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I, like probably most of you out there, gave up hope on the Sonic the Hedgehog series long ago. Let's face it: the series went down the shitter once the Dreamcast died. Plus, that teaser trailer from April didn't help matters for Sonic Unleashed, either.

After watching this above trailer, though, I feel like I'm going to cry. I'm sorry, I just thought I'd never see the day when a good Sonic game is made again.

This trailer shows off everything a good Sonic game should have: fast-paced levels, gorgeous environments, and music that sounds like what Sonic music should sound like (none of this "I want to fly high" crap ... admittedly, I like that song, but it's just not appropriate for a Sonic game). I can't believe all of this is in-game footage, too (notice all the context-sensitive buttons thrown around). 

If this is what the game is really turning out to be, then you better believe I'm excited for Sonic Unleashed now. How about you?

[Via Rorschach's C Blog]








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117 comments | showing # 1 to 50
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eternalplayer2345's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 01:48
eternalplayer2345
My socks full.
naia-the-gamer's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 01:50
naia-the-gamer
I want to be excited for it, but I've also seen the way the Sonic series has gone over the last 15 years.

Call me a negative Nancy, but I need more to be convinced that this will be awesome. Fans have been burned for a long time.

This is a step in the right direction though.
xdaytime's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 01:51
xdaytime
Oh, my, god. That was sick. I am loving the new sound effects...
Wedge's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 01:52
Wedge
I don't really care for the apparent abundance of interactive cutscenes. The 2d sections do look nice, and I liked the music. If anything, this seems to borrow a lot from the Sonic Rush games on DS, which are fun. I guess I'll try it, but this doesn't make me crazy excited.
iwontusemyname's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 01:53
iwontusemyname
it doesn't look like you do anything!!

it looks more like "Quick Time Events: THE GAME"!

i mean, it looks pretty and it's going fast, but i'd rather have a straight up platform with good physics/momentum and a nice sense of speed. the way sonic used to be.

but i doubt that will ever happen again. so considering that, this looks ok.
DinnertimeNinja's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 01:54
DinnertimeNinja
And you can call me a Negative Ned because this game looks like a giant version of God of War and RE4's Quick Time Events (I think that's what they're called).

How much control over Sonic do you actually HAVE in this game? Looks like more of a rythm game than a sonic game.
iwontusemyname's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 01:58
iwontusemyname
I KNOW, right?!

but yeah, the music sounds nice.
Zulu's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 01:59
Zulu
It looks good, but I'm still going to wait for a D-toid Review on it.
Coonskin05's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 01:59
Coonskin05
iwontusemyname said pretty much exactly what I was thinking. It looks like all you do is hold forward and have a QTE every minute or so. Not sure if want.
MAFAKKA's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 02:01
MAFAKKA
It looks like you're on rails and you just move left or right to avoid crap. Admittedly, the scenery is beautiful, and its EXTREMELY fast. I dunno tho. This looks like something I'll have to see more of to be sure. One can always hope!
mgspada's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 02:01
mgspada
It's not perfect, but it's clearly a thousand times better than any console Sonic game since the Genesis. I don't even care that the only real controls in the game are right and the QTE buttons. It's a beautiful looking game with catchy music, and whether or not it will be deep, it will be fun.
Hamza CTZ Aziz's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 02:08
Hamza CTZ Aziz
There are a couple of scenes that show Sonic engaging in fights with his homing attack. I think the trailer is trying to show off the fact that the Sonic game will have a heavy focus on speed. There is at least one scene in that trailer where Sonic isn't running.

Don't forget that the original Sonic games where nothing but running right and jumping when appropriate. If you mess up the quick time events, Sonic will obviously smack into a wall or whatever and get slowed down here. Look at it like this: This doesn't look a thing like the last Xbox 360 Sonic game.
Chaoticwolf's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 02:08
Chaoticwolf
Looks like the level plays itself.


Still, it looks great.
ZekeThePlumber's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 02:09
ZekeThePlumber
Well, at least they didn't replace the platforming with vehicle creation and racing! I'll reserve judgment till I see how much of this is QTEs over platforming.

