• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

LTTP: Sonic 4: Episode 1

B

Boogiepop

Member
To start, a link to my other Sonic R/LTTPs:
Shadow the Hedgehog
Sonic Heroes
Sonic 06
Sonic and the Black Knight
Sonic the Hedgehog Game Gear
Sonic 2 Game Gear
Sonic Chaos
Sonic Blast
Sonic Labyrinth
Tails Adventure
Tails' Sky Patrol
Sonic Spinball Game Gear
Sonic 3D Blast
Sonic Spinball Genesis
Sonic CD
Sonic Unleashed Wii
Sonic Colors DS
Sonic Generations 3DS

Well, I finally went ahead and picked up this one for some play with my usual group and... it's so very, very bleh. It's just the epitome of unambitious, and it pretty much just rips off old stages, enemies, and bosses, while making them worse all around. It's baffling. It's not as "bad" as a lot of the other Sonic games I've played, largely feeling just mediocre all around, but it just feels like it lacks effort in pretty much every department and doesn't manage to carve out any sort of identity on its own. Oh yeah, and the music and bosses just plain suck. Shout out in particular to the stupid Labyrinth knockoff Zone's boss and its stupid crush damage. Yuck.

Anyway, I'm now trying to grind out the emeralds so I can be done with the game. I currently have filled up Splash Hill, grabbed one in the first stage of Casino Street, and have one from the Labyrinth Zone-esque Zone whose name escapes me right now, leaving me with two left. And I'm kind of annoyed. Casino Street act 2 seems to take about 3 minutes to clear for a shot at the emerald. Yuck. Oh well, guess I'll keep muscling through till the end.
 
I'm playing through it right now, and I honestly think it's an okay game. Very vanilla Sonic, and as a total Sonic noob I enjoy that. Boss battles aren't fun, but I'm learning that's basically a Sonic staple :P
 
Was episode 2 an improvement at all? I knew pretty much from the first screenshot what episode 1 was gonna be like so I avoided it, and I haven't really heard much better about 2 but it at the least looks way better from a graphical standpoint
 
The game seems to have been designed for touch controls primarily. The level design allows you to just hold right and tap jump occasionally.
 
Game is garbage.

SEGA really needs to rename the game other than Sonic 4 because it doesn't even hold a candle to the Genesis classics.
 
Murrah said:
Was episode 2 an improvement at all? I knew pretty much from the first screenshot what episode 1 was gonna be like so I avoided it, and I haven't really heard much better about 2 but it at the least looks way better from a graphical standpoint
Click to expand...

Nope in terms of gameplay. In fact, it's even worse.

The only thing great that came out of the game was the Metal Sonic theme, which was only acceptable in the All Stars Racing game:

http://youtu.be/ggdw8URdcTs
 
I thought it was 'decent' as a standalone product, but bad for a Sonic game. The whole game is a throwback to nostalgia, but without the tight physics/controls that make the classic games so enjoyable. On top of that, the music's just pretty bland and forgettable overal.
 
Boogiepop said:
Anyway, I'm now trying to grind out the emeralds so I can be done with the game. I currently have filled up Splash Hill, grabbed one in the first stage of Casino Street, and have one from the Labyrinth Zone-esque Zone whose name escapes me right now, leaving me with two left. And I'm kind of annoyed. Casino Street act 2 seems to take about 3 minutes to clear for a shot at the emerald. Yuck. Oh well, guess I'll keep muscling through till the end.
Click to expand...

Should have done it in reverse. It's easier to spam the first levels for the last few emeralds. The first special stages are easy enough that you can get them in your first shot on a harder level.

Something to keep in mind for Episode 2, though the special stages there are actually fun.

Murrah said:
Eh, should've figured. Cool song though
Click to expand...

Going to disagree and say that while it's not a good game, the gameplay is significantly improved. The Tails tag-team stuff turns it into a Rush lite game, which is what the level design is really suited for anyway. The bosses are better and the levels themselves are a bit more interesting too.
 
