Sonic Team director Yoshihisa Hashimoto has been chatting about Sega’s latest attempt at reviving the spiky one’s broken legacy, Sonic Unleashed, by boldly claiming that it can win back the love of the older fans. Despite Sonic’s focus on the kiddy market, Hashimoto claims that there is enough gameplay in Unleashed to keep advanced players happy.
“Sonic Unleashed has the gameplay elements that loyal Sonic fans want,” he claims. “It is not designed to be in the same format as classic Sonic, but we took out the best part of classic Sonic and successfully revived it to be a new Sonic the Hedgehog of the 21st century.”
Hashimoto also admits that he agrees with the critical battering that Sonic has had over the years: “I think the fans’ evaluations are fair. I often read the forums run by Sonic fans on a routine basis. I hardly feel any discomfort from their comments. I often find myself rather agreeable to them. I believe that Sonic Unleashed will be accepted by many of the Sonic fans.”
Speaking as a loyal Sonic fan, I would debate the assertion that pure speed was the “best” part of the old games. In fact, I debated it quite thoroughly in a previous feature. That said, readers will know that I played Sonic Unleashed in Tokyo, and I did like it. It’s not like the old days, but it did not suck.
Published: Nov 13, 2008 08:47 am