It seems that Sega may really try to get things right this time with the upcoming Sonic Unleashed for the Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii.  Sonic's long painful fall from AAA+ gaming grace is well known to us all by now, so it's only natural that the developers behind Unleashed would promise to actually produce a solid adventure.  However, when I read comments from Sonic Team's Yoshihisa Hashimoto, I find myself feeling more optimistic.  Kombo has the details.

Regarding gameplay, Hashimoto confirms that the stages of Unleashed will feature both traditional 3D gameplay and sidescrolling in a 3D environment, with transitions occurring seamlessly, with the ratio of the two being about half and half. "We understand Sonic fans truly love classic sidescrolling Sonic gameplay. Sonic Unleashed should be the Sonic game that finally fills that void."

Regarding the infamous introduction of new characters with each Sonic title, specifically Silver in the 360/PS3 game, Hashimoto says that Silver will not be appearing in this game, and while he won't reveal too much at this time, they do have something "new and exciting" planned that will "challenge and extend Sonic and his world in ways never before seen." The story itself will revolve around Sonic and his travels around that world in a big adventure.

The team seems to understand what can make a Sonic game toxic and, from the sound of it, wants to avoid those problems in this latest effort.  I know we've all been led onward by this kind of thing before, but this time I really want to believe it'll all work out.  Speaking of potential pitfalls, I'm still waiting to see how Savage Sonic fits into the grand plan.