Sonic CD HD has been announced for release on Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade, PS3 via PlayStation Network, and for iOS Systems (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, iPad 2) via the AppStore, on PC via digital download (Steam, etc.) and on Windows Phone 7.
The release date hasn’t been announced, but it will be hitting this “Winter”, so sometime in the coming months of this year.
The game will feature updated graphics (enhanced in widescreen) and will feature Achievements and Trophies to earn. The only “new” feature of this re-release will be music taken from the original Japanese version of the game. Although it will also feature new “Spin-Dash physics” enhancements.
“Ask any Sonic fan to name their favorite games, and Sonic CD always ranks near the top of their lists,” says Haruki Satomi, Vice President of Digital Business at SEGA. “Sonic CD marks an important chapter in Sonic’s history, bridging the gap between his oldest adventures and his new digital exploits like Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode I. We’ve made sure the re-mastered edition has everything that Sonic fans want to see with all of the original colourful classic zones.”
Sonic CD featured a unique hook that allowed Sonic to travel to the Past, or Future, of the zone he is in. Each of the game’s 7 Zones thus featured three versions (Present, Past and Future) each of which had unique item placements, different layouts, and different objects and enemies. The Past of each stage also features a hidden Robot Generator that can be destroyed, unlocking either a Good or Bad Future; with the Good Future being easier and the Bad Future being harder.
The game was a huge critical hit back in the day, and many fans still consider Sonic CD to be the crowning moment of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, due to the fact that it featured the same classic gameplay that made the series famous, with a number of enhancements including the new Spin Dash and the Super Peel Out moves.
Sonic CD was originally released for the Sega CD platform (an add-on for the Sega Genesis that allowed games on discs to be played) on November 19th, 1993 in America (and in Japan in September of ’93, where the system was known as the “Mega CD”) and the game was eventually released on the PC in 1996. The game has only ever been re-released once, and that was for last-generation on the GameCube and PlayStation 2 as part of the “Sonic Gems Collection” compilation.
One very interesting fact about Sonic CD HD is the fact that it is being developed by an Indie Developer himself. His name is Christian ‘Taxman’ Whitehead and he originally developed a proof-of-concept video of Sonic CD running on the iPhone, a video which caught Sega’s attention. They then gave the job of remaking the game for HD platforms to Christian! And further classic re-releases may follow, as Sega and Christian are developing Sonic CD using a new “Retro Engine” which allows for improvements to the game to be inserted, such as new physics.
Here is the debut trailer for Sonic CD HD.