Sega Wary About a 16-Bit Sonic

With a growing number of new titles based on retro classics coming around, players have been hopeful for a new 2D sonic.

Although the speedy blue chap has had a successful run on Nintendo’s handhelds �" the sublime Sonic Advance series and all out speed fest on the DS, fans have longed for a steady paced, platform-filled spiritual successor to what many consider the franchise’s peak: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Knuckles (Genesis/Mega Drive). Akinori Nishiyama, General Manager of Sonic Team, was quizzed on the prospect of a new 16-Bit Sonic, replying with a general decline:

Actually, he has been working on Sonic Advance and Sonic Rush and is very keen on keeping the 2D game. But, having said that, he also thinks 3D Sonic [is good]… And he has been thinking so hard to incorporate those good things from both 3D and 2D. And this is one of the reasons that in Sonic Unleashed we have both 3D and 2D mixed gameplay, kind of switched, going back and forth…

Although he thinks that the original 2D game was really good, he doesn’t intend to publish kind of a remake of the original game.

On a slightly more encouraging" rel="external" class='fmlink'>http://kotaku.com/5062101/on-the-possibility-of-2d-hd-xbla--psn-sonic-games]encouraging note, Nishiyama seemed far more willing to create a 16-Bit Sonic.

Nishiyama: There's always the possibility. Whether it would be viable remains to be seen, but having a new game - or even a remake of the GBA games, which we now can't use [thanks to the DSi] - would certainly be possible. If we made one, would you buy it?

Kotaku: [nods]

Nishiyama: Really?

Kotaku: [nods]

Nishiyama: [laughs] Great! One of our ideas has been that on older consoles, you may have had only 16 colours. One thing we could do is make a game like Mega Man 9; do a new Sonic, but in an old style.

Do you think the Sonic series needs to return to the 16-Bit realm, or should those days not be tarnished?