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[Boogiepop]

To start, a link to my other Sonic R/LTTPs:
Sonic Adventure
Sonic Adventure 2
Shadow the Hedgehog
Sonic Heroes
Sonic 06
Sonic and the Secret Rings
Sonic and the Black Knight
Sonic 4: Episode 1
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'm finally starting to round down my playthrough of the Sonic series. This is pretty much the last game I had to go into completely fresh, and it was... decent. I honestly didn't enjoy Episode 1 much (as can be seen linked above, I guess), so I didn't go in expecting much. But something about this one clicked a bit more, meaning I actually had an okay time with this and could see myself potentially revisiting the game in the future, which is more than I can say for a LOT of the games I've played for this "project".

First off, the game obviously took a ton more steps to differentiate itself while utilizing old concepts, and as a result it feels more akin to, say, Generations levels or something than the cheap knock-off feel part 1 had. It's still definitely familiar in a lot of ways, but it at least has its own personality. The biggest add for me was probably the co-op, which is how my group decided to play it (I took Sonic the whole game, being the one who has sunk WAY too much money into crappy Sonic games, and everyone else alternated being Tails). It was fun in a kind of silly way, even if a lot of time was spent yelling at inopportune team moves dragging me into harm's way or Tails dropping me unintentionally. I feel like it made the game a whole lot more interesting, even if it wasn't necessarily a great implementation.

Of course, there's some quirks that still weren't appreciated. The big obvious one is that the bosses went on for WAY too long, and if you died near the end you had to go through a ton of tedium again. This was most apparent when my friend and I died a number of times fighting the stupid junk giant thing during its final desperation attack part. The other issues are mostly small, level related things. For example, the part of the sand/oil level where you have to jump through sand with spikes overhead goes on WAY too long. And my friend and I never figured out if there's a way to shatter the ice formed by those walruses in the ice stage, forming to an embarrassing string of deaths where we were stuck repeatedly drowning, locked in by them in an underwater area (eventually we figured out you could just plow through and kill them before the ice spawns, but still).

Oh, and it was kind of weird seeing a single red ring in each stage when the other games pretty much cemented it as being 5 per stage, but whatever. So yeah, all in all I had a decent time with the game. Nothing exceptional, but it at least provided an okay bit of fun without massive frustration, which is nice.

And just to confirm: there's nothing too exceptional from getting all the emeralds/red rings, right? And for that matter, is Episode Metal at all worth bothering with?

 

[blanco21]

I liked Episode Metal...but like all the Sonic 4 stuff, it has a lot of cheap nonsense, so you need to play the levels once or twice before they start being fun. Actually, the whole series is a lot more fun once you get into a groove with how the controls feel and the stage layouts, it has a nice flow to it imo.

I'd be excited if they ever made a third game, just for completion's sake. Episode 2 used to have a cliffhanger ending, but they took it out at the last minute....I think it was left in the beta that leaked early (its not on YouTube anymore as far as I can tell;

Spoiler

Metal Sonic got revived iirc

)

 

[Zalman]

It was a fairly underwhelming game, but at the same time enjoyable enough. Not worthy of the "Sonic 4" title though. I wonder if they'll ever make an Episode 3.

 

[Spieler Eins]

Considering that some might find it decent apparently, I would have tried this if it wasn't digital only. I actually thought it looked pretty good, but I don't wanna sit on an unsaleable mess if it's as bad as some other reports made it out to be.

 

[MoeB]

I don't understand what Sonic fans want from Sonic remakes. Its style of gameplay doesn't allow for much innovation. Just take it and be happy.
Those who complain about the stale state of the franchise forget that there is a new generation of children who've never experienced the core experience. These games are for them.

Kids love Sonic. Sonic sells more lunch boxes and backpacks than Mario.

Note: I'm not sure if Nintendo licences its characters to be used on lunch boxes and backpacks.

 

[Mr-Joker]

Sonic 4-2 had some of the best music that I have ever heard in a Sonic game.

And just to confirm: there's nothing too exceptional from getting all the emeralds/red rings, right?

Getting the all the Emeralds yield you playable Super Sonic but getting the Red does nothing.

And for that matter, is Episode Metal at all worth bothering with?

It's basically hard mode of episode 1 with the Sonic 4-2 physic, it also serves as a prequel and explain how Eggman brought back Metal Sonic.

I'd be excited if they ever made a third game, just for completion's sake. Episode 2 used to have a cliffhanger ending, but they took it out at the last minute....I think it was left in the beta that leaked early (its not on YouTube anymore as far as I can tell;

Spoiler

Metal Sonic got revived iirc

)

Yeah I wonder about that myself since Sonic 4-2 just ended without really resolving anything plus add the fact that the red rings don't unlock anything.

 

[Levyne]

Entirely unremarkable, in my opinion. Played once and never again, and nothing of it has stuck with me.

It wasn't bad. It just kind of...was.

 

[SonicMegaDrive]

I don't understand what Sonic fans want from Sonic remakes. Its style of gameplay doesn't allow for much innovation. Just take it and be happy.
Those who complain about the stale state of the franchise forget that there is a new generation of children who've never experienced the core experience. These games are for them.

Kids love Sonic. Sonic sells more lunch boxes and backpacks than Mario.

Note: I'm not sure if Nintendo licences its characters to be used on lunch boxes and backpacks.

They do. Mario crap can still be found all over Toys R Us. Though these days, most kids have lunch 'bags' instead of boxes.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

It was.. not great, but OKish. Way better than the almost offensively bad Episode 1.

 

[PAULINK]

Very enjoyable game, the fact that we may never see a Sonic 4: Episode 3 upsets me. And yes, the music is amazing.