For $15, this game was a pretty big ripoff. People would always defend it by saying "It has the same number of levels as the classics but those were full price when they came out!" Yeah, well that was 1991 and this was 2010. There was no excuse to release such a lazy uninspired sequel that can be beaten in under an hour for $15.
 
dat atrocious orchestration

You would think music would redeem this game, but no. SEGA DIMPS just took a shit, smeared their fans' faces in it, and rubbed the remnants everywhere else.

Meow Mix Zone: http://youtu.be/iN-7f0JgHgc

meow meow meow
 
It's fine, as with the second episode it's a slight but enjoyable enough experience to play through once or twice. Don't like, pay more than £3.50 for it.
 
Game was not good.

Episode 2 ended up having some effort and original design work put into it still wound up being just as mediocre, if not more so. I actually prefer some of the level design in EP 1.
 
I finished the whole Sonic 4 ordeal with all emeralds. I can't say its downright bad, but its nothing special either. Episode 1 is a slight bit worse than 2. I bought them on release and that was a stretch, its not worth those prices.

The music is terrible, save for the temple theme of ep 1 and Metal Sonic in ep 2.
 
Not nearly as bad as the more hyperbolic posters on GAF would have you believe but... yeah, it's meh. At least it lets you use Super Sonic the traditional way: playing as him in the regular stages.
 
I thought the hate was overblown, but the game is definitely 'off' and somewhat disappointing. I hope they use the guy behind the Sonic CD remake for future 2D instalments, he nailed the physics far better than Sega's in house team!
 
Jazzem said:
I thought the hate was overblown, but the game is definitely 'off' and somewhat disappointing. I hope they use the guy who worked on the Sonic CD remake for future 2D installments, he nailed the physics far better than Sega's in house team!
Click to expand...

Making a new game in that engine would be a great idea, so they obviously won't do it. The level design would probably still be bad anyway even with good physics...
 
Episode II is definitely better in pretty much every way (original bosses including an actually pretty fucking cool final boss, at least half-original stages, better physics, a genuinely new gameplay mechanic in the form of co-op moves), but it's still a fairly plain game. Not a lot of ambition.
 
I managed to get all the trophies in S4:E1. 'Untouchable' almost destroyed me. I think its still one of my proudest trophies, even now.

E2 is sitting at about 45%. I finished it once and that was it. I should finish it off sometime, but I always hated the Sonic 2-style special zones.
 
I personally didn't enjoy the game either. The physics felt too stiff (playable but still feels wrong). The visuals looked really cheap (like NSMB-cheap) and really ugly (grainy filters on tiles... why?). The special stages were a pain to control. And the biggest deal breaker to me was the level design... a lot of it was basically a cheap remake of Sonic 1 and 2 levels with lots of bad enemy and hazard placement. I tried to enjoy the game but I had a hard time to.

Episode 2... I can't decide if it's better or worse. Ep 2 improved a lot such as the art, music, special stages, physics (though just a tad) and tries to be a bit more original in general... but unfortunately for half of the game, the level design manages to be even worse. Oh and the boss fights took way too long, not to mention they have these annoyingly long intros that plays every time you meet the boss. Not a fun game at all.

Wasted opportunity, they shouldn't let Dimps design this.
 
Pandoracell said:
Game was not good.

Episode 2 ended up having some effort and original design work put into it still wound up being just as mediocre, if not more so. I actually prefer some of the level design in EP 1.
Click to expand...

Yep, for all the extra effort that went into Ep 2 I find it a lot worse in parts due to overly long boss fights, the sky chase homage stage and Tails implementation being straight up overpowered.
They even went back and screwed up Episode 1 further with Episode Metal.

