don't click here

Yuji Naka Retires (probably)

Discussion in 'General Sonic Discussion' started by Gryson, Jun 5, 2021.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Xiao Hayes

    Xiao Hayes

    Classic Eggman art Member
    Sorry, didn't want to derail the thread; it's just those things seem like fantasy to me every time, I have to learn how they do it. :eng99:
     
  2. The Joebro64

    The Joebro64

    SAY HELLO TO MY CHOCOLATE BLEND Member
    3,255
    2,910
    93
    • Informative Informative x 6
    • List
  3. corneliab

    corneliab

    Member
    1,586
    144
    43
  4. MH MD

    MH MD

    Member
    761
    590
    93
  5. corneliab

    corneliab

    Member
    1,586
    144
    43
    I'm on a Sonic forum and some of you really don't know that Naka is a prick? He's the guy that famously melted down over Sega's western branch prototyping Sonic X-treme with the Nights engine and totally disallowed it, resulting in an already troubled development basically becoming impossible. He's also on-record throwing the level designer for S3&K under the bus after he had left the company, basically saying that anybody can do level design. Can't forget about this either.

    He's an egotist with a xenophobic streak that has played a big role in limiting the franchise he helped (keyword "helped") create. I have no respect for this dude.

    edit: lmao guess I really misread the room, huh? Didn't mean to derail, if my notifications are anything to go by, but I still stand by what I said. I'm turning off my notifications and have not read any replies past #46, so if you're reading this and want to give me a stern talking-to you're gonna be wasting your time.
     
    Last edited: Sep 18, 2021
    • Informative Informative x 2
    • Like Like x 1
    • List
  6. Blue Spikeball

    Blue Spikeball

    Member
    2,545
    1,076
    93
    I don't blame him for being a prick to SoA after having to deal with all their BS for years. Being sore at some control freak, two-faced localizers for their tendency to go behind the devs' backs doesn't make him a xenophobe. In the past he has given great praise to western devs, claimed to be a big fan of Steven Spielberg, and called Lemmings his favorite game. There is also this:
    As for being an egotist, he claimed multiple times that he looks up to Miyamoto, and has stated that he doesn't think he (Naka) could create a good RPG. Also when asked if he views Nintendo as Sega's rival, he replied "We at Sonic Team have nothing but admiration for Nintendo". Doesn't sound that egotistical to me.
     
    Last edited: Sep 18, 2021
    • Agree Agree x 9
    • Informative Informative x 6
    • List
  7. SuperSnoopy

    SuperSnoopy

    I like Sonic Advance Member
    1,778
    744
    93
    Lyon, France
    Slice of life visual novel, coming soon...?
    Jesus fucking christ dude
     
  8. corneliab

    corneliab

    Member
    1,586
    144
    43
    My perspective really isn't anything out of the ordinary lol. But yeah, keep circling those wagons I guess.
     
  9. Billy

    Billy

    RIP Oderus Urungus Member
    2,156
    218
    43
    Colorado, USA
    Indie games
    I don't think anyone is arguing that Naka hasn't ever been a "prick". He's definitely demonstrated unprofessional behavior, but it's just not as simple as being xenophobic and/or having a huge ego. Do those maybe play a part? Sure. But I think it's more to do with dynamics between SoJ and SoA (e.g. their successes relative to eachother) as well as Naka's own dynamics with the rest Sonic Team and the like. I do recommend to people to read Console Wars because it's a pretty fun read, though it is pretty heavily biased towards SoA.
     
  10. MH MD

    MH MD

    Member
    761
    590
    93
    I'm on a Sonic forum and some of you really don't know that Naka is a humble and admire western games and movies?!!
     
  11. YuTwo

    YuTwo

    Member
    84
    144
    33
    I knew about the Sonic X-treme situation but not about the level designer for Sonic 3. Where exactly does Naka say anything about them. Is it Yasuhara he was talking about? I'm rather curious to see a source please.
     
  12. The Joebro64

    The Joebro64

    SAY HELLO TO MY CHOCOLATE BLEND Member
    3,255
    2,910
    93
    >posts "Yuji Naka is working on a new game" in the Yuji Naka thread on Retro
    >logs back in to see I've inadvertently started an absolute firestorm
    :rolleyes:
     
    • Agree Agree x 6
    • Like Like x 5
    • List
  13. Beltway

    Beltway

    The most grateful Sonic fan of all time this week Member
    1,669
    182
    43
    Sega of Darkest Peru
    Artwork and classes
    The interview and quote in question.

    (Also would like to add that Yasuhara didn't just handle the level design [which is, still, kind of a big deal], he was the game planner/director for all three/four of the Genesis entries. But I guess mentioning that --and not instead claiming that he himself directed the game-- wouldn't had fit the narrative that he wanted to sell.)

    The one thing I will say about Naka in his favor is that between then and now, he's arguably mellowed out since then. To the point that I do feel bad for him a bit due to how Balan Wonderworld turned out at the end of the day and how he ended up being the titular (if not only) fall guy for its failure. (The fact that Balan came off the heels of his last big project, Rodea the Sky Soldier, also doesn't help; due to how that game got royally mishandled by its publisher Kadokawa.)

    Still, that knock against Carol Yas up there was...far from his best moments. (Ironic, even; given where the series went underneath his direction after Yasuhara and Oshima left.) All I can really say there is that I still wonder what could had been, where things had gone a different way and that Yasuhara and/or Oshima ended up being the series' managers instead.
     
    Last edited: Sep 17, 2021
    • Informative Informative x 2
    • Like Like x 1
    • List
  14. Black Squirrel

    Black Squirrel

    sometimes the real thing™ Wiki Sysop
    9,124
    2,997
    93
    Northumberland, UK
    not making new christmas avatars
    Christ can't you people post better.


    Read the quote properly, take a step back, actually look at the facts and remember it's a wonky Japanese-to-English translation from 20 years go.

    Hirokazu Yasuhara went to America to build Sonic 2 and 3, stuck around, did some odd jobs as the American division stopped making games and then got hired by Naughty Dog.


    This doesn't equate to "Yuji Naka threw him under a bus". Naka was in a different part of the world doing completely different things.
     
  15. Holy fuck what happened in here-

    Ah, no wait- just retro being retro. Carry on :eng99:
     
    • Like Like x 6
    • Agree Agree x 3
    • Useful Useful x 2
    • Informative Informative x 1
    • List
  16. Dek Rollins

    Dek Rollins

    size of a tangerine Member
    666
    323
    63
    US
    So you're talking about Yasuhara? :V

    I seriously don't understand this massively one-sided tendency for people to not only dunk on Yuji Naka as a person, but to significantly downplay his involvement with the creation of Sonic, just to give a virtual middle finger to his supposed ego.

    I'm not going to say he's beyond criticism or that he doesn't have any sort of ego, but I think a lot of stuff that gets thrown around is stretching for the sake of making him look bad.
     
  17. Brainulator

    Brainulator

    Regular garden-variety member Member
    I just hope to see what he does. That, and he has a happy birthday.
     
  18. Gryson

    Gryson

    Member
    389
    349
    63
    Some of the posts on this forum are... embarrassing.
     
  19. Sid Starkiller

    Sid Starkiller

    Member
    1,457
    358
    63
    Virginia, USA
    Paying off student loans
    Autocorrect must've gotcha. Don't worry, I fixed it.
     
  20. The Joebro64

    The Joebro64

    SAY HELLO TO MY CHOCOLATE BLEND Member
    3,255
    2,910
    93
    only think I could think when I saw the first response was about how it contained more salt than a can of Morton
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.