big-red-button
Latest
Sonic Boom Wii U has the guile to release a week early
Sega moved the Wii U Rise of Lyric edition of Sonic Boom up to November 11, a week ahead of its previously announced November 18 ETA. The publisher didn't say why it's shifted the date forward, but it does mean both the 3DS Shattered Crystal and Wii U versions are hitting store shelves on the same day. Sonic Boom marks the debut of the newly be-scarfed hog, and on Wii U it mixes some of the series' trademark high-speed platforming with more leisurely puzzling and open combat sequences. In his PAX preview, Joystiq's Sam Prell pondered if those slower segments may prove more fun than the breakneck stuff, despite the blast processing. [Image: Sega]
The slowest parts of Sonic Boom might also be the best
Poor Sonic. Ever since transitioning to 3D, our dear blue hedgehog has stumbled. His games find only so-so levels of success, and there's even a meme named after the cycle of hype and disappointment that each new title generates. And it's all because he's too fast. Focusing on speed worked in the days of the Sega Genesis – days when players only had to worry about going left, right, up and down. With the addition of another dimension however, too much speed makes Sonic difficult to control. The assumption, of course, is that making Sonic slow would strip him of his defining asset. Yet Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric developer Big Red Button Entertainment has done just that, and in an ironic twist, the slowest parts of the game may end up being the best.
Sega grants 3DS, Wii U Sonic Boom games their own subtitles
Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric and Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal are the new titles Sega's attached to the next adventures of its spunky anthropomorphic mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog. As we mentioned a few months back, these two games are something akin to spin-offs of an upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog animated series. At the very least, they share the Sonic Boom name, as well as its overarching universe and its aesthetic style. According to Sega, Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric (a Wii U game in development at Big Red Button), will feature a detailed world and offer players a modern, action-adventure gaming experience. Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal (the 3DS iteration being crafted by Sanzaru Games), on the other hand, will lean more toward platforming, like classic Sonic games. Both Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric and Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal are currently slated to debut in November. More information on both games should be available at E3, where Sega claims each will be available for attendees to play. [Image: Sega]
Early Sonic Boom character designs were 'traumatic' for Sonic Team
Have the character designs in the upcoming Sonic Boom by Big Red Button Entertainment ruffled your fur and/or quills? It could always be worse. Bob Rafei, CEO of Big Red Button, told GameSpot that early designs were downright "traumatic" for Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka. "Early on, when we had our first review of all the crazy things we wanted to try, Iizuka-san came down to Los Angeles and looked through all the different concepts," Rafei said. "I felt sorry for the guy because sometimes he couldn't actually look at the screen ... it was too traumatic seeing all the crazy stuff we wanted to do." Rafei said the team experimented with different colors, as well as adding features like fur and scales, but that such designs would have made Sonic "a lot more alien and different from what [the character] is known for." As for the scarf and sports tape that raised so many eyebrows? Rafei said those items are there to show that the heroes are practical, and not vain. "From my perspective, it was important the characters have a practical heroism to them and not vanity, which is more fitting for villains," Rafei said. "When the world is in jeopardy, you don't have time to worry about what you look like." [Image: Sega]
He may have a new look, but Sonic is still the goddamn Batman
Sonic Boom may be bringing a be-scarfed new art direction to the series (is it more of a snood?), but the eagle-eared will have noticed some things are still the same. Sure enough, Sega confirmed Roger Craig Smith, AKA Ezio Auditore, Chris Redfield, and Batman from Arkham Origins, resumes his tenure as Sonic in the upcoming animated series and games. Most of the main cast is made up of returning voices, including Mike Pollock who's coming up to ten years as the voice of Doctor Eggman/Robotnik. The one newbie is established anime voice actress Colleen O'Shaughnessey, who takes over from Kate Higgins as Tails. As for the games themselves, the Wii U Sonic Boom is in development at Big Red Button, and it's a debut game for the studio founded by former Naughty Dog art director Bob Rafei. It features Sonic, Amy, Tails, and Knuckles as playable characters in a 3D game that has more of an action-adventure look about it than recent series entries, and includes open combat arenas to bruise your Knuckles in. We don't know too much about the 3DS Boom yet, except that it's in the hands of Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time studio Sanzaru Games. Both versions are due alongside the new animated series later this year. [Image: Sega]
Report: Three more leave Infinity Ward
IGN reports that three more staffers have left Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 developer Infinity Ward. Programmer Jon Shiring and senior animator Bruce Ferriz independently confirmed that they were leaving IW, with Ferriz heading to Big Red Button Entertainment and Shiring not providing more information. "I'm not trying to create spectacle, I just wanted to avoid the LinkedIn nonsense," Shiring said of his move, referring to two former IW employees who were discovered via LinkedIn to have left the studio. Lead designer Mackey McCandlish has also confirmed (via Twitter) that he's leaving the studio after "a great 8+ year run." This news comes just one day after the ousted IW co-founders announced the creation of Respawn Entertainment and a partnership with ... ahem ... EA Partners. As of this writing, no ex-Infinity Ward employees have joined the new venture.
Big Red Button secures money for more buttons
It's been more than a year since we last heard from Big Red Button Entertainment, the new game studio founded in February 2008 by Naughty Dog vets, who left the company they helped found to establish the "United Artists of games." Today the firm peeked out of its shell just long enough to say that it spent the last year securing money, people and partnerships to help get its as-yet-unannounced projects out the door.According to Big Red Button, the company is staying focused on creating "AAA-caliber game concepts and designs," as well as its distributed development platform; a model the studio claims "removes the risk for traditional publishers." Of course, this is all just talk until someone shows us a game. We still don't have a clue what Big Red Button is up to, but whatever it is, at least the company has the money to take us there. [Image]
Ex-Naughty Dog staffers start Big Red Button Entertainment
It's been said that the ultimate user interface would be "a little box with a single red button; when pushed it would give you exactly what you need exactly when you need it." We'd like to think that this was the inspiration that led two ex-Naughty Dog staffers to create game studio Big Red Button Entertainment. Or maybe their inspiration was a little less high-minded. We don't know.Anyway, the new studio has vowed to become the "United Artists of games" (much like EA) by creating "original character based intellectual properties for cross platform and cross media development." OK, so that doesn't really mean anything, but with titles like Crash Bandicoot, Jak & Daxter and Uncharted: Drake's Fortune to the creators' credit, we're still excited about the possibilities. Hey, maybe they should design some games for the Buzz controller. Y'know ... because it has a big red button ...? No? Not funny? FINE! WHO ASKED YOU?!
Former Naughty Dog staff form new team, Big Red Button
Naughty Dog, known for their work on Sony franchises, like Crash Bandicoot, Jak & Daxter and most recently, Uncharted, is one of the most well-respected development teams in the industry today. So, when two high-profile former staff of Naughty Dog go somewhere new, heads undoubtedly turn.The two co-founders have a long history with Naughty Dog: Bob Rafei was the Art Director of Naughty Dog for the past 13 years. E. Daniel Arey acted as Senior Designer and Creative Director of Naughty Dog for ten years. The two have teamed up to make a studio focused on original characters -- they want to become "the United Artists of games."According to their website: "Our commitment is to make not just fun, engaging and compelling games, but games that everyone can play, and everyone will want to play. We at BRB share this long term vision, intending to grow the gaming market, both in terms of age and gender demographics, as well as in emotional appeal." Currently, they have six IPs in "concept development." We wish this new team best of luck, but looking at the pedigree of their games, we doubt they need it.[Via Joystiq]
