[ShadiWulf]

full article on TSSZ

If you want any ray of hope for a brand new entry in the Sonic Adventure series, here it is. On a Youtube listing for one of his videos, rapper Hunnid-P, who was behind the rap vocals for Knuckles’s image theme on Sonic Adventure 2, says he is working on a new Knuckles theme for an upcoming Sonic game. “I’ll have some new Knuckles music as soon as Sega and I work on this new project for Sonic so stay tuned!” Hunnid-P says in response to a fan comment. Before jumping on the Sonic Adventure 3 bandwagon, consider this: while the rapper may have had a hand in an image theme and with Knuckles specifically for SA2, that does not necessarily mean he would reprise either role for whatever this new project is. Whatever the project is, it sounds like it’s for 2013. You may remember when a member of Crush 40 let the cat out of the bag regarding a new Sonic for 2011, which turned out to be Sonic Generations, almost a year before the game was officially announced. A thought process along similar lines here isn’t totally out of the question. If nothing else, the questions for Summer of Sonic and Sonic Boom just got a lot more interesting. We will continue to monitor developments here. Thanks to Matriculated and DocFish for tipping us.

http://www.tssznews.com/2012/07/05/h...ect-for-sonic/

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Obviously it's gonna be Sonic Generations 2 with Pumpkin Hill as the SA2 level!

[Kokonoe]

Obviously it's gonna be Sonic Generations 2 with Pumpkin Hill as the SA2 level!

i'm okay with this.

[ShadiWulf]

Obviously it's gonna be Sonic Generations 2 with Pumpkin Hill as the SA2 level!

Pumpkin hill isn't Knuckles theme song, i don't know if it was the same guy who made it or not, but this is knuckles theme

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOuZxq68Wp4

[Emitan]

Obviously it's gonna be Sonic Generations 2 with Pumpkin Hill as the SA2 level!

I am more okay with this than I thought I would be.

I want a 3D Mushroom Hill Zone if for nothing else then the music.

[Kokonoe]

Pumpkin hill isn't Knuckles theme song, i don't know if it was the same guy who made it or not, but this is knuckles theme http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOuZxq68Wp4

This is his actual theme.

[qq more]

Pumpkin hill isn't Knuckles theme song, i don't know if it was the same guy who made it or not, but this is knuckles theme http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOuZxq68Wp4

I know that isn't his theme song. But I'm pretty sure he also did Pumpkin Hill.

[ShadiWulf]

I know that isn't his theme song. But I'm pretty sure he also did Pumpkin Hill.

Ok, but you are getting your hopes up if you actually think it's Sonic Generations 2.

[qq more]

Ok, but you are getting your hopes up if you actually think it's Sonic Generations 2.

...That was a joke. I don't think Generations 2 is ever gonna happen as much as I want it.

[Kokonoe]

Getting your hopes up is wishing for Sonic Adventure 3.

[Emitan]

Getting your hopes up is wishing for Sonic Adventure 3.

Why would I want that?

PLEASE MAKE A GAME WHERE ONLY 1/3 OF THE LEVELS ARE SONIC

[ShadiWulf]

iizuka-san said in a interview that since Sonic's games are good again, that he wanted to start bringing back alternate gameplay

i don't see why people think Sonic Adventure 3 is so unlikely ;P all the pieces are starting to add up.

maybe it wont be Sonic Adventure 3 by name, but it's definitely going to be Sonic Adventure 3 by aesthetics and game design.

[TheOGB]

Hm. Hunnid P, the rapper who did all of the Knuckles theme music in Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 said he's working with Sega to produce new music. Sonic Adventure 2 with a remix OST?

YES

It's finally time for Knuckles' breakout solo 3D adventure: Knuckles the Echidna - Straight Outta Echidnopolis!

YESYESYESYESYES

I AM SO HYPED RIGHT NOW AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[Kokonoe]

I just don't think they're gonna shelve the progress they've been on with Modern Sonic to create Sonic Adventure 3 right now. Especially with the financial issues SEGA has been having lately.