 

[Linkstrikesback]

I don't understand what Sonic fans want from Sonic remakes. Its style of gameplay doesn't allow for much innovation. Just take it and be happy.

The problem is, they don't realize this and keep trying to innovate anyway.

They brought tails back, but didn't design the levels so that sonic and tails could have alternate routes, instead, they added a bunch of "teamwork" moves that were pretty horrible, and added a bunch of sections where you have to use tails while playing as sonic in order to proceed.

 

[The Mana Legend]

Very underrated game, in my opinion. Not sure why it got such bad reviews while Episode 1 got good reviews.

 

[SonicXtreme]

did anyone ever mod the sonic 4's on pc to have you know...good physics? i would've bought the game if the physics didn't just...feel nothing like sonic, more like a flash ripoff.

 

[Cheddahz]

Ew, the Sonic 4 games were a huge letdown

 

[The Mana Legend]

Ew, the Sonic 4 games were a huge letdown

I liked Episode 2 more than Sonic 3 & Knuckles, which I hated.

 

[Ramune]

It's basically hard mode of episode 1 with the Sonic 4-2 physic, it also serves as a prequel and explain how Eggman brought back Metal Sonic.

Ah, I was wondering if the physics were fixed in Ep. Metal since he handled WAY better than I remembered Sonic handled in those ep. 1 levels.

I actually quite liked Episode 2. Only problems I had was that first badnik in the beginning snow carnival level and the last boss. But I consider that former my "Sonic 3 barrel moment" but badly designed enemy none the less. Badniks are for obstacles and bashing, not being cute before you kill it. Leave that as a hidden little easter egg...man! And the latter being the last boss, I kinda expect that so....4/5 IMO. And I consider Sonic 3 & Knuckles to be the height of Old school Sonic.

Very underrated game, in my opinion. Not sure why it got such bad reviews while

1 got good reviews.

That was probably on virtue of Episode 1 being the first 2D console Sonic game in years at the time, so a lot of "reviewers" had nostalgia glasses on then it seemed. Episode 2 was after Generations. I call it akin to reviewing New Mario Bros. U bad for not being more like Galaxy.

I liked Episode 2 more than Sonic 3 & Knuckles, which I hated.

D:

 

[Combichristoffersen]

I liked Episode 2 more than Sonic 3 & Knuckles, which I hated.

I do think S3&K is somewhat inferior to Sonic 1 and 2, but whoah.

 

[Zalman]

I liked Episode 2 more than Sonic 3 & Knuckles, which I hated.

But Sonic 3 & Knuckles is the best Sonic game ever!

 

[The Mana Legend]

I do think S3&K is somewhat inferior to Sonic 1 and 2, but whoah.

The levels in S3&K were way too fucking long and repetitive and the music is mostly atrocious. Sonic 2 is near perfection, and Sonic 1 is pretty great as well.

 

[Rell]

I really liked the longer boss fights in S4:2.

Bummer these games got the reception they did, I would have loved to see en Episode 3. But as these are, they're basically prototypes of Generations (where they realized that instead of taking visual and musical motifs from past Sonic stages, they could just take the level and music entirely).

These aren't bad games. I don't know what everyone really remembers Sonic as, but it's always been more style then substance.

 

[Lord British]

Hated it first time through, ended up really digging it. It's much better on playthroughs past the first one.

 

[Ramune]

The levels in S3&K were way too fucking long and repetitive and the music is mostly atrocious. Sonic 2 is near perfection, and Sonic 1 is pretty great as well.

I respect your opinion. And can now see why. See, a very valid and explained post. We need more like you.

Sonic 2 was kinda like the Mega Man 2 of the series IMO. Well balanced and regarded and the last Sonic game a lot of people played. Quite a few never went on to play Sonic 3 for a variety of reasons.

Sonic 1 was a unique animal. Kinda again like Mega Man 1 with its score hold over from games of that time. Sonic's first game to me felt much more arcady than the others. Which made sense because Sega was mostly doing arcade ports before making more console originals like Sonic. Since it was showing what the Sega 16-bitter could do, the graphics were also more unique and quite eye catching at the time. Again like an arcade game back then. The synth music also carried Sega's arcade roots more than the other games too IMO. Catchy and beckoning for giving you a good time. So its no surprise Sega hit it out of the park with this game.

 

[Cheddahz]

I liked Episode 2 more than Sonic 3 & Knuckles, which I hated.

Woah....

 

[nkarafo]

I liked Episode 2 more than Sonic 3 & Knuckles, which I hated.

The levels in S3&K were way too fucking long and repetitive and the music is mostly atrocious.

 

[Nocturnowl]

And my friend and I never figured out if there's a way to shatter the ice formed by those walruses in the ice stage, forming to an embarrassing string of deaths where we were stuck repeatedly drowning, locked in by them in an underwater area (eventually we figured out you could just plow through and kill them before the ice spawns, but still).

The Walrus trap claims another victim, really bizarre that there's nothing you can actually do here if you don't get through in time.

The way I'll always remember Episode 2 is considering that the length of time that the boss stages and the boring plane section comprising Sky Fortress Act 1 take it's quite possible that just these sections take up half of the overall game time on the first run from start to finish. The main stages that are there aren't too bad but it really isn't enough.
Tails throws another spanner in the works, the instant flight is quite level breaking and the rolling moves momentum is the most random of things occasionally allowing you to laugh in the face of the level design by going on risky autopilot just with a few jumps every now and then. Due to these setbacks i'm not really sure If I consider it better or worse than Episode 1, in either case they're both as average as each other and not the follow up to 3 & Knuckles I would've hoped for.

And what's the deal with those boxes where you mash buttons to make Sonic and Tails jump around a small area of the screen to kill like 3 barely threatening enemies? pointless.