Yuji Naka
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Sonic the Hedgehog co-creator Yuji Naka receives suspended prison sentence for insider trading
Sonic the Hedgehog's Yuji Naka is facing a suspended prison sentence and a fine for insider trading.
Sonic the Hedgehog co-creator Yuji Naka pleads guilty to insider trading
Sonic the Hedgehog developer Yuji Naka has pleaded guilty to insider trading charges.
Ivy the Kiwi? springs onto iOS, free and paid versions available now
Ivy the Kiwi?, the Wii and DS game by Sonic creator Yuji Naka, is now available on iOS. The iOS port of PROPE's chirpy platfomer arrived on the App Store today in paid and free versions. The paid version is on sale for a limited time, slashed from $4.99 to $2.99.Naka's game came to Wii and DS as a perpetual motion platformer, so an iOS port makes total sense. As before, the startled newborn sprints forward of her own accord, so it's up to players to guide her safely to her destination. This is done by drawing vines across the screen, done via a simple swipe. Vines can be used as ramps and bridges, and they can also be twanged to catapult the flightless chick through the air.There are 50 levels in the iOS version of Ivy the Kiwi?, the same as the DSiWare 'Mini' edition released two years ago. The retail Wii and DS versions have 100 levels. The free version of the iOS release comes with ads and has a limited number of levels. As the above video shows, the game is compatible with iOS 6's Game Center challenges.
Prope reimagines three little piggybanks in FlickPig for iOS
Meet FlickPig, the latest from former Sonic Team bossman Yuji Naka and his team at Prope. This iOS title tasks players with – can you guess? – flicking pigs across three lanes, while avoiding obstacles, gathering coins and ... chasing down wolves? These three little pigs are really piggybanks who lived in a brick house, so instead of blowing it down a pack of wolves broke in and stole their coins. Out of their bodies! While we find it difficult to believe the pigs didn't wake up during this surgery / looting, they did eventually awake and give chase. That's where you and your finger come in – collecting coins not only gives you a feeling of moral victory, but you can use those coins to buy items to help your progress. This hard-boiled tale of robbery and revenge can be yours for just $0.99, and will work on just about any recent iOS device, post-iPhone 3G. And for those of you lucky enough to have both an iPhone and an iPad, FlickPig will support iCloud data transfer, so your progress will be beamed across devices.%Gallery-141355%
Inafune, Suda 51 signed for mobile development
DeNA's popular Japanese mobile gaming platform, Mobage, is getting a major boost from some of the nation's leading gaming industry figures. During a press conference held earlier today (as translated by Andriasang), DeNA revealed that five famed producers will develop games for the platform, including Keiji Inafune, who's creating a game titled J.J. Rockets with his new studio Comcept, and Suda 51, who will make a new installment in the No More Heroes franchise. Other contributors include Marvelous Entertainment's Yoshifumi Hashimoto, who is working on a Harvest Moon mobile title, former Sonic Team lead Yuji Naka, who will develop an adventure game with his new studio Prope, and Crafts & Meister co-founder Noritaka Funamizu. Sounds like a pretty great lineup, though we wish the five would also collaborate on a single project. The idea of a No More Heroes farming simulator is, well, the best idea.
Yuji Naka describes Prope's canceled 'Haunted Tower' for Wii
During an Iwata Asks interview about Wii Play: Motion, Prope's Yuji Naka offered details about a Wii game that he once worked on, but eventually put away. "When Nintendo announced the Wii MotionPlus accessory in the spring two years ago, I suggested to Nintendo a project called Haunted Tower. You defeated monsters outside the screen, so the living room was the scene of the action." This game was never finished, but when Wii Play: Motion came around (a project for which Nintendo recruited several small teams, including Chunsoft and Skip), Prope started working on it again as a potential minigame. The minigame turned out to be too similar to "Spooky Search," the prototype contributed to Wii Play Motion by Naka's former Sonic the Hedgehog collaborator Naoto Oshima. "But in the two weeks left for prototypes," Naka said, "we made 'Trigger Twist,'" the shooting game included in Wii Play: Motion.
