Review: Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 (Xbox 360)
It’s easy to get caught up in the zeitgeist surrounding Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1. For close to a decade now, there has been a dedicated segment of the gaming community who has pounded their fists in demand for a game that plays just like the early-90’s Sega Genesis classics. By all means, Sonic the Hedgehog 4 should have been the game everybody has waited so long for. Excitement was replaced by embarrassment, however, as many discovered the game was less “sequel to Sonic 3” and had more in common with games like Sonic Advance and Sonic Rush – good games in their own right, but ultimately paling in comparison to their 16-bit forefathers. For a franchise so plagued with mediocrity, using the title of Sonic 4 on something that only vaguely references elements of the timeless Genesis classics was, to some, practically insulting. Insult on top of injury, then, when a work-in-progress version of the game was leaked to the internet, featuring some truly awful “motion controlled” segments, even on consoles that did not natively support motion control. Though vows were made to delay the game in order to right some wrongs, PR for Sonic 4 practically descended in to lunacy, with plenty of the “little white lies” that marketing teams are notorious for telling. It would almost seem that developing Sonic 4 has been more of a curse than either Sega or consumers could have ever expected, and highlights some of the behind-the-scenes management problems that lead to colossal stinkers like Sonic 2006 and Shadow the Hedgehog. But a game is more than its marketing, and to judge Sonic 4 exclusively on the incompetence of its salesmen would be unfair.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 makes an early attempt to win your favor by hearkening back to the themes and concepts of its Sega Genesis ancestors. Splash Hill Zone, the first level in the game, might as well be named “New Green Hill Zone”, and the rest of the levels borrow heavily from Sonic’s past in similar ways: Casino Street cribs elements from both Casino Night (Sonic 2) and Carnival Night (Sonic 3), Lost Labyrinth calls back to Labyrinth Zone (Sonic 1) and Hydrocity (Sonic 3), and the final zone out of the four included, Mad Gear, is one giant homage to Sonic 2‘s Metropolis Zone. The game tries to mask this lack of creativity with a throwaway storyline about Dr. Eggman revising failed designs in another attempt to conquer the world. Given the proliferation of the original Genesis games on digital download services and recent compilations, one does not have to travel far to re-experience Sonic the Hedgehog 2, making Sonic 4‘s wholesale theft of old ideas feel less like “we’re bringing back old favorites you may have forgotten about” and more like “we can’t think of anything better to do”. With a few exceptions, almost every idea present in Sonic 4 was lifted from an old Sega Genesis game.
In theory, using proven concepts should make Sonic the Hedgehog 4 a game that would be difficult to screw up. Unfortunately, it’s lacking in one all-important aspect: the controls. A key, defining factor of the 16-bit Sonic games was the sense of momentum they presented. Running down slopes would help Sonic to accelerate, and running up a slope would cause Sonic to slow down a little. The steeper the slope, the more pronounced the effect, and rolling in to Sonic’s trademark “spinball” form would only increase his slope sensitivity. A well-timed spin would allow Sonic to blow through levels at far faster speeds than he could ever achieve by running on foot. When Sonic transitioned to 3D, the franchise moved away from these concepts in favor of scripted scenes and row after row of booster pads bolted to the floor of ever level. This is where Sonic 4 picks up, and though it makes a half-hearted attempt to re-implement these momentum-based controls, to a Sonic veteran, it’s endlessly disappointing that rolling in to Sonic’s ball form is mostly useless outside of specific scripted scenes where the game automatically forces you to roll, and things get aggravating about the time you reach a pinball-table-styled level like Casino Street and Sonic does not appropriately control the way a pinball should. This is to say nothing of the game’s stiff, sluggish acceleration, which can make even simple platforming puzzles awkward to complete. These are Sonic Rush controls, on a game that you can’t really play like Sonic Rush.
One would expect, then, that to truly enjoy Sonic the Hedgehog 4, you would have to forget the way that the old games originally played (which is ironic, given the fact that this game is being positioned as a direct sequel to Sonic 3), but even judging it on its own merits leads down a road of frustration. Outside of the occasional poor enemy placement (something that also plagues recent 2D games like Sonic Rush), Episode 1 is a relatively easy game – but every once in a while, that pendulum swings in the opposite direction, and you’ll find yourself stuck on a section that is several orders of magnitude harder than anything else you’ve experienced in that level so far. In particular, I managed to rack up nearly thirty 1ups in Casino Street Act 2, only to lose more than ten of those extra lives to falling down various bottomless pits in that same level – seven of which were lost in rapid succession thanks to a particularly nasty platforming challenge in the stage’s second half. The game’s final boss feels like the punchline to a bad joke – requiring a ridiculously large number of hits to defeat and an absolutely brutal attack pattern that brought me from 25 lives down to a measly 9.
