See Sonic Run!

Sega has big next-generation plans for their iconic hero Sonic The Hedgehog. Here are the juicy details direct from Sonic Team's headquarters in Tokyo, Japan.

Everyone's favorite hedgehog is gearing up for a new adventure on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and we infiltrated Sega's Japanese headquarters to talk to Sonic Team about their upcoming next-generation title, Sonic The Hedgehog. In this world-exclusive story, you get the skinny on what to expect when the blue hedgehog hits next-gen consoles, and wouldn't you know it, one of the features will be more speed than your mind can handle.

A Faster, Prettier Hedgehog
While past Sonic games have been no slouches in terms of their graphics, you'd best be prepared for what the future will bring. Both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 are going to change the way you look at your favorite blue blazing hedgehog.

When it comes to character details, Sonic Team has upped the polygon count in character models to a staggering degree. For the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, the typical Sonic character model weighed in at around 1500 polygons; for next-generation consoles, that number will skyrocket to one million! As a result, Sonic moves and looks incredibly realistic, from the way the light and environment reflects in his eyes to the way his body shakes after he launches himself hundreds of feet in to the air for a massive jump.

Speed animation is also a major focal point, and, as game director Shun Nakamura puts it, "While past Sonic The Hedgehog games have been all about going fast, this title will be even faster." Those words echoed throughout the demo as Sonic raced through his world at a blistering pace. Accompanying the intense speed was a knockout motion blur effect that intensified the feeling of acceleration as he moved and also added some slick visual flair.

Brave, New Worlds
While Sonic and his enemies look better than ever, you can't create a game simply based around eye candy. To keep the rest of the visuals on par with the character models, players will find themselves immersed in a world incredibly more expansive than anything they've seen in the past. The preview level took place in a massive canyon that rose hundreds of feet into the air and spanned several miles in length. Large gameplay environments aren't anything new to the franchise, but what is new is the scale to which the worlds will grow for the next-generation consoles. While Sonic Team admits that it's certainly a challenge to fill the worlds with enough excitement to keep gamers happy, they're ready for that opportunity that can only lead to a more engaging Sonic game experience.


Sonic the Hedgehog is racing into the PS3 and the Xbox 360 with an impressive arsenal of blistering speed and stunning graphics.

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