As I mentioned earlier on the Blognik the French, Italian, German and Spanish fans a territory specific trailer can be found on the Sonic 4 page on SEGA.com if you want to check it out. But the GameSpot exclusivity is over so I can post the English PEGI version of the trailer up – behold!

Here comes the science bit info we released earlier in a press release:

SEGA® Europe Ltd. and SEGA® of America, Inc. today announced the first game developed specifically for the download market from the world’s fastest hedgehog. Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I will be available via download on Microsoft XBLA, Sony PSN and Nintendo WiiWare, bringing with it the addictive classic 2D side scrolling action that Sonic fans have been waiting for.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I offers sublime 2D gameplay through beautifully rendered HD environments. Fans will be able to speed through each level with the classic Spin Dash move, and destroy enemies using the Homing Attack. Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I sees the return of the much-loved special stages and takes players through a variety of different Zones, all inspired by the Mega Drive era.

Each level from Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I is separately selectable from the main menu, making it easy for players to replay their favorite sections as they wish. Long time fans will not be disappointed as they rejoin the action and face all new intense boss battles against everyone’s favourite villain – the ever devious and evil – Dr. Eggman!

“Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I is a return to the classic game style of the original Sonic games” commented Gary Knight, European Marketing Director SEGA Europe Ltd. “It’s great to be able to offer fans of the Sonic series the type of game they have been asking for in a high definition experience.”

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I will be available in Summer 2010 for XBLA, PSN, and WiiWare.

So Sonic 4, with episodic – or should that be “epiSonic” content (™ Gavvie, 2010) on XBL, PSN AND WiiWare which really took people by surprise. See, you should take anything as certain until we confirm it!

It seems people are generally really excited about this – good, so am I! Though there are some concerns naturally, I’m sure Ruby over at SOA will be able to address some directly and I’ll do my best here, but as with all we do in the Community Team we’ll be feeding back to the Big Cheeses (presumably blue cheese in Sonic’s case) about what you guys are thinking. Thats a big part of what we do.

In any case you’ve only seen the briefest of glimpses into the world of Sonic 4 and I’m sure once you see more, with Sonic in full flight a fair few of your concerns will be erased. In the meantime, c’mon – its freaking Sonic 4!

There’ll be more details in the coming weeks.

…its called Sonic The Hedgehog 4. Here’s SOA’s update…

February 4th, 2010, after two huge Community challenges and a massive amount of support from our fans, SEGA is proud to unveil the real name behind Project Needlemouse -  so we’ll get right to it. As of this moment, it is official – the game’s name will be: Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1.

NEW Launch Trailer!

Remember that extra special bonus we promised? Here it is – and not only do you get to see a nifty trailer, but you get to see a sneak peak at the very first zone in all its glory. You can check out the launch trailer here on Gamespot.

NEW Official Website!

In addition to the name announcement and the teaser trailer, you can also visit the brand new official website for the game here! The website has a number of countdown clocks on it that will let you guys know when to expect new content and updates to be posted.

With that, the celebrations for Hedgehog Week hit their peak! Special thanks again to all of the fans out there for helping us make the  build-up and the announcement a huge success, and for joining us in what will most definitely be a huge milestone in Sonic’s history.

Until next time, keep an eye on the official website and here on the blogs for even more info on Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I !

Firstly good morning, as whilst its a nice evening over at SOA its actually approaching  2:20am over in the UK at the moment. >_>

Since the blogs were obliterated by SOA’s contest yesterday (I hope you were able to get over there as I redirected you for said competition) and I was at a company meeting til very late tod-er-I mean yesterday I wasn’t able to get you all up to speed until now.

First and most importantly what Project Needlemouse is will soon be revealed! As confirmed by my much more awake friends on the other side of the pond, Project Needlemouse shall be revealed at midnight (US Pacific time) on GameSpot. However this post naturally doesn’t cover the nuances outside of the GameSpot exclusivity, specifically for Europe… so I’d best fill you in as quickly as I can.

At 8am GMT, 9am CET – GameSpot will be going live with the US, UK and Australian specific reveals. There will be “FIGS” reveals (thats French, Italian, German and Spanish for the uninitiated) which will be going out a couple of hours later, at least  short of a major Eggman theft-related disaster – and these will no doubt appear on your relevant SEGA.com site. Of course you’ll probably have gone over it 40 odd times by then on Gamespot, but so you’re aware.

If you’ve somehow still not seen the concept art from yesterday of a suspiciously traditional looking palm tree and sunflower, you can see them below. Click on them to see larger versions.

I’m off to start thinking about getting ready for work. Its at times like this I regret not liking coffee…

THE WAIT IS NEARLY OVER!!!