Sonic 4

[ZeaLitY]

What's the opinion so far for anyone's who's played it? I got the leaked OST months ago, but only liked a couple songs; seems Jun is more suited to modern guitar-based music than chiptunes.

I'm really curious how good the game is.

By the way, if you've never watched it: http://lparchive.org/LetsPlay/Sonic2006/ Let's Play Sonic 2006. It's mandatory.

[FaustWolf]

Sonic 4 made a pretty big splash in the iPhone community, though I haven't played it yet. Has it been released on other platforms?

[Romana]

Sonic controls really badly; he feels 'heavy' and it's awkward to go into a spindash or turn around without this weird pause as if he hit an invisible wall. Plus he takes noticeably longer to get going than in the other games.

Casino Street Zone is a fucking horribly designed mess, and it's hard to tell where the hell you're going. The flippers are glitchy and you get caught inside them if you're not aligned right, this makes the boss a bit of a pain.

Lost Labyrinth Act 2 has a retarded puzzle where you have to stop and figure out which torches to light in order to pass through. The controls make it even more awkward.

I just stopped at Mad Gear Zone Act 1 after getting squashed over and over. I'll go back to it sooner or later but for now, fuck it.

Oh yeah, and the bosses are all from Sonic 2, none of them are new. They do however have a 'desperation mode' where they do a new attack when they only have a hit or two left.

I was fine with Splash Hill but after that it just got annoying. Overall this could be good if it were just polished, the level designs had more thought put into them, and for fuck's sake, drop the bottomless pit fetish.

EDIT: Yeah I hear the iPhone version is a nightmare to control. It's on WiiWare now too, although it's not worth 1500 points. PS3's and 360 are getting it in a few days.

[Kodokami]

Just played it for the PS3 today. Sadly, I am disappointed.

As Fafnir said, Sonic feels heavy. He is considerably slower than in the past, and that is a serious letdown. In fact, there seem to be way too many obstacles intended to slow him down. Sonic has absolutely no momentum, so he stops immediately if you don't hold down the directional pad/analog stick. Game mechanics need much improvement. The homing attack (though not as unbearable as in Sonic Heroes and the like) is still poor and often misses its target. Also, the designers have no creativity; all the enemies and bosses are identical to previous games, except with the bosses having that "desperation mode."

I do like the art/graphics. The developers spent a lot of time with that (perhaps too much, judging by their other mishaps). Music is enjoyable too, and nostalgia galore with the sound effects! If anything, the end is worth all the fighting and complaints. I won't spoil it, but if you really like Sonic 2 and a challenge, then you'll love this.

I haven't collected all seven Chaos Emeralds though. Anyone know if Super Sonic is unlockable?

Lost Labyrinth Act 2 has a retarded puzzle where you have to stop and figure out which torches to light in order to pass through. The controls make it even more awkward.

Ditto to that.

[Romana]

After going back to it, I had a lot more fun. Seeing it as its own game and not a sequel makes it easier to approach too, I think? (also i really suck at sonic) But the controls and level designs could still use some work. There's a lot of potential here, so maybe Ep2 will be better.

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I haven't collected all seven Chaos Emeralds though. Anyone know if Super Sonic is unlockable?

Yup. Haven't got them myself yet but he's in it.

[Trebuchet]

thanks for the LP Z

From the previews, it looked like an awesome revival of sonic- I grew up on mediocre sonic games and fantastic mario games, so nothing much has changed there. I remember the first honestly shit sonic game - Shadow the Hedgehog.

[Kodokami]

Indeed, maybe I held too many expectations. Consider Sonic 4 a remake, if nothing else, instead of a sequel, and you have a good stand-alone game with tons of potential. Three more episodes to go.

[Crono666]

I didn't like Sonic 4. The game just felt really boring to me. Plus Sonic doesn't control that well, and it's hard to maintain your speed.

I give the game a 1/10.