The worst part is: this is the game we are left with, even after an extended, three-month delay. That delay seems to have been primarily spent on creating new versions of the aforementioned Casino Street Act 2 and Lost Labyrinth Act 2. The latter feels like it received most of the attention, as it is, bar none, the best level in the entire game, themed around lighting torches and detonating explosives to solve platforming-based challenges. It’s a shame, then, that nothing else in Episode 1 matches its standard of quality.
Music, something even the worst Sonic games have managed to get right, falls short in Episode 1. Classic videogame music was always about the melody – a clearly definable tune that stands out, almost as if you were listening to a lyrical song minus the words. Sonic music in particular took a number of stylistic cues from 80’s and 90’s pop music artists, something that should be evident by Michael Jackson’s purported involvement in the soundtrack for Sonic 3. Sonic 4 completely bypasses that logic with forgettable songs composed using bland, faux-Genesis synthetic instrumentation. Whereas songs in previous Sonic games felt like they were trying to approximate real instruments on limited sound hardware, Sonic 4‘s music chooses its simplistic synths in a hollow bid to intentionally sound “retro”. Some songs, like the childish special stage music, cross the threshold and quickly become annoying to listen to. Sound effects are largely cribbed directly from the Sega Genesis, which is good – though it makes moments where the game opts for more realistic sound effects feel lazy and out of place.
Ignoring all the Sonic fanboy-isms surrounding Episode 1, there’s at least one thing bad about Sonic 4 that I hope everyone can agree on: the price tag. Nobody will argue that $15 is a lot of money (because it isn’t), but when viewed comparatively with other digital download titles, a $15 price tag for the two hours it takes to beat Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 is steep. The “Episode” title denotes that this is part 1 of a larger game, yet it’s more expensive than a lot of full-length digital downloads. For as much or less than the $15 price tag of Episode 1, one could be enjoying other, cheaper games like Bionic Commando: Rearmed, Shadow Complex, Castle Crashers, Braid, or Serious Sam HD, many of which provide far more content than you’re going to get out of this $15 episode. If you really want to be unfair, one could even argue that corporations have given away larger, more complete games for free, packaged with things like cereal or, oddly enough, cheese. When viewed in that light, $15 for Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 makes for a hard pill to swallow, and speaks to Sega’s greedy attitude regarding their once-famous mascot (see also: $7 for minuscule Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing DLC).
As the kind of long-time Sonic fan that Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is apparently made to appeal to, I find the game to be a disappointment and more evidence that few people in any position of importance seem to remember what made the Sonic games so great. In the end, Sonic 4 feels more like a mediocre celebrity impersonator: he’s got the look down, but enough of the smaller details are being ignored that the end result feels “off”. The future of this franchise is in games like Sonic Rush and Sonic Colors; games which abandon all pretenses of being “like the Genesis games” and instead focus on being new, fresh directions for the franchise. The more time Sega spends focusing on trying to recapture the magic of the 1990’s Sonic games, the more obvious it becomes that they are completely clueless as to what gamers really liked about them. Even Sonic 4 itself affirms this: the best level in the game is one which tries something dramatically different and does not tie itself down to the notion of being a retro throwback. Everything else comes off feeling like a weird amalgam of Sonic Rush and classic Sonic, and Sonic 4 does neither style of game appropriate justice. As the premiere entry intended to kick off the “epic new saga” of Sonic 4, Episode 1 may not be out-and-out awful, but it certainly is a considerable letdown.
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I salute you sir. I truly do.
I agree with you. There is nothing special about the game really. It feels almost like a fan project rather than a legit sonic game. There is to many elements of the classic sonic series that makes the game feel like you playing the exact sane ones as the first 2. Why don’t people just play the old games if they wish this back. Hopefully sonic colors will dominate this game. If it does, maybe the fans will realize that sonic doesn’t need to be classic style to be good. Anyway, this game gets a 3 out of 5 IMO
Also the price is high because Sega knows people will buy it anyway.
Even to what you reckon shouldn’t have to be in the game, I will just say, “Screw it, I’m going to buy it and enjoy it the way I want to”, there are some things I do agree with.
One is the boost pads. I’m not against having any in the game, but for a game that’s supposed to emphasize “speed is a reward, not a given”, it doesn’t to a lot of that. While I don’t mind the occasional boost pad, some of the placements (from what I’ve seen at least) just leave me asking, “doesn’t that defeat the purpose of a spindash?” or “what was the point of that” (I asked this when I saw a video of a Casino Street stage where it literally had a boost pad leading to a dead end where you had to jump directly up on platforms to succeed). If they were to release a patch or at least a hard mode that downs the number of boost pads and rewards skill, I might forgive that.
The other thing is the future of Sonic relying on Sonic Rush and Colours. This I wholeheartedly agree with, I don’t mind if we see more 2D classic throwbacks like Sonic 4, but when it was announced, I was actually very disappointed that Sega was taking steps back rather than taking steps forward to improve the franchise (you wouldn’t believe how relieved I was when Sonic Colours was announced). I’d rather have the franchise capture the spirit of the early games without heavily relying on them.
