A new trailer surfacing on the Internet showcases an aspect of the new Sonic the Hedgehog game that not many fans were anticipating – the inclusion of ‘Sweet Sweet Sweet’, a song more commonly known as the ending theme to Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on Sega Megadrive.
You can watch the new trailer by RIGHT CLICKING HERE and selecting ‘Save Target/Link As…’. For a split second, the trailer also shows Silver battling a boss (likely Iblis or an Iblissy creature) with Blaze following beside him.
The song’s appearance, however, is the latest news supporting evidence that SONIC the Hedgehog will feature plenty of callbacks to past Sonic titles. Recently, fansite Sonic Style uncovered secret screenshots that not only showcased what looked like a revision of Sonic Adventure’s Emerald Coast, but also a snapshot of Tails running along the beach.
When we spoke to SEGA on the news, they couldn’t exactly tell us a lot, but what they did say was quite intruiging. “Think of this as not only a brand new Sonic game, but also as sort of a ‘Best Of Sonic the Hedgehog’… There are loads and loads of references to older games, and we’re sure that you guys are going to absolutely love it.”
Masato Nakamura, the original composer of the first two Sonic the Hedgehog video games, was a member of popular Japanese pop group, Dreams Come True. On the lead up to the blue blur’s first release, SEGA had promoted the game during Dreams Come True’s national tour. In Sonic the Hedgehog 2, a 16-bit rendition of the group’s track ‘Sweet Sweet Sweet’ was used during the cutscene shortly after destroying the Death Egg. It has since been regarded as one of the most highly regarded pieces of Sonic music.
Jun Senoue and Howard Drossin replaced Nakamura’s musical involvement in the games from Sonic the Hedgehog 3. The classic theme tune featured in the first two Megadrive titles was also let go, as to use it would have meant royalties to Nakamura, who was so popular by then that SEGA could no longer afford his work.
The re-appearance of ‘Sweet Sweet Sweet’ appears to have raised a few questions. Mainly, does this mean that Masato Nakamura is lending his talents to the game, or is it simply the use of the one track? The trailer features a jazzed up version of the song, but it is currently unknown whether Dreams Come True are the singers of the song or whether it is another band providing a tribute.
SEGA’s offices open tomorrow. We’re going to hound them. In the meantime, watch the trailer and stay tuned for more exciting Sonic Nextgen news on the run up to its release in just a few months.