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Sonic the Hedgehog 4 - The Game You Waited 16 Years For!
- Thread starter RK128
- Start date
FleetingFlowAir
Member
Episode 2 was better than Episode 1, but Sonic 4 overall was just shallow. Sonic Advance, Rush, and so forth could have been continuations since they are based on the level design and mechanics of the originals with some new features and abilities and no one would have likely complained.
Episode 2 not being available on Wii despite needing Episode 1 for Episode Metal was just plain dumb even with Wiiware limitations involved.
On the other hand, Episode 2's Sky Fortress music was good.
Episode 2 not being available on Wii despite needing Episode 1 for Episode Metal was just plain dumb even with Wiiware limitations involved.
On the other hand, Episode 2's Sky Fortress music was good.
FrozenCell
Member
that's the truth right hereReal talk: Freedom Planet was the Sonic sequel I'd waited 16 years for
KnightimeX_Legacy
Banned
I refuse to play episode 2 before I beat part one.
I can't seem to beat the last area of Ep1 for the life of me.
I get so close, but feel so far.
I can't seem to beat the last area of Ep1 for the life of me.
I get so close, but feel so far.
D
Deleted member 74300
Unconfirmed Member
I remember being so hype and buying Sonic 4 day 1... and being completely and utterly crushed at how terrible it was.
Because unlike a lot of the 3D Sonics, Sega has a ton of great reference material for how to make a good 2D Sonic. And they dropped the ball so hard, it really opened my eyes just to how incompetent they were at managing their own intellectual properties.
Because unlike a lot of the 3D Sonics, Sega has a ton of great reference material for how to make a good 2D Sonic. And they dropped the ball so hard, it really opened my eyes just to how incompetent they were at managing their own intellectual properties.
Same here. I got it for the Wii too. What a waste of $15 or however much it was........
Dimps really sucks lol.
At least they tried a bit more in Ep2 but still some levels were ok or miss. The final boss was neat though.
Such a good game. So glad it's getting a sequel.that's the truth right here
Jack The Nipper
Banned
Bad game
Argued with Jim sterling about how shit it looked before release. what now jim
Argued with Jim sterling about how shit it looked before release. what now jim
The game isn't similar at all to Sonic games in terms of gameplay or level design. I have no idea why it is seen as some sort of Sonic type of game.that's the truth right here
It's about an anthropomorphic dragon and cat going real fast in order to defeat an evil ruler who has taken over their land with robots. It has multiple paths per level, you can do a cool spin dash move, and one character can access parts of the level the other can't. Also did I mention the real fast part?
Well, it started as a Sonic fangame to the gameplay influence is definitely there.
Soodanim
Gold Member
I read the OP thinking that I should at least give the game another go if it's worthy of a write up like that.
Then I was reminded of Freedom Planet and I think I'd rather replay that if we're being honest.
I think with Sonic 4 actually being a Sonic game I hold it to higher standards.
Then I was reminded of Freedom Planet and I think I'd rather replay that if we're being honest.
I think with Sonic 4 actually being a Sonic game I hold it to higher standards.
Ein Bear
Member
In all my years of gaming, the special stages in this game are the only thing to ever give me motion sickness.
This is fucking shit. That's not huge deal in itself, lord knows Sonic's had plenty of shit games over the years. But there's something about them actually using the name 'Sonic the Hedgehog 4' on such a cheap, shit afterthought of a title that's just downright insulting.
This is fucking shit. That's not huge deal in itself, lord knows Sonic's had plenty of shit games over the years. But there's something about them actually using the name 'Sonic the Hedgehog 4' on such a cheap, shit afterthought of a title that's just downright insulting.
Yoshi
Headmaster of Console Warrior Jugendstrafanstalt
While technically correct, Episode 1 released before Colours I think, Super Sonic was also playable in the levels in the major 2010 Sonic release Sonic Colours (Wii version).
I was very disappointed with Episode 1, but Episode 2 was a blast, too bad they did not make their last episode and especially a disc release. Episode 2 really felt like a nice blend of Mega Drive Sonic and Advance series.
nkarafo
Member
Broken physics, bad graphics.