I’m still going to find a way to play Sonic 4, and enjoy it, but I’m going to embrace Sonic Colours’ and Sonic Rush’s place in the franchise for not taking the easy way out that I felt Sonic 4 was going to do (or to some people, did).
I concur with this review.
@ Soul Gauge. I agree with you, but I’d say save your $10-$15 up for sonic colors. You made perfect sense on Sega taking steps backward than forward. You never know, maybe sonic 4 is a message from Sega saying, this is what you wanted then here you go. If newer style sonic games dominate sonic 4, than maybe fans will change there mind about the classic style. Sonic can’t scroll to the right forever with the same labyrinth, cave, or casino levels and bosses. They must eventually make better 3d sonic games. Lets hope sonic colors will give us a little something while we wait for sonic adventure 3 🙂
Remember people, this is just Episode 1. I’m sure they’ll fix most of the issues in Episode 2.
“Also the price is high because Sega knows people will buy it anyway”
No, it’s not because people will just buy it because it has Sonic in it, it’s because all the episodes are going to cost the same amount as a retail game would.
So yeah.
@Objection
Saying “they’re going to add more” doesn’t change anything about what’s currently released. They’re not going to update or patch Episode 1 (in the case of the Wii version, I don’t even think they CAN), so even if things are changed for Episode 2, that should not factor into anyone’s opinion of Episode 1.
Personally, you couldn’t PAY me to believe that anything will be done to correct the physics for Episode 2, though I desperately wish I could muster up that much hope.
IMO, Sonic Team and DIMPS have proved that they are simply not up to the task. I don’t think they even have it in their collective potential to make Sonic 4 the game it deserves to be, regardless of how many Episodes they make.
You Win an Internet for being one of the FEW to have written an HONEST review of this game.
For shame IGN, for shame various outlets tagging “SEGA GOT THIS ONE RIGHT”
Great review Blaze it expressed the let down I feel. I think what weIve got to remember is that Sega chose to make this game instead of a true sequel with good physics and new ideas. It isn’t hard to make a classic style Sonic game you’ve done it I’ve done it and Sega could have done it if they wanted to. Its a total bitch slap from Sega.
@Koolsk8ter111: I don’t know, I paid a lot more for a lot worse.
@ChaoticFox: Unless they take the Sonic & Knuckles lock on approach and intertwine the episodes (ie, if Tails and/or Knuckles are playable in episode 2, they could become unlockable in Episode 1).
Sonic looks like he could be the bad guy in the Title screen and this first Picture.
I wasn’t even one of the people that wanted a Sonic 4 because the story summrarized itself pretty damn good in Sonic 3 & Knuckles, I mean, showdown in space, how could you top that? Maybe with something like Sonic Colours (Space Zones) or Time traveling (Sonic CD had huge potential but screwed it up). Thank you for reminding me Dimps/Sega for showing what bad story writing is.
We seem to of long passed the place where Sonic Team needed the series removing from them. To be honest though, even if you put them with the worlds greatest developer, they’d still come in, meddle with it and find ways to break a perfectly good game, they’re beyond hope. After all, while I’m not a fan of Dimps’ graphical team, they do consistently make good games for other series and the portable sonics by them are all enjoyable, the problem has to be on Segas side of it.
It does seem to mainly be a pride thing on Iizukas part, he will not admit that the speed boosters need removing or physics need fixing. He’s stuck with the SA1 sonic design in his head, and no one will make him shift from it.
Great review Tristan
I mean Ryan bloom, sorry
Despite the fact that i really enjoyed Sonic 4, i do agree with alot of this review. I appreciate it as a Sonic game in its own right rather than a game like the classics as that’s simply not what it is. It does however feel the closest we’ve come to the classics so far, so maybe it’s just another step forward.
Maybe Episode 2 will fix things up a bit.
May’be Sega should just forget about catering towards the classic side of the franchise and focus on the upcoming newgeneration of fans. Its obvious that nothing Sega do in that regard wil please said side of fanbase, so you might as well work with what you know will sell but also please the upcoming fans.
SEGA as explained a lot of friggin times, this is just Ep.1 this is just an introduction, you’r arguments are very legit, but you only will be able to say all those thing when ll episods are realeased…
People this is just an INTRODUCTION to SONIC4
“all episods” sorry
You got a great review there, but I enjoyed the game a lot!
I got the Wii version which MAY be different, but I think the game was amazing, I just loved it that much… though some parts are crazily brutal!
Why didn’t they use the old engine..
I’m just gearing up for Episode 2. Nice to see an old face return.
Colours is going to be a highlight though. I am waiting for that first.
Sonic fans, why the fuck do you guys need to complain about EVERYTHING?! My God!! I fell sad after read this stupid review and I can’t really understand what is your problems, why the fan base are so whinning.
After sixteen years, we got a brand new 2D sonic game, a good one. There is no Sonic turning in wolfs, using swords, no friends, nothing. Just like you folks has asked SEGA to do over a billion times. And you continue to complain about superficial things.
Shame on you.
