New Sonic Game Released Next Year Will Be 2D
Yes, you read the title right. And yes, that means on a current generation home console. We’ve been calling on Sega to do something about the lack of speed in newer iterations of Sonic games for a long time, and they’ve answered. Check out Gamespot’s article All New 2D Sonic Rolling Out in 2010.
Admittedly, it is not my favored solution, as I believe it would be possible for Sega to do a 3D Sonic game justice if they really put in the effort to do it right. After all, we have Sonic’s and Shadow’s levels from Sonic Adventure 2 as a barometer of that, and they were great… but the levels of the other four characters weren’t, because they didn’t focus on the speed, or really any fun gameplay at all.
However, that said, I’m still pleased by this development because I really think Sega will get back to the speed that made Sonic great in doing this. After all, in a 2D Sonic game, speed is what they rely on for the gameplay, they don’t have the excuse of issues with 3D level design, and they’ve stated that their intent is to bring the speed back. And really, quality gameplay trumps pretty graphics as far as I’m concerned, so as long as they get the gameplay right, I’ll be happy.
That isn’t to say that the game won’t be good looking though. After all, even the Genesis Sonic games looked great aesthetically, even though they were far more limited technically than games today. In addition, Sega has said they will be making this game HD, which is good news for those looking for some graphical punch. This, of course, leads me to believe the game will be released on the PS3 or 360 (or both), but not the Wii, as the Wii doesn’t have HD capability. Also, which consoles will get the game is just my speculation, as no details have actually been released other than it will be for a current generation console.
In any case, I find this very exciting news, as I’ve been waiting for a return to the speed that has been lost over time. Here’s hoping they make this a great game that really beings the series back to life, both in terms of excellent gameplay as well as a fan following.
