 "Photo: N/A")
Known only as the mysterious “Project Needlemouse” for months, SEGA finally unveiled the long-awaited next installment in the Sonic The Hedgehog series.
“Sonic 4 – Episode 1” is the latest video game to star the blue-spiked hedgehog and shows a drastic rethinking of the character.
In the early ’90s, the speed and gameplay of Sonic gave Nintendo a real run for its money.
After all, how could you compare against a fast little guy as opposed to a plumber?
Gamers loved the blue blur as he sped through colorful levels filled with robotic bad guys and a decent storyline.
An evil genius was enslaving animals into a robot army as he attempted to take over the world.
Dr. Robotnik, originally a well-meaning scientist had turned evil. It was up to Sonic, a speedblessed hedgehog, to save the day.
Gameplay was all about speed, getting rings and chasing chaos emeralds. As the series progressed, so did the characters.
Then, after a series of misfortunes on failed consoles, Sonic entered the 3D age – and things were never the same.
Speed fell to the wayside in exchange for complex puzzle-solving, an ever-increasing array of needless characters.
Then, on the character’s 15th anniversary, SEGA introduced “Sonic the Hedgehog,” a return to speed but still retained some challenges and characters.
Along the way, the character began to jump into all manners of Nintendo games, including an embarrassing appearance against Mario in the Olympic games (seriously, a plumber against a supersonic speed character?).
Now, SEGA is returning to its roots with 2D gameplay all about speed. I hope.
A 30-second trailer shows the character through the ages – from slightly chubby to being accompanied with a flying fox and knuckly echinda.
The storyline will pick up after “Sonic 3” and “Sonic and Knuckles,” a challenging prospect considering it has been 16 years since those games were released.
Perhaps SEGA is banking on the fact people will understand what’s going on after the slew of “Collections” versions put out on every system.
The game itself will be a download, available on PlayStation Network, Wii store and the XBOX Live Marketplace.
As someone who has recently rediscovered the games through eBay and a newly acquired Sega Genesis console, I’m thrilled.
This will be one game that could make or break the character.
A new generation has embraced the blue blur through the multiple re-releases, iPhone versions and more.
Let’s hope this one will help restore Sonic to his former glory, dominating what it meant to have an original, side-scrolling adventure.
david.ryan@mail.wvu.edu
Be the first to comment on this article!