The Dreamcast never died! Awesome stuff Ben best works.

I'm glad people digg this shit up

I've heard that the Dreamcast was ahead of its time and competitors. I wish I could own the system.

Yeah... it came out before PS2 and stuff... but it failed... that's the price of pioneering

Benzaie, you are my hero...and yes the Dreamcast never dies, currently playing Chaos Field on it.
japanese shooters FTW!!!

Sega, let's clear something up here. Making a game that kids will enjoy does not mean you have to sacrifice the more discerning older audience and critics. Just look at how Mario is doing. Super Mario Galaxy is the highest rated Wii game and the 3rd highest rated game of all time according to GameRankings. You can have a kid-friendly game and still have a great product.

The "More Discerning" older audience and critics... are fucking unpleasable. Mario is the exception, not the rule. So stop the comparisons between the two.

Gotta agree. The older nostalgic audience refuses to let the hedgehog die or give the hedgehog to the people that he's supposed to go to, the kids. Just as this guy says, older gamers are not the target audience.

God, I hate that about the incredibly abundant nostalgia in this country. Just let shit go, people!

I agree Zelda, Mario etc... we all grew up with them and they were constantly great.

They really need to figure out a way out of this Sonic crap hole.

You have Project Needlemouse, and yet I fully expect there will be complainers.

There absolutely will be.

The whole style of game play with the Sonic games is just so unique, though. That's both the greatest strength and weakness of the series. It's really a tall order. They have to fix something that by it's nature shouldn't even be playable in a three dimensional setting when you think about the speed and movements of the main character. But then again, they managed to figure out how to make a good spider-man game, and people said realistic 3D web swinging was impossible.

Just great. I can't wait for the new 2D sonic, I was a big sega fan on my early years and played sonic SO MUCH... I'm eagerly waiting for a trailer or any gameplay footage of their new project

I sense some honesty, but Sega is still a bit naive. Some Sonic fans want a full on 2D sequel, some want a Sonic Adventure 3, but even others are saying that doing either one would not be enough of an evolution of Sonic. Sega are pushing too hard for Sonic to evolve in some areas (as far as turning into a wolf and stuff) and not enough in others (the standard dashing around and getting graded for you performance). And I understand that kids would like Sonic as a werewolf, but there were other games that did that kind of fighting much better... hence the poor reviews.

People act like it's a foregone conclusion what Sega should do with it's old franchises, but things aren't so clear-cut. You can't make 1080p Genesis games that will succeed in the market, you have to experiment and take chances, but then you also have to have competent play testers and focus groups. Publishing games from mediocre companies like Platinum Games is not going to blow gamers away like they might suspect. But every time they try to update a franchise they have crashed and burned... so my only advice for them is to make new IPs.

Now, I have nothing against making games for kids. Hell, there were kids games on the Atari 2600 like the Sesame Street-licensed 'Alpha-beam with Ernie', a game I happen to own, thank you. Nothing wrong with that, but, and this is important, if you're trying to run a business, and stay in business, targeting the right people and making them happy is key. It's sad I have to say that, but it seems Sega is having trouble with that concept. Madworld targets the stereotypical 'average' gamer, men in their late 20's, the kind of people who probably have the disposable cash to buy such things. Aiming Sonic at kids, turning into a hog-wolf (or wolf-hog), grading you on how you complete levels, not listening to the 20-something male game reviewers, all of these seem steps in completely the wrong direction to me. Super Monkey Ball and it's various sequels, those are kids games. That's fine.

That's just not Sonic.

Granted, I'm an early 20-something male who feels the series died in 1994 after Sonic and Knuckles, but I'm almost the stereotypical gamer, and I may have money! Sega, I haven't bought a Sonic game, maybe even any Sega release, in 15 years! Listening to the fans is a good way to make money! They know what they want, they know what they will buy, so why aren't you making it?! All the rumor and innuendo about 'Project Needlemouse' suggests they finally be doing that, but until it's out and I see it I'm not impressed.

