Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 is a return to the old classic platform games. No more 3D, no more Olympics, just plain platforming at high speed, just like in his glory days.

The game will be released on Xbox360, Playstation3 and Wii but unlike as you might expect, it won't be coming to retail. Indeed, Sega is betting high on online and are hoping that Sonic has what it takes to become the best selling title ever on PSN, XBLA and WiiWare.

The Sega representative lead us through the first three levels of the game which have already been completely finished. He said that the devs aren't happy with how the rest of the levels look yet, but assured us that things already look mighty fine and from what we got to see, we believe him on his word.

The intro screen immediately brought back memories from the old days when we played Sonic at a friend's house, but this time things really look sharp and detailed. Sonic 4 will have hi-def graphics and already looks awesome. Everything looks extremely familiar and it's like Sonic has never been away. The 2D environment is hair sharp and contains a lot of detail but doesn't distract one bit. Your eye is focused on Sonic, the rings he collects, and the enemies he faces.

The levels seem a bit short but they're bigger than you might expect at first. If you go in a straight line, you can quickly reach the end but if you want you can do some more exploring vertically. Jump pads, floating rocks, ropes and typical rollercoaster-like roads that make you go over your head... they're all present. Just like the spikes, flying beasts, fish that want to eat you and all the other enemies in the world of Sonic.

The controls are as simple as they are effective. Left and right to run and "x" to jump or attack. What more do you want? It's a perfect control scheme that makes sure you don't get distracted or push the wrong button at the wrong time. Excellent!

One of the things you'll probably wonder about most is the speed of Sonic. Well, we can say that that's also perfectly as it should be. Sonic starts off slowly but goes faster and faster and before you know it he's that raging blue lightning you know so well and love so much. The levels also seem perfectly set up so that you can flash through them without too many obstructions in the way, IF you push the "x" at the right time of course. We wouldn't want it to be too easy, now would we? ;)

As said, we only got to see the first three levels but that was already enough to convince us. If there's one title that has the potential to break all sales records on XBLA, PSN and WiiWare, then it's without a doubt Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1. Everything seems perfectly aligned, the franchise has a huge following and the graphics bring Sonic into the Hi-Def era without having them tamper with the gameplay.