Takashi Iizuka- Sonic Colours is ‘not for core gamers’

The lead designer- Takashi Iizuka- for Sega’s upcoming DS and Wii platformer, Sonic Colours, has admitted that his upcoming title has not been made to cater to the core gaming audiences, and Sonic 4, which will have several similarities to the MegaDrive Sonic titles, is the Sonic game that core gamers should look forward to. Sonic Colours will be for under 12-year olds.

“We know there are sometimes opinions about control from core gamers, but we’re intending Sonic Colours to be played by children of probably between six and twelve years-old,” said Iizuka.

“So, with Sonic Colours we have aimed to make a game that everyone can control and have fun in. So, it’s not really a game for the core gamers. If you take the rail grind, it’s something that’s fast, not difficult but is fun to do and looks great. It’s about making a game that’s right for the core audience of the game.”

He continued: “I think that there are two types of Sonic players,” he said. “One is the people who have played since the MegaDrive, who are mainly fans of 2D Sonic games and didn’t really play the 3D Sonic games so much. For those gamers Sonic Team will be giving them Sonic 4 so they can pick the Sonic game they want to play.

“The other is the ones who have played 3D Sonic games and felt that the game was too difficult. Sonic Colours is the game for those types of players. It’s still a 3D Sonic game but the controls are more user-friendly; it’s an easy to pick up and play type of game. So through the two Sonic games I feel the needs of both of the two core groups of Sonic fans are being addressed.”

More information on this matter later.