Yes, I know Sega has other franchises. They seem to be doing quite well by those, but Sonic still remains the flagship franchise, the character most closely associated with the company, and they just keep botching it up, and it's long since stopped being funny. Mario has aged almost gracefully, and made the jump to 3D with few problems. Link and Samus, too, thrive in the third dimension. Sonic can also. Maybe they need to take a few from former rival Big N, specifically the parts about not bloating the franchise with new unlikeable characters or changing the name of the villain just because that's the name everywhere else, but that's just my opinion.

A proper Sonic the Hedgehog 4 may not be a world-beater (Mega Man 9 wasn't, after all), but it will restore hope that the character and the company aren't dying slowly and painfully. Long jaded fans like myself may even return to the fold. The day may even come that the announcement of a new Sonic title is met not with derisive laughter, but excitement. Until then, though, I remain fifteen years past giving a shit.

So Sega, the ball's in your court. Make this shot a good one, or just just give it up, because if I'd realized it's really been that long since I cared, I wouldn't have been typing as long as I have here.

Really? You still obsess over "Robotnik vs. Eggman"?

Like I said. Fucking unpleasable.

I know I'm unpleaseable. I think I said that several times. Damned if I'm going over what I wrote last night to make sure my facts are straight there. But you had bring up the Robotnik/Eggman thing so I have to launch into that tirade once again.

Hopefully keeping it shorter this time.

Anyway, Robotnik/Eggman, Mega Drive/Genesis, two sides of the same coin, the kind of inconsequential minutiae that every should ignore so we can all get along.

Yeah, screw that.

I know full well the story behind the system's name change. The name 'Mega Drive' was already owned by another company in the US, so it became Genesis. Simple. As for the villain's name change... I have no idea. I'm sure there's a good reason, but I haven't heard it yet. Until such time, all I have is my 'fucking unpleasable' feeling on the subject.

Robotnik, as a name, actually sounds villainous in a vaguely 80's Russian sort of way, on top of which 'robot' being built in to the name tells you all you really need to know about the guy.

Eggman sounds like it was rejected by Capcom on the grounds that no one could possibly take that seriously as an early Mega Man villain. Yes, he is, well, was kind of egg shaped... once, but really, this pales in comparison to the atrocious dialogue, the laughable voice acting, the abysmal controls, the insipid 'fuck it, let's just roll with it' stories, and the alarmingly large cast of characters that have been shoe-horned in for reasons beyond me.

Some on the internet have suggested Sonic Team needs to turn over control of the character to the brains behind the one good show (the latter of the two the Nostalgia Critic reviewed) and the team at Archie Comics, whose comic closely followed said show. Given the shit Sega itself has thrown out the past decade, truly the time to reboot the character has past. Handing it over to others who're actually invested in the character and telling a good story is hardly the worst thing that could happen to it.

The first time I heard the name Eggman used, in Sonic Adventure I on my friend's Dreamcast, I thought that was just Sonic's snarky sarcastic personality bought to life in game via an almost witty remark and a bad voice-over. It was only later I found out they were serious in using that. If the American localization team had changed that, as they'd done so many times before... I still would've bitched about everything else, but I wouldn't be two tirades in and still going right now. I honestly can't imagine how the rest of the planet ever took the character seriously with a terrible, terrible name like Eggman attached to it.

So, yes, I'm still obsessed over "Robotnik vs. Eggman", thank you for asking. I'm obsessed with a great many things, in case my constant streams of words weren't enough of an indication. If Sega fixes everything else and makes a Sonic game for, you know, gamers, I think I can live with the nonthreatening threat of Eggman. Until then, it's just one more thing to bitch about in an exceedingly long list of things to bitch about.

And I am always ready to bitch about that.

The reason for the name change... EGGMAN WAS ALWAYS, FROM DAY 1, HIS NAME IN JAPAN. It was changed to Robotnik during localization, as one many of Sega of America's pity attempts to Americanize the franchise, as they weren't convinced Sonic would appeal to gamers the west. Sega of Japan changed it back as one of the many things they changed when they cleared the table of their failure-filled past in their shit-determined-desperate attempts to make the Dreamcast succeed.

