Sega of Japan has announced that the original Sonic the Hedgehog for Genesis and Mega Drive is coming to the 3DS as part of the system’s “3D Classics” line of downloadable, remastered retro games.
Like all the other 3D Classic titles, Sonic the Hedgehog will add stereoscopic 3D effects to the original game’s 2D sprites and backgrounds. This version of the game also allows players to chose between the US and Japanese versions of the game (which feature minor differences,) adjust the screen display to emulate the look of an old CRT TV, use save states, and remap the game’s buttons (which is strange, since all the buttons in Sonic do the same thing.) In addition to those features, the 3D version of the title also gives Sonic the ability to spin-dash, something which he wasn’t originally able to do until Sonic 2 (later Sonic collections, such as Sonic Jam for the Saturn, also “ret-conned” this ability back into Sonic 1.)
This is the third classic title that Sega has re-released on 3DS as a “3D Classic,” with the other two being Super Hang-On and Space Harrier. Sega is the only third party to add their games to the 3D Classics line, as all of the other games with that moniker have been developed by Nintendo. As of right now, all of Sega’s 3D Classics are exclusive to Japan, though given the popularity of Sonic (and Sega’s willingness to sell anything that features him, regardless of quality,) I wouldn’t be surprised if this port comes to the US e-Shop sooner or later.
