Leaked Gameplay Footage of Sonic 4!

[Barry the Nomad]

For those who are calling this Sonic Rush 3, keep this in mind, posted by Sega on the SoA blog:

Speed is something that is not given; but rather earned through dedication. Speed is not found by simply pushing a boost button, but by building momentum. It is the reward for skill in the face of difficult challenges – this kind of speed is the most exhilarating, not only because it is fast, but because of the pure perfection such speed exemplifies. This is the truth of the original Sonic games – and this is the truth of Project Needlemouse.

[Marcello]

Too bad, with the levels. It would've been cool if they had used the Sonic 2 scrapped levels like, Dust Hill, Cyber City(ok Metropolis is in...), Winter-,Rock-,Wood Zone and a Hidden Palace type zones. That would've been awesome. But, maybe for Episode 2, eh? A couple of them were finished with the designs, right? I know them mainly from name and pics..

But, we don't know if these are all of the levels. They could be just the ones the player has already completed .

The special stages annoy me. Why take the worst ones, instead of making something new and that used the new technology?OR atleast take Sonic 2's or 3's. They were so much more fun.. .

The title screen looks pretty cheaply done, lol.

To me the game looks more like Advance than Rush. He walks the first steps exactly the same ^^. The funny thing is last night, when I was playing Advance, I was thinking that Dimps could probably make this game good, than I get on today and find out they are making it xD. It looks pretty fun. I'm getting really excited .

Oh, an am I the only one who thinks the HUD should be moved more to the corners? Nothing dramatic, but still...

[Eternlo]

To all of you who are complaining about it being sonic rush 3...

First of all the whole hill standing thing can be done in the genesis games too, i did it last night after seeing the video. The only reason i see that could make it sonic rush 3 is that its a 3d character on a 2d plane.

Second why just complain about sonic rush physics? They are pretty much just 3d sonic advance physics which are just genesis physics just altered a bit.

Now on to the video

It looks like they may have added both figure 8 run and wheel run, at least i thought i saw something like the figure 8 run. I kinda dont like sonics cell shading thogh it makes him look to shinny, but if thats how it's gonna look, ill be fine with it.

My question is will they have super sonic in normal levels? All i can say is they better, im getting tierd of that being absent from the games, and then finding out they were trying to put it in but didnt.

But i cant wait to see more.

[Marcello]

Is it just me or does the font for Zone look the same? oO

[Blue Blood]

No- look a the 'E's. Specifically the middle line.

[Conando]

I still insist that he was using the Homing Attack over and over.

I agree with Soldier here. You even see some sort of effect for the homing attack over and over during that part of the video leak(stars shooting out when he collides with the wall).

Anyway, this is pretty impressive for an Alpha or Beta build. We need to remember that games like Sonic 2 were virtually unplayable only a few months before release.

Edited February 17, 2010 by Lucas

[Barry the Nomad]

No- look a the 'E's. Specifically the middle line.

whatthefont.com points to the font QType Pro-Square Black, though it looks like Sega modified the S's.

[Indigo Rush]

From what I've seen so far, I have to admit I'm very pleased to see such crisp and vibrant visuals. Of course the physics could use some tuning up, the latter half of that leak screams "Sonic Rush," and since we're not going to be boosting at all in this game, these mishaps will be much more obvious if not attended to. But as we all know, this is several months before a final release, so we can expect plenty changes before then. Also, four Zones? That really ticks me off. Multiple episodes or not, they shouldn't limit us to only 4 environments.

Speaking of which, I hope I'm not the only one here that's thrilled to see these "level rehashes." Splash Hill Zone is deliciously lush in visuals, with its own floral-heavy twist of course. Seeing Asteron in Mad Gear Zone should be making everyone's mind relapse into frustration from their Metropolis Zone nightmares. I mean that with love of course, I'm hoping for a "middle-finger" level from this game to test my skill. Casino Street Zone has me excited for some "spinball" goodness as well as some gambling fun to be had. Those neon lights are sure to be a visual masterpiece, especially in pre-rendered CG graphics. As for Lost Labyrinth Zone, I'm fully expecting some aquatic shenanigans as well as a puzzle throwback that takes us back into some Hydrocity/Labyrinth Zone exploration and platforming emphasis. Not daring to bar the speed too much, of course. I don't want to go through the same hellish labyrinth... some variety please! And it looks like we'll be getting this out of Sonic 4.

The music, so far, is pretty... meh. I mean, it's not bad by any stretch of the imagination, however when you compare the sounds to that of Unleashed, Heroes and Adventure, I was kind of hoping for a less... "techno-y" take on things. I'm not going to go against the melody, I love it! I'm just saying that I was hoping for more "genre-like" tracks, if that makes any sense. For example... I expected Splash Hill Zone to sound a little more like Seaside Hill in terms of instrumentation and ambience.

