SEGA announces Sonic the Hedgehog 4

By Tom Bramwell Published 4 February, 2010

Project Needlemouse takes shape.

SEGA has announced Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 for release on PS3, Wii and Xbox 360 this summer as a downloadable title.

Sonic 4 is the official name for "Project Needlemouse", SEGA's attempt to reboot the series with a new high-definition 2D platform adventure.

According to SEGA's Ken Balough, speaking to GameSpot, the game is set after Megadrive title Sonic & Knuckles and sees Sonic equipped with a homing attack in addition to spin dash, power sneakers and other familiar abilities.

The game runs in 1080p on PS3 and Xbox 360 and 480p on Wii, and will offer motion control via Wiimote or PS3 Sixaxis, along with online leaderboards for speed-running enthusiasts.

Balough also explained the "Episode 1" bit of the name. "When SEGA released Sonic 3, ultimately it was the part one of a story that saw its conclusion in Sonic & Knuckles. In that same spirit, Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is a bigger story, and this is that first chapter," he said.

SEGA recently revealed that Sonic is the only playable character in Sonic the Hedgehog 4.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (57) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • wizlon #1 2 years ago

    So can I plug my Wii into my PS3 to play chapter 1 as Knuckles then?

  • CosmicFuzz #2 2 years ago

    Meh.

  • altitude2k #3 2 years ago

    FINALLY

    THE

    PENNY

    DROPS

  • altitude2k #4 2 years ago

    Made me feel all tingly watching that trailer. I haven't been quite so excited about a Sonic game in a long long time.

  • Jonathan_Fakenham #5 2 years ago

    All that mystery and hype for a simple number increment?

  • Eraysor #6 2 years ago

    Homing attack worries me, but regardless this is the best thing to happen in the series for a decade.

  • Triggerhappytel #7 2 years ago

    It seems that maybe Sega are fucking finally listening to their audience, but after 15-odd years since I played a good Sonic game, I'm still finding it hard to give a shit. Sonic Team have screwed up so often I would question whether they have the talent left to make a good game.

    I also love the way this guy skirts around the obvious clue that it will be a series of downloadable titles.

  • peteb #8 2 years ago

    Nah homing attack should be fine, if implemented properly :)

  • RobotRocker #9 2 years ago

    So what stage of the cycle are we on now?

  • peteb #10 2 years ago

    Excitement prior to some game wrecking annoucement, I think.

  • jonsaan #11 2 years ago

    The number of times these eediots have said they are rebooting the series. Just because they only promise Sonic doesn't mean they will avoid stretchy arm/Mech/Car/Tailflying levels.

  • asphaltcowboy #12 2 years ago

    Wot altitude2k said! FINALLY!

  • StooMonster #13 2 years ago

    2D game in HD, very nice.

    But years of disappointment with Sonic games makes me sceptical that Sega can do a New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

    How about the original Sonic 1 through 3 in HD format, but same games, as bonus? Although I guess that's the kind of thing they make DLC.

  • jonsaan #14 2 years ago

    The fact that the trailer states 'Speed Returns' shows that they still don't get what made the first couple of games great. Speed was only occasional, the rest of the time you were exploring the level at your own pace. In fact the speed bits just linked parts of the level, control wise you had very little input for those couple of seconds.

  • the_dudefather #15 2 years ago

    @jonsaan

    "Speed is something that is not given; but rather earned through dedication. Speed is not found by simply pushing a boost button, but by building momentum. It is the reward for skill in the face of difficult challenges – this kind of speed is the most exhilarating, not only because it is fast, but because of the pure perfection such speed exemplifies. This is the truth of the original Sonic games – and this is the truth of Project Needlemouse."

    I guess 'momentum returns' doesn't look good on a trailer, but yeah, I hope they do a lot of cool platforming stuff like in sonic 1 or 2 rather than just 'speed' (which is all that Rush seemed to do)
    Edited by 1 at 04/02/10 @ 10:10

  • Antaios #16 2 years ago

    At last Sega gets it. 2D Sonic in HD. God knows we've been screaming it at them for years already.

    Sworn not to get excited about a Sonic game anymore, but I can't help myself on this one.

