Buy S4:E2 Four times, get a signed poster, buy it twice to get mentioned in a video! A video! A real video! A video by Sega about Sonic 4!

[Djawed]

I never thought they would stoop so low... again

[Milo]

....I'll just leave this person's response to this here.

This thing is gross and should have been buried after the first attempt, it hammers in the fact that Sonic 4 is marketing first and a game second. They want you to buy the game not because it is a good game but because they say it’s “Sonic 4 as you truly imagined it blah blah blah” and because you can get awarded by a bunch of community managers.

This stuff never happened with Generations and Colors, Generations and Colors were wonderful game that stood on their own without relying on these cheap PR gimmicks. Sonic 4′s marketing is a case study on making people cynical towards your product in a very unique way, their marketing only works as intended on children, those that lack critical thinking skills and for lack of a better word the indoctrinated (they also call themselves “true fans”)

“Do not focus on anyone but your customers. Your reputation will follow you forever so always be fair to your customers, and certainly one thing you need to always remember is that your customers are not going to be fooled. Some people think they can get away with something and just hope people won’t see through the bullshit. The internet is way smarter than any of us.”-Gabe Newell

Edited May 16, 2012 by Madame Amano

[Diogenes]

For all the complaints I have about Generations and Colors, yeah, those are games they actually had some confidence in, and put real effort into, and they didn't try to trick people into buying (at least, no more than ordinary advertising is a trick). Between this poster thing and the crappy demo, this whole situation reeks of desperation and deceit. This is a game they know can't be sold on its own merits.

[Marcello]

I know I joked about them doing this a while back, but I didn't actually expect them to do it again.

[OlenJimi]

Okay. That's cool. I don't see why this would hurt anyone.

[JezMM]

God I bought Sonic Unleashed on all four consoles, and the shitty mobile version, and they were retail games.

Where's my fucking werehog poster. >8C

[Barry the Nomad]

I'm not going to give them shit for this. It's just a marketing gimmick for those who really want to go crazy and own all four versions. Or, like some have mentioned, they actually are going to own all four anyway. Example: a dude has XBLA and iPhone, girlfriend has PSN and little brother has PC. Submit all four under one name and winner winner chicken dinner, you get a poster!

It's not as though SoA are withholding game features or are giving away a 20th anniversary statue. So nobody is hurt if they don't go along with it. At most, you miss out on a mini poster which is a nice gift I'd think for those who buy four versions.

So yeah, chill out, it's just marketing folks doing marketing gimmicks. It's not the end of the world.

[Salamander]

I agree. It's a reward, not an incentive. There is a distinction.

[Cola]

I agree. It's a reward, not an incentive. There is a distinction.

A silly reward, but a reward nonetheless.

I like to think of it as being a bit of a rare reward.

Why? No one wants to buy 4 copies of the same game! And if you submit multiple copies under one name...

Yep.

[Jango]

Well, sure I'll buy 4 copies. If SEGA pay me 45 dollars for that.

Edited May 16, 2012 by Jango

[Big Boss (legendsneverdie)]

No. Sonic 4 Episode 2 costs twenty dollars where I live. There is no way In hell that I'd pay 80 bucks just to get a signed poster on my wall.

[Dwapook]

I understand if they want to have small events with their community to celebrate/advertise a game, but they are taking the wrong approach. (Especially when this game is sold digitally.)

They should reward customers gifting the game to friends rather than buying multiple versions of it for themselves. Considering not only dose it ensure more players get to play it and tell their friends and relatives what they think about it. It encourages and practically ensures they will try the coop feature with their friend/s who got it, and might result in further sales caused by his friend telling their friends about the time they had together playing it etc.

Actually they decidied to include gifting copies as going towards the promotion.. I was already planning on getting two versions, gonna consider gifting two more..

Edited May 20, 2012 by Dwapook

[Semi-colon e]

This saddens me. Not because I hate Sonic 4 (only Episode 1 is terrible to me, I actually quite like Episode 2), or even that because this game doesn't deserve to be called Sonic 4 (because it's just a name anyway), but because of the above post about it being marketing more than actually trusting the game. This is what their Sonic game means to them. That's bullshit. Episode 2 almost felt like a labour of love, at the very least much more so than Episode 1 which is clearly just cash-in tripe (not that Episode 2 is stellar or anything, don't misinterpret that).

The more I think about this game, how expensive both episodes are, how mediocre they are, how short they are, how the red rings in Episode 2 do jack shit aside from an out of game achievement, the more it saddens me, even though I like Episode 2. It's more about marketing than making a good game, sadly.

Edited May 20, 2012 by Semi-colon e

[MegaMan_EXE]

I'm good. Thanks for asking though.

I have the PS3 version, and I'm putting it to good use.

[Alice Twilight]

So did anyone actually do this?

[Barry the Nomad]

I have the iOS and 360 versions, so I went for it. Just to hear Ken say my name.

[sonfan1984]

I'm good with one copy. It's not worth buying this game 4 times just for a poster and for them to say your name in a video.

[Old dead account]

I bought the iOS version, regretted it. buying another version was not worth it. If it was generations though, I would have gladly bought all 4 versions.

[Badnik Mechanic]

Well if you want more chances to buy Sonic 4... you can now get the game on your android device or Tegra.

Only according to some of the reviews in the Tegra version, the game doesn't work... yeah this is the same machine which Sega are giving away as a competition prize too.

[Missing Controller]

Wouldn't Sega of America have to sign every poster for the people who bought the game four times? At some point they'll probably be swamped and give up. Are you sure that would work though?

[Ichigo75XBL]

While it sounds nice, I already have a signed unused story board from Steven Butler on the Sonic X comic, so I think I'll pass!

[Badnik Mechanic]

Actually, did anyone do this? If so, any chance we can see your prize?

[MegaMan_EXE]

I'll just say this...

Fuck that.

Yeah. I like 4 Episode 2, but why would I want to own it on several systems. Okay, I do see a good idea out of this. Like, you can have Episode 2 for the PS3, and the iPhone, or any other portable phone. Why would I want to own it on 2 HD consoles?

[TheOcelot]

I have Ep2 on PSN and Steam. That's more than enough.

[Law]

I'll just say this...

Fuck that.

Yeah. I like 4 Episode 2, but why would I want to own it on several systems. Okay, I do see a good idea out of this. Like, you can have Episode 2 for the PS3, and the iPhone, or any other portable phone. Why would I want to own it on 2 HD consoles?

To have your name mentioned on a video that no one will care about~