SEGA has admitted that Sonic the Hedgehog titles of late have been deserving of some of the flak they have received from fans and media.

Speaking about criticism of recent Sonic games in an interview, SEGA of America's VP of marketing, Sean Ratcliffe, said, "Some of that criticism is probably warranted. We definitely recognize that a franchise that has been going as long as Sonic, you really have to put a huge amount of effort in to make sure that you maintain that quality, and arguably a disproportionate amount of effort."

Naturally, SEGA is improving matters. Ratcliffe went on to say, "However, I would say we recognise it, which is why you're seeing us this year taking the first steps in making sure the quality is right, and we're constantly looking at innovation. We can't just stand still with Sonic. We've got to be looking at different ways to develop the character, different genres, and so on."

Talking specifically about SEGA's first (dreadful) attempt at Sonic on next-gen platforms, Ratcliffe said, "I think the Sonic next-gen experience in terms of quality, that was relatively early in the next-gen cycle when lots of developers were just coming to grips with the technology. It's not a huge surprise when you try to get something out for launch or thereabouts and the quality is not optimal."

SEGA currently has Sonic Unleashed for PS3, 360, Wii and PS2, Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood for the DS and Sonic and the Black Knight for the Wii in the pipeline.

Another point of note is what looks to SPOnG very much like an admission that a new SEGA MMO is in the works. Asked whether there is such a project underway, Ratcliffe said, "Well, we have Phantasy Star Universe, but right now we have no specific plans in the MMO space that I can talk about." See that? See what he did there? He said, "that I can talk about". Translation: "there is such a game, but I'm not telling."

Anyway, here's hoping that the next round of Sonic games do deliver a better experience than Sonic the Hedgehog on next-gen systems...

^{Source: GameDaily.biz}