How are we going to settle this then? Wikipedia! Yeah it's obvious from reading the above that the casual-mainstream publications praised the game (first paragraph) whilst the hardcore-enthusiast press slammed it (second). This validates what David was saying. Those that knew what they were talking about had a negative response whilst the "PlayStation generation" (or rather the casual end of the spectrum) had a positive reaction. There's a split here. Notice how the hardcore press (Edge, GameSpot) and tech-focused websites (Joystiq, Wired) slammed it.
Can't we just refer this as Sonic Rush - Boost HD and call it a day? But yeah, this game, although I enjoyed it, was not the game we were waiting 16 years for. I believe that Sonic Generations is more deserving of such a moniker. This game is a poorly-made flash game with sub-par physics, boring flat backgrounds, and takes a couple of levels from Sonic 1 and 2 (with accompanying bosses to boot!) and just gives them a new coat of paint. Even the last level is a rehash off of Death Egg Zone. What Sega thought we wanted was a return to form. NO. That is wrong. What we wanted was a return to the challenges, the new level experiences, and awesome level design with proper Classic Sonic Physics. That's IT! Can Dimps still deliver this promise? Yes, although they will have to rethink the direction they are taking this title. They either need to scrap what has been made entirely and start anew, or show us they have truly learned what a Classic Sonic game means. And as far as I can see with Generations 3DS backing me up, they still DON'T know. Copying the level designs so you don't have to make your own, Dimps? I will wait and see what happens with this new episode. It could go either way at this point. They know what we want. Now they have to implement it.
If there isn't going to be an Episode 3, the ideal course of action for me would be to make Sonic 4: Episode 2 a self-sufficient, higher quality (read: not looking like an upscaled old cell phone game and feeling so strange to play) game that can effectively be considered the Sonic 4 and write Episode 1 off as a sort of prologue to it. What I want isn't always what I expect though.
I haven't bought Sonic 4, the demo completely turned me off. I shall wait for the episode 2 demo before I consider buying episode 2, but I am never buying episode 1. By the way, the thing I hate most about sonic games nowadays, is how pathetically EASY they are. They're completely watered down. I remember sonic 1-3 kicking my ass until I mastered it.
Eh, idk as much about Sonic 3, however I'll agree with you on Sonic 2 and Sonic 1 (Mainly just due to Labyrinth zone,,, I still hate that level), Sonic 2 took me 9 years to beat thanks to that final boss DX
Meh. I just hope this one is still coming out on the Wii so I can just yoink it off some download site. Episode 1 was decent, but not worth my money. I'm not expecting anything better from this.
herewegoagain.bmp Pros: I admit it's fun to play because it's easy to just turn your brain off, chill out, and lose yourself in a contemporary bath of nostalgic HD remake, imperfect physics or not. You technically haven't played the stages before even though they look like old levels, especially Mad Gear Act 3 and Lost Labyrinth Act 2. It looks pretty, sounds close enough to the "Genesis sound" (unless you got the special Wii Edition MIDI-class soundtrack), and plays close enough to that style despite having a homing attack. Speaking of which, the game is perfectly playable with the homing attack. It's pretty fun to use. Also the zones do improve in playability and fun after the first two zones, whereas the first two zones, while still pretty fun and full of plenty to do ... Cons: ... still felt sort of empty and vapid. The game feels cheaply made, what with jittery physics as opposed to smooth inertial physics, unimaginatively lifted and reimagined level tropes that only seem to take up valuable space for something else, and rehashed bosses with a pathetic "pinch mode". You could cut out all the bosses from the game and I guarantee you wouldn't miss them. Not even the final boss, even though pinch mode actually made a real difference. They're already been done, and nothing new has been done with them that makes any difference outside of the final boss; they're utterly difficult to justify as a full lineup of bosses in a new Sonic game. I can partly forgive the stages for plagiarizing Green Hill and other stages yet again because they changed the level design and made everything shiny and poppy, but the bosses are a wasted opportunity. Overall, Sonic 4 is a solid 2D "classic" game that people clearly enjoy playing, because it is enjoyable to play despite not being everything it said it was going to be. Why? Because it comes closer than any game since Sonic 3&K to feeling like a classic game without actually being Sonic 3&K or its predecessors. The kicker is the level designs weren't much better than their inspirations or well balanced, and that coupled with the passable physics programming and resulting "wonky game feel" is what pisses people off about this game being called what it is: "Sonic 4 as you imagined it." It's not that fans of the classic games can't enjoy it, it's that some if not most don't see it as that, and for the most part that's what they expected. It puts many fans of the old Sonic games in an awkward position of being called a retrofag