Sonic 4: Episode 1 Impressions, Thoughts, & Help Topic

[Ferno]

Sonic 4 sucks, the physics are terrible. It is the worst thing Sega could've ever conceived. I hate that they even tried to please me. Screw them.

I'm cool now.

[Joshi]

I hear if you make fun of the latest Sonic game, women will throw themselves at you for the next 48 hours.

(If you compliment it men will)

[Dummy Bear]

How far have standards for platformers fallen when a game like this gets such high scores?

So... um... How's the weather up there on that high horse?

I'm all for difference of opinions and all that, but that really reeked of holier-than-thou-ness.

[Machenstein]

Can we just calmly state our criticisms and hope a patch will come through for them? I'm sure a certain Sega representative is probably reading all of this right now.

[Ferno]

Can we just calmly state our criticisms and hope a patch will come through for them? I'm sure a certain Sega representative is probably reading all of this right now.

If they are, they're probably pissing their pants laughing.

Edited October 13, 2010 by Ferno

[Machenstein]

If they are, they're probably pissing their pants laughing.

I'm talking about RubyEclipse.

[Speederino]

I hear if you make fun of the latest Sonic game, women will throw themselves at you for the next 48 hours.

(If you compliment it men will)

Then I guess I'm gay.

Seriously though, can we stop with this shit now, people? This is quite clearly a love it or hate it sort of game as far as the fanbase is concerned...as per usual.

Edited October 13, 2010 by Speederino

[EXshad]

How far have standards for platformers fallen when a game like this gets such high scores?

And how low do you have to sink before you quit being condescending?

Seriously, I was a huge detractor of this game solely because of the physics. And I'll be damned if I didn't have a total blast with the game. So fucking what if Sonic stands on the side of a wall, the game plays very well when it comes down to the wire. And hey, it's great for a laugh. I could still use all the same tricks I used in the classics to get past the levels with ease. Usually that's a good sign that the game is a continuation of the classics. And I adored the pre-rendered graphics, the retrofitted music, and the level motifs and gimmicks (Lost Labyrinth's torch was brilliant), but it's all a matter of opinion.

And yeah, I have my own gripes with the game. And I expect people not to like it, as should everyone else. But really, when the only reason you think it should be marked down is because it doesn't piss solid gold like the Genesis games did, you need to wake up and smell the bullshit. In fact, that's why I think this game completely and utterly destroys Mega Man 9 and 10: because it dares to take a classic formula and update it for modern times, rather than playing it safe and just using the ol' "if it ain't broke don't fix it" mantra. And sure, maybe it didn't succeed in a few areas that the Genesis games did, but at least Dimps/Sonic Team/whoever the fuck made the game had the balls to try something new.

So play the game for what it is and judge it on it's own merits. Then if you don't like it, it's your right to bitch 'til the cows come home. But don't knock on us for actually having a good time with it.

Edited October 13, 2010 by EXshad

[Conando]

I'm talking about RubyEclipse.

<insert repeat of Ferno's post>

Honestly, I can't see this as anything other than hilarious.

Edited October 13, 2010 by Hero Of Fate

[Speederino]

And how low do you have to sink before you quit being condescending?

Seriously, I was a huge detractor of this game solely because of the physics. And I'll be damned if I didn't have a total blast with the game. So fucking what if Sonic stands on the side of a wall, the game plays very well when it comes down to the wire. And hey, it's great for a laugh. I could still use all the same tricks I used in the classics to get past the levels with ease. Usually that's a good sign that the game is a continuation of the classics. And I adored the pre-rendered graphics, the retrofitted music, and the level motifs and gimmicks (Lost Labyrinth's torch was brilliant), but it's all a matter of opinion.

And yeah, I have my own gripes with the game. And I expect people not to like it, as should everyone else. But really, when the only reason you think it should be marked down is because it doesn't piss solid gold like the Genesis games did, you need to wake up and smell the bullshit. In fact, that's why I think this game completely and utterly destroys Mega Man 9 and 10: because it dares to take a classic formula and update it for modern times, rather than playing it safe and just using the ol' "if it ain't broke don't fix it" mantra.

