I’ve just been regressed to 1998, sitting in a crummy little Internet cafe to watch the spoils from the unveiling of Sonic Adventure with some friends since our 56k connections were so woefully futile. Yes, Sega have unveiled their next-generation Sonic title to hit PS3 and Xbox 360, and if you have access to certain press release sites (or just know where to look) you can find some absolutely stunning 1080p shots.

I’m still weird about having a Sonic title without a Sega console to play it on but seeing a character as beloved as this looking so incredible just makes me think that this generation really is going to be the huge step that the rhetoric is telling us. I was blown away in Sonic Adventure at that moment when you passed through a tight tunnel and emerged in a huge valley split with a vast chasm, and then found a whole forest to run through at Sonic’s blinding speeds, and the above shot looks like that turned up to eleven. Green Hill Zone; only looking like you could reach out and touch it. I just hope they stick to those wonderfully fast Sonic levels and don’t stick in crap like the Big The Cat fishing games or Knuckles’ horribly protracted scavenger hunts.

Either way, this baby just shot up my wishlist.