I WANT to want it.
iwontusemyname's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 02:12
iwontusemyname
don't forget, we still haven't seen the werewolf thing yet. not saying that in a negative fashion, because i honestly don't know what it will look like or how it will play. nobody has.

i just don't want it to be like sonic adventure 2 all over again. fast parts mixed with other less fun parts.
iwontusemyname's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 02:15
iwontusemyname
and contrary to popular belief, classic sonic was NOT all about running and jumping. the speed was the reward for having excellent flow and momentum. you didn't have to barrel through the loop dee loop if you didn't want to.

but most of us forgot about that thanks to the SA games, where fast set pieces were key. and now we'll all settle for going fast through the game.
tsunamikitsune's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 02:17
tsunamikitsune
I think it's shaping up a lot better than I expected it to. The werehog trailer made me want to hang myself, but I'm kinda looking forward to it now.

The only problem is, I just know I'm going to get an hour into the game and have my enjoyment level plummet when I have to fight as Were-Sonic.
Trevor McGee's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 02:18
Trevor McGee
Are you serious? It look like crap to me. It seems to focus seems almost solely on speed, but that's not was Sonic was ever truly about. The speed was just the frosting on the cake that came in short burst to add some more excitement, but the games really shined in platforming. Seriously, it doesn't look like you do anything except watch and occasionally hit a button. I'm sorry but if anyone thinks of the original Sonic games when they see this, then they really don't know much about good Sonic games. Also, no, I don't consider the Dreamcast Sonic's very good either, Genesis is where it was best.
nintendoll's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 02:19
nintendoll
@XL1ska

Hello? Did you ever PLAY Sonic Adventure on Dreamcast?

This looks, if nothing else...SO PRETTY!

And since the Sonic on Genesis was all about speed, QTE seem almost appropriate, as long as it's not the only part of the game. If they add all of the little secret areas like they did in the Genesis games, it will be a fun map to play through fast AND to go through again for the sake of exploring. That was one of the things I loved about the older Sonic games
PSIq0ut's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 02:20
PSIq0ut
yeah... Sega trailers are always good. Erm the games....
Phoenix Gamma's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 02:20
Phoenix Gamma
This level practically plays itself. I remember when killing enemies meant more than running into them.

MGS4 has more gameplay than this.
Dr Milkdad's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 02:25
Dr Milkdad
Wow, I'm blown away, it looks like how a Sonic game should be, and looks pretty damn fun. It looks like Sega has finally figured out how to do Sonic in 3D, and for that, I'm happy.

The 2D/3D element seem to mesh together, quite well. The sense of speed is awesome, and it doesn't look like the game will be playing itself. We'll see how the 3D platforming works out I guess, but this portion of the game look.

Very happy.
RRDelay's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 02:31
RRDelay
We all want 2D platform sonic and nothing else. I never did think the series could truly emulate the feel in 3d one bit, and i stands by it darnit.
ZServ's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 02:32
ZServ
I'm fapping right now.
Orionsaint's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 02:32
Orionsaint
It seems to have gone back to basics. Just a straight forward game with a simple story and themed levels, like level 1-1, 1-2, 1-3 with a modern look. No more of this silly 3D roaming for sonic. Just unabashed speed and jumping.
Infinite Obscurity's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 02:34
Infinite Obscurity
Disclaimer: This trailer is comprised entirely of holding forward on the analog stick.

Damn, even Sonic and the Secret Rings had more gameplay than this. That said, I still have hope for this game. Hopefully they can achieve the right balance of interactivity and fancy shit.
jestarinc's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 02:42
jestarinc
Whilst this trailer does look promising, it just seems like a huge QTE fest as some has said.

And for those whom think old school Sonic was purely about speed, you are missing the point like SEGA has done so many times since SA. Sonic the Hedgehog was about finding your own way to the end of the level via multiple routes, with the use of speed to help you go on your desired route. Sonic was never a race, and now that SEGA seems to think that it always was one, the series has lost its way.

