Sonic 4 Episode 2 Reviews

[SuperLink]

I thought the Sonic Advance games were really pretty, especially the spritework.

Idk I miss ye Dimpse of olde.

[Sami]

I thought the Sonic Advance games were really pretty, especially the spritework.

Idk I miss ye Dimpse of olde.

While I do agree with the latter statement, I can't agree with the first. I hated the art style of the Advance games. There was just... I dunno. Something about it just put me off. Though the official art was fan-freaking-tastic so it's all good.

It's funny; I actually really love Sonic Rush (definitely more than the Advance games, which I didn't really enjoy) because it actually tried to do something new and interesting, creating a style for itself and setting it apart from other Sonic games in the process. Oh, and the music was fucking BODACIOUS

AWESOME.

Looking at Rush Adventure and the Modern half of Generations 3DS, I really don't think they could do the original Sonic Rush justice.

Edited May 18, 2012 by Dissident

[SuperLink]

While I do agree with the latter statement, I can't agree with the first. I hated the art style of the Advance games. There was just... I dunno. Something about it just put me off. Though the official art was fan-freaking-tastic so it's all good.

I just really liked how fluid and well-animated the sprites were, some of the animations were derpy i.e. Sonic's running in the first game but a lot of it looked really cool.

And they made Amy look really cute all the time gosh.

[Ekaje]

I thought Dimps quality was inconsistent from the beginning. Advance was alright but sort of boring and unexciting to me, Advance 2 was more fun but had worse special stages, and 3 was just terrible thanks to the level design. Then I really liked Rush, and thought Rush Adventure improved in most areas except music and padding. Then they made a bunch of lesser versions of main games which have ranged from mediocre (Colors DS) to terrible (Unwiished), and Sonic 4 which most people find okay at best and garbage at worst.

[speedfreak]

I thought Dimps quality was inconsistent from the beginning. Advance was alright but sort of boring and unexciting to me, Advance 2 was more fun but had worse special stages, and 3 was just terrible thanks to the level design. Then I really liked Rush, and thought Rush Adventure improved in most areas except music and padding. Then they made a bunch of lesser versions of main games which have ranged from mediocre (Colors DS) to terrible (Unwiished), and Sonic 4 which most people find okay at best and garbage at worst.

Wow, this is exactly how I feel. Word for word.

[SenEDDtor Missile]

I thought Dimps quality was inconsistent from the beginning. Advance was alright but sort of boring and unexciting to me, Advance 2 was more fun but had worse special stages, and 3 was just terrible thanks to the level design. Then I really liked Rush, and thought Rush Adventure improved in most areas except music and padding. Then they made a bunch of lesser versions of main games which have ranged from mediocre (Colors DS) to terrible (Unwiished), and Sonic 4 which most people find okay at best and garbage at worst.

It looks like DIMPS is hitting the same period that Sonic Team had during the early to mid 2000s. A rollercoaster is oncoming mesa tinks.

[Sega DogTagz]

Then they made a bunch of lesser versions of main games which have ranged from mediocre (Colors DS) to terrible (Unwiished),

Didn't Dimps only do half of UnWiileashed? Sonic Team is just as, if not more guilty for that abomination.

Edited May 19, 2012 by Sega DogTagz

[Dummy Bear]

Didn't Dimps only do half of UnWiileashed? Sonic Team is just as, if not more guilty for that abomination.

I'm not sure but I think Sonic Team only did the Werehog side of things in that game. Dimps was in charge of the Sonic stages.

[Blue Blood]

Didn't Dimps only do half of UnWiileashed? Sonic Team is just as, if not more guilty for that abomination.

So I decided to actually look this up instead of just rely on that one quote from an issue on ONM back in '08.

Unleashed Wii Credits-

Lead Day Time Level Designer (Dimps): Masaaki Yamagiwa

Day Time Level Designers: Masami Kikuchi, Shouhei Shimokawa, Masanosuke Shimizu, Yuka Kobayashi

Lead Night Time Level Designer: Minoru Yamazaki

Night Time Level Designers: Tatsuro Tsumori, Yoshihito Okuno, Kentarou Kiyono, Kyouko Kataoka, Atsushi Kanno, Emiko Sunaga

Masami Kikuchi has two credits in relation to Sonic. The aforementioned role as a day time stage designer in Unleashed, and the Japanese voice of Sonic in the OVA. Bloody random, right? Or it's some guy with the same name. Still weird though. EDIT: Nepenthe says he's professional VA, and right she is. Must just be a name coincidence then.

It would appear only one member of Dimps took part, and that was Masaaki Yamagiwa as lead day time level designer. Yamigawa had no part in Sonic 4, but he was one of the planners for Rush three years earlier. And just one year earlier in Rush Adventure, Yamigawa took on the role of Planning Director. He had the same role as planner in all three Advance titles as well. As far as I can tell, Unleashed Wii was the last Sonic game he worked on. He's not listed in Generations 3DS or any of the S4 credits (haven't checked Colours DS cause I can't find the credits readily online in text form).

