Nope, I think I agree with metropolis being fun...and Shellcrackers were great.
Annoying, but still a great addition to the Badnik Roster!
YOU are the high one, mah boi!
Shellcracker...is like nearly impossible to get by without losing ring/shield. His sweet spot was like half a pixel in area. LOL But yes I concur...Metropolis owns. 
Metropolis was awesome. Music, Badniks, level design, I love it all.
Anyway, all this wait for the concept art of a badnik? I guess if you have an obvious "Guess Who" game you get a weak prize.
This all reeks of forceful viral marketting in a way that even Sony would be ashamed of. To be honest, it's making me care even less about this project. We already have Sonic Rush, why would the idea of a 2d adventure with few to no characters make me lose my composure.
I really think Sega were better off when they weren't so self concious about wha people thought of the francihse. Now they're like te cool kid forummer trying to be wha it perceives everyone wanting it to be.
Sonic Rush was on a small scale though[even if it did use two screens lol]. This is bigtime...full screen and HD. But yea...it's nothing to get excited about. Gotta admit though...that concept art looks BA.
Gotta admit though...that concept art looks BA.
BAd?
BAllin'?
Bad Ass[uming I shouldn't finish this, right?]
>.>
Sure, we've got Sonic Rush and that series is entertaining in its own right, but to be brutally honest it feels nothing like the original games. This could be just another failed attempt to spark new interest in the Sonic franchise while still missing the point, but one of their little notes they've posted got to me: mentioning "momentum", which was what the old games were really about, as opposed to flat out speed.
That would presume that the developers are making momentum a salient feature of the game and is not merely a buzzword Integrated Alchemy Media happened to have tossed in to generate excitement.
This all reeks of forceful viral marketting in a way that even Sony would be ashamed of. To be honest, it's making me care even less about this project. We already have Sonic Rush, why would the idea of a 2d adventure with few to no characters make me lose my composure.
I really think Sega were better off when they weren't so self concious about wha people thought of the francihse. Now they're like te cool kid forummer trying to be wha it perceives everyone wanting it to be.
At least they're trying, though. I give them full marks for that attempt - the remainder of their marketing has been rather lacklustre for me in previous years (although granted I am in no way the target market). Besides, in a sea of Facebook posts about snow, it was nice to have some random Sonic stuff come up in the news feed 
DW
This all reeks of forceful viral marketting in a way that even Sony would be ashamed of. To be honest, it's making me care even less about this project. We already have Sonic Rush, why would the idea of a 2d adventure with few to no characters make me lose my composure.
They just released a ton of games with Sonic only, and it didn't matter. Unleashed, Knight, Secret Rings. The only reason the Sonic only meme started is that Sonic Adventure introduced the idea that multiple characters means multiple minigames, most of which sucked. However, the average user is too dumb to analyze what makes a game work, so they cling to things like Sonic only, blood spatters, or Tingle.
I really think Sega were better off when they weren't so self concious about wha people thought of the francihse. Now they're like te cool kid forummer trying to be wha it perceives everyone wanting it to be.
SEGA has always been run by idiots, so it's more like they have no clue what to do and desperately chase such superficialities.
This could be just another failed attempt to spark new interest in the Sonic franchise while still missing the point, but one of their little notes they've posted got to me: mentioning "momentum", which was what the old games were really about, as opposed to flat out speed.
That got my interest too.
I want to believe...
I need to see gameplay.
I can just see this funding the next big 3D flop though...
However, the average user is too dumb to analyze what makes a game work, so they cling to things like Sonic only, blood spatters, or Tingle.
=D Tingle's going to be in Project Needlemouse too? Swee~~~~~t.
Analyzing this Shellcracker art though, the mechanical design of its legs is identical to the joints of Metal Sonic's limbs as seen in recent artwork. When they said that they'd show concept art, coupled with Sonic being added to the list of names, I got the idea that maybe they'd redesigned Sonic once again - but given that Shellcracker has been, shall we say, 'updated' I guess we'll still have green-eyed snarky Sonic for this game.
