Sonic Draws Huge Crowds at Japan's 18th World Hobby Fair

The 18th Next Generation World Hobby Fair opened at the Makuhari Messe in Tokyo, Japan yesterday, and Sonic the Hedgehog and his latest games were reportedly the most popular attractions at the entire show!

This latest video gaming event was covered by ZDNet Japan (including the photos you see here), who noted that SEGA's Sonic booth was the one that truly 'stands out' from the rest, with a massive balloon of the blue blur floating above a large space that hosted demos of Sonic Adventure DX and Sonic Pinball Party.

Alongside the games (which ZDNet Japan says, of Sonic Adventure DX, "everyone was pretty good at it, even though it had just been released"), there were other fun activities to try such as ring toss for prizes and various Sega Toys experience sessions. Sonic X also had a presence at the booth, including a themed quiz featuring questions about the new anime's theme song, characters and more.

Speaking of characters, ZDNet Japan reports that costumes of Sonic, Tails, Amy and others were also walking the show floor, available for photos with fans on request. Players who took their Game Boy Advance along to WHF were also able to download a rare Chao to their handheld, to take home and save on their copy of Sonic Adventure DX or Sonic Adventure 2 Battle on Gamecube.

The report also makes special mention of upcoming Sonic Team original, Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg (or just 'Giant Egg' as its known in Japan). The writer says this game is especially fun, so we can't wait to play it ourselves. The article continues;

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In fact, elementary school students at the venue were also hooked on the fun action. Some children lined up to play multiple times, showing how much fun it was. Mr. [Yuji] Naka seemed satisfied as he watched everyone play together.

The World Hobby Fair ran for two days - June 21 and 22 - and also featured appearances from Pokemon (including a special rare data drop for the GBA games), Capcom (Rockman EXE Battle Chip GP and various tournaments), Hudson (Bomberman Land 2 and Bomberman Jetters) and Nintendo (various Gamecube titles including Kirby Air Ride, F-Zero and Mario Golf). It looked like a lot of fun!