But anyway, Sonic 4 Episode 1, it pretty much missed the point of what people were hoping for with the return to a classic sonic style, while changing physics to something different doesn't have to be a bad thing it certainly was here as Sonic's momentum is just plain botched, he gains speed better from performing a failed homing attack, why bother spindashing? jumps don't take into account his momentum either leading to some sluggish platforming. Actually sluggish describes the game rather well, Sonic is slow to pick up speed which he then can't do much with and the homing attack doesn't really add anything to the 2D style of Sonic.

Still not all the levels were that bad, derivative sure but Mad Gear Act 3 stands out to me, nothing like being hounded by killer walls. The stage with the torch shouldn't work but seeing how Sonic 4's speed element is kind of bad the torch stage actually comes across okay, I think, maybe it's just the level gimmick distracting me from the actual game.
 
Nocturnowl said:
But anyway, Sonic 4 Episode 1, it pretty much missed the point of what people were hoping for with the return to a classic sonic style, while changing physics to something different doesn't have to be a bad thing it certainly was here as Sonic's momentum is just plain botched, he gains speed better from performing a failed homing attack, why bother spindashing? jumps don't take into account his momentum either leading to some sluggish platforming. Actually sluggish describes the game rather well, Sonic is slow to pick up speed which he then can't do much with and the homing attack doesn't really add anything to the 2D style of Sonic.
Click to expand...
Oh yeah, I forgot how inconsistent the physics were. It made no sense being awarded for failing a homing attack. Spindash became completely pointless.

Nocturnowl said:
Still not all the levels were that bad, derivative sure but Mad Gear Act 3 stands out to me, nothing like being hounded by killer walls. The stage with the torch shouldn't work but seeing how Sonic 4's speed element is kind of bad the torch stage actually comes across okay, I think, maybe it's just the level gimmick distracting me from the actual game.
Click to expand...
I liked the torch gimmick up until the puzzle that completely stops you from progressing until you light things in a specific order. So awful.
 
I'll always remember that torch puzzle because I had a friend text me that he was stuck due to it, okay fair enough but then I got another text like 15 minutes later complaining further about the torch based trial, I had to laugh, it's a bit of a silly puzzle but being stumped for that long is a bit much.
 
I honestly find it amazing that this game was as poor as it was. Dimps were at the helm of Sonic Pocket Adventure, Sonic Advance, and the Sonic Rush games, all of which were great and the former of which played great homage to classic Sonic games. Then they're told they are making the sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and they just make complete shit, what the hell?

Everything about Episode I is wrong, from the embarrassingly short total of 4 levels to the broken physics, horrible level design, rehashed level tropes, bosses, and enemies near disgusting sound design and ugly as sin graphics. It truly sucks cock. Episode II was an improvement, but overall not a memorable experience. The visuals and music were much better, there were actually unique enemies and levels, and the physics were better. However, they decided to implement a really out of place team attack system which made beating every single level at one point a huge pain in the ass since you are forced to watch a 5 second team-up move which breaks the flow of the gameplay.

Overall, Sonic 4 did not need to be made. It baffles me that they decided that the right time to greenlight this project was right before the release of Sonic Generations, which not only recreates classic level design motifs of the original games correctly (aka not having each missed jump result in a cheap death), but features Sonic with his original design as well. Why didn't they use Generations to kickstart the return of classic Sonic, then follow it with Sonic 4? The decisions made for this subseries just baffle me in how incompetently they were handled.
 
The bottom line for me is the game apes so much of the original Sonic trilogy it's almost offensive that they'd call it Sonic 4. It just makes you wish you were playing Sonic 2 with its far superior physics, controls, and camera instead. It's not the worst game ever, just completely redundant so I can't recommend it to anyone.

qq more said:
Oh yeah, I forgot how inconsistent the physics were. It made no sense being awarded for failing a homing attack. Spindash became completely pointless.
Click to expand...
After I realized it was faster to just homing attack over and over to gain speed I completely forgot I had a spin dash.

Is there really any point to having a homing attack in a 2D Sonic game? Besides lining up four of those flying enemies from Marble Garden and calling it a day? Just jumping on stuff is much more satisfying.
 
