Sonic Gets His Own Spinball Rollercoster

SEGA Europe and the Alton Towers Resort in the United Kingdom are saying that they have reached a deal allowing for the videogame publisher exclusive rights to introduce games to the theme park that Alton operates while also making Sonic one of the main attractions, with the speedster hedgehog getting a branded rollercoaster and even his own room at the Alton Towers Hotel.

The rollercoaster will be called Sonic Spinball and will feature a host of twists and turns that would confuse even the videogame character while the hotel room, which allows visitors to live and breathe and play all things Sonic, will be opened on February 13.

Amanda Farr, who is the marketing director for the United Kingdom at SEGA Europe, said that “We are delighted to be working with Merlin Entertainments and Alton Towers Resort. Partnering Sonic with one of the UK’s most popular destinations for a family day out is a fantastic opportunity for people to engage, and have fun, with the Sonic brand. I’ll certainly be there at the launch of the rollercoaster to have my turn!”

The videogame tie-in is called Sonic and SEGA All-Stars Racing, and will be launched on February 26. Visitors to the Alton Towers Resort will probably find the game ready to play on the grounds on release day. The title is set to be released for the Nintendo Wii, the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3, the Nintendo DS and the PC.

Sonic and SEGA All-Stars Racing is pretty similar to Mario Kart when it comes to the racing mechanics, with each character getting a unique power up, a variety of vehicles offered each with various abilities on different surfaces and with a colorful presentation. SEGA is also working on Project Needlemouse, a game that will again bring Sonic the Hedgehog back to his 2D origins, which might arrive in late 2010.