Poor Britney, she went from media darling to tabloid laughing stock in just a few short years. And the worst of it was that it happened in full view of the public’s unforgiving eye. From her high throne, the princess of pop stumbled her way from one ridiculous stunt or dismal performance to the next, losing both face and fans along the way.

But what has the redneck warbler got to do with videogames? Well, in many respects, her fortunes refl ect those of a certain Sonic the Hedgehog. Once king of the console, Sega’s answer to Nintendo’s moustachioed plumber could do no wrong, but as the years progressed something went seriously wrong. Prostituted in everything from beat-’em-ups to half-arsed Wii-D adventures, Sonic, or rather the people making his decisions, has been disappointing fans for far too long now. In fact, it makes us unhappy to think that some gamers are too young to even remember the glory days, to them the blue blaze is nothing but another cute character who features in a bad videogame.

Nevertheless, when you’re at your lowest point – and let’s face it Sonic The Hedgehog on PlayStation 3 was pretty darn low – you get help from the most unlikely sources, as former rival Mario proved by stepping up and allowing Sonic to compete with him in a little videogame Olympics. A huge success that restored some confi dence in the Sonic brand. Now Mario is fl ying solo and saving galaxies, Sonic is staying closer to home and shaping up to save the Earth. If what Sega tells us is gospel in this new title, Sonic Unleashed, then not only is the titular hedgehog looking to save the Earth, he will also be fi ghting to save himself.

Having been broken apart by the nefarious Dr Eggman, Sonic must put the pieces of the world back together, one continent at a time, by seeking out and using the power of the Chaos Emeralds. While this might sound like the usual videogame patter, Sega isn’t simply rehashing the same old adventure game, or the same old Sonic for that matter, as Unleashed has a darker side. Although Sonic is a world-saver by day, he becomes a very different beast when the sun goes down – becoming the fabled ‘Werehog’ – gifting him new abilities, including speed skills, melee combat and the ability to interact with the environment.

Seven broken continents provide plenty of variety in terms of environments, but it’s the introduction of the new Hedgehog Engine (which has been in development for over three years) that’s really exciting. It boasts the ability to mesh seamless 3D and classic 2D camera transitions while offering a rich and expansive world with multiple paths to choose from – whether this will include the chance to remain as the more aggressive Werehog is yet to be confi rmed. Sega’s proprietary engine is also said to utilise new lighting techniques and other fancy graphical jiggery-pokery to make the speed of Sonic come to life.

According to Yoshihisa Hashimoto, lead designer of Sonic Unleashed, this game will bear no relation to recent (failed) Sonic game releases and is geared more towards restoring its golden boy’s reputation as an industry icon. So, with the opportunity to engage in different ways during day and night levels, combine both two and three-dimensional viewpoints and use his new combat ability to maul his enemies, Sonic the Hedgehog has never had a better chance to hit gamers ‘one more time’.