Sonic Boom Announced For Wii U, 3DS, Runs At 1080p?

I guess this is another notch on the belt for the Wii U having more 1080p games than its competitors? Most notably, the Xbox One. But Sega has announced that Sonic Boom is coming for Nintendo's platforms in 2014 and it will be prequel for the new animated TV series set to launch.

Nintendo Enthusiast was one of many to pick up the news, with quotes from Sega stating that...

“This year, SEGA is excited to introduce a new branch of the Sonic universe, entitled Sonic Boom, that will debut a new look for Sonic and friends and launch their first-ever CG animated television series, new video games for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, and a new toy line. The creative driving forces behind these projects are working together with SEGA to kick-start a global campaign for Sonic Boom that will excite and engage new and existing fans across a variety of platforms.”

This is massive news for Nintendo because they were in dire need of some additional third-party support. The lack of third-party empathy was starting to become a bit worrisome, as other outlets seem keen to keep their distance from Nintendo like they're a pariah with the sort of STD that would make even Tommy Lee pack his bags and steer clear.

Sega showing Nintendo some much-needed love is also a very odd pairing, given that Sega was trying to bury Nintendo back during the 1990s like Ted Turner was trying to bury Vince McMahan during the Monday night wars between RAW and Nitro. The fact that Sega is now doing what they can to stay afloat and help Nintendo break out with some original content is laughably ironic at worst.

As for Sonic Boom, the game will sport multiplayer options, will allow players to control Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy, and will run 1080p, as per Nintendo Enthusiast's observations. The game is also running on the latest rendition of the CryEngine 3. That's right, one of the top-end game engines out there is being utilized by a studio to make a top-end game for the Wii U. It's not quite as "crappy" as EA would lead a lot of people to believe.

According to some software engineers and developers, while the Nintendo Wii U lacks definitive support for something like Shader Model 5.0, there are workarounds to make use of all the high-end features present in engines like CryEngine 3 or Unreal Engine, as evidenced by Slightly Mad Studios with Project CARS.

With the PS4 and Wii U rocking 1080p games, it kind of makes you question what the extra $100 (compared to PS4) or $200 (compared to the Wii U) is going to with the Xbox One, when many of the games are relegated to 720p?

Will Usher

Staff Writer at CinemaBlend.