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No more Sonic 4 episodes planned after episode 2
It looks like Sega took lessons in the Valve School of Episodic Gaming, as the company is "not planning" to release any further episodes of Sonic the Hedgehog 4 after Episode 2. The news comes from Sonic Team producer Takashi Iizuka, who told Digital Spy that, while the team is "looking forward to hearing the feedback" on Episode 2, it is "not planning to release another episode."We're hoping Sonic Team hasn't already worked a cliffhanger ending into Episode 2. Is Robotnik really Sonic's father? Will Big the Cat always be frozen in carbonite? Just what is up with Tails anyway? Frankly, we don't think we can live with questions like that.
Sonic Generations will include the original Sonic The Hedgehog (if you can unlock it)
The original Sonic The Hedgehog will be available as a complete, unlockable game in Sonic Generations, Sonic Team's Takashi Iizuka said during a panel at Paris Games Week. Iizuka didn't specify how exactly to unlock Sonic The Hedgehog, but we assume it has something to do with curling into a tight ball and rolling up some loop-the-loops at breakneck speeds. You, not Sonic. This is a really special unlock, so we expect you'll really have to earn it.
All Sonic Generations 3DS levels to be platform-exclusive (save for Green Hill Zone)
After showing E3 attendees a new level in Sonic Generations, game producer Takashi Iizuka highlighted some of the extra content that can only be found in the 3DS version. "One important thing to say about the Nintendo 3DS version is that besides Green Hill Zone, which is the starting zone on all versions, all the stages on the Nintendo 3DS version will be different from the stages that are seen in the PS3 and 360," Iizuka said. Generations will revisit and remix levels from Sonic's entire history, including his Genesis and Dreamcast outings, but only the 3DS game may borrow stages from older handheld games. "For the PS3 and 360, none of the stages we're selecting are going to be from the handheld," Iizuka explained during a brief Q&A session. "However, on 3DS we're looking at picking stages from handheld as well." The portable version of Generations will also offer a special stage, a two-player versus mode and a battery life that should effortlessly summon nostalgia for Sonic's Game Gear days.%Gallery-125674%
NiGHTS and Wii have a future together
People seem to be pretty divided so far on NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams. The critics tended to score it in the safe seventies, while some of our own commenters had similarly mixed feelings about the title. One thing looks pretty certain, however: if Journey of Dreams director Takashi Iizuka has his way, any future follow-ups to the follow-up will be soaring gracefully to the Wii.Speaking to German site G-Wie-Gorilla, Iizuka described the console as "a good choice" for the game, before promising that future games in the series would appear on Nintendo's platform. Naturally, that still doesn't quash our supreme disappointment over the PlayStation 2 getting the original NiGHTS into Dreams, but we could certainly cope with a sequel to Journey of Dreams that resolves some of the niggles.[Via Go Nintendo]
Sega: No plans to release NiGHTS PS2 outside of Japan
Those hoping that the PS2 port of the Sega Saturn classic NiGHTS would be released outside of Japan may be out of luck. Takashi Iizuka -- producer, director, and lead game designer on the Wii-sclusive NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams -- recently spoke with Sega Nerds about all things NiGHTS.When asked about the PS2 enhanced port of the original NiGHTS Into Dreams, Iizuka commented that at present, the title is only scheduled for release in Japan, and that there are no plans to bring the title to other regions, or, for that matter, to the Nintendo Wii.Iizuka also commented that the PS2 port was the direct result of a high demand for the game in Japan. Given that, it's still possible that solid sales of the NiGHTS sequel might inspire releases of the original in more regions. Let's keep the hope alive.
NiGHTS Wii screens, interview found in Portuguese game mag
French gaming site Jeux France has what it claims is the first images of the new NiGHTS title for Wii, from magazine scans of Portuguese magazine Maxi Consola. (We're so multicultural.) So far, NiGHTS has been an extremely persistent rumor; this is the either the first concrete evidence of the title's existence or the cleverest Photoshop effort to date.The magazine scans feature an interview with Takashi Iizuka (here written Takeshi), a Sega developer who's had a hand or two in every Sonic game since 1994 as well as the original NiGHTS Into Dreams. Our Portuguese is a bit pathetic, but Play Nintendo has translated the interview. The game is purported to have a two player mode and some online capabilities. Jeux France purports that Sega will make an announcement early April.