None of the other "Day Time Level Designers" in Unleashed Wii were part of Dimps. I've just been and checked. So basically it was just the one guy, and he's not even working on Sonic anymore. I wonder if Sonic Team brought him in because of the massive success of the Rush games, and that the day time stages were blatantly designed to be like them.

... wow. When you actually look into the credits, things can be quite interesting!

Edited May 19, 2012 by Blue Blood

[SuperLink]

If he was the planner for the Rush and Advance games maybe he actually knew what he was doing to some extent-

I mean the Advance games irked me in ways I can't quite put my finger on especially the first, but they were still much more classic Sonic than Sonic 4 was ever going to be.

[Barry the Nomad]

... wow. When you actually look into the credits, things can be quite interesting!

Yeah, it makes things not so black and white. Or in this case Sonic Team and Dimps. I think fans forget too that just because it's Dimps does not mean it's the Dimps from the Sonic Advance days. Teams change all the time. Makes me wonder who exactly was behind the 2D stages in Generations HD, as those were some of the stronger 2D offerings in the past few years.

[Ekaje]

Then that makes it odd that a few articles about the game said that DIMPS was helping with the Day stages, not just one guy from them.

Quoting sources from WIkipedia:

^ Halverson, Dave (May 2008). "Sonic the Hedgehog Unleashed". Play Magazine(Imagine Publishing): 20. "Sonic Team is managing the Wii development, but the coding and some of the design is being handled by some of our external partners in Japan. Fans of Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure will be pleased to hear that Dimps is involved in designing the Wii stages!"^

^{a b} Casamassina, Matt (2008-05-15). "Eyes-on Sonic Unleashed". Retrieved 2008-06-25. "[...]software house Dimps is providing backup support with daytime level designs for the Wii and PS2 versions.

Or I guess the "involvement" and "backup support" just ended up with one guy helping with the Day level designs.

Edited May 19, 2012 by Ekaje

[Blue Blood]

The point still stands. Dimps provided support in the form of one veteran developer. He was representing them. But this is about E2 reviews. We should probably get back on topic. Sorry to have dragged it off.

[herbhen]

Just finished the game completely before. Expectations wise, i only expected that the game would be better than Episode 1! It delivered on this, but barely, only being marginally better.

The best way to describe it is 'Underwhelming', for everything the game gets right, it does something wrong. Asthetically the game nails it, with really good lighting effects, nice backgrounds, environments and models. it looks miles ahead of Episode 1 (no pun intended). Dimps have also done some slight tweaking on the physics in this episode not that it is showcased very well due to the over-saturation of springs and boosters.

I Like how they tried to introduce new concepts and ideas in to this episode instead of just re-hashing level elements and themes entirely, sure elements and themes are borrowed from sonic 2 and 3 and sky fortress zone is essentially sky chase/wing fortress ripped straight out of sonic 2, but in the games defence White Park Zone borrowed very little from past sonic levels, in particular act 2 was probably the highlight of the game. I also really enjoyed the final boss as it presented a nice challenge and was pretty original.

Im glad they also implemented Tails in to this episode however i think its poorly executed, i actually like the idea of the tag moves but they are rather slow and clunky, and it would have been nice to have had the option to play as tails in single player. Level design i thought for the most part was ok, though there are a few too many frurstrating and tedious moments involving bottomless pits, but besides that i think some of the platforming elements were pretty fun. I think the biggest dissapointment was the boss fights, with exception to White park zones metal sonic fight and the final boss, i think the bosses are really dull and boring, again some nice concepts presented and with a little more fleshing out they could have been really fun, but as they are they are mostly lacking.

I have to be honest and say whilst the music is by no means the best, i really dont see why so many people are complaining about it, i honestly didnt have any real issue with it, i thought there were some really catchy themes here such as white park act 2 and metal sonics theme, i thought the sound track was enjoyable for the most part.

overall its ok, but only ok, looks great, some nice ideas and concepts but sadly they arent fully realised, and due to this the overall experience falls short, il give it a 7/10.

Edited May 19, 2012 by herbhen

[crush40rocks]

Here's my personal review, and I'll keep it short and sweet:

THE NEGATIVE: Rolling is still sluggish, underwhelming spindash, poor assortment of instruments drag down otherwise (potentially) catchy tunes

THE DECENT: Level design serves up a variety of things to keep things fresh among the different stages. While the level design gets the job done, the layout is still neither as elaborate as, nor on par with, that of some of the stages from this game's Genesis predecessors.

THE POSITIVE: Dimps seems to be catching on in regards to momentum-based physics. Rolling downhill, while still pretty sluggish, does speed up on downhill slopes, unlike in Episode 1.The game has a pretty decent flow/pace, also improved from Episode 1. Tails is no longer an irritant, but instead, his inclusion actually makes this game a lot of fun! The big team attack power up was a real pleasant surprise as well.

