• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 - Wii/PS3/360; downloadable episodic release - [Update: $15?]

T

Ten-Song

Member
riceandbeans said:
It's title that's fucking things up. If this game wasn't called Sonic 4, the finger pointing wouldn't be as bad. But since it is, people are holding it to the pedigree of the prequels. At a $5 pricepoint, it is what it is.
Click to expand...

I still wouldn't start magically defending the game if it was titled differently. Instead of huffing and puffing I'd just kind of poke fun at it with a sad and tired resignation. Oh wait, that's pretty much where I'm at already. Like SecretBonusPoint said, I don't see how it being treated like shovelware, and priced like shovelware suddenly makes it acceptable.
 
M

mack999

Banned
[Nintex] said:
SEGA ran themselves into the ground at Super Sonic speed.
Click to expand...

I'll have to read the story how they managed it, still don't know how they fell, I was more an Amiga/Atari gamer and didn't bother with consoles but I remember them being dominant. I don't know about the USA but in the UK they took up so much TV advertising, they called it SEGA TV. Not crappy programs either, prime time every night, the whole advert breaks. They must have been rolling in the money.
 
Upsidedown Fuji

Upsidedown Fuji

Member
All the new stuff for the day always gets posted just after I go to bed.

The Casino Night Zone reminds me a lot of the one in Sonic 2 outside of the slightly off physics, ACT 2 (should be more like a special/bonus stage), and Robotnik/Eggman's boss section being overly simplified by the homing attack. Other than that I thought what I saw was OK at best.

The off physics in Sonic 4 are really starting to show through in places like this where accuracy is really important. I am glad to see that you can't spam homing attacks on this level unless you want to be ricocheting all over the place till time's up. I still think the spinning animation is not spinning fast enough. It's like Sonic's spinning animation in air/on the ground is in slow motion to me. Also the weird air momentum he gets seems wonky.

I doubt the physics can be adjusted at this point but if they were to change anything about the game between now and release, I'd like to see Sonic's physics get adjusted. If physics can't be changed I think Sonic's spinning animation needs some tweaking. I doubt animation cycles are so game changing that they would have to rebuild the game from scratch.
 
D

Diablohead

Member
riceandbeans said:
It's title that's fucking things up. If this game wasn't called Sonic 4, the finger pointing wouldn't be as bad. But since it is, people are holding it to the pedigree of the prequels. At a $5 pricepoint, it is what it is.
Click to expand...
But all the problems are fixable, remove homing, adjust his gravity and rolling down hills needs to be faster, give the levels more multiple paths and remove nearly all the boosters and we have a good sonic platformer.

Right now, we do not.
 
R

riceandbeans

Member
Ten-Song said:
Like SecretBonusPoint said, I don't see how it being treated like shovelware, and priced like shovelware suddenly makes it acceptable.
Click to expand...

Not gonna argue there, it shouldn't be and I understand where you guys are getting. But me personally, I've already accepted the gameplay and the pricepoint. As a Sonic sequel I'm disappointed by the poor physics, uninspired graphics, etc. but at the pricepoint that it's at, I'd say the game could be a fun playthrough.
 
R

RagnarokX

Member
Diablohead said:
But all the problems are fixable, remove homing, adjust his gravity and rolling down hills needs to be faster, give the levels more multiple paths and remove nearly all the boosters and we have a good sonic platformer.

Right now, we do not.
Click to expand...
I dunno, I don't like how many levels revolve around a gimmick that is spammed to hell.

SHZ Act 2: vines
SHZ Act 3: ziplines
LLZ Act 2: mine cart
CSZ Act 2: crappy pinball
CSZ Act 3: Sonic Kong Country

I mean, the classic games had level-specific gimmicks, but Sonic 4's border on levels feeling more like bonus stages than an actual levels.

It's like the old games made new gameplay mechanics based around level themes, but this game took gameplay mechanics and designed levels around them.
 
D

Diablohead

Member
RagnarokX said:
I dunno, I don't like how many levels revolve around a gimmick that is spammed to hell.

