Sonic the Hedgehog 4

[Chooch]

1991.. 1992.. 1994.. 2010 REAL GAMEPLAY HOLY SH-- Trailer over.

[DaBatGuy]

I surprised that so many folks thought this was going to be a retail game. Once they announced that only Sonic was playable I knew this would be as bare bones in terms of content as the genesis games and no one who isn't a sonic fanatic like us would actually pay full price for a 4-5 hour 2D game.

[Agent York]

What if the trailer was for Sonic 2 guys?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT3lha4aZTk

Point being: You guys are judging this game all off of nothing! It looks fine, a few tweaks here and there, but it's still being made.

[Candescence]

If the trailer was for Sonic 2, the level visuals would actually have charm, for starters.

[Barry the Nomad]

Sega is shooting themselves in the foot for not releasing this on a disc!

(checks the sales figures of XBLA's Mega Man 9)

Oh wait, I meant to say that Sonic fans would be idiots not to download Sonic 4.

[Bubonic Bunny]

To be fair, the running style looks MUCH better in the in-game footage. I'm sure the running seen outside the footage was pieced together by the trailer company. Note how the badniks fade away when hit, totally WIP.

Again, chill. July is 6 months away, and for all we know the trailer began production in December 2009.

Yeah I have to agree, the running in the actual game play looks very solid compared to the running seen outside of it.

I am quite happy with how things turned out. I am not at all worried about the game being split up into episodes. Sega couldn't release a full fledged game classic sonic game and expect to ask people to pay full price for it. Now we can still get the same experience but in a more practical manner, it is really all the same so no one should be upset over this. If it weren't for DLC I doubt we would ever be getting this game.

I am still skeptical on some things on their website, mainly the character section. The other blocked out character could easily be anyone, but I am putting my money on tails or an optional classic looking sonic skin. What do you guys think?

Also LOL@motion control game play on the wii, have fun with that.

Edited February 4, 2010 by Bubonic Bunny

[Diogenes]

Point being: You guys are judging this game all off of nothing! It looks fine,

Hey, that's judging. If I can't judge it, neither can you.

[Barry the Nomad]

My guess is that the character section contains Sonic and Eggman, with the other section being the badniks.

[Iceman Etika]

What if the trailer was for Sonic 2 guys?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT3lha4aZTkPoint being: You guys are judging this game all off of nothing! It looks fine, a few tweaks here and there, but it's still being made.

Is it sad to say that the sonic 2 replacing it looked better and more appealing? :/

-Iceman

[Guest]

Eggman

If so, why would they bother locking it? We all know he's in the game, unless it's Fang in disguise or something...

[Djawed]

Is it sad to say that the sonic 2 replacing it looked better and more appealing? :/

-Iceman

Funny isn't it. I thought the same thing. Sonic 2 looks awesome compared to that weird little piece of sonic 4

[Barry the Nomad]

Reposting my youtube mash-up of the footage and the music sample so it's imbedded.

[Guest]

Funny isn't it. I thought the same thing. Sonic 2 looks awesome compared to that weird little piece of sonic 4

Because we know what Sonic 2 looks like already.

[Candescence]

Because we know what Sonic 2 looks like already.

Or perhaps sprites are just better looking and more visually appealing than pre-rendered visuals in a 2D game? Food for thought.

[redmenace]

I can't believe there are people bitching about green eyes and Eggman instead of Robotnik. I get it, visual aspect for the first. That shitty cloud is more aggravating than that and I've seen... what, three people pissed off over it over 10 or more over green eyes? The name? Really? The stupid name? A name that was never in-game to begin with and only in manuals?

Don't understand the sprite thing either. If the game plays like the old days why bother if it's sprite or not. I don't see how it's uglier at all.

http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/6497/datshine.png

How is this ugly?

I can get the bitchfight over the Homing Attack but this is ridiculous.

Edited February 4, 2010 by redmenace

[Guest]

Or perhaps sprites are just better looking and more visually appealing than pre-rendered visuals in a 2D game? Food for thought.

That's just an opinion...

[Barry the Nomad]

Ah, but those aren't pre-rendered. Sonic 4 features fully 3D models. Sonic 3D Blast is pre-rendered.

Again, there is no pleasing this fan base.

[Carbo]

I now await them to announce 16-bit skin as DLC.

[Candescence]

Ah, but those aren't pre-rendered. Sonic 4 features fully 3D models. Sonic 3D Blast is pre-rendered.

Again, there is no pleasing this fan base.

Only Sonic isn't pre-rendered, actually. The level itself, on the other hand...

[Dreadknux]

If the trailer was for Sonic 2, the level visuals would actually have charm, for starters.

I think we'll agree to disagree on that one. That Sonic 4 screenshot looks absolutely stunning.

Does it really matter if the scenery is pre-rendered? Honestly? As long as Sonic doesn't look out of place in the environment, I couldn't give a monkey's toss. It's miles better than the mind-numbingly boring, out-of-place dreck we had for scenery in Sonic 06.

Hey, that's judging. If I can't judge it, neither can you.

"It looks fine" isn't quite the same as "Here we go again, Sega's learnt bugger all, Sonic Rush in HD, he's got green eyes, mumble mumble..."

Perhaps that wasn't the word he should have used. Perhaps the word should have been 'unreasonable'.

Funny isn't it. I thought the same thing. Sonic 2 looks awesome compared to that weird little piece of sonic 4

Retrospective and nostalgia can truly be a curse.