[qq more]

I just don't think they're gonna shelve the progress they've been on with Modern Sonic to create Sonic Adventure 3 right now. Especially with the financial issues SEGA has been having lately.

Sega can probably grab a lot of attention with SA3 because of SA2's popularity status.

I think SA3 is likely in the future, even if this upcoming game isn't it. But god... please don't do it Sega. Stick with what you got now and add a Chao Garden with online multiplayer modes if you want!

[Emitan]

Reusing Sonic's stages like in SA1 is a possibility to save money.

[EuroMIX]

Why would I want that? PLEASE MAKE A GAME WHERE ONLY 1/3 OF THE LEVELS ARE SONIC

Make it so that everyone plays like some variation of Sonic. Problem solved.

[Emitan]

Make it so that everyone plays like some variation of Sonic. Problem solved.

Why even have them if they play almost the same as him?

[EuroMIX]

Why even have them if they play almost the same as him?

Same reason they exist in S3&K?

[Kokonoe]

People do like Luigi in Mario Galaxy.

Sega can probably grab a lot of attention with SA3 because of SA2's popularity status. I think SA3 is likely in the future, even if this upcoming game isn't it. But god... please don't do it Sega. Stick with what you got now and add a Chao Garden with online multiplayer modes if you want!

Maybe, but the resources for Sonic Adventure 3 today seems like it'd be a little costly. I don't however think because of Sonic Adventure 2 being rereleased Sonic Adventure 3 has a higher chance of coming out.

We see a NiGHTS rerelease and a Jet Set Radio rerelease. It's a part of their digital plan.

[ShadiWulf]

Sonic isn't and has never been the reason SEGA was bleeding money. SEGA was bleeding money because of failed publishing on projects like Binary Domain and such. Big AAA releases that bomb and cost SEGA tons of money.

anyways...

And everyone in the office has their own idea of what Sonic should be, so we started to see slightly varied, slightly different directions of Sonic games. I was conscious of this, so I’m now back with full responsibility of all things Sonic. I have control over the direction of not just Sonic Generations, but all the Sonic titles that we will develop in the future. So I have more control, and hopefully this will provide better appearances for future titles. Sonic Generations sort of acts as the end of one period. After Sonic Generations, we will work on new Sonic titles. There’s going to be a whole new adventure, of course.

quote from 2010 on Sonic Adventure 3

“If many people really really want it…then perhaps”

also this

Ever since getting involved with Sonic Colours, going through to Generations, Episode 1 and now Episode 2, I’ve tried to make sure that this question of what Sonic fundamentally is has been answered, and is consistent. The essence of Sonic is what we’ve been trying to clarify, and drive home to people. Now that we’ve done this, I think we can actually start thinking about spin-offs and branches of the Sonic gameplay.

Iizuka-san, believe! He is the professional

[Emitan]

Same reason they exist in S3&K?

With the great freedom allowed in 3D, as well as new techniques (boosting, etc) Sonic stages can have a much greater variety of shortcuts and alternate paths now than they did in Sonic 3. Tails and Knuckles style variations don't really have as much reason to exist when they are already capable of putting in so many alternate paths with just Sonic.

[Aaron Strife]

I just don't think they're gonna shelve the progress they've been on with Modern Sonic to create Sonic Adventure 3 right now. Especially with the financial issues SEGA has been having lately.

They'd probably just keep the modern Sonic gameplay for Sonic's portions and make up new bullshit for Tails, Knuckles, and those other jerks.

Although Knuckles as a faster Werehog with more emphasis on exploring would be alright.

[EuroMIX]

Maybe this is what was intended by all of that news about focusing more on core franchises? i.e. Sega will have more money to focus on projects like this and Sonic's renowned status gives a better return making a more costly "Adventure" worthwhile?

Thing is though, would SA3 even be anything like SA1 and 2 after all these years, especially with the direction Sega have taken with Sonic's gameplay being so different from the early 3D games?

[EuroMIX]

With the great freedom allowed in 3D, as well as new techniques (boosting, etc) Sonic stages can have a much greater variety of shortcuts and alternate paths now than they did in Sonic 3. Tails and Knuckles style variations don't really have as much reason to exist when they are already capable of putting in so many alternate paths with just Sonic.

