The Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Megathread

I much appreciate it! If you find out that you can toggle the tilt on and off, please be sure to check how the tilt replacement is done. Dunno if you saw my earlier post, but the saturn pad on the PS3 maps L and R to L1 and L2, and Z and C to R1 and R2.

 

@RubyEclipse: I asked this earlier, but is the demo that'll come out by release alongside the full retail version going to be a mini version of the newest build or just the E3 build? Because honestly there's no way we could really make good judgement on the game with the E3 build; especially if we are looking for improvements. Also, another question, is there any possible way that the game can go without dashpads? I mean yeah, people may say the engine may not run well without them, but from what I saw in the Splash Hill video posted about 5-9 pages back the game looked much more fun without them, and flowed much better. Last question from me; is there ANY chance of uncurling-off-ramps being fixed?

 

^ 360 demos are just the full game with most of the content locked. The PS3 demo will probably be the same sort of thing, assuming there is one.

I can't believe I forgot about this part, even after I came up with this whole thing about how any game can be fun for five minutes. Oh wait, I gave away the ending. These people are playing this game on the E3 show floor or PAX or Summer of Sonic or wherever, and they're only playing it for a very short amount of time. Under these circumstances, damn near any game can seem fun.

 

I'm being a bit of a stickler here, but since you aren't enamored with the game, wouldn't you be the well-intentioned parents? It seems to me that the analogy doesn't work because it suggests that the nay-sayers of the game are proud parents of the child, which would be sega. For better or worse, this doesn't seem to be very representative of the dynamic to me. Doesn't really matter though.

 

Now this takes the cake. This is the only thing I've read in this topic so far that not only makes sense, but isn't a variety of insults to boot. So far in the this thread there've been some blatant tantrums, rudeness and some non cooperative individuals

What I will say is this:

Those of you who have played Sonic 4 will know that the following is true:

<div align='center'>Sonic 4 plays fine minus a few oddities

It's not as bad as people have been anally exploding over

SEGA changed a few things since the first release</div>

But, this is where the positives end. This game is barely up to the standards of Sonic 1, and why?

Because It's now 2010, and not only that SEGA has moved on its look at games, its staff. Countless other things. Don't think I'm using this all as an excuse, but in the case of SEGA that change, in our opinions was for the worse. Marc's analogy hits the nail on the head, and I hope that's what Ruby takes away from this. This is not Sonic 4, it's a DLC game to keep Sonic fans "happy" and tide them over until bigger projects are announced which will no doubt break out in incessant babbling again.

Bottom line, if something was said that important.

"Physics"

It takes top priority.

 

You called dimps "programmer monkeys" earlier in this thread.

Grow up dude, you sound like you're 9 years old and throwing a hissy fit.

What's the matter, not smart enough to critique a game without resorting to personal attacks?

EDIT: My apologies, it was actually SOTI who made the programmer monkey comment.

But still, can't you talk about the game without acting so spiteful?

 

I think SEGA should've just called this "Sonic Classic" or "Sonic Old School" or something like that. It looks like a decent enough game that homages Sonic's glory days in art direction and it seems to do an alright job of adding some momentum based platforming in there, but it seems more like "New Sonic the Hedgehog" than "Sonic the Hedgehog 4" to me.

 

I disagree it's influenced by Mario Galaxy. If anything, it seems more influenced by Sonic Unleashed and the classic games more than anything else. When I see Topical Resort Zone, I think of Special Stage 1 from Sonic CD.

 

To me, this is like seeing the green tubes in Marble Zone and going "HOLY SHIT SONIC 1 IS SUCH A RIP OFF OF MARIO!"

but yeah, that's a whole other topic.

 

I'll get this out of the way now:
tl;dr - Im in the woodwurk, anticipatin ur Sonic gaems.
And now, some bullshit two people will read.

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I guess I'm chopped liver then, huh Ritz?

