When Sega's Hardlight Studio released Sonic Jump last year, I shook my head. Jumping is not the ability Sonic the Hedgehog is known for. This week Hardlight has released endless runner Sonic Dash on iOS. That's more like it.
How do you make a good 3D Sonic the Hedgehog game? You take a bad one and cut away all the unappealing bits. That's exactly what Sonic Dash is — the best bits of the 3D console games, without all the filler.
See Sonic the Hedgehog. See Sonic run. See Sonic run fast. See Sonic spin dash to avoid obstacles and kill enemies. See Sonic collect coins to activate his Dash power, rendering him blindingly fast and invulnerable for a short time. See Sonic clear large jumps using his Homing Attack.
It's a simple formula that works incredibly well for the character. There may be dozens of endless runners out there (five came out this week alone), but there's always room for Sonic. The genre fits him like a glove.
Sonic Dash is also an incredibly pretty game, using assets that look as if they were lifted directly from its console cousins. They're so stunning that you can almost forgive the fact that every time you die you have to wait for what are essentially ads for the game's own in-app purchases before continuing. I came really close to accidentally purchasing $34.99 worth of rings last night while stabbing at the screen to continue.
See? Pretty. I've completely forgotten the complaint from the previous paragraph.
As lovely as it is, Sonic Dash could use a little more personality, perhaps the story mode that made Sonic Jump playable despite the speedy hedgehog misuse. Hardlight promises updates in the app's iTunes description, so maybe there's hope yet.
When I load up a Sonic the Hedgehog game, there are two things I want to do: run fast and kill some animal robots. This'll do nicely.
A video game's opening stage or starter zone has an extremely important role: it sets the tone for the rest of the game. Getting it right is essential. Below, we've collected some of the best-looking and most iconic starting zones, first stages and opening missions.
Post your picks for the most intense, best made and most beautiful first levels below with visual support.
sources: SEGA Wiki, ThePressStartProject, BioShock Wiki, Primeevi's LP, Gustavo Costa's LP, SectorW, Ericthestickman, VideoGamerParadox, kirgeez
![Wouldn't Sonic Be the Perfect Endless Runner Hero? Sega Might Agree. [Update]](http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18fywmqtjd0jqjpg/original.jpg "Wouldn't Sonic Be the Perfect Endless Runner Hero? Sega Might Agree. [Update]")
Since Temple Run hit it big, the mobile markets have been flooded with endless runners — games in which the player jumps, rolls, slides, turns and otherwise guides an auto-running hero through treacherous terrain. When's gaming's original running hero going to get his due? According to LinkedIn job listings uncovered over at The Sonic Stadium (via Pocket Gamer), Sonic's endless-running debut may come sooner than we think. Update: Sega has confirmed that Sonic Dash is indeed a new mobile Sonic game in development.
The listings come from SEGA's UK-based Hardlight studio, focused on creating games for mobile and portable platforms. You might know them from Sonic Jump, the level-based jumping game that seemed ill-suited to our hero's particular talents.
Before a hasty revision, each of the four job postings on LinkedIn featured the following company background blurb:
The Studio comprises small, agile teams working on new IP & well-known SEGA IP. Project durations are 5-10 months, building on the success of their first projects on iOS – Sonic Jump & Sonic Dash – Hardlight is now working on some new & exciting projects.
Sega has made it clear that it has big plans for Sonic the Hedgehog on mobile platforms in 2013. Sonic Dash just might be the first taste mobile gamers will get of the blue blur this year.
Of course it could have been some sort of mistake, though it seems unlikely someone editing a job listing would just toss in the name of a non-existent game willy-nilly.
I've reached out to Sega for comment on the listing and future plans for mobile Sonic games. Until confirmation comes, we can all just sit back and imagine a game where all Sonic does is run, run, run.
Update: Sega has confirmed to Kotaku that Sonic Dash is a real thing. Here's the company's response:
"At this time, Sega is able to confirm that we are working on a new mobile game titled Sonic Dash. We have not announced any specific details on the product but we will be releasing additional information on this exciting, new game in the near future."
Mad scientists and evil masterminds are classic villain archetypes, and defeating them is always nerve-wracking. Instead of facing you, they'd rather hide in the shadows and rely on their minions. And when it does come to combat, they usually love to show off their deadliest creations.
We gathered some well-known crazies; a mustache or a white coat seems to be a must-have.
source: Sonic Generations
source: Half-Life Wiki
source: AshleyCope's fan art on Deviantart
source: The LBA Relentless Movie Project
source: Dr. Wily Boss Fight In Mega Man 6, splash image by Hitoshi Ariga
source: Professor Layton And The Curious Village
source: BioShock Wiki
source: Resident Evil Wiki
source: tuwoa's LP
Make sure to submit below the craziest evil scientists you know with visual support.
The long-teased crossover between Capcom and Sega's iconic characters inches ever closer and each bit of preview art makes fans teases fans with the fact that this mash-up doesn't exist in playable form.
Hey, if Mega Man can take on the World Warriors of Street Fighter and Sonic can duke it out with Mario in their Olympic-themed titles, then why can't this happen, right? Until the two Japanese publishers that own Sonic and Mega Man see the light, crossover fanatics will have to make do with this Archie Comics event. Who knows where would such a game fit in each character's canon? But it would probably be fun to have the Blue Bomber and the super-fast hedgehog explore each other's worlds.
A new trailer appears for PagodaWest Games' Sonic-inspired iOS platformer, Major Magnet, making me wonder if maybe this new hero is the offspring of two older ones. Could Sonic and Robotnik have a baby?
He's got the speed. He's got the body shape. He's got a strong attraction to mechanical devices. Sure, they're both guys, but science is doing wondrous things with gene splicing these days.
Major Magnet is due out in late February. Until then, poke at its new website. Just poke at it.