Not that i expected anything better from Sonic Team.
Meanwhile, a lone person from Greece, with the help from one friend, made this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haGTtrDBLWA
I wonder if Sonic Team felt any embarrassment.
Not that i expected anything better from Sonic Team.
Meanwhile, a lone person from Greece, with the help from one friend, made this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haGTtrDBLWA
I wonder if Sonic Team felt any embarrassment.
There are all kinds of opinions in GAF. But this... i can't process it.
StarStabbedMoon
Member
I seem to recall the opposite. In particular I remember Metroid: Other M releasing around the same time and marveling how it got better reviews than Sonic 4 despite the outcry of the former. At the same time it felt like alot of diehard fans were clinging to this game as a possible revival to the series. It was hard to let go of that, for many.
To Far Away Times
Member
I hope so. Sonic Fan Remix is the closest we've come to a real Sonic 4. It's a real shame it was never completed.
nkarafo
Member
It's more of a remake of Sonic 2. But yeah, if Sega had any brains he would hire this guy and give him a team to make a Genesis Sonic trilogy remake at least.
He is now making that 90's Arcade Racer.
"This is just gorgeous"
But it looks like everything has bad engine oil smeared all over it.
This is the gorgeous Sonic fan game.
nkarafo
Member
Honestly, i don't like the look of this that much. The colors are too flat and there's minimal shading. It makes it look like a flash game with some Ms Paint vibe.
I do agree than Sonic Fan Remix uses a bad engine though. It's a very early Unity game.
This is probably prerendered but it's the best looking one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxXycBv3Rlk
Although Sonic himself looks a bit weird. And the music remix could be better.
Sonic 4 is betrayal made palpable. It is the game that broke me from the Sonic Cycle permanently.
I had been hovering on the edge of it after Sonic Heroes and Sonic 06. I generally liked the Sonic Rush games, too, but they weren't advertising themselves as the successor to classic Sonic. So when Sonic 4 was announced, I thought to myself "okay, they're actually putting the number 4 on this. They know this is a huge fucking deal. They're going back to the root of Sonic. They'll take the original engine and modernize it for today and it'll be great."
And then they released Sonic 4. The art crafted from smeared vaseline. The music composed by someone who has no clue what classic Sonic music sounds like. The gameplay engine inexplicably made by the company that has the code to the original physics engine in their vault. No one on the design team could have possibly played the original series and thought this was acceptable.
Sega naming this Sonic 4 is one of the biggest middle finger's a company has ever given me. It was being told that I don't matter anymore and that one of my childhood friends was dead. It may seem silly or overdramatic to some, but this game made me feel a real sense of loss.
I am extremely thankful that GalaxyTrail has picked up the mantle that Sega dropped with their Freedom Planet series. (Part 2 is in the works and I have 100% faith in them!)
I had been hovering on the edge of it after Sonic Heroes and Sonic 06. I generally liked the Sonic Rush games, too, but they weren't advertising themselves as the successor to classic Sonic. So when Sonic 4 was announced, I thought to myself "okay, they're actually putting the number 4 on this. They know this is a huge fucking deal. They're going back to the root of Sonic. They'll take the original engine and modernize it for today and it'll be great."
And then they released Sonic 4. The art crafted from smeared vaseline. The music composed by someone who has no clue what classic Sonic music sounds like. The gameplay engine inexplicably made by the company that has the code to the original physics engine in their vault. No one on the design team could have possibly played the original series and thought this was acceptable.
Sega naming this Sonic 4 is one of the biggest middle finger's a company has ever given me. It was being told that I don't matter anymore and that one of my childhood friends was dead. It may seem silly or overdramatic to some, but this game made me feel a real sense of loss.
I am extremely thankful that GalaxyTrail has picked up the mantle that Sega dropped with their Freedom Planet series. (Part 2 is in the works and I have 100% faith in them!)
Sonic 2 HD fits in with the aesthetic used for classic Sonic packaging, which is probably why it gels with me so much. Flat with a bit of shading and lots of colour.
And yeah, the arms on that S&K3D video... oh boy lol.
