NEWS - Thursday, April 3, 2008
Sonic Unleashed Formally Announced
We reported late last month that SEGA had a new Sonic game in the works and that it would go by the name Sonic Unleashed. Sure enough, earlier today the company that created the little blue hedgehog confirmed the aforementioned title and that the game will release on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii and PlayStation 2 and is scheduled to release by holiday 2008.Sonic Unleashed will make use of SEGA’s proprietary "Hedgehog Engine" (in development for the last three years) which is said to utilize new lighting techniques as well as other graphics technology to make the speed of Sonic come to life. Unleashed tells the story of Dr. Eggman once again wreaking havoc the world over. It’s up to Sonic to literally piece the seven continents of the world back together by utilizing the power of the chaos emeralds. According to the press release, day and night cycles will also factor into the type of action that players will be engaging in, not to mention what continent they’re on, saying, "as the sun sets, a new adventure awakens." Players will also have "four new speed mechanics" to use while streaking around the 2D and 3D environments, though there was no indication of how the new speed-based abilities would factor into gameplay.
"It is an exciting time for the Sonic franchise as we look to reinvent our hero while staying true to the spirit of what made him an industry icon," said Sean Ratcliffe, Vice President of Marketing at SEGA of America. "Sonic Unleashed will introduce a new, unexpected storyline along with innovative gameplay that compliments traditional skills and features, allowing players to experiment and engage in new ways."
Sonic Unleashed is scheduled for release this holiday on Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, and Wii. We’ll have more info on the newest addition to the long running series as soon as it becomes available.
Source: http://www.ign.com
