Haha, awesome. I'd officially hate Sega if they tried to stop this.

They must get funding for this. They simply must.

I'd prefer sonic 3, but whatever this is cool too.

You think you can bet Sega WILL try to stop this. They don't have much left, you know, and it's there responsibility to the world to perpetually release shitty Sonic games. They can't be one-upped by some fans, now can they?

HD of easily my most favorite game ever? Wow, that's so cool. Such a great idea. Seeing that reminds me of an HD Vectorman and how cool that would be!

DO WAN................NEED!!!

They will have to stop this, unfortunately. If a company like Sega lets fan peoples do things like this, at a later date it can be looked at by a court as abandonment of their trademark. It's disgusting and sad, but that's how screwed up our laws are. I'd much prefer the Japanese style laws where people can use the characters, the storylines, whatever for dojinshi and the like. Sega being Japanese probably really wouldn't be happy squashing this project, but if they're in the US, they really don't have a whole lot of choice... unless of course the project could remain low profile and not get mentioned on, like, Kotaku or something.... shit.

There were a lot of spelling errors in my post. How pathetic!

Great, now I can see Robotnik's ugly, pimple ridden nose at 108i.

The HD Generation is so revolutional.

Before anybody else says that Sega is going to stop this from happening, I ask that you look up some things like Sonic 1 Megamix, or Sonic Robo Blast 2, or anything on the SFGHQ... all awesome games, all things that Sega could've stopped but didn't... I doubt they will. Here's a link to some info about Megamix:

[info.sonicretro.org]

And here's Robo Blast 2:

[info.sonicretro.org]

@TheSonicGamer: 1080i*

Sorry, I doubt 108i would look as remarkable.

I really hope this gets finished. Maybe Sega could get involved and get it up on PSN and XBLA that would be awesome beyond all awesome.

Do Want.

Didn't Sega already release Sonic 2 on XBlive? If so, I doubt they would help out this indie team on the project.

/tear

@Desgardes: but 2 is the best game ever but do the graphics really matter?

Do want HD Remix on XBLA.

Here's to hoping, but my guess is that this will go the same route as "Chrono Resurrection". Dang it.

[www.opcoder.com]

Sonic looks kinda chubby.

The actual place this is being DONE is Sonic Retro - no-one's linking to it!

[www.sonicretro.org]

@StevenRafael:
His anorexia hit after he thought all his shitty friends were cooler and skinnier than he was. He lost 50% of his body weight after Big, Rouge and Blaze were introduced. He has since regained that weight, but it went up to his head.

@TheSonicGamer:
and 1080i looks any better than 480i?
its just widescreen of the same thing.
now 1080p.. thats another story... heh
but even that bites compared to most PC resolutions still.
HD era my hind end..

as for Sonic.. they should've done that for the games themselves (sega) and made that the XBlive or VC version.
gotta say, i prefer the VC games to the XBlive ones though... most of the XBlive versions may have gotten GFX upgrades, but being the Arcade versions, they suck worse than the console ones, with clunky controls and not even added save... at least my VC games can (Sega/NES/SNES ones anywho) be quit and started back up at EXACTLY where you left off.

*orgasms*

Knuckles was NOT a playable character (minus Sonic and Knuckles)
in Sonic 2.

Sonic 2 is probably one of my favorite games of all time (Sonic CD) rules. Sonic 3 kinda sucked but Sonic 2 was the fully realized gameplay of all the Sonics.

@GrimCW: "and 1080i looks any better than 480i?
its just widescreen of the same thing.
now 1080p.. thats another story... heh"

Care to clarify that one or should I just assume you need a better TV? ;)

I'm on a forum with TheSonicRetard and he recently made an extremely comprehensive post about this project. The scene, as I understand it, is generally not interfered with by Sega.

However, Kotaku should probably know better than to publish this. Way to potentially force an impassé.

classic sonic IS sonic

and glad i can see MOBIUS in hd :)

I would pay money for this.

Hmm, with news like this and the possibility of the new sonic game actually being good, is it possible that the blue hedgehog has come back from the brink of death?

@Smadubaku:

even 720p looks better than 1080i
interlaced isn't any good, its just basic old low res HD.
Progressive mode is where the HD is.
either that or my TV just hates the interlaced modes, cause they all look the same, 480i being the regular square screen, and 1080i being the same thing, but widescreen instead.

set my PS3 or 360 to 1080i and it looks like crapola, but to p and it clears right up, even at 720p (which is all most HD games are anyways, Movies on the other hand...)

THEY NEED TO REMAKE PHANTASY STAR SERIES. I DO NOT MEAN THE CRAP THEY HAD GIVEN US FOR THE PAST 8 YEARS. I AM TALKING ABOUT PHANTASY STAR 1-4 FOR THE GENESIS. WTF SEGA WAKE UP AND MAKE SOME GOOD GAMES.

I favor the original game over it's sequel (bonus stages were much better in the original), but this looks cool.

please someone do this for streets of rage 2.

HEY FAN PROJECTS: Stop showing off early shit. Sure, you want people to pay attention to you. Trust me, they'll pay just as much attention to you when you're done and actually have something to release instead of getting shut down halfway through. Unless, of course, you want to be fawned over without having to actually release a product. Best of both worlds!

Anyway, it may be higher resolution, but I'm not necessarily convinced that this'll all look better than the original sprite work.

@GrimCW: No, the resolution is in the lines, not whether it's Progressive or interlaced... it just looks "Cleaner" if it's progressive.

Oh, and I hope they improve the animations and not just the sprites... Because another HD remake didn't do that, and it looks completely silly... Not mentioning any names.

