Today marks Sonic the Hedgehog's 20th birthday. Kind of crazy to think how long the little guy's endured. I know I spent most of my childhood playing 16-bit Sonic games on the Sega Genesis, blasting through levels, making my little sister play as Tails and standing out of the way while I made her beat bosses for me. Bwahaha! Unlike Sonic's last birthday celebration (his 15th - which gave us the release of 2006's Sonic the Hedgehog, a game that was universally panned by critics) SEGA is serving up some retro fun!
1.) Sonic Generations!
Sonic Generations is the new upcoming Sonic game for PS3 and Xbox 360. Sega has transformed classic Sonic stages (like the familiar Green Hill Zone) into modern, 3D stages that will feature both the old, pudgy Sonic we grew up with, alongside the slimmer, more modern Sonic we know today. Retro Sonic's levels will feature 2D platforming, while Modern Sonic will be adventuring in 3D. How the two play-styles seam together has yet to be seen, but now, for twenty days only, you can download and play a free demo of the first level on PSN and XBLA.
I gave the demo a whirl - it's short - and it really was just what Sega promised - chubby, 2D Sonic speeding through Green Hill Zone, with the same enemies and the same level design, only modernized to today's graphical standards. It was bright and vibrant and looked really great. There was no demo of the 3D platforming, but I can honestly say I'm looking forward to this one, especially if the 3D portions are anything like Sonic Colors. (Also, if you're a jaded Sonic fan who hasn't tried Sonic Colors - do it NOW! It will restore your faith in the Sonic franchise.)
Also - they brought the spin dash back for Generations. Hallelujah!!
2.) Sonic Savings!
Sega has some great savings on classic Sonic games! For a limited time, XBLA will be offering Sonic titles for up to 50% off, while Sega has a PC bundle including six Sonic titles for $14.97 available for download at their site. But you better move like a hedgehog: these deals are only good until the end of June.
PSN users get a bundle deal as well: for the next twenty days, you can download the Sonic the Hedgehog bundle which includes the original Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1, and Sonic Adventure. It's on sale for $19.99, a $20 value!
3.) Sonic Balloon!
Did you know that Sonic was the first video game character to appear in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade? (Eat that, Mario!) He made his first appearance in 1993. Now, Sonic will be returning to the parade this year with an all-new balloon featuring his modern look!
Hey guys, I'm changing up the format for retro releases. Rather than having one post with all the week's upcoming retro games, I'm just going to do a post for each company. Currently, Sony releases on Tuesday, Microsoft on Wednesday, and Nintendo, previously Monday, have now started releasing on Thursday.
No Nintendo Virtual Console or e-Shop releases this week. Boo.
