“Woohoo! Now we’re talkin’! Bring it on!”
Sonic the Hedgehog has been a household name ever since the blue anthropomorphic mammal exploded on to the 16-bit video game scene in 1991. Created by Yuji Naka and Sega’s Sonic Team division, the first Sonic the Hedgehog game debuted on the Sega Genesis to smash success after Sega requested a company mascot character.
Well, Sega certainly got their wish. Sonic soon became one of the most recognizable fictional characters in the world… even beating out Mickey Mouse for a time.
Unfortunately, unlike the Mouse and more like Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft before her 2013 origin story reboot, Sonic’s glory days seem to have passed him by. Latter-day successive Sonic sequels have generated nothing but continuous fan outcries of disappointment… enough so that the continued release of Sonic titles have been likened to the Sonic Circle:
But longtime love of Sonic blue cannot be denied, and iOS and Android ports of the classic games are still selling well on both mobile platforms. Maybe this is what continues to prompt Sega’s continued refusal to admit defeat and to keep on coming up new Sonic titles intended to jumpstart the series again.
Well, it’s still a little early (see above circle), but it looks like they just might have it this time.
Once more, with feeling!
Enter Sonic Lost World, the latest in the Blue Blur’s wacky adventures. A new ‘Colors’ trailer for the upcoming title was just released today, giving fans a sneak peek at the brand new enemies our plucky blue hero must now face in order to save the day.
Outfitted with new powers and abilities, it looks like part of the gameplay will now have Sonic taking on Kirby-like transformations… from a flying red rocket ship bird to rampaging purple planet to bouncing pink music note master. All this along with a return of his color powers seems like plain red, white, and (most importantly) blue just isn’t going to cut it anymore.
Nintendo exclusive
For those players already lying in eager (and probably wary) wait for the newest iteration of anthropomorphic hedgehog adventures, Lost World will be debuting as a Nintendo exclusive on the 3DS and the Wii U.
In lieu of another Mario title, Sonic Lost World looks like Nintendo’s latest bid to boost flagging Wii U sales. While Sonic titles have continued to be a little touch and go in terms of sales in recent years, the character remains more memorable than some of Nintendo’s other exclusive game characters like Bayonetta, new ‘do or otherwise.
Osaka-based development studio Dimps will be handling the 3DS version, while tried and true Sonic Team continues work on the Wii U version. Each version comes outfitted with their own unique style of multiplayer mode.
Sonic Lost World is expected for release on October 22.
Published: Jul 17, 2013 01:50 pm