@GrimCW: You're a little off on your understanding of 480i vs 1080i. i vs p is the same amount of visual data, it's just in how it's projected to the screen. P is all at once (not interlacing) and provides for a smoother picture. 1080i is absolutely NOT regular old low-res by any stretch of the imagination.
Anyone with a non-HDMI 360 can attest to that.

I can say that I had big problems with my PS3 when using 1080i - it's why I finally broke down a couple months ago and got a new 1080P set (my old HD only went up to 1080i but is still great for my 360). Maybe you're experiencing similar difficulty because PS3's were rumored to downscale when not in 1080P mode. 480 and 1080 is not a widescreen differentiator.

*drool* Can't wait for this

much easier to start than it is to finish. we'll see if this ever actually happens. i've heard a lot about cool fan-made games of this ilk, and i've not seen one of them completed. and most of the ones i am referring to were meant to be low-res snes style games. sorry if you think me negative. i only think me realistic.

This is by far the greatest news I have heard this year so far.

I really, REALLY want to play this. Sonic 2 being one of my favorite games and all.

Hopefully Sega, just doesn't notice this. Or otherwise contracts these guys to finish the game so they can release it themselves, or SOMETHING.

@otakucode: The USA laws were made by greedy selfish rich people that try to stop progress and innovation. You know if I ever made my own video gaming company I would ignore the lame USA laws, and tell people to make as many fan games you want.

Omg. Sonic 2 is still my favorite video game...ever. I really hope Sega doesn't stop this, looks amazing.

Please finish this game. Remember that one fake screenshop of Sonic 2 ending in HD where he was fighting the huge mecha Robotnick!? Yeah! Remeber how awsome that looked!

Oh yes I would def. pay for this but if it is free even better. Me wanty nows!

I'd buy something like that for psn/xbl. Hear that Sega? I'd buy a Sonic game!

@shouryuuken: Yeah, SoR2 was a lot of fun playing co-op. I haven't played that game in forever, but I would be happy to slap down a couple bucks for a remake.

@Solarman: I mean I would allow people to make fan games of my own games if I ever somehow got my own company.

@Smadubaku:

if 1080i is great, then my old tv must be more HD than i thought, maybe i shouldn't have replaced it, as even on it the 1080i was crap and it made 480p look like a godsend.
its blurred, blocky and just looks as bad as 480i.
on both my 360 and PS3, though admittedly with the PS3 it looks much worse.
even on my new LCD TV, the interlaced modes are all just ugly.
both my systems are non-HDMI (though my TV does of course have support)

you said it yourself though, the interlaced modes are less clean and overall worse, whereas the progressive are cleaned up and easier to look at.

1080i is the old pre-LCD HD, where 1080p is the new and better HD.

I always liked the Sonic 3 sprites over the Sonic 2 sprites. Still pretty cool though.

They'd better be quick and quiet about it.

Sonic WILL be good again dammit. Anyone who disagrees DIES.

@Smadubaku: Interlaced and progressive don't necessarily have the same amount of information. It depends on the framerate. 1080i/60 has the same bandwidth as 1080p/30. Most HD movies are filmed 1080p/24, and encoded 1080i/60, so in that case it doesn't matter. I have no clue what most HDTV broadcasts are encoded as, since I don't watch TV, but "Normal" 480i TV stuff is 30 fps, which really is shit compared to 480p/24.

Although there are some good deinterlacing algorithms out there, it's not possible to fully reconstruct progressive frames from interlaced ones. Also, the really good ones (that is, the ones that don't immediately drop your horizontal line count by half) are computationally intensive. Or rather, it's hard enough that my computer can't do it in real time. My wife can't tell telecined video from progressive video, so I guess most people don't care.

C&D in 5... 4... 3...

*sigh* all you dummies bitching about 1080i, probably have a low end LCD or a crap TV in general.

Thank you home theater mag for this quote

"So, whether you output 1080i or 1080p, it is still inherently the same information. If the TV correctly deinterlaces 1080i, then there should be no visible difference between deinterlaced 1080i and direct 1080p"

1080i isn't crap, your tv is.

...or your source/other upscaling.

@PHILOSOPHER541: You should really get that broken caps lock key fixed.

Want.. now.

You know I find that when I go back to old games like Sonic, or even further back to say Phantasy Star, I find myself not wanting to play it because of the graphics. I'm sure there's a lot of people who would buy these old games and play them if the graphics were just redone in a higher definition format, I know I'm excited for this one.

@globones:

Although Knuckles is not playable in stand-alone Sonic 2, he is if you attach it to Sonic and Knuckles. We are considering adding him to it after the initial project is completed, as an extra, and that is why I drew him.

Get out of town! Sonic 2 just happens to be like my favorite game of all time...

If SEGA is smart, they'd allow it.

This game came bundled with my Sega when I got it for my birthday at age 12. It was my first 'next gen' system during the SNES/SEGA era, and it was fantastic. I played Sonic 2 until my eyes were bloodshot and red, and I still like playing it to this day when I have the urge. Truly and fantastic game. I would pay money for this HD version.

They need an Mario 3 HD on the XBLA. We definitely won't see it on the Wii.

@KirbyMorph:
Maybe on Wii 2?

If Sega was smart they would pay these guys to finish the HD update and help them get it out in time for Sonic Unleashed. Then again there are 3rd Person aspects in Sonic Unleashed so Sega doesn't seem to have gotten a whole lot smarter.

As much as I hate it, this project could get hit with a S&D for trademark issues, but I hope it doesn't, as it's a great idea.

The problem comes if sega ever wants to do a HD remix of their own.

@SillyJonna: