Sonic Colours Product Details

Released on 12/11/2010

• Sega dates Sonic Colours

  If you're itching for more fast-paced hedgehog-based platforming, fear not: Sega has announced that Sonic Colours will be released for the Wii and DS on November 12 in the UK.

  Speaking to Eurogamer last week, Sonic Team's boss Takashi Iizuka confirmed that the Wii version of Sonic Colours is aimed at fans of the famous hedgehog's 3D outings, while the DS version is closer to the Sonic Rush series, and makes use of the DS's twin screens. If you're thinking about picking up the Wii version, the closest comparison is apparently the amazing daylight stages from Sonic Unleashed. They were pretty special, as it happens.

  Sonic Colours sees Sonic taking on board the powers of different coloured Wisps, all of which give him special perks from speed boosts - not that he needs those - to lasers or the ability to drill through dirt to reach hidden secrets. There are plenty of theme park-inspired worlds for the Hedgehog to explore, too, ranging from Tropical Resort to Sweet Mountain.

  With his speed and bright colours, there's still nothing quite like Sonic. Here's hoping November zips around the corner faster than expected.

• Sonic Colours: Interview with Takashi Iizuka

  Sonic Colours: Interview with Takashi Iizuka

  

  As the lead designer on Sonic The Hedgehog's first (and arguably still his best) 3D outing, Sonic Adventure, Takashi Iizuka has been one of the biggest influences on the career of gaming's coolest mascot.

  So when Sega invited us along to their London HQ to chat with the man himself about his latest project, Sonic Colours, we raced right there almost as fast as the spiny speedster himself!

  Here's what he had to say about Sonic's two gaming groups, making speedy gameplay feel fun, and the future of Sega's frontmanhog...

  What makes Sonic Colours different to other Sonic games?

  The main difference is that, in past Sonic games, Sonic has always been the high speed guy, and other action elements come from other characters. In Sonic Colours Sonic is the lone playable character, and with the Colour powers Sonic is able to do something different for the first time, while keeping the high-speed characteristics in play.

  Could you talk us through the different Colour powers?

  One is the yellow drill which allows Sonic to drill through the ground, which Sonic has never been able to do because he actually runs on the ground.

  If you take the other two we have revealed, laser and rocket are features which allow you to experiment with different finding new routes [through a level] and find hidden areas.

  We haven't revealed all of them yet, but those unrevealed Colour Powers are also built on the concept of giving you different gameplay and the option to explore the stages.

  
  

  Why did you choose yo to release Sonic Colours on Wii and DS and not Xbox 360 and PS3 too?

  The reason we didn't develop across all the consoles is that we feel if you try to create a multiplatform title, one of the platforms will have to be the ported title. If a team concentrates on one platform they can really use its strengths.

  One of the reasons we chose Wii and DS we had previous experience of working with Wii [from Sonic & The Secret Rings], but also because we wanted to make Sonic Colours the best possible Sonic game for each of those platforms.

  In Sonic Colours Sonic is the lone playable character, and with the Colour powers Sonic is able to do something different

  
  

  One of the main criticisms of Sonic is often that it's so fast, sometimes people don't fully feel in control. How do you address that, given that Sonic is a series based around speed?

  We know there are sometimes opinions about control from core gamers, but we're intending Sonic Colours to be played by children of probably between six and twelve years-old.

  So, with Sonic Colours we have aimed more to make a game that everyone can control and have fun in. So, it's not really a game for the core gamers. If you take the rail grind, it's something that's fast, not difficult but is fun to do and looks great. It's about making a game that's right for the core audience of the game.

  
  

  Does that mean you risk alienating those core gamers who grew up with the franchise? Does Sonic Colours have something in there for them, too? Or might they be getting a different Sonic release designed for them in future?

  I think that there are two types of Sonic players.

  One is the people who have played since the MegaDrive, who are mainly fans of 2D Sonic games and didn't really play the 3D Sonic games so much. For those gamers Sonic Team will be giving them Sonic 4 [for Xbox Live and PlayStation Network] so they can pick the Sonic game they want to play.

