I realized tonight that I've misjudged Yuji Naka

[Bebpo]

I always thought back in the day Yuji Naka was a great game creator full of creative ideas with Sonic/Phantasy Star/Nights/Burning Rangers/PSO.  Then I guess I associated him with Sonic Team as they went on to become one of the worst developers in the universe over the last decade.

But reading his profile on wikipedia and other places, I feel a little bad because it seems like he left before Sonic Team turned to shit and since then he's just been all about creativity even if it doesn't work with Feel the Magic (which wasn't very good, but it was creative), an Eyetoy game (trying a new medium), and now Let's Tap (again a new medium).  So from what I gather it seems like he's still the creative guy he was then, he just doesn't have anywhere near the budget as when he was Sega's main guy so he just does little pet projects here and there.  That's actually pretty respectable, so I think I've misjudged him and now I respect the guy.

Here's to Yuji.

[HyperZoneWasAwesome]

I hope you're right.

Sonic Team was actually pretty well respected at least up until the end of the Dreamcast era.  The Saturn games were good, and gosh-dang-it, Chu Chu Rocket contained high levels of awesome (and Sonic Team also made SAMBA).  Sonic Adventure might not have aged well, but at the time it was considered hot stuff.

I like the aesthetics of Lets Tap, but other then that it looks like a content-shy and simplistic party game.  And Prope's WiiWare game doesn't fill me with confidence either (although I see it doing well with the desperately lonely child demographic).

The Wii doesn't need clever gimmicks, which is all Prope seems to be able to offer.  It needs actual solidly made games where the interface actually aides the game and isn't the whole point of the endeavor.  There's not been so many of those made yet, but with the ridiculous market share the Wii is grabbing there shouldn't be any shortage of people willing to try.  I'm not saying Prope can't deliver something worthwhile, I'm just not spazzazed about what I've seen so far from them.

[tiesto]

I was always a fan of Yuji's programming... those 3D dungeons in Phantasy Star were incredible back in the day...

[CurseoftheGods]

Yuji Naka's a dick, but he is one incredible programmer.

- Phantasy Star's 3D dungeons
- Sonic the Hedgehog's realtime physics in 1991
- Nights
- PSO's international chat/lobby system (being able to communicate and play with Japanese players with ease = awesome) 

[Guybrush Threepwood]

The physics engine in the Genesis Sonic games is SO good.

The rotating circle things in Carnival Night Zone and Scrap Brain Zone actually launch you on a tangential path when you jump off.

That shit is mind-blowing.

[Oblivion]

Seems a lot of the higher ups at Sega hated him for being a jerk (Peter Moore comes to mind).

The Genny Sonic games and Phantasy Star games were pretty neat in a programming sense, but I haven't really been interested in much other stuff he's spearheaded.

[Himu]

Naka's programming on the Sonic games is so good that even when emulated on today's machines you don't get the full Sonic 1-3 + K experience. The physics are all loose and don't compare to the Genesis versions'.

[Guybrush Threepwood]

Naka's programming on the Sonic games is so good that even when emulated on today's machines you don't get the full Sonic 1-3 + K experience. The physics are all loose and don't compare to the Genesis versions'.

How true is this?