With Sonic Generations on its way in a few months, many longtime fans of the series are looking forward to taking a trip down memory lane - by speculating about what levels and bosses could appear. Yet one question that hasn't been asked yet, but probably should've been, is "what happens after?"
What's next for Sonic after he celebrates his 20th anniversary in style? Well, according to Sonic Team, the next episode of Sonic The Hedgehog 4.
You may remember Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 as a downloadable title from October of last year, acting as a 3D version of the older Sonic games from the Sega Genesis era - and taking place immediately following Sonic & Knuckles. It received a number of positive reviews, but no information regarding another episode in the series ever materialized, leading some to believe that there wouldn't be one. In an interview with Eurogamer, Sonic Team's Takashi Iikuza said that the reason for the delay was so the team could focus on Sonic Generations:
"This year, 2011, is the anniversary, so we're focusing on the celebration title. But moving forward to 2012, Sonic will still be going, so I'd hope to provide Episode 2 then."
As you can see, the quote lays out a 2012 date for Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 - though Iikuza didn't specify exactly when we'll be seeing the game.
Of course, there is still the question of just how many episodes Sonic 4 will have. A nice trilogy of titles, with a grand total of twelve levels to play, might sound about right. That said, Iikuza would not confirm or deny a third installment of the series - the designer also would not speculate on how long it might be until we see the third title (if it even exists). Episode 2's reception will certainly play a factor.
We know nothing about Episode 2 at the moment, but if it's anything at all like Episode 1, we should expect a decent game that encapsulates everything about the older Sonic games - with a few modern updates. Will you be giving it a try?
Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 will be out at some point next year for Xbox Live Arcade, PSN, WiiWare, and iPhone.
Source: Eurogamer