Yuji Naka's 'Rodea the Sky Soldier' in motion
At first, you'll probably be underwhelmed with Rodea the Sky Soldier, Yuji Naka's airborne Wii/3DS game, thanks to the anime stereotypes and mid-90s CG look. But as soon as the gameplay starts up in this trailer, it gets more impressive, looking like a high-speed NiGHTs with rail shooter elements.
Yuji Naka unveils 'Machinist of the Sky Rodea' for Wii and 3DS
Here's something refreshing: 3DS news that isn't from a Nintendo event. The latest Famitsu magazine unveiled a new 3DS and Wii game by Yuji Naka and Prope: Machinist of the Sky Rodea, published by Kadokawa Games. Machinist is an anime-style flight game in which you control a character's flight by pointing (with the Wii remote, at least) and shaking, then pressing B in mid-air to fly in different directions. The A button fires projectiles or launches spinning attacks Naka, of course, is no stranger to flights of fancy, having produced NiGHTS into Dreams for Saturn. And, in fact, according to Andriasang, Rodea is designed to "allow players to experience free flight through the skies" without complicated controls.
Sonic project lead discusses canceled Kinect / Move titles
At the Eurogamer Expo in the UK this week, Prope head and Sonic the Hedgehog creative lead Yuji Naka spoke of two canceled PlayStation Move/Kinect games he worked on that "unfortunately didn't come out." GamesIndustry.biz reports Naka as saying, "I do enjoy working with new hardware, so I am hoping to create something exciting using those new technologies." He then added, "Actually, I worked on two games which unfortunately didn't come out, but those games were using those two technologies," referring to Sony and Microsoft's motion peripherals. He also spoke to the recent, repeated comments from Capcom global head of production Keiji Inafune regarding Japanese development in comparison to Western development, saying, "You could say that Japanese developers today are behind Western competitors in terms of technology. But at the same time, Japanese developers still come up with new game ideas and styles that are very much different from Western counterparts ... so I do agree with [Inafune's] comments to some extent, but I believe Japanese games technology has its own strong areas to compete with Western titles." In light of Mr. Naka's humility, we'd also like to point out that his team used the Nintendo Wii's motion controller in a completely unique way with Let's Tap, so the thought of them working with Move and Kinect is absolutely thrilling.
Interview: Yuji Naka on Ivy the Kiwi and life after Sonic
Yuji Naka grew to fame within the game industry as one of the founders of Sega's Sonic Team, the core group of designers and programmers that created the Sonic the Hedgehog series. In his tenure at Sega, Naka produced titles like Phantasy Star Online, Chu Chu Rocket, and Samba de Amigo. He has since left Sega and formed his own company, Prope, who immediately began developing games to be published by ... Sega. Now, with Ivy the Kiwi?, Naka has emerged from the grasp of the great blue hedgehog, with a game published in Japan by Namco Bandai and in America by XSEED. We spoke to Naka about the design of the game, side-scrollers, and the unique circumstances behind seeing your own game on display in someone else's booth.
Preview: Ivy the Kiwi?
