Sonic 4 Episode 2 Wish List

Lock-on technology =P

Having not played episode I myself and only judging by the videos I've seen; it needs new levels, brand new levels, with new objects/gimmicks, while reminiscencing and repeating past levels needs to stop. Music needs to be filled with a variety of themes and instruments, maybe call in profession musicians, use the advanced technology that's been given. The style of the characters I wouldn't mind seeing been knocked down a notch to say 1991-1996/7, especially sinse it's Sonic 4 here. And this statement too:

 

To be honest this seemed more like an afterthought on Ken Balough's part in an attempt to defend the fact it clearly recycles content. Nobody will really have a clue why this stuff is being recycled other than the designers, and I reckon it's mostly to cut development costs than anything else.

 

A rick roll that never stops and won't allow you to turn off your system or TV. Gotta be better than Ep 1.

 

Moving on from the obvious physics and new zones malarky, a random question of game size and graphics:
If you had the choice between the current setup of 4 zones per episode in HD, or a more meaty episode (like Sonic 2 or 3 length) in old skool sprite 2D ala Castlevania Rebirth, which would you choose? Is Sonic 4 something that needs to look modern, or can it afford to take a step back to the 16/32bit era?

Is it important for Episode 2 to be consistent with 1 or would you be happy to see a complete shift in graphic style/features/physics etc etc

 

Oh, the 16/32-bit graphics, no question about that. I'm not too worried about the graphics as-is, though, unlike some people.

Echoing the physics comments here. Faster acceleration, no loss of momentum just because the direction isn't pushed, spinning on ramps should be NOTICEABLY faster than just running down it sans speed shoes, et cetera. In fact, they should go back and fix the physics for Episode 1, too, with this release.

Other than that, the level design was pretty darn good quality, so just try to keep that up. No "gimmick" stages like the ones everyone whined about from the PartnerNET leak. I was rather pleased with Episode 1's quality, physics notwithstanding (seriously, those blew, fix them), so with any luck Episode 2 shouldn't be too hard to come out better.

Oh, but make it cheaper. $15 is too damn high. $10 is more in line with what a game like this costs.

 

Preferably HD hand drawn art, same length as S4EP1, and a complete shift from the style of the first episode.

 

I want Episode 2 to be made by some other company than Dimps. Problem solved.

Also, SEGA, pull a Mega Man 9/10 and get Masato Nakamura to do the music.

 

Have Dimps use Mercury's physics guide. :v:

 

I think the idea is if it was consistent with Episode 1, it would be a flawed product. Because pretty much everything in Episode 1 was several steps behind what you see in modern video games. Very reminicant of games released a decade ago on the Dreamcast in my opinion, and it looked like the whole thing was done on the cheap as a result.

In terms of graphics, I'd like to see a game that looks as if it was from the 32X/Saturn era, though perhaps without the problems such as slow loading times. I think if Sonic 4 had started development straight after Sonic 3, it would have been released around the 1995/1996 mark, so it makes sense.

But it should definitely be outsourced to another company, preferably one not situated in Japan. Sonic 3 was heavily influenced by people like Micheal Jackson and early 90s western popular culture. I don't think Japan can relate all that well to it, and seem more determined to make sequels to Sonic 1 than Sonic 3, if you get what I mean. The Japanese have never really cared that much for Sonic, while the younger video game developers in the western world will have grown up with Sonic and will remember it fondly.

But let's face it, none of this will happen. Dimps will have a contract to build x number of episodes and they'll be too afraid to mix things up.

 

Has anyone found out exactly how many episodes there's supposed to be yet?

Also, on relation to the topic, they should replace all of Ep. 1s music with saxmans CINOUSSU'S jazz scat remixes and have him compose all future music.

 

And the contract probably stipulates that only one engine will be made, which severely reduces the chances of major overhauls for Episode 2, unfortunately. Drastic changes to the engine will require extra $$$, so let's hope SEGA realizes this is an essential step to save Sonic 4 from being yet another mediocre game.

I guess it will depend on sales... So probably not many, if the quality remains the same as that of Episode 1.

