Project Needlemouse Stories Come and Go

Well that's very noble of you.

I'll probably get it for 360 anyway if they take stuff out of this game like they did for Sonic Unleashed.

"The Net interprets censorship as damage and routes around it." --John Gilmore (1993)

Here's a rundown of the tidbits: http://wii.kombo.com/article.php?artid=15590

I'll stop yawning when Sega proves they're not going to frack this one up. (Again.)

Odd...

Good to know.

It seems like a pretty dumb decision not to put this on the Wii, considering that the Wii version of Unleashed outsold the 360 and PS3 versions combined. But hey, that's Sega for ya!

Don't tell me that Sega is going to kill the blue hedgehog even further

I swear, if Sega doesn't put this thing on Wii...

So basically the news is there is no news?

...Ah.

i liked the Sonic model in Brawl. if they make a Wii version, hopefully they use a model similar to that, because i don't want to see the one from the Black Knight

Obviously it's coming out on Nintendo Wii, or Nintendo Life wouldn't have bothered to report on it in the first place. I'm guessing the leaks are based on that, the fact the game is a Sonic 1 prequel, and some misc information on recurring places/zones from the sonic universe.

It's fun reading these comments knowing what the leaks said, it's like watching someone try and solve a riddle when you know the answer!

I think it's kinda weird that they "silenced" the rumors, if they were true well then it doesn't really matter if they leaked, if they aren't then just say they are false....

I'm too braindead to think of anything good to say about this.

Um, do you guys like your credibility? Cause, uh, censoring yourselves to please someone you cover is...equal parts laughable and sickening.

I know of this info and I am excited if it's true but it's quite sad to not see this up as to SEGA anyway, it could be just "rumour and speculation".

I know its an exclusive title for the 32x

Apparently the rumours are that it will be a 360/PS3 exclusive, and episodic. If it's true then that sucks. I can't believe they'd exclude the Wii from a Sonic game. :/

@accc: I think the reasoning goes like this: Project Needlemouse is supposed to appeal more to fans who grew up with the Genesis than current children. The Wii is widely accepted as having the lowest number of those people, at least on the assumption that they "grew up and moved on," or some crap like that. Anyway, I think they assume (and it may be laregly correct) that the majority of sales of Sonic Unleashed on Wii were for kids, which isn't the target market this time. It's also possible, since upstanding rumors both withdrawn and not place this game on PSN and Live Arcade, that they couldn't fit it within WiiWare size restrictions if they WANTED to.

@DarkLink: Personally, I find it more painful than fun. Especially the statement from the poster directly above your post. Clearly, NLife is only covering this on NLife because it hasn't yet been officially confirmed that the game isn't on Wii. It's broken logic to assume that the coverage is due to strong assurance of a Wii release. Sigh.

More (ran out of room in the last post due to the usual crappy browser, plus more posts appeared as I typed):

@pixelman: You "can't believe" they'd exclude the Wii? What about "Sonic the Hedgehog 2006?" Not like there isn't a precident for this.

It is only a rumor that this game will be a 360/PS3 exclusive title so I am still hoping that Project Needlemouse will be released on the Wii.

I sure hope this game will live up to all the hype it's getting!

@Stuffgamer1: Sonic's done much better on the Wii than on the 360 and PS3. The Wii version of Sonic Unleashed sold 1.43 million copies, whereas the 360 and PS3 versions sold 1.07 million copies combined. (source) I find it a bit hard to see Sega overlooking a new Sonic game for the Wii audience after such a performance.

Maybe they're replicating their Nintendo rivalry from the 90's in order to get Sega die-hards more excited?

If it's episodic then heck no.

@cheethahman91: Supposedly each episode is an entire game, though. I'm guessing it gives them a way to make more levels and more money with the same engine. Seems fine to me as long as each episode is a normal 2D Sonic's length.

Im hoping the game to look like Green Hill Zone in brawl.

@pixelman: If that's the case then I take back what I said.

I hope these rumors are false. Sonic needs to be on the Wii.

@Adam, you know the saying: "No news is good news."

_{Of course, that doesn't really make any sense.}

Well then, consider my other stated possibility: If it IS on PSN and Xbox Live Arcade as 100% of official SEGA discussion has suggested without outright stating, it's quite possible they simply couldn't fit it onto WiiWare if they wanted to. That would be Nintendo's fault for having a stupidly small download size restriction caused by the pathetic storage in the Wii.