As for why the new name endures today... truth is, Sega Japan is very ethnocentric, so they honestly feel that the names they give to the characters THEY created for the games THEY made are the names the rest of the world should use, not the names given by a now-defunct marketing team. I'm not willing to debate which name is better.

But you know, name-changing midstream isn't something Sega alone is guilty of. Once upon a time, I remember Princess Peach being referred to as "Princess Toadstool". A name is just a name. Get over it.

And I for one love the Sonic Adventure games, non Eggman-centered plot, bad voicework, (which was the rule of gaming back then) and all. You may not have enjoyed them... but I found the gameplay to be just fine. And they both have over 80% favorablility rating on GameRankings. So clearly they did something right.

As far as the ongoing demands for a "Sonic 4". Nine words: Sonic the Hedgehog Advance for the Game Boy Advance. Sonic 5: Sonic Advance 2. Sonic 6: Sonic Advance 3. Sonic 7: Sonic Rush. Sonic 8: Sonic Rush Adventure. For every "crappy" Sonic released since Dreamcast, has come a "long-sought-after" 2D Sonic. Does it really make it any less fun being on a 3.5 inch screen as opposed to a 32 inch screen? I'd have thought in this age of smart-phones and netbooks, the 3.5 inch screen would be preferred.

For the record, the comic does NOT follow SatAM. It is an amalgamation of the game stories, with small bits of SatAM, Sonic X and even AoStH sprinkled in. Archie is an altogether completely different beast with only about 30-40,000 monthly readers. SatAM always had a small, though very vocal (admittedly I'm one of them) fanbase. So just suddenly abandoning the last 15 years of canon for a TV series that was canceled 16 years ago and/or a comic with a comparatively small readership would be the worst kind of commercial suicide imaginable. Sega owes those two media spinoffs nothing to the franchise's longevity.

Doesn't that sort of ignore the fact that every one of those hardcore gamers he talked about was a kid when the sonic games they crave were on the market? Clearly, kids enjoy that, as well.. I played the original Sonic the Hedgehog when I was three years old. It was accessible enough for me to enjoy then, and fun enough for me to enjoy now.

I have a Dreamcast that I play online with if you can believe that. There is a site called Dreamcast talk that is an active forum of Dreamcast enthusiasts, including burnable games, and custom downloads.

http://www.dreamcast-talk.com/

check it out.

sega na**s >< defending their crappy sonic games with: we make them for kids.

They should listen to their real fans and stop thinking with the wallet for once.

Their reasoning that kids wouldn't like a sonic game that just had sonic running! Makes as much sense as 4kids argument that kids wouldn't understand a direct translation of the one piece opening song. Someone should tell them that back in the days with sonic 1,2 and 3 guess who played them? KIDS!

I miss good old-fashioned 2D Sonic games.

Do you own a GBA? Or a DS? There you go. 2D Sonic still exists. You're just not looking hard enough for them.

Sega and Nintendo should get together for a new console they both share. from what i've heard, wii has strayed away from alot of great exclusives. still some nice games on there, but imagine if sega were helping them with exclusives, as well as making there own individual titles. and putting back together some of there old developer teams they had for dreamcast. would be interesting. though can't see it happening. there doing fine without making consoles

For those bashing Madworld...have you actually tried it? 'Cause it's a great game. Probably kind of a niche title, but I loved it and it got really good reviews overall. And Platinum Games isn't "mediocre"...it's largely the same team that originally made up Clover, which made Viewtiful Joe, Okami, etc.

But yeah, I second a lot of the comments about Sonic. I get that adult fans can be finicky, but at the same time I don't see many people saying that Mario Galaxy is an awful game. It's possible for adult fans to even have some nitpicks (Robotnik vs. Eggman) while still enjoying the overall experience. It's possible to make a product for kids that's actually good, for that matter. It's been ages since there's been a really good Sonic game...not just for any specific audience but just as a product. Really young kids just aren't picky and will play most anything.