Well, at least this game doesn't look BAD.... for now
Elandarex's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 02:42
Elandarex
Despite the fact that gameplay seems to be practically non-existent, I do like the fact that he appears to be destroying robots solely with his hyper-accelerated face. Though I would much rather he would take them out with his spiky hedgehogedness like in the old days.
iwontusemyname's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 02:53
iwontusemyname
well, at least this trailer inspired a blog out of me.
golemnist's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 02:53
golemnist
Its like seeing a friend who you thought died years ago; hopeful, you're hopeful but your buddy could be a zombie or a robot assassin. In other words, i'm cautiously optimistic. I want this game to be good.
golemnist's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 02:54
golemnist
oops, added and extra hopeful!
Brahms's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 03:14
Brahms
I'll be the fifteenth to say that this looks like Quick Time Events: Sonic the Hedgehog Edition. Sonic is not all about speed- as was said before, the moments of speed were a sort of reward for passing through more complicated pieces of platforming.

The levels in the Genesis games were full of things that would slow you down, such as enemies, spikes, pits, water hazards, and platforming segments. And you could bypass many of them through quick reflexes and smart use of momentum. In the those games, you would simply have to take an alternate route through the level if you missed a jump- in the later games there was only one path, and missing a jump meant either certain death or a temporary stop in the action. It essentially became nothing more than "Jump through the hoops or die," so to speak.

That said, I'm still hesitant. This is a step in the right direction, but it looks far from great.
Samit Sarkar's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 03:33
Samit Sarkar
It certainly looks beautiful graphics-wise, but like most other people, I’m still worried about the game’s focus on speed. I don’t want to blaze through the levels like that; I want to take my time and enjoy the scenery. But we’ll see.
Monte's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 03:39
Monte
Ya... this does not look like much imo... honestly it's looks like it's nothign but the god of war target event things; those were pretty cool, but the real gameplay was just about everything else... i can't really see what the player is really doing... and i'm really turned off by the whole "just barrel through all the enemies"; i remember back when running into an enemy was one the biggest messes you could get into when moving at high speeds. I'm with jestarinc on this... really, the old sonic game were NOT about speed

i tired to find the old article that mentioned downright everything that sega needed to do to make a good sonic game... but i can't find it for the life of me... i remember one of the points being that Sonic was a platformer FIRST and a speed game like second...

And while looking for that article i stumbled upon this from sonic and the secret rings....
http://www.destructoid.com/sonic-wii-video-footage-a-new-sonic-game-that-doesn-t-suck--29573.phtml#comment
Key line...
"Believe it or not, it seems as if SEGA may actually be capable of making a Sonic game that doesn't suck. I know, it's odd to think of, but the more footage that slips out for Sonic and the Secret Rings for the Wii, the more it appears as if these peeps finally got their act together."

ah, how history repeats itself...
do yourselves a favor, and don;t get excited or overhyped... it will only make the fall hurt a lot more... keep low expectation and you can never be hurt (and if it turns out to be good, then its still a plus, win-win)

@golemnist
zombie? robot? No no no, you see in this case it's a werewolf kinda thing...
ParaParaKing's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 03:52
ParaParaKing
I would give Sonic another go, if this turns out to be fun.

Also: Insert witty comment about this being beautiful but a collection of quick time events here.
xe-cute's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 03:57
xe-cute
I looks nice and I am glad they have kinda stepped back more into the roots of the game.

However, I think too looks too linear... I did notice some altern\aztive routes in that trailer, however not enough for my liking.

The thing I liked about the original ones where the fact that you could choose to a pretty high degree your exact route and have a choice and combination of many.

This looks like every so often you can go one way or the other which ain't enough for me.

Shame as it had potential if only there was more routes open like the original sonic games abck in the old Megadrive days.
RAB's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 03:57
RAB
that music sounds like shit and i think you're all on crack


but the game looks great
UglyDuck's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 04:11
UglyDuck
Seeing the title, I expected a revelation from SEGA, a true realisation about what made their games entertaining and a return to form. What I saw was a pretty QTA game.

Was Sonic a QTA game when it was released? No, it wasn't. It was a platformer. Don't get me wrong, if the game is a fun QTA game, then who am I to argue that it's wrong. The problem is that SEGA apparently just aren't getting it - they're not good at them.

