by Jwan Jordan
May 2nd, 2008 -
Though he’s shown less than Sonic speed in recent iterations, Sonic the Hedgehog is back and this time he’s kicking it old school for the new generation.
If you’re any type of gamer either casual, veteran or possess any form of natural sense then you’ve heard, seen, or smelled Sonic the Hedgehog. Designed as SEGA’s hyperactive mascot and antagonist to the Nintendo power house character known as Super Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog quickly speed dashed his way into gamers hearts. Sonic’s fast paced 2D levels, matched with his in- your-face attitude made for a loveable and memorable character. Initially starting the series of games with a justifiably named antagonist, Dr. Eggman, what ensued was gaming goodness meant to last a lifetime. Though, over the years Sonic’s continuity wasn’t as stable as the seemingly unlimited power of Nintendo’s monopolizing character Mario. As time went on Nintendo’s Mario went on to adapt to the new generation systems with phenomenal results, as for Sonic, he sadly lost speed with the evolution of 3 dimensional gaming. Like a man with two broke legs trying to just walk off the pain, Sonic fell prey to a barrage of games that put him well below the bar of gaming goodness. With RPG titles, poor 3D games, street fighter rip-offs, and horridly lame support characters, Sonic, at some point early on, lost his way. The final nail in the coffin, for most gamers, was the release of Sonic for the Xbox 360, which had as much production value as a watered down MTV reality series spin-off. Alas, the hopes of ever experiencing the classic mad Sonic dash from the left to right side of the screen in record time seemed to be only a fading memory as the twilight of hope is sealed away in the darkness of Sonic’s coffin.
But wait! Apparently the gaming gods have heard our prayers and Sonic is coming back with vengeance and in the classic gameplay style we all know and love, with a new twist. Developed by the Sonic Team, SEGA is taking Sonic back to his roots and with a side scroller with 3D graphics.
The graphics look amazing on the new-gen consoles, showcasing lush environments with vibrant colors. The 3 dimensional backgrounds really bring Sonics world life and seem to correspond naturally to the elements with grass blowing and cloths flapping as Sonic dashes by them.
Dr. Eggman takes his throne back as the original antagonist in Sonic Unleashed which means things are already back to a good start for me. In this installment, Eggman has literally shattered the planet into pieces, and its up to Sonic to return the seven broken continents back to normal by retrieving the Chaos Emeralds and activating their power. If you’re anything like me, you’ll know what the Chaos Emeralds mean, and that’s the super Sayian like transformation into the invincible Super Sonic. Only subtle hints have been released about the transformation of Super Sonic, there is certainly one transformation that’s new to the Sonic series and that’s a strange curse which will cause Sonic to transform into a were-wolf, or were-hog I should say. It’s said that Sonic will turn into a were-hog at night, so this alludes to a hint that day and night time sequences may play into the game. Yet, any true details are vague right now.
I’m personally very excited about this game as Sonic has been a cheap whore-hog for cameos in every game but his own lately. So I’m happy to see Sonic the way he’s intended to be which is fast and running solo. Though I will certainly miss his tail spinning side kick Tails Prower and lets also thank our lucky stars that there will be no frog fishing sequences; Sonic gamers you know what I mean! None the less keep your eyes open this holiday season because 2008 looks like the well needed return of the original Sonic the Hedgehog.
Discuss this article
For more information please visit Sega.com