Only 2 weeks until we can get our hands on BioWare's rendition of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. Of all the Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood trailers we've posted, these two are by far the best. They give us the most insight on what we can expect in terms of character abilities and environments. Second video after the jump.

Sonic Chronicles — being the first Sonic game I've been excited for in years — is looking pretty solid. Bioware CEO Raymond Muzyka and President Greg Zeschuk give us insight into some of the things the team has been thinking about when combining a Sonic game and RPG-style play. The game will hit stores September 30th.

"We have a lot of big plans for Mass Effect. Having a DS version would be an awesome way to keep interest alive and keep it going in addition to the next one [Mass Effect 2]," said Holmes.

While I myself am partial to their big production numbers, having handheld versions to keep me occupied between their larger efforts is a rather attractive prospect. Plus, the Nintendo DS can only make hot alien sex that much better.

BioWare liebäugelt mit einem Mass Effect für den Nintendo DS [Eurogamer.de via GamesIndustry.biz]

Yes, the game was still in its infancy, but we got a decent glimpse at the gameplay mechanics that should make Sonic Chronicles another BioWare hit.

The game is almost entirely stylus controlled, with Sonic (or whomever you're playing) following touchscreen taps and drags. Context sensitive pop-up actions will appear at certain points, letting the player enter doors, sprint through corkscrews or cross gaps. Some are character or ability specific, requiring the use of a flying Rouge the Bat, for example.

In battle, fights with angry woodsy creatures will require a knowledge of turn-based RPG tactics. Your quartet of fighters will load out with a series of special attacks that depends on who is in your current party. Tag-team moves may require both Sonic and Amy, with some special attacks that can only be done via threesome.

Those special attacks are executed with a rhythmic Ouendan-style series of touchscreen presses, an addition that brings a bit of welcome action to an otherwise passive Sonic game.

There's no lack of options for stats obsessive RPG gamers, with a skill leveling system and a Chao breeding mechanic that will let players tailor how Knuckles or Tails evolve. Expect Sonic Chronicles to feature an impressive depth in line with the BioWare pedigree.

It's hard to pass any sort of judgment on a game so incomplete, but the few minutes of Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood we played certainly held our interest in playing a more plodding, calculating Sonic the Hedgehog game. Put it on your 2009 wishlist.

MTV Multiplayer's Stephen Totilo asked BioWare founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk about the challenge of making, say, Rouge the Bat or Big the Cat tolerable to play.

"I think maybe the challenge there, if people are not as excited about having the friends, is making them worthwhile, making them a good part of the game," Zeschuk says. "They're not going to be gimmicky. They're not going to be side things. It is actually a core part of the gameplay mechanic. It's actually, we think, going to revitalize the love of the Sonic friends, especially Big the Cat."

We'll give it a fighting chance and promise to go in with an open mind. We might even learn to... like Shadow the Hedgehog in some tiny way. But you've got your work cut out for you BioWare.

BioWare: New RPG Will 'Revitalize The Love Of The Sonic Friends' [MTV Multiplayer]

According to details from the newest issue of Nintendo Power, the game has a hand-drawn watercolor style. Each member in your party—which can total four of the eleven available characters—will have special abilities (we're betting the farm on Sonic being fast). Battles are turn-based and attacks are said to follow an Elite Beat Agents model.

There's more to read at the message board post linked below.

Bioware's Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood in new NP [NeoGAF]