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[.la1n]

Count me as another who can't stand the feel of this game. The way Sonic stops mid air unless you keep pushing right is awful.

Probably one of my only complaints with the game although holding right never became an issue for me I'd still prefer it to be like classic sonics in that respect. Not enough for me to outright hate the entire game though.

Also, any bottomless pits in the game would only mean instant death if you didn't know what you were doing or refused to adapt to the new control method. I can support this. Bottomless pits for no reason or boosters that send you right into them? NO. But luckily they seem to have nailed it on Sonic 4.

If they will commit to taking community feedback for the next episode I think they could really have a runaway hit on their hands. Please please take the community feedback. I really enjoyed what i'm seeing here, it's the best sonic console game since the genesis days. That doesn't mean you get a free pass to just keep rolling without tweaking the engine however, RUBY take note and pass it along.

 

[dark10x]

I see your point, and man I'm disappointed in Sonic 4. I jumped right in head first and bought it without even trying the demo.

It plays nothing like Sonic 1 - 3K or CD, or any Sonics from early 90s including the Game Gear versions.

The Game Gear versions are shit compared to this, though. They never played like the Genesis games either.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

Just bought this off PSN, and I've completed the first two zones. It's not really a bad game, it just isn't a great game either. The physics are weird, Sonic moves slow as shit before getting his speed up, there's boosters out the ass (and the casino level had some annoying bottomless pits too) and some fucking cheap enemy placement. It definitely feels more like Sonic Advance 4 than a real Sonic the Hedgehog 4, and the level design oozes Dimps all the way. It's not really the game Sega promised us, but overall, it's still a fairly enjoyable romp. 6.5/10 so far.

The Game Gear versions are shit compared to this, though. They never played like the Genesis games either.

What. IMO the Game Gear games are way better than Sonic 4.

 

[Atomski]

The music in this game is awful. I seriously need to make a custom playlist of old sonic music or remixes.

 

[Carlisle]

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.

Fair enough. I was trying to offer an opinion as someone with a relatively blank slate with the series, but with enough experience to know what's going on. I went in objectively and came out thoroughly enjoying the game I played, though it may not be the best Sonic game. I just think people who claim it's broken and unplayable are being a little dramatic.

If this were a new IP with no previous nostalgic iterations to compare it to, I submit this thread would have considerably less bashing in it.

 

[NonexistentK]

What. IMO the Game Gear games are way better than Sonic 4.

seconded.

 

[Teknoman]

The music in this game is awful. I seriously need to make a custom playlist of old sonic music or remixes.

Just make sure you actually listen to the in game music during Lost Labyrinth act 2, and all of Mad Gear.

 

[voltron]

I had a lot of fun with th Game Gear games. I was only like 12 or something though.

 

[DonMigs85]

I had a lot of fun with th Game Gear games. I was only like 12 or something though.

I rather liked the slow-paced Tails Adventure game that actually had some clever puzzles and exploration.

 

[RobbieNick]

Sorry, but Sonic 4 pwns every Sonic Game Gear game easily. Sonic never translated well into 8-Bit with the exception of Sonic Pocket Adventure.

 

[DonMigs85]

Sorry, but Sonic 4 pwns every Sonic Game Gear game easily. Sonic never translated well into 8-Bit with the exception of Sonic Pocket Adventure.

But the NGP was a 16-bit device.

 

[RobbieNick]

But the NGP was a 16-bit device.

LOL Guess there were no good 8-Bit Sonic games then.:lol

Well, Tails Adventure was okay. BTW, They recently did an adaption of that game as a comic in Sonic Universe. Made for a very fun story.

 

[Mama Robotnik]

Sonic 1 (Master System / Game Gear) is a brilliant platformer. Some bits feel like an interesting, genuinely-distinct remix of the Mega Drive original, and the new levels work for the most-part really well. Its also got a much much better endgame that its 16-bit counterpart. Sky Base Zone (and its intense music) and the realisation of the final boss are bloody brilliant.

Sonic 2 (Master System / Game Gear) is an evil genius of a game, an unforgiving monster of a platformer that demands my respect, lest it murder me in my sleep. Its rutheless, but for the most part, fair. There's some great ideas here, and the further on you explore the more abstract and demented the games gets (Scrambled Egg Zone, Crystal Egg Zone). The first boss is hardest, the last world is easiest, the chaos emerald locations are fucking monstrous, there's only ONE FAST SHOES POWERUP in the ENTIRE GAME, and Green Hills Zone is a spike-filled death trap. I adore this mad gem of a game.