SUMMARY: I was one of the biggest haters of Episode 1 there are, but in my humble opinion, this one, while some changes are large and others are small, is leagues above the previous installment. While Episode 1 felt more like a chore for me, Episode 2 had me wanting to go back for more every time I had to put the controller down. I also really enjoyed some of the little additions, such as how the speed of the spin when jumping picks up the longer Sonic is in the air. It felt pretty cool. I am an advocate for an Episode 3, most definitely! I would be very interested in seeing what new things they could add to spruce up another episode.

Edited May 19, 2012 by crush40rocks

[Indigo Rush]

The big one... IGN Review.

6.5/10

When it was first announced to be in development back in 2009, the promise of SEGA's "Project Needlemouse" seemed incredible – it's no wonder fans of the Sonic franchise got their hopes up so high. Episode I then came along and, for many, failed to deliver on that potential. Episode II is a better game than that one was when it comes to the fans' key criticisms, but yet this second – and final – installment of Sonic the Hedgehog 4 still seems bland. Buy it and enjoy it as much as you can if you're a longtime Sonic follower. Just don't get your hopes up too high again. Sonic the Hedgehog 4, once more, has not been the true second coming of your hero.

Edited May 19, 2012 by Indigo Rush

[sonfan1984]

I guess once critics got over the shock and hype of it being "OMG SONIC 4" they start to notice the game flaws a lot more.

Edited May 19, 2012 by sonfan1984

[ArtFenix]

I guess once critics got over the shock and hype of it being "OMG SONIC 4" they start to notice the game flaws a lot more.

It's SEGA's fault giving the game the title Sonic 4 in the first place, so I can't imagine reviwers not hyping the next episode (if there will be one). SEGA must have realized what they were getting themselves involved in.

[OlenJimi]

Sonic 4 would have been cool in the 90's. I'm not sure why so many people hyped up so much, especially considering Sonics reputation then.

Ouch.

Why the "ouch"? What he basically said was that there was some innovation, but ultimately the levels fall flat.

[TheOcelot]

Just found a glitch in Ep2, in DE mkii Act 1: When I was racing Metal Sonic I beat him and got to the end of the level first. It was easy as I was Super Sonic, but Metal Sonic never showed up-to be destroyed by the electric wall. So Sonic and Tails just stood there waiting for Metal Sonic, but he never arrived.

- I guess MS was jealous of Super Sonic. He must have thought 'whats the point if I can't win'.

Sonic 4 would have been cool in the 90's. I'm not sure why so many people hyped up so much, especially considering Sonics reputation then.

Why the "ouch"? What he basically said was that there was some innovation, but ultimately the levels fall flat.

If Sonic 4 had been made in the 90's or 2010 using the S3&K level design it could have been SENSATIONAL!!!!!

If Sonic 4 had been made in the 90's with the level design it has now it WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN AS POPULAR as the other mega drive/genesis games.

Edited May 19, 2012 by MilesKnightwing

[SuperLink]

Didn't Sonic 4 kinda become Knuckles Chaotix? Which was ok.

Unless Sonic Crackers would have been... better than Knuckles Chaotix.

[TunDiam!]

Theres one boss that puts me off and i serious dont wanna do on either PC, PS3 or iOS >.< that metal sonic boss in the sky (Sky fortress) i should of finished by thursday tbf

[Blue Blood]

A 6.5 by IGN? Yesterday they were uploading a bunch of videos to go with their then upcoming written review so I was expecting positive. Kinda surprised it only mustered a 6.5.

[SuperLink]

A 6.5 by IGN? Yesterday they were uploading a bunch of videos to go with their then upcoming written review so I was expecting positive. Kinda surprised it only mustered a 6.5.

6.5 is positive, not hugely, and it is a big game so I guess they wanted it to garner attention.

I hope it was at least better written than their terrible Unleashed review.

[Eternal EX]

So I've had a chance to get ahold of this game and I have to say......I don't feel this change in physics. They still feel eh compared to lets say generations. I mean yeah he does speed up a little while in ball mode but that's it. Still to S4E1 ish. I hate how forced the Co-op thing is. I mean I can't run a full stage w/o calling on Tails. Bad decision SEGA. And the actually multiplayer (local) felt kinda like Rayman origins. But somehow it kinda worked for this game. The special stages are a nice throw back but that final boss can suck the longest dirtiest dick. I mean it's good for eggy but a major bitch for me.

And SEGA!!!!!! I didn't get my achievement for beating Metal sonic in Sky fortress act 1. THE FUCK PEOPLE!?

I agree with Destructoid and IGN's review. It's missing something. Something the classics and Generations had that S4 doesn't. LESS DIMPS!

6.5 is positive, not hugely, and it is a big game so I guess they wanted it to garner attention.

I hope it was at least better written than their terrible Unleashed review.

I was a decently written review. I agreed with the whole thing.

Edited May 19, 2012 by Eternal X