ega’s Spring Event showcased perennial favorites like Sonic, the return of Golden Axe and much more. There was a lot to take in, and plenty to look forward to in 2008 and beyond. While there were a lot of good games on display, for the most part it looked like a solid, if not a little safe, lineup. Here are some of the highlights:

Sonic Unleashed
The Sonic Unleashed demo started with talk of it being a new start for Sonic, which is something fans of the beleaguered franchise simultaneously want to hear and have heard in the past. After seeing a quick gameplay demo of the title, it’s tough to say if the execution lives up to that talk—but at the very least, it doesn’t look like it will be veering off course in quite the same way as previous 3D installments have.

The game runs on a new Sega-developed engine, appropriately dubbed the Hedgehog Engine. It’s designed to replicate the classic sensation of speed from the Genesis days, allowing art assets to be pulled on-screen quickly enough to make that goal possible. If speed is the benchmark by which Sonic Unleashed will be measured, they’re doing all right. Sonic blasted through two Greek-set stages in record time, hurling himself up stairs, down wide streets and around loops at a dizzying pace. Unlike, say, Sonic and the Secret Rings on the Wii, Sega says players will have more control over the character in Unleashed. While that game captured most of the essence of Sonic’s speedy antics, his inability to stop walking forward made lining up tricky jumps an unnecessarily frustrating experience. Here, players are free to simply walk around or come to a complete stop.

While his velocity may be familiar, Sonic has a few new moves at his disposal this time around. Collecting rings builds up his ring energy, which can be used to unleash a Sonic Boost. At times when the camera switches to a behind-the-back view, the shoulder bumpers on the controller can be used to quickly sidestep obstacles or zip into the path likely to net more rings. And a drift system has been added to the game, allowing Sonic to take corners without losing speed.

We only saw the game’s daytime levels, so we didn’t spy any of the nighttime action or his new transformations. And we only saw Sonic—though Sega said his friends would be making playable appearances in Sonic Unleashed. They won’t be grabbing too much attention, however, so fishing fans will probably have to look elsewhere.

After the demo ended, it took a bit of time to process what we just saw—it’s seriously fast. The game definitely looks like a much-needed return to form, with a considerable amount of time spent in the pseudo-2D mode and classic “run from left to right and bounce on a bunch of bumpers” action. Without getting our hands on it, though, it’s tough to say if it’s actually fun or just something for the remaining Sonic fans or people who are fond of holding right on a joystick and seeing stuff blur past. Let’s hope it truly is a new start for the little blue guy.

Golden Axe: Beast Rider
Even if you like think you really, really like Tyrus Flare, you’ve got nothing on the guys at Secret Level. One of the first things we were shown at the demo for Golden Axe: Beast Rider was a slow pan up her back from the feet up, with a not-so-subtle pause at her Amazonian behind. Players are going to spending much of their time staring exclusively at her posterior—sorry Axe Battler and Gilius Thunderhead fans—during their time with the third-person hack and slash.

While her two arcade teammates won’t be playable characters in Beast Rider, the name should come as a subtle indication that at least one prominent aspect of the game will be back in full force. Tyrus hasn’t lost her beast-riding skills, and she can hop on the backs of a variety of nasty critters to more effectively tear through Death Adder’s minions. One, a scaly giant ape thing with a stubby little tail, converts enemies into pulpy messes and sprays of red mist when he connects a blow with his Buick-sized fists. A bipedal dragon creature combines the tail-swinging attacks of those odd chicken-beaked beasts of yore with the beard-singing flames of his dragon counterpart. There’s also a cheetah-like mount with a cloaking ability. They may seem overpowered in the player’s favor, until you realize that enemies can mount them, too, and have access to the same beast abilities.

Tyris hasn't lost her magical skills, either, and this time out she has both devastating spells that affect multiple enemies—like before—as well as more localized attacks like fireballs.