Roto13 said:
Not nearly as bad as the more hyperbolic posters on GAF would have you believe but... yeah, it's meh. At least it lets you use Super Sonic the traditional way: playing as him in the regular stages.
Click to expand...

'Meh' would be how I'd describe the game if it was the cheap, browser based flash game it looks and plays like. 'Bad' is how I'd describe the game if it was supposed to be a proper' official sequel
 
Episode I, ugh...such awful level design.

Episode II largely fixes the music, level design, and physics problems...but the double spin dash breaks the game.
 
PKrockin said:
After I realized it was faster to just homing attack over and over to gain speed I completely forgot I had a spin dash.

Is there really any point to having a homing attack in a 2D Sonic game? Besides lining up four of those flying enemies from Marble Garden and calling it a day? Just jumping on stuff is much more satisfying.
Click to expand...
I remember Iizuka saying something along the lines of homing attack adds a great sense of speed or some shit. ...I don't get it either.

I'm not really a fan of it either for the same reasons. It just makes everything too easy.

The mechanic is honestly only good in 3D games. They should've just made the homing attack a shield power up for the 2D games, it would've been interesting.
 
Murrah said:
Was episode 2 an improvement at all? I knew pretty much from the first screenshot what episode 1 was gonna be like so I avoided it, and I haven't really heard much better about 2 but it at the least looks way better from a graphical standpoint
Click to expand...

The jump physics dont make me want to vomit all over my controller in that game so yeah its better.


Im not even like some kind of hardcore sonic physics nerd, Ep 2 feels pretty good to me control wise. I dont know how accurate it is. Hell I like Sonic CD's controls and some people complain about the jump in that one. But man the jump in Sonic 4 Ep 1. As a person who likes platformers, Id be hard pressed to think of a 'major' release like that with a worse feeling jump. Id have to look into chinese bootlegs and garbage like Awesome Possum

EDIT- so Im not just dumping all over this game- that card level they added in to replace the dumb pinball level stage was actually legitimately fun. I wish it was used in a better game.
 
Physics are terrible and graphically it's ugly as hell, but I enjoyed the levels designs enough and the music has good as always. Episode 2 would've been a massive improvement were it not for the damned team mechanics breaking up the level designs.
 
qq more said:
I remember Iizuka saying something along the lines of homing attack adds a great sense of speed or some shit. ...I don't get it either.
Click to expand...

That's funny because this is probably the slowest 2D Sonic game. Sonic's top speed feels much slower and you don't get many chances to just go fast. I feel like I can run faster in a Mario game.
 
Great music and level design, but had the obviously known problem of horrible physics. EP II fixes that, but is full of horrible music and level design.
 
Elija2 said:
That's funny because this is probably the slowest 2D Sonic game. Sonic's top speed feels much slower and you don't get many chances to just go fast. I feel like I can run faster in a Mario game.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the maximum speed Sonic can ever achieve in 4 seems to be maybe slightly faster than his top speed in Sonic 1-3 if you just held right with no assistance (slopes, springs, etc.)

I remember running down a slope for about 3-4 seconds constantly expecting Sonic to accelerate, before reaching the end and realizing that it's impossible to go faster than that. It was actually seriously disappointing.
 
Probably my least favorite game ever. I've played flash games with better physics.

Not to mention the forgettable (sometimes grating) music and awful level design.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Subliminal: Episode 1
Trailer Indie 
2
257
IbizaPocholo replied
Sonic Mania is £1.49 / $1.99 as part of the Sonic 35th Anniversary Steam Sale
34
130
DeVeAn replied
LTTP: Pokemon Channel
LTTP 
6
222
uncreativename replied
LTTP: Gothic
LTTP 
21
700
Sentenza replied
Sonic Triple Trouble 16-bit Remake (Fangame): Fans do what Segadon't
LTTP 
9
377
Fake replied
Top Bottom