Somebody on YouTube call "Promothus" made a faux trailer for Ghosts of the Future and didn't tell me! I really wanted one of these, and didn't even know I had one! Thank you!

Watch it here:
[link]

Okay, You've probably seen some sort of news about the new Sonic game that been announced recently if your spend any time lurking around the Sonic community. It seems, as usual, the average fan's response is annoyance, escalating to rage. But I've decided to buck the trend and try to actually look at the shiny new info SEGA's thrown into our drooling, sharp-toothed maw in a calm and optimistic manner.

Don't get mad at me.

I got this information from a recent post on The Sonic Stadium, [link] and they got it from Blue Blur Central, who got it from Nintendo Power.

"Developed by the same people as Sonic and the Secret Rings"
You might have noticed that I like Sonic and the Secret Rings. A lot.

”This time, a sorceress named Merlina summons Sonic to the mythical realm of King Arthur, but it seems the fabled monarch has somehow been corrupted and now rules the land as the tyrannical Black Knight.”
Shahra, anyone? Oh God, I wonder if Eggman will be King Arthur. THAT would be strange. But seriously, "Merlina?" I can do better than that.

"Uses a similar storybook device as Secret Rings"
You know, animated cut scenes are nice...

”As Sonic runs along, a simple flick of the Wii remote will execute a basic slash, which is enough to dispatch most low-level grunts.”
I'd rather jump on their heads, but that works too.

"More advanced swordplay consists of the ability to thrust, parry, and even pull off a buzz-saw maneuver midjump".
Oh good, jumpage is still allowed.

”During out demo, we saw the hedgehog leap from a high precipice, then thrust the blade into a wall to slow his decent, sparks flying impressively as steel cut through brick”
Uh, Sonic? that's nice, but what's the point? Your games never have falling damage.

”Combat is integrated in such a way that most of the time you can slice through any who stand in your path without even slowing down”
Thank the lord for that.

"Sonic is controlled with the Control Stick".
Good, because not being able to stop in Secret Rings was a bit awkward sometimes.

”Our hero begins his quest as a mere knave. Only by becoming a full-fledged knight will he have any hope of defeating King Arthur.”
But he can kill giant robots with his hair!

”…his sword, a talking blade named Calibur, serves as a mentor”
*cough*Shahra*cough*

"If you help civilian townsfolk in need of assistance, you’ll earn points toward knighthood. If you smite one of those civilians, your reputation will take a hit".
So were're doing this one "Shadow the Hedgehog" style? Oh joy. Consequence-free smiting is much more fun.

”At the end of each stage, the game tallies your good and not-so-good deeds and updates your rank accordingly.”
nothing particularly interesting about that, unless it changes the outcome of the story.

"You can purchase items from residents. “Sonic can acquire everything from gauntlets to magical tomes to new swords, and when equipped, each article bestows him with a unique benefit. About 200 items in all, with some being able to be combined with others to make new ones".
Can we get a big green Elf hat somewhere? Ooh! and tights. Sonic would look good in those.

"You have the option to go online and trade items with friends".
My friends probably won't even buy this game.

"Rings come in burlap sacks instead of monitors".
What an amazing, newsworthy innovation!

"Sonic uses magic elementals to help him do various things, such as a bounce pad or a speed boost. They look like chao heads. The red ones give him a jump and the blue give Sonic a speed boost".
Me like Chao.

"Sonic can cross large gaps by firing a ballista and grinding the rope to the other side".
What's a "ballista?" Sounds kind of Clawshot-y.

”On the audio side, veteran composer Jen Senoue is taking a smiliar approach, injecting familiar Sonic themes with a Celtic flavor.”
BOOHYAH! I love Celtic music, and I've always wanted to see it used in a Sonic game!

”Each stage has multiple branching paths and searching for townsfolk and treasure chests provides an element of exploration that recalls Sonic’s early Genesis days.”
Yay!

”…the camera will occasionally pan to a side-scrolling perspective for a quick dose of classic 2-D action”
That sounds good, though the camera will probably spaz out.

"SBK Bringing back the skill system from Secret Rings, but they’re trying not to have the skill system interfere with the game’s tempo this time around".
I never had any problems with the skill system.

"The mission structure also returns but the developers hope to make it less arduous".
But it wasn't! if you didn't want to play the extra missions you didn't have to!

”And there will be no dinosaur eggs!”
That mission WAS dumb.

”Just as they subbed in for such characters as Ali Baba and Aladdin in Sonic and the Secret Rings, a number of familiar faces will assume Arthurian personas in SBK.”
Yes! Another opportunity for me to confuse you peoples!

”This time, however, some of Sonic’s friends will be playable. Each hero will boast unique abilities, and though the team isn’t ready to divulge the full cast just yet, we do know the identities of two playable comrades: Knuckles, who brandishes two swords at once, and Shadow.Playing as these other characters is entirely optional. You will be able to play through game as Sonic, or switch to the other characters if you choose"
They did it! Everybody can be happy at last! Here's to Shadow being Lancelot.

"A new special gauge will 'bestow him with similarly impressive powers. The meter fills gradually whenever Sonic vanquishes an enemy or snags a purple elemental, and when it reaches a certain point you can unleash a powerful combination attack capable of tearing through multiple foes in quick succession'"
It's just the Rush Meter again.

”…the team behind Sonic and the Black Knight is keenly aware of the franchise’s past missteps, and their enthusiasm for doing right by the series is infections”
Go do it!

I've got a lot more "yay!" for this game than "groan..." So I'm lookin' forward to hearing more about it! What do you guys think?

EVAN STANLEY'S COMIC ARCHIVE:
[link]