I for one am queerying the significence of Shellcracker. In the past we've never seen badniks return to a new game (post Sonic Adventure games which I put down to laziness - damn Egg Pawns), just similar badniks with new names and different designs i.e. Buzzbomber (S1) > Buzzer (S2), and Coconuts (S2) > a differently designed Coconuts (S3). Basically, given the stark similarity this revealed enemy has to Sonic 2's Shellcrakcer, I'm wondering if Project Needlemouse is going to be nothing more than a nostalgia trip, recreating old zones, badniks and bosses mixed together in a modern presentation style. Think along the lines of Sonic Pocket Adventure, a remixed Sonic 2.
However, the average user is too dumb to analyze what makes a game work, so they cling to things like Sonic only, blood spatters, or Tingle.
=D Tingle's going to be in Project Needlemouse too? Swee~~~~~t.
Analyzing this Shellcracker art though, the mechanical design of its legs is identical to the joints of Metal Sonic's limbs as seen in recent artwork. When they said that they'd show concept art, coupled with Sonic being added to the list of names, I got the idea that maybe they'd redesigned Sonic once again - but given that Shellcracker has been, shall we say, 'updated' I guess we'll still have green-eyed snarky Sonic for this game.
I for one am queerying the significence of Shellcracker. In the past we've never seen badniks return to a new game (post Sonic Adventure games which I put down to laziness - damn Egg Pawns), just similar badniks with new names and different designs i.e. Buzzbomber (S1) > Buzzer (S2), and Coconuts (S2) > a differently designed Coconuts (S3). Basically, given the stark similarity this revealed enemy has to Sonic 2's Shellcrakcer, I'm wondering if Project Needlemouse is going to be nothing more than a nostalgia trip, recreating old zones, badniks and bosses mixed together in a modern presentation style. Think along the lines of Sonic Pocket Adventure, a remixed Sonic 2.
Hmm...that's a nice little deduction there, Blue. I wouldn't mind that honestly...let them start at familiar territory before trying to do new storylines, etc.
That would be freaking amazing!
A 2.5D HD remake of the Genesis Trilogy would be awesome. If Project Needlemouse is anywhere close to that, it might be the first Sonic game for a 7th gen system I bother to buy.
Okay, this is all I have to say about Project Needlemouse... like someone said before, about Sega trying to be the "cool forumer," I feel like there is no way this game can be good. Why? Because Sega just doesn't seem to care. They're only trying to do it to impress. Pre Sonic Adventure 2, Sega just did their thing. They made games. With lack of internet feedback, they really had no guidelines from the fans, other than the fact that it was a hit. And they kept making great games. Then something happened. They got lazy. You see, it's not the multiple playable characters, or even the idea of "new characters" or different styles of gameplay that are ruining the Sonic series.
They pulled the whole "Only Sonic is playable for the first time since 1993!" card on us before. And what did we get? Sonic and the Secret Rings.
The most beloved 2D Sonic game by the community as a whole, is Sonic 3&K. In that, you had Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles as playable characters. The most well received 3D Adventure was Sonic Adventure. And in that you had SIX playable characters. Only two of which played through levels like a traditional Sonic game. You had cutscenes at every turn, and some cheesy dialogue. Plus it was loaded with glitches. And yet it was still something incredible. None of these things by any means made it a bad game, because it was truely, Sonic 3D. We revisited old locations in vast gorgeous 3D, an overall major production. Beautiful graphics, music, FMVs, and interactive gameplay. You explore through adventure fields and action stages. Familiar places, familiar faces.
Now I know I hit a touchy note when I bring up Sonic Adventure 2, because it does have a core fan base, but I really think that it all died right there. I feel like they took everything we knew about Sonic, and killed it. Where were the badniks? The futuristic cities? The giant Eggman fortresses? Even the little details like them taking out the iconic "bwoop" noise of Sonic's jump was just utterly painful. The game started out with Sonic grinding through rails of San Fransisco to some really bad skating game music, fighting... the military? Seriously?
The whole design and feel of the game was so dull and dreary. It just looked dead and uninspired. You could see subtle hints of them trying to make the series more edgy, because at the time, there was a lot of this whole "mature vs kiddy" games bs going on all over the internetz. Well, all the cool kids are playing Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (it was HUGE at the time). Let's make Sonic grind rails to some soft pop/punk rock in a skate-park themed environment! We'll add edgy lyrics like "Rouge! She's sexy and smooth!" Make some more "Mature" characters like Shadow and Rouge...and make Sonic fight the military... and...