Why bother having Luigi, Toad and Peach in SMB2, or the former two who control the same as Mario in NSMB? Variety/Multiplayer potential. Tails and Knuckles, at the very least, have strong fanbases and were playable in the classic games. As long as they don't hurt the gameplay, what's to lose by including them for those that want to play as them? It's something I've missed and feel has been lacking in the most recent games seeing as Sonic has been the only playable character.

Apologies, double post.

[SwiftSketcher]

With the great freedom allowed in 3D, as well as new techniques (boosting, etc) Sonic stages can have a much greater variety of shortcuts and alternate paths now than they did in Sonic 3. Tails and Knuckles style variations don't really have as much reason to exist when they are already capable of putting in so many alternate paths with just Sonic.

Sonic can't fly. Sonic can't dig underground or climb walls. Unless we're talking Colors. But that's cheating.

I want an Adventure 3. Just Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. 10 zones. All seamlessly connected in a 3D open world. Maybe some co-op action where a second player can play as Tails or Knuckles to help out. A light story.

Am I sounding crazy here? This honestly would be amazing to me. "Adventure" doesn't HAVE to mean they're going to force you to play as a refrigerator with fixed camera angles and Sega Bass Fishing sections. I think Sega can manage it, especially since they have a better grasp of weeding out unfun fucking shit mechanics in a 3D Sonic with Colors and Generations as an indicative.

Also, I'm sick of boost. That is fundamentally not Sonic. Get that shit out.

[Shadow Hog]

Not to seem like a braggart, but that S-Video-modded Genesis I ordered finally arrived. Check that shit out.

Hm. Hunnid P, the rapper who did all of the Knuckles theme music in Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 said he's working with Sega to produce new music. Sonic Adventure 2 with a remix OST?

Oh, so that's who the rapper is, huh. I shouldn't be surprised that we know who it was, and yet for some reason I am.

[Sciz]

Designing an SA3 a decade after the fact is a thankless job that anyone with a choice should run away screaming from.

10 zones. All seamlessly connected in a 3D open world.

We talked about this a while ago, and I'm still at a loss as to what exactly an open world Sonic environment is supposed to look or play like. It's the complete antithesis of the straightforward arcade gameplay the series is still built around twenty years later.

aNYONE read Sonic Universe 41? Although slow it was pretty good IMO Shard is such a bro and I'll give Larry credit for trying to contribute to the team

I suppose it is time for the monthly Sonic comic thought roundup.


Sonic #237

-I like the dark shading on the cover. Very striking.

Main Story:

-Eh, Steven Butler on pencils again. He's the longest running artist still on the series by an enormous margin (going back to #61; I think Jon Gray's the next oldest at #134), but his roots are in superhero comics, and like all the other superhero artists who tried to move to Sonic, it shows. He's not a bad artist (especially compared to former contemporaries like Rom Lim), but he's never quite understood Sega-style character design or proportions, and he's got an odd tendency to make Sonic look... menacing. Pretty much everyone else working on the series does a better job these days.

-Back to the cats and dogs. Butler did the last arc with them too, coincidentally. Ian's done a lot to clean up series canon, but these two groups still feel like the holdovers from a time long past that they are, like if Evil Sonic were still showing up once in a while in his black leather jacket instead of being overhauled into Scourge.

-Robotnik rather rightly questions why robots with lasers can't beat spear, tooth, and fang. Machinery in this universe really doesn't amount to much.

-Asterisk overload returns. I'm not sure it's necessary to footnote so many things that happened within the last year.

-Cubot and Orbot Greatness Check: All signs still positive.

-Robotnik leaning on Sally's own knowledge and experiences for ideas is a fairly dark little idea that I expect to backfire spectacularly somewhere down the line.

-Sonic still has his honorary feather from the last time he was in the area. Amy and Tails are frauds.

-The leotards the wolves wear just do not work for me.

-Has the DEL ever won a battle? Ever?

