Posts tagged Yuji Naka
Eddie Lebron’s Sonic fan film gets a million views on YouTube
Jan 20th
Fans have been waiting on the Eddie Lebron’s Sonic film for some time now, and despite some controversial delays, the passion project has finally been released to the masses. Overall, the reaction seems to be quite positive, with the 18-minute youtube video hitting one million views in just a week.
Even Yuji Naka, the man hailed as Sonic’s creator, has chimed in with his own comments about the film on Twitter and Facebook, calling it “awesome” and even defending it against some of the absurd fan backlash surrounding the project.
Be sure to check the video out yourself. Personally, I found it to be a charming tribute to a character we all know and love, and all this ridiculous vitriol spewing out of many fans in the gaming community is sadly misinformed. It takes a LOT to make something as ambitious as this, and despite some acting missteps and CGI issues, I really think Lebron’s done a great job at hitting the same sweeping and ambitious tone as something like Sonic Adventure. Plus, Jaleel White’s in it. Come ON.
What do you guys think?
Prope linked to Sonic 4 development
Dec 21st
Archives.Sega.jp is a new website set up by Sega of Japan to archive all digital download releases and rereleases over the past decade or so. The website itself is pretty swish and worth a look despite being in complete Japanese. Users over at Sonic Scene have done just that and after some poking around have found that the site’s entries for both Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I and Episode II state that the copyright for the games is held by Sega and Prope. Or at least it did, as at the time of writing this post, the same copyright information has been altered to display only Sega and in some places it has been removed entirely.
Prope is of course the development studio founded by Sonic creator Yuji Naka along with a group of ten Sonic Team members. While the listing may have hinted towards Prope and Yuji Naka’s involvement in both Sonic 4 games, it is likely to have been a simple mistake. But what do you think? Let us know in the comments section below!
[Source: The Sonic Stadium]
Get your first glimpse at the gameplay of Prope’s Digimon game
Dec 10th
We’ve been hearing bits and pieces about the probably Japan-exclusive PSP RPG for some time now, but now you can feast your eyes on the first videos of in-game exploration, dialogue, and combat.
Throughout the game, conversations with your Digimon build your bond, and in turn enhance their capabilities in battle. The game appears to be a bit more streamlined, as creature AI can be set to automatic or manual, and the battles aren’t random.
The first vid really sticks out for me, as the graphical style and overall charm of the game really reminds me of Prope’s underrated game Fishing Resort from last year. If anyone’s truly frustrated that we will likely never get this, you should give that one a shot.
Hit the jump for a video about the combat.
[Source: Siliconera]
Prope’s Digimon title coming to Japan next January
Oct 21st
Some time back, Yuji Naka delivered some rather enticing news via Twitter–his studio Prope is working on a game based on the first season of Digimon’s animated series. The thought of one of Sega’s greatest alumni working on a quirky, Pokemon-esque franchise is reason enough for excitement, but Naka’s enthusiasm for working with a long-standing franchise is what really piqued my interest. The only real catch was that the game would be for the mostly forgotten PSP.
Apparently, Naka and friends have been already hard at work for some time now, as V Jump Magazine has revealed that the game is just a couple of months away in the East. The Japanese release date has been set at January 17th, 2013, while no word has surfaced regarding any kind of Western release. The magazine also revealed that in addition to the standard story mode, there will be a extra chapter featuring a character from seasons other than the first.
[Source: TSSZ]
Yuji Naka left Sega so he could stop making Sonic games
Sep 24th
With Prope churning out a steady flow of creative and charming games lately, it’s no surprise that the developer includes Sonic creator Yuji Naka and several members of Sonic Team. It’s even less of a surprise that Naka originally left Sega due to a desire to make something that didn’t involve Sega’s blue cash cow.
In a recent interview with The Escapist, Naka candidly admitted his need to escape the life-giving franchise,
One of the reasons I left Sega was, if I stayed there, I would have had to just make Sonic games. Right now I don’t have to make Sonic anymore, so I’m enjoying that freedom a lot[...]
Miyamoto has been making Mario games. He has to keep on making Mario games. Aonuma has to keep making Zelda games. Kojima has to make Metal Gear games. I wish he could take that off of everyone’s shoulders so they could create other stuff, like new stuff. Because that’s healthier for the industry[...]
Right now I can create a game without any limitations or dealing with any outside company. I want to keep on creating my type of games, no matter what.
Interestingly, Naka did admit that his goal with Prope is to create another character to equal Sonic.
We all long for sequels to our favorite games, but the industry’s reliance on them is downright depressing. While the loss of Yuji Naka stings to this day, I can hardly blame him, and indeed applaud him for making a decision that best suited his need for artistic freedom. Considering the story from years ago that claimed Sonic Team had had the creativity crushed out it them, it appears Naka did make the right decision for the time.
[Source: The Escapist]
Yuji Naka’s studio Prope developing Digimon Adventure
Aug 22nd
The relationship between legendary Sonic creator Yuji Naka and publisher Namco Bandai has proven to be quite the prolific one, with adorable titles like Ivy the Kiwi? and Fishing Resort under their collaborative belt. While neither game was particularly groundbreaking or lucrative, they both offered an bit of simple charm has come to signify the developer.
That publisher-developer relationship continues with Prope’s first RPG and title in a franchise, Digimon Adventure. Yuji Naka announced Prope’s involvement with the PSP title on Twitter, stressing his desire to maintain the charm of the original series.
While Digimon is not exactly the most exciting series in the world, the idea of this Pokemon-like title in the hands of none other than Yuji Naka is undeniably intriguing. Add that to Prope’s knack for simple charm, and I think you’ve got the perfect match-up.
[Source: Siliconera]
Yuji Naka’s new game ‘Buddy Monster’ gets a first trailer
May 7th
Buddy Monster is the latest game by Yuji Naka’s studio Prope and it looks amazing. While it might seem like your usual RPG at first glance, the game focuses way more on the bond that forms between player and monster, which gives it a unique twist. The graphics look great so far and I can’t wait to see more from this title. It will be released for iOS and Android. Judging by the quality of the latest Prope game for portable platforms, FlickPig, this seems to be a game you should have you eyes on in the future.
[Source: Siliconera]
Review: Flickpig (iOS)
Dec 11th
Flickpig is one of those names you can only imagine an iOS or Android game could have. It’s pretty much the instruction manual for the game: You flick your finger in order to move a pig. As far as titles go, this is „Cut the Rope“ territory. In many ways, the latest title by Prope evokes the most fundamental qualities that made hits like „Angry Birds“, „Cut the Rope“ and „Tiny wings“ so popular. Hit the jump to find out which these are…
Flickpig gets a charming first trailer
Dec 10th
Flickpig, the new iOS game by Yuji Naka’s Prope, has been out for two days and now has its first trailer. It pretty much shows you all the features the game has, and there are plenty. Five worlds with 12 normal levels, cloudsaving, several alternative costumes and more await you in this game. Stay tuned for our review, which should be coming quite soon!
[Via Segabits]
New Prope game FlickPig is out now on iOS
Dec 8th
Yuji Naka’s independent game studio Prope (best known for Ivy the Kiwi? and the upcoming Rodea the Sky Soldier) have released a new game for whatever apple product that you own. The game is called FlickPig and is up now for the cheap price of $0.99.
The game is a sort of racing game in which you flick the screen to progress. Sounds simple enough. But what do you think? Is this what Prope should be doing or would you rather see bigger game developments in the future? Let me know in the comments!
[Source: Destructoid]
