It appears that Sega may actually have been listening. After years and years of (mostly) awful 3D Sonic games, the company is now teasing something called "Project Needlemouse", billed as a return to the Sonic of old.
"Old-school Sonic fans have long asked to see Sonic return to a more 2D style of gameplay" says Sega of America's Ken Balough. "Many liked the daytime stages in Unleashed, but wanted to see a game that plays purely similar to the early games of the Genesis. Project Needlemouse is that critical first step that brings Sonic back to his 2D roots."
The teaser clip's tagline reads "Speed returns, in an all new 2D adventure built from the ground up", with Balough confirming the game will, rather than be a retro-remake, be an all-new game built in HD.
It'll be out in 2010. No word on platforms, but the "HD" bit certainly narrows it down. What do you think, Sega fans? Do you dare to hope?
Sonic the Hedgehog Q&A [GameSpot]