God, it just made me wanna puke. They were so focused on adjusting to the "times" that they really took Sonic out of his own world, and out of his own shoes into something really really corny. Like it was some kids game in denial.
Of course, the gameplay got mixed reviews. Sure they fixed lot of the glitchy stuff from SA1, but that's all the gameplay really had going for it. The levels for the most part were tedious and long... ugh, I can go on for hours.
But it got a mixed reaction, and some really bad reactions. And then Sega said... "Sonic Heroes!" There we go guys! Checkered backgrounds! And we'll take out all that "LOL Mature!" stuff. Trying desperately to please the angry Sonic fans. And what do we get? CHECKERED BACKGROUNDS LIKE FROM THE OLD SONIC GAMES!!! YES!!!! Oh yeah, but everything else about the game is gonna be complete FAIL. "We're SONIC HEROES!!!" Oh yeah, and did we mention you have to play even LONGER even more tedious levels, FOUR times over. And... oh no? You guys didn't like it? TOO KIDDY?!?!? We got it!
SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG!!!!
Oh no, failure after failure! They just want a side scroller? Okay! Sonic Unleashed! No? Okay... Project Needlemouse.
So why should I have any hope for this? They're missing the point. And I think they will never get it, because they truly don't know what Sonic is anymore. You look at old series' like Mario, Zelda, Phantasy Star, and sure they have "changed" over the years. Or evolved... whatever you wanna call it. Hell, Mario 64 played NOTHING like the original 2D platformers. But it kept the spirit alive, as did Sonic Adventure. Thing is, you can do ANYTHING with these games, and the characters, as long as you do it well.
I really believe that Sonic Heroes, Sonic Adventure 2, and many other Sonic games that I really hated, could have been fun, entertaining, and possibly even great games, if Sega just took the time to make them good. It's not that the concepts were bad, it's just that they were poorly implementing them, rushing the titles, and releasing sloppy games before they even know what it is they're releasing.
Mario has only had ONE true platformer title on the N64, and one on the Gamecube. The Wii will have a sequel to Mario Galaxy. Just one game per console. But they aren't rushed, and they're given major time and production. The Gamecube alone for Sonic has seen SA2B, SADX, Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic Heroes. And the following gen we got split releases of Sonic 06, Sonic and the Secret Rings, and then Unleashed. This of course, isn't even counting the portable and party game titles.
Too much too fast, too little thought.
That is the problem. That has always been the problem. They just keep dumping game after game after game without stopping to think... wait a minute. What exactly is it that we're making?
"Well, all the cool kids are playing Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (it was HUGE at the time)."
It's a relief knowing I'm not alone in this thought. I didn't play SA2 until three years ago, and halfway through City Escape I told the person from whom I'd borrowed the game, "Sonic Team just sold out to the Tony Hawk crowd."
"Mario has only had ONE true platformer title on the N64, and one on the Gamecube. The Wii will have a sequel to Mario Galaxy. Just one game per console. But they aren't rushed, and they're given major time and production. The Gamecube alone for Sonic has seen SA2B, SADX, Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic Heroes. And the following gen we got split releases of Sonic 06, Sonic and the Secret Rings, and then Unleashed. This of course, isn't even counting the portable and party game titles."
The problem is not necessarily that Sonic Team and whatever partners are trying to do too much too fast per se. It's just that they churn out a lot of garbage in a very short amount of time based on knee-jerk reactions to the previous effort. Certainly it'd help them if they stopped the whole "one platformer one year, worthless game next year" cycle so that they could invest in constructing a decent game. I can't remember how long it took them to work on Sonic Adventure, but one can clearly see they took their time on that project. There was a small video series made in Japan that chronicled Sonic Team's trek to Aztec ruins in Mexico to see how they would design the Mystic Ruins (part 2 is hilarious, incidentally; Takashi Iizuka's first appearance there is disturbingly amusing). So indeed, where Sonic Adventure 2 tried to be serious, Sonic Heroes tried to be cutesy, at which point Shadow tried to be dark, and then Secret Rings tried to be simple, only so '06 wound up gruesomely twisted in terms of plot (and the plot was one of its less egregious features). Unleashed tried to work backwards from there, but as Sega know that people will still buy any old poppycock with the Blue Blur's face on it, Black Knight was a foregone conclusion.
