Rumor - New Sonic Game To Be Announced Next Month

Sonic Stadium is reporting that Sega has an announcment planned involving a new Sonic game, headed for all platforms, according to "sources close to Sega." Here's all the alleged details:

- The console, PC and PS Vita versions will be identical aside from the graphical differences
- The console version will stick with the same formula as Sonic Unleashed (Daytime), Sonic Colours and Sonic Generations where gameplay switches between full 3D movement and 2D side-scrolling sections. Multiple routes will be available per stage, each leading to a different exit to take players to an alternate stage.
- The final stage count hasn't been determined, but developers are aiming at about 20, each split up over different acts.
- Players begin the game with Sonic, and are able to more characters by completing stages. "Altogether we're looking at about 10 different characters to play with, and no, Sonic isn't getting any new friends. All of the playable characters will be existing Sonic characters."
- Each character will have their own set of skills to help them advance through the routes in each stage, opening up the idea that only certain characters can take a particular path. One example described involves Sonic and Shadow not being able to make it up a wall, while Tails can easily fly up there or Knuckles can climb.
- The 3DS version will be another Sonic Rush styled game, "similar in idea, but smaller in scope"to the console versions. The developers are trying to fit all of the characters into the game, but it will feature far fewer stages. There will still be many paths through stages, but at this point, the source says it looks like every stage will only ever branch off into 2 stages.

Of course, much like anything else heard on the internet, take this rumor with a grain of salt. The source reported that Sega would announce, or at the very least tease the new title on Feb. 2, "Hedgehog Day."

We'll post more as we hear it.