Episode I is trash. Episode II is passable, has at least a few decent music tracks (I quite like the Metal Sonic boss theme), and the tie-ins to Sonic CD were neat. It's still not really good though.
Neither game comes close to the games they're trying to pay homage to.
Edit: Also yes Freedom Planet is amazing and well worth playing for anyone who hasn't.
Neither game comes close to the games they're trying to pay homage to.
Edit: Also yes Freedom Planet is amazing and well worth playing for anyone who hasn't.
To this day, it still baffles me that episode 2 managed to be even worse than episode 1. I don't think Sega deserve a pat on the back for original stages, enemies and physics that don't let you stick to walls when the level design's worse, the music is way worse (barring a few great tracks like Metal Sonic's theme), the bosses are boring as hell and the hyped return of Tails is ultimately just an intrusive, less interesting version of Sonic Advance 3's gimmick.
I'm of the mindset that Episode 1 is an okay platformer that works well on phones, and episode 2 is a really nice looking game, but Sonic 4 they are not. Interesting how episode 1 actually reviewed fairly well, but the consensus on it now is that it's bad.
Oh yeah, one note about the OP - there was a huge circle jerk about Sonic's friends being bad around the time episode 1 was announced. So much so that people were praising Sega for not putting in alternate characters. It was a misguided trend because the presence of alternate characters in itself is not a bad thing. The best Sonic games had more than Sonic playable. It's when the characters themselves are annoying as shit and their gameplay is terrible and clashes with the main game. Basically, there's quite a lot of room between alternate characters and Silver the Hedgehog.
I'm of the mindset that Episode 1 is an okay platformer that works well on phones, and episode 2 is a really nice looking game, but Sonic 4 they are not. Interesting how episode 1 actually reviewed fairly well, but the consensus on it now is that it's bad.
Oh yeah, one note about the OP - there was a huge circle jerk about Sonic's friends being bad around the time episode 1 was announced. So much so that people were praising Sega for not putting in alternate characters. It was a misguided trend because the presence of alternate characters in itself is not a bad thing. The best Sonic games had more than Sonic playable. It's when the characters themselves are annoying as shit and their gameplay is terrible and clashes with the main game. Basically, there's quite a lot of room between alternate characters and Silver the Hedgehog.
thelatestmodel
Junior, please.
Sonic 4 was so bad. One of those games where I wish someone in the dev team had spoken up and said "guys, this doesn't look or feel like a Sonic game at all, we need to rethink this".
I mean, look at him spinning in the special stage:
That's not right. Sonic is a perfect circle when he spins, everyone knows that. It just looks so weird.
I mean, look at him spinning in the special stage:
That's not right. Sonic is a perfect circle when he spins, everyone knows that. It just looks so weird.
Game wasn't the worst shit ever, it was mediocre at best, and there was some fun to be had.
But man, Sega... they fucked up so much. How they had the balls to rename this to Sonic 4? It was borderline insulting to the fans, IMO.
Same composer, and he was damn lazy with this game.
But man, Sega... they fucked up so much. How they had the balls to rename this to Sonic 4? It was borderline insulting to the fans, IMO.
Same composer, and he was damn lazy with this game.
Sonic 4 also diagnosed Dimps with Spiderman 3 syndrome. It made people criticise the previously well received Advance and Rush series, as well as attaching a negative stigma to Dimps, when they were previously doing great work while Sonic Team shat the bed time and time again. I don't blame them for episode 1 considering it didn't start its life as Sonic 4. Episode 2 is inexcusable, though.
Get a load of the run cycle.
It's bad enough that they used the wrong Sonic design. His proportions just don't work with classic Sonic's animations.
Get a load of the run cycle.
It's bad enough that they used the wrong Sonic design. His proportions just don't work with classic Sonic's animations.
I dunno, Advance 2 and 3 were shit since day 1.
Both were critically well received (Advance 3 less so) and when Advance 2 launched, the high speed gameplay was a new, celebrated thing. So I'd disagree that they were shit from day 1. I will say that Advance 2 is worse in retrospect because Rush improved its gimmick and it does have serious level design issues. But the negative stigma surrounding Dimps as a company only really popped up after people tore Sonic 4 apart. At least from where I was watching.