So play the game for what it is and judge it on it's own merits. Then if you don't like it, it's your right to bitch 'til the cows come home. But don't knock on us for actually having a good time with it.

Yeah, I know it's overused. But this is actually the first time I've ever done it.

[Saint Nathan]

(count the times a spring send you towards a HA chain with no warning)

Like three times?

Unless your talking about in general, and not just you running into the Bubbles. Then it's like god knows how many.

I hear if you make fun of the latest Sonic game, women will throw themselves at you for the next 48 hours.

(If you compliment it men will)

SONIC 4 IS GREAT. IT IS THE BEST GAME IN EXISTENCE ALWAYS. IT DOES NOT GET BETTER, IF I WERE TO PLAY ANYTHING ELSE EVER, I WOULD CRY BECAUSE IT IS WORLDS WORSE THAN SONIC 4.

where are my free sex toys i mean men.

[Sean]

Alright, enough of the bullshit everyone. Debate all you like, but don't take his comments so personally.

[BillyMaysHur]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG7kCJt3eBIYou get good stuff more often!

[Dummy Bear]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG7kCJt3eBIYou get good stuff more often!

Not me.

I think I got Robotnik'd 5 times.

[Joshi]

Like three times?

[00:45] <WereJoshi> "(count the times a spring send you towards a HA chain with no warning)" like maybe twice? at the most?

glad i'm not the only one thinkin' that.

Also man eff the slots I got Robotnik like 60% of the time in Act 2

[Tiller]

You guys think we could move discussion of what could be improved upon/mechanic debate into another thread? It seems like that has taken over the "impressions" part of this topic. I have yet to play the "improved" version, but I'll be sure to post my first impressions here.

The iPhone version I got to play seems like they went ahead with the leaked build and decided to throw that odd looping gimmick in. It's way too jerky and totally feels like "tacked on at last second" material. I totally dislike how Sonic moves, just like I didn't with Sonic Rush. The game seems to have the same freaking physics problems as Rush. Observe:

WHERE HAVE I SEEN THAT BEFORE?!?!?

Standing on walls is just the tip of the iceberg.

Edited October 13, 2010 by Tiller

[Phos]

OR, maybe you're just in the minority? I know, shocking. People on the internet, disagreeing with you. What kind of world do we live in?

So... um... How's the weather up there on that high horse?

I'm all for difference of opinions and all that, but that really reeked of holier-than-thou-ness.

I've become frustrated with the way the genre is going, so many platformers nowadays feel like chores for one reason or another. Usually that reason has to do with the massive amount of hand holding that takes place, going down a linear path via fixed length wall runs or magical gravitation.

[Sega DogTagz]

Standing on walls is just the tip of the iceberg.

So.... you can do some screwy things by dicking around? What game can't you do that in?

Well, I just got done with 4, I got all the emeralds and beat out everything there is to beat.

I gotta say I am coming away with it and I am pretty pleased. You really don’t appreciate the spindash until a game like this comes along and throws it back in your face. That right there is enough for me to get a full classic vibe from this title. The physics aren’t perfect but they get the job done (Sonic can get waaaay too much momentum going on those vine swings for example). The “cheap” enemy placement takes me back to S3&K where your sweating bullets at every corner just waiting for a flicker of a badnik so that you can pull into a roll and blow through them. That’s what the classic’s were to me anyway. A weird combination of watching Sonic’s cool running animation, and testing how long you dared to keep the speed up without cowering from unseen badniks.

Speaking of the running animation, I adore it. The little motion blur and the speed lines distorting his body are really a joy to watch, and if your not careful you can really loose track of your control watching him, or enjoying the scenery. I also thought the special stages were pretty neat. It was a good fusion of the original spinning special zone that put an added emphasis on ring collection.

