The Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Megathread

I don't know how original the zone themes in Episode II will be, but I'm hoping for more original content within them, relatively speaking. Of course, entirely new zones would be the ideal case, but we'll see what happens when it happens.

 

I think this game is a rehash, because it has a fast blue hedgehog that beats up robots made by a floating fat man, while collecting floating Spaghetti-Os to keep himself from dying! Also, I think Episodes two and three will follow the same idiotic formula!



+ - If you think I'm being serious, you need serious help. :v:  

 

You know what I never got? Why everyone seems to think the starfish badniks are so hard to dodge. They're the one badnik in Metropolis Zone that I never had any trouble dodging and never even gave a thought when I decided Metropolis Zone's one gameplay-related downfall was its borderline-cheap badnik placement. It was always Slicer and Shellcracker that I thought of when the subject of annoying badniks popped up...

EDIT: Almost forgot my main point for a moment, there... does anyone have any thoughts on the look of the badnik use in Mad Gear Zone?

(Some years later, the fanhack known as Sonic the Hedgehog: The Lost Worlds would teach me what truly cheap badnik placement is, and I would actually come to appreciate Metropolis Zone a little bit more, but god damn do I hate Shellcracker's hitbox. Incidentally, SHELLCRACKER CAN NOW ATTACK IN MULTIPLE DIRECTIONS, O JOY TO THE COSMOS.)

 

I don't mind this episode being a re-hash. They're building their way back up after a decade of games that rated from so-so to horrible. This is only a first step. I wouldn't be surprised in the least that Episode 1 uses the rehashes to show that they can do something familiar; a sort of way of wetting the players appetite, so to speak. Episode 2 we'll be seeing a much more original group of levels, I'm fairly certain. If they're not different from previous games in mechanics, they at least will be in aesthetics.

 

Only time will tell, but, at least we have a new 2D game to keep us entertained (in some way, but we'll see about that on release day)!

 

Of course I was just referring to this episode, Moonshadow Caz.

I don't buy the argument of "Episode 2 will make Episode 1 okay."

 

The throwback theme is there to give people who haven't played Sonic since then feelings of nostalgia. I wouldn't be surprised if it was still present in the later episodes.

Personally I don't mind it, and so far only two stages closely resemble the original. Even then, there are a lot of nuances that make it look and play a lot differently. There are some stages I would actually love to see remade in HD (as opposed to hq4x), with new content. Chimpo stated before that Sonic 4 is basically Street Fighter IV for the Sonic series - basically, it is. It's a re-visitation on what originally made Sonic so famous, while still adding some new original features (HD graphics, new music, new stage gimmicks, combining previous stages, etc). It was never trying to be Mega Man 9.





Basically, Sonic XG HD.

 

Never seen those screens of XG before this very moment (besides Palm Paradiso), but now I have a sudden urge to play that game and beg Sega to make episode 2 just like that.

On the total "rehash" issue, I could care less. This looks much like Advance 1 HD with a homing attack and some nostalgic throwbacks, and that's all fine by me. I guess Sega saw how well Dimps did SFIV and decided to make them play it safe like that for the first episode? Either way, a "best of" game doesn't bother me. If it looks like the best game since the classics, then don't knock it and appreciate the fact you're getting giant levels in crazy environments with toony badniks and pinball/momentum mechanics. I could care less if it's what you would consider "100% perfect", because this is way better than overdramatic, photorealistic princess-hedgehog lovin and world-destroying-Dark-Gaia-Werehog-voodoo madness with more lolboost.

 

They're less "toony" and more detailed/realistic now, actually.

Where were you when the "poor physics" discussion took place?

This game plays better than Sonic Labyrinth, so that alone makes it an instant classic... not. =P

 

I think Lost Laberynth doesn't look anything like Laberynth. The backdrop for LLZ is just awesome, and we...well....most of us know what happens with the boss in that zone.

If Episode 2, acts like DLC for episode 1, and Episode 3 acts as DLC for Episode 1, I think this game has a possible chance of getting better, I mean remember that spring in Hydrocity? Sonic and Knux fixed that douchy spring and replaced it with a 1-up.
Obviously, nowadays, DLC has the power to change much more than a few springs. In can actually allow for larger programming issues to be resolved quickly.
If they do use the future episodes to provide patches and "lock-on" features, I think this may be better than anticipated, especially if this whole constructive criticism with SEGA malarchy actually works

 

Are you trolling?

Seriously, either that or you've seen another level.

 

I think Lost Labyrinth looks more like it was inspired by Labyrinth. They're very similar, however I think the new details in LLZ make that zone look a lot better and more original than LZ.

 

It's visually different enough to be another take on on Labyrinth, but not to be called entirely new. That's the case for for all the S4E1 stages actually. Hydrocity is a better example of the same trope that's much more unique. Actually, thinking about it now, the BG in LLZ is somewhat reminiscent of HCZ.

 

LLZ reminds me much more of one of the levels from Xtreme than Labyrinth Zone.

 

I'm also of the opinion that LLZ doesn't look much like the original Labyrinth Zone, if at all. Some inspirations, yes, but it is probably the level in Episode 1 that least resembles what it's inspired by.

 

They still have a cartoonish appeal. I like how they look, actually, and prefer them to be highly mechanical.

They don't really have that poor of physics. Sure, not a 100% replica of the classics' physics (like the wallhugging deal), but Sonic's movement is still momentum based, Sonics jumps are improved from Rush and he speeds up when he rolls down hills. The only reason the mechanics may look weird is because Sonic's body perfectly rotates with the surface he stands on, and his jump animation speed remains a constant speed. It's like the "problems" are mere illusions caused by the somewhat wonky animation handling.

I never said instant classic. I just think this will be a greater game than any Sonic past 1994 (probably bar Advance).

Oh yeah, and I liked SPA, but it got old quick from the dullness. This actually interests me for a change.

 

It must have been really hard for them to make a zone look like a more detailed version of a zone in the original game. I mean, really. Hats off to them.

Actual new zones would be something to look forward to for Episode 2, but we'll probably have to wait until the first one's out before shaky camera footage of the second appears.

 

Ideally, we should have to wait until the first one's out until there's anything of the second one to even leak...

 

I love how you talk as if Ep 2 is guaranteed to leak....and you're probably right.
SEGA at least tried to keep this under wraps, but some keen people with J-tagged Xbox's decided that they will get the info out at all costs.
Whatever. I don't mind reused Zone Tropes, there are only a finite number, but original level design and art style is key.