In the middle of all this E3 excitement, GameTrailers has bestowed upon us this brief video of Sonic Colors in action. You’ll see Sonic traverse the colorful landscape using the laser and drill Wisp power-ups, with a similar engine to that of Sonic Unleashed’s daytime stages. Check out GT’s video below:

It should be a good week for Sonic fans looking to indulge themselves in new titles like Sonic Colors and Sonic Free Riders. E3 2010 is here, and SEGA seems to have a lot to say.

New Sonic Colors Trailer

The trailer doesn’t give away much in regards to actual gameplay, but it’s consistent in its brilliant qualities many expect from Sonic cut scenes. A few screenshots reveal a bit more about the actual game experience.

New Sonic Colors Screenshots

We should see some more before E3 wraps up later this week!

Yesterday at the E3 Microsoft Briefing, gamers got to feast their eyes on some upcoming titles compatible with Xbox Kinect, as well as many of Kinect’s new features since it’s original unveiling as Natal.

Kinect is a controller-free way to play videogames. Instead of button and joystick inputs, Kinect uses cameras and microphones to make your body the input for the game. Xbox Kinect will be available November 4th 2010 with 15 launch titles, including Sonic Free Riders.

From Sega:

For the first time use full-motion body control to twist and turn your way through a range of visually stunning courses. Hi–octane fun for ‘riders’ of all ages, Sonic Free Riders brings extreme fast-paced boarding action in a main event you won’t want to miss!

How well will a Sonic racing game adapt to full-motion body control? We haven’t seen any demoing of the game yet, but we’re intrigued to find out how well such a concept will work.

When it comes to multi-platform releases of a game, it seems that developers are becoming less afraid to make multiple versions significantly different to make the best use of the platforms’ strengths. As far as Sonic games go, it looks like Sonic Unleashed started the trend by separating the Xbox 360/PS3 and Wii/PS2 versions. The DS version of Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games was a disappointing port of the Wii version, but the DS version of the Olympic Winter Games included a story-based Adventure mode among other things.

This will be the case with Sonic Colours. And the developer Dimps is helping with the DS version while Sonic Team focuses on the Wii version.

What difference does it make? Well, besides developing and co-developing games like Dragon Ball Z: Budokai and Street Fighter IV, Dimps is known for developing the Sonic Advance and Sonic Rush titles for the Gameboy Advance and DS. They also designed the daytime levels for the Wii/PS2 version of Sonic Unleashed, and they’re also currently co-developing our Sonic the Hedgehog 4 with Sonic Team.

With Sonic Team, we’re never quite sure what to expect. They always seem willing to try out new things and new gimmicks (not necessarily a bad thing in itself). But with Dimps and its history with Sonic, we might have an idea of what to expect from the DS version of Sonic Colours.

Before we go on, check out the short teaser trailer below:

Thanks to TimmiT from Sonic Retro for taking a translator to the new press release for Sonic Colours. Interested in seeing what else SEGA has in store for Sonic fans? Keep on reading:

LONDON & SAN FRANCISCO (May 26th, 2010) SEGA ® Europe Ltd. & SEGA ® America, Inc. today announced Sonic ™ Colours, the new high-speed adventure of our famous hero Sonic the Hedgehog. Struggling with saving a colorful alien race fall into the clutches of Dr. Eggman, Sonic will face many obstacles along an inspired sci-fi themed amusement park. Sonic Colours will be available on Wii ™ and Nintendo DS ™ at the end of 2010.

A unique playground has been seen orbiting the planet of Sonic the Hedgehog. Some rumors speak of an alien race called wisps, with a rare colored energy, which is now imprisoned here, by the evil Dr. Eggman. Sonic, once arrived on the planet’s entertainment, you can use immediately made aware of this rare power to help colored wisps in the escape! The Wii version of Sonic Colours combines both 2D and 3D gaming perspective, while the Nintendo DS version takes advantage of the characteristics of the double-screen console.

“The lively alien universe of Sonic Colours allows players to race at breakneck speed along amazing planets, each with its peculiarities and unique visual style.” Comment on Gary Knight, Senior Vice President of Marketing SEGA. “In addition to classic Sonic gameplay, new power-wisps, they offer an innovative way to explore these new worlds and help Sonic to run faster than ever!”

The new Sonic hedgehog Colours see our dear speeding, jumping off himself among enemies like never before in a Sonic game. The aliens WISPs are able to free their “Colour Power” that can be absorbed by Sonic drilling to create new roads, for example, the ground (via the Yellow Drill), or go through the whole internship at supersonic speed (thanks to Cyan Laser). Combining the different available energies can further increase the speed of Sonic and his abilities beyond imagination. Lots of power ups and exclusive versions will be available for Wii and Nintendo DS for a brand new super-fast gameplay of Sonic for fans around the world.

