I'd still like to see a zone using a black, white, and red jazz club motif. It's a bit different from the normal casino levels and would really be quite fun to look at.
This is exactly the same thing that Ken Balough said in regards to rehashes, and it's not true at all. There's Ice Cap in S3, but just because it's an ice stage doesn't mean Cool Edge, Ice Paradise and Twinkle Snow are anything like it. The difference is when stages are blatantly recycled ideas like in E1. It's a matter of making the stages look unique regardless of what the trope is. So far, E2 looks to be doing a fairly decent job of it.
There's a difference between reusing a trope (which you kind of have to), and reusing a zone. You could do 1000 hill or snow zones and make each one look and feel fresh and unique. Most of the zones in Sonic 4 so far aren't just "throwbacks" (as those lying twats so innocently put it), they ARE those zones. Let's not kid ourselves, so far we've been given Green Hill, Casino Night, Metropolis and Aquatic Ruin.
Disco Dance Egg Zone anyone ? lol Using the Death egg as a Giant disco ball spinning around in the background. Or how about Mexico Mambo Zone ? or even ,, ummm,,,, hnmmm .. ummm Tech no Trance zone.. Ghetto Gully Zone, overrun by gangs, drug dealers and crime. Oh wait that could also be called Graffiti Gully Zone. hnmmm another zone could be Robo-Rape zone.. ( kinda like a junkyard of all the robots sonic distorted)
Personally I don't think that Sylvania Castle Zone looks THAT much like Aquatic Ruin. It has the obvious similarities like the underwater section and stuff, but there are enough differences for me to consider it a new level.
I dunno. I mean, the brickwork is the same, there's the random leaves floating in the foreground and even the log tunnels. It's tolerable alongside what looks like an otherwise original E2, but when you factor in the four blatant rehashes in E1 it's a little annoying. The new visual style and more detailed background DO help to make it feel more original than any of the E1 stages stages though. That much is undeniable. But you can't look at this and it's anything but an updated Aquatic Ruin-
For me this game is just a bit uglier than Generations classic in some places: But Sylvania Castle already looks better than this.
I thought Ken stated that Episode 1 was all rehashes while 2 was entirely new content? OOPS. What bothers me is not the reuse of zones or tropes but rather the DIMPification of these zones. It looks like Sonic Advance HD, which has a very cheap and kiddy feel about it. The realism sort of off-sets it, but did anyone want realism? That might just give Sonic 06 vibes. I am going to hold a position that the art style is wrong, not the zones or themes chosen. I do not want remakes either (that is what Generations was for and they had two chances), but style is what I see as key here. Classic or original Sonic this is not. This is DIMPS Sonic.
Now this I'll slightly agree with. Dimps has always had problems with making a consistent looking product, throwing things together that just clash artistically. This is their best effort since Sonic Pocket Adventure in terms of consistency, but there's still work to be done. In fact Sonic 4 Ep 1 shows this. It looks like a high res Sonic Rush, random 3D models on top of a 2D Plane that simply doesn't work. Also take everything Ken says with a grain of salt. Everything he says needs to be translated into "What is actually happening" "Sonic 4 Ep 2 will be entirely new content" = "Sonic 4 Ep 2 will be mostly new content" "We're delaying Ep 1 so we can fix it" = "We'll change two levels and throw in some elements that should have been in the game since the beginning, but overall it'll be the same." "Sonic 4 as you truly imagined it" = "Sonic 4 as DIMPS truly imagined it" "New art engine" = "Actual 3D models on top of actual 3D environments" "New physics engine" = ... we shall see but I'm guessing Generations 3DS, which isn't too bad.
This game is considerably worse than Generations Classic in pretty much every way. Lighting quality, textures, poly count, effects, you name it.
The art design in here seems better than Episode I. It's nice to know at least one complaint of Episode I has been fixed. But what really makes me curious is how and if they improved the physics. Oh well, I guess the upcoming gameplay trailer should give us an idea of the physics improvements from Episode I.
Tails better be optional, and if he isn't optional then I hope that his AI isn't like Sonic the Hedgehog 2's, expecially for the Special Stages. Don't disappoint me SEGA.
To be honest, I'd be surprised if Tails isn't playable. I mean, look at the Generations mission in Chemical Plant Zone with Classic Sonic. Tails and Sonic are flying together again! And looking at one of the screenshots, it looks like Tails, once again, is going to be Sonic 's little pilot. That's great, however, I'm still hoping that he'll be playable, and not just following/flying Sonic. He was fun to play as in Sonic 3, and I hope to see him play like that again.
They'd lose all credibility forever if the AI was that bad. Then again, I'd have said that about those physics, so anything is possible!
Yes, Tails being playable by himself would be greatly appreciated. I felt that Tails was rather annoying in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, he kept stealing my rides in Hill Top Zone. I do have hope for Tails being a better sidekick character in Sonic the Hedgehog 4 - Episode 2, but I can't be certain that the AI will be better now. Guess I will have to wait for gameplay videos..
Well, we got until Thursday to find out for ourselves. I really hope Tails is playable though. Hell, If we're allowed to link this up to our copies of Episode 1, playing as Tails would make that Episode a million times easier!
Yeah, I wish that Episode II could lock onto Episode I. Not sure if it's possible, but it would certainly be amazing. Tails would make so much things in Episode I easier (maybe a bit more fun), particularly Lost Labyrinth and Casino Street Zone.
Playing as Tails might make Ep 1 harder since he might not be able to homing attack. No, Ep 1 needs to be remade and thrown in as an extra for Ep 2. For free I might add.
It would definitely justify the original price. It could "Lock-On" to Episode 1. However if they do that they may charge you for it...