The Music is what really pissess me off it sounds too retro Sonic 3&K & Sonic CD had much much better and advanced soundtrack 16 years ago
Awesome review.
Now is the time to remember all those people who pointed most of this from the very first videos, all those people who warned this way before the summer period, and all those people who said physics matter. This was a known ending from the beginning. We just can hope Episode 2 REALLY fix all those things, and maybe we would be able to play an awesome Sonic game. But until that is confirmed, I´ll personally remain sceptic. There have been too many years of mediocre Sonic games. If they don´t take Sonic seriously, they will keep making games of this quality.
If anything, lock-on features for subsequent episodes will almost guarantee there will be no physics changes… that would require them to completely redesign the Episode 1 stages (their own words), something they clearly are not willing to do. That would require admitting to their own failure, for one thing. More than likely, they will keep the physics the same in order to remain consistent – ESPECIALLY if the Episodes are to be locked on and strung together in any way.
With regards to lock-on with future episodes, maybe SEGA will only make episodes 2 on capable of lock-on. You know, like the Genesis games?
Other than that, I agree with a lot of points made in this review. However, I still find Sonic 4: Episode 1 better than, say, Shadow The Hedgehog, the Storybook games, and ’06. To me, if a Sonic game is better than those massive failures, it’s an accomplishment.
I really like how people went apeshit when there was a review giving the game 4 out of 10 but here no one gives a shit.
@JohnSeed
Maybe you’re generalizing a little too much.
Even if they were to accomplish the Genesis physics (or at least physics that don’t feel a little clunky), they still wouldn’t solve the level design problem.
Many parts of the levels are similar to the level design in Sonic Rush. There’s no way you can accomplish going up slopes, 90 degree walls, ceilings, 90 degree walls, and finally back up another slope with the Genesis physics. They could’ve drastically changed the level design, but they didn’t. Instead, they took the easy way out by putting speed boosters everywhere.
Takashi Iizuka was a senior level designer for Sonic 3 & Knuckles. He should know how out of whack the level design is for Dimps to put speed boosters everywhere. It’s Sonic Team’s failure for not cooperating with Dimps that results in this.
Another thing is time. They need to hoard the next few episodes in development. Did you know that Sonic Team and Dimps only started working on Episode 1 AFTER they announced it as Project Needlemouse? When they were about release it in the summer, it had only 9 MONTHS of actual development. Even now, the game is already released after a little more than a year since they started working. Even as a downloadable title, a game shouldn’t be rushed like that. This isn’t Sonic 06 or the Storybook Series. It’s Sonic Fucking 4.
I’m still playing the full game. It’s really fun, but the problems are still there, and it’s not like SEGA doesn’t know that the problems are there. Aaron Webber even said “Expect little to no physic changes” before the game was released. This proves that Sonic 4: Episode 1 is not only a rushed failure of cooperation with Sonic Team and Dimps, but it also proves how much SEGA puts Sonic Team and other developers working with Sonic on such a low budget. Even Sonic Free Riders (a Sonic Riders game, people!!!!) looks more like a product of hard work than Sonic 4 Episode 1.
And to top it all off, Sonic 4 Episode 1 is getting the best metacritic and GameRankings score for a Sonic console game since Sonic Heroes. It’s worth celebrating, but at the same time not worth celebrating….
@krazeeKidd102: Level design is great. Only thing I hate about it is the cheap obstacles over the giant pitfalls.
@serpx
I didn’t say that the level design is bad (although Casino Street Act 3 may as well have been designed by monkeys). It’s just that you can see a lot of places that is similar to Sonic Rush level design.
Thankfully, it’s only the later levels that I had trouble with pitfall deaths. Besides, it’s not really that much of a bother if you have OVER ONE HUNDRED LIVES!!!! There’s even a trophy for getting 99 lives. XD
I completely disagree with this review. I accept that my opinion is just an opinion, but in all honesty, I found little to no faults within this game.
I’m 16, and I’ve been playing Sonic since I was 3 years old. Me and my Dad used to always play the first 2 games on MegaDrive, and we borrowed Sonic 3 from my cousin. So, I know where I’m coming from.
So, I played it today, and it felt exactly the same as the ones I’m familiar with. Great physics, great level design, and fantastic music. Obviously, it’s not as memorable as the first 2, but I’m busily humming the soundtrack away right now. In my opinion, this music is better than Sonic 3’s music; more catchy and more MegaDrive-y.
Forgive me, but I think this game is 100 times better than Sonic 3. Sonic 3 didn’t click for me. It was boring, bland, levels weren’t that great, and it is one of the most overrated games of all time. I don’t see the appeal. It just didn’t feel as good as the first 2.
Sonic 4 is a fantastic game, and it’s the second best of the classics, after Sonic 2. Not perfect by any means, but definitely not disappointing.
Kudos, SEGA.
lolz, these comments are fun to read :3
So this was the missing link in the Sonic timeline, the moment things went sour: Sonic 4.
