xbox.gamespy.com/articles/654/654750p1.html
Interesting points:
- Naka implies that if the Shadow game does well, there may be other character spin-offs.
- Different stages will be available in Shadow depending on which path you take (hero, dark, neutral)
- Naka wants to do a "solo Sonic" game, but feels there is too much pressure for a variety of characters and play-modes
- SegaSonic wasn't in Gems Collection because - as we suspected - of the trackball
- Hidden Palace was cut from Sonic 2 because they couldn't get it finished in time
- Naka says that Hidden Palace will never be a bonus on a compilation because a). they lost the original source code for it, and b). it was hardly done - you run around for a while, and then die
- Knuckles and Amy will appear in Sonic Rush
- Naka hints that Blaze might not be as friendly to Sonic as we've been assuming...!
- The ROM with a semi-complete Hidden Palace comes from a beta Sonic 2 that was stolen at a games show back before Sonic 2 was released
- Okay, this is interesting... Hidden Palace was originally designed to be a stage that you played once you got all of the emeralds, and during the stage you'd be granted the ability to turn into Super Sonic.
- Naka mentions a disregarded "rabbit-bus" enemy based on the Cat-bus in Miyazaki's "Tonari no Totoro" ("My Neighbour Totoro"). That made me smile =)
- The Sonic 1 sound test was originally going to feature Sonic break-dancing to the music, as it was being played by the Sonic band (featuring Vector the Crocodile, Max the monkey, etc.) but it was cut because of time constraints. Instead they put in the trademark "SEGA!" opening, which - surprisingly - used up 1/8 of the cartridge space.
*fixes "ot" into "y"*
Better.
Anyway, this actually reveals an awful lot about Sonic 2, and it's only been, what, 13 years? Interesting.
I'm confused...so Hidden Palace, was supposed to be on Sonic 2 but got moved to S&K? It is supposed to be an actual level with 2 acts and stuff? Weird he discusses this now. Still very neat. 
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- Knuckles and Amy will appear in Sonic Rush
I'm assuming this is news (it's the only thing that gets me interested in Rush), but I could be wrong since I haven't paid one iota of attention to anything concerning the upcoming games.
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they lost the original source code for it
I KNEW IT. This is why emulation is the only way to go for compilations of the Mega Drive Sonic games.
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- Naka hints that Blaze might not be as friendly to Sonic as we've been assuming...!
Maybe you've been assuming. I knew she was trouble from the start. 😉
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After all, the games in the series since the first have been constantly introducing and adding new characters, so maybe Sonic deserves some "alone time" again.
Darn Right.
Hands up for Sonic 1, CD, 2 Directors Cut?
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Ferraris are the best cars out there, period!
I like his taste
Maybe seeing as its an alternate universe from Sonic's maybe Blaze is a baddie. I mean her first art wasnt smiling. Frown of angst.
Well I think everyone was deeply hoping that Blaze would be a bad guy until some game preview article said something like, "The Hero from another Dimension, Blaze the Cat!"
I hope that Yuji means Blaze really *is* a villain, rather than just be S3&K-esque confrontational with him...
Maybe seeing as its an alternate universe from Sonic's maybe Blaze is a baddie. I mean her first art wasnt smiling. Frown of angst.
And wrathful hands. Don't forget the wrathful hands.
If Blaze does turn out to be a bad girl (which I suspected from the start, but then turned away from after finding out more about her character) then that means she's tricked (OR CORRUPTED!! D: ) poor innocent Cream into helping her out.
I'm not sure Naka is hinting here that Blaze may not be such a hero character. I mean, he wants you to play the game, and leaving that question there is encouragement to do so, rather than simply giving the boring answer; "Nope, she's a Hero character". Still, would be cool if she did end up being a baddie after all.
Oh yeah wrathful hands forgot about them. And cold eyes. And that would make alt-eggman the good guy?
my mind!
Interesting so there appears to be more to Blaze that we have seen. And poor Cream she could be helping a bad guy and not know it.
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Naka implies that if the Shadow game does well, there may be other character spin-offs.
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Hopefully this could mean Knuckles Chaotix 2
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Naka wants to do a "solo Sonic" game, but feels there is too much pressure for a variety of characters and play-modes
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Well he could always give Sonic those play modes like they with Shadow. The other characters could be NPCs that help Sonic in the game,again, like the Shadow's game.
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I'm assuming this is news (it's the only thing that gets me interested in Rush), but I could be wrong since I haven't paid one iota of attention to anything concerning the upcoming games.
Yeah, it's new as of this interview.
