It was two E3 shows ago when Sega stunned everyone with the winter line-up with the likes of Virtua Cop 2, Fighting Vipers, Daytona CC and of course Sonic X-Treme to name a few.  The demo that was showed at E3 was very early and none of the enemies had even been in place yet.  But there were still a couple of levels set up and a few very lucky people got the chance to experience Sonic in full 3D.   

So what was the difference?  Well it was 3D for a start making a big difference to the overall gameplay.  While Sonic looked even better he even had a few new moves to go with it too.  As usual he had his spin move but he also got a new one called the spinslash which would let Sonic do a mid air 360 degrees attack with his spikes jutting assertively outwards.  He was also able to throw rings instead of just picking them up all the time.  Would have been great eh? 

What was the story?  Well Sonic Team didn't go into too much detail but here it goes.  Dr. Robotnik (surprise!) was after the six magical rings of order.  They were currently being kept by Professor Gazebo Boobowski and his daughter Tiara B.  But somehow Dr. Robotnik managed to get them but lost them again and it was Sonics mission to retrieve the six rings of order over lots of different stages before Dr. Robotnik could.  Sonic Team were also eager to create new characters and levels such as Jade Gully and Crystal Frost instead of the usual casino/forest levels. 

Well that was about all the information given out by Sega at that time but Sonic Team gave out one interview to SSM about the game and here it is now!   

Interview 

Q1. Could you sum up what's going to make this Sonic game different from ones in the past? 
A1. Obviously with Sonic X-Treme, 3D Sonic is free to move around in a completely open 3D environment.  Previously on the 2D games things were restricted to a very linear path, where as now he can run around in the open without any restrictions to his path.  The 360 degrees rotation allows for new aspects to the gameplay.  It means that Sonic can now do things like run from a wall onto the ceiling and explore lots of new hidden areas. 
Q2. Can he do that anywhere? 
A2. At this point in time it is going to set up through the levels.  The idea is to make specific areas 'hot spots' that will trigger off this kind of rotation, although we're still thinking about that. 
Q3. Are the main Sonic characteristics still going to be in there, things like collecting rings, wizzing about really fast and all that? 
A3. Yep, very fast, awesome graphics. 
Q4. And will it have the same fuel level of play, like you can choose between rushing through it really quickly or take your time and search everywhere? 
A4. There are three acts and within each act we have it set so that it emphasises a certain part of the game so, one part might be very fast and another might incorporate more exploration or a lot more puzzle solving. 
Will there be bonus levels in the game? 
A5. Yes, there will.  The gameplay in these sections will be of a similar nature, as it was in previous Sonic games. 
Q6. Are people who are previously involved in Sonic involved in Sonic X-Treme? 
A6. I wasn't but many people on my team, STI (Sega Technical Institute) were.  They worked on Sonic 2, Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles. 
Q7. How do you think it's going to measure up to something like Mario on the N64? 
A7. Well, it all comes down to gameplay and in Sonic games this has always been very refined.  I'm working with a great team and so I'm confident that we are really going to do Sonic justice. 
Q8. Do you think there's still a place for 2D games? 
A8. Yes I do, although with Sonic X-Treme I think it benefits from having a free environment.  It's a bit like Nights in that way I guess. 
Q9. Are you using the Sega Graphics Library to create the game? 
A9. Yes. 
Q10. Does that make it easier to make things possible? 
A10. In certain ways yes, but it also involves restrictions with certain programmes so we've actually created our own versions, but the demo here at the E3 is actually running with SGL. 
Q11. Do you think that there'll be new things you can do in the future Sonic games on the Saturn? 
A11. In the future possible, but right now we're utilising everything we can to put in this game and trying to push the hardware to its limit. 
Q12. How many people do you have working on the team? 
A12. About 15 or so. 
Q13. Do you  feel there's a lot of pressure on you as the producer of the game? 
A13. Absolutely.  The whole team is well aware of Sonic's stature and were not going to put out anything less than what the fans expect. 
Q14. When do you expect to have the game complete? 
A14. It should be ready by around Autumn time. 

Unfortunately the game was canned in November1996.  It's still isn't 100% clear why it was canned and the game has become famous because of it.  This game was the game Sega were hoping to blow Mario 64 away and who knows, if the game came out and was a stunner I'm sure we could have sold a lot more Saturns.  Still it wasn't to be and instead we got Sonic Jam and of course Sonic R.  Whatever happens we haven't seen the last of Sonic and we should see the fruits of Sonic Teams past ideas and ambitions about the game in the Dreamcast version. 
 
-- Written By Matt