BlazeHedgehog
Member
Episode 1 is so bad that it still angers up my blood.
It's hard to even process just how badly they fucked up given that Dimps had done "classic" Sonic games before. It is so obvious that they took the Sonic Rush engine and just turned the boost off. And that's not right! That's not what the classic games actually controlled like! Sonic Rush has all of these weird control conceits to support the boost ability, and if you take that away, it feels like garbage! How could they not have known it would be a disaster? How would anyone involved in that project not get out in front and say "Wait, this isn't going to work"? It's not like how the old Genesis Sonic games play are some deep mystery that nobody understands.
Were they trying to "fix" Classic Sonic? What were they trying to fix? How did they think this would fix it? All I see is a sloppy fuckin' game. The only people who really seemed to give a shit were the people marketing and promoting the game, and they ended up doing too good of a job, because playing the game itself was like a jumping off a sheer cliff.
Episode 2 is "better" in a sense, insofar as being stranded forever on a deserted island is probably better than drowning to death. Episode 2 still struggles to be a better game than Sonic Advance on the GBA, a game that Dimps had made more than a decade prior. It had a couple of interesting ideas (co-op during the first act of Sky Fortress, with one player flying the plane, is legitimately harrowing) but there are some weird spikes in difficulty. Boss fights in Episode 2 are the worst; they're designed to last almost as long as the levels themselves do, but you don't get any checkpoints, so if you die five minutes in to a boss fight, you're screwed.
My biggest lasting memory of Ep 2 is seeing Ken Balough (Sega's brand manager at the time) tweet, "I don't understand why Episode 2 isn't selling as well as Episode 1, because I think it's a better game."
Yeah, that's just how badly you fucked up with Episode 1, dude, and you didn't exactly hit a home run on Episode 2, either.
News came out a few years ago that Sega pinged Christian Whitehead to work on Sonic 4 Episode 3 with Sega's Australia studios (it never happened because Australia went on to do the flopped Castle of Illusion HD), but part of me is glad they stopped this shit show when they did.
It's hard to even process just how badly they fucked up given that Dimps had done "classic" Sonic games before. It is so obvious that they took the Sonic Rush engine and just turned the boost off. And that's not right! That's not what the classic games actually controlled like! Sonic Rush has all of these weird control conceits to support the boost ability, and if you take that away, it feels like garbage! How could they not have known it would be a disaster? How would anyone involved in that project not get out in front and say "Wait, this isn't going to work"? It's not like how the old Genesis Sonic games play are some deep mystery that nobody understands.
Were they trying to "fix" Classic Sonic? What were they trying to fix? How did they think this would fix it? All I see is a sloppy fuckin' game. The only people who really seemed to give a shit were the people marketing and promoting the game, and they ended up doing too good of a job, because playing the game itself was like a jumping off a sheer cliff.
Episode 2 is "better" in a sense, insofar as being stranded forever on a deserted island is probably better than drowning to death. Episode 2 still struggles to be a better game than Sonic Advance on the GBA, a game that Dimps had made more than a decade prior. It had a couple of interesting ideas (co-op during the first act of Sky Fortress, with one player flying the plane, is legitimately harrowing) but there are some weird spikes in difficulty. Boss fights in Episode 2 are the worst; they're designed to last almost as long as the levels themselves do, but you don't get any checkpoints, so if you die five minutes in to a boss fight, you're screwed.
My biggest lasting memory of Ep 2 is seeing Ken Balough (Sega's brand manager at the time) tweet, "I don't understand why Episode 2 isn't selling as well as Episode 1, because I think it's a better game."
Yeah, that's just how badly you fucked up with Episode 1, dude, and you didn't exactly hit a home run on Episode 2, either.
News came out a few years ago that Sega pinged Christian Whitehead to work on Sonic 4 Episode 3 with Sega's Australia studios (it never happened because Australia went on to do the flopped Castle of Illusion HD), but part of me is glad they stopped this shit show when they did.
AzureSkies
Member
hate to say it, but fans were shitting on Dimps far before Sonic 4.
