LEVEL Magazine Looks at Sonic Unleashed
You may remember when we first posted about LEVEL Magazine back in June, simply stating that more details would be revealed on the 22nd of July. Well, reader and friend, Jonas Eldin, has been on the lookout for the campers, and picked up an issue earlier today, which he promptly sent our direction soon afterwards, complete with scans, and selected excerpts translated.
The GHOST OF SONIC
Sega is doing a lot of great things right now, they no matter what they do, it doesn’t seem that they will ever be able to re-establish Sonic as we remember him from the mid 90’s. LEVEL has met the man who will prove us wrong.
[Editor Note: The first part was deemed unrelated, and was not translated.]
The next generation of Sonic-games will be created by people that feel like you and me. At the front stands Yoshihisa Hashimoto, a young programmer who has worked backstage with the series since the late 90’s. He has made mental notes of all bad steps taken under the projects, and has dreamed about getting a chance to make everything right one day. Now he finally has that chance.
NEW NAKA
Hashimoto is, just like Yuji Naka, a perfectionist. They both have a background as programmers, but that is the only thing they have in common. Naka always saw the technical aspects first in his games, like screen movements and how Sonics feet’s moved on unequal ground. Hashimoto sees that as a second part. His focus is tempo.
- It is really important that the player always faces a balanced experience, explains a really engaged Hashimoto to LEVEL when we saw him in Tokyo. We are always jumping between 2D and 3D in Sonic Unleashed, without ever staying in any one perspective for more then 4 minutes. When passing the 4 minutes time line the player starts to drop his/her interest, and that is when we change the perspective.
The development of Sonic Unleashed started with the working title Sonic Adventure 3, which also points us in the direction they are heading with this game. In many interviews Hashimoto seems to take distance from games such as Sonic and the Secret Rings, which is pretty special for a Japanese game producer within a big company.
Under the demonstration, a self confident Hashimoto stands and curiously observes the first spectators. It is obvious that he is proud of his game, which gets even more clear when he greets old, new and hesitant fans.
-I think this will be the Sonic-game everyone has waited for, he says with a smile. We have successfully managed to add new gaming elements, and at the same time as we have been going back to the roots.
The roots follow the 2D parts of the game, but the new parts have not been presented to us yet. They seem to be built like a role playing game system for upgrades between the levels. Sonic walks around in a city, talks to different characters and buys access to more moves, like higher jumps, better acceleration or the ability to drift – a beautiful and unexpected move that is showed in the first trailer sequences.
After a couple of slow Sonic-games it is easy to think bad about another city with elevator music and long dialogs, but Hashimoto claims that this is an important part in the minute time based balance.
- If we had cut from one 4 minute level directly to another, the result would have been tiresome for the player and it would have been all too short. Getting back to the city becomes a little place to breath for the player.
WORLDS FASTEST ROLE-PLAYING GAME
[Editor Note: We've skipped through part of the text, as it's all Sonic Chronicles related vs. Sonic Unleashed.]
Hashimoto says that he looks forward to his Canadensis colleagues game, but it is obvious that he has his own vision of the series future, and that does not include stylus-pens or turn based battles.
In his world, Sonic’s success shall be reduced to four perfect minutes at a time.
Huge thanks to Jonas for his contribution! You can check out the updated LEVEL Magazine Scans below.
81 Comments
@Xeternalstar: Whats the big deal if not much of the Wii version was shown? When showing off a game, developers usually show off the best-looking version. I’m sure lego star wars developers show off the Xbox 360 version more than the PS2/wii version..
Besides, Wii is already getting an exclusive Sonic game… with a sword.
i bet the reason they decided no to go with the name ´sonic adventure 3´ was because they didn’t think it deserved that title after all… or because that would be too much pressure on the creators… or because … whatever, anyway… if it would’ve been named sonic adventure 3, that would obviously raise the anitcipation for this game… too bad they didn’t go for it.
@SonicFanr.1: no i think you’re right
Sonic XBOX 360 was so horrible that if SEGA messes up 1 more time then its OVER lol
So they got everybody hyped up with the title “Sonic Adventure 3″
Then realized that stuff above and changed it
If this game is a hit, we’ll definitely see SA3 in the future.
SEGA knows this.
@KC Cross: Exactly, just what i was thinking. in other words, we will have to pray more then ever… that this game will not be an epic failure… because then we get this awesome game ! and a possible SA3 in the future !
thanks for agreeing with me KC Cross.
@BanoX93: Why have you lost all hope?