-"I'm 'ambassador' Sonic. You might remember me by my socks." Okay, that one got me.

-Hathor is basically the only interesting character in this entire region, and that's only as a consequence of the clothing thing.

-Legionization is in some ways even more terrifying than roboticization ever was. There's still the loss of free will, but mixed with the body horror of a dentist gone bad as well.

Backup Story:

-Yardley's back (yay). And it's a Mina & Nicole story, who have two of the best non-Sega character designs in the series.

-Nicole retreating to faceless text always makes for a neat dichotomy with her mobian appearance. It'll be a shame if she ever gets a robot body of some sort. The nanites can take a hike, though.

-My problem with this whole Mina/Nicole conflict is that it has its roots in the Iron Dominion arc which was... unsuccessful, in a number of ways. And this little plot thread in particular stems from Nicole being mind-controlled and Naugus brainwashing the general public. There was never any actual conflict between the two set up, and not much prior interaction to set it against. The end goal here seems to be to grow Nicole as a character, but it's such a hamfisted way of going about it. The idea's fine, but not the execution.

-I'm already getting tired of the SFF.

-Off-Panel is delightfully self-aware this month.

It's late, I'll do Universe #41 tomorrow. The short answer is that I loved it for one specific reason.

[qq more]

Also, I'm sick of boost. That is fundamentally not Sonic. Get that shit out.

As much as I love the gameplay of the last few 3D Sonic games... yeah I think I can easily live without boost. Not a great feature. Though it's pretty fun in time attacks.

[Tizoc]

@Sciz- I'll be reading the latest Sonic issue within the next few days, but I wish you wrote what your reason for liking it was at least XD.

[Psxphile]

maybe it wont be Sonic Adventure 3 by name, but it's definitely going to be Sonic Adventure 3 by aesthetics and game design.

If we go by that then I believe Sonic '06 has already claimed that title.

Hm, a new Sonic game that allowed you to switch playable characters between stages ala SMB2 would be nice. I think Sonic Advance 3 was the only one to manage it though I didn't like how it was implemented in that game.

[EuroMIX]

We talked about this a while ago, and I'm still at a loss as to what exactly an open world Sonic environment is supposed to look or play like. It's the complete antithesis of the straightforward arcade gameplay the series is still built around twenty years later.

I imagine it being very much like parkour; give the player more or less free movement around the environment. The real issue it implementing it in a way that makes sense. I sometimes wonder if they could construct the world like the mountain(s) in some SSX games I've played, where action stages are like events tied to specific parts of the world or something. I can live without adventure fields, but it would be fun to have them again albeit more worthwhile.

As much as I love the gameplay of the last few 3D Sonic games... yeah I think I can easily live without boost. Not a great feature. Though it's pretty fun in time attacks.

The only real reason I dislike the boost is that it can give an out of control feeling making the levels feel kind of automated. Press right to win becomes boost to win.

What if they modified it so that instead of making Sonic go really fast, it makes everything else appear much slower? That could allow for some interesting challenges.

If we go by that then I believe Sonic '06 has already claimed that title.

Pretty much.

Hm, a new Sonic game that allowed you to switch playable characters between stages ala SMB2 would be nice. I think Sonic Advance 3 was the only one to manage it though I didn't like how it was implemented in that game.

I like what they were trying to go for in Advance 3, but the duo/team gameplay never seems to work in that and Heroes. I think that it needs to be optional, like in the originals. That's one of my main gripes with Sonic 4 Episode 2; the teamwork moves seem to be more or less required to beat the stages.

[Sega1991]

Also, I'm sick of boost. That is fundamentally not Sonic. Get that shit out.

Boosting is just a more convenient, direct spindash. It's not 1:1, but they accomplish a lot of the same game design ideas.

Honestly, after Sonic Unleashed's daytime levels, I would be fine if they turned the Sonic franchise in to a more time-trial centric racing game. For as fun as they are, Sonic Colors and to a lesser extent Sonic Generations are missing something that Sonic Unleashed got right, and I think it might be the bits where they slow you down and have you do platforming. There's not enough

"I'm going too fast oh shit oh fuck oh shit oh fuck OH SHIT OH FUCK WAIT I MADE IT"

Those moments are fueled by relying on the boost as a primary mechanic, and as somebody who championed the way the Genesis games did things for the longest time, I think I'd prefer it if they kept going down the path set by Sonic Unleashed.

