In addition to the the creation of Mario, which set the standard for side-scrolling platformers in 1980’s and well into the late 1990’s, another franchise, helmed by Sonic Team Lead Programmer, Yuji Naka helped to create the status quo of fast paced side-scrolling platformers, Sonic The Hedgehog.
Naka first got his start in computer programming by learning how to program via replicating and debugging video game code printed in magazines such as Nintendo Power and PC Magazine. This experience at an early age motivated him to study assemblers and then went on to practice writing code during his school classes.
Around 1983, Yuji Naka saw that Sega was looking for programming assistants and decided to apply. After he was hired, his first project was a game called Girl’s Garden. His boss was impressed with the end result and decided to publish the game, and it earned him praise among their peers from industry professionals and Japanese gamers alike. Naka’s abilities as a game programmer were put to the test once again in July of 1987 for his work on Phantasy Star for the Sega Master System. He had taken the role of helping to create visually stunning (for its time) 3D animation effects present in the game’s first-person perspective dungeons.
His first big break in the video game industry did not come until the summer of 1991 when became Lead Programmer of the Sonic Team of the original Sonic the Hedgehog game as well as its subsequent titles for the Sega Genesis. During the early development stages for Sonic, when Yuji Naka played the originalĀ Super Mario BrosĀ for the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System), he would speedrun World 1-1 for the purpose of getting to the level skip cheat in the next level via the green tubes. This concept of going through a game while emphasizing speed became the source of inspiration for Yuji Naka to create the game known as Sonic The Hedgehog.
Yuji Naka’s early designs for a platform game utilized a sphere shaped object moving through long tubes at high speeds. This concept for the game would go through many changes but would ultimately evolve into the game that we are all familiar with today, Sonic The Hedgehog. The final design for Sonic was conceived thanks to the help of character designer Naoto Oshima. Many of the iconic levels that we as “old school” Sonic fans have come to know such as Green Hill Zone and Mystic Cave came from the cotributions made by Hirokazu Yasuhara.
After the release of Sonic The Hedgehog, Yuji Naka had shifted his base of operations to Sega’s U.S. development team, Sega Technical Institute. There he collborated with American game designer Mark Cerny and the newly formed Sonic Team back in Japan. This new partnership amongst the Western and Eastern teams endured throughout the creation of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 as well as Sonic & Knuckles. However, a majority of the development for these titles was heavily worked on by the Sonic Team in Japan. After the release of Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles, Yuji Naka was promoted to producer at Sega of Japan. During his time as producer, he held a major creative influence over many titles such asĀ Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg for Nintendo GameCube, Phantasy Star Online for Dreamcast, Sonic Adventure 1 & 2 for the Dreamcast; and Samba de Amigo for the Dreamcast.
In many ways, I have always looked up to Yuji Naka because he created one of the first games I ever played as a kid, Sonic The Hedgehog 3. That game for me helped to cement my interest in video gaming and ultimately became one of my biggest sources of inspiration for wanting to become a computer programmer. Furthermore, his work on other prolific titles throughout his career such as Phantasy Star Online for the Dreamcast and Phantasy Star Portable for the PSP (Playstation Portable) helped to mold my appreciation and fascination for Role-Playing Games. In many ways, his work is much of the reason why I wish to be part of this wonderful industry that only continues to get better with time.
