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[The Headliner]

No group of fans has been so consistently and cruelly disappointed than those of Sonic The Hedgehog.

But finally, impossibly, it looks like Sega might be doing what everyone has been telling it to do for the last decade: make a proper high-res 2D game.

Sega has unveiled a teaser for Project Needlemouse, which is implied to be an old-school platformer in HD (so not on Wii presumably) that's due out in 2010.

Teaser video

Potentially good news, certainly. But going 2D is half the battle. I wasn't a huge fan of the Sonic Rush games on DS, so simplying flattening the hedgehog like roadkill doesn't guarantee a return to his 16-bit glory days.

Now if they lose the green eyes, the annoyingly redundant tag-alongs (hello Big the Cat), resist filling the game with character voiceovers, and maybe, just maybe, treat us Westerners to the Robotnik we all love to hate, then I'll be kicking my heels in excitement. I'm not holding my breath.

But it's at least a positive sign that perhaps somewhere, deep within Sega Corporation, there's a person with influence who knows what the fans want. To what extent, we'll find out in due course.


(Edit: Title changed from "Sonic in 2D and HD? / Project Needlemouse")

[RagingCalm]

The 2D gives me hope since I haven't found a decent 3D Sonic actually worth playing thanks to glitches and the damn hedgehog being hard to control.  I'm not fussed over the green eyes but I don't like quite a few of the characters added over the years like Big the Cat (as mentioned), Cream, Rouge, Shadow, and a few others.  I do hope they use the name Robotnik again but if not, oh well, it's not a deal-breaker.

If they make this game as awesome as Sonic 3 and/or Sonic and Knuckles, then I'll be stoked.  I'll be really happy if we get to see Hyper Sonic again.

[The Headliner]

In a related note, the last great Sonic game has just been released on Xbox Live Arcade. Yes, Sonic & Knuckles - which, in a seemingly obvious move that can't be taken for granted these days, can be combined with any other Sonic game you've downloaded for the appropriate lock-on feature of the original cartridges. So, if you've also bought Sonic 3 via Live Arcade, you can play the whole Sonic 3 & Knuckles as one game, or if you've downloaded Sonic 2, you can play as Knuckles in that. The giant special stage marathon is also available using Sonic 1.

[The Headliner]

GameSpot
Wikipedia
Official site



Sonic 4: Episode 1 has been unveiled.

Things I like:

1) It's 2D.
2) It's a direct sequel to Sonic 3 & Knuckles.
3) It's on Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii.
4) It's out this Summer.

Things I don't like:

1) The homing attack is present.
2) Sonic has his ugly green-eyed look.
3) It's episodic.
4) It's download-only.
5) No Tails or Knuckles.

Things I can turn a blind eye to:

1) Robotnik's somehow alive again.
2) He'll probably be called Eggman.

[RagingCalm]

I think Eggman is a definite.  If you look at the character screen for Sonic, they specifically mention Eggman.  I'm disappointed that Tails and Knuckles aren't in it.

[The Headliner]

I've been trying to rationalize the decision to leave those characters out, but it's not easy to do. Assuming they're not just being lazy (which may be a foolish assumption), they've obviously heard the complaints about all the superflous characters who have joined the series along the way. But the impression I get from the majority of fans is that the acceptable line is drawn after Tails and Knuckles. These characters are popular. It's Amy Rose, Big the Cat, Cream the Rabbit, Wally the Worm and Faeces the Dung Beetle that people want to hold a live cremation for.

I've tried looking at it from a storyline perspective. Knuckles lives on the Floating/Angel Island, so perhaps it's not logical for him to appear unless they set the game there again (unlikely). He'd have to glide a hell of a long way down to find the Green Hill Zone, etc. But he's a fricking awesome character - way cooler than Sonic - and they could get him involved if they wanted to. Tails could fetch him in his nice red bi-plane and return to save Sonic at a critical moment.

It just seems like they've thrown the baby out with the bath water. I'm all for ditching the post-Genesis characters but it's going to feel a little bare without the two that justifiably shared the stage for most of that series.

On the positive side, if we learn they've insisted on putting speech in the game (like in Sonic Rush), at least we'll be spared Tails' voice.

[RagingCalm]

Yeah, I don't get why Tails and Knuckles aren't in this either -- particularly, Tails.  I never heard anything negative about them.  Amy Rose (the obsessive stalker) is the one add-on character I can't stand, the rest were sort of there but had really bad voices.  I'm surprised they didn't try to shoehorn Shadow into this somehow as I thought he was also popular.