Sonic Colours will be available on Wii ™ and Nintendo DS ™ at the end of 2010.

As per usual, we’ll keep you posted on any future developments regarding this newly announced title. What do you make of this surprising announcement?

Have we met before?

There’s a paradox in fan demands for Sonic the Hedgehog. Firstly, SEGA must be innovative and create a new wholesome experience in the upcoming Sonic title (whatever it might be). Secondly, it must be a return to classic Sonic gameplay—in fact, it should nearly replicate classic titles.

Surely, you see the problem in meeting these irrational expectations.

We can’t have a hedgehog who is both brand new, and a return to what he used to be. Yet this is the request of the greater Sonic Community.

We Can Have Both

We can have both a classic Sonic and a new Sonic, but fans have to adjust the way they approach video games.

The truth is, we already have several games to choose from when we want to immerse ourselves in Classic Sonic. From Sonic the Hedgehog to Sonic and Knuckles, we have a wide array of titles to choose from, many of which are made available in online marketplaces.

These games haven’t changed. Only our impressions of the games have changed. If novelty-factor is your primary reason for purchasing new games, may I suggest that you’re wasting your money, and setting the bar way too low for developers?

You wouldn’t ask for a complete remake of the Classic Star Wars Saga, and then demand that the director keep everything exactly the same.

If you really want a Sonic game that meets your expectations, you need only look into the past. We have these games already, and we can enjoy them whenever we’d like.

A New Sonic

For many of us, this is the hard part. The only Sonic we’ve ever enjoyed is the cool blue hedgehog from the classic platformers.

There’s a reason we’re constantly yammering about the past, about why Sonic needs to return to his roots… we’ve yet to see a new version of Sonic we actually like.

Clearly, I’m not speaking on everyone’s behalf here. For many of you younger folk, your first experience with the hedgehog was Sonic Adventure, or some other 3D version of Sonic. That’s fine, and I hope that these games are enjoyable for you, but the new titles absolutely target a younger audience.

For folks like me, it’s hard to relate to a narrative about a blue hedgehog saving the world with magical emeralds—especially when the voice actors all sound like they should be doing parts in early morning cartoons for kids.

Maybe the problem is our constant demand that SEGA sticks to Sonic’s roots. Maybe, instead we should be asking SEGA to reinvent Sonic. Maybe the hedgehog as we know him simply doesn’t translate well to newer generation gaming experiences. This is SEGA’s challenge, and it’s going to take a lot of effort on their part to create a new Sonic we can all appreciate.

Sonic doesn’t have to Die

There are cries for SEGA to give Sonic up—let him die before any more damage is done to his name. I can sympathize with this crowd being someone who hasn’t been able to appreciate the newer Sonic games, but maybe this sentiment is a little over dramatic.

I don’t think Sonic has to fade into obscurity, but if SEGA doesn’t change the way it approaches this series, that is exactly what’s going to happen. Sonic may not disappear altogether — in fact, Sonic does a good job with sales in the market for younger gamers — but Sonic won’t ever reclaim his seat as a respectable series if this remains to be the status-quo.

In a sense, Sonic will have to die. SEGA needs a serious think-tank to develop a new vision for the hedgehog, and then needs to conduct extensive testing to ensure they create a new universe for Sonic that is engaging, challenging, and appropriate for all ages. This is not a Sonic we have yet, but it’s the Sonic we’ll need if there’s going to be any serious future for this series.

TSSZ News points out that someone at SEGA let a Sonic 4 gameplay trailer slip a bit too early. Supposedly, this trailer is supposed to be on tonight’s Gamespot coverage.

Yeah, you’ve probably seen all this and more by now—but this time it’s official. So that’s… better?

The fine folks over at The Sonic Stadium have pointed out, via SEGA’s blogs, that Sonic 4: Episode 1 is being delayed until Fall 2010. Also among the news is the confirmation of Apple’s iPhone as Sonic 4’s fourth platform. It looks like we’re all going have to wait a bit longer to play what could potentially be the greatest Sonic game in years, but is it really a bad thing? Take a look at an excerpt from the presser below:

SEGA is incredibly happy at the overwhelmingly positive response to Sonic The Hedgehog™ 4 Episode I from both press and fans around the world, and wants to ensure that we’re delivering the best Sonic experience possible.

