Back in September I posted a teaser video for Sega’s next Sonic game, tentatively titled “Project Needlemouse”. Now, after a few months of waiting, Sega has finally dropped an actual trailer for the game that unintentionally reminds us how long it’s been since we’ve had a true Sonic title. The trailer is a progression of Sonic’s sprites from 1992 to 1994 and then it jumps to 2010 and shows off the new 3D Sonic. Right then and there, becomes clear just how much Sega is betting on nostalgia to sell this game. Take a look at the trailer and never forget.
All bitterness aside, who’s thinking about getting this game? I mean, it is a return to form for the blue bomber, and the split second you see of the game is enough to make the ten-year old me leap for joy. To be fair, a lot of things do that because I have maturity issues. Anyways, sound off! Who’s getting this, and for PSN or 360? And did you notice the little room for an icon with a lock on it? What could that be?
I think it will be quite interesting to see the Sonic series go back towards the more traditional style. Though, currently the only thing that I’ve realized from the video that’s strange is the way he runs. Hopefully that’s just the walking animation and he has a run animation, but if not, he’ll be power walking at 200 mph XD. But aside from that, I will most definitely grab this game, mainly to see where it’ll pick up from the older “Trilogy”
I never got the whole deal with Sonic tbh (maybe it’s my generation), I find him dislikable and his games unfun. So, to answer your question: No. I will not be getting it.
I cannot fully express how happy this makes me. I’ve been saying for the last couple of years that this is EXACTLY what Sega needs to do to revive the Sonic franchise: GO BACK TO 2D!!!
I think the downloadable content route is a good choice as well. Part of the problem with Sonic is that the old games are all about platforming at warp factor 9 and don’t have the kind of depth gamers expect nowadays. It would be difficult to justify forking over $60 for simple platformer (Although keep in mind that we used to pay that price for these kinds of games without batting an eye; Sonic 2 cost $60 when it came out and I remember Phantasy Star 4 clocking in at $80. Ah the wonderful economics of cartridges.)
Sonic never really worked in 3d, unfortunately. You just can’t translate the sense of speed and control that made the old Sonic games so much fun into an open 3d environment. The Sonic Adventure games on the Dreamcast actually weren’t bad, but the fun always ground to a halt when Sonic wasn’t racing through a level (such as the overworld stages on Sonic Adv 1 or playing as other characters in Sonic Adv 2).
It’s really sobering to see somebody saying that they “don’t get” Sonic for generational reasons. It makes me realize that if you’re under 25, there’s a good chance you never even played the original Sonic games. You really just had to be there in the early 90s to understand why Sonic is still so revered by old Sega guys like myself and why his decline is so heartbreaking.
When the original Sonic came out, Sega finally had an answer to Mario. Remember, this was back when console loyalty actually meant something. It wasn’t like it is today when 95% of games come out on the 360 and ps3. If you owned a Genesis, there were games on the SNES that you would NEVER get a chance to play on your console and vice versa. And if they did come out on both platforms, they were often radically different versions of the game. Pretty much every worthwhile game that came out was a console exclusive in those days. Sonic was Sega’s first real “killer app” for the Genesis and it was a legitimate sensation. And it remains the definition of a hardcore title: No saves, no ability upgrades, no continues (unless you earned them), and brutal level design that forced you to learn and memorize every inch of it by excruciating trial and error. And good luck collecting all those damned chaos emeralds…
Sonic left an indelible mark on my childhood. When I bought my Genesis in 1991, it came with Altered Beast and a voucher for a free copy of Sonic the Hedgehog, which had just come out. It was the most amazing game I’d ever seen.
Sonic CD (yes, I actually had a Sega CD) remains the best of the 2d series, though Sonic 2 is not far behind. I hope the new sequel can live up to that legacy. I, for one, will be lining up to buy it the day it comes out.
I get where zayven if getting at. I have a lot of friends who are younger than me, and never even owned a Sega. I think I’m one of the only 16 year old kids I know out of 5 that actually played the originals and loved them.
Being young and still having liked the originals, this excites me. However, i won’t straight off buy it. The memory of 3d sonic still lingers…