Sonic the Hedgehog 4 to be Released in the Summer
So Sega have announced that a new Sonic game, a direct sequel to the Mega Drive/Genesis games that will work on the same principles of fun, speed and 2D gameplay. A whole generation of gaming was defined by these classics, and they achieved legendary status because of it.
Sonic began on the Sega Master System, the precursor to the Mega Drive, and very soon he was the main mascot for Sega, and featured prominently on their branding and there were many games on their subsequent consoles. The formula was created on the very graphically challenged Master System, however it all really came to life on the Mega Drive/Genesis. The first game Sonic 1 was a breath of fresh air, with much improved graphics and fantastic gameplay. This was improved upon in Sonic 2 a couple of years later, and this was the game seen as many people’s favourite Sonic game. Sonic 3 made things even better, with amazing graphics and some new features. Then they bought out Sonic and Knuckles, with its “lock on” technology so you could join two games together and play as different characters in the old games, getting new life out of them. These were the last great games on the Mega Drive, and after this things started going downhill for the Sonic titles as well.
All of the subsequent games became 3D, and these games did not manage to anywhere near meet expectations and people were very disappointed. On the more modern consoles like the PS3, Sonic the Hedgehog was released to very negative reviews as they took the Sonic formula and took away the speed and fun element, and made it into a role playing game. People thought this was the end of the Sonic franchise.
Well now this may be about to change. Sonic 4 has been announced and it is going to be a Mega Drive-esque game bringing back all that was great about the series in the early to mid 90s. The graphics will be 2D, but HD, meaning they will look amazing, the music will be along the same lines of old but with a modern twist. It all sounds amazing.
It will be available to be purchased through download on the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii, and will be provided in a series of episodes. This means that they could essentially release as many as they want to, so it will be more than just a one off game. There will be kids who have never even played Sonic games, so it will bring Sonic to a whole new generation. To pre-empt this however Sega have released the “Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection” including all the old Sonic games on the big consoles to get people familiar with the blue hedgehog again. They have also bought out a Nintendo DS version with just the Sonic games on.
But for anyone who used to play Sonic back in the 90s, it is a very exciting prospect to see a new game on the horizon!
Ian Collins runs Techie Reviews and is an expert on all things techie