MrsMoo your opinion is fail. With how this game plays they should have called it Sonic Rush 2. Also no faults seriously? The music alone sucks major balls.
@ MJC & Joker
Being better than those god-awful games is not an accomplishment. An accomplishment would be something DIFFICULT to achieve. Something worthy of praise. We should expect no LESS than something better than those games.
@ MrsMoo
The music may be more catchy to some, as that is a mere matter of opinion – but this music isn’t more “Megadrive-y” in any way. That’s quantifiable fact. Play more Mega Drive – Sonic 4’s OST isn’t even possible on that sound chip. Also, whether you like the game or not, “great physics” is an outright ignorant lie. This game utilizes essentially NO physics whatsoever.
@Serpx
The level design is bad. It’s not horrendously unplayable, but it’s dishearteningly straightforward and uninspired. It feels lazy even during the fun bits. Mmm, mediocrity.
“Tries to mask the lack of…”
Uh, what?
I’m sorry, but I didn’t get the sense that it was “masking” anything, but rather intentionally being a nostalgic throwback. You know, because if it were trying to actually look creative, it wouldn’t have sold itself on the return of enemies and zone themes we’ve seen before. And it would have at least had octagon hillsides instead of checkerboard ones. =P
I would like to remind everyone that this is only Episode 1; who knows how many more episodes there are left. By then, SEGA should be listening closely to reviews like these and fixing their mistakes.
To those of you who say, “The stuff people are saying about Sonic 4 is the same stuff we’ve been saying for over a decade,” bear in mind that SEGA had to take these criticisms and do their best to apply them to the next game, which was radically different. Thus, Sonic 4, being episodic, can almost be considered a highly accurate “trial and error” game.
To sum it all up: there’s more Sonic 4 coming, so don’t give up yet.
As positive and optimistic a person I am, I agree with this review. The game was okay, but not perfect. Sure, you can have fun playing it, but even someone like me who doesn’t exactly care about the physics noticed the problems. Sonic is STILL capable of walking a loopdeloop. He can stand on 90 degree angles and the spindash isn’t as powerful as it was in sonic 3k. I like this game, I really do, but it doesn’t compare to the classics as much as I (and most people) would like. I would say this game is somewhat of a step in the step of the right direction, but it needs work. A LOT of work. All I have is this to say to everybody: go to the Sega forums and (nicely) bitch. Bitch and nitpick like you never have before because Sega needs to realize what they’re doing wrong. I know it didn’t work with episode I, but if they see virtually everyone saying something about a small detail, they’re probably bound to have to fix it. Oh, I also wonder what Vulpine is going to say when he reads this article…
@BlueLightning
Something to the effect of “/nerdage – this is the most perfectest Sonic game since Sonic 06!”
Nah, I think he stopped reading after “colossal stinkers like Sonic 2006”
I am sorry, I will stop this now.
The Advance games come closer than Sonic 4 ever would to the classics in terms of physics and I see almost nothing in common with the two. Besides Dimps. And hell, they’re probably not even the same team that worked on the games anymore.
Just saying. Other than that, pretty spot on. Will not be wasting my money, thanks.
It’s official: Initiate “Project Sonic 4 Real”
The Sonic fanbase is filled with thousands of different opinions. I see that Sonic team tried to please a lot of them and thats a very hard job. The modern sonic fan, the classic sonic fan, the booster fan, and there are so many others..
@ChaoticFox: Listen punk, I’m really getting tired of hearing all this bullshit of yours, leave them alone you fucking brat, if people still have hope for Episode 2, that is their right! And if one guy thinks the music is more megadrivey or whatever, that’s what they feel, and they don’t need you telling them “no it’s not” in their face like that! Or about how they feel about the physics either, GO EAT A DICK!