SHZ Act 2: vines
SHZ Act 3: ziplines
LLZ Act 2: mine cart
CSZ Act 2: crappy pinball
CSZ Act 3: Sonic Kong Country

I mean, the classic games had level-specific gimmicks, but Sonic 4's border on levels feeling more like bonus stages than an actual levels.
Click to expand...
agree, but there is way too much stuff to list in my last post to not make it boring :p
 
T

Ten-Song

Member
RagnarokX said:
I dunno, I don't like how many levels revolve around a gimmick that is spammed to hell.

SHZ Act 2: vines
SHZ Act 3: ziplines
LLZ Act 2: mine cart
CSZ Act 2: crappy pinball
CSZ Act 3: Sonic Kong Country

I mean, the classic games had level-specific gimmicks, but Sonic 4's border on levels feeling more like bonus stages than an actual levels.
Click to expand...

Forget if it's act 3 or 1, but you also forgot about those boulders Sonic has to balance on in Lost Labyrinth.
 
R

RagnarokX

Member
Ten-Song said:
Forget if it's act 3 or 1, but you also forgot about those boulders Sonic has to balance on in Lost Labyrinth.
Click to expand...
I didn't forget them. I chose not to include them because they aren't overused.
 
F

Freeza Under The Shower

Member
SecretBonusPoint said:
Shovelware? Thats what the twin-titan of the 16-bit era has been reduced to in the genuinely titled 4th outing? I mean you can defend that, but I think people were expecting a bit more than a cheap piece of shit looking honestly worse than the portable outings due to lackluster animation, a basic remix of all old level stuff and bosses in a needlessly episodic format with entirely gimmick based Acts.

"Its Sonic 4!" and "Its only $5!" are at such opposite ends of the scale for what message this whole project should have been sending its amazing.

Ugh, I honestly don't know what I'll do during the month in which Sonic 4 and Rocket Knight come out when there'll be "I DONT SEE WHAT PEOPLE ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT" people all over the place. I've certainly learned my lesson on "wanting sequels to old franchises". Its just too crushing when they do get made and are astonishing levels of shit.
Click to expand...

to add to the above, this is what a 4th installment should be:

Contra_4_Coverart.png


(you know) when regular awesome just isn't enough.
 
C

celebi23

Member
Zeitgeister said:
to add to the above, this is what a 4th installment should be:

Contra_4_Coverart.png


(you know) when regular awesome just isn't enough.
Click to expand...

QFMFT! A new installment that is both faithful to the original series & pushes it forward
 
R

Resilient

Member
After Casino Street Act 2, this is borderline no purchase for me right now. Between that and the mine cart level it seems Act 2 is made for stale, terrible gimmicks. If Mad Gear has a level devoted to spinning on the bolt, I hope to see this franchise burn into the ground. Sega can go fuck themselves.

And I love how we still have not heard any spin from RubyEclipse and Sega's self destructive PR.
 
P

Papercuts

fired zero bullets in the orphanage.
Is there anyway to still see the infamous mine cart level? It was down when I looked yesterday, but I'm hoping someone uploaded it elsewhere.
 
C

Culex

Banned
JasonMCG said:
What's everyone's problem? The game looks fun... :\
Click to expand...

Because no what Sega gives us at this point, people will STILL bitch about SOMETHING with this game. Can't be happy we're getting a 2D Sonic only episode....
 
Zomba13

Zomba13

Member
My advice for sega:
1. Cancel the current Sonic 4
2. Hire some Sonic rom hackers to make a proper Sonic 4
3. Make it look pretty and HD or somehing while still keeping the classic style
4. ???
5. Profit


Hint: The ??? is don't devote an entire act to a stupid, pointless, terrible gimmick
 
JaseMath

JaseMath

Member
So the game looks like it has it's problems. Sure, the animation (for the most part) is disgraceful, the physics are way off and it might be missing multiple pathways, but hey, it's got heart and oozes old school charm.
Am I doing it right?
 
R

Resilient

Member
This isn't even about it being a bad Sonic game now. This is just a bad game full stop. Fuck the Sonic staple, this is seriously bad. Who's idea was it to have a whole level loop, with the aim to get (presumably) 100000 points - and the level loops the entire time? Seriously? Who?!
 
V

VGChampion

Member
SecretBonusPoint said:
Its just too crushing when they do get made and are astonishing levels of shit.
Click to expand...

