TGS 2005: Naka demos real-time next-gen Sonic

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TOKYO--Last week, Sega thrilled millions of Sonic fans by announcing it was developing a game starring the blue hedgehog for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. During an event at Sega's Tokyo Game Show booth today, Sonic Team head honcho Yuji Naka came up on stage to talk about the next-generation Sonic. He also performed a real-time gameplay demo (viewable below) which proved that the eagerly awaited title will have high-definition graphics akin to its trailer.

First, Naka confirmed that the new game's title will be Sonic the Hedgehog, to mark the 15th anniversary of the original game. He also revealed that its theme will be "What if Sonic actually existed in real life?" Indeed, the Sonic on-screen during the demo--which featured an actual level from the upcoming game--looked pretty realistic. His spikes moved up and down as he breathed, giving him a more natural appearance when compared to his past outings. Of course, Sonic still moves supernaturally fast, and the game keeps other series hallmarks such as rings and boosting springs.

To power the new Sonic, developers at Sonic Team are using the Havok physics engine, which was also used to help develop Halo 2 and Half-Life 2. Naka praised Havok's flexibility, and showed how a 20-kilogram box would move differently than a 50-kilogram box when pushed by the game's hero. He also had Sonic knock a series of hovering, jet-pack riding enemies into a bridge covered in boxes. The bridge then collapsed, sending the boxes tumbling to the ground in a satisfyingly chaotic fashion.

Later on in the demo, Sonic landed on a rope that extended from one platform to another--and it flexed a bit due to his weight. When the blue hedgehog charged into a group of enemies, smashing them into a wall, the wall crumbled, scattering bricks realistically in different directions. Naka added that each brick weighed two kilograms, and would fly further than heavier objects in the game.
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Read More / Source: GameSpot