Iizuka: Sonic 4 Episode 2 coming 2012; Episode 3 might not happen

So, do we have any idea how many zones Ep2 will be? Or are will still waiting on what the bigger bidget is going to for this game?

 

Since this is essentially a "Fuck Iizuka!" thread, I figured this would be the best place to post this.

This explains a lot. Out of all the Sonic games ever made, his personal favorite is Sonic Adventure? A game that has aged incredibly badly and could be argued as the main Sonic game to set the series on the wrong path? While it was a major project for him in his career and that probably had a huge influence in that view, to pick that over every other game in the franchise still manages to surprise me because of how the game turned out. What amazes me is how half-assed the Sonic Adventure port was for PSN/XBLA/PC and yet it was his favorite Sonic game. If putting the effort into making a good port of his favorite Sonic game isn't worth it, it's practically a miracle we're even getting such a good port of Sonic CD and it shows a bleak view of future downloadable titles. Iizaku pretty much doesn't care about quality anywhere near as much as making tons money. Less effort put into a downloadable game, the better as long as he makes tons of cash. Fucking lazy S.O.B. Also, the first Sonic title provided for a Nintendo platform was Sonic Rush? How the hell did he pull that statement out of his ass? The Advance games? The Adventure ports? The collection games that originally were GCN exclusive? Sonic Heroes and Shadow the Hedgehog (though they were multiplatform)? What the fuck?

 

Sonic Rush, huh? Maybe he meant something else, because what he actually said was so obviously wrong- did he mean the first Nintendo ONLY game HE worked on for Nintendo? No one can deny the 6 Gamecube Sonic games, and the 6 GameBoy Sonic games which came prior to Sonic Rush.

Also, I can't have a go at Iizuka for having Sonic Adventure as his favourite; you seem to make out that because it is, he's automatically going to make every Sonic game ever just like it. He obviously has some strong attachment to the game for a reason; it was the first new-style Sonic game, and the first 3D Sonic platforming game too. It hasn't aged well, but we're judging the game as players- he's talking from a developers view.

I think we can let this slide.

 

This is why my logic is thusly:

If they are publishing content publicly - that means screenshots, trailers and demos - then they feel it is up to a high enough standard of quality to make you decide on whether or not you want to make a purchase.

Claiming "You can't make a decision based on this version of the game," is antithetical to the purpose of that content existing for you to view. You are only lying to yourself in that regard. If we aren't supposed to judge that content, then we aren't supposed to see that content at all.

 

I'll agree on the last 4 points, but the first 2? Seriously how can you judge something off of 5 seconds of footage (which by the way was on an automated part of a level, making it impossible to tell what the physics were like). However with the footage I suppose you can at least comment on graphics. But if there is a demo you might as well give it a shot. Play throughs can make something look totally awesome even though its not or totally shitty even though it isn't.

This is not to say I'm trying to defend the game, even though I liked it. It wasn't perfect but I still had fun with it and that's really all I care about. It may not have been "Sonic 4 as I truly imagined it," but I certainly enjoyed it.

 

Funny, I recall him saying Sonic Heroes was his favorite shortly before it came out. Surely that wasn't just shameless promotion...

I'd cut him some slack on Adventure. It has not aged well, yes, but for how significant a step that project was for his career I'd look back fondly on it too.

 

Adventure 1 is really rather good imo. If he'd said Adventure 2 on the other hand, he'd deserve to be fired and given a well deserved cunt-punt. I hate Iizuka as much as anyone, but I think it's best to cut him some slack on this one for the simple reason that in this situation he just can't win! If he'd said he likes the classics the best, people would have attacked him for that too.

 

I used to look back on it fondly. I still kinda do with respect to all of Sonic's levels and some of Tails' and Knuckles'. But then I noticed it was mostly shit. Running back and forth between Station Square proper and the Casino, sometimes not even knowing where you're supposed to go, blah blah blah, unpolished controls and camera, shoddy collision, blah blah blah. I can see why people hate the Adventure Fields, but I still think they easily had a good chance of not sucking as much.

Anyways, Episode 2. Nobody's answered my question yet, so I guess SEGA/Iizuka have said nothing about how many zones it will have. All I remember was that Digital Brand Manager Balough said something about a bigger budget for Ep2, so I think it's fair to assume there will be more than 4 zones. Unless they want to prettify the graphics even more and add a few more Genesis instruments to Senoue's keyboard, I don't see where else that extra money could go other than, you know, more actual game content.

Also, seeing as how this is now supposed to be a direct sequel to Sonic CD (seriously, what the fuck Iizuka? You'd better not fuck this up), how likely is it that we'll be seeing the following make a return:

1. The Time Stones
2. Little Planet
3. Time Posts
4. Amy's old wardrobe
5. WORK DAT SUMMA' BITCH COME ON NOW
6. Original, clever Robotnik bosses that aren't pushovers or boring?

 

7. No final boss in space... just because.
8. No more fucking eggman mechs, they're boring me shitless now.

 

@Caz: Oh, right. They're still dubious about CD's placement. Nevertheless they intend S4E2 to be a continuation of sorts to CD, what with Metal Sonic making a return and that Sonic 4 detour promo video. So going by that, we might as well assume that Sonic CD's placement in the continuity has been revised to after S4E1 but before S4E2.

All the more reason to retcon the homing attack/air dash and bubble chains out of S4E1! :specialed:

I myself am missing the whole death-trap room gambit from Eggman. Sonic 1 final boss anyone? That music was epic.

Or he could just come in with an Egg-o-Matic rotating four giant boxes. Try a homing attack on that, it'll totally work!

 

I did not like the Sonic 1 final boss. Not because it was hard or anything (it wasn't) but that it's so painfully slow.

 

Yeah, but all it takes is one hit and you're fucking dead. Try falling asleep on that!

Same with the S2 final boss, only he's even longer.

EDIT: Also, please try and stay on topic. Yes I'm aware the hypocrisy, shut up. Come on, how much do you think Ep2 will be like Sonic CD?

 

Love the Sonic 1 boss purely because it really does give you the sense that you're trapped, and if you can't beat the boss, and you waste all your lives, then it's even more a sense of doom. Although there are tricks to be able to slightly predict his movements, it's still very difficult for a first timer. It's the ultimate diobolical scientist stereotype- evil man traps cute animal in huge machine. The music is epic and there's not really been a boss like it since.

 

Not necessarily. If you get it down just right, you can beat the Sonic 2 boss pretty quickly.

The S2 boss is a bitch though...

 

Ken Balough already said that Episode 2's story only has to do with the events of CD, not that CD is placed after Episode 1 in the continuity.

It would be nice if E2 at least had just the air dash w/o the homing attack, and less significantly, used the Generations Classic model(since it is already made) as an option. Also, though I'm not expecting it, I really want to accelerate while rolling downhill, Dimps.

 

I think it's kind of absurd that Sega insists on using the S4E1 engine for E2 when the Retro engine or the Classic Generations engine are just as available and would be about a million times better, but I guess they're fine letting S4 being a canker sore on the series' decent record it's been building up recently.

With Generations you even have to wonder why they're bothering doing S4E2 unless it ends up being really awesome. I hope.

 

Well apparently they're going for original levels this time but we'll see