    Edit: I think I would have actually bought 'Pikachu in a Sombrero', had it been that.
    Edited by 1 at 04/02/10 @ 10:17

  • viper_h #17 2 years ago

    I think I just crapped myself...

    THIS is what Sega should have been doing 10 years ago! I do hope they pull off a NSMB and not screw it up like being set on Earth or any stupid shit that Sonic Adventure et al tried to do. Sonic is set on Mobius! Mobius!!! And no voice acting. Please.
    Edited by 1 at 04/02/10 @ 10:15

  • muscleblade #18 2 years ago

    I new this was going to be a downloadable title. I think its the right decision too. Episodes also sounds good to me.

  • WinterSnowblind #19 2 years ago

    I haven't been hyped about any Sonic game since SA2, but this does look geniunely good and shockingly the leak from a few weeks back that reported it would be Sonic 4, episodic and contain eight levels, etc, seems to have been dead on. The gameplay here actually looks very good though, definitely excited about this one.

    A little disappointed that they didn't redesign Sonic though, I'd have prefered to see the older version with the shorter spines. But I can live with that.

  • Hix15 #20 2 years ago

    I mite be mistaken but didn't the homing attack exist in some of the 2D handheld iterations?

  • VicViper #21 2 years ago

    Goddamn that teaser has my anticipaction level super high, the sound effects and the fact that its back in 2D.
    The way they did the old school Sega logo brought back memories.
    Please don't be shit, Please!

  • awb83 #22 2 years ago

    Seems canny promising.

  • Shikasama #23 2 years ago

    *ahem*

    'OMG! New game has something old game doesn't! Eurogamer comments section certain that new game fails!'

    Please people, more important things than having a 'homing attack' on Sonic. I think we'll be OK.

  • Kami #24 2 years ago

    Fuck me... what is that sound in the distance... is it a choir of angels... something about Hallelujah... it's beautiful. It's honestly like they've heard our prayers.

    edit; Though they can still screw it up, finally it seems like something has twigged.

    edit edit; Homing attack was only necessary in a 3D environment. 2D games never had and never needed such a mechanic.
    Edited by 2 at 04/02/10 @ 10:40

  • peteb #25 2 years ago

    I never thought I'd be so excited about a Sonic game again. But there you go, glutton for punishment! Looking at the vid though it seems like they are on the right track.

    I hope you can still play as Super Sonic in the normal stages. Having Super Sonic as a last level always annoyed me in the 3D sonics, it was always fun blazing through the normal stages as Sonic's shiny gold self.
    Edited by 2 at 04/02/10 @ 10:40

  • IneptPercy #26 2 years ago

    Go Sega...

    Now just announce the Dreamcast 2 and destroy the PS3 and all the evil around it.

    The blue skies are coming back!

  • Steroyd #27 2 years ago

    So what stage of the cycle are we on now?

    Let's see phase 1, is where Sega announce a new title, say it's gone back to Sonic's roots, which gets the fans hopeful/hyped.

    I'd say we're still at phase 1, phase 2 would be showing gameplay and announcing his additional sh**ty playable friends, which I'm guessing will happen near E3.

    I've been punched in the crotch so many times over the years, but seeing as they're making a 2D sonic, I'm willing to take a hit one more time, afterall if they can't make a competant 2D Sonic then god help them.

  • Kami #28 2 years ago

    It was like a revisit to Green Hills all those years ago, that trailer... it's good to see it that way. And tbh, it looks fantastic that way. Why on earth did they fuck up a good thing?

    I reserve the right to still say meh at a future date, but this is certainly a real call back to my youth when I thought Sonic was awesome. That was just too much a reminder of what I loved, and what I am hoping we will see.

    Although the Episode 1 bit I'm not yet sure I'm thrilled about... more details are needed about levels per episode.

    edit; Also agree with above statement, if they fuck up a 2D Sonic then they may as well put the whole franchise out of its misery. But surely we must all be feeling a little bit of hope there... it was brief but that was a glimpse at something rather beautiful...
    Edited by 1 at 04/02/10 @ 10:50

  • Steroyd #29 2 years ago

    Homing attack was only necessary in a 3D environment. 2D games never had and never needed such a mechanic.

    True but it's probably a better deal to have that, than having Sonic's useless um whatever that ring thing was in Sonic 3 when you pressed jump twice.