They're great, great games.

Spoiler

They were also on a console with one-millionth the power of the 360, and still had working physics.

 

[JimboJones]

If this were a new IP with no previous nostalgic iterations to compare it to, I submit this thread would have considerably less bashing in it.

Maybe, but wasn't the whole point of this game to appeal to the older Sonic players who had played the Genesis/Megadrive games and had been waiting for Sonic 4?

 

[DonMigs85]

Sonic 2 on GG was a nightmare. Even the first octopuss boss took me a while to beat.

 

[andymcc]

Sorry, but Sonic 4 pwns every Sonic Game Gear game easily. Sonic never translated well into 8-Bit with the exception of Sonic Pocket Adventure.

Bridge Zone's music from the Master System Sonic the Hedgehog is better than the entirety of Sonic 4.

 

[DonMigs85]

LOL Guess there were no good 8-Bit Sonic games then.:lol

Well, Tails Adventure was okay. BTW, They recently did an adaption of that game as a comic in Sonic Universe. Made for a very fun story.

I wonder why they never did that back in 1995/1996 when the game was new? :lol

 

[Teknoman]

I wonder why they never did that back in 1995/1996 when the game was new? :lol

I thought they did...unless i'm thinking about sky patrol.

EDIT: Bridge Zone's theme sounds really familiar for some reason, the beginning anyway.

 

[Adam J.]

Forget what I said about this game last night...

Currently stuck on this horrible torch puzzle in one of the temple stages. It's been a while since I've played the old Sonic games, so I don't remember if they used to have tedious puzzles. Who in their right actually thought this would be fun? God this sucks...

 

[Blueblur1]

Just bought this off PSN, and I've completed the first two zones. It's not really a bad game, it just isn't a great game either. The physics are weird, Sonic moves slow as shit before getting his speed up, there's boosters out the ass (and the casino level had some annoying bottomless pits too) and some fucking cheap enemy placement. It definitely feels more like Sonic Advance 4 than a real Sonic the Hedgehog 4, and the level design oozes Dimps all the way. It's not really the game Sega promised us, but overall, it's still a fairly enjoyable romp. 6.5/10 so far.

This.

 

[Teknoman]

Forget what I said about this game last night...

Currently stuck on this horrible torch puzzle in one of the temple stages. It's been a while since I've played the old Sonic games, so I don't remember if they used to have tedious puzzles. Who in their right actually thought this would be fun? God this sucks...

Its really really easy. Just light the first torch so you can see, light the one that makes the short vertical column rise, wait a few seconds and then light the one for the horizontal column.

EDIT: I wonder if Sonic 4 as a whole (All episodes put together should = Sonic 4) will end up being pretty decent. Before Episode 2 hits, they seriously need to sit down Senoue and tell him he doesnt have to force the old school feel. Or at least just let him compose using the same sound capabilities of the Sega CD/Genesis.

 

[NTom64]

Sonic 1 (Master System / Game Gear) is a brilliant platformer. Some bits feel like an interesting, genuinely-distinct remix of the Mega Drive original, and the new levels work for the most-part really well. Its also got a much much better endgame that its 16-bit counterpart. Sky Base Zone (and its intense music) and the realisation of the final boss are bloody brilliant.

To add to this, I loved that you had to explore the levels to get the Chaos Emeralds.

Sure the sequel also had the exploration aspect, but as the 8-bit version of 1 was my first Sonic game it sticks in my mind a lot more.

<3 Bridge Zone.

 

[andymcc]

I thought they did...unless i'm thinking about sky patrol.

EDIT: Bridge Zone's theme sounds really familiar for some reason, the beginning anyway.

Windy Valley from Sonic Adventure.

 

[Teknoman]

Windy Valley from Sonic Adventure.

I need to go back and play Sonic 1 GG then. Only one i've never played out of the main Sonic GG games.

 

[andymcc]

I need to go back and play Sonic 1 GG then. Only one i've never played out of the main Sonic GG games.

all of the music is done by yuzo koshiro. it's really the BEST reason to play it.