Just look at that video. Did the player crash once? No, that's why it looked like fun. What about when you crash, lose a third of your health bar, spend 10 seconds recovering, and then die a moment later when it happens twice more? Will it be fun then?

There are two ways the sonic franchise can go, effectively returning to form as close as possible. One is a 2D, HD Sonic game - the equivalent of Street Fighter HD - the original style of platforming elements, some dry wit and self reference, and a massive cast of sonic characters for fun.

If however the franchise has to go 3D, I would be partial to seeing a more open-world style of platforming. One that doesn't require you to do anything, but that you want to do because it's there. But honestly, doing a 3D sonic game would require a massive overhaul of their current attitude, more than just a simple "hey, this is what you should do".
Justice's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 04:14
Justice
It's looking pretty good!
Zulu's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 04:21
Zulu
@RAB

I agree, the music does sound like shit. It sounds like a rejected track from a Mcdonald's commercial.
Sirapak's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 04:30
Sirapak
It is looking good. The music got better. Who knows though who says the whole game will just be sonic running in a 2d to 3d mode fashion the whole game? or that other characters will be used? We shall see :). I hope sega is saving some epic gameplay on the side. lol imagine sonic multiplayer. That might suck lol.
iwontusemyname's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 04:32
iwontusemyname
sonic heroes, while fucking shit, had two things that are KEY for a good sonic game:

awesome looking levels

and

amazing music.


let's just keep that in mind, sega.
stevephoenix's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 04:36
stevephoenix
oh my god a sonic game i may buy on launch
Throbbing Mob's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 04:38
Throbbing Mob
I'll be honest, I was never really ever into sonic, but is it strange that i now have sexual feelings for this new and improved beauty? looks sweet. sounds sweet, lets see how it plays
Burnt Meatloaf's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 05:38
Burnt Meatloaf
You could choose your paths in the original Sonic games. This is on-rails at 8x speed, with automatic camera control for minimum control and maximum frustration. Also, there's almost no chain-reaction moves except maybe for wall-jumping. Jumping off a ledge and smushing a line of Goombas > wall jumping.

I'm sure somebody will like it, but this is not an old-fashioned Sonic game.
Marioland's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 06:00
Marioland
It looks like it plays itself. Fast paced QTE actions to Giggy music. But, i do not think that this is the game itself because we don't know its control schemes yet and we've seen only some bits of Gameplay.
I don't know what to feel guys, seriously. I hope this is a real change of Sonic franchise.... But, I can't be too excited....
Jim Sterling's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 06:14
Jim Sterling
Looks as good as Sonic and the Secret Shit was when trailers were out. I really do have hope for it, but that gameplay is NOT what made Sonic good. Old school Sonic games did not consist of holding down one button to go really first. There was actual level design in those games.

However, the music is fucking awesome.
Mista Smegheneghan's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 06:44
Mista Smegheneghan
this looks freaking awesome! now if they put as much effort into the gameplay as they did with the trailers, sonic wouldn't be crap
AgentMOO's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 06:54
AgentMOO
This game looks to have no economy of speed. In the original games you had to build it up - you didn't just press start and blaze through.
Haxan's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/18/2008 07:14
Haxan
This looks just like the Wii game that's already out, but with a camera that every so often turns it into a side-scroller. And that Wii game only held my interest for barely 20 minutes.

In this trailer with all of the bad guys jumping up on you, there seems to be zero rection time. Which probably explains why the levels seem so barren of enemies. They need to get rid of almost all the behind the back camera shots, only use them for emphasis of things like corkscrews and loops. Just bring it back to its side-scrolling roots, but in 2.5-D, like New Super Mario Brothers. That would get every Sonic fan an unlimited amount of joy. That would be "doing it right".

(Or, you know. There's that whole High Def 2D thing that 9url=http://www.racketboy.com/retro/sega/2008/04/sonic-the-hedgehog-2-hd-remix-may-become-reality.html]their fan-base is going to beat them to[/url].)
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