The biggest problem I had with this game was probably Card Road (Casino 2). I liked the level, but it seemed like the card mechanic made it a bit too easy to rack up extra lives. A few replays of that stage and you’ll find yourself at 70 lives in no time. I like the card mechanic, I just kinda wished they toned it back a bit (or give you some kind of negative risk for spamming it).

Still I had lots of fun with this game, and seeing at how it was ¼ the cost of a regular title, I am pretty sure I’ll get my fair share of value out of it. I heard Medal of Honor has a 4 hour campaign so…. Hey this beats that.

Edited October 13, 2010 by Sega DogTagz

[SuperStingray]

Just played through it to the end. Didn't get all the emerowds though. Here's my critique of it.

PHYSICS

Definately better than Dimps' other work- an imrovement over Pocket Adventure, Advance 1 and 3, miles beyond Advance 2 and the Rush games. I could feel the difference in the physics, but at the same time, I didn't care. It's kinda like getting a new car- the feel is different, but even the strongest transitions feel more natural over time. I guess if you're brain has become hardwired to Sonic physics to the same extent it is to real world physics, it might irk you, but frankly, none of them were particualarly strong to me. The only ones that seemed exceptionally noticable were Sonic's ability to shift his weight midair easier and a stronger resistence to slopes. There were probably others, but none of them really got to me.

LEVEL DESIGN

There's a good degree of exploration in the levels, about on par with that of Sonic 1. Splash Hill Zone definately shared most of the idiosyncrocies of the Advance titles, namely the barren level structure and the overuse of springs and boosters. Casino Street Zone was probably my favorite; the slot machines have returned while adding a new card-game like ring gimmick. There was ALOT more platforming here than the previous levels and a lot less boosting. The card bridges were also loads of fun to watch even though you weren't doing anything. Lost Labyrinth Zone was pretty fun as well. The boulder rides were fun but pretty tough when you start jumping. The torch level was tough, but it made exploring much more interesting. Finally, Mad Gear Zone was basically Metropolis Zone with less asshole. It's not gone, but at least Asteron, Slicer and Shellcracker gave you a fair chance to dodge them. Also, the gears still move in a weird frame-by-frame animation. What's with that?

GRAPHICS

Maybe I'm just enjoying finally having an HD TV, but it was just beautiful. Each level was colorful, and the animation was very fluid. Splash Hill Zone was, again, the weakest. While I appreciate the Green Hill Zone clone for the first level, this one didn't really bring anything to the table. The parallax background also looked a bit like it was cut out of paper. And Casino Street wins again in my book with its gorgious, fully 3D city background and extremely colorful, playful foreground. Lost Labyrinth's style seemed to twist together Labyrinth Zone's structure with SA1's Lost World's appearence. Probably why the name fuses the two. Another awesome background. Mad Gear is definately interesting and the flashes of red in the final level when the alarms go off really builds the tension, but as a whole, it's pretty weak. Not because of how it looks, but because there's so much visual noise, it's hard to tell what's a platform and what's foreground. Finally, I still don't get what people have against Sonic's animation. Even if you don't like the green eyes they're barely even visible ingame, the running animation is fine- I don't care what anyone says- and the intro screen is fully animated. Also, the bubble recovery animation is actually my favorite because I like how Sonic seems to put the bubble in his mouth. But it's very strange- maybe it's his angle or size or whatever, but it looks like his death animation is SMILING. Looks like he practices what he preaches if Sonic 06 is an indicator.

SOUND

The sound effects are very true to Sonic and good quality. That's all I can say for them. As for the music, what the hell happened, Jun? It's like a MIDI program and a cat playing bagpipes got into a fight. Fine, so the melody can be catchy at times, particularly Mad Gear Zones 2 and 3 nothing was particularly memorable or stood out. A big disappointment for a series known for its music.

