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An interview with the CEO and creative director of Big Red Button has shed a little light upon the reasoning behind the redesigns of four main characters in the Sonic universe for the new Sonic Boom franchise that is in development right now. Basically it was all about making the characters look older and more experienced while still maintaining their distinctive features so you could tell who they were. And the seemingly random wraps tie into that too.
“The wraps are there because it shows that the characters are not vain. They’re not so much concerned about their gear, like, for example, Dr. Eggman, who is more of the vain, militaristic-looking guy who wants to have all the pomp and pageantry of that outfit.” Bob Rafei said about the characters. He goes on to say that the design team took direction from the idea of football players and boxers with the wraps, in that the characters are doing it out of necessity because of their goal. “They’re just trying to do the thing that they need to do to get through to the action and then their goal.” The gear each character wears is meant to relate to their love of action and adventure, which can be seen in the handkerchief Sonic has donned or Tails’ goggles – both have a history of being adventurer gear.
The new designs were revealed over a month ago and the Internet instantly reacted to them, prompting waves of fanart and discussions over what the new games and TV series might lead to. Rafei sees the reaction as being a sign that they’re headed in the right direction.
“From my perspective, if there wasn’t such controversy, or potentially conversation about it, I should say, then we would not have been doing our job. As an independent developer who has been brought into the family to try something different, if it was seen as, ‘Oh, it looks like another Sonic title,’ then I think I would’ve failed Sega, personally.”
But at the same time, the team made sure they stayed in contact with Sonic Team to be sure that the re-designs weren’t going too far beyond what was needed. Rafei notes that some early designs were judged to be a step too far which set what he sees as a needed guideline for them to refine the new ideas. He also recognises that Sonic as a character has been around for a long time, and so they didn’t wish to mess with his distinctive and recognisable outline too much.
Whatever you might think of the new designs (I’m personally still a bit confused at Knuckles’) or the new character, Sticks, who was introduced a few days earlier, you can’t deny that Big Red Button are committed to pushing the boundaries for Sonic as a game’s franchise. Even if it is to be a separate continuity from the other Sonic game in development right now, it’s possible that Sonic Boom could be the shake-up that the series has needed for a few years.
Mario Kart 8 has launched, and leaving aside a few quibbles (looking at you, totally ruined battle mode), the game is quite good. One of the standout new features that many were excited about is Mario kart TV. Allowing gamers to upload clips of their favorite moments in highlight reel form for all to see seems like a no brainer for the mascot kart racer. The function is handled directly in the game. Simply complete a race, and the game will prompt you to view the highlight reel. You then have the option to upload it directly to YouTube, all without leaving the game.
I want to be very clear here. The Mario Mart TV function is not a third party app, or some outside capture device. It is handled in the game, and was placed there by Nintendo themselves for the express purpose of sharing Mario Kart 8 footage on YouTube. Many of us hoped that this feature would signal a sea change in the way Nintendo interacted with YouTubers. The company has been notoriously hardnosed about footage of ANY of it’s games appearing online. In recent months, they have settled for co-opting all revenue earned by a video rather than banning it outright.
Naturally, I was happy to test out the feature. It’s easy to use, though I do have a few complaints with the time limit and resolution (720P max? REALLY?!). Those pale in comparison to my newest complaint though. After completing the new Rainbow Road, I eagerly uploaded my highlight reel of the race, ready to share it with my fellow staffers at Sanitarium.FM.
Imagine my surprise when moments later I found THIS in my video manager:
Let’s recap. Using a tool that Nintendo provided me, while playing a game that they built this tool for, and expressly encouraged me to use at the end of every single race got me….a copyright strike. Now, the more astute among you will note that it is a Third Party Copyright Notice, and is directly connected to the music and not the video footage. However, that doesn’t excuse the issue here. As demonstrated by the total lack of issues I have had with my other test of this service (footage of the Sunshine Airport track- WITH music), YouTube’s automated system can be directed NOT to place claims on certain material. While I certainly don’t think this is a malicious act on Nintendo’s part, at a minimum it’s incredibly lazy. And frustrating.
It’s also further proof that whatever they might say, Nintendo just doesn’t have a clue how online gaming or the internet actually work. As for me, until (or if) this ceases to be a problem, I will not be uploading any more clips of Mario Kart 8, despite what the game might prompt me to do at the end of every race.
