It seems like Sonic has finally decided to go solo once again as Sega announced that the speedy hedgehog will be starring in his own next-gen title, Sonic Unleashed. The new title will make use of its own powerful "Hedgehog Engine", which will give the game a fresh next-gen look while keeping into the feel of the previous Sonic titles. For more details, check out our full article after the jump.

It's just a couple of more days to go before our European friends finally, finally get their hands on their own PlayStation 3s (PS3). So, Europe, have you finally made up your mind as to which titles to get on launch day? If haven't quite decided yet, then this Sega announcement might be of help. Sega Europe Ltd. has just confirmed that it will be providing five different titles on launch day that should satisfy every type of gamer out there. Marketing Director Gary Knight remarked that they are, "thrilled to have one of the strongest lineups for the launch of the PS3 in Europe".

To help you decide, here's the five Sega titles, including brief descriptions and summaries, that will be available on launch day. Some of you may already be familiar with these, but in case you're not, then read on:

• Virtua Tennis 3: New World Tour Mode includes the unique Tennis Academy; Two classic mini games and ten brand new mini games; Total character customization; Four player multiplayer option.
• Sonic The Hedgehog: Enter the peaceful water city of Soleanna which is ruled by the Princess Elise. The tranquility is shattered as Dr. Eggman descends on the city and kidnaps Elise, with an evil agenda to possess the Blue Chaos Emerald and destroy the world.
• Full Auto 2: Battlelines: Customize and race weapon-equipped vehicles; Fully destructible urban environments; Car combat and calculated destruction; New specifically designed multiplayer Arena Mode.
• World Snooker Championship 2007: 104 of the World's best snooker players; Ten official tournaments modelled for the 2007 season; Comprehensive pool experience where you can play 9 and 8-ball competitions.
• Virtua Fighter 5: Two brand new characters El Blaze and Eileen; Players will also be able to customize the outfits of their ultimate warrior; A range of breathtaking environments.

Why was Sonic such a big hit back in the early 90's? Well, he was cool, and he was blue, and the early 90's after all was the era of Grunge, being blue back then was sort of hip. Tragically hip. Oh never-mind. Ignore that corny wordplay.

Sonic was a big hit because the Hedgehog's games featured jaw dropping loops, psychedelic bonus rounds, and impressive boss-battles against insane mechanical creations. The game was hot, action-packed, and was definitely exciting (some are daring enough to say that they felt that it was more exciting than all those Mario Clones)

So how did Sega manage to degrade a great blue hyper-speed franchise? Some of us here at QJ believe that it was when somebody decided to make Sonic open his mouth. Allow us to make this comparison. Play the two YouTube vids below. (Not at the same time of course.)

The one on the left is how Sonic sounds in most English voice-overs. The one on the right is how Sonic sounds in Japanese. See the difference? Despite the sheer insanity of HELLOOOOOO EBURIBODAAAYYYY, Sonic sounds less annoying. Some might think that the slightly deeper voice even makes him sound cool and slightly kooky.

Of course, there are other more legitimate reasons for the Sonic's decline in quality over the years. For example, racketboy of Retro Gaming has a long and detailed article up regarding the why and how of the degradation. We'll give you a quick enumeration of his points after the jump!

The full article awaits after the jump!