Project Needlemouse IS ACTUALLY SONIC 4

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(Original thread title: Project Needlemouse (that Sonic retro game) may have never actually existed)

First there was this:

Originally Posted by Tristan Oliver

But What Does “Without a Character” Mean?

If you thought you were in the dark on the upcoming Project Needlemouse, imagine how clueless the firm who produced the original trailer felt.
The San Francisco based Integrated Alchemy Media, an online marketing boutique who specializes in “disruptive” video, did not see a second of the next Sonic. That’s according to their boisterous Vimeo relay of the trailer. They had a week to put together something out of nothing, and it worked–within 2 days, their trailer was viewed by at least 100,000 people in their estimation.

But there may be some holes in their PR push–some very big holes. It appears Project Needlemouse is a tentative title. At the time of the spot’s production, there was no title, no logo, and…well, we’ll let the bold portion speak for itself:

–What’s this “without a character” business? Could the next major Sonic game have been so early in development that, as of September, it wasn’t determined whether Sonic, as we know him, would be the lead? That would certainly put a chink in the armor of many fans’ opinions thus far, who think this could be Sonic’s return to 2D glory.

But because this all but affirms the trailer was made from nothing–and perhaps as part of a shotgun announcement based on bark more than bite–and we still have nothing, it’s tough to pin down what more to take from this, other than Project Needlemouse will likely not be the final title, and Alchemy Media accomplished its goal quite successfully.

What do you think? Do you think Sega would even consider nixing Sonic in a lead role for such a well-hyped project? And what of this “without a game” talk? Tell us in the comments section.
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And now, this:

Originally Posted by Ryan Bloom

Nothing to see here… right?

Yesterday, we brought you the story of how advertising firm Integrated Alchemy Media was approached by Sega to create a “Project Needlemouse” teaser in only a week, despite never seeing the game itself or any materials relating to it. This was by Integrated Alchemy’s own admission, right on their Vimeo page for the teaser itself. Emphasis on “was”, because today, that description has been completely removed – leaving just the video itself.

This is most likely a move to quell the collective confusion and bewilderment spawned by Integrated Alchemy’s original statement on the teaser. Some fans took it as a bad omen – that the teaser was simply cashing in on nostalgia seeing as Integrated Alchemy did not actually know what the game looked or played like. Indeed, despite the teaser suggesting otherwise, “Project Needlemouse” may not even be going in a retro direction at all.
If at least the date at the end of the teaser is to be believed, “Project Needlemouse” is slated for release this year – meaning that real, actual, solid information is only months away (my bet is on E3 in June). We’ll keep you posted.

The Sonic Cycle has evolved into the Sonic Paradox. Announcement, excitement, revelations, disappointment..... but this time there is NO GAME to hold these stages together.

It's mind-blowing. Only Sega could not-make-a-game and have it still suck.