SEGA officially announced Sonic Unleashed today via a press release, but thanks to some sleuthing internet users most gamers were already aware of Sonic’s latest adventure. The latest installment in the franchise, of course ,stars our beloved blue hedgehog as he takes us on a high-speed journey around the globe. The world has been broken apart by the evil Dr. Eggman, so it’s up to Sonic to put the pieces back together again by retrieving the power of the chaos emeralds. In doing so, Sonic fans will find themselves in a race against time where both day and night play different, yet important, roles in Sonic’s newest quest. By completing a wide variety of stages spanning the seven broken continents of the world, gamers will need to unleash Sonic’s amazing abilities to save the world, and himself. In addition to running at high speeds, which will be highlighted in four new speed mechanics, combat fighting now becomes possible. New combat, movement, functional abilities and platforming will be introduced to offer increased depth and variety with an expansive world with multiple paths to choose from, with 3D to classic 2D camera transitions. Still currently in development, Sonic Unleashed is scheduled for release worldwide just in time for the holidays this year, and will be made available for the PS2, PS3, Xbox 360 and the Wii. You can read the full press release after the jump.