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BioWare doing Sonic RPG News

DS News by Tom Bramwell

22 June, 2007

SEGA and BioWare have announced a partnership to create an RPG based on Sonic the Hedgehog for Nintendo DS. It's due out in 2008.

Virtually nothing else has been said about it, leaving us to chew on the prospect while regurgitating a bit of canned excitement - "BioWare is one of the hottest names in RPG development in the world," being a good place to start, thanks to SEGA of America president and COO Simon Jeffery. "Everyone at SEGA has huge confidence that Sonic is in the safest of hands, and that BioWare can create the ultimate handheld RPG experience for gamers of all ages."

For its part, BioWare says it's "thrilled" to be tackling "one of the industry's most enduring and compelling icons". CEO Ray Muzyka added: "As huge fans of Sonic ourselves, we're committed to delivering a truly amazing story-driven experience within the Sonic universe, focusing on capturing the character's broad appeal and placing him in a completely original adventure."

And who knows - having reinvigorated Star Wars with Knights of the Old Republic, you wouldn't put it past them. Look out for more on the as-yet untitled Sonic the Hedgehog handheld RPG in the coming weeks and months.

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Comments: 1-34 of 34

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disc
22/06/07 @ 07:19
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This feels very wrong.
Thamuhacha
22/06/07 @ 07:19
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I used to love Bioware. And secretly still do.

But ... UNTIL THEY RELEASE MASS EFFECT I am going to treat all of their other announcements with a "pah".

So:

Pah!
DrunKao
22/06/07 @ 07:20
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This is going to be so awesome. I know Sonic games having been too that lately, but a Sonic RPG by Bioware? I. CAN. NOT. WAIT!!!!!

@Thamuhacha

I personally feel that Mass Effect is going to blow all of us away. Well, except those of us that don't own Microsoft's evil console. It's going to be a groundbreaking game I feel.
Edited 2 times, most recently on 22/06/07 @ 08:23
Thamuhacha
22/06/07 @ 07:22
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And Sonic games have been shit since we moved onto 32 bit consoles.

If Sega want to know why: it's because you stopped making high speed platfroming games and tried to move Sonic into other genres. This won't work. And, just to nip it in the bud, neither will a FPS.
Edited 1 times, most recently on 22/06/07 @ 08:22
DrunKao
22/06/07 @ 07:24
#5
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Has there been a Sonic FPS? You never know?!?!?!
ZeroAX
22/06/07 @ 07:39
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actually Thamuhacha Sonic games have been crap cause sega (and people on the net) still think that what made the mega drive ones good is the speed and they only make him faster in 3d. what made them into killer games was the tight controls and pression jumping from platform to platform.

now I'm thrilled since Mario RPG worked and this is in the hands of a killer developer
lambtron
22/06/07 @ 08:12
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W
T
F
!
spazmo
22/06/07 @ 08:18
#8
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Very interesting news. Please no 3d.
Rayn
22/06/07 @ 08:32
#9
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Well, it worked for Mario RPG....on the other hand the Mario universe has a lot more character than the Sonic one in my humble opinion.
GamesConnoisseur
22/06/07 @ 08:39
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Sorry dont see it working, the franchise itself is in a limited 'universe'. Mario RPG yes but the developer of Knights of Old Republic, Mass Effect and Baldur Gate succeed because of the richness and variety of the material and also the depth of the story and danger/evil.

How can you make an epic out of limited set of opponents? Robots, more Robots and Eggman? Shadow and what else?

I may be disillusioned due to pile of craps under name of Sonic the past few years (DS version was good though).
TheSnotGoblin
22/06/07 @ 08:58
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I'm in concurrence with lambtron.

WTF?!



And I wish they'd hurry up and finish Dragon Age. I've bought an expensive pair of socks specifically to be knocked off by that one.
Steroyd
22/06/07 @ 09:06
#12
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Well, it worked for Mario RPG....on the other hand the Mario universe has a lot more character than the Sonic one in my humble opinion.

Mario RPG was done by the then Squaresoft, who whatever they touched back then turned to gold...

Although the Mario Universe has characters I can actually tolerate, Sonic... not so much.

And yes I'm looking at Amy, Tails, Big, Shadow... awe hell who am I kidding, all of them bar the main character and maybe Knuckles.
Poorandugly
22/06/07 @ 09:19
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Yes, you could make sonic the rpg. OR you could do Baldur's Gate 3. It's up to you really.
Horse
22/06/07 @ 09:34
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What next? Square do a Sega Rally RPG?
bioreit
22/06/07 @ 09:56
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I'm just wowed by the fact that a Microsoft-centric games developer is teaming up with Sega, to release that company's mascot on a Nintendo system!!
spongebob
22/06/07 @ 10:13
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What's happening with BioWare?
varsas
22/06/07 @ 10:17
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It will be interesting to see what Bioware do with the Sonic world. Imho I don't think that it's particularly weak compared to the Mario one. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
UncleLou
22/06/07 @ 10:27
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What's happening with BioWare?

