The cycle of hope and disappointment begins anew, as Sonic Adventure 3's existence is possibly leaked

Yep, it's that time again for games journalists of more extreme humourous tastes to make jokes about Sega fans and battered wife mentality, as ever hopeful hedgehog-fanciers the world over limp forward to yet another new 3D Sonic game in the hope that this time, this one time, it will be different.

ie. not crap.

Sonic Adventure 3, that's a lot of responsibility on your shoulders.

Above: Because you always have to use a whale screenshot

If you even exist at all, that is. The threequel to the original Dreamcast twosome has so far not been confirmed by Sega, but a whole bunch of SA3-related URLS have been registered. Sonicadventure3.com, sonicadventure3.net, sonicadventure3.org, sonicadventure3.info, sonicadventure3.fr and sonicadventure3.eu now all exist, though it's not currently clear whether they're actually owned by Sega or just part of some elaborate but ultimately misguided cybersquatting bid. Let's face it, it's a bit of a specific domain to waste cash on if Sega isn't planning on continuing the series any time soon.

Still. it's not a ludicrous assumption that a third game might be coming. After all, Sega has been on a massive Dreamcast nostalgia-drive recently, with a whole bunch of DC ports turning up on XBLA and the PSN. And let's face it, last year's Sonic Generations was basically a big interactive poster for the good old days, when Sonic wasn't just a hateful harbinger of disappointment and lament.

So, Sonic Adventure 3. Might exist, might not. But if it does, are you really willing to get on the rollercoaster of excitement and despair once again?

David Houghton
Long-time GR+ writer Dave has been gaming with immense dedication ever since he failed dismally at some '80s arcade racer on a childhood day at the seaside (due to being too small to reach the controls without help). These days he's an enigmatic blend of beard-stroking narrative discussion and hard-hitting Psycho Crushers.