Use of the classic sound effects are wonderful. Not much more to say about that.

And of course the SEGA logo with Sonic's wheel-o-feet is a real nostalgic kiss on the cheek. It made my day. Also, looking at the Special Stage, it looks like we're getting a throwback to Sonic 1's Special Stage as well as Sonic & Knuckles' "gambling" Bonus Stage. Not a bad thing to go back to, I think. We've seen plenty of half-pipes in recent years, so it's good to see the rotating maze return.

At any rate, I still would like to see more clear footage and a more updated build. Those physics are really the only damper to my happy parade. I'll give Dimps the benefit of the doubt and expect them to fix it up. The physics could really ruin this for all of us.

I'll remain optimistic about this. Cautiously, of course, but optimistic nonetheless.

[Conando]

Think about it this way, Indigo dude. 3 normal acts per zone means 12 normal acts per episode plus the 4 bosses meaning 16 Acts total. That's not much shorter than and old Sonic game. Still, the 4 Zones will MAKE people think it's short.

Edited February 17, 2010 by Lucas

[Marcello]

Well, each Zone has three acts, so its 12 levels + 4 Boss Battles + Final Stage/Boss, Then theres more Episodes of course, and anyhow we don't know if these are the only Zones in this game..

The things that are annoying me are the special stages and that the boss battles are their own stages, instead of them being at the end of a level >_>. And that this probably means to mini-bosses at the end of each act..

No- look a the 'E's. Specifically the middle line

Yeah, I noticed that after I posted it... But I still think they are quite similiar

Edited February 17, 2010 by MarcelloF

[Rusty Spy]

I've analyzed every part of that clip and it does look pretty solid and not something we've seen from Rush. In Rush, Sonic was very light weight and had little friction. If he stood at the base of a loop or a 90+ degree incline, he walk a little bit up, fall again and be able to continue walking at the same rate up infinitely, this clearly does not happen near the end of this clip, he looks to get stuck on the slope rather than fall a little.

Also the way Sonic accelerates hints that running up a loop in the same fashion as the Rushes, i.e right at the base, he'd simply not fall back down and be unable to run and farther. He accelerates a lot slower than in the Rushes and seems to resemble the classic running physics more than the Rush by a long shot.

People here are WAY too quick to make comparisons to Rush when most of the stuff seen is either misinterpreted, or can easily be explained as it being an Alpha build.

I think you've got it backwards. He's stuck because it's using the Sonic Rush physics

*sigh* Alpha build. The fact that the physics are behaving more like a finished game like Rushes when it's still in development is a GOOD sign that it's very likely we'll see a drastic improvement.

He found a glitch in that you can get stuck in that wall. That speed booster that he jumped over was clearly designed to mask gameplay flaws. By sending you into that spring/loop sequence at top speed, you won't get stuck in the wall.

Again, speed boosters masking for mistakes and getting caught in curves? Oh, hi, Sonic Rush.

*double sigh + facepalm*

Your logic is most.. illogical.

No matter what speed your going at, hitting a spring always sends you at the same height and at the same speed, completely unaffected by your speed when approaching it. The booster had NOTHING to do with how he goes through the loop whatsoever. It's pretty clear seeing as how he gets launched no different when hitting the spring from above than when he was moving.

[Barry the Nomad]

@Shadz, the upper left corner of the screen says "(X BUTTON) TIME ATTACK MODE"

At 47 seconds you can see a homing attack target symbol appear over the badnik. Nice to know that we'll know where we'll be going should we use the attack.

Edited February 17, 2010 by Doctor Eggman

[Indigo Rush]

Think about it this way, Indigo dude. 3 normal acts per zone means 12 normal acts per episode plus the 4 bosses meaning 16 Acts total. That's not much shorter than and old Sonic game. Still, the 4 Zones will MAKE people think it's short.

And Sonic 1 had 6 Zones, with 3 full acts each. That's 18 acts. The boss levels in Sonic 4 will likely be only the boss, with very little "Zone" in them at all, similar to Sonic CD's 3rd Stages.

So it's 12 vs 18. I'm not as upset as others, but the idea that there are only 4 Zones just doesn't rub me the right way. This download had better be cheap, with lots of episodes following, and these Acts had better be big. I'm hoping for some Sonic 3 & Knuckles level of epicness here.

[DaBatGuy]

Also keep in mind that this isn't meant to be the full game, it might not even be half or a third of it. Four zones with 3 S3&K sized acts seems good as long as it's fairly priced and each episode is released in a timely manner.

[Solly]

And Sonic 1 had 6 Zones, with 3 full acts each. That's 18 acts. The boss levels in Sonic 4 will likely be only the boss, with very little "Zone" in them at all, similar to Sonic CD's 3rd Stages.