    Plus he had a similar thing with the fire shield anyway albeit the ability disappearing when you lose the shield.

  • Kami #30 2 years ago

    Shield Powers, I dunno, you could rack up some silly scores and multiple lives if you knew the right spots and had a bubble shield on :p...

    But maybe you're right. Maybe the Homing Attack will bring another epiphany in a 2D environment?

  • Shikasama #31 2 years ago

    IneptPercy - There is no amount of currency I wouldn't pay for a Dreamcast 2

    Best console of all time. OF ALL TIME

  • CallousB #32 2 years ago

    "I knew this was going to be a downloadable title. I think its the right decision too"
    @muscleblade

    I disagree...certainly as far as the Wii is concerned. If they released this at retail as "New Sonic The Hedgehog"...they'd make a killing IMO.

  • Kami #33 2 years ago

    That was bordering dangerously close to a Kanye West gag, Shikasama...

  • ianegg #34 2 years ago

    Hopefully the inclusion of the homing attack isn't an indication that the controls aren't precise enough for traditional baddy stomping...

  • Shakey_Jake33 #35 2 years ago

    Have any of you guys played the rather excellent Sonic fangame 'Sonic Megamix'? Not only is it everything that a Sonic game should be, but they also threw in the homing attack. It's inclusion didn't hamper things at all, and they designed some setpieces around it, but it was largely unnecessary.

  • IneptPercy #36 2 years ago

    "IneptPercy - There is no amount of currency I wouldn't pay for a Dreamcast 2

    Best console of all time. OF ALL TIME "

    The Messiah will return!, The true father of gaming will send his second son to save us.

    The prophecy is coming true!

  • NeonStorm #37 2 years ago

    ^^ Here's a trailer:
    http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=NsYJLEwzRjc

  • Shrike #38 2 years ago

    If they're going the subtitles route, I'd have preferred

    'Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Apologies'

  • Shikasama #39 2 years ago

    Kami - You can't prove nuttin'

  • GundamJehutyKai #40 2 years ago

    Dare to hope again for a good sonic game???

  • Sunyavadin #41 2 years ago


    THIS is what Sega should have been doing 10 years ago! I do hope they pull off a NSMB and not screw it up like being set on Earth or any stupid shit that Sonic Adventure et al tried to do. Sonic is set on Mobius! Mobius!!! And no voice acting. Please.

    THIS.

    I spent the last few games praying for Robotnik to release some sort of flesh-eating bacteria to wipe out the rest of the planet's sudden human infestation.

  • TonyHarrison #42 2 years ago

    Sonic the Hedgehog - Green Hill Zone - Act 1...

    That was the peak of the series, and if we're being honest with ourselves, it's been nothing but downhill since then.

    They need to recapture what made that one level so brilliant..

  • Artemus #43 2 years ago

    After watching that trailer I feel strange. Yes I 'm actually excited for a new Sonic game. Don't fuck this up Sega!

  • FenderMaster #44 2 years ago

    Looks and sounds worryingly like Sonic Rush... homing attack? why is it necessary in a 2D platformer? it was only provided in other newer sonic titles as a crutch for bad gameplay design/controls!

    I know lots of you liked it because it was fast, but i want a classic megadrive style Sonic, and Sonic Rush aint it...

    please, please be a platformer and not a "hold right" rollercoaster!

  • cherryuk #45 2 years ago

    Sounds like it could be a 2.5D type of thing, but they should keep it purely 2D IMO

  • Stomp224 #46 2 years ago

    Goddamn it. I KNEW this was gonna be the case, but I still pissed my pants in excitement.

    My inner 7 year old refuses to give up hope. (For the record, my inner 7 year old liked Sonic Unleashed, and is a figment of my imagination. I have not captured a young child and projected my childish hopes onto them >_>;)

  • fizzyfish #47 2 years ago

    I won't be too surprised when a limited selection of extra playable characters e.g. just Tail and Knuckles, return in later episodes, perhaps becoming available for playing through Episode 1. I think everyone agrees that Sonic 3 & Knuckles was great and I don't think they'll be able to resist trying the same storytelling, with some criss-crossing events for multiple characters, and maybe a little bit of backwards compatibility...sorry, not cynical enough: retroactive unlockables.

