OXM reveals how Sonic Team picked levels for Sonic Generation

The latest issue of OXM has a ton of new Sonic Generations information, for those of you who are interested in the upcoming Sonic game. There’s even an interview with Takashi Iizuka, where he is asked how they picked levels for the game.

“We took a democratic approach. We only get to celebrate Sonic’s 20th birthday once, so we wanted to make sure everyone got a say. What we did was poll every Sega worker – including those in Europe and America – and asked them to nominate their favourite Sonic levels of all time. Then we did some research with the core fanbase and we were able to draw up a shortlist from there.” – Takashi Iizuka

Ah, but there is more information for those who want it. Hit the jump to see all the new information including what the storyline in the upcoming game will be.

Current story details are:
“A mysterious new nemesis (Sega isn’t saying more than that at this time) arrives on the scene and immediately sets about eradicating the very fabric of space and time, as you do when you want to impress the new neighbours, The net result is that modern-day Sonic falls through a wormhole and winds up back in 1991, where he comes-to-face with his younger, squatter, flatter self.

1990′s Sonic isn’t much of a conversationalist, but since the entire world around them has suddenly been drained of colour, it doesn’t take a 30-minute PowerPoint presentation for the two of them to realise that something has gone desperately wrong. Hence, the two ‘hogs combine forces to form what Sega is calling a ‘Dream Team’ partnership, with the aim of restoring colour and vitality to some of Sonic lore’s most famous zones by besting them in both 2D and 3D.”

Iizuka tells OXM that like Green Hill Zone’s new cave section, every classic level will feature a new visual element to keep things fresh.

“One of the main rules Sonic Team has abided by during Sonic Generations’ development is that there would be no re-using of old assets or level designs – these are brand new courses with a stunning HD lick of paint.”

While OXM feels Sonic 4: Episode 1 is an excellent platformer in its own right, they think Sonic Generations feels more like a true follow-up.

“Sonic’s jumps are weighted perfectly and the sense of speed is as breathtaking as it was 20 years ago.”

OXM also asked Iizuka if it was harder to reverse-engineer 3D levels to work in 2D, or vice-versa, to which he answered:
“It was definitely harder to get the 3D levels working in 2D, because some of the famous contraptions – the things that define those levels – have been designed to work freely in three dimensions. It was a real challenge to get them to work recognisably in a 2D plain. Of course, many modern 3D stages also have 2D sub-sections within them, but Sonic has a different moveset in Generations than he did in those games, so that was another thing we had to take into consideration.”

When asked if Sonic’s friends will be making an appearance, Iizuka replied:
“Of course, because they’re a big part of Sonic history! But they’ll only be making cameos, be it as part of the story or in the backgrounds. Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic will be the only two playable characters in the game.”

[Via: Sonic Stadium]

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