 Preview By: Jared Black |
Developer: | SEGA |
| Publisher: | SEGA | |
| Genre: | Platformer | |
| ESRB: | Rating Pending | |
| # Of Players: | TBA | |
| Online Play: | TBD | |
| Accessories: | TBD | |
| Estimated Release: | 11/14/2006 |
When the original Sonic the Hedgehog was released for the Sega Genesis back in 1991, it instantly gave Sega the mascot and identity it desperately needed to compete with juggernaut Nintendo and its brand new Super Nintendo. With his rebellious nature and high-speed platforming, Sonic was deemed “cooler” than Mario on playgrounds across the country, as his outings provided a sharp contrast to the slower-paced style of play in the Mario series. Even if the kids that were in the Nintendo camp (that would be me) wouldn’t admit it publicly, Sonic had captured the hearts of a generation of 16-bit gamers.
However, after several outings on the Sega Genesis, Sonic began to lose his way as 3D gaming rose to prominence. After a planned platformer for the Saturn never really got off the ground, Sonic was resigned to appearing in a few side games including Sonic Jam, Sonic R, and Sonic 3D Blast. As the failed 3D platformer for the Saturn and mediocre performance of Sonic 3D Blast attested (and it wasn’t even truly 3D), translating Sonic’s 2D speed into 3D space proved difficult.
Finally, he returned as the star of the show in Sonic Adventure at the launch of the Dreamcast. Although for the most part a fun outing, the game was full of cheap deaths when the camera couldn’t keep up, glitches, and a slower overall pace that upset traditional fans of the franchise. Since then Sega has released several other titles in the franchise, each met with the same mixed reviews. In fact, many fans argue that the only place to find a good Sonic game these days is in the portable realm, where his 2D antics are still welcomed with open arms.
Which brings us to the new Sonic the Hedgehog. As the name suggests, Sega is once again trying to bring back the franchise’s glory days, merging the innovations found in the newer Sonic titles with the euphoric sense of speed found in the older Sonic titles. It’s clear from the beginning that this is no ordinary Sonic either, as this is the first Sonic title to be set in the realm of humans. The beautiful princess of the land of Soleanna, Elyse, has been kidnapped by Dr. Eggman (he’ll always be Robotnik to me!) in his bid to destroy the kingdom, and thus Sonic sets out to free the princess and defeat Dr. Eggman yet again.
When controlling Sonic the game will play in much the same way as it did in Sonic Adventure, with Sonic speeding down a mostly linear path inside of a huge 3D world. Sega claims that the game’s levels have been built with maximizing Sonic’s use of speed in mind, hopefully all-but eliminating the bad camera angles and glitches found in past installments. In fact the recently-released demo on Xbox 360 is a good sign, as for the most part it seems to accomplish just that. The level in the demo features long rails for Sonic to slide down, wide open paths, and smartly aligned obstacles to keep the game moving at a brisk pace with little interruption in the flow of the game.
In addition to Sonic, other playable characters include the returning Shadow, and a brand new hedgehog named Silver. Shadow is capable of driving one of several different vehicles, which can be used to access new areas and attack enemies with missiles and other weaponry. Meanwhile, newcomer Silver has psychokinetic powers, which allow him to manipulate the environment by throwing various items at enemies, as well as levitating for short periods. Each character will play the same stages throughout the game, but their own unique abilities will allow additional areas and items to be accessible to each that aren’t available to the others. What may help level the playing field in this regard however are the “Amigos”, which are various characters from past Sonic titles that show up from time to time to assist the main characters. These include Tails and Knuckles as Sonic’s amigos, Amy Rose and Blaze the Cat for Silver, and Rouge and E-123 Omega for Shadow. Each Amigo has his or her own special abilities to use in times of need, adding additional variety to each character’s storyline.
Other changes to the franchise this time around include use of the Havok physics engine, which allows for spectacular effects as robots and other objects are destroyed, as well as increased realism in Sonic’s interaction with the environment as it takes into account real-world physics (mass, momentum, and all that other good stuff). There will also be a variety of multiplayer modes for up to four people to enjoy, and although there have been hints (including co-op play and a variety of mini-games) the exact details on these are still under wraps.
So will this be the game that finally brings the dude with a ‘tude into the 3D era properly? It’s hard to say at this point. Sega definitely seems to have the right idea, with levels optimized for speed, implementation of the Havok engine, and most importantly a demo available on Xbox Live that certainly impressed me. However, it still remains to be seen how newcomer Silver will factor into things, and Shadow’s levels seem geared towards a slower pace that may upset purists.
Whatever the case may be we’ll find out soon enough, as Sonic the Hedgehog is scheduled for release November 14th on Xbox 360.
Posted: 2006-11-09 19:00:43 PST