You know, back in 1992 Sonic 2 came under the exact same kind of fire as this game, as it happens. GamesMaster magazine reviewed the game and gave it ~65% because it was the 'same old' and it didn't look as good as Sonic 1. Over time, GM's constantly referenced that game as one of Sonic's finest. Same with Sonic Advance 1. "Eurgh, it's crap, it's heresy, it's.... oh, it's quite good, actually."

Anything that doesn't remind you of exactly how you remember things is going to look 'odd' and 'weird'.

[Marcello]

Juist saw the trailer. I'm sort of dissapointed, but I still like it. I was really hoping for Sprites :-(.

The Background graphics look a bit like a mix out of Sonic 3D Blast and Donkey Kong Country (The Trees xD), which is pretty cool. The level sort of reminds me of something between Green Grove and Mushroom Hill (don't know why, but I thought of Mushroom Hill when I saw it). It doesn't look very "Splash Hill"ish, so either the name isn't real, this isn't Splash Hill, we just haven't seen enough to show its "Splash Hill"ishness or the level won't look like what the name implies.

I think its sort of stupid that the game is a Download Title, though. I'll still get it, but I hope the episodes don't come out too quickly, because after a while it would get annoying and embarrasing to me to go to my friends house just to download them... And anyhow, I wanted a case :-O.

Oh, and lol @ everyone saying the game definetly wasn't coming for Wii

Edited February 4, 2010 by MarcelloF

[BaronSFel001]

I now have a thoughts column to offer:

Every reasonable Sonic fan knows that this is not nearly the first time Sega has listened to the fans in an effort to appease them. Up to this point, Sonic Unleashed came very close with its side-scrolling, which (it must be granted) was received remarkably well. Ideas such as "make a whole game like this," "bring back the classic gameplay," and "quit with the glut of characters" are now heeded to the letter...for better or worse.

It must be noted at this time that the fans are not the sole target audience of Sonic games (although the goal is to create additional fans in the process). At this point, relatively few in the world have not heard of Sonic, and mileage varies depending on which view they hear (the divided fanbase not helping matters at all). Sega once again makes a legitimate effort to have something with not only fan appeal, but mass appeal. Sonic 4 could be considered the penultimate effort to this end in the process that began when Sonic first appeared on non-Sega consoles.

Things are looking mighty promising and exciting. However, I for one am disappointed that Sega has once again been backed into a corner by the fans, and things may have gone too far again. I know I am not alone in my disappointment that Sonic is the sole hero in appearance. More to the point, if that turns out to be totally true, I will have difficulty forgiving it: what sort of sequel to the classic Sonic games would lack even Sonic's eternal buddy Tails? It is early, and the storyline may put light on it, but if that is the case, they had better do a good job.

Is this the revival many of us have been waiting for (keep in mind that there are plenty of fans who are satisfied with how the series has been going anyway, Sonic 2006 being either forgiven and/or forgotten, and the other "disappointing" titles proving more than fun enough if one is willing to have a good time playing them)? Considering the circumstances, I am going to have to conclude (for now, since it is early) that this is not. This is blatant catering to the fan complaints, which has already happened so many times that I have lost count. I still believe in Sonic Team, that they can be innovative and original and spark a revival in the likes of Sonic Adventure.

You all know that I would be the last person to complain about a Sonic game unless I felt the complaint had a good deal of merit (for crying out loud, I gave a favorable review of Sonic 2006, and I think Shadow the Hedgehog is absolutely great, Sonic Heroes right up there with it). This time, however, I fear that Sega may have gone too far, and thus am sensing a lack of the innovation that has made every Sonic title (particularly since the 3D transition) a unique one.

Still, in the end, whether or not it satisfies me is irrelevant. Most of the more casual gamers only care about good gameplay and atmosphere, and at this point Sonic 4 appears ready to deliver. I hope it is thoroughly enjoyable to play, is very successful as such, and in the process, creates more Sonic fans.

[Candescence]

I think we'll agree to disagree on that one. That Sonic 4 screenshot looks absolutely stunning.

Sonic himself, maybe, but the background looks horrible, with the wierd-looking CGI plants which don't look good when the parallax scrolling gets into gear. The corkscrew looks weird. Hell, everything is just too glossy and unnatural. It would look tons better if it were sprites or hand-drawn.

Does it really matter if the scenery is pre-rendered? Honestly? As long as Sonic doesn't look out of place in the environment, I couldn't give a monkey's toss. It's miles better than the mind-numbingly boring, out-of-place dreck we had for scenery in Sonic 06.

That's really not saying much. The problem is, it just lacks charm, and it just looks unnatural in general, like an environmental uncanny valley. This would've been completely avoided if they went 2.5D, or simply sprited or hand-drawn the environments.

Edited February 4, 2010 by The Sniper

[Barry the Nomad]

Sonic 4: Episode II may very well include Tails, we don't know that yet. Perhaps we'll get Episode I with Sonic and 7 Zones, and then Episode II with an additional 5-7 Zones and Tails with "lock-on" technology to the first 7 Zones.

I do, however, hope that Knuckles stays on the island and only appears if the game returns to Angel Island. I fact, how awesome would that be? An Angel Island level that takes place on the edge of the island, as it floats in the sky? Sort of a Sky Chase fused with Mushroom Hill.

[Dreadknux]

Sonic himself, maybe, but the background looks horrible, with the wierd-looking CGI plants which don't look good when the parallax scrolling gets into gear. The corkscrew looks weird. Hell, everything is just too glossy and unnatural. It would look tons better if it were sprites or hand-drawn.

That's really not saying much. The problem is, it just lacks charm, and it just looks unnatural in general, like an environmental uncanny valley.

Again, agree to disagree. I'm not quite seeing the complaint here, I honestly think you're over-analysing it. But you know, your opinion and all that. I respect that.