SEGA still publishes some good stuff though. They're not in their Dreamcast or Genesis heyday anymore but I appreciate their Wii games in particular.

Maybe Sega should have built something like the Dreamcast early on instead of milking the Genesis with the fungal Sega CD and 32x hardware expansions.

I really wished Sega hadn't stopped making consoles I hadn't personally got a chance to ever try the dreamcast but would have liked to see another console by sega. Ahh well!

Dreamcast 2 or Shenmue 3

FUCKING NOW!!!

Still great interview, benz. I'm not as big sega fan as you are, but I sure loved the shit out of dreamcast... I still play it sometimes. I love that console so much. Btw, there's one good Sonic 3D game at least and that's Dreamcast's Sonic. Hell yeah

When the Dreamcast came out, I was 6, and when I got one, the damn thing was the whole world to me. And yes, I did indeed cry when it was discontinued- it was the end of an era.

I still own it, and cherish it, and rarely a month has gone by since 1999 when I haven't turned it on at least once. I still buy the odd game for it now and then, and it's always out whenever I have friends over.

Why? The thing is a masterpiece. That's why.

However, my utter love for the Dreamcast gave me no solace when I saw the company I loved falling on incredibly hard times when under the evil $ammy corporation. The original Sonic Adventure is probably one of my favourites, yet I still think Sonic 06 is one of the worst games ever made.

Now, in 2009, I think Sega are finally beginning to get their act together, and there have been some excellent games, like Valkyria Chronicles and Madworld, and the fact that they're now acknowledging this in interviews is probably a good sign.

Still, they've got a long way to go until they're back where they were (i.e.- the top), and they've got their work cut out trying to convince me, along with the rest of the disgruntled Sega fans of old, that they're back on track.

One thing that needs to be said, is that Project Needlemouse needs to be good. No, wait, it needs to be GOOD. Good enough to call itself part of the Sonic franchise. Good enough to convince me that the MasterSystem-MegaDrive-Saturn-Dreamcast-early third party-era Sega is back.

I'll believe it when I see it.

They are planning both a new HD console called "Ring Edge" and a streaming On-Live like device for 2010.

It also doesn't help that their most recent idea of reaching a "discerning older audience" involves lots of blood, mindless violence, and cursing. Hello, The Mid-To-Late Nineties.

Why dub and not subtitles? Easier to do?

I think US audience is more likely to watch something dubbed than just subtitled...

Last time that happened, the Dreamcast tanked.

I love my Dreamcast and I love Sega for some of its games on the machine but you got to open your eyes.

After what happened, I can't blame them from thinking with their wallet.

Yeah, I didn't embrace it as a matter of fact I think it's a sin and a part of me still denies it's existence.

I wish they would just let the Sonic Series die already and focus on new ideas like Madworld. Madworld was a good step but there was still so much more untapped potential. I hate what sonic has become. I really do.

Ummm, hate to break it to you man, but the only difference between a "more discerning audience" and most kids, is that we know the difference between a good game, and a piece of shit that has a lot of flashing lights.
Mario is not an exception, or a rule, its just an example of a GOOD GAME just like all the other GOOD GAMES that can be enjoyed by the hardcore and the kids- sonic has been missing this since he went 3D in my opinion

I personally can't knock Sega on the Sonic Adventure games. I honestly love those games and I think they got the "3D Sonic" thing right with those. I don't think that a brand new 2D Sonic would work very well in this market and I think they should look back at the Sonic Adventure games and try to go from there. Make the games FUN and ENJOYABLE. They don't need to have dumbed down "gimmick" moments in the games for kids to like it. If it is fun, they will like it!

While I know I would love to see a new 2D sonic, I totally agree- if it is fun they will like it...and so will I

and yes, sonic adventure was probably the one example of a good 3D sonic game...probably minus Big the cat though haha

I noticed that he failed to mention the abysmal Sonic 2006, probably because Unleashed was a big improvement while the former is still regarded as one of the worst games of this gen.