The constant starting and stopping interrupted the flow of gameplay, and proved to not be all that fun. As Naka was also insistent that the game only use one action button, the game hit a wall. The design also tied into the initial attack mechanic for the game, where the rabbit would use its ears to pick up rocks or other items, then throw them at oncoming enemies. Initially, the game starred a cartoon rabbit, as they wanted a character that would embody the concept of speed. Yuji Naka, Programmer and Project Manager of Sonic the Hedgehog We also thought this feature would help differentiate Sonic from Mario. So we thought it would be nice if this would enable the player to complete those stages faster and that's the basis of Sonic's speed. Games back then had no backup or saving system, which meant that you had to play right from the beginning every time.As a result, the very first stage would be played time and time again, making the player very skilled at it. I like fast things and I thought that it would be nice to create a game where the more skilled you become, the faster you can complete a stage. The second game that influenced the thinking of what would become Sonic was the original Super Mario Bros. The way the player could traverse smoothly across a flowing landscape was something he wanted to capture, but at speeds far higher than what that title was able to achieve. On the programming side, Naka found himself influenced by two prominent titles, the first being Ghouls'n Ghosts, which Naka had recently ported to the Mega Drive. The idea of a fast paced game intrigued Naka, and it didn't take long for him to accept. When Ohshima learned that Naka was free, he approached his fellow Phantasy Star alumni, asking if he would work with him on the game concept. Having a hard time getting consent to work further on the proposal,, he was told that the only person at the company who might be able to program such a game was Yuji Naka. Writing up a small proposal for a game that would feature a speedy character that could run around loops,, he showed what he had worked on to his boss. At the same time, designer Naoto Ohshima was busy trying to come up with his own proposal, a character that could not only star in a video game, but be something more. Sending the memo to his boss, it was the final game on the list - "an action game to challenge Mario" - that caught the attention of Naka's superior. Hoping to get the chance, he drafted up a list of game genres he wanted to work on, the racer taking the number one spot. After the cancellation of Metal Lancer, Naka wanted to program and design a racing game. It was during this time that Yuji Naka was looking for his next assignment within the company. Open to anyone who worked at the company, roughly 200 character designs were drawn up, submitted for consideration. Feeling it was important to have a strong mascot that not only defined Sega but could also directly compete with the Super Mario Bros series, an internal competition was held. Sega's then-current mascot, Alex Kidd, had done little to convince the general public to invest in their hardware. Competing with Nintendo during the previous seven years, not even the launch of the Mega Drive could shake the ninety percent dominance the Nintendo Entertainment System had. While Sega was doing well in the arcades, little ground had been gained in the home video game market. 10.3 Late RING builds and Early RINGS buildsĪ 24-year old Yuji Naka working on what would become Sonic the Hedgehog, taken for a February 1990 news report.9 Winter Consumer Electronics Show 1991.
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