Played the demo. Wish the demo was more than one level, but I played it 4 times.
Good
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Graphics are nice. Tight control. Fast movement.
Bad
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Controlling Sonic was broken and very unintuitive. Very frustrating trying to control him and watching him do exact opposite of older Sonic games. Running is faster than spinning? Level art design and layout sucked hard. Bad Sonic animation/movements. Enemy placement was bad. Camera/Screen movement when Sonic jumps is borked.
This game should have been really easy to make. This is what they should have done: start off with the Genesis game engine, and enhance the graphics, and add more 'meat'. More platforming, more running, longer levels. Something like Sonic CD, but different. Add level editor for fans to make their own classic levels and trade with each other.
This is what we got: start with Sonic Rush engine, break it tremendously. Insert horrible level layout. Enhance graphics. Add homing attack.
I know I only played one level, and that this is a bad judgement for the whole game of Sonic 4. But it is a good judgement on the engine, and that's all that matters. It doesn't matter what fancy levels are in the full game, if Sonic controls like trash. I know it's a matter of taste, but after playing the older Sonics from when they all came out, this is an impostor. The 3d Sonics can get some leeway, but not a 2d Sonic that is supposed to be a continuation and better installment of the original series. And $15 is way too high for the number of levels that are in this episode. I maybe would get it if it was $5, and the full game (all of the coming episodes) for $15, but I would hate myself for wasting money on it, and contributing to its sales. This is broken goods, man.
Carlisle said:
Just wanted to chime in with my thoughts here after playing the demo last night. I was never very exposed to Sonic in his heyday since I never owned a Sega console. But thanks to VC I recently played bits of the first 3 and enjoyed them quite a bit. I really don't see the problem a lot of people are having with 4. It's a solid, fun game that plays just like the 16-bit iterations plus a few gameplay additions to spice it up, just like Sonic 2 did to 1 and 3 did to 2.
I love the homing attack as it reduces breaks in the action and speed, which is what the essence of Sonic has always been: fast and frantic. And you know what, you don't even have to use it. I was halfway through the demo before I even knew about it.
Honestly, aside from the graphics, 4 feels like a smooth transition from 3 or Knuckles or whatever the last one was. Still the same game, with just enough different to make it a new experience without losing its definitive oldschool feel.
Maybe my opinion sucks because I didn't play Sonic as a kid and don't have nostalgia glasses... or maybe it sucks because I didn't play the recent Sonic games so I don't feel betrayed by Sonic Team and haven't become jaded in the last bitter years of Sonic releases. But I like the game. And I'll get it when the inevitable bundle is released at a discount with all the episodes in one.
I don't mean to pick apart your post, but it is not right at all. And not because you don't have nostalgia. You've played only bits of the first 3 games. Then you say it's a smooth transition from 3 or S&K, of which you never even played S&K and don't know which came out first?? You say it's the 'same game' and plays just like the old ones?? That is just not true.