Consoles.


/runs
matrim83
22/06/07 @ 11:19
#19
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/Agrees with what UncleLou said in jest.

C'mon you bastards forget about this batshit and get us Dragon age. NOW!

PS: I love you, Bioware.
Les
22/06/07 @ 11:33
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"I'm just wowed by the fact that a Microsoft-centric games developer is teaming up with Sega, to release that company's mascot on a Nintendo system!!"

They're becoming less MS-centric. If I'm not mistaken they also got a game or two in store for PS3. Although that'll probably be poor ports... Last time I played a game of theirs was Baldur's Gate. Enjoyed it very much till the last dungeon in which my (melee-based) party was wiped out consistently before I even saw an enemy on screen... Didn't really feel for starting over to create a more balanced party.
Arcadiian
22/06/07 @ 12:00
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As a SEGA zealot, it's difficult for me to say this, but i'm so glad SEGA aren't making it themselves. It at least gives Sonic a chance.

Sonic has done quite well on Nintendo handhelds though, aside from that weird Battle game.
Cannibal
22/06/07 @ 12:30
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Anyone remember the old Sonic cartoon. There were a few incarnations, but this one was much darker. Robotnik ran a robot city and Sonic lived in a village with all the other animals which Robotnik was slowly trying to crush.

I remember one great bit where Robotnik turned Sonics Grandfather into a robot and he was trying to kill Sonic being the mindless robot and Sonic was refusing to fight him... Hope the RPG is in the same vein as that cartoon.
Arcadiian
22/06/07 @ 12:58
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I think i prefer the newer Sonic X cartoons, anything based around that would be good.
CitizenGeek
22/06/07 @ 14:15
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A Sonic western RPG? That sounds terrible! :(
Caimbeul
22/06/07 @ 14:24
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Marios RPG worked, maybe bioware can make sonic cool again.

To all those going on about mass effect:

3 major issue are still to be addressed prior to its release. Theay are:

HDR lighting. As in most games with HDR, it creates stupid flickering and jagged shadows that completely detroy the look and feel of a game, oblivion, Virtua Tennis spring to mind. This is a shame especially considering how good the faces look and the concentration on emotion through facial features.

Tearing. sems to be the bane of most next gen games, enable v-sync for christ sake, all videos thus far look jerky and tear all over the place.

Control. great game in concept and likely to be a very good game overall but its not the type of game that should be played with a Joypad!
Caimbeul
22/06/07 @ 14:27
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"Yes, you could make sonic the rpg. OR you could do Baldur's Gate 3. It's up to you really."

Amen brother! although Dragon age is touted as the "spiritual sucessor" to BG2
Edited 1 times, most recently on 22/06/07 @ 15:28
smelly
22/06/07 @ 15:38
#27
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"And Sonic games have been shit since we moved onto 32 bit consoles. "


Sonic DS was good.

(and the wii game wasnt half bad either)
yagisencho
22/06/07 @ 19:33
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Release Mass Effect. Then we'll talk.

(I've never fantasized about a Sonic RPG. I mean, he doesn't have much of a personality, really.)
Arcadiian
22/06/07 @ 19:35
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no character has a personality without good writers.

Slamhound
22/06/07 @ 20:59
#30
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Quoting both The Simpsons, as well as a forumite on the board where I stumbled over this link:

Nuts and Gum: Together at Last.

Sums it up, really. The end result could well be a pretty awesome game, but right now it's strange to imagine how this could work.
chupachups
22/06/07 @ 21:21
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"What next? Square do a Sega Rally RPG?"

The Japanese can make an RPG out of anything. There was a football RPG once, every tackle brought up a turn-based combat screen.
onyx_elite
22/06/07 @ 21:37
#32
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/bangs head on screen, obliterating the remnants of fond Sonic memories left in his brain.
gelf
24/06/07 @ 08:25
#33
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"actually Thamuhacha Sonic games have been crap cause sega (and people on the net) still think that what made the mega drive ones good is the speed and they only make him faster in 3d. what made them into killer games was the tight controls and pression jumping from platform to platform. "

*Agrees with this*

I think they actually turned sonic games into the type of thing its critics used to wrongly label it. There was plenty of platforming to go with the speed in the originals.

Mind you I felt the sonic advance games where alright (except maybe 2)
Batbat
24/06/07 @ 14:17
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and the hit just keep on comin

Comments: 1-34 of 34

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