for disliking the game, because everyone thinks Sonic 4 is exactly what they've been asking for. And I think this is where retro fans need to give a little and give credit where it's due: even though Sonic 4 misses a crucial mark and cuts corners, it's still a pretty good game despite being disappointing. It does plenty right while doing so much wrong. It's between good and bad, but leaning very closely towards good. It's pleasantly mediocre. It just didn't go all the way and didn't hit all the right marks, which is frustrating because it's been over a decade now and even the fans can make a decent classic Sonic game based in the groundwork of the first 3 & CD. However it's difficult for me to really get mad at Sonic 4 without admitting to myself I'm just getting mad to be satisfy a desire to be super-critical, because getting mad feels good, and to relate to the big Retro crowd a bit. I'd give it a 6.5 out of 10; a passing grade. Not great, but good enough for the time being. Not worth $15, but totally understandable why it sold. Won't work the second time. I can't say I'm looking forward to Episode II being more of the same, but with "new" level tropes that try to cover the same typical level designs I'd rather not have in a game that bills itself as "classic" and "retro". It's just sending mixed messages and it's irritating. Then again, if they can still make the game fun like E1, introduce new better bosses and a new better special stage, and polish up all the rough edges then I can't say I won't buy it. However if E1 is any indication, I feel E2 will just be another game that tries to be classic without actually succeeding, so the only thing that can save it yet is the genuine fun factor. Yes, even with the physics. Remember: it isn't just the physics, it's the level design. Music too.
Our main man Ken Balough posted this on the Sega forums back in February: At least we know for certain that we're getting new zones this time. The only other solid information we have is that Sega increased the budget for Episode 2 (also posted by Ken on the Sega forums in the same timeframe) so we'll see if that actually translates into accurate physics, more levels and so on.
We can only hope. I'm optimistic, because Sonic 4 was at least pretty fun despite its flaws. If they can fix those, added to these new zones, we could be looking at a very good game.
I don't get why anyone's saying that Episode 3 might not happen. There was never any official confirmation of a third episode, and Iizuka is obviously just not confirming it early. They've constantly avoided mentioning how many episode there'll be in total.
The question is... will Episode II be the game Episode I was trying to be? Or will it be the game Episode I should have been, omitting its obvious flaws? It was confirmed that there would be three episodes when the game was first announced.
I just didn't enjoy S4E1. It was a badly designed game, you can't escape that. The level design was bad, the art direction was bad, the music was bad and it was even marketed badly, it was just bad. Usually I find some enjoyment in awful Sonic games but in Sonic 4 there was nothing. I don't expect much more for episode 2. If only Dimps could refind the mentality that lead them to create Advance series.
Expect the exact same shit with polished physics, maybe. Unless they completely re-hauled the idea of Sonic 4 there is nothing for me to get excited about.
http://www.sonicstadium.org/2010/03/ngamer-magazine-preview-confirms-game-length-special-stage/ Look above where it says "MOBIUS STRIPS" in big blue letters.
Wow, this just pretty much confirms there was little to no forward planning with Sonic 4. This is pretty pathetic, Sega.
To be fair, while mainstream reception of the game was for the most part positive, their target audience (you all) did nothing but bitch about the game. So, rather than waste time trying to improve this game, they (wisely) spent all resources on making sure Sonic Generations was a gold-star quality title, refining what so far they know has worked for the franchise on both sides of the spectrum. Will it be perfect? Probably not. But that's a standard that, as much as people want to hold Sonic Team to, can't be achieved just yet. But they've certainly been doing their homework, much to Iizuka's displeasure (because yes, he actually does have to do work instead of be a rock star like other producers in the industry.) Episode 2 has been on the back burner this whole time and was allegedly close to getting a full axe. In my opinion, they're not talking about an Episode 3 because they're banking on how Generations' 2D is received before they go forward with Episode 2, then see with whatever refinements it's given there how it's received by the general populous and you all before an Episode 3 is considered. It's simple business. Don't plan out a sequel until you know if it's worth the effort. Despite all the crap the older fans gave it, Sonic 4 did sell pretty well across the platforms, so an Episode 2 is only logical. And naturally, it's obvious you all will criticize it with a fine-toothed comb. Whether that's a good thing or not is in the eye of the beholder.
Whereas other sources specially said that they were not going to disclose how many episodes there's going to be. There were a few mentions of three or four episodes planned, but they have all been isolated accounts. Any interviews have always said "wait and see".