I need more white knuckle cold sweat gameplay.

[TheOGB]

Solution: Spin-off

Every Sonic game from this point on is a spin-off

Adventure spin-offs
Unleashed spin-offs
"Classic" spin-offs
Other spin-offs

There is no main series

[Sega1991]

Solution: Spin-off Every Sonic game from this point on is a spin-off Adventure spin-offs Unleashed spin-offs "Classic" spin-offs Other spin-offs There is no main series

That's not too far off from the way it was and still kind of is, given that the Sonic franchise has no hard-locked "ruleset" anymore.

SA2 was completely different from SA1, Heroes was completely different from SA2, Shadow was completely different from Heroes, Sonic 06 was completely different from Shadow, Unleashed was completely different from 06, Colors was pretty different from Unleashed, and so on.

What they really need to do is sit down and hammer out a standardized control scheme - the "one true way" Sonic controls so they don't have to keep re-inventing the wheel in every single game.

[TheOGB]

I certainly hope they stick to/go back to rail switching with the shoulder buttons. Left analog made sense for Colors on Wii, but in Generations on PS360?

[Hot Coldman]

Its listing went up on Xbox.com for a time before vanishing. In the time the information was made available, it was listed as having offline multiplayer and supporting DLC. Not hard to connect the dots.

Aww. Fucking SEGA.

[Dragoon En Regalia]

All I want to see are more open 3D levels, and a well-implemented momentum physics system that is complemented by the level design. And less Iizuka-school bullshit, like overly-stupid plot-lines and Big the Cat nonsense.

Too bad the latter won't happen with Iizuka in control.

[PhantomOfTheKnight]

All I want to see are more open 3D levels, and a well-implemented momentum physics system that is complemented by the level design. And less Iizuka-school bullshit, like overly-stupid plot-lines and Big the Cat nonsense. Too bad the latter won't happen with Iizuka in control.

The last game with a stupid plot was 06.

[Shadow Hog]

Black Knight's plot was pretty stupid, wasn't it? I'll admit I didn't play it, so I dunno.

[BlackJace]

Probably already discussed to death, but 2006 was essentially SA3.

[Hot Coldman]

The last game with a stupid plot was 06.

Eh, Sonic Unleashed wasn't "stupid" but it suffered from the same BS as all the others. It was basically Adventure's plot rehashed, with zero improvements (beyond the lack of Big, I guess).

[TheOGB]

06 = Adventure 3
Unleashed = Adventure 4

They should call the next one Sonic Adventure 5 to piss everyone off

[EuroMIX]

Black Knight's plot was pretty stupid, wasn't it? I'll admit I didn't play it, so I dunno.

Nah, it was decent. Had a neat twist too.

[Dragoon En Regalia]

See: I don't understand why Iizuka wants or, for any reason at all, adds frivolous plot details in a Sonic game. Mario doesn't need plot, and the best Mario games tell their plot by having very little of it. Same goes with Sonic. Hell: Iizuka was a designer on Sonic & Knuckles, a game that worked with Sonic 3 to tell an epic story using minimal means. That worked very well, almost like a moving cartoon with short-enough cutscenes.

Now, though, I just think Iizuka needs to get away from Sonic, because his style of overloading players with detail-ridden stories and the occasional plot-hole only worked in Sonic Adventure 1. He neglects other important parts of the game's design and overall execution to focus on things that Sonic games usually don't benefit from. Not a good idea, sparky.

It's not that I can't see a good story-line being permitted in a Sonic game. Sonic Adventure 1 used the Rashomon approach to forming interesting side-plots inside of an overarching framework, and I liked its story the most out of all Sonic games with a clear-cut plot. But, ever since then, Iizuka's plot-based Sonic games haven't been anywhere near as good in terms of execution and pacing as his original, and other Sonic game directors/producers have been having trouble with it too. Sonic Team needs to build upon its basic development strengths first, and they need to do it as a team. Colors and Generations were great, but those titles alone won't guarantee them a future in making consistently-good products. And the less said about plot-lines involving blowing up the Moon and revealing a molten core inside, the better!

