SEGA has teased a potential new title for the Sonic Adventure series, as the company moves closer to Sonic's 30th anniversary.
The 3D Sonic Adventure series has not had an entry since the widely successful Sonic Adventure 2, first released in 2001. Since then, other 3D titles such as Sonic Heroes, Sonic Forces and Sonic Generations have taken over.
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However, a return to the Sonic Adventure series looks on the cards after a very suspicious Tweet from the Sonic the Hedgehog Twitter account. Here's what we think...
Sonic Adventure 3 coming soon?
In a tweet praising Super Sonic's aesthetic, Sonic the Hedgehog's Twitter account hid a minor suggestion of an upcoming announcement - Sonic Adventure 3.
Didn't spot the hint? If you zoom in, you can see the number '3' is ever-so-sneakily printed on Super Sonic's cheek, as we've highlighted below.
The number three, much like in the Half-Life series, holds meaning to diehard Sonic fans who have begged SEGA for a third Sonic Adventure game for almost two decades. Aside from Sonic Dash and Sonic Drift, no other Sonic series' would be up for a third instalment.
Mike Pollock, the voice actor for Dr. Eggman, even responded by sharing a link to the Schoolhouse Rock song, 3 Is A Magic Number, although Pollock took over as Eggman after Sonic Adventure 2's release.
Of course, this could just be the Sonic Twitter account winding fans up, or hinting at something else entirely, especially as the account is known for its lightheartedness and meta-commentary on the Sonic series. However, we can still dream, right?
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The Return of the Chao Garden
One of the most requested features (by me) for an upcoming Sonic Adventure title is for the Chao Garden minigame to make its comeback.
The Chao Gaden acted as a respite from the main storyline, giving players the chance to raise Chao, before sending them to compete in boxing fights and/or races.
While this may sound like your basic minigame, the Chao Garden was incredibly complex. Different animals and batteries found across the Sonic Adventure 2 world would raise different stats of your Chao, while also altering their appearance.
Not only this, but how you interacted with your Chao (whether you took care of them as a Light or Dark character) would affect how they grew up, opening new areas in the Chao Garden.
There are plenty of other unique mechanics to the Chao Garden that make it one of the most sophisticated pet/creature/life form raising games I've ever played, which resulted in the minigame being immensely popular, even after its release.
Unfortunately, the full Chao Garden mode has not been seen since Sonic Adventure 2. With the potential of a Sonic Adventure 3 being released in celebration of Sonic's 30th Anniversary, this feature will be at the top of my list.
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