[Pre-E3 2006] Sonic PSP-Bound
And, amazingly, SEGA isn't developing the game?!
Published: May 3, 2006
Sonic has come a long way from his Blast Processing roots, but that doesn't mean he has abandon the 2D gameplay that got it all started -- at least that's what SEGA's telling us. They're also telling us that the blue streak is finally making his way to the PSP. And he's not doing so by way of SEGA, at least not development-wise.
"Sonic Rivals brings back the classic 2D platform gameplay that started it all, and douses it with vibrant three-dimensional environments," delivered Scott A. Steinberg, Vice President of Marketing, SEGA of America, Inc, Masters of the Universe. "In this heated rivalry, gamers are tested to prove not only who's the fastest but who has the best head-to-head gameplay strategy."
Essentially a 2.5D racer, the game is being developed by the Vancouver branch of Backbone Entertainment, who previously worked on Death Jr. (and its upcoming sequel) for Konami. Apparently what started as a friendly rivalry between Sonic and Knuckles got a little crazy when everyone's favorite hedgehog on hover skates, Shadow, decided to join the fray, and brought a few... friends with him. SEGA is promising that the four playable characters will "utilize boost moves and power-ups to trip, shove, and vault over each other while hurtling towards the finish line at breakneck speeds."
Judging by the game's screenshots (and believe us, we did you a favor by resizing them to actual PSP resolution)... well, we shouldn't judge a game that's just announced. We're just hoping that there will indeed be a serious sense of speed. If the game can take the traditional Sonic toys like corkscrews and loops and convert them into 3D while throwing tons of effects and hanging on to an on-rails feel, we could be seeing a game that really is only possible on the PSP.
Of course, it'd have to be a lot of effects and some very serious speed, but we're keeping our fingers crossed. We'll know a little more in a week or so, but for now, feel free to take a peek at [media=197]the first screens of the game[/media] in action.
"Sonic Rivals brings back the classic 2D platform gameplay that started it all, and douses it with vibrant three-dimensional environments," delivered Scott A. Steinberg, Vice President of Marketing, SEGA of America, Inc, Masters of the Universe. "In this heated rivalry, gamers are tested to prove not only who's the fastest but who has the best head-to-head gameplay strategy."
Essentially a 2.5D racer, the game is being developed by the Vancouver branch of Backbone Entertainment, who previously worked on Death Jr. (and its upcoming sequel) for Konami. Apparently what started as a friendly rivalry between Sonic and Knuckles got a little crazy when everyone's favorite hedgehog on hover skates, Shadow, decided to join the fray, and brought a few... friends with him. SEGA is promising that the four playable characters will "utilize boost moves and power-ups to trip, shove, and vault over each other while hurtling towards the finish line at breakneck speeds."
Judging by the game's screenshots (and believe us, we did you a favor by resizing them to actual PSP resolution)... well, we shouldn't judge a game that's just announced. We're just hoping that there will indeed be a serious sense of speed. If the game can take the traditional Sonic toys like corkscrews and loops and convert them into 3D while throwing tons of effects and hanging on to an on-rails feel, we could be seeing a game that really is only possible on the PSP.
Of course, it'd have to be a lot of effects and some very serious speed, but we're keeping our fingers crossed. We'll know a little more in a week or so, but for now, feel free to take a peek at [media=197]the first screens of the game[/media] in action.