Sonic the Hedgehog 4 officially announced @ Gaming Target

Written by John Scalzo on February 04, 2010

News: Needlemouse no more! Sonic is back in 2D on the PSN, Wii Shop and XBLA this Summer.

Revealed on GameSpot at midnight, Sega has finally given an official name to the next Sonic the Hedgehog game they've been referring to as Project Needlemouse. The game will be titled Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 and it will be available to download on the PlayStation Network, WiiWare and Xbox Live Arcade this Summer.

More than just another Sonic sequel, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 will be a throwback to a simpler time. The game, which is being developed by Sonic Team, will eschew 3D adventuring and Sonic's collection of co-stars for a 2D side-scrolling platformer that takes after the original Genesis games. But, as opposed to Mega Man 9 and other "demakes", Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 will feature brand spanking new 1080p high definition graphics (on the PS3 and Xbox 360 anyway, the Wii version will be capped at 480p).

And in case the "Episode 1" in the title didn't tip you off, this will be the first in a series of Sonic episodes that will chronicle the hedgehog's adventures in the days after Sonic & Knuckles. That's right, it's a direct sequel to the Genesis tetralogy. Naturally, Sonic will be out to stop Dr. Eggman/Robotnik's latest attempt to take over the world.

Besides the standard single-player game, Sonic 4 will also include Leaderboards that will allow players to post their fastest speed run. In addition, the PS3 and Wii versions of the game will include some form of motion control.

Finally, GameSpot has gotten their hands on a teaser trailer for the game, which features just a few seconds of Sonic 4. You can check out the trailer right here:

We will definitely have more soon.