When the Dreamcast launched, gamers were positively frothing with anticipation to get their hands on Sonic's first 3D adventure: Sonic Adventure. Boxy white console in hand, they rushed to their homes and quickly liberated Sonic from his jewel case prison. Fortunately, the blue blur didn't let them down; Sonic Adventure was an excellent 3D platformer...for its time. Sonic Adventure 2 expanded its predecessor's gameplay stylings, but turned a blind eye to its many nagging flaws. Then came Sonic Heroes, dare we invoke its name, Shadow the Hedgehog, the next-gen Sonic, and Sonic and the Secret Rings -- all games teetering dangerously on the cusp between mediocre and "Sega, why have you forsaken us?"

Luckily, Sonic Unleashed (XB360, PS3) could potentially be a return to form for Sonic, but what about its Wii incarnation? In an exclusive recently unleashed by the Official Nintendo Magazine (UK), Yoshihisa Hashimoto said, "In our minds, this game will have more in common with the older Sonic Adventure series. It has no relation to Sonic the Hedgehog [the 360/PS3 game] or Sonic And The Secret Rings... We wanted Sonic fans to love Sonic even more. Also, for people who are not familiar with Sonic, we think that this will be a great way to introduce them to Sonic The Hedgehog."

Whew, it seems the Wii version of Unleashed will at least be climbing a few rungs back up the ladder -- to a time before gun-wielding Sonic look-alikes and strange control schemes. If this sounds too good to be true, it's because it is; like the other versions of the game, Wii Unleashed will see Sonic going lycanthropic at night, and thus, big, furry, and slow. Will this mesh with Sonic's normally blazing fast gameplay? Only time will tell.