Ben ouais merde, il n'y a rien de mieux qu'un bon jeu ! Et Sean Ratcliffe, Vice President du Marketing de Sega US, est carrément d'accord. Il s'en est expliqué dans une interview donnée à GameDaily.
Citation :
GameDaily BIZ: Let's talk a bit about Sonic. He's still Sega's "mascot," if you will, but I don't think it's harsh for me to say that the games in recent years have just not been any good.
Sean Ratcliffe: Don't mince your words. [laughs]
BIZ: Aren't you concerned about the brand though when game after game is mediocre at best?
SR: Some of that criticism is probably warranted. We definitely recognize that a franchise that has been going as long as Sonic, you really have to put a huge amount of effort in to make sure that you maintain that quality, and arguably a disproportionate amount of effort. However, I would say we recognize it, which is why you're seeing us this year taking the first steps in making sure the quality is right, and we're constantly looking at innovation. We can't just stand still with Sonic; we've got to be looking at different ways to develop the character, different genres, and so on. Chronicles is a great example and that's a Western developed title. So again, trying to address the quality, if you're going to put Sonic in his first RPG experience, who do you go to? Bioware, the world leader in making RPGs.
I think the Sonic next-gen experience in terms of quality, that was relatively early in the next-gen cycle when lots of developers were just coming to grips with the technology. It's not a huge surprise when you try to get something out for launch or thereabouts and the quality is not optimal. This time around, with Sonic Unleashed, we got a great new engine, the Hedgehog engine, and that allows us to truly deliver the Sonic experience as it arguably should have been on the next-gen – you know, blending classic 2D gameplay with 3D, beautiful landscapes, rich environments. Then with a nice innovative twist, we're taking Sonic in a different direction, slow him down and he transforms into a "Werehog." And that changes the gameplay again. For fans of Sonic that have been looking for a next-gen experience, this is the game they've been waiting for.
So your point [about quality] is a fair one, and it's a challenge to Sega to make sure we're pushing and making sure the quality is there with Sonic. Do we get concerned about it? Yes, of course we're always concerned about how we're developing that franchise. And a lot of time and effort is spent discussing how we develop Sonic.
De cette interview ont peut surligner quelques passages positif et d'autres plutôt négatifs.
Pour les positifs, on a maintenant la confirmation que même chez Sega on s'était rendu compte de la mauvaise qualité des derniers jeux Sonic. Ils en sont tellement conscient qu'ils ont décidé de surveiller la qualité des prochains titres. On pourrait crier au miracle, mais venant de professionnel du jeu vidéo, il s'agit seulement là du minimum syndical.
Pour les points négatifs, il parle encore de chercher de nouvelles voies à explorer avec ce personnage. Mais non ! C'est exactement ce que fait Sega depuis 10 ans, explorer de nouvelles voies avec le hérisson ! Tantôt dans une super production américaine (Sonic Adventure 2), tantôt dans un monde imaginaire (Sonic Heroes), tantôt avec des armes à feu (Shadow), tantot au pays des 1001 nuits (Sonci & The Secret Rings), tantot dans un remake de Pirate des Caraïbes (Sonic Rush Adventure) et tantôt dans un remake pas inspirer de Sonic Adventure (Sonic The Hedgehog 2006). Faut arrêter maintenant ! C'est fini ! On remballe toutes ces idées à la con, et on nous pond un bon Sonic !
Un vrai bon Sonic avec un univers attachant, du challenge plateformesque, des passages sous-marins ennivrants, des boss de fin de niveau Eggmaniens, des Special Stage qui nous font faire pipi dessus. Bref, autre chose qu'un Sonic qui fait du grind et se transforme en peluche tournoyant le soir venu. Et je ne parle même pas du Sonic visitant le moyen age à la recherche du chevalier noir.
Monsieur Ratcliffe, tu te foutrais pas un peu de notre gueule ?