  The other is the ones who have played 3D Sonic games and felt that the game was too difficult. Sonic Colours is the game for those types of players. It's still a 3D Sonic game but the controls are more user-friendly; it's an easy to pick up and play type of game.

  So through the two Sonic games I feel the needs of both of the two core groups of Sonic fans are being addressed.

  
  

  Will the DS version of Sonic Colours sit somewhere between the two?

  Yes, the DS version of Sonic Colours shares the same storyline and environment, but it different to the Wii version in terms of the level design and the gameplay experience.

  
  

  I think there are two types of Sonic players... Old MegaDrive fans want 2D Sonic...The others played 3D Sonic games and found them too difficult.

  Could you tell us a bit about the story behind Sonic Colours? It looks more like the old games, which were set on Moebius, than the new-style Sonics set in Station Square...

  We have two different worlds for Sonic games – one is human, and one is set on the non-human side. Sonic Colours is set on the non-human side. The only human in the game is Dr Eggman, who tries to build this huge amusement park which, as you will see on the world map, ties all these planets together with a tractor beam.

  Eggman is trying to use all of these planets for his own evil ends which will be revealed at a later time, and Sonic realises what he is trying to do and sets out to try and stop him. That is the main story behind Sonic Colours.

  
  

  How many levels will that mean we'll be getting in Sonic Colours?

  We can't reveal at the moment how many stages there are in the game, but there are a lot of planets, and there will be more than just a couple of acts in each zone.

  
  

  And what's next for Sonic?

  [Grins] We've already announced Sonic Free Riders for Kinect, but if you look at 2011 that's the 20th Anniversary of Sonic, so you might just be seeing something special for that.

  
  

  Brilliant – many thanks, Iizuka-San.

  Interview by: Mark 'Spindash' Scott
  Interview Published: 04.08.10

  Published: 06/08/2010

• Sega changes strategy on Sonic

  Sonic to follow in Mario's footsteps as Sega changes strategy

  The recent adventures of Sega's speedy blue mascot have been more about quantity than quality, and it's to the publisher's credit that it's trying its best to do something about that. Speaking to Joystiq, Sega executive Alan Pritchard admitted that the company had "probably been guilty of bringing too many Sonic games to market too quickly."

  It seems Sega may be looking to an unlikely source for inspiration as Pritchard went on to discuss Nintendo's treatment of its own figurehead. "If you look at Nintendo as a comparison, they have been a little bit more strategic with the way they bring their Mario titles to market."

  Though Sega has been happy with sales of Sonic titles, it's looking to improve the series' Metacritic average, aiming for review scores of over 80 percent. "We should be bringing much higher quality products to market to deliver a better experience for the consumer" Pritchard admitted.

  Further fuelling recent rumours that Sonic might be rejoining Mario for another Olympic adventure, the exec suggested that Sega would have "two very exciting, huge announcements" in 2011, as "further evidence of how we're looking to improve and enhance our Sonic strategy." With the hedgehog set to celebrate his 20th anniversary, we're looking forward to finding out what his owners have planned.
  

• Sonic the Hedgehog hits 20

  Hope you remembered to bake a cake: Sonic the Hedgehog, Sega ever-young platforming mascot, hits his 20th birthday this week.

  Two decades of Sonic! And it only seems like yesterday that we first saw him speeding through rings, racing off the edge of the screen, and trouncing Dr Robotnik back on the Sega Megadrive.

  Since then, Sonic been a fixture of almost every games console going and it can be too long before we see him turning up on the 3DS, The PlayStation Vita, and the Wii U.

  Created by Yuji Naka back in the early 1990s, Sonic was Sega attempt to rival Nintendo Super Mario, and while the plumber remains a classic in his own right, Sonic hasn done too badly for himself, giving platform fans everywhere a taste for fast-paced action and colourful levels.

  Sega hero shows no signs of slowing down either no pun intended. Later this year, Sonic Generations will be hitting the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3, and Nintendo 3DS. It promises to blend elements from Sonic 2D origins with his later 3D adventures, and the word on the street is that it one of the best Sonic games Sega has seen in years. Here to the next 20, Sonic!

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