 

Sonic 4: Episode 1 had something good going with the idea of upscaling graphics to their most prettiest, but dropped the ball when they decided to just have (mostly) statically colored and animated, plastic, prerendered HD JPEGs for the level environments while having less-than-awesome-looking cel-shaded character models to stand in stark, ugly contrast to the aforementioned backdrops and foregrounds. Basically, there's not enough artistic detail or animation in Episode 1. They're pretty, but they're hardly exciting or anything we haven't already seen in games like Bejeweled, let alone the original Sonic games. I'd like them to unify the artistic styles and expand the details of both character models and backgrounds, employ some real-time 2.5D rendering of foreground and background layers to provide a much more dynamic exhibition of classic Genesis-style parallax when Sonic goes either up, down, left, or right. The style of either hand-drawn HD or 3D-rendered models restricted to a 2D perspective is up to them, but I'd highly recommend whatever option that allows for identical versions between all three consoles. In this case, hand-drawn HD made to appear like 2.5D would probably be what I'd like to see. Basically something that looks unique, detailed, and beautiful that's not something we've already seen, like NSMB, Kirby's Epic Yarn, or DKCR.

I'd like for them to drop the 3-act-plus-1-boss-act method of gameplay flow. Either have three acts or two acts per zone with a boss encounter at the final act, as well as mid-bosses for between acts. Basically I'd like for them to go with a combination of Sonic CD's large and detailed explorable stages with additional incentives to go on scavenger hunts during stages; Sonic 3 & Knuckles' stage flow, act transitions, amount of zones (not unlike Sonic 2), and use of hidden rooms for Special Rings and whatnot; and Knuckles' Chaotix (and Sonic Crackers') visually striking art style that made 2D objects look like 3D objects based on perspective. Something they can take from all the old 2D Sonic games is a distinct lack of cheap deaths, bottomless pits, and ubiquitous uses of one unchanging automated speed mechanic: the speed boosters. Basically, stop reusing or abusing free automatic speed mechanics and artificial difficulty and program a more fun momentum-based acceleration system that feels like the Genesis games or better. If you would really like to use mechanisms that automatically rocket Sonic off, use them sparingly and make unique, creative ones for some zones and/or acts. Make us enjoy seeing them as well as sometimes using them. We're tired of seeing boosters, grind rails, and zip lines. Make them fun and look like they actually belong in the given level, like the Angel Island acts and their use of swinging vines.

The music was meh. It wasn't that good at all. I'd be all for bringing Masato Nakamura back to work with Jun and see what the two of them can come up with. Jun's music is too predictable and not very varied or dynamic. It'll sound cool sometimes, but not all the time and usually not for very long. I particularly didn't like the Super Sonic theme and the Eggman boss theme, but I loved the Invincibility theme and the music from Mad Gear and Lost Labyrinth. The Final boss theme was pretty pathetic and repetitive, and the Splash Hill Act 1 theme was okay at best.

What I did really enjoy from Episode 1 was the smooth control and the feeling of speeding through the stages really fast, which was slightly aided by the homing attack. That was fun, but I do think there ought to be sustained momentum without sacrificing smooth basic control, instead of just replacing them or hiding flaws in the physics with speed boosters and the homing attack. I also liked how the whole experience amounted to the most retro Sonic experience since the Genesis games, but many of the things I've already explained got in the way of that. The boss fights were rather disappointing except for Labyrinth Zone and the Final Boss, but the Casino Street had some potential for being different and challenging had it not been so painfully easy to defeat before it went into screw-attack mode. Sonic 4 (Episode 2) deserves to have much better bosses, and some between-acts midbosses. The voiceless, wordless cutscene (and its music) before E.G.G. Station Zone was a really neat surprise, and I didn't mind the E.G.G. Station boss rush much. Super Sonic was great, but I think he'd benefit a lot more from programming that sustains as well as scales Sonic's speed and momentum. And a better Super Sonic theme. I already said that, but it's worth saying again.

Last few comments on level design: avoid level designs that are designed to stop you from going back past a certain point, getting back up to a certain area, or use a little too much of floating platforms. This is more a criticism of the Sonic Advance and Rush games than of Sonic 4, but there were a few similarities it shares with those games, being made by DIMPs and all that. Also, get rid of the stupid bottomless pits at the end of stages. Leave them for the last one or two zones. If DIMPs really wants to do bottomless pits for difficulty, look to Sonic 1-3 and see how sparingly and how late in the game they're used. Do that, not Sonic Advance's Angel Island Zone.

