1. Cheesio

   9

   What's with all the hate for this game? I have replayed the Mega Drive classics many times over and Sonic 4 isn't much worse. Sure, maybe it's not quite as great, but it comes pretty damn close. I have no problem with the physics or the homing attack. It's not the same, but it does feel a lot like you're playing the Mega Drive games. The biggest difference, which I noticed as soon as I started playing, was that if you let go of the D-pad in mid-air after jumping, you fall straight down. But after that it never effected me. I never stopped holding down the D-pad in mid-air, and it felt normal. In fact, in a couple of places this feature comes in handy (like when doing speed-runs or precise platforming). So to me it played a lot like the Mega Drive games, but with a homing attack (which I really like BTW). The visuals, aside from being 2.5D HD, are very reminicent of the old games (Sonic's spines aside, but if you really care, get a life), the music is just like the Mega Drive games, and the sound effects are too. Sonic has returned... But I do have a slight niggle. This thing is 1200 MS points. A tad much for the ammount of content, but I feel it was worth it.
   
   If you've never played a 2D Sonic game, go play Sonic 2. If you like it, get the others and this. I feel it is a worthy entry to the series. Final verdict: 87%… Expand

   • Helpful? 8 of 18 users said Yes.
2. Forst1999

   8

   I was always very fond of the old Sonic games, every few months i play one of them. The recent Sonic games not so much, i never thought it worked to well in 3D, and i found the stories to be embarrissing. So i was really looking toward this game, and i wasn't disappointed.
   The graphics are pretty, the sound is similar to the old games. The music is good, but it might not be as catchy as some of the old tunes (but maybe that's just nostalgia).
   The physics may be different, but i honestly don't think it is a big deal. The first three parts already played somewhat differently to each other, and Sonic 4 is more of an evolution than a total change. There are a few hick-ups, like stopping spin-dashs, or standing on slopes, but this occurs rather seldom. The homing attack (which i was afraid of) actually enriches the gameplay. To master the game a good combination of normal jumps and homing attacks is required.
   The level design is nostalgic. Zone 1 resembles Green Hill, zone 2 Casino Night, zone 3 Labyrinth and zone 4 Metropolis. While this has spawned some criticism that the game delivers nothing new, that's not true. Every act of this zones delivers new elements to the gameplay, making the game very varied. The new special stages are challenging, but fair. The overall difficulty varies a little. While it's never possible to let your guard down, some parts are rather easy, while others are hard. The endgame can be frustrating.
   So i give this game 8 out of 10 points. It might not be a perfect platformer, but a very entertaining one, and a worthy successor to the old games.… Expand

   • Helpful? 2 of 6 users said Yes.
3. Mamba_Tabac

   7

   I found Sonic 4 to be a bit of a mixed bag - there were things I really liked about it, and other things that definitely need improvement. Positives? Well I have to say it's visually stunning - the stages look wonderful, especially the Labyrinth levels. I also like how they carried over cues from Sonic 3 by having each act of a stage having slight variations on music/visuals that keeps things fresh as you progress through the game. The game also has wonderful level design, with huge chunky stages with multiple paths to be explored, which is great for replay and time attack junkies. Problems? Well it does seem a bit on the short side - but then if you compare it to Sonic 1 it does have fewer stages, but the levels are much bigger so overall it's about the same size. Also, the difficulty progression is way off. 90% of the game is far too easy - by the final stage you should easily have 30+ lives, and then the final stage presents a huge difficulty spike that comes out of nowhere, leaving the game feeling somewhat unbalanced. The physics. Boy - the physics. A lot of people have said the physics are game breaking and terrible, and granted they need improvement but they are not that bad. There seems to be some issues with the spin dash practically stopping if you go off an edge, jumps halting in mid-air if you let go of the direction, and being able to to stand and spin-dash on near vertical surfaces. However none of these are game breaking really, and only arise on occasion or if you are looking for such things. Other things? Special stages are fun if a bit frustrating, Sonic's animations are good for the most part but his running seems wrong (initially he moves faster than his animation makes it appear and his full speed animation frankly looks obnoxious, but hey...). Homing attack is a welcome addition in my opinion - it gives the exploration a bit more scope when you notice a 'lock on' to something out of reach. Music is ok - really liked the Labyrinth tunes, but the Dr Eggman theme 1 is frankly rubbish.
   Overall I think the game is worth playing, so long as you're willing to accept it's not going to live up to the Sonic 4 that's in your head. I feel it's definately a step in the right direction, but there are certainly a few more steps to go before this series is back on track. Hopefully Episode 2 will be closer.… Expand

   • Helpful? 5 of 9 users said Yes.
4. TheBard009

   0

   It has some good ideas, Lost Labyrinth's torch level for example, but goddamn, the broken gameplay and the stupidly excessive rehash just crushed all hopes Sonic 4 had of becoming a good game.… Expand

   • Helpful? 5 of 5 users said Yes.

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