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Le createur de Sonic - Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Megaforce, December 1992)

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1992-xx-xx














Mega Force (FR) #12: "Décembre 1992"
"Le createur de Sonic - Sonic the Hedgehog 2"
A two page preview of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in the December 1992 issue of Megaforce. Several concept pictures of Sonic 1 are pictured.


Translation

Translation provided by Kat

During our visit with Sega in Japan last month, we had the chance to meet Mr. Kanari, the creator of Sonic. To be more precise, it should be noted that Mr. Kanari led the team that produced this classic, because a good fifteen people worked on this project, including graphic designers, programmers, and musicians. However, it is Mr. Kanari that is the soul of this team and he has followed this project from start to finish.

Mega Force: Mr. Kanari, can you tell us what your motivations were when you created Sonic?

Mr. Kanari: We had already created heroes on the Sega Master System, such as Alex Kidd, Wonderboy, and Shinobi, and it is obvious that such characters have contributed to the success of this console. With the arrival of the Genesis, it seemed important to create a new character that the audience could identify with this console, and it is Sonic that has been chosen.

M-F: Why did you choose a blue hedgehog?

Mr. K. : It is clear that young people wanted a cute character, so we put our designers to work and they created lots of new characters, some of which are probably the heroes of future games. There were all sorts of animals and humans. Finally, we chose the hedgehog because it symbolized the idea of speed that symbolized the Megadrive. As for the color of Sonic, the choice was obvious because the blue is the color of Sega.

M-F: Did you imagine that Sonic would be such a success?

Mr. K. : We were sure that Sonic would please the public, but we've still been surprised by the fantastic success that this new character has brought. Sonic is a real star who did a lot for Sega's image.

M-F : Is it you who had the idea to add a friend for Sonic, the friendly fox in Sonic 2?

Mr. K. : No, not me. And it should be noted that unlike the previous game, Sonic 2 has not been developed in Japan, but in the United States by Sega of America.

M-F : Many readers of Mega Force wished that Sonic had a girlfriend. Is this what is envisioned, and is it expected that new characters will join Sonic in the future?

Mr. K. : Indeed, we found that the public wanted Sonic to have more friends. Several projects are currently underway and it is possible that Sonic may have a girlfriend in the future. Moreover, a comic book in Japan publishes a regular series on Sonic. In this comic, Sonic has a family and friends, so why not do the same in a game?

M-F : How many people have worked on Sonic and how long was the development of this game?

Mr. K. : More than a dozen people participated in the realization of the game while the development of Sonic took nearly a year and a half, far more than most Sega games.

M-F : Prepare other games already devoted to our favorite hedgehog?

Mr. K. : The Arcade Service Research and Development branch of Sega is currently completing a game devoted to Sonic. This is not the continuation of an existing console game but a fully new program designed specifically for arcades. Note that this approach is very unusual because it has always been the arcade games that are translated to Sega consoles, and for the first time the reverse is occurring. But Sonic's popularity is such that he is making his entrance into the arcade.

[drawing caption]
These drawings were made by the developers of Sonic before the development of the game began, and already we discover the spirit of the game and it's graphics.