This and the lack of a Wii release. If I remember right, episode 1 did best on Wii and Sonic usually sells best on Nintendo. What's funny is a lot of people I know weren't even aware that there was an episode 2.
Hmm, if you say so. I didn't really see much concern about Dimps as a whole until after the whole thing leaked. For example nobody gave a damn that you could walk up walls and stuff in Sonic Rush because the game never pretended to have classic gameplay like Sonic 4.
Solid SOAP
Member
Horrible. Episode II is okay, would've been better without the stupid gimmicks, but at least the physics made sense. Episode I, like... what were they thinking?
Oh, this is new to me. Mind sharing or finding an article? Sounds interesting.
Lord British
Member
It's definitely in Advance 2. I don't think it's present in 1 or 3 though.
BlazeHedgehog
Member
As far as I'm aware, there is no article or anything about this. It's primarily just an internet rumor that Sonic 4 started life as an mobile-exclusive game that was then elevated to the status of "Sonic the Hedgehog 4." The only corroborating piece of evidence to back this up are ferris wheel textures in Casino Street Zone that appear to say "Sonic the Portable" on them (as noted in the OP).
Here's another screenshot of the texture:
It's pretty blurry, but it's easy enough to make out most of the letters.
I suppose other corroborating evidence was the fact that even on the Xbox 360, the original version of Sonic 4 Episode 1 was going to have lots of gyroscope control (which was initially mapped to the L and R triggers on the 360). It clearly wasn't designed for a normal controller, and there would be no reason to attach a "...THE PORTABLE" subtitle to something intended for the Wii, either.
balladofwindfishes
Member
We already had Sonic 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 before "Sonic 4"
It's not like they stopped making 2D Sonic games, they just moved the series to handhelds where it thrived. Then Sonic 4 comes along an pretends those 5 handheld games never existed, tosses out improvements to the formula each one added, and started with a garbage physics engine.
Just a month later Sonic Colors DS would come out! With working physics! And good level design! And good music! Where was the Rush/Colors engine when they were making Sonic 4?
EP2 came out 6 months after Generations! AFTER Generations' perfection and they still mess up (just not as badly)!
Some how I broke Metal Story and got to play that level as Metal Sonic. I don't know why. It just went to Act 2 instead of moving to the next stage. Worked completely fine from what I could tell, which made me wonder why Metal Story was so short.
It's not like they stopped making 2D Sonic games, they just moved the series to handhelds where it thrived. Then Sonic 4 comes along an pretends those 5 handheld games never existed, tosses out improvements to the formula each one added, and started with a garbage physics engine.
Just a month later Sonic Colors DS would come out! With working physics! And good level design! And good music! Where was the Rush/Colors engine when they were making Sonic 4?
EP2 came out 6 months after Generations! AFTER Generations' perfection and they still mess up (just not as badly)!
Some how I broke Metal Story and got to play that level as Metal Sonic. I don't know why. It just went to Act 2 instead of moving to the next stage. Worked completely fine from what I could tell, which made me wonder why Metal Story was so short.
Diablohead
Member
IceDoesntHelp
Banned
The only "modern" Sonic game I haven't played.
Looked kind of average to me, but I was also never really a fan of Sonic's side scrolling days (besides Sonic CD, damn was that a good game).
I personally prefer the 3D outings compared to the 2D, except Shadow The Hedgehog and 06.
Unleashed and Generations being my favourite Sonic games.
Looked kind of average to me, but I was also never really a fan of Sonic's side scrolling days (besides Sonic CD, damn was that a good game).
I personally prefer the 3D outings compared to the 2D, except Shadow The Hedgehog and 06.
Unleashed and Generations being my favourite Sonic games.
You're a troll account, right?
Sir_Crocodile
Member
My memories of this games were spindashing and jumping without holding down the D-pad, and watching Sonic doing a complete vertical jump with absolutely no momentum gained from forward travel., no longer staying in a ball when spin-dashing past an upturning ramp.
Oh and the usual bad dimps level design.
Sonic 4?
No.
Damnit stump
Oh and the usual bad dimps level design.
Sonic 4?
No.
Damnit stump