BOSSES

I was pretty disappointed when I found the boss fights were supposed to rehash earlier incarnations, but truth is, they're different ENOUGH. Something new might have been better, at least for the first two fights, but the extra phase really changes things around in the last 3. The Labyrinth chase boss is actually fair this time for one thing, but it adds a REALLY tough part where you actually fight him rather than have him just fly off. The Mad Gear boss, naturally, recycles the Metropolis Zone boss with the decoy Eggmans. He's a bit bigger this time around and then there's a chase scene which feels like the Mushroom Hill boss except he throws stuff at you. Finally, the last fight mimmicks Sonic 2's final boss. Fortunately, you get rings and a homing attack this time, but to even things out, he has about 3 times his original health and his rush mode is fucking HARD. I swear, I only game overed in one place in the whole game and it was here... FIVE TIMES. He's invincible until you knock out his defense and he skips around like a penguin. Oh, and there's a suicide strike. I was disappointed, because I thought him punching the ground into pieces meant there was going to be a freefall phase. Nope, it's more like the Egg Viper's last attack. I also didn't like the mandatory boss rush for E.G.G. Station. I liked it in Sonic Advance 2 since they flowed right into each other and each one was fairly short, but here, you're fighting the exact same bosses over again. Wasn't it enough to just remaster them from the old games?

HOMING ATTACK

This was my biggest reason for skepticism, but I think it was executed very well for all it could offer. For one thing, everything was built with the homing attack in mind, so nothing was particularly diluted by its presence. Eggman often remains out of the HA's reach, but even then, it actually adds a risk-reward element sometimes. For example, in the Mad Gear chase fight, you can choose to facilitate your approach by using the HA at the risk of missing and slowing down or hitting one of Eggman's projectiles, or you could take the traditional, slower route and have a better chance at dodging attacks. It was kinda cheap in the Casino Street fight, though, if you manage to bounce back and forth between the springs and the mech. But beyond that, it was a fairly welcome addition.

SPECIAL STAGES

Basically Sonic 1's but with a time limit and you control the rotation rather than Sonic. In closed areas, it's easy to lose control, but it's just as easy to get it back. Not really much else to say.

OVERALL

Was it worth $15? Well, it's 12 fluid, diverse, moderately long levels, 5 tough, decent to great boss fights, 7 fairly fun bonus stages. In comparison to a common retail title, it gives about a proportionate amount in value. $10 would've been a bit better, but, hey, it's a better $15 than a MW2 map pack. I don't want to blurt out a one-dimensional number to score it, but if I had to rank it next to the other classic Sonic games, I'd put it:

Sonic 3&K >>>>>> Sonic 1 = Sonic 4: E1 > Sonic CD >>> Sonic 2

Edited October 13, 2010 by SuperStingray

[Sega DogTagz]

I don't want to blurt out a one-dimensional number to score it, but if I had to rank it next to the other classic Sonic games, I'd put it:

Sonic 3&K >>>>>> Sonic 1 = Sonic 4: E1 > Sonic CD >>> Sonic 2

Oops. I forget to rank my prefrences.

Sonic 3&K > Sonic CD > Sonic 4 > Sonic 2 > Sonic 3&K

In that exact order.

[Candescence]

And yeah, I have my own gripes with the game. And I expect people not to like it, as should everyone else. But really, when the only reason you think it should be marked down is because it doesn't piss solid gold like the Genesis games did, you need to wake up and smell the bullshit. In fact, that's why I think this game completely and utterly destroys Mega Man 9 and 10: because it dares to take a classic formula and update it for modern times, rather than playing it safe and just using the ol' "if it ain't broke don't fix it" mantra. And sure, maybe it didn't succeed in a few areas that the Genesis games did, but at least Dimps/Sonic Team/whoever the fuck made the game had the balls to try something new.

Edited October 13, 2010 by Masaru Daimon

[speedfreak]

Sonic 3&K > Sonic CD > Sonic 4 > Sonic 2 > Sonic 3&K

[Ferno]

Does not compute!

[Sega DogTagz]

Does not compute!

[Joshi]

It's clearly a Rock-Paper-Scissors sort of deal.