Sega gives Sonic a Backbone for the PSP....by Vaughn Smith

May 3, 2006 - Sonic and his closest rivals, if I can use an oxymoron, are coming to the PSP this fall courtesy of Backbone Entertainment, the development team behind the disappointing Death Jr. title released last summer. I'm not sure why Sega finds it necessary to farm out their characters to other creative teams, but all we can hope for is for Sonic Rivals not to turn out like Death Jr. Perhaps we can hope for the moment that Sonic Team is too busy working on a new NiGHTS game for the next gen consoles....yeah, that's the ticket.

Sonic Rivals returns the blue hog to his 2D side-scrolling roots but does so within a 3D environment. It appears that many popular characters from the Sonic universe will make an appearance - if Sonic Riders is any indication - so expect Knuckles, Amy, Tails, Cream, Rogue, Shadow, Big the Cat and other lesser known filler characters to fill up the roster.

The gameplay will focus on fast-paced, head-to-head competition and we're hoping for 4 player ad hoc play...maybe even online play, but that might be too ambitious.

"Sonic Rivals brings back the classic 2D platform gameplay that started it all," says Sega of America VP of marketing Scott A. Steinberg. "In this heated rivalry, gamers are tested to prove not only who's the fastest but who has the best head-to-head gameplay strategy."

Hey, I love Sonic, but he's been getting the Crash Bandicoot treatment as of late and that doesn't sit right with me. You don't see Nintendo letting Mario out of their sights....Let's hope for the best.

By Vaughn Smith
CCC Site Director