Sonic just hasn't been the same ever since he made the jump into the third dimension. As one of the most famous and beloved side-scrolling icons, it's extremely difficult to watch the series' steady decline.

This may all be about to change though, with the release of Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 .

The game will be returning to its roots which is what made Sonic the icon that he is today. This time though, you won't have to sit through painful 3D action sequences in order to get your side-scrolling Sonic fix. While the art style will differ from the Sonic games of old, this seems to be the perfect fan-service, providing just the nostalgia that Sonic needs to get him back on his feet.

After the jump, check out these brand new screens from the "Sunset" level of Episode 1.

As a fan of the old-school 2D Sonic side-scrollers, I'm extremely excited to see how this game turns out.

As far as the graphics go, I'm loving the retro art style which harkens back to the days of the SEGA Genesis.

While a solid release date hasn't been announced yet, you can expect to see Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 speeding onto the Xbox Live Marketplace, Playstation Network, WiiWare, and a yet to be announced platform in the summer of 2010.

Are you excited for Sonic The Hedgehog 4 or have you been burnt too many times in the past to care anymore?

Source: Meodia