EDIT: Engines can be tweaked, and art styles can be improved. It might cost more money, but I seriously doubt its as impossible as some of you are suggestion.

 

Oh, whoops. I always seem to confuse those two for some reason. Plus saxman did that one doo-wop song for that level editor video, which is... kinda of similar?

 

Yeah, this.
It did not escape my attention that we were only told "S4 Ep1 is a re-familiarisation!" after everyone started spewing bile and hatred at the lazy, lazy cut/pasting.

It was a clumsy attempt at post-emptive rationalisation, and y'all are fools if you buy into it.

 

Absolutely this. I'd love to see a Sonic game that looked like Wario Land Shake it or Rayman Origins.

Oh and I hope that they use some original zone ideas instead of Green Hill Zone Act 14 again. Sonic Colors showed that they can be creative, now let's just use some of that creativity here. Planet Wisp would have been a kickass level in Sonic 4 for it really shows what Robotnik is up to, fucking up nature and taking over.

 

Classic physics please, no more 'experimenting' with them. (see; making them suck)
More cutscenes ala. Sonic 3.
Music that's played with either real instruments OR the old mega drive / genesis sounds.
Level design which doesn't suck (less bottomless pits, please. there's a reason the bit with the bottomless pits is the worst part of Green Hill.)
New and innovative bosses. No more recycling. Dimps and SEGA do this SO MUCH these days that Rush, Rush Adventure and Colours DS have a couple of pretty much identical bosses.
I don't mind the current art style but I'd prefer it if they had went the Megaman sequel route and went with sprites.

 

Actually fuck it I'm just going to list out things:

Bare-minimum changes (Changes I'd expect without them completely changing the games direction, meaning no art changes or music style changes)
- Fixed physics
- Original level environments
- Better layouts
- No homing attack chains or stupid bubbles placements
- Original bosses and badniks
- Tails and/or Knuckles playable

Changes I'd like to see but I don't expect
- New art direction (Drawn HD sprites, something that looks like Wario Land Shake it or something)
- New music direction similar to that of Sonic Colors (This includes Sonic Colors Act variation music, which is much more similar to what the different music in S3K was like between acts)
- Classic Sonic mode
- Return of the elemental shields, perhaps including some original shields
- Return of the Super Peelout
- Sonic 3D Blast Saturn like special stages
- Sonic 3 style act transitions
- Combine score and time trial mode (They shouldn't have to distinguish those two really)

One good thing is that if Tails or Knuckles is playable, I expect a lot less homing attack chains. Since neither of them have a homing attack, end of act homing attack chains across pits wouldn't make much sense. Although having homing attack chains would be good for exclusive Sonic paths, leaving Tails with his own paths and Knuckles with his own paths. It'd add variety

I also don't want to see lockon mode. If they did have lock on then that would mean there wouldn't be any major physics changes or else it would break episode 1. So for the greater good, no lock on... however if episode 2 is good then it'll be alright to lock on to episode 3

Also I think a realistic number of episodes would probably be 3 or 4. Anymore and then the game would cost more than most stand alone retail games, and that's no good

 

you see, in sonic 4: episode 2 we decided that tails and knuckles weren't fast enough to fit in a sonic game, so we gave them a homing attack, which knuckles can use to home in on emerald shards and tails can use to shoot things with.

 

Yeah, this. I also happened to notice that, but decided to buy it and let it slide. Looking back, it didn't make Sonic 4 any more enjoyable, even if I did enjoy enough of it to get at least $10 worth out of the game. Too bad it cost $15.

To add to my long prior post, I also would like to see Tails and Knuckles return as playable characters with exclusive alternate paths or even exclusive alternate zones and bosses. A final zone or act that unlocks when you beat the game with everyone sounds cool on paper, but I've seen it fucked up executed too many times in the 3D games with underwhelming effect to really anticipate something as good as or better than Doomsday Zone from S3&K. The way it was done in the Rush games were okay at best.