 

[RobbieNick]

I wonder why they never did that back in 1995/1996 when the game was new? :lol

They probably never got around to it. Ian Flynn is a huge Sonic fan and a great kids comic writer. He mainly did it for the fans.

 

[dark10x]

What. IMO the Game Gear games are way better than Sonic 4.

Have you played these recently? They don't hold up at all. The controls suck, the level designs are super limited by the GG hardware, there is a ridiculous amount of slowdown in all of them apart from Sonic 1. Sonic Chaos run in slow motion at least 50% of the time.

I seriously can't see how anyone could find those superior to Sonic 4.

They were also on a console with one-millionth the power of the 360, and still had working physics.

Really? You really think those were "working physics"?

I enjoyed these too as a kid, but they do not hold up at all.

 

[NTom64]

Windy Valley from Sonic Adventure.

This seems to fit more IMO.

Also, it's the opening sting of Tails' theme in Adventure.

 

[riceandbeans]

Forget what I said about this game last night...

Currently stuck on this horrible torch puzzle in one of the temple stages. It's been a while since I've played the old Sonic games, so I don't remember if they used to have tedious puzzles. Who in their right actually thought this would be fun? God this sucks...

You could count Carnival Night Zone :lol I went through about 8 lives before I finally got it. Would've taken a full blown mine cart level over that crap. One of the problems that you couldn't see which torch was opening up what because it was too high, then you had to wait for them to turn off when you made a mistake. When you get the order and timing nailed though, it becomes easier.

 

[andymcc]

This seems to fit more IMO.

Also, it's the opening sting of Tails' theme in Adventure.

bridge zone is significantly older than that song, isn't it? :lol

 

[Peff]

I thought they did...unless i'm thinking about sky patrol.

EDIT: Bridge Zone's theme sounds really familiar for some reason, the beginning anyway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MROVvcmSyeI#t=1m23s

Beaten! But I bet nobody knows about this other one!

 

[Windom Earle]

Best OT title of the year, but the game does not seem to hold up that well... I agree with most of the complaints here.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

Have you played these recently? They don't hold up at all. The controls suck, the level designs are super limited by the GG hardware, there is a ridiculous amount of slowdown in all of them apart from Sonic 1. Sonic Chaos run in slow motion at least 50% of the time.

I seriously can't see how anyone could find those superior to Sonic 4.

I played Sonic 1 GG a few months ago. Still as good as ever, and a better Sonic game than Sonic 4. Hell, despite my dislike for Sonic CD, I'd probably consider that one to be better than Sonic 4 too.

 

[Roxas]

Oh by the way, if you are jumping over a bottomless pit, do not press Pause, then come back and unpause. Instead of continuing the trajectory that you were on, you just go straight dowwwwwwwwwn :lol

 

[NTom64]

bridge zone is significantly older than that song, isn't it? :lol

Reverse rip-off, then lol.

Still, the proper answer is probably just Tails' theme from Adventure.




As for 4:Episode 1 itself, I'll be picking up the full version on Saturday. Even though I didn't really care for it to begin with, I went through Splash Hill again without using the homing attack and the experience proved to be immensely more fun.

The controls were still stiff and the physics were really iffy at times, but bopping the Bubble badniks (and indeed, pretty much every other destructible enemy/object) instead of using the homing attack on them was satisfying as hell.

 

[dark10x]

I played Sonic 1 GG a few months ago. Still as good as ever, and a better Sonic game than Sonic 4.

I don't even know how to respond to that, but hey, to each his own.

Level design was dead simple as well. You want push right to win gameplay? Here ya go...

http://www.soniccenter.org/maps/s1ggz11.png
http://www.soniccenter.org/maps/s1ggz21.png

This one barely looks like a Sonic map. It's a bunch of cubes scattered about.
http://www.soniccenter.org/maps/s1ggz31.png

 

[Anth0ny]

Its really really easy. Just light the first torch so you can see, light the one that makes the short vertical column rise, wait a few seconds and then light the one for the horizontal column.

I don't know about you, but when I did that, I had to avoid lighting the first two torches because if I lit them, one of the fucking necessary columns would retract. And the amount of space between Sonic's torch and the torch on the wall is like, 1 fucking pixel when I try and jump through them (or at least it felt like that).

Took me about 20 minutes to get past that shit. Stupid.

