I just finished playing the PSN demo. I have been a Sonic 4 defender from the start and even I agree that some of the complaints are valid. Sonic's jumping physics are just weird, but I don't think it has anything to do with the physics themselves. It must have more to do with the the input/output functionality of the controls. I'm sure the engine can do aerial momentum just fine, I just think the programmer intentionally made it so you have to use the D-pad or else Sonic will stop dead. I believe the Rush games had this same problem too, but it's much more pronounced in Sonic 4. It's probably for this same reason why the Spin Dash feels so gimped. Uncurling is just stupid, but I'm sure that's been discussed to death here. Other than those things, it's functional and there is some fun to be had. Hopefully a patch will come out to fix the things mentioned above.
I still maintain that this game is fun as hell, and the noted flaws and discrepancies concerning the momentum and the D-pad should take very little programming and little to no redesigning to fix. The Wii version's camera could do well with being either slightly zoomed out or more tightly centered on Sonic so I can see a little more of where I'm going and where I came from. Also: are you bugged by pressing A to progress? Ask SEGA to reverse it. Perhaps pressing A to go to the map screen would be far less annoying.
It's kinda weird to see some people talking about how bad the mantises are because I honestly thought they were much easier to get around than in Sonic 2. I even said out loud, "Wow those mantises aren't nearly as bad as they used to be." THen I shut up lest I jinxed myself :P
You wanna talk about wussifying a badnik, poor Shellcracker only hit me one time total in all three acts of Mad Gear.
Wow. You actually got that shitty tool to work... Props to you there dude. I all but threw out the idea of doing that when I saw the BRSAR in the wad. Luckily we do have the proper instruments for those tracks ripped already so it might be possible to repair them. (Though we're getting the Xbox one tomorrow so I don't see anyone putting the effort over the possibility of audio streams...) Anyway, I'm finally glad people have actually realized how piss poor the physics are. I mean, they were so bad we didn't even have to play it to call it. As for the fun factor, I dunno'... I tried Splash Hill. Cleared that. It was mildly entertaining I guess. But the horrendous physics overwhelmed me when I played Casino Streets. Jesus Christ. What the fuck were they on when they tried making that? The utter lack of any momentum whatsoever stopped me in one of those classic deep wells we all know and love. It took me well over 5 minutes to figure out that you had to walk up the wall... Ahem. WALK UP THE WALL... ... Oh, just to end on a high note. Like always, good music. That's one thing SEGA's touch of death can't seem to kill. Here's hoping things stay that way.
I meant that they overused the "Jumping after a slope, homing attack to the line of bubles" thing...Its not just forcing you to stick with the LOL-Physics thing. I mean, It wasnt thaaaaaaat bad, except for the whole momentum thing...but they overused the "features" so much, that its kinda button mashing the jump button the whole stage, it doesnt even make it a "challenge" since reused the same pattern in the whole game, after you jump and stay vulnerable, you press the jump and mid-air-dash to an enemy there waiting. Of course, this is just my own opinion, but yeah, its kinda fun to play the game.
Great level design, nice graphics, but shitty physics. :/ Can Dimps make at least one 2D Sonic where the spin dash move doesn't suck cock? Seriously? After playing for less than four hours, I have everything except the last emerald. I need to go to sleep. >_<
The Spin Dash has power, but you need to hold the D-pad forward to use that power. It's just the way the rolling physics work in this game.
I know same here. Not that I want the game to be uber hard, but these enemies really lost their touch. It's like Eggman just got bored or something.
Just finished the PS3 version (although am missing Emeralds still). I can't quite put my finger on it but... Sonic seems... sluggish compared to the iPod version. I'm not sure how. It's just how I feel. Regardless, I think the game is much more fun on the console and I'm glad I shelled out the money for this. It was short but sweet and gives me hope for the rest of the episodes.
