Xbox Gaming in South Africa

SEGA's iconic methamphetamine addict is making a comeback to Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii. And because SEGA wants to pretend all that horrible stuff in between never happened, they're picking it up from 1994's Sonic the Hedgehog 3, with Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1.

"I think the best way to view it is as a first part in a much larger adventure,"  says brand manager Ken Balough in an interview with IGN. "When Sega released Sonic 3, ultimately it was the part 1 of a story that saw its conclusion in Sonic & Knuckles. In that same spirit, Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is a bigger story, and this is that first chapter. I think it's also safe to say that by the end of the episode one, fans will be very excited to see what's in store for episode two."

As for moving over to current gen consoles and downloadable content, he adds that, "[Downloadable] games offer players a chance to play terrific games without breaking the bank. It's also a promise to Sonic fans. We're going to deliver a Genesis-era Sonic game as if it were created today that goes to the core of what classic Sonic fans desire. This means [the fan] gets to judge us on our work each step of the way, and we plan on delivering that goal in a big way."

There's not much else to go on for now, though we do have this teaser trailer which shows off about 3 seconds of gameplay:

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 is scheduled for a release "this summer", which is "this winter" in South Africanese.