Happy birthday, Sonic
MARKING the 30th anniversary of the world's most famous hedgehog (though 1991 also gave us Bottom's Dave Hedgehog, who surely runs a close second), Sega has revealed its grand plans to remember Sonic's youth.
Given five years is a good innings for the average hedgehog, perhaps all that cardio has helped Sonic reach this advanced age, and to celebrate, Sega has a year of birthday celebrations lined up for its flagship franchise.
The birth of the Japanese arcade king's totally, erm, radical mascot (this was the 90s, kids) kick-started gaming's most infamous rivalry as the blue blur battled Nintendo's Mario for schoolyard hearts.
Sonic's edgier 'tude was committee-designed to rule the early 90s, but the ensuing years weren't kind. Unable to compete with Nintendo's famously stringent quality control, the dozens of Sonic games released since have been hit-and-miss.
If the Megadrive was peak Sonic, a rushed 15th anniversary game in 2006 marked the beginning of the rot. And though he could still bring the heat to Mario (some of Sonic's best games were, ironically, on Nintendo's hand-helds), mediocrity became hog standard.
It wasn't all road-kill, though, and 21st century bright spots included 3D gold standard Sonic Colors and 2017's Sonic Mania, the best 2D effort since his 90s heyday. Yet even if the spiky hedgehog's reputation has been tarnished by years of neglect, Sega's recent anniversary presentation proved there's a Sonic boom on the horizon.
Sonic's catchy soundtracks are as iconic as his gutties, and Sega is hosting a virtual concert featuring a variety of his most famous themes. The 30th Anniversary Symphony is available to watch free online on June 23. A new Netflix animated series, Sonic Prime, is scheduled to debut next year along with plenty of tie-in merch – from toys and jewellery, to a Sonic The Hedgehog encyclopaedia.
On the games front, fans will see their icon pop up in a variety of titles, including the upcoming official Tokyo 2020 videogame, where players can dress their athlete up in a Sonic suit, which should offer at least some protection against viral variants.
On September 24, the arcade in Sega's eagerly awaited Lost Judgment will boast 1996 fighting game Sonic Fighters, while there's even a rumoured Sonic Minecraft crossover.
Remembering Sonic's youth, Sega is re-releasing his classics in an all-new collection. Groaning with Sonic the Hedgehog 1, 2, and 3, Sonic Origins will also feature Sonic & Knuckles as well as Sonic CD – all with new bells and whistles to appeal to modern audiences.
Better still, this century's greatest Sonic game is getting a do-over for modern consoles when Sonic Colors Ultimate lands on September 7. Capping things off in a big way, Sonic's next brand-new game – rumoured to be called Sonic Rangers – is slated for release in 2022, ensuring Sega can live high on the hog for years to come.