So it's 12 vs 18. I'm not as upset as others, but the idea that there are only 4 Zones just doesn't rub me the right way. This download had better be cheap, with lots of episodes following, and these Acts had better be big. I'm hoping for some Sonic 3 & Knuckles level of epicness here.

Let's not forget though that the leak which first provided us with Sonic 4's real name AND Splash Hill Zone also made mention of another level; E.G.G Station Zone, which is allegedly the end. I don't know if that's just a Doomsday-esque singled out boss fight or its own set of levels, but I expect more than just what's shown.

Whatever you say, bronik.

no you shut up :[

[HunterTSF]

If I recall correctly, the Splash Hill's Act select screen displayed five rectangles at the top of the screen - with each rectangle appearing to represent a Zone. I really doubt that the fifth box would be used to revisit Special Stages (If I recall correctly, the only game that let you revisit Special Stages without the need to go through a stage was Sonic Advance 3), and instead represents a Zone unlocked by either clearing Mad Gear or collecting all 7 Chaos Emeralds.

E.G.G. Station, anyone?

[Barry the Nomad]

E.G.G. Station makes me think of:

"This is DJ Professor Egg and you're listing to Egg Set Radiooooooo!"

[Matriculated]

E.G.G Station is probably unlocked after you've collected all the Chaos Emeralds.

[Leonard]

Somehow I'm reminded of the Zero Punctuation review of the new Tales of Monkey Island sequel:

"The problem with the later installments is the usual one that occurs when the series has been in cryogenics for a few years; that the developers are almost always fans, who in their eagerness to show "respect" for their beloved franchise rather prefer to lavish it in tongue baths, in place of any significant evolution."

I don't know, maybe our expectations are too high when we say that we don't want just a mere rehash and that we want Sonic 4 to continue their tradition of making one game have significant improvements and new ideas over the other.

But I can't help feeling like Sega's acting like a kid, living in a box, afraid to leave the safety of it's own four walls, in fear of what evil things might lie outside of it.

Sorry, Sega, but until now, I think they have yet to really surprise us with anything really, REALLY noteworthy. :l

Edited February 17, 2010 by Leonard

[eXtaticus]

And Sonic 1 had 6 Zones, with 3 full acts each. That's 18 acts. The boss levels in Sonic 4 will likely be only the boss, with very little "Zone" in them at all, similar to Sonic CD's 3rd Stages.

So it's 12 vs 18.

Sonic 3 only had 12 acts, and it was superior to Sonic 1 in almost every way imaginable.

BLAM!

Edited February 17, 2010 by Extaticus

[Barry the Nomad]

What if, and hear me out, there are more stages than 4 because this is an alpha build?

[Conando]

That's a possibility. Considering this is only for testing purposes, everything surely isn't final.

[Barry the Nomad]

That's what really grinds my gears about this being leaked. I loved seeing the gameplay and can understand what an alpha build is, however I knew that thousands of fans would take the footage as final. "4 zones?? Broken physics?!!?" will be something we'll have to get used to hearing for the next 5 months...

[Ferno]

*At school* Damn, it seems like everytime I don't have a connection for just. one. day, something EPIC like this happens, Geez...*hates dad for turning off the WiFi for no good reason again*

;_;

*Starts scouring topic for info & shizz*

[The-Master-Board]

Somehow I'm reminded of the Zero Punctuation review of the new Tales of Monkey Island sequel:

"The problem with the later installments is the usual one that occurs when the series has been in cryogenics for a few years; that the developers are almost always fans, who in their eagerness to show "respect" for their beloved franchise rather prefer to lavish it in tongue baths, in place of any significant evolution."

I don't know, maybe our expectations are too high when we say that we don't want just a mere rehash and that we want Sonic 4 to continue their tradition of making one game have significant improvements and new ideas over the other.

But I can't help feeling like Sega's acting like a kid, living in a box, afraid to leave the safety of it's own four walls, in fear of what evil things might lie outside of it.

Sorry, Sega, but until now, I think they have yet to really surprise us with anything really, REALLY noteworthy. :l

Hardly.

This is one game for crying out loud! One game that is MEANT to resemble what has come before it.

If anything the Sonic series is the least afraid to venture out of its four walled box, changed gameplay over and over again, fishing stages, treasure hunting stages, shooting and guns, pokemon-esque little thingy raising (chao), car racing genre, fighting game genre, making the game more kiddy and cheesy (Cream etc), making the game more angsty and dark (Shadow), making the game full of drama ('06), stupid storybook tales, super realism (SU), airboard racing, gravity control, werewolves, teaming up with an old enemy (Mario), human/furry relations.....I could go on an on.

Point is Sonic HAS been innovative, has been VERY VERY innovative, it hasn't worked IMO. They are still going to make 3D games, but this is in no way being scared to do something different - this is doing something the same because the fans asked for it.

Edited February 17, 2010 by The-Master-Board