raises his head, it just seems like an odd thing to do for looking up. I might try sticking my foot out next time I look up

Comments are closed.