Many hardcore players of Nintendo’s long-running, franchise-merging beat-em-up, Super Smash Bros, will attest that the only way to properly play the games is with a proper, chunky controller with plenty of buttons to enable the widest range of moves and tactics. It’s no surprise really: having started on the N64 and then moved on to the GameCube for the subsequent sequel, Melee – both consoles whose controllers could be described as chunky and button filled – Smash Bros. was a game that took advantage of every single button to provide plenty of attacks, taunt options, grabs and – for the wusses – defensive moves. That Nintendo had to simply every character’s movesets for the Wii follow-up, Brawl, due to the Wii Remote having just four buttons and a D-Pad was seen as sacrilege to many fans of the previous two titles, who felt reducing the immediately available attacks and using two-button combinations for most moves just didn’t offer the level of control they were used to.
Luckily, the Wii offered something that catered to those fans: Gamecube backwards-compatibility. Realising that there would be those craving the greater control of the previous games, Nintendo allowed people who had plugged Gamecube controllers into the Wii to use them as controllers for Super Smash Bros. Brawl, letting them play the new game with their old, familiar controllers even though they’d still be subject to the simplified move sets. That players familiar with the previous generation could fight again using the ergonomic, full-featured controllers they’d gotten accustomed to was a godsend; and so, when the Wii U removed Gamecube compatibility and the Gamecube ports, many weeped that they’d not get the same option in the next Super Smash Bros. title.
That’s right! Nintendo UK and Nintendo of Europe took to Twitter today to announce that Gamecube Controller support will be hitting the Wii U; and will feature in the next Smash Bros. title! From the picture posted, it appears the support will be added via a new accessory which will plug in to the Wii U via USB and offer the standard four Gamecube controller ports like on the original ‘Cube and the Wii. Given the nature of the accessory, it seems unlikely this will be used ONLY for Smash Bros. – many Wii games and WiiWare / Wii Virtual Console titles supported the Gamecube and the Wii U is backwards-compatible with those, so we may see Gamecube controls returned to those games; but what’s stopping Nintendo also baking Gamecube controller support back into the Wii U Virtual Console or even into future Wii U titles? The prospect is tantalising.
Interestingly, the picture appears to show the Wii U with both front USB ports in use, though the connectors are different colours. This begs the question as to whether the Gamecube add-on will require one or two USB ports to use. What’s more, the plugged-in Gamecube controller in the picture features a Smash Ball decal – just a decorative touch, or will whole new, special-edition Gamecube controllers hit the stores once again? There’s a lot of questions still to be answered; but one thing’s for sure. Those of you who’ve kept hold of your Gamecube controllers for the last couple of years or more, now have even more reason to feel smug.
Gg Nintendo. Now people can’t tell me I’m crazy for keeping four new gcn controllers all these years!
Sega have released the details of a new Sonic character today via their online Sega blog. The character will be important to the events of the new Sonic Boom franchise, appearing in the show, games and merchandise as part of the ‘core ensemble’.
The character is an orange and brown ‘jungle badger’ named ‘Sticks’, who has lived in the wilds all her life. The blog describes her as “the most primal character in the Sonic franchise” and as a “force of nature”. She’s listed as being a strong hunter, survivalist and having a strong animal instinct, using hand-crafted weaponry (most notably a boomerang) to take on foes. However the wildness of her character makes it hard for her to trust others, as well as having negatively affected her social skills.
In terms of relationships, the blog says that she and Amy will become close, Amy helping the badger to adjust to social situations and more urban settings, while Sticks will protect Amy from greater threats. This could potentially be seen as the Sonic Boom’s way of developing Amy’s character beyond the constantly following fangirl of Sonic she is often depicted as, and maybe giving her an opportunity to mature slightly.
Beyond this, not too much more is known of her so we’ll have to wait and see how the games and tie-in show do with handling her character and role.
Mario Kart 8 is almost upon us. What better way to celebrate than by announcing DLC?
Mercedes and Nintendo of Japan have partnered to bring the new Mercedes GLA do the game in kart form. The best part though, is this commercial featuring a truly terrifying Mario.
(No word on availability of the GLA Kart DLC outside of Japan as yet, stay tuned for updates).
