
	Platform 360, PS3, Wii Genre Platformer Publisher Sega Developer Sega ETA Summer 2010
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Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1

After being one of the darlings of 16-bit platforming, and doing quite well for itself on the Dreamcast, the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise has constantly found itself as the butt of many jokes. Games baring the Sonic name have been getting consistently for years now, with many fans just about ready to give up on it all together. It looks now, though, that Sega may have figured out that most gamers haven't been too keen on Sonic's 3D forays of late, and is now trying to bring the series back to what made it so popular, opting for a more traditional 2D-esque, straightforward platformer. The only twist here being that this game will be released as episodic content.

The crux of Sonic 4 seems to be the promise of a return to the good ol' days for the series. It will take place after Sonic and Knuckles, and adhere to all of the 2D platforming conventions that made the series popular fifteen years ago. That means lots of blasting around at breakneck speeds through loop dee loops, collecting rings, grabbing sneakers to go even faster, and so forth.

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Interestingly, Sega has decided to go with 3D polygonal graphics despite the 2D flavored gameplay. They seem to feel this is the best way to go about making the game look good, as opposed to having some sort of HD remake sort of feel. To this writer, it's a little bit disappointing, especially considering some of the amazing digital paintings of the classic Sonic world that have

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come out of fan communities in recent years. They were certainly an example of what could have been for the series, and hopefully Sega will look to that style some time in the future.

Music will also be more akin to what gamers have come to expect from the classic Sonic games. While recent games' music has felt like something more appropriate for an anime, this may mean a return to more classic platform gaming music for lack of a better word.

The other interesting aspect of the game is that it will be released as episodic content. How much content this is equal to per installment, and how much each episode will cost is still up in the air. Sonic 4 also appears to be getting released via digital distribution, so it looks like Sega will be trying something quite different from what it normally does in terms of getting this game out to the masses. The biggest question of all will be if this return to the classic days of Sonic the Hedgehog will win back fans, or will it be too little too late.

Mr. Nash

February 7, 2009