On a side note, I'll take Tails' voice over Creme the Rabbit's voice any day.  Talk about nails on a chalkboard.

[The Headliner]

Tails has his detractors, but he's too established to brush under the rug now. He's a big part of the series that Sonic 4 is supposed to be continuing.

I'm not sure how beloved Shadow is. As a character he seems okay (if not a tad redundant with Knuckles around to be the brooding loner), but the quality of his solo game wasn't what glowing reputations are made of. Either way, he doesn't have the same "claim" on this series as the other two. I wouldn't mind seeing him in it, but there'd be strange continuity issues to address. Would he and Sonic have already met? If so, where would that place the more recent games in the timeline of this series? If not, then what does that say about their first encounter in 3D? Not that I've seen how it occurred, so I don't know how contradictory it would be.

[The Gopher]

This is something to look forward to. 

[The Headliner]

I've just read that Sonic Classic Collection will be released soon for Nintendo DS. It's a compilation of Sonic 1, Sonic 2, Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles, with the lock-on ability of the original games intact. This is really good news, because Genesis/Mega Drive emulation on the DS is not great. Being able to play these properly on the handheld will be very nice. It's released in the US and Europe next month.

[Ethan]

I saw the trailer the other day, it felt nice seeing sonic back in his roots.

[The Headliner]

Closet Sonic fans (you know who you are) may be disappointed to find out that Sega's Sonic Team isn't the party behind the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 4 game. According to Destructoid, a listing on Xbox Live Marketplace reveals the developer to be Dimps, the team behind Sonic Advance, Sonic Unleashed for the Nintendo Wii, and the Sonic Rush series. Destructoid seemed rather thrilled over the idea of a 3rd party developing the title.

But as CNET points out, it feels more like the end of an era. While the franchise is returning to its 2D, side-scrolling roots, it should also return to the hands of the original developer. Hopefully Sonic fans won't be severely punished (again after the last few Sonic titles) by this latest installment. If Sonic the Hedgehog 4 falls flat on its face, then Sega may need to permanently close the book on Sonic-based games for good.

Earlier today, leaked video footage of Sonic the Hedgehog 4 in action appeared on the Internet, however Sega has forced hosts to pull the plug. 1UP even managed to score screenshots taken from the first zone of the game, but Sega smacked those off the site as well.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is slated for the Xbox Live Arcade, the PlayStation Store, and WiiWare this summer.

UPDATE: the leaked video can be accessed here, however it will probably be taken down soon. I've also provided two screenshots originally posted over on 1UP.

The video and screenshots look very pretty. I'm not convinced by what's seen of the gameplay, but it's very hard to judge.

[The Headliner]

    * Episode 1 is a prologue to the main story
    * Tails and Knuckles are teased to return in Episode 2
    * Moves include: Spin Dash, Rolling Attack, Homing Attack and a fourth mystery one
    * Classic special stages will be returning
    * The graphics aren't 3D, but CG pre-renders
    * If you don't get all the Chaos Emeralds, you'll receive a classic "Try Again" ending. Getting all the emeralds results in a cliffhanger tease for Episode 2
    * The game will be a platformer only: No mini games and extra crap (although classic bonus stages are on the cards).
    * The level design is said to be inspired by Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
    * Episode one will have four zones with three acts each.
    * Jun Senoue is the sound director/composer.
    * The classic "wrecking ball" boss fight at the end of Splash Hill will involve new attacks, such as a ground smash and 360 degree swing.
    * Future episodes may have new skills for Sonic.
The Achievements for Sonic 4 have been revealed, and they point to yet more old-school shenanigans. We have learned that Super Sonic will return in Sega's big series reboot, along with the classic Chaos Emeralds. It's also worth pointing out that Sonic 4's Achievements indicate quite a robust and lengthy experience, despite the episodic nature of the game.

All seven Chaos Emeralds will be collectible in Sonic 4, and there's an Achievement for beating 1,000 enemies and gaining 99 lives. Hopefully this means there is lots of playtime attached to Episode One. In any case, there are twelve of the bastards, adding up to 200 Points in total.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 [Xbox360Achievements]

Please be good...

[The Headliner]

So what's everyone's favorite Sonic levels and boss fights?

[RagingCalm]

I always liked the Death Egg fights in Sonic 2 and 3/Sonic & Knuckles.  There's also that one lumberjack robot in Sonic & Knuckles that you have to chase that I liked and wanted to see if I could beat him before he started flinging lumber at me.