Again, however, quantity is not the problem; it is quality. EAD's second team has, in this generation alone, produced Twilight Princess, Phantom Hourglass, Link's Crossbow Training, Spirit Tracks, and is apparently hard at work on another Zelda title for the Wii. No, Sonic Team are no EAD, but this suggests, if not proves, that a development team can produce numerous well-received products with minimal lapses of time in between releases. Sega approaches Sonic in a fundamentally different way than Nintendo approaches its finest franchises: basically, it's an effort to stockpile money. This track record having been set, it is easy to see why it seems there is no hope for Project Needlemouse, but I am going to wait for the final product to render judgment and avoid the undulating wave of emotions with every new bit of information. It is less a matter of "too much too soon" as much as it is "too greedy too thoughtless".
Am I just weird, or does anyone else feel like Needlemouse has lost a tad bit of attention after the concept art release?
Well.. aside from a pic of a badnik, what exactly is there to discuss? We have no real info, aside from the fact that Sega is hitting the reset button on the series with this game. But then again, that's what they said about Sonic Unleashed. Come to think of it... that's what they said about Sonic Heroes.
So basically, we know just about as much now as we did before.
Well.. aside from a pic of a badnik, what exactly is there to discuss? We have no real info, aside from the fact that Sega is hitting the reset button on the series with this game. But then again, that's what they said about Sonic Unleashed. Come to think of it... that's what they said about Sonic Heroes.
So basically, we know just about as much now as we did before.
Sega never anything about reset button for Unleashed. That was just the gaming media making stuff up.
And speaking of the gaming media, SegaOnline, via TSSZ, has a rumor about the game being officially called Sonic 4: Episode 1.
If the rumor is true, Sega must either be very confident in this new game or very desperate.
Calling the game Sonic 4 is setting the bar really, really high.
Sonic 4: Episode 1
Provided this is real... well, I must say... I don't hate it. But I damn well sure hope they know what they're doing.
Calling the game Sonic 4 is setting the bar really, really high.
If WayForward was involved in this I'd be more optimistic. Otherwise, you'd have a point.
:O! They're trying very very hard to get us to believe in them this time, huh? I ain't fallin for it though.
Not...yet atleast. >.< D'oh!!
The latest.
What is that o.o
Looks like some Photomanipulations. They're not bad, but Classic-Shadow needs red eyes IMO.
Amynextplz.
They're playing games with my head. They're like a psycho ex-girlfriend.
Who made those?
I'm guessing they're not official work, seeing as it's unusual for a company to manipulate their old official art, especially to show Shadow if he were made in 97.
That said, awesome!
Sonic Retro, of course.
Did this somehow escape people's notice amidst the artwork frenzy?
Speed is something that is not given; but rather earned through
dedication. Speed is not found by simply pushing a boost button, but by
building momentum. It is the reward for skill in the face of difficult
challenges – this kind of speed is the most exhilarating, not only
because it is fast, but because of the pure perfection such speed
exemplifies. This is the truth of the original Sonic games – and this
is the truth of Project Needlemouse.
We'll just have to hope that means exactly as it reads. Rising cautious optimism is go?
Cool @ their new challenge. A fan imitated their concept art of the crab with another Metropolis enemy, the Scyther-bot. They want us to submit more badnik drawings we'd like to see in the new game. Also, MOTOBUG'S NEXTGEN DEBUT.
YES. Who knows, maybe they will add optional springs to their backs.
Did this somehow escape people's notice amidst the artwork frenzy?
Speed is something that is not given; but rather earned through
dedication. Speed is not found by simply pushing a boost button, but by
building momentum. It is the reward for skill in the face of difficult
challenges – this kind of speed is the most exhilarating, not only
because it is fast, but because of the pure perfection such speed
exemplifies. This is the truth of the original Sonic games – and this
is the truth of Project Needlemouse.We'll just have to hope that means exactly as it reads. Rising cautious optimism is go?
Could be talking about speed runs or something.