I recently did a comparison between the physics of Sonic 3 & Knuckles (made by Sonic Team and Sega Technical Institute), Sonic Advance 1, Sonic Advance 3, Sonic Rush, and Sonic the Hedgehog 4 (Made by Dimps and Sonic Team). My results where interesting. For example, Sonic 3 & Knuckles and the advance series both used similar momentum based gameplay (where sonic would build up speed by going down hill, hitting springs, doing spin dashes, gaining speed by turning into ball form), where as in Sonic Rush and Sonic 4 I could climb walls without using any speed, or when going up certain slopes I would be thrown into the air without the use of any speed, this shows that Sonic Rush and Sonic 4 do not use momentum based gameplay. Dimps has to switch back to an earlier model for physics, like the one in the advance series in order to get momentum based gameplay, because the sonic rush physics just will not do in this retro experience. However, I can realize why they did not overhaul the physics during the development extension, it is because changing the physics engine would mean one has to also change how the gameplay and how the behavior of some objects works, which would be a tall task to complete in 4 months. In Episode 2 they have to do a lot of things. Firstly, they have to change from a scripted physics system to a momentum based speed engine, where speed is seen to play a roll and it can change as the player interacts with various object (such as uphill and downhill slopes, or when doing spins, etc). Also, they need to have a level design which contributes to this momentum based gameplay. The level design should not contain endless pits because that would limit the players ability to build momentum while running, bad enemy placement can also affect the build up of momentum, instead of putting boost pads in every stage they should add various elements that help the player build up momentum like hills. Also, things like boost pads are what people stage gimmicks, in which they are tied to a certain stage, other stage based gimmicks (not in a bad tone) includes the wines found in Angel Island Zone, or the fans in Starlight zone, or the canons and cylinder platforms (which were controlled by the player) in carnival night zone, there is a gimmick in almost all classic sonic stage, and these gimmicks were easy to learn and they were fun. I believe that Sonic 4 got the concept of the gimmicks but they kinda overused the concept. Also, I feel that dash pads should just be tied to a certain level (just as they were only tied to chemical plant in Sonic 2, and Hydrocity in Sonic 3. Also, Sonic 4 really over did it with some time consuming puzzle, one key thing about Sonic is that you have to constantly move (not always in forward direction), in the classic series the hardest puzzles were finding a switch to remove a block or jumping off an endless water way and finding a platform, they key thing with those puzzles was that Sonic was always moving and they were easy. In Sonic 4 there are some puzzles (like the torch and platform one) in Lost Labyrinth that made the player stop and think of certain sequences to use, which meant that Sonic was no longer in motion. I found that the homing attack was a great addition but it has to be adjusted to play with the momentum based physics, and some of the Bubbles Badnicks placements in the game where cheesy, Sonic Team and Dimps has to find a way to use the homing to find alternate platforms but not make it so obvious. For example, they could have a flying enemy come and above that enemy there is a platform with another enemy, in that case sonic can use the homing attack to reach both enemies and also get to the platform as a reward. Sonic behavior also needs adjusting for example when he goes up hill in ball form and when he is falling down it, he comes out of the ball form which makes vulnerable to attacks, this never happened in the classics, or when you are turning Sonic around to change directions we see a transitional spirit which gives the allusion that sonic is doing a 3D turn, as nice as that may look, it can slow the player down (they removed this transitional thing is Sonic Colors when Sonic is turning around which makes him more responsive and quicker). Lastly, they have to come up with some original badnicks and gimmicks ( I do not means swords or guns, I mean meaningful stage gimmicks like the fans in starlight zone, that piece of rock that Sonic used to get through the lava in marble zone, or the bouncy mushrooms in mushroom hill zone). I think Sonic 4 episode 1 was a test episode to see the reaction of players to the game, as well as to see how games would take to being distributed a digital format, and I feel that it was a great accomplishment to just get the game out to players and to listen to what they have to say. I have my hopes up for Episode 2. I think Sega really understands that they have to work on their mascot’s franchise because it reflects upon their other games, and I can see that they are listening to fans because they are working on a great 3d Sonic game (Sonic Colors), they have hired brand managers to help out with the brand name, they brought the idea of a retro sonic game to table and they are still working on the idea, and they even paid attention to the little stuff like hiring a new voice cast to replace the highly criticized 4Kids cast, or by hiring professional writers to create the script for Sonic Colors. All this shows that they do care about the brand, and it makes me hopeful for episode 2.
@ChaoticFox
I meant that the style of the music is reminiscent of past Sonic MegaDrive games. And how can there be no physics, when in my experience, it plays just like the Classics?
There is no denying that this is a great game, and not a terrible one by any means. The whole fanbase is acting like it’s the worst game ever. Get a hold of yourselves, and just appreciate the game for what it bloody is.
There is more to come yet, get your heads out of your arses and just stop complaining. I’m not one of those fans who defend every Sonic game, Shadow The Hedgehog and 06 were just abysmal, but this is nowhere near as bad. I’ve played Sonic games for 13 bloody years, and Sonic 4 is far from the worst. It could have been better, yes, but just love the game for what it is – GREAT.
Nice review. Too bad I don’t care and will keep playing the game as I please. That is the power of opinions!
@ AM:
You raise some good points. RubyEclipse did say Episode I was somewhat of a test…
I play this game, and I really like very much about every little piece of this game.. It’s Sonic, Just Sonic. Nice levels, nice musics (with some exceptions… Yes Cassino Street act 2 and Super Sonic theme, I looking at you). But it’s a very good game, not perfect, but it’s good…
Why so much complain, why?
o.o
My heart just went *thud* hitting the ground along with my jaw. You’d really rank it at 50%? Even if it’s “not out-and-out awful”? That’s a bit of a harsh score, but I can’t argue with you until I’ve played it thoroughly myself,
I played the XBox demo for the first time today. I was rather disappointed that they only had the very first level on display, which is short and way too easy. It was a little strange, and I think the older ones were a bit faster, but I really can’t form an opinion yet. I think I’m going to whip out Sonic Mega Collection so I can test the classics now.
I’ll be getting it on Wii sometime soon. Is there supposed to be a difference in the versions?