[PhantomOfTheKnight]

Black Knight's plot was pretty stupid, wasn't it? I'll admit I didn't play it, so I dunno.

To be honest, I actually think Black Knight has the best writing of any 3D Sonic game. I think it's morseo the concept of the game (HURRDUURSONICWITHASWORD) than the actual story of the game. The thing I like about Black Knight's story is the fact the SEGA actually did their research on the mythos of King Arthur and paid respect to it, not to mention that Black Knight is one of the only 3D games that I think not only captures the essence of Sonic's character perfectly, but also adds some depths to it, unlike in Colours where his cockiness felt completely one-sided and he wouldn't shut the hell up. It also helps that he was given someone to talk to in the form of Caliburn, who was actually a well-written character, unlike in Colors where he's talkin to inanimate objects like an idiot.

Eh, Sonic Unleashed wasn't "stupid" but it suffered from the same BS as all the others. It was basically Adventure's plot rehashed, with zero improvements (beyond the lack of Big, I guess).

Yeah, Unleashed was essentially a modernization of Sonic Adventure's plot; It was a simple Monster-of-the-week plot, but unlike Adventure, instead of focusing on the different stories of different characters, some of which have weren't really necessary (Big, Amy, and, to a lesser extent, Gamma), it focused solely on Sonic and Chip, not to mention actually giving Eggman some actual screentime, and making him a decent comedic vilain, which is practically the only strength that Colours had in terms of writing.

It was simple and straightforward, but everything that was there was there for a purpose; With Colours, it felt like it was being simple just for simplicity's sake. I liked that Chip got a meaningful albeit rather small and packed-in arc that contributed to the plot, unlike in Colours, where Yacker dissapears halfway through the game and they never explain where the hell he went, and that Chi[ serves his purpose and is a one-time only character.

Unleashed also had much better humor than Colours, which mostly derived from subtle quips, badly-placed cartoonish sound effects and blink-and-you'll-miss-it onscreen moments, whereas with Colours I felt they tried waaaay too hard to be like the cartoons and it was just painful to watch. I also wasn't a big fan of what they did to Ergo Orbot in Colours: he's far more sarcastic and snarky in Unleashed when it was just him and Eggman, whereas with Colours they introduced Cubot and tried to bring the whole Scratch and Grounder thing into play, and I was never a fan of those two to begin with.

Another thing that I though Unleashed did really well at that Sonic 2006 failed at doing was have a well-developed world ala the unique NPCs, which also had there own arcs and stuff, such as one of the tribe girls from Mazuri going to Spagonia trying to find her true love (I think the first Adventure had something like this, but I don't remember), going and getting souvenirs for Professor Pickle (BRING HIM BACK DAMMIT, along with the ghosts from Night of the Werehog), or helping that chick from Empire City become. The only real downside to Unleashed was that Sonic himself can be seen as a little bland and out-of-character, but I always thought that that was becuase he was mostly interested in helpin Chip find his memories and being a good friend and stuff.

It's not about having a great plot, but it's abou having a competent one, at least in terms of Sonic, and by far, Unleashed's story and world have the most personality of all the 3D games, and that's what I like about it.

And the less said about plot-lines involving blowing up the Moon and revealing a molten core inside, the better!

...I think you're confusing Adventure 2 with Unleashed.