For some reason, I thought of Prope's Ivy the Kiwi? as a mellow title, a generally relaxing and lightweight game -- at least that's what I thought before actually playing the game. To my surprise, I was presented with a challenging, often chaotic arcade game instead of a frothy, low-impact diversion. It's just the kind of game I seek out, actually -- a game whose challenge comes from mastering a single, unique gameplay mechanic. %Gallery-95742%
Yuji Naka talks Ivy the Kiwi, teases new action game
In a Gamasutra interview, Prope founder and former Sonic Team head Yuji Naka mentioned that his new company is at work on a new action game -- but not the "game like Sonic" on which the studio was once working. "Unfortunately, we had to stop development for the time being for the 'Sonic-like platform game,'" Naka said. "However, we are in the process of developing another action game right now." As for the company's latest game, the DS- and Wii-bound Ivy the Kiwi?, it came from an experiment by some Prope staffers. "I really felt some great potential in the concept as a game so we decided to make it as a company project and it evolved into Ivy the Kiwi." The project was first released on Windows Phone in Japan, Naka explains, because its touch screen was more stylus-friendly than the iPhone's. "However, Windows phones now have electrostatic type touch panels too and users ended up playing Ivy with their fingers anyways, so maybe we should release it on iPhone as well." %Gallery-92221%%Gallery-92220%
XSEED publishing Prope's 'Ivy the Kiwi?' this summer
click to see more screens?XSEED has acquired the North American publishing rights to Ivy the Kiwi? for Wii and DS, the latest game from Yuji Naka's post-Sega studio, Prope. The puzzle game, presented in a unique "storybook" art style, stars a baby kiwi trying to navigate her way back to her mother. The player uses the stylus or pointer to stretch vines to bounce Ivy through levels and around obstacles. Along the way, players can attempt to pick up optional orange feathers for extra challenge -- that is, if they don't mind keeping a baby bird separated from her mother even longer, the monsters. In Japan, the game was originally released on Windows Phone, with console releases published by Namco Bandai. XSEED is planning a "summer 2010" release -- there's still a question mark on the specific date. %Gallery-92221%%Gallery-92220%
Prope's Ivy the Kiwi? migrating to Wii and DS
In November, Yuji Naka's studio, Prope, revealed a new original IP, Ivy the Kiwi? ... for Windows Mobile. The latest Famitsu reveals that the developer is porting the game to some game consoles! Namely, DS and Wii. Namco Bandai will release Ivy the Kiwi in Japan on April 22 -- it's the first Prope game to be published by someone other than Sega or (in the case of the Windows Mobile version) Prope itself. However, despite its origins as a mobile game, and its simple pick-up-and-play gameplay (which involves stretching and bouncing drawn lines to move a bird through a maze), Ivy the Kiwi is destined for retail on consoles, at a price of ¥3,990 ($43). %Gallery-78174%
Prope announces Ivy the Kiwi? for Windows Mobile?
This could be really big news. Yuji Naka's studio, Prope, revealed what is likely to be the "Sonic-like" game mentioned last year. And Ivy the Kiwi?, the studio's new game (the question mark is part of the title), has some interesting mechanics: the game uses drawn lines to propel a character, sort of like Kirby's Canvas Curse or Wireway, but lets players anchor one side of the line and move the other endpoint around while Ivy's on it, for finer control of the character's movement. However, it's for Windows Mobile (or, as the platform is being called in Japan, Windows Phone). Not what you'd typically think of as a major gaming platform. This game is part of a move to change that -- it's a launch title for Japan's Windows Mobile Marketplace and will be out in December. %Gallery-78174%
Sega to give away beautiful Let's Tap artwork from Yuji Naka
Today, both Sega of America and Sega of Europe posted amazing Let's Tap artwork they received from Prope's Yuji Naka. Each branch received five pictures of the Tap Runner avatars, apparently hand-drawn by Naka. He even drew the logo on each one! The US office also got copies of the Let's Tap soundtrack and Tap Runner figurines. Neither office has decided how it will give away the amazing swag yet, but we will let you know when they do. Right after we enter. In other Let's Tap news, the European release, like the Japanese release, will include two big boxes -- as a "Limited Edition." We've contacted Sega of America about the stateside packaging. We need boxes!%Gallery-33707%
SEGA reveals another Project Ringo teaser, not much else
You may have noticed -- but probably not -- that Sega's Project Ringo teaser site was updated earlier this week, coinciding with the February 24 date revealed earlier this month. What do we get for nearly two weeks of waiting in breath-filled non-anticipation? Not much. All we get is another ambiguous flash animation with equations, apples, and the silhouette of an unknown character (which seems a bit Sonic Team-esque to us).The animation ends with the hilariously translated question, "What's mean 247?" and notes that the next tidbit will be revealed on March 12. What is Project Ringo? We speculated that it might be a new game from Yuji Naka's Prope studio or perhaps an iPhone game. Whatever it is, we have a couple of weeks to ponder or, as the case may be, remain completely uninterested.Check out the teaser video after the break.
