Yes, we were all aware that Project Needlemouse was a Sonic game. But what we were not told of until this point was that the new game–now appropriately titled Sonic the Hedgehog 4–is a direct sequel to Sonic & Knuckles, a game released back in 1994.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is a 2D sidescroller first and foremost, an approach that has been virtually untouched by Sega for over a decade. But what is even more interesting about the announcement is the fact that the game will be episodic. You can look for ‘Episode 1′ to be released this summer on the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii and a fourth unannounced platform.

This is one of the last chances that Sega has to regain confidence of the Sonic name in the eyes of gamers, the question is, can they accomplish it?

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 [Sega]