CrazyTails, how is S4E2 a disgrace to the Sonic franchise? I've rather enjoyed it...the music is miles above E1, there are clever nods to a few classic games, and the level design is far more imaginