saves. Development In 2003, Sega dissolved United Game Artists (UGA), one of its internal game development studios. The head of the studio, Tetsuya Mizuguchi, left Sega that year to form Q Entertainment. Former members of UGA, such as Space Channel 5 veterans Takumi Yoshinaga and Takashi Yuda, were merged into Sonic Team. At Sonic Team, Yuda produced Sonic Riders, while Yoshinaga created Feel The Magic (as well as its prequel, The Rub Rabbits!). Development on the latter title began after Nintendo unveiled the Nintendo DS hardware, which features a touch screen that can be rubbed with a stylus. After observing that the word "rub" sounds similar to the word "love", Yoshinaga decided to create a game built around both concepts. A "love comedy story" was the basis for the title's plot; Yoshinaga chose to represent its characters with silhouettes to allow greater room for player interpretation. Although this subject matter was suggestive, Yoshinaga had no desire to include overtly sexual content, and considered the input of the predominantly female development team to avoid incorporating offensive material. Feel the Magic: XY/XX was originally announced at E3 2004 under its code name, Project Rub. Then-executive managing director Yuji Naka said the title would place "an emphasis on controls using a Touch Screen, which will allow us to achieve the concept of 'rubbing,' a unique and fun gameplay mechanic made possible by the DS. We will investigate a wide-range of gaming elements unique to DS, so look forward to future Sega titles." Game details and previews came much later, in October. Reception and legacy The game received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of one eight, one nine, one seven, and one nine for a total of 33 out of 40. It received a runner-up placements in GameSpot's 2004 "Best Puzzle/Rhythm Game" and "Most Innovative Game" award categories across all platforms, losing both to Katamari Damacy. Author Torill Elvira Mortensen used Feel the Magic as a good example of a game that makes use of its respective console's technology. Torill noted that after its release, it was considered the best game for the Nintendo DS in terms of its utilization of the DS' touch screen and microphone. Torill also noted that its humour and its gameplay were appealing to reviewers. The Times gave it all five stars and said that the game