The anthropomorphically inclined folks at Sega sent out a press release over the weekend reminding us of the great things their spiky blue mascot has accomplished in the 15 years since his debut (quite a lot, actually). Though much of the celebratory confetti is being heaped upon Sonic's forthcoming PS3 and Xbox 360 adventure, Sega is also busting out the nostalgia champagne and pouring the original blast processed game into the GBA's tiny frame. It was this bit of news that implanted a rather disturbing image in our minds -- that of Sonic standing on a dimly lit street corner, slowly inhaling the ill effects of a cigarette and inappropriately adjusting a pair of fishnet stockings that, if we're being completely honest, were never a very good fit to begin with. The $20 GBA version of Sonic the Hedgehog will no doubt be quite alluring to avid hedgehog fans, but we're very interested in seeing how many gamers will actually approach the game with a clean slate. Not having played the game in some form by now is quite a feat, one that requires either an uncanny ability to avoid consoles or an untimely death approximately 20 years ago. If you've been keeping track at all, you would realize that Sonic the Hedgehog is already (and officially) playable on the Genesis, Sega Saturn (via Sonic Jam), Playstation 2, Xbox, Gamecube and PC. Within a few months, you can add the Wii and the Xbox 360 to that list.
It's only fair that the GBA gets its share of an absolutely fantastic game, but with an excellent string of Sonic Advance titles under its cap and the excellent Sonic Rush available for its dual-screen sibling, it seems like the least necessary piece. Just like Sega's decision to add Sonic's Spin Dash (from Sonic 2) into the game. That one's going to upset a lot of people (see: "Let's give Mega Man 1 his floor slide!"), though at least they can all take comfort in the fact that Sega resisted the urge to give a hedgehog some Magnums, a controllable vehicle and an Urkel-powered in-your-face attitude.
Oh, wait.
[Thanks to everyone that sent this in.]