I guess I won’t be able to have an opinion either way until I’ve beaten it, but now I’m a little worried. I’m willing to accept it not being as great as S3&K, but as long as I can have a good time with it…
At least Colors is out soon?
@ Koolsk8ter111
Quote: “Why don’t people just play the old games if they wish this back. Hopefully sonic colors will dominate this game. If it does, maybe the fans will realize that sonic doesn’t need to be classic style to be good. ”
Rightfully said.:)
Even if 2 comes out, episode 1 still counts as an individual game. It is kinda boring, but it does capture that classic feel. In the end, this teaches the fans that we should’ve moved on than complain that Sega should go back to the 2D routes; that set-up rests with the handhelds now. While I can’t deny that 2 would probably be an improvement, so far Sonic 4 is a mixed bag.
@MrsMoo
No one is saying that it’s the worst. Some people just think it’s a bad game.
Really, people SHOULD just play the old games. If I’m not mistaken, Sonic 1, 2, 3 and S&K are on XBLA for $5 each. For the $15 you spend on Sonic 4, you could be buying three full-length Sonic games of much better quality. Buy Sonic 2, 3 and S&K, and you get the entire “lock-on saga”! That’s quite the deal.
@Moo
I can agree that the tunes have a somewhat “reminiscent” style. The music, while not one of my favorite soundtracks, is by far my favorite part of Sonic 4.
I don’t know what else to say to you in regards to the physics. They simply do not IN ANY WAY play like the classics. If you find the game to be just as fun as the classics, that’s entirely up to you – no one can tell you you’re wrong. But saying it plays exactly the same couldn’t be further from the truth. I’m not trying to insult you or give you a hard time, but there literally is empirical evidence to the contrary. You may not notice it due to your specific playstyle (or some other reason), but the differences are nevertheless there.
If you like the game – that’s great. I’m glad you found something to enjoy. But I, for one, am not going to stop complaining. I felt little more than frustration and displeasure playing this game, and if there is to be ANY hope of finding enjoyment in future installments, these complaints must be made and made loudly.
its just like the old games my friends all asked why i stayed up all night to play a classic old game and i told them its new and they all saw how awesome it was and went home and got it that day, its exactly like the old ones in everyway, in sonic 2 u had casino zone where u had to use momentum to continue on and sonic 4 did the same, bloody wingers saying its a let down
@Shadow.
Really? Still? I’m beginning to think you have some sort of tourettes or something.
I’m not attacking anybody. I’m primarily discussing and debating facts, not opinions, and I’m doing so completely calmly. I’m not telling anybody to go eat dicks because they disagree with me. If someone says the sky is red, I’m going to try and correct them.
You really need to swallow a couple bottles of chill pills, dude.
I personally enjoyed this game more than any other 2D Sonic games since S3&K was released.
I only wish it was more like S3&K with the more complex and lengthy level designs. I loved levels like Marble Garden Zone, Carnival Night Zone, Flying Battery Zone and Death Egg Zone. (with it’s gravity gimmick) Sonic 4 didn’t really capture the S3&K atmosphere with the graphics either, with Splash Hill Zone, for instance, feeling more like an Emerald Hill Zone than an Angel Island Zone. Things like the fire gimmick half way through Angel Island Zone Act 1 and the bombing before the boss are the sort of things I really hope we see more of in Sonic 4. Storyline elements during the levels.
Also I loved the dust/leaf effect you got when running in Mushroom Hill Zone. The levels should react to the player like that.
To put it simply (IMO) Sonic 4 was fun. Very very very far from perfect but still fun. Would I give this game a 9/10? No. Would I give it a 4/10? No. If I had to give it a score it would be somewhere around a 7.5/10. There’s alot of room for improvement, mainly physics, but as far as everything else: Tails, Knuckles, elemental shields, brand new level themes, co-op…etc. Sonic Team left these things out on purpose so they can use them for future episodes. Of course none of these things matter if the physics don’t match up with the originals.
@ Everybody
Instead of sitting here arguing about who’s right or wrong, can’t we just go to the Sega forums and blast our complaints to them at max volume and minimum profanity? It seems to do more good than sitting here and say stuff to each other
@BlueLightning
I bet Sega would listen
Anyone notice how you could beat this game in a mere 4 hours of less? Honestly, 1 hour was on trying to beat Lost Labyrinth Act 2 and a half of the other hour was on the final boss. What about the other half of that hour? Getting all the Chaos Emeralds and beating the game again.
I just KNEW that once Sonic 4 came out, a group of loud-mouthed fans would start bashing it.
Seriously, if I was Sega, I’d stop marketing to the people who use swear words, insults, and all caps as an attempt to overcome their lack of reasoning ability, logic, and spelling skills. Not pointing at anyone in particular; if you don’t know who you are, that’s not my problem, because I’m not supposed to call you that anyway, or else I’d be using insults myself. Even now, I wonder if I’m pushing it.
God bless you all. I think we’re all gonna need it.
