My brother is a tech-freak...and he is HOW OLD?

[Cap'n 1time]

Whoa when I was three sonic was still a figment of yuji naka's imagination.(probably) I was six before I got into games. Never looked back(actually never looked forward I was playin sonic one last night).

you know.. how the hell did he come up with that idea for a super speedy, red shoe wearing hedgehog who fights a super evil robot creating genius anyway? Talk about an acid trip

[Kaiser]

you know.. how the hell did he come up with that idea for a super speedy, red shoe wearing hedgehog who fights a super evil robot creating genius anyway? Talk about an acid trip

It was in the opening months of 1990 that AM8 (Soon to be renamed Sonic Team) got the directive from Hayao Nakayama to come up with a new company mascot and a game to go with it. Team leader Shinobu Toyoda and his staff bounced around ideas. The first character they came up with was a rabbit-like being with long ears that could extend and pick up objects and then throw them at his enemies, but it proved difficult to execute and the concept eventually went nowhere. Looking at the rough sketches one bright April day, Naka remarked to fellow team member Naoto Oshima that what was needed was something fast. Oshima was intrigued, so Naka continued. Years ago, Naka had conceived of a videogame featuring a character that could roll himself into a ball and then slam into his enemies, knocking them over.

"You're talking about a hedgehog," Oshima replied.
"Yeah," said Naka, "you're right." Both grinned as the realization dawned upon them.

The concept for the new character quickly evolved over the next few days. He would be blue because that was the color of Sega's corporate logo. Since a round ball did not offer a lot in the way of graphics and quills could not be easily depicted on screen, the blue hedgehog was given spiked hair. Since he would be a fast character and hedgehogs are not known for speed, he was also given a pair of running shoes. The sneakers might also serve as a good power-up in the game that Naka was by now beginning to code. One day, Naka gave his fellow AM8 team members a demonstration of his earliest efforts on the new game. They watched in amazement as the speedy blue hedgehog zipped around the screen.

"You know, that fellow's supersonic," one of the team members remarked. "Super-sonic."
Naka never forgot the comment. Sonic would be the hedgehog's name from now on.

One of Naoto Oshima's early Sonic sketches - courtesy Jared Gibbon Sonic's very look defined his attitude, so Naka built his new game to showcase as much of AM8's new star as he could. He was a fast, impudent little fellow who blazed his way through the game's intricately designed levels. Originally conceived as a power-up, what would become Sonic's trademark red sneakers soon became an essential part of the character. He needed them, because he would be on the move almost constantly. Sonic was not limited to simple running. He could put on extra bursts of speed when needed, and could go even faster when he rolled up into a blue, spike-haired ball. Since Sonic seemed to always want to be in motion, Naka added an extra programming touch to emphasize this. If he stood still in one place for too long due to player inaction, he would give the gamer a cross look and begin tapping his foot, impatiently waiting to start running again. Naka did not stop there. Each and every move that Sonic made was exquisitely animated - running, jumping, leaping, falling, spinning, and so on. Sonic had a unique pose and facial expression for every single move in his repertoire. The levels were large, colorful, highly detailed, and were best played with Sonic running at full tilt all the way. The game that Naka wound up creating for Sonic has more than once been compared to a 2D side-scrolling roller coaster ride, and it is an apt assessment. It also helped emphasize the differences between Sonic and Mario. In comparison to the speedy little blue hedgehog, with the spiked hair of a punk rocker and the rebellious attitude to match, Mario took on the appearance of a slow, fat, lackadaisical old fart. The rest of the game was built around Sonic's colorful and stylized world, and he was given a suitable archnemesis that could kick King Koopa's ass any day of the week. Dr. Ivo Robotnik, aka "the Eggman" (as he is known in Japan), didn't have to recruit his underlings - he created them. Naka tapped into a common Japanese storytelling theme of encroaching mechanization and made the Eggman into a mad scientist bent on mechanizing the entire world. His goons were actually Sonic's fellow animals trapped inside mechanical shells, which Sonic could rescue by cracking them open with his trademark rolling "spin attack.

~Unofficial history of Sega

[Shilo]

WOW! Nice on Kaiser! And thats one smart little dude

[stotheamuel]

i love how you defend the pose of your 3 year old bro

i see him being successfull in the future might wanna leeche off of him
i couldnt even turn on the tv to a good channel and volume at 3

[Cid Highwind]

Very impressive

We didn't even have a pc till I was 12 myself. I did play at friend's places and at school and pwnd teachers at their own games of Outrun and some educational game, but this kid is just unique with his skills.

However I do agree with Gronne, I hope he won't miss out on a lot of the 'normal stuff' kids of his age should do, it wouldn't be good for his social life as a kid either.

[Cap'n 1time]

It was in the opening months of 1990 that AM8 got the directive from Hayao Nakay........ ASDFLSAKJFLSAKJDFLKS;AJFKL;ASJFKL;ASJKFL;JASKL;FJA KL;FJLSJFL;
SADFLSKAJFDLKSA;DJFLKSJADFLK;SAJDFLK;SAJFL;SAJFL;G ;LAJFOIWQ

~Unofficial history of Sega

Dude, you just gave me dyslexia... Anyway not to offend.. but rather then read all of that I'm just going to go with my "acid trip" theory. I mean... thats how I come up with all my good ideas....... ahh my life is empty

[Kaiser]

Dude, you just gave me dyslexia... Anyway not to offend.. but rather then read all of that I'm just going to go with my "acid trip" theory. I mean... thats how I come up with all my good ideas....... ahh my life is empty

lol

[IndianCheese]

you know.. how the hell did he come up with that idea for a super speedy, red shoe wearing hedgehog who fights a super evil robot creating genius anyway? Talk about an acid trip

How did someone come up for the idea of a chubby italian plumber in red suspenders that shoots fireballs out of his wrists? Sorry, I just had to say it. I am not a Mario fan...

[Cid Highwind]

How did someone come up for the idea of a chubby italian plumber in red suspenders that shoots fireballs out of his wrists? Sorry, I just had to say it. I am not a Mario fan...

By having too many shrooms?

[Cap'n 1time]

ah, I am seeing a pattern. All brilliant game designers are drug addicts.