@Final Rush: I agree with you. People are critisizing the Wii version that barely has released information on it. They could make this game just as good as the 360 or PS3 version. What if it turns out the Wii version has a better engine than the Hedgehog engine (although very unlikely). The Wii system can produce amaing graphics, just look at Super Smash Bros. Brawl. They may not be as Sharp as the 360 and PS3, but dang, they’re pretty good. So i suggest we don’t judge the Wii version until we get some hardcore information about it. Like videos, or gameplay.
@WiiFP: same here i have a wii and im tired of everyone slamming it just cause of the graphics i agree i’ll decide on the wii version WHEN i see the gameplay or videos and more REAL screenshots i plan on getting the wii one and the PS3 one cause i wanna see and play the difference
@Kev: That’s what i was saying, in some comment before. I’m also considering getting both because i want to see the gameplay differences, and get the feel of both engines.
@BanoX93: Well, you have to stop and think. Will Sega REALLY leave something like Lighting outta the pictures? I’m fairly sure they’ll have something in place of it, if not minimal Sun/Moon positioning for Sonic if not on the entire landscape.
Hell, maybe an even better engine is being developed for the Wii that they’re just hiding. I know, I sound optimistic, but it’s just not possible for me to NOT be xD
@TailstheHedgehog: I dunno, I kinda like how it would work. Swinging WHILE running? I thought it was just gonna be another “Were-hog” spin off…and it technically may still be.
They DID mention that you move Sonic with the Analog, so this may not be nearly as fast as SatSR, but I think gameplay should be seen first before I caste judgment upon it.
well, if you’re worried. buy a wii points card and when the demo comes for the wii buy it.
@BanoX93: they couldn’t. they needed to be developed differently because of the different consoles.
@WiiFP: yeah my brother (big time fan) is gonna get the PS3 version then im gonna get the wii later
I don’t know wich consol I’ll get it for. Actually I’m intrested how the controls for the Wii is on the were-sonic stages.
I don’t know…
I’ve begin to like Wii and now It’s my favorite consol.
OK. Wii or PS2?
I’ve the other two but I want the game on PS2 or Wii.
@allie:
We can do that? D;
Nice information. But it worries me the 4 minutes talking. I don’t really understand what he’s talking about. Is he saying the levels created by him or several events in a game will be 4 minutes long?
BTW, is he planning on creating Sonic console games with classic animated cutscenes? Something like Paper Mario, or like complete cartoon cutscenes in a Sonic game.
@SonicFanr.1:
SonicFanr and kc cross, I’ll just like to point out that I believe Sega is purposely trying to distant themselves from the “Sonic Adventure” name. Sonic 06 is basically Sonic Adventure 3. In fact, Sonic 06 resembles the original Sonic Adventure more than even Sonic Adventure 2 does.
It’s just a name… really… in other words… Sega is saying that this is “better” than the Sonic Adventure series.
What I am trying to say is, when you said that Sega thought Sonic Unleashed may not of been worthy of the Sonic Adventure name…..
What if Sega thinks that the Sonic Adventure name isn’t worthy Sonic Unleashed?
@observation:
I wouldn’t go so far as to say that. I just think that it doesn’t make much sense business-wise to brand an unrelated game as a sequel to a series that hasn’t had any additions in nearly a decade.
But who cares though. I’m still gonna be calling this game Sonic Adventure 3. ;)
@Lyon the Groundhog: Hey i think thats been mentioned, the swinging and running. I was just worried if it would be corny.
what was i thinking
I’ve been telling people not to judge games before release and there i go doing it myself. X 0 I take it back, the sword could be, no, will be awesome! The gameplay has heaps of potential when you think about it.
@Final Rush: It was obviously very popular I would hold out hope there will be another one in the future dont see why not. If sega succeed on SC, SU and BK it would be like quitting while your ahead and retreating to a safe haven because it would be widely anticipated and sega would just have to do the sort of thing they did before.
@observation: yea, sure, why not ? this is just speculation, nothing else … you could be entirely correct… guess we’ll never know.
@TrueBlueJ7: He means that the 2D/3D sections of each level will last about four minutes each, and since there will be several diffrent transitions between the two points of veiw, the levels will be much longer than that.
Hearing Hashimoto say how confident he is in Unleashed is good news to me.
So Hashimoto is pretty much one of the guys behind the old Sonic games? And he’s directing the new games!? Talk about returning the old trees to the roots…
They should make videos of hub gameplays, minigames, wii gameplay or see more screenshots of the wii version. This my first time posting
@BanoX93: Me too
ND KD KS
Braeden : Sure Will
Oh get the milk please??
you tell me to get debug mode in sonic 1 megamix Kev
some wiis maybe not on sonic unleashed