It’s a damn shame to see a classic character in such crappy games. In my opinion, literally every Sonic title since Sonic Adventure 2 Battle on the GameCube has been damn near trash. Last September, Sega announced “Project Needlemouse“, which until now was a secret game. Now we know that Project Needlemouse is Sonic 4, the direct sequel to Sonic & Knuckles.

Sonic & Knuckles was released almost 16 years ago for the Sega Genesis. The classic 2D side-scroller was a gem of the series and was met with no real sequel… until now. “Project Needlemouse” was Sega’s codename for a secret title which was eventually revealed to involve the hedgehog and then finally revealed to return Sonic to his 2D roots.

While little has still been revealed, we have the details of what has. Sonic 4 will be released in episodic content with the first addition obviously being Sonic 4: Episode 1,w ith a tentative release date of Summer 2010, Sonic 4: Episode 1 will land on Xbox Live. Are you excited for Sonic’s return to 2D or are you afraid Sega has ruined the chilidog-loving rodent’s reputation forevermore?