New 2D, HD Sonic Game Coming In 2010

Anonymouse writes "Sonic the Hedgehog is going back to his roots, but with a fresh coat of HD paint. 'An all-new 2D side-scrolling High Definition Sonic game is coming with a 2010 release date, according to a new teaser trailer from Sega.' Sega's Ken Ballough had this to say: 'Old-school Sonic fans have long asked to see Sonic return to a more 2D style of gameplay. Many liked the daytime stages in Unleashed but wanted to see a game that plays purely similar to the early games of the Genesis. Project Needlemouse is that critical first step that brings Sonic back to his 2D roots.'"

Comments

Nice!

[maroonhat]

I always thought Sonic's transition to 3d was much less graceful than say, Mario's. Maybe it was the high speed and the weird feel of the Dreamcast controller that made me feel like I was influencing Sonic's motions, not controlling them.

Re:Nice!

[Shadow of Eternity]

Well mario made sense because he was a slower platformer to begin with and even in 2d had a reasonable amount of exploration already built in (mario3).

Sonic games... if you look at "maps" of the levels, they're ENORMOUS. Doing that in 3d would be almost impossible so they needed to both slow down sonic and find ways to make you feel like you were going faster and farther than you really were. Thus you get lots of grinding and levels that are basically roads floating in the middle of the air. Since Super Sonic basically went even faster still and was invincible except for crushing and falling into pits he had to go out the window too, it'd be impossible to control or map for and remove their carefully planned interruptions.

Going back to 2d and not on a handheld means there's a chance to get those looooong levels that aren't based on "haha didn't see that coming" tiny screen cheap shots and grinding/rocketing/whatevering level gimmicks back. Along with hopefully the old emerald system.

A list of what not to include

[Haoie]

-Every character except Sonic, Tales, and Knuckles
-Clumsy, overbearing storyline
-Rail grinding
-Furries

Re:A list of what not to include

[Anonymous Coward]

Screw what the fans want. Wait, isn't that what they've been doing for the past five years?

Bring on the old school gameplay! Mm, will he go back to his old Mega Drive appearance?

Re:A list of what not to include

[PenisLands]

And also voice acting.

Yeah, right.

[Perseid]

This is Sega making a Sonic game in the 21st century. You just KNOW they're going to find some way to fuck it up. It's company policy.

Re:Let me guess

[Lord Byron II]

$60 for a good game. Who cares if it's 2D or 3D? Or if it takes 12 hours or 120 hours?

If your definition of a good game is being 3D and taking forever to complete, then I have a copy of Superman 64 I'd like to sell you.

Re:Let me guess

[Applekid]

The real issue is that there hasn't been a good SONIC game for over a decade. And by that it isn't allegiance to the character but the playstyle: large 2D maps with many many routes that are more fun to play when going fast but proportionately more perilous.

Let's face it, transitioning a classic non-RPG game to 3D requires supporting game mechanics to change dramatically. Compare games that jumped between 2D and 3D: Ninja Gaiden, Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Prince of Persia. All of them keep familiar elements to continue to feel like part of the franchise (which I'd argue is a bad and constraining thing) but ultimately require more subdued game play due to complexity. If you deny that they require a different way to think about games, look at Lemmings 3D, Blaster Master Blasting Again, or every Sonic game after Sonic 3D Blast, inclusively. It's more than just adding a Z axis.

Sonic to date has been about playing to furry fantasies and adding characters taking a cue from Sanrio's Hello Kitty to give it some faux richness and complexity and moving to 3D just to compete in the screenshot arena when the game is not ready for it and really is just about going fast and smashing up creative mechanical bosses.