With this dedication to quality and the Sonic experience in mind, SEGA has decided to extend the development of the game, and will now release Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode I in the latter half of 2010. The additional time will allow the Development Team to focus on ensuring overall high-quality throughout the game by continuing to tune, balance, and maintain the kind of polish that an important title like this demands, and ultimately providing fans with an unrivalled classic Sonic feel.

Many fans have demanded changes to the Sonic 4 they’ve seen. Could this be SEGA’s way of responding to the feedback of a disenchanted audience?

It could mean altered (or even removed and replaced) second Acts for the Casino Street and Lost Labyrinth Zones. Whatever it may be, perhaps RubyEclipse will shed some light on the situation this evening on GameSpot’s On The Spot, as reported earlier today.

What do you think about SEGA’s latest announcement?

An official return to Sonic’s classic structure highlights many elements in the “2D versus 3D” debate. One of the big things to discuss is the storytelling – or the lack of it, as some might say.

Now there’s no extra characters, no complex plot… just Sonic versus the world. This return to minimal in-game storytelling brings up an interesting point: what is the role and effectiveness of storytelling in the Sonic universe?

The 3D Sonic games embraced what classic Sonic did mostly without: dialogue, drama, and scenes. But the classic games managed to create profound and memorable experiences, while the 3D Sonic games have been hit-or-miss when it comes to making us care.

Does that mean Sonic can’t support that sort of explicit storytelling? No, not at all. In fact, the Sonic universe is actually quite comfortable with drama.

For instance, take a look at Mario.

One of the first running gags in video games.

The world of Mario is comic and absurd. “The princess is in another castle” swiftly becomes a joke when you hear it over and over again, a self-mocking tone that pervades almost every Mario game ever.

Lighthearted, yes, but still a straight-faced story.

By comparison, Sonic’s world has always taken itself seriously. How seriously? In 1993, two years after the release of Sonic 1 for the Genesis, the first of Archie’s Sonic the Hedgehog comics were published in the United States, bringing life, depth, and story to the Sonic universe as it existed at that time.

So the problem isn’t whether or not a story exists in Sonic. Rather, the issue is on where the story is being told.

Sonic 4 Marks a Return to Old-Time Sonic

In Sonic 4, like the rest of the Genesis games, you aren’t told what your goals are, what Sonic’s motivations may be… you just jump in and go. Is that a lack of story?

Not quite. You know you have to move forward, and you know that there are enemies and obstacles of various shapes and sizes in your way. That’s the context.

In classic Sonic, it’s clear that you and Sonic are there for the same reason – to fight through every level, clear every challenge, and see the conflict through to the end. And there’s no dialogue or cutscene to tell you otherwise. You can empathize more strongly with what you do and what Sonic goes through. When something significant happens in the game, you feel it. Winning feels satisfying. Losing feels personally shameful. That’s empathy in games. That’s what great games do to us.

The classic Sonic games made the most of this effect. The aesthetic is attractive on all fronts, the gameplay is intuitive and rewarding, which gives the story everything it needs to make Sonic our emotional anchor.

If Sonic 4 succeeds in making the most of this effect again, it’s what everyone has been waiting for.

But what does that mean for story in 3D Sonic?

It’s a whole lot harder to make drama work in games. When the character’s motivations are laid out separately from the player’s motivations, it’s harder for us to care about what happens to them.

To be fair, I’d say Sonic has accomplished it to some degree in the 3D era. Both Sonic Adventure games were apparently popular enough to warrant remakes on the Gamecube. Their characters have reappeared in game after game since, even as cameos. That genuine popularity didn’t come out of nowhere.

Personally, I believe that if a dramatic story can be done well in games, it can take us to greater emotional heights than classic Sonic did. But where do you think the issue is?

For those who play on big HDTVs, a game’s native screen resolution is an emerging issue. A game that’s upscaled from a lower resolution can look blocky with textures that are spread a bit too thin, which can ruin the experience for some. It’s also a big deal for developers. Providing a game in native 1080p high-definiton means providing high-resolution textures for most everything in the game (and not just a few prominent parts). So the number of games that are available in 1080p are relatively few.

But those of you in this camp that are looking forward to Sonic 4, don’t worry. Sonic 4’s in full 1080p HD. For the rest of us that don’t have the big TV, we’ll have to suffer a little downscaling. But to be fair, high-definition downscaled always looks better than standard-definition upscaled.

And as much as we like to focus on the raw quality of gameplay mechanics, a game’s aesthetic is important too. A visually dynamic world is essential to transport us into the experience. That’s what the Genesis games did, so this is definitely good news.