Joystiq fingers-on: Let's Tap (Wii)
Let's Tap is certainly unique. As the world's first "controller-less" game it has already set itself apart from the myriad other minigame collections found on the Wii. As the first game from Yuji Naka's (Sonic series, Nights) new development company, Prope, Let's Tap will form expectations of the studio's future output. Based on what we saw, that means unique, experimental, yet ultimately shallow minigame collections.Like we say, Let's Tap is "controller-less." That's not strictly true, however. You'll still need up to four wiimotes, depending on how many players are involved. The wiimotes are placed upside down on cardboard boxes, two of which are bundled with the game -- you're expected to provide the other two yourself. We're assuming you probably have quite a few empty tissue boxes lying around, so that should be no problem. Tapping on the box is the extent of the game's required input. Sadly, the controls aren't perfect. Tapping works fine, there are no qualms there, but double tapping can take some time to get used to. That's all you'll be doing, even when navigating the menus. Single taps move through the menu options and double tap selects. It's quite frustrating to move through the twenty-odd options on screen, only to have the game register your double tap as a single, meaning you have to navigate through the entire screen again. Of course, you can always pick up the wiimote and point at the screen, but that sort of defeats the point, doesn't it?%Gallery-33707%
Sega teases ... something ... called 'Project RINGO'
Alright folks, we're going to be straight with you: We have no idea what this is. Sega of Japan has dropped an almost teaser/maybe ARG, definitely confusing and certainly ambiguous flash animation on its website under the moniker "Project RINGO" (its capitalization, not ours). Aside from the notably monochromatic 2D image in the animation, the text "What happens? ... next_2.24" appears at the end, and source code is provided for a Flash doodad you'll find after the break. We're guessing the "2.24" reference is a countdown to the 24th of February. Oh and that Flash doodad after the break? It's an equation ending with the numbers "247" -- as in 24/7. We don't know much else, but we can speculate:-Is Sega making an iPhone game? "Ringo" = "Apple" in Japanese. "Project Apple" could be a game for the iPhone we've ever heard of or seen. You'll presumably play it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and undoubtedly be picking apples.-Will "Project RINGO" finally unveil Sonic the Hedgehog creator Yuji Naka's platformer from Sega subsidiary (and Naka's company) Prope? Speaking with Gamasutra at last year's Tokyo Game Show, Naka said, "At Prope, we're actually actually planning on making a game like Sonic right now." That was four months ago.-Is Sega making a game about NiGHTS and Sonic having a child who juggles apples and likes club music? Clearly the most likely choice.Join in the speculation fun yourself in the comments![Via SegaOnline.nl]
Sega: Let's confirm Let's Tap for Europe, North America
Let's consider, for a moment, the immense and stalwart dedication exhibited by one Jem Alexander, our man at an ongoing Sega event in a snow-encased London. Despite being in the magnificent company of games featuring a certain sword-wielding hedgehog, this blogger deliberately looked away from the screen (reminder: featuring a hedgehog wielding a sword!) to send us an important email from his iPhone. Which he briefly confused with his iPod Touch -- a notable hazard for those eccentric and loaded enough to own both. What's up with that, Jem?Anyway, he says Sega's rhythmic finger bash, Let's Tap, has been announced for European release. With the party game's undoubtedly arduous localization confirmed, it probably won't take too long for Sega of America to drum up a press release of its own. We'll point out (and at) any updates as we receive them.Update: Sega has confirmed a North American Summer release.%Gallery-33341%
