You know how Sonic caused an uproar in Sonic 06 by kissing a human female? That scene wouldn't have been weird at all if Sonic designer Naoto Ohshima's original plans for Sonic went forward. Believe it or not, Sonic was first thought up as a human boy, and not a blue hedgehog.
I created the first design proposal for Sonic after three years in the design department. Although it wasn't Sonic then - the main character was a human boy.
I remember the idea struck me right as I was going to bed, and I was afraid that I wouldn't remember it in the morning. So I drew it quickly in the notebook and then fell asleep.
My pitch was that the maps of action games were, at that time, always full of squares, everything at right angles. What if we could make a game where a character was running over smooth terrain, running in circles through loops and such? So I presented my proposal to Sega, and they told me that it probably could not be done. But that if anyone could program it, it would be Yuji Naka. They said that if I could get him on board, we could proceed with the project.
I always love hearing of what could have been. Too bad there's not any artwork of Sonic back when he was a human boy. I'm sure some artists out there are going to have a fun time coming up with their own unique interpretations!
from GoNintendo
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