Physics were strange indeed, but I got used to them.They aren’t anywhere near as gamebreaking as they used to be/people believe. I honestly didn’t feel 15 dollars was worth it until I played the special stages (they were freaking annoying, in a good way), and even then only just. I can safely say I was pleased with this game, not thrilled, but pleased. Hopefully the next episodes are better, more original content would be a boon. Also, if I can play as Tails (and super to boot), then it’ll be that much closer to being more than pleasing.
@Skai
Whether the physics are game breaking or not is entirely subjective. The physics of the original games are the PRIMARY reason I like them in the first place. I’d bash the originals just as much if they featured the “physics” used in Sonic 4. Granted, I might view them a bit more favorably for having better level (and overall) design in general, but I still wouldn’t find them nearly as fun – and I certainly wouldn’t have grown to love and replay them as much as I do now.
Wow, a good, unbiased, fair review of Sonic 4 on TSSZ? Now I’ve seen everything. Congratulation for not bowing down to the whining fanboys. You, sir, are a true hero, and if all reviewers were like you, this would be a better world for Sonic fans to live in.
The score is still too high though, but the text is top notch.
@VoiceOfReason: I concur. This is the best review I’ve seen of the game. We finally have an honest, down to dirt, good review. It notes the problems and how bad an effect they have on the game, it makes sure to be as honest about the letdown as possible, it emphasizes that this game is just dreadful as it truly is.
Ryan Bloom, I salute you. You are one of the best people in this fanbase.
1 last point… SONIC 4 RULES!
@ Haru
Sega has not EARNED enough slack or leeway for us to say “nice try”. Sure, they “listened” to us and made a 2D game with boring, rehased, uninspired material (inb4 it’s just Episode 1 – that doesn’t FREAKING MATTER, nobody needed a refresher course) which is clearly all they think we wanted, but they did not do it WELL.
Ryan’s point remains completely valid. It’s obvious that they simply do not understand or remember how to make 2D games the way they used to. The way we LIKED. They clearly don’t remember what it is that made those games stand out as truly great platforming classics. It wasn’t the sunflowers, and it wasn’t bubbles. It wasn’t running off the screen at the end of an act, and it wasn’t the egg pods. It wasn’t a bland yellow checkerboard pattern, and it wasn’t a casino-themed level without the accompanying pinball physics.
All these elements thrown together in the halfhearted way that they have been scream one thing: WE’RE NOT SURE WHY YOU LOVE THESE GAMES SO MUCH, BUT HERE’S A BUNCH OF STUFF FROM THEM – YOU LIKE THAT, RIGHT? WE DO GOOD?
Simply making the game in 2D and giving us special stages is not nearly enough to merit a pat on the back and a “nice try”. There are fan games that are more fun to play than this. There are fan games with more originality and intricate level design. This isn’t rocket science, it’s 2D platforming. THERE IS NO EXCUSE for something this sub-par, even if you want to argue that “it was still fun”.
If you think Sega/ Sonic Team/ Dimps has earned the right for their “first try” to be flawed, you’re up in the night. Fans demanded old-school not because we couldn’t move on, but because Sega has consistently disappointed most of us with the franchise’s 3D outings. We wanted Sonic to go back to his roots because we thought “those games were so simple and so good they couldn’t POSSIBLY screw it up”. We were proved wrong. And if we had expected that from the start, we most likely wouldn’t have ASKED for a retro throwback like this in the first place.
I’m not going to repeat myself about the physics being the core of the classic game’s greatness. If you like, I can go on about how the music (while still quite enjoyable) pales in comparison. The same can be said about nearly every aspect of the game, from the level design to the boss battles and everything in between. This deterred MY enjoyment, and clearly a lot of other people’s as well. This doesn’t make the people who had a good time WRONG, but it does indicate that some of us have higher standards. And a high standard can NEVER BE A BAD THING. We only want the best for Sonic, and we want to see better than we’ve gotten. How is that reduced to something like “finicky bitching”?
As far as honesty… I just checked the comments here and only found ONE post using the word “honest” to support the review. Calm down. At the very least, some of us just find it reassuring to know that there are others who share our concerns and can echo what it was that we felt when we played this game and were disappointed.
That being said, being THOROUGH enough to note the game’s definable flaws is something worthy of praise. The review might not be more honest, per se, but it does its job better than a review that says nothing more than “this game is fun, I liked it /nostalgia – spend money!” (Note: I am not referencing any specific review). Whether you enjoy the game or not, the physics issues, the level design, and the difficulty level are all things that ought to be noted and factored into a game’s score and review – so props to Ryan for taking the time to do so.
@ChaoticFox
Yeah, I worded my response that way specifically because I kinda feel the same way (regarding physics in game in general) , but it ends up not bothering me for long if there’s enough good to distract me from it. I can definitely see how lovers/abusers of the old physics would absolutely loathe this game though.
*regarding the physics in games in general)…
Wow, that’s harsh – I would have given it a 4/5. The only critism I have for the game is the originality and some of the special stages.