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Creator of Sonic the Hedgehog Returns: Sega and Prope Making Game For Penguins

Posted by John Constantine

Yuji Naka, the designer behind Sonic the Hedgehog, Nights, and Burning Rangers, doesn’t get mentioned much around the gaming campfire these days. The infamous leader behind Sonic Team’s salad days has all but disappeared from game design since Sega left the console making business. His last full title, Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg, was released on Gamecube back in 2003, and since he left Sega to form his own independent studio, Prope, back in 2006, no one’s known what Naka’s been doing with himself. That is, aside from not being involved with Sega’s Wii-fying of Naka’s babies Nights, Sonic, and, soon, Samba de Amigo.

Well, that’s all changing in seventeen days. Prope has opened a website teasing that, in seventeen days, they will reveal their very first game. Said game will be published by Sega. It will also, apparently, be penguin accessible. That’s right, there are no screens, no hint of a platform, no title, no genre. Nothing. But, according to the site, penguins will be able to play this game. It’s been long-rumored that Naka and Prope have been working on a project for Wii, so I wouldn’t be too surprised to see this mystery game announced for Nintendo’s box come Tokyo Game Show (which starts, conveniently, in seventeen days.)

The devoted 61FPS reader may recall that I said something fairly ribald about Mr. Naka a couple of weeks back. Alright, fine, I said, “Fuck Yuji Naka!” Just like my man Peter Moore. But it was a jest. I adore Yuji Naka’s games and long to see him start making insanely satisfying games like Chu Chu Rocket again. Color me anxious for the reveal.

Much love to NeoGAF user Stormbringer for the tip.

Related links:

Tales of The Focus Group: Peter Moore Takes No Guff
Surprise of the Week: Sega Releases a Good Game
9/9/99 9 Years Later


+ DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT

Comments

Roto13 said:

The only thing I can see a penguin playing is something with the balance board.

September 22, 2008 8:45 PM

Amber Ahlborn said:

That's exactly what I was thinking, which is a-okay with me.  I've been waiting to see if any games making use of the balance board would interest me enough to pick up Wii Fit (and said board), maybe this will be it.  Or, maybe it'll be something totally unrelated.

September 22, 2008 9:53 PM

Ian said:

I don't know, I kind of wondered if it had anything to do with Evangelion (it does have a penguin :P).  Sega has made Evangelion games in the past.

September 23, 2008 12:15 PM

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about the blogger

John Constantine, our superhero, was raised by birds and then attended Penn State University. He is currently working on a novel about a fictional city that exists only in his mind. John has an astonishingly extensive knowledge of Scientology. Ultimately he would like to learn how to effectively use his brain. He continues to keep Wu-Tang's secret to himself.

Derrick Sanskrit is a self-professed geek in a variety of fields including typography, graphic design, comic books, music and cartoons. As a professional hipster graphic designer, his recent clients have included Hooksexup, Pitchfork and MoCCA, among others.

Amber Ahlborn - artist, writer, gamer and DigiPen survivor, she maintains a day job as a graphic artist. By night Amber moonlights as a professional Metroid Fanatic and keeps a metal suit in the closet just in case. Has lived in the state of Washington and insists that it really doesn't rain as much as everyone says it does.

Nadia Oxford is a housekeeping robot who was refurbished into a warrior when the world's need for justice was great. Now that the galaxy is at peace (give or take a conflict here or there), she works as a freelance writer for various sites and magazines. Based in Toronto, Nadia's prized possession is a certificate from the Ministry of Health declaring her tick and rabies-free.

Bob Mackey is a grad student, writer, and cyborg, who uses the powerful girl-repelling nanomachines mad science grafted onto his body to allocate time towards interests of the nerd persuasion. He believes that complaining about things on the Internet is akin to the fine art of wine tasting, but with more spitting into buckets.

Joe Keiser has a programming degree from Johns Hopkins University, a tiny apartment in Brooklyn, and a fake toy guitar built in the hollowed-out shell of a real guitar. He writes about games and technology for a variety of outlets. One day he will stop doing this. The day after that, police will find his body under a collapsed pile of (formerly neatly alphabetized) collector's edition tchotchkes.

Cole Stryker is an American freelance writer living in York, England, where he resides with his archeologist wife. He writes for a travel company by day and argues about pop culture on the internet by night. Find him writing regularly here and here.

Peter Smith is like the lead character of Irwin Shaw's The 80-Yard Run, except less athletic. He considers himself very lucky to have this job. But it's a little premature to take "jack-off of all trades" off his resume. Besides writing, travelling, and painting houses, Pete plays guitar in a rock trio called The Aye-Ayes. He calls them a 'power pop' band, but they generally sound more like Motorhead on a drinking binge.


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