Sonic the Hedgehog 4 announced… as episodic content?

For the several months now, Sega has been teasing via their blog what looked like a reboot of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. Today, Sega finally announced Sonic the Hedgehog 4 – not a remake, rather a sequel to Sonic & Knuckles released all the way back on the Genesis in 1994. Despite Sonic 4’s 3D upgrade, the gameplay will be remain faithful to the original 2D style from the 90s. Likewise, Sonic will be the ONLY playable character; meaning no gun-toating Hedgehogs or Werewolves. Launch trailer and more info after the break.

Curious about the “Episode 1″ subtitle? Sega’s brand manager Ken Balough assures Gamespot that this denotes a larger story arc, rather then segmented gameplay: “When Sega released Sonic 3, ultimately it was the part 1 of a story that saw its conclusion in Sonic & Knuckles. In that same spirit, Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is a bigger story, and this is that first chapter. I think it’s also safe to say that by the end of the episode one, fans will be very excited to see what’s in store for episode two!”

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m a HUGE Sonic fan. However, wasn’t adding a “story” what nearly buried this franchise since its move to the Dreamcast? Does Sonic REALLY need a narrative? Not to mention an episodic narrative? Seems like all the needs is fast paced level design, robots and lots of rings. But, I digress.

An official site has been launched as well, however, many of the details have been time locked. The game will be released this summer for Xbox Live Arcade, Wii Ware and the Playstation Network. Both the Wii and PS3 versions will feature motion controls for some reason.

More info as we get it. Until then, check out the launch trailer.