Regardless of everything i will be buying it. Most probably on the ps3 if it is true. I want 2d sonic in "1080" connected with hdmi cables thank you very much!!!!

As others have mentioned, it makes a lot of sense to release this game on Nintendo's console. I don't know, maybe its because Sonic comes from the days when Sega and Nintendo were both very similar, but Sonic just seems at home on Nintendo's console. After all, Sonic did appear in Brawl and has since teamed up with Mario on two Wii games. Sonic and the Secret Rings is the best reviewed 3D Sonic game in a long time, and if you ask me, actually does 3D Sonic right (Only Sonic is playable, no real gimmicks, yes it has an Arabian Nights theme, but it doesn't affect gameplay, some minor character customization, fast, reflex-heavy gameplay, etc), unfortunately Sonic and the Black Knight was pretty bland and undid a lot where Secret Rings had succeeded.

Beyond that, Sonic Unleashed on the Wii was reviewed higher than either the PS3 or 360 versions and as many have pointed out, Sonic simply sells better on the Wii. Unleashed outsold the two HD systems combined on the Wii, Sonic and the Secret Rings did even better than that. And in terms of sales, Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games has sold nearly as many copies as Call of Duty 4 on the 360 (and moreso than the PS3 version). Sonic and the Black Knight was released in the shadow of Sonic Unleashed and so had greatly reduced sales, but even then it sold about as well as the PS3/360 versions of Sonic Unleashed.

Someone earlier proposed that Sega's rationale could be that they figure all the classic gamers have moved on past the Wii and are now playing the PS3 and 360, which is definitely plausable. However, I'm more inclined to think that while the PS3 and 360 may have their share of classic gamers, their demographic also includes an even larger number of gamers who got into gaming with the rapid expansion brough on by the original Playstation, or the further market expansion by the PS2, hardly classic gamers. The Wii, while definitely being predominantly new non-gamers, still has as large, if not larger number of classic gamers and loyalists that have stuck with Nintendo consoles since the old days. Even if the games are bought mostly for children, I wonder how exactly children would've been exposed to Sonic to make them want Sonic games in the first place. The animated show, Sonic X, could definitely contribute, but I highly doubt its enough to push Sonic to the success its had on the Wii. If anything, I'd say its the gamers that have grown up and moved on that are buying Sonic for their kids because they remember him from 15 years ago (man that makes me feel old).

I wouldn't be surprised if Sega did release Needlemouse on everything but the Wii, though I definitely would not agree with it. After all, thrid parties seem to have convinced themselves that releasing a game for the PS3 and 360 means an automatic million-seller because their Wii titles haven't sold that well despite the fact that they neither put the best development resources behind their Wii games, nor promote them in any significant way. Or they just have unrealistic sales expectations.

@darklinkinfinite: SEGA itself says that the Sonic series is, and always has been, aimed at children. It really wouldn't take much for new gaming kids to latch onto the series, with or without parents who grew up with the guy.

I also disagree with your statement about the "loyalists" who've stuck with Nintendo. Yes, there are a lot of us who would never abandon Nintendo (even if we do buy other consoles to go alongside the Wii), but think about it logically: We grew up with Nintendo, not SEGA! That's why we're Nintendo loyalists to begin with!

Anyway, we could debate SEGA's possible motives 'till the cows come home, and we still won't have a clue. TECHNICALLY, we still don't know for 100% sure that the game WON'T be on Wii...it just seems unlikely based on what little we know about it. Even if it was, I'd get it on PSN if at all.

@23: That's because all of those little kids were all hyped about Sonic.
My brother almost bought Sonic and the Black Knight.

It's understandable that Sega want's to prevent Project Needlemouse from leaking, but they sure could give some official information.
I don't think this wont be 360/PS3 exclusive.
Look at the latest titles. Sonic '04 was the only exclusive. The Secret Rings were Wii only, Sonic Unleashed and Black Knight were for all systems, and his subgames (SSBB, Olympic games x2) were Wii only.

I heard this rumor that the next Sonic game is called Sonic Spinball 3D.I got this from Google Alert's when I was looking at my e-mail.

"Um, do you guys like your credibility? Cause, uh, censoring yourselves to please someone you cover is...equal parts laughable and sickening."