    Not to sound negative in any way: if they're trying to recapture the 90s magic, then I'm all for it. Very excited :D

  • Nithron #48 2 years ago

    It's a shame, because I think Sonic Team actually got 3D sonic exactly right - in Sonic Adventure 2. God knows what happened to them between that and the horrific abortion that was Heroes, however.

  • fizzyfish #49 2 years ago

    Another thing... has anyone else thought that an HD Sonic game in the vein of Sonic Rush would be great?

    Sonic Rush on the DS was a different and welcome take on the old Sonic gameplay, but suffered because the limited forward visibility turned the gameplay into a (frustrating) test for the memory and reflexes. (Canabalt suffers for similar reasons, although that game's just about reflexes because the levels are random).

    If you produce a sprite-based 2D Sonic game with assets at the same level of detail as the old games and use the extra pixels of an HD display to show as much as possible of the surrounding level, Sonic will be small but, more importantly, fast (with respect to his surroundings). There would be no surprise Blind Chasms of Doom etc. and the player can focus on reading ahead to plan their button presses, acrobatic moves and keep Sonic's speed up. I guess I'm imagining what would happen if we crossed classic Sonic with N Ninja...

  • FenderMaster #50 2 years ago

    Another thing... has anyone else thought that an HD Sonic game in the vein of Sonic Rush would be great?

    Sonic Rush on the DS was a different and welcome take on the old Sonic gameplay, but suffered because the limited forward visibility turned the gameplay into a (frustrating) test for the memory and reflexes. (Canabalt suffers for similar reasons, although that game's just about reflexes because the levels are random).

    If you produce a sprite-based 2D Sonic game with assets at the same level of detail as the old games and use the extra pixels of an HD display to show as much as possible of the surrounding level, Sonic will be small but, more importantly, fast (with respect to his surroundings). There would be no surprise Blind Chasms of Doom etc. and the player can focus on reading ahead to plan their button presses, acrobatic moves and keep Sonic's speed up. I guess I'm imagining what would happen if we crossed classic Sonic with N Ninja...

    I really don't care for Sonic Rush's hold right rollercoaster design... and the levels just felt like re-skins, they looked different, but all felt the same...

  • fizzyfish #51 2 years ago

    @FenderMaster - I'd agree with you there... I'd prefer more interesting, varied environments that you have to think about and concentrate on and require inventiveness to navigate. As for 'all out speed', I hope the developers have realised that traversing an environment/track in the quickest way usually involves knowing when to slow down, too! And I didn't agree with the boost in Rush: momentum should always be earned. I even still slightly resent the Spin Dash :)

  • altitude2k #52 2 years ago

    I don't know if anyone else has said this, but it looks like we've got to put up with "Eggman" being the bad guy, rather than being called "Robotnik". A minor detail, but a real shame in my opinion.

  • TruSmiles #53 2 years ago

    I don't think the homing attack is a big deal. Both Sonic 2 and Sonic 3 brought new moves with them, so if a homing attack is the only new addition, then it's fine with me. Besides, the fireball shield from Sonic 3 is pretty similar.

  • N.A.T.O #54 2 years ago

    Happy = New 2D Sonic game

    Sad = No SEGA console on which to play said game.

  • sfp_noodle #55 2 years ago

    i havent played sonic since my master system days around 15 years ago...it was awesome! but jus shows hw sonic has become a pile of shit whilst mario somehow keeps on plumbing. the younger generation can enjoy mario coz those games have been consistently excellent. sonic on the other hand will most liely only cater to the experienced gamers. either way, if it ends up being anything like it was on the mega drives and master systems, ill be jumping in for sure

  • sega #56 2 years ago

    People saying Sega should have done this 10 years ago are wrong simply because 2D didn't sell 10 years ago. It sells now because people have moved past being amazed by 3D graphics - infact graphics have reached a certain point now where normal people just arn't that impressed by them any more (hence the weakest system actually being the most popular).

    These days 2D is a welcome change and a refreshing style of gameplay - I'd even go so far as to say that people just see it as another graphics style these days rather than something old and from the past.
    Edited by 1 at 04/02/10 @ 20:07

  • wellzy4eva #57 2 years ago

    Street Fighter 4 has a lot to answer for...