Sega and THQ recently announced that Sonic Advance 3 will be heading to North American shelves. The new game is currently slated for a May 24, 2004 release in the United States.

A few details about the game have been revealed. The game's storyline will revolve around the evil Dr. Eggman (formerly known as Dr. Robotnik in classic Sonic titles), who has used Chaos Control to break the world into seven pieces. Why, you ask? So he can turn each piece into a Dr. Eggman Empire, of course. Sonic and Tails, having been separated from their friends, are teaming up to return the world to its original state by collecting all seven Chaos Emeralds and using Chaos Control to undo the evil Dr. Eggman has unleashed.

The game will allow players to choose to be any one of the five Sonic characters available, and a second to act as a partner/helper. Players will gain a unique set of abilities based on who they choose to be their partner. Multiplayer modes will also be available for up to four people (via GBA Link cables).

Source: Sega