I really wish people would stop posting crap like this. The game isn't finished and we've seen some footage from version of the game that generally looks bad wasn't by all means completely horrible. Yeah it probably won't be as good as 1-3 but it's just mind numbingly annoying when people act like the game is out. Don't judge a game before you've played it. That should almost be a bannable offense. :lol
 
C

Calcaneus

Member
autobzooty said:
No matter what happens, I want you all to know that this has been my favorite cycle yet.
Click to expand...
They had me going longer than I would like to admit.

Well, now they can't use the "back to 2D Sonic" trick again.
 
D

DryEyeRelief

Member
Culex said:
Because no what Sega gives us at this point, people will STILL bitch about SOMETHING with this game. Can't be happy we're getting a 2D Sonic only episode....
Click to expand...

It's like the hyenas being thankful for what little food they get in their scavenges.
 
A

autobzooty

Member
Calcaneus said:
They had me going longer than I would like to admit.

Well, now they can't use the "back to 2D Sonic" trick again.
Click to expand...

Me too. I was holding out hope for a really long time. Now the unwavering reality of the Sonic Cycle is finally crashing down on me and I can't stop laughing at how ridiculous the whole thing is.

Seriously. Every. Time.
 
SonicMegaDrive

SonicMegaDrive

Member
There are still people who blindly defend this game?

I know some staunch Sonic franchise supporters, some that would jump in your face for even batting an eyelash at turds like Sonic Heroes and Sonic Unleasehd, but even the STAUNCHIEST that I know have seen the light on this one.
 
C

crazy monkey

Banned
to people who are worries about physics , this is a game where hedgehogs run and robot fight. physics does not have to be realistic as long as they are fine and fun within game although in this case from what i read here it might not be.
 
B

beelzebozo

Jealous Bastard
i feel sad for people who were really invested in this. and that's not me "feeling sorry" for you, but rather, i genuinely feel bad that those were emotionally invested in the idea of a new, potentially great 2d sonic appear to be let down once again.

i know you guys want another "david," but michelangelo's fingers are broken and clumsy.
 
SonicMegaDrive

SonicMegaDrive

Member
beelzebozo said:
i feel sad for people who were really invested in this. and that's not me "feeling sorry" for you, but rather, i genuinely feel bad that those were emotionally invested in the idea of a new, potentially great 2d sonic appear to be let down once again.

i know you guys want another "david," but michelangelo's fingers are broken and clumsy.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's the real sad part about it. I can't help feel bad, even though I really shouldn't. I hate to say "I told you so.", but...I know I wasn't the only one in the previous thread screaming over and over, "DONT GET YOUR HOPES UP!"

But as soon as it came out that Needlemouse was being called 'Sonic 4', everyone threw all logic out the window and got their nostalgic hopes up.

I did what one man can to preemptively put out whatever fire I could...
 
T

Takao

Banned
First read about Sonic 4, sounded cool, was decently hyped. Then one day at school I saw this:

4485977924_942a54efcc.jpg


It has all been downhill from there.
 
L

Lijik

Member
SonicMegaDrive said:
But as soon as it came out that Needlemouse was being called 'Sonic 4', everyone threw all logic out the window and got their nostalgic hopes up.
Click to expand...

Thats actually where any excitement I had became cautious optimism that slowly fizzled and died.
 
V

Varion

Member
I think the only way I'm getting excited about the announcement of a new Sonic title is if it follows the announcement "Iizuka has been fired/become otherwise incapacitated."

Then maybe, just maybe the poor thing will have a chance.
 
R

Resilient

Member
crazy monkey said:
to people who are worries about physics , this is a game where hedgehogs run and robot fight. physics does not have to be realistic as long as they are fine and fun within game although in this case from what i read here it might not be.
Click to expand...

crazy monkey
holds a ph.d in astrophysics
(Today, 01:02 PM)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Sonic Origins | Review Thread
News Analysis Review 2 3
148
12K
Thabass replied
Sega Ages Sonic the Hedgehog 2 first details
8
2K
alabtrosMyster replied
  • Locked
How The Last of Us became 'the greatest story' ever told in video games
Opinion Analysis 2 3 4 5
203
19K
Elysium44 replied
Gran Turismo 7 The Ultimate Guide (so far) by GT Planet
Community
5
3K
D.Final replied
RTTP: On Sonic Adventure, youth, bridges, and beautiful messes
2
67
12K
Professor Beef replied
Top Bottom