Sonic 4 Marks Shift from Optical to Digital Downloads on Consoles

Leave it to the epic Sonic vs Mario debate to mark yet another paradigm shift in console gaming. This time, Sonic is hitting hard first with the switch to digital download distribution. Sonic 4, announced early this morning, will mark the first time an exclusive game has been released on consoles… in download-only form.

Titled Sonic 4: Episode 1, the game returns Sonic the Hedgehog to its 2D roots, and promises to deliver classic Sonic gameplay, in 1080p HD format (480p on the Wii version).

Sega has long contemplated the switch back to 2D for Sonic. The Sega Saturn was originally intended to be an ultimate 2D experience, only adding 3D at the last minute to answer the Sony PlayStation. After the failure of Sonic X-Treme from Sega’s internal STI team, the company outsourced the development of Sonic 3D Blast; a pseudo-3D experience that ran on both Sega’s Genesis and Saturn consoles. Upon the launch of Dreamcast, however, Sega relegated 2D Sonic games to the Game Boy Advance. Still, despite initial successes, gamers have long expressed a true 2D Sonic original game.

Dimensions aside, original game creation in the episodic format has been long considered a new way to target a more budget-conscious environment. Episodes can be sold in the $10 to $15 range and are typically cheaper to create than a game created at once. It’s also less risky for game development companies, as poor-performing games can be dropped quickly, limiting losses.

Pricing for Sonic 4: Episode 1 has not been released. In fact, aside from three seconds of video, the only details that have been confirmed are that the game will star Sonic exclusively, and that certain portions will leverage Sonic’s more-modern homing attack, as well as taking advantage of the Wiimote and Sixaxis controls in optional parts of the game.

Sonic 4 – Sega