It benefits nobody if we post up a story only to have it pulled as others have.

If the game is 2D I may be in. If it's 3D, no thanks.

@Prosody - Sure it does! If it makes it to the Internet Archive, we can all read it even after it's gone.

@Stuffgamer1

My rationale was more that people that have been with Nintendo since at least the SNES probably have the same mentality that is required to enjoy the 16-bit Sonics.

Then a few generations later, the Gamecube became Sonic's escape pod after the Dreamcast sank with Sonic Adventure DX, Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, Sonic Mega Collection, and Sonic Gems Collection released for the system. Then the Gamecube was also the lead system for Sonic Heroes' development. The console also became home to other Sonic Team games like two versions of Phantasy Star Online Episodes 1 & 2, and PSO Episode 3. The Wii after that became home to Sonic Team's own NiGHTs: Journey of Dreams. On the handheld front, after the Dreamcast, Sonic appeared In top form on the GBA and later the DS.

When Sonic did move primarily off Nintendo with Sonic the Hedgehog in 2006, he had his worst outing ever.

I figure that Nintendo loyalists, despite being Nintendo loyalists, still have a long history with the blue guy.

The Nintendolife.com tl;dr edition of the rumours: no Wii version for new Sonic.

@Stuffgamer1: Actually, there was a port planned for the Wii and Windows Vista to go along it, but they were scrapped. So it is an HD console exclusive, but it originally wasn't.

I'm kinda glad that there's no Wii version planned actually. Especially after Sonic Unleashed - not that that version wasn't awesome, but everyone knows that Unleashed is half an awesome Sonic game, and half a much more depressing effort. Yet, they had two teams work on those versions: Sonic Team for the HD consoles, and Dimps for the PS2/Wii SKU. AND SEGA also had Sonic Team US (now SEGA Studios USA) working on Sonic games occasionally (Sonic Heroes, Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic Adventure 2). I always wondered why they didn't put all three teams onto ONE awesome Sonic game with no fluff, and no weird gameplay mechanics like the Werehog, and no gimmicks like the gunplay in Shadow. Just all three teams cranking away on pure, unfiltered Sonic-y goodness; between the three of them, they could crank out enough content for one amazing Sonic game easily.

SEGA Studios USA is currently working on Iron Man 2, but if they were smart, they'd have Dimps working on Project Needlemouse along with Sonic Team. Kinda like how there are 4 different developers working on Bioshock 2, or how Dimps worked with Capcom on Street Fighter IV. And focusing on just one SKU - the HD versions - is the important thing here. Especially if this is, in fact, Sonic the Hedgehog 4 like the internet purports it to be.

Besides, a)I personally HAVE an HD console, so I'll be picking this up on PS3, no problem. And b)Wii still needs to get a third Sonic Storybook game. So Wii's missing out on Project Needlemouse/Sonic 4; eventually they'll get "Sonic and the Golden Fleece" or something:)

It doesn't really matter which console it's released on, does it? And I'm saying that from the perspective of someone who neither owns a PS3 or 360 nor will by the time this thing is out. So if it doesn't come out on Wii, then I won't get to play it. But that doesn't really matter, what matters is that Sega are making an old-school 2D Sonic game, and have said themselves that this is a reboot of the series. So even if we don't get Needlemouse specifically, Sega aren't likely to drop off the Nintendo radar altogether and eventually we'll benefit from whatever comes after Needlemouse.
And besides which, whilst it's possible Sega themselves aren't working on Needlemouse Wii, Dimps seem to have been pretty quiet recently. Wonder what they've been doing since our version of Unleashed.

What leads me off track with this is the 2-D Game graphics.I mean come on if you think about it clearly enough why would any PS3/360 fan want a 2-D Game when most of those fans care nothing about 2-D Graphics and would rather see them fade off into that sunset again never to be heard from again.

Where as with the Wii fans who got NSMB Wii such as myself still has a thing for the classic Sonic games like Sonic the Hedgehog 1 through Sonic & Knuckles wiiware limits or not would not mind a disc based version of it instead and yup Dimps has indeed been quiet since unleashed so maybe something is going on with a Project Needlemouse port.

If it is and Sega tells Nintendo Life to remove my comment about this then there is all the proof that wii will get this too right there.But i highly doubt that they will lol.