In all likelihood, SEGA probably thought they nailed it when they released the first teasers, production art and trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 4.

They had the logo. They had the sounds. They had the music. They had the enemies. They had 2D, side-scrolling gameplay. The story picks up right where Sonic & Knuckles left off. And they had reduced the cast to its core fundamentals. What more could a fan of the oldschool Genesis Sonic the Hedgehog titles possibly want?

The answer, it turns out, is the oldschool Sonic.

There tends to be something of a divide among Sonic fans when it comes to the character, his design specifically. For some, the leaner, more modern hedgehog is their preference, but for others, it's when his eyes went green that everything went south for the franchise.

As a result, some fans have begun to rally behind a petition for SEGA to enable the option of playing as the "classic" Sonic the Hedgehog in the... er, "fourth" title of the series, rather than the Unleashed-styled version.

"We are happy to see Sonic returning to his roots," reads the petition, "but one detail in this retro revival is something that we cannot agree with – the use of Sonic's new design."

They go on to say that they are accepting of the modern mechanics of the game-- ironically, those being a point of contention in more recent Sonic titles themselves-- as Sonic typically gained new moves with each new game. So stuff like the Homing Attack is apparently okay.

The next part should elicit some interesting reactions:

We believe that the addition of the modern Sonic design does not make sense in terms of the continuity – it would be illogical to change the design of the main character in an immediate sequel to this game. We believe that it is a very good idea to make a retro Sonic game, but without the original design, this might as well be Sonic Advance 4 or Sonic Rush 3; whilst the Sonic Advance and Rush series were games that many people enjoyed, but they were not retro.

Citing continuity as a point of fact for bringing back the original design is an interesting approach-- especially when one looks at how other game characters have evolved over the years without any explanation (just ask Mega Man fans about X8, or the Zero series), or the fact that SEGA themselves have used the newer design on the package of retro compilations such as Sonic Gems or Sonic Mega Collection.

The petition makes it clear that they are not seeking a complete replacement of the newer model, nor is it very particular in how classic Sonic is implemented, be it "as downloadable content, unlockable content, or through any other means that you see fit."

Interestingly enough, however, no mention is made of Eggman's design-- or his name, for that matter, which in itself can usually spark debates among "Sonic fans" and "fans of Sonic games" alike.

The petition is only at 413 signatures, and I doubt that will be a game-changer here. That's not why I chose to bring this up. I think the real question is how much does Sonic's design matter?

I know some people can be rather particular about the character models used in a game, particularly when said character is a longstanding video game franchise. But would something such as whether Sonic has green eyes or a potbelly really deter anyone from purchasing the game? And does it really take away from the oldschool style that SEGA has finally chosen to pursue?

On a related note, I feel it might be best to address one other concern from the debut trailer here: Sonic's running animation. Some have raised issue with the way he is moving in the few seconds of footage shown, stating that it does not look right, particularly in accordance with the old titles.

On the Sonic Retro Message Board (via GoNintendo), a SEGA staff member posted the following:

Today we have some good news to bring you guys in regard to Sonic's running animation in Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I! Specifically, we wanted to cover a topic that many of you have asked about after seeing the trailer.

Q: Is the running animation in the trailer what Sonic's fastest running animation will look like in Sonic the Hedgehog 4? It looks kind of slow, don't you think?

A: Actually, it is not his fastest speed! There is a faster animation for Sonic's running that was not shown in the trailer, and is more akin to what you might be familiar seeing from Sonic 3 & Knuckles or Sonic CD.

So there you have it! We'll get to show you guys firsthand what that running animation looks like in the future - but until then, rest assured that there's a lot more to the game than what you saw in the trailer: running animations included.

So hopefully that will put some minds at ease.

In any case, while I think having the old Sonic would be a neat unlockable, I honestly don't mind the new design that much, and look forward to Sonic 4 regardless of which model is used. But do any of you feel that strongly about which way they go?