Sometimes, pictures speak louder than words. I originaly had the progression screen from Unleashed SD where the only sonic 4 picture is
Although we've been talking a lot about holding the D pad, it's not as though not holding it means you get NO movement. Spindash is STILL fast regardless of whether you hold right or not. The roll can sometimes be slow, but if find a slope, jump, and press down to roll down it, you'll go fast regardless of whether you're holding the button. Another thing that makes the spindash useful is there's NO way to get up otherwise. It's not like rush, where you can normally boost or just run up the slope. You'll get stuck in place if you try it from a standstill, so spindashing is necessary. I don't know exactly what I'm trying to say here, but basically, although holding right makes it closer to the classics, it's not completely useless if you don't.
Let me put it this way. I have a downward slope in front of me with a pair of loops. I Spin Dash like normal, and I don't clear the loops. I Spin Dash that same slope with the d-pad held forward, I not only clear the loops, I launch off the ramp at the end with enough height to hit a Homing chain.
For some reason, Sega seems to be the only developer which constantly supports XMB soundtracks. They do it a lot. EDIT: But it IS cool that it supports it. Playing SHZ with Gecko Yamori's 16-bit remix and a saturn pad was awesome. I wish they took it a step further and made custom soundtrack support like it is in Super Stardust HD or Wipeout HD. In those games, you can set up a playlist and songs will REPLACE in-game songs. I.E. the track you select for level 1 will repeat, and when you go to level 2, the track you have selected for level 2 will load up. That would be perfection. but still, what we got is better than nothing. By far, the PS3 version is the supreme version of Sonic 4.
...Huh. Anyway, a weird thing is happening. I'm playing Sonic 4 and I'm... not noticing how wonky the physics are anymore. I think I've gone beyond "getting used to it" and settled into that happy place where I'm not just playing the game, I am the game, there is no game... or something.
I understand what you are saying. I bought the PS3 version. Once you beat some of the levels again and again, you become more familiar with how they work, and the control seems a little less difficult to handle. If you think about it, most games that have different physics are like that. You could be the master of Super Mario Bros. but suck at Donkey Kong Country until you get used to the differences. Sonic 4 is quite a bit different from 1,2 & 3/K in control scheme, whereas if you beat Sonic 1 it was instantly easy to pick up and play 2 and 3/K. I think the same was true of the New Super Mario Bros. series and it will probably be even more of a difference when we get to play Donkey Kong Country Returns. I had a hard time with New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Sonic 4 on my first times through, but now both seem a bit easier. The one thing I don't like about Sonic 4 Episode 1 as much is the fact that it seems more like a flashback than a sequel. Kind of like the Zelda series, this looks and plays like a varied retelling of the same story due to mostly the same bosses in settings that resemble the same places where Sonic fought those bosses. I'm hoping parts 2 & 3 have more new kinds of bosses to make them seem more original. Like New Super Mario Bros. Wii had all the koopalings, but they all had new traps and attacks. Or the story must have been that Sonic went back and revisted these areas to be attacked by Robotnik again. I don't know, there was no intro sequence and since the game is digital there is no instruction book containing a story like the old games had. I don't mind the fact, but it's just my least favorite aspect of the game.
Just because you can, doesn't mean it's the only way out. Whatever happened to running back and forth to build up enough running speed to clear the well? I tried it, and it worked. Never even thought to walk. Walking up a wall. That's just silly. The physics aren't terrible. They're different. Given Sonic 4's selling point is mostly retro nostalgia goodness, I'd even go so far as to call it flawed. But terrible? No. That's not how I played it. It was fun fun fun for me. By the way Solaris: Nice to see you've finally come around.
These are pretty much what I've been saying all along, and I'm sticking to my guns. If you stop comparing it to Sonic 3 & Knuckles, it suddens becomes a good game. It's not a classic Sonic game, but it is a game. And it's pretty fun. Now, I'll just wait until I get a legal copy before I continue here.
They aren't the worst I've seen, but Dimps seems to have a very odd definition of "inertia". There seems to be no inertia whatsoever, with Sonic going from full speed to full stop pretty as you please. That, coupled with the odd jump physics (which I didn't really notice until my second demo playthrough) make things quite different from what I'm used to. I'll still buy the full version, but there is certainly room for improvement.