[Psxphile]

06 = Adventure 3 Unleashed = Adventure 4 They should call the next one Sonic Adventure 5 to piss everyone off

Unleashed = Sonic Adventure 4: Sonic World Adventure
Dimensions (lol) = Sonic World Adventure 2: Angel Island

See: I don't understand why Iizuka wants or, for any reason at all, adds frivolous plot details in a Sonic game. Mario doesn't need plot, and the best Mario games tell their plot by having very little of it. Same goes with Sonic. Hell: Iizuka was a designer on Sonic & Knuckles, a game that worked with Sonic 3 to tell an epic story using minimal means. That worked very well, almost like a moving cartoon with short-enough cutscenes. Now, though, I just think Iizuka needs to get away from Sonic, because his style of overloading players with detail-ridden stories and the occasional plot-hole only worked in Sonic Adventure 1. He neglects other important parts of the game's design and overall execution to focus on things that Sonic games usually don't benefit from. Not a good idea, sparky. It's not that I can't see a good story-line being permitted in a Sonic game. Sonic Adventure 1 used the Rashomon approach to forming interesting side-plots inside of an overarching framework, and I liked its story the most out of all Sonic games with a clear-cut plot. But, ever since then, Iizuka's plot-based Sonic games haven't been anywhere near as good in terms of execution and pacing as his original, and other Sonic game directors/producers have been having trouble with it too. Sonic Team needs to build upon its basic development strengths first, and they need to do it as a team. Colors and Generations were great, but those titles alone won't guarantee them a future in making consistently-good products. And the less said about plot-lines involving blowing up the Moon and revealing a molten core inside, the better!

That reminds me of an old sig I used to rock on another forum:

Sega 02: "SONIC TEAM. The Sonic Team development studio was established to execute the wishes of Sega." Sega 03: "It was intended to enact the business strategy we had created." Sega 05: "However, it appears to have become dominated by a single, zealous individual." Sega 04: "Yes it has. We must take it back into our own dominion." Sega 01: "It is time. We must restore SONIC TEAM and the Sonic series to their proper role." "Iizuka, you will take responsibility for betraying Sega."

[ShadiWulf]

Hashimoto said in an interview that Sonic World Adventure was originally going to be called Sonic Adventure 3. Then they decided against it due to various reasons. So that kills any speculation that Sonic 06 is Sonic Adventure 3. A game isn't Sonic Adventure 3 unless it's led by Iizuka-san.

[Psxphile]

A game isn't Sonic Adventure 3 unless it's led by Iizuka-san.

If it walks like a duck...

[Sega1991]

See: I don't understand why Iizuka wants or, for any reason at all, adds frivolous plot details in a Sonic game. Mario doesn't need plot, and the best Mario games tell their plot by having very little of it. Same goes with Sonic. Hell: Iizuka was a designer on Sonic & Knuckles, a game that worked with Sonic 3 to tell an epic story using minimal means. That worked very well, almost like a moving cartoon with short-enough cutscenes. Now, though, I just think Iizuka needs to get away from Sonic, because his style of overloading players with detail-ridden stories and the occasional plot-hole only worked in Sonic Adventure 1. He neglects other important parts of the game's design and overall execution to focus on things that Sonic games usually don't benefit from. Not a good idea, sparky. It's not that I can't see a good story-line being permitted in a Sonic game. Sonic Adventure 1 used the Rashomon approach to forming interesting side-plots inside of an overarching framework, and I liked its story the most out of all Sonic games with a clear-cut plot. But, ever since then, Iizuka's plot-based Sonic games haven't been anywhere near as good in terms of execution and pacing as his original, and other Sonic game directors/producers have been having trouble with it too. Sonic Team needs to build upon its basic development strengths first, and they need to do it as a team. Colors and Generations were great, but those titles alone won't guarantee them a future in making consistently-good products. And the less said about plot-lines involving blowing up the Moon and revealing a molten core inside, the better!

Iizuka said, during the production of NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams, that he feels adding complex plotlines improves gameplay.

Which, to a certain, minor extent, he is right. When there is context and motivation, gameplay has a little more impact. But at the time, it sounded like he felt the stories in his games were equal substitutes for good gameplay.

After Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, Iizuka came away saying he had re-evaluated his perspective on the idea that storyline makes gameplay better. Seeing those games had apparently made him realize that Sonic is the kind of character who wants to have fun, not get tangled up in epic storylines. One wonders if maybe Sonic Generations initially had more to its plot - would certainly fill in a couple of odd holes they never explained.