If you stop and think about it, there have been several game sequels that don't play exactly like their predecessors, that were still decent-to-great games in their own right (Sparkster, Super Mario World, Mortal Kombat 4, MegaMan X7, any Rayman game, or even Brawl). Ruby, you hit the nail on the head as far as I'm concerned, and I can't imagine being the only one on the sidelines who is looking forward to playing another 2D Sonic game, regardless of leaked videos, previews from gaming expos, screens, the title, eye color, etc. I love the original Sonic games to death (I've actually been going through this topic while S3&K has been waiting patiently on the Data Select screen for me), but I also love Sonic as a character and the brand in general. I'm well aware that while SEGA can't just excrete any old game and call it gold, you also can't judge a book by its cover, much less a game by video and interviews that tend to be all over the place. Am I guaranteeing that I'll love Sonic 4 as much as its predecessors? No way, but I'll guarantee that I'm making the purchase, because I'm both a gamer and a Sonic fan. Sonic's been a lifelong role model, as well as a friend when I've felt lower than dirt, and I'm more than willing to give him yet another chance for helping me cope with the various BS life has thrown my way over the years. And I'll tell you what, I enjoy accompanying my friends on adventures, whether they're trekking into the stars to wipe out a space station, or saving realistic human princesses over and over and over and over and over and over again. I get to support my hero throughout his trials, for better or worse, and that's what I come to the party for. Sorry if my gaming habits are wrong, but it's gotten to the point where I don't play much outside of mascot platformers, which are fewer and far between these days. So why not make the best of the ones that are or will be on the market (this doesn't apply to just Sonic games, I've got a pretty wide range of platformers across a pretty wide range of consoles)?

Weird, creepy, emotional jargon aside, I'm thankful Sonic 4's even being made at all. I would've waited patiently until Sonic 2011, but I'm glad I can join Sonic on another adventure or two up until then; after all, a hero's work is never done. I've been paying attention to the game since the first Needlemouse teaser, and while it may not be "Sonic 4 as you imagined it" or whatever, it's closer to the classic series than anything (both new and official) we've played since, what, 2002? And even if the physics aren't on the nose, that doesn't mean Dimps' Sonic 4 team won't improve on their own methods as they continue development on future episodes, and either make bugfixes or compensate for the differing physics with improved level design. I can feel Ruby's sentiments as far as the first episode already being very far along in development, so much so that starting over was not an option over extending development to improve some key elements, and I'm appreciative that the development team listened to as much of the fan feedback as they have. I was never sure what to think of the original LLZ2, outside of the possibility that the people playing in videos just weren't that great at it, making it look worse than it could've been, but the updates to Act 2 have excited me greatly, and I'm definitely looking more forward to trying the game than I already was. The new screens from a couple weeks ago show that the game has more character and charm to it than it once had, which I feel is a sign of good things to come. If anything, the minecart intrigued me, and I was looking forward to at least trying it myself before writing it off. Guess I'll see how it goes if my cousin gets it for his Touch.

All that aside, Ruby, thank you for your courage in reaching out to these segments of the fanbase. Thank you for doing your best to inform Iizuka and Dimps of the fanbase's major concerns. Thank you for your patience in dealing with those of us who would rather cuss you out than give you constructive criticism to pass along to the development team. Thank you for returning, time and time again, to continue to bring us (and other Sonic forums) insight into the game's development, even if it's not much more than "wheel of feet happens sooner." Thank you for maintaining a professional demeanor, but also for being yourself to the point where you don't look like as much of a robot as some of us would make you out to be. Finally, thank you for noticing that there are people like me within these online communities who are still rooting for our hero after all these years. You're a man amongst men, and you should be highly commended for it.

With that I bid you all adieu. Don't let me, one person, distract you too much from the discussion at hand. I'll be around, but I've done enough talking for a while.

 

Maybe they were a rip off of Mario. If there was one Sonic zone that was the most heavily Mario inspired it's definitely Marble. Even the face of Mario himself is everywhere!

 

New Super Mario Bros. was more like Super Mario Bros.+ than anything, really. It was a great game, but for the most part it just took what made the original SMB good and made it better, rather than improving upon Super Mario Bros. 3 or Super Mario World.

 

Ruby, can you do us all a favor and ask Dimps to, at the very least, give us classic level progression? As in:

Zone 1 Act 1 > Zone 1 Act 2 > Zone 1 Act 3 > Zone 1 Boss > Zone 2 Act 1...

as opposed to

Zone 1 Act 1 > level select > Zone 1 Act 3 > level select > Zone 1 Act 2 > level select > Zone 1 Boss > level select with 93% of the rest of the game unlocked.

I know for me, going to a level select screen at the end of every stage in a Sonic game is kinda depressing.

 

While I agree, it's not unprecedented. Ever played Knuckles Chaotix?