[SonKnuck]

Ok I'm confused. I finished the game. I own both Sonic 4 Ep1 and 2, and yet I can't find Episode Metal anywhere on my PS3, and from what I saw, it's nowhere in the PlayStation Store either.... Seriously what the heck am I doing wrong? Are PS3 users being given a middle finger for the Episode Metal?

[ezodagrom]

SonKnuck, on 16 May 2012 - 09:51 PM, said:

Ok I'm confused. I finished the game. I own both Sonic 4 Ep1 and 2, and yet I can't find Episode Metal anywhere on my PS3, and from what I saw, it's nowhere in the PlayStation Store either.... Seriously what the heck am I doing wrong? Are PS3 users being given a middle finger for the Episode Metal?

Once the stage select/world map is unlocked (that is, after the first act of the game is completed), you have to exit the game and open it again to unlock episode metal.

This post has been edited by ezodagrom: 16 May 2012 - 09:54 PM

[Master Emerald]

Quote

Once the stage select/world map is unlocked (that is, after the first act of the game is completed), you have to exit the game and open it again to unlock episode metal.

He finished the game so he only needs to press the "Left Zone Select Button" while highlighting Sylvania Castle icon.

Edit, New-paged:

ezodagrom, on 16 May 2012 - 09:46 PM, said:

Master Emerald, on 16 May 2012 - 09:28 PM, said:

I made a concept using ezodragon 24xAA pic + Photoshop Perfect resize 7



It could have looked so much better than we got x.x

Here is how it actually looks:

It wasn't exactly "24xAA", it's more 8xSSAA with 24x Samples (Edge Detect filter).
Anyway, the topic related to the bad resolution support in Episode 1 and 2 in the SEGA forums pratically "exploded" (it's now 19 pages long), and one user there, "The Rug", posted this:

Quote

Ok, using some magic I was able to make the game run at a higher resolution than intended. Here is the result- the top is what we currently get, the bottom is what we would get if the resolution was detected correctly:



So sexy and crisp. It looks WAY better in motion too- no jittering edges. Imagine that combined with FSAA, delicious!

The weird thing is, the framebuffer resolution is hard coded to 720p. This means that it's not just scaled up for higher resolutions, it's scaled down for lower ones! So if you have a crap graphics card and are hoping to lower the burden by running at a lower resolution, you're out of luck.

Quote

Unfortunately it's not a workable solution... basically I used a code debugger to step through the instructions as the program was starting, and modified the resolution parameters in memory. Sadly running through a debugger causes weird lag spikes, and I can't really share this approach easily unless you have programming knowledge.

I did this to prove 2 things:
1) That the game looks noticeably better running at a higher resolution than 720p
2) It is literally a single line of code that needs to be changed

So there really is no need to keep it that way.

Here is a 1050p shot of Serpentleaf, just to show again that the assets look fine at higher resolutions. They're not stretched, the image hasn't broken down, etc. and the edges are so much sharper.
http://I.imgur.com/ZIPzR.jpg

SEGA sometimes do listen to fan requests, one good example is Binary Domain, they released a patch 1 week after launch that not only fixed/alleviated some of the bigger issues the game had, but they even listened to fan request and added a FOV option. With the attention that the bad resolution support topic is getting in the SEGA forums, there's hope that SEGA might finally pay attention to this, especially after what The Rug said.

This post has been edited by Master Emerald: 16 May 2012 - 10:14 PM

[Ashram]

So, anyone interested in making a red ring guide?

[SonKnuck]

Sorry. I'm an idiot. I didn't think of simply restarting the game. I'm going to hide in a corner now.

[Lanzer]

Ashram, on 16 May 2012 - 09:57 PM, said:

So, anyone interested in making a red ring guide?

Youtube playlist I made when BETA 8 was rolling around. this should be of some use to ya!

[Friend of Sonic]

So I know that when Ken was saying that Beta 8 was an early beta, he was full of shit, but by chance did they fix Super Sonic physics?

[Vinchenz]

Friend of Sonic, on 16 May 2012 - 10:57 PM, said:

So I know that when Ken was saying that Beta 8 was an early beta, he was full of shit, but by chance did they fix Super Sonic physics?

Nope.

Anyone know if Episode 2 is on the NA App Store yet? I'm still waiting...

[The Fralin Boy]

Vinchenz, on 16 May 2012 - 11:17 PM, said:

Anyone know if Episode 2 is on the NA App Store yet? I'm still waiting...

