Sonic X-treme is one of the great Sega game failures, designed to go up against the launch of the N64 the game was eventually cancelled, a one level demo CD is public and that has just been purchased for 2500 USD.

This may be one of those holy grail collecting moments. The only playable version of Sonic X-treme known to exist. You can read about the game this was supposed to turn into if you want the whole story on the Saturn game and why it was canned. It’s a pretty interesting read if you’re a Saturn fan or just want a little dose of gaming history.

The game has an odd history that shows the disorganisation of Sega and the for-runnings to its eventual pull out from the hardware market. infighting and constant intteruptions and demands from Sega Japan meant that Sega America had to change the game engine, game design and eventually can the project.

Sonic X-Treme would have been a blending of old and new styles, combining a sprite-based Sonic and enemies with fully 3D levels. Some of the graphic designs, created by Chris Senn early in the game’s development cycle, reflected the fusion that the team was aiming at. Senn created over 50 enemy designs during this period, which artist Ross Harris would later translate into 3D-based sprites. The entire pre-production to development process is a tangled skein, but all of the screenshots point to a game that would have at least been on par, graphically, with NiGHTS, if not better than that game. Link

Which sounds exactly like the current Nintendo DS Sonic game, Sonic Rush:

Sonic Rush is a return to form for a franchise that has been on the decline for so long, the low point was Shadow.

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