Happy 17th Birthday Sonic!

Today is a day where Sonic fans across the world can celebrate the blue blur’s 17th birthday. June 23rd, 1991 saw the release of Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Genesis, a day Sonic fans will never forget. Its a day to look to the future, not to dwell on Sonic’s recent struggles. This past year has been a rather positive one for Sonic, which looks to lead to a even better 2008 second half. I wont take up too much of your time, I would just like to take the next few minutes to remember exactly what Sonic has accomplished recently and what he’ll accomplish the rest of 2008.

Ten years ago who would of thought the pairing of Mario and Sonic would ever happen. We saw it first towards the end of 2007 with the release of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. A game that continues to sell like mad (especially in the UK), why stop there? Well, 2008 saw the second pairing of Mario and Sonic, one that many fans had hoped for.

The beginning of 2008 brought Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the third installment in the Nintendo brand fighting game series. When Solid Snake was announced last year to be one of the first third-party characters to join the mostly Nintendo filled roster, most would assume a certain blue hedgehog would join soon after. What was announced close to the release (and soon after delay) of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Sonic was finally announced as a playable character in the game. Watching Sonic take on Mario in Olympic events was one thing, but nothing beats Sonic taking him on in a fight.

Even though Sonic has had quite a bit of recent questionable titles, 2008 will likely be a year to remember for all Sonic fans. Two brand new Sonic titles are scheduled for release in 2008, two titles that could bring Sonic back to his former glory days.

Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood is another first for Sonic, his very first RPG. Scheduled to be released this fall for the Nintendo DS, the game is currently being developed by BioWare, a development group that is no stranger to the role playing genre. So far most who have previewed the game have come away with positive thoughts, Sonic’s first RPG could be a very good one.

The end of 2006 saw the release of Sonic the Hedgehog (06), a video game that was rushed in development and never truly amounted to what was originally promised from Sega. With a brand new engine (the Hedgehog Engine), Sonic Unleashed is scheduled for a late 2008 release. A game that is promised (lets get this one right, Sega) to get Sonic back to form. Sonic fans should be delighted that the game looks to be capturing the feel of classic Sonic gameplay we remember from the early Genesis days. For anyone worrying about the lack of speed (Which Sonic 06 lacked), check out the latest gameplay footage.

Take the next few minutes to think about what Sonic has accomplished recently and what he will accomplish later this year, then get back to celebrating his 17th anniversary the way you should. Grab a few chili dogs for lunch, play some classic Sonic games this evening, grab the latest Archie Sonic The Hedgehog comic issue and check out the Sonic celebration on Phantasy Star Universe today.

The second half of 2008 looks to be a very good one for Sonic the Hedgehog, we hope you’ll continue to stick around TSSZ News as we continue to do our best at bringing you the most Sonic related news coverage on the web. HAPPY 17TH BIRTHDAY SONIC!