 

[SuperBonk]

Man, the physics are really killing this game. There seems to be no momentum at all.

I've only played the demo, but the homing attack doesn't really add anything either. Level design seems pretty good though.

 

[Plasma]

Final level is infuriating.

Just so many things wrong with this game that I'm sure Dimps could have fixed without breaking the levels.

 

[Like the hat?]

played the demo, it's pretty fun! thinking of picking it up but $15 is kinda steep for me for an "episode 1"

 

[Teknoman]

all of the music is done by yuzo koshiro. it's really the BEST reason to play it.

Learning all sorts of things about Yuzo this week. Recently just found out he didnt compose the majority of Shinobi III's soundtrack, and now this?

Thats probably who they should've contacted for an old school style soundtrack. His stuff in Etrian Odyssey sounds like something you'd hear in a high quality genesis RPG.

 

[bryehn]

Can someone please explain the light puzzle with the timed platforms near (what I think is) the end of Labyrinth Act 2? I always seem to get it wrong and meet and impassible platform.

 

[dark10x]

Game Gear first zone speed run

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guLfABiGeBw

Sonic 4 speed run

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrkeyrU3wSw

Watching both of those back to back, can anyone truly say that the Game Gear version looks like a better game?

 

[Combichristoffersen]

Game Gear first zone speed run

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guLfABiGeBw

Sonic 4 speed run

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrkeyrU3wSw

Watching both of those back to back, can anyone truly say that the Game Gear version looks like a better game?

One has good physics, simple yet effective level design, good music and a good Sonic sprite.

The other one is a Dimps game.

 

[dark10x]

One has good physics, simple yet effective level design, good music and a good Sonic sprite.

The other one is a Dimps game.

I'm completely baffled by your opinion, I have to admit.

The Game Gear version definitely does not use physics like the Genesis games. Not even close. Sonic has a very slow top speed that he reaches very quickly and things like rolling feel almost canned the way they happen. It never felt anything like Sonic.

 

[Mama Robotnik]

Game Gear first zone speed run

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guLfABiGeBw

Love the momentum and balanced physics. Sonic's movements are not eratic, clumsy or broken. Now to post a video from the game's more complex platformy levels.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlB_lHSJrQk&t=0m10s

 

[RobbieNick]

Destructiod review is in.

8.0

http://www.destructoid.com/review-sonic-the-hedgehog-4-episode-1--4

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is not the big bang of a return that Sonic could have enjoyed, but it is nonetheless a pleasant enough comeback and it shows that there's plenty of life in the hedgehog yet. It's very sad that the game is let down by those few rough moments, but ultimately this is a great bit of fun that only becomes more rewarding each time you go back to it. Sonic the Hedgehog has finally had his legendary "return to form."

Oh, and the "physics" are absolutely fine, you whiny bastards.

Just to let you know, I do not write for Desructiod.:lol

 

[Pietepiet]

The other one is a Dimps game.

What the hell is up with the Dimps hate by everyone? Am I really the only one that thought Dimps made some of the most fun Sonic games?

I wanted to try Sonic 4, but Sega decided that European PSN players once again are not allowed one of their demos. They pulled this same shit with the Phantasy Star Portable 2 demo, and it's starting to piss me off.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

I'm completely baffled by your opinion, I have to admit.

The Game Gear version definitely does not use physics like the Genesis games. Not even close. Sonic has a very slow top speed that he reaches very quickly and things like rolling feel almost canned the way they happen. It never felt anything like Sonic.

I was sort of joking though :lol: Sonic 4 isn't a bad game by any means, but I definitely prefer the old Sonic games over this new one, as Sonic 4 is closer to the Sonic Advance games than something like Sonic 2 (and I've never been much of a fan of the Advance series).

 

[dark10x]

Love the momentum and balanced physics. Sonic's movements are not eratic, clumsy or broken. Now to post a video from the game's more complex platformy levels.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlB_lHSJrQk&t=0m10s

Honestly, I think you have such good memories of this stuff that you believe it to look better than it does.

I was sort of joking though : Sonic 4 isn't a bad game by any means, but I definitely prefer the old Sonic games over this new one, as Sonic 4 is closer to the Sonic Advance games than something like Sonic 2 (and I've never been much of a fan of the Advance series).

I prefer the older games as well, but not the Gear Gear games.