SAGE ‘08: Sonic: Point of Action

Another 3D Entry; Another Blender Game Engine Creation

3D is the thing this year at the Sonic Amateur Games Expo.

There are plenty of offerings at the show that go beyond the classic Sonic sidescrollers, and many are taking advantage of the Blender game engine.  Sonic: Point of Action is one of them.

The project has one simple purpose: “To create an enjoyable Sonic game in 3D”–nothing more, nothing less.  Stressing that the game is still in a beta stage, the Action booth contains screenies, a playable demo, and a video, which we have below.  The demo requires OpenGL and Net 2.0 framework from Microsoft.  Mac and Linux versions of the game are also planned.  The game is rumored to even work on lower-end graphics cards.

A few other notes directly from the booth:

Q- Is this game going to be online?
A- There is a big chance for online racing, battles, etc. Of course, the game is still in beta development so well just have to see.

Q- What are the playable characters in the final game?
A- Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and possibly Shadow are the only playable characters in the story so far.

Q- Does Sonic Action have a story?
A- Yes, Sonic Action does have a story. However, most of the info will not be released publicly until more developent is done in the rendering department.

One of the finer points of this game is the pride the developers are taking into creating their own texture maps for the game–they claim 70% of the materials are developed on their own.  Take a look at the video below; it’s a bit barren, but well on its way.