Nearly twenty years after the release of the first title in the
Sonic the Hedgehog series, the newly announced
Sonic Generations will include gameplay both in the classic 2D and modern 3D styles.
Planned for a holiday 2011 release on the Xbox 360 and PS3,
Sonic Generations will include levels playable as both a 2D Sonic modeled after the original Sega Genesis titles and a 3D version with new moves and abilities from more recent
Sonic games, as hinted at in
a recent teaser trailer.
Today's announcement also promises "an innovative new interactive menu system" that will slowly reveal new characters and treasures throughout the game.
“By having the classic 1991 Sonic that many fans know and love team up with his modern day incarnation, we are bringing back the nostalgia of the early days of Sonic and combining it with the innovation and stunning HD technology of the modern gaming era," said David Corless, Global Brand Director for Sonic.
The announcement comes during a somewhat unsettled time for the Sonic franchise, which has seen countless reinventions to try to recapture the series' original popularity over the years.
Sonic Colors producer Takashi Iizuka
said in an interview last October that he changed the design of the 3D game to appeal more to fans of Nintendo's
Mario series. That title went on to
ship 1.85 million copies through January across the Wii and Nintendo DS.
Multi-platform digital release
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1, meanwhile, returned the series to its 2D roots and became
the top seller on PlayStation Network in its launch month last October.
Sonic co-creator Yuji Naka
left Sega in 2006 to create
Let's Tap and
Ivy the Kiwi? developer Prope.