Anyway, I don't think Blaze would really be a baddie; considering what we know of her personality, I'd just see it as being likely that she's distrustful of Sonic or something - overall probably roughly along the lines of how Knuckles was "bad" in Sonic 3.
an interview with the director of Sonic Rush stated that Sonic has to convince Blaze to work with him. and everytime you hear gamesites talking about Rush, they mention how Sonic and Blaze have to "work together" to save the universe.
my guess is that Naka meant that Blaze is a heroine and a loner so she doesn't take kindly to Sonic who wants her to work with him. makes sense since it was confirmed that she was just that.
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Naka implies that if the Shadow game does well, there may be other character spin-offs.
Music to my ears...or eyes rather. >_>
seems that the famous games publication, Games TM, got a hold of Yuji Naka for an interesting interview:
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HES ONE OF THE BIGGEST NAMES IN DEVELOPMENT AND RESPONSIBLE FOR ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC VIDEOGAME CHARACTURES EVER. GAMESTM CATCHES UP WITH YUJI NAKA TO FIND OU WHAT HES GOT UP HIS SLEEVE
YUJI NAKA
SEGAOf all the people that you get to speak to in this industry, there are only a few that are going to make you feel truly nervous. There are some are some individuals far greater than we could ever dream of being and one of these is Yuji Naka. Unsurprisingly he doesnt seem too rattled that hes talking with us. Quite the opposite, in fact. Despite it being close to the end of a day thats been full of journalist like us, and the fact that hes just returned from a signing where hes scrawled his name on his nth copy of Sonic something, hes calm and confident.
I started Sega very early on, he begins. I went straight from high school 22 years ago and became a programmer. Eventually I started work on Sonic and things became much bigger.
Ah, Sonic, the character that made Naka a legend. Its tempting to ask his favourite of the 30-plus titles that have featured the speedy little hedgehog, but were fairy sure hes going to say the first one. We ask anyway, and he doesnt disappoint. Of course its the first one, he smile. That is my first and will always remain my favourite. However, the answer only servers to fuel our notion that we as well as a number of videogame fans, no doubt have been contemplating since we saw the screens of the new title Shadow the Hedgehog. The series has drifted massively so. You can brush aside various pinball and racing escapades easily enough, but were now looking at a well known Sonic character toting guns a far cry from the series roots of which Naka is so obviously fond. Shadow is defiantly the game it was intended to be, insists. Its meant to be a completely separate title from the Sonic games. If you look at the action genre, youll notice its very evolved. There are now fully 3D worlds, you can pick up a weapon and ride any vehicle. The idea is to broaden the Sonic gameplay and to meet the wants of the audience.
To be fair the evolution of the series has looked to be heading this way for some time. Ever since Sonic ventured into 3D the games have been becoming far broader, but if youre going to head down this route anyway, why not give Sonic the limelight surely his recognisable snout would shift far more copies than Shadow? Thats true, Naka agrees. But its Sonic. I didnt want to have Sonic with a gun, so I made it with Shadow. I would never give Sonic guns Sonic shouldnt have weapons, as it doesnt fir his character, but Ive recently been getting a lot of request from the kids where they say hey, I want to play a Sonic game where I can shoot guns and things, so I decided to let Shadow do it.
Although Naka has plenty on his plate now, there are more interesting times ahead for Sega. A merger with Sammy has meant that the company presences in the arcades is on the rise and this years E3 provided an interesting next-gen Sonic demo that was just for show according to Naka. But what does Sega have in store for us when the next generation of machines do arrive? Looking to the future, its definitely beyond just improved graphics, Naka tells us. Its all about innovation and how you think through your games. Over the next year youll see the direction Sega is going in, but its all about innovation verses how real the games end up looking. Thats what developers are caring about they like developing for the DS because of the new options availably.
These are mysterious words and the look on Nakas face certainly hints that no amount of prompting will make him give away his plans. But with Naka so keen on giving the public what they want, we decided to see if hed do us a favour. One of our favourite Sega games, NiGHTS into Dreams, is long due a sequel; can Naka help us out? Ha! I would like to see a new NiGHTS game, he admits. But that was ten years ago now I have other projects to be getting on with. I certainly have more ideas that I didnt get into the last game, so maybe in the future. Heres hoping
credit goes to TSS for this interview.
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"I would never give Sonic guns Sonic shouldnt have weapons, as it doesnt fir his character, but Ive recently been getting a lot of request from the kids where they say hey, I want to play a Sonic game where I can shoot guns and things, so I decided to let Shadow do it.
Looks like th kids have been playing too much GTA 
Ya know what scares me is that Yuji says he had no idea about the extensive Sonic fan base out there.