Just got it, actually. downloading now

This post has been edited by The Fralin Boy: 16 May 2012 - 11:19 PM

[Cruizer]

I played the game on PC on release day. I had some fun, didn't have enough time to beat the final boss however. It's a greatly improved game from Episode 1, with fun gimmicks and level designs. However when playing in Death Egg mkII, I couldn't help but think it was similar somehow. Was quite a nice flow to such levels though. I enjoyed it and it's totally worth $20. The music didn't get me going until Sky Fortress 2, and even then the synths used were still...not great. Still better than Episode 1, but far from how good it can be.

[Lanzer]

So, iOS guys, wasn't there supposed to be excusive stages to your versions ala how Episode 1 did Casino Street Zone? think someone can give us a HQ playthrough of those 2 stages?

[The Fralin Boy]

Lanzer, on 16 May 2012 - 11:46 PM, said:

So, iOS guys, wasn't there supposed to be excusive stages to your versions ala how Episode 1 did Casino Street Zone? think someone can give us a HQ playthrough of those 2 stages?

Nope, the only reason Ep. 1 had those "exclusive stages" was because it was the BETA build, and they didn't bother changing the levels. Ep II looks almost the exact same as the console versions with no exclusive stages.

[KingofHarts]

I don't care what anyone says about Ep. 2. I love it. WHY? Because its the first Sonic game I convinced my girlfriend to play with me. And she loves it. She always wanted to be Tails cuz he could fly, but the poor girl didnt understand why he was slower than Sonic...

Not the best Sonic game out there, nor is it my favorite, but I am happy with it, its a big improvement over Ep. 1 (Upon comparing, she though Ep. 1 looked like a pile of garbage). Enjoyed Episode Metal, aside from the slightly annoying sfx Metal sonic would make.

My only complaint is that many zones IMO suffered the Sandopolis syndrome and dragged on and on. But I guess that's also due to my only playing through once. Bosses were a bit lengthy too, but they felt quite original compared to the rehash parade we've been subjected to.

All in all, I give it a 7.5-8 out of 10. After playing this, I want Episode 3, as I feel that at this rate, we could get a better product the third time around.

Maybe I'm a bit sentimentally biased towards it... I don't give a damn

Friend of Sonic, on 16 May 2012 - 10:57 PM, said:

So I know that when Ken was saying that Beta 8 was an early beta, he was full of shit, but by chance did they fix Super Sonic physics?

Ken Balough is always full of shit. I'm sure he is a nice enough guy in person... but goddamn... take everything he says with a grain full shaker of salt. The guy just hits Hulk Hogan-esque levels of bullshit when he speaks publically about the games.

Probably not his fault, I'm sure he's only saying what SEGA tells him to... I'm willing to bet that he was told to spew that BS statement in hopes that people would turn right around and (maybe spend more money...?) get the final game.

SonKnuck, on 16 May 2012 - 09:51 PM, said:

Ok I'm confused. I finished the game. I own both Sonic 4 Ep1 and 2, and yet I can't find Episode Metal anywhere on my PS3, and from what I saw, it's nowhere in the PlayStation Store either.... Seriously what the heck am I doing wrong? Are PS3 users being given a middle finger for the Episode Metal?

You don't have to download it. I ran into the same problem. I started up Ep. 1, played for a minute, closed it, and opened Ep.2, and went into Single Player. I was treated with a nice little cutscene and then told that I can switch between old and new maps (old maps played by Metal Sonic.) YES, I am a PS3 owner.

This post has been edited by KingofHarts: 17 May 2012 - 12:19 AM

[Friend of Sonic]

I'm almost done with the first zone. Eh, it's better. It's enjoyable (not my idea of Sonic 4, but I'm not gonna rehash that debate of calling it something else)

One thing that irks me-- the whole "Press Button to go to next act." Don't get me wrong, I'm glad our bitching got that added to Sonic 4. But they got it backwards. It should be "Press Button if you want to go back to world map" I'm used to the natural flow of Sonic games going from act to act, level to level. Sometimes I forget to push the damn button.

[Solid SOAP]

Am I the only one who actually liked the music in this game? It uses a lot more Genesis instruments and I really liked the compositions.

Also I beat it, it was okay. Certainly better than Episode I, but some of the later bosses and acts drag on for way too long.