Lol I almost thought that was official art. They look so cute! I want to see Retro/Modern AmyRose. But anyway this challege sounds way cooler than the first one.
Some of the fan artwork is pretty cool.
The Barrel of Doom as Badnik is priceless.
^ Okay. I admit, that's awesome right there.
Speed is something that is not given; but rather earned through dedication. Speed is not found by simply pushing a boost button, but by building momentum. It is the reward for skill in the face of difficult challenges – this kind of speed is the most exhilarating, not only because it is fast, but because of the pure perfection such speed exemplifies.
Man, that's beautiful. That's exactly how I feel about Sonic.
That concept art only makes me want one thing.
A remote control Motorbug!
All those fan-arts of badniks... whew. I just get this nostalgic euphoria looking through them, and realizing how each and every one of them is an iconic part of so many of our childhoods. It just... it helps just to really realize what's really important. What's really important is that if we can't all live together and be happy, if you have to be afraid to walk out in the street, if you have to be afraid of... violence of somebody, what kind of way is that to go through this life?
Or maybe I'm overthinking it a bit.
.... TURTLOIDS!
....
I find it upsetting that after years of begging for a Sonic-only game, a few Sonic finds somehow find the nerve to have no faith in it. Sega is finally doing what we ask of them, and a good job to keep the community involved as well. I love it, and always find myself reloading the Sega blogs. Maybe when it comes out, we'll all be disappointed and the cycle will continue, but for once I don't feel ashamed for having faith in the now victorious Sega. With good games like Bayonetta and Madworld being added to their roster, it's only fair Sonic get the 10 out of 10 treatment.
Well, its not like this is the first time we got a Sonic-only game. Secret Rings anyone? We all know how that turned out. This is actually the first time I'm not "ZOMG WOW!" excited. I'm a little late I guess. I even thought Unleashed was gonna be unstoppably amazing from the gameplay footage.
Not that I'm hating. I will definitely play this game. And probably the next to come. And I do think it's pretty cool how Sega is being interactive with us. But given their track record, they should probably wait til the game comes out before being so proud of this. In the words of a very wise man. "JUST BRING IT!"
All I'm saying is, after a miserable decade, I kinda need an actual amazing gaming experience with a Sonic game, to get me hyped again, rather than an amazing empty promise.
All I'm going to say is that it's hard for me to hate something I haven't seen any footage for.
All I'm going to say is that it's hard for me to hate something I haven't seen any footage for.
If only this were applied to all aspects of life.
u_u
All I'm going to say is that it's hard for me to hate something I haven't seen any footage for.
Then you must be a casual gamer. (WAKKAWAKKAWAKKA!!!)
I find it upsetting that after years of begging for a Sonic-only game, a few Sonic finds somehow find the nerve to have no faith in it.
That's not really fair. How many times has Sega cried "back to basics" or "Sonic only" and end up screwing the fan base?
Frankly, around the time of Sonic Heroes, my faith in Sega was already getting shaky. By the time, Shadow the Hedgehog rolled around, it had completely shattered. The absolute crapfest that was Sonic Genesis and the bestiality undertones of Sonic 06 did nothing to restore said faith.
I hope that for the franchise's sake, this does well. If the rumors about it being referred to as Sonic 4 in house are true, there are really only two ways this can go IMO. If it does well, Sonic, as a franchise, can rise up for the ashes of what it was like the glorious blue phoenix we all want him to be. If not, it'll plummet even deeper into the grave that it's already in.
Sonic was the first game franchise I was an active fan of, and I'm desperately hoping and praying for the former scenario. I want Sonic to make a comeback. I want the franchise to get back up on the pedestal it was on before. It's horrible to watch something you've loved since childhood degrade like Sonic has.
I just don't see it happening. That said, I would love for Sega to prove me wrong.
Challenge Update. It seems next week is "The Week of the Hedgehog".
Project Needlemouse is not an HD version of Sonic 1. These may be old badniks, but when we said all-new adventure, we meant it
Well there you go. It not a remake.
http://www.sonicthehedgehog4.com/
^Oh sure. It leads to SEGA's homepage NOW, but who knows in the future though. o.o
whois says it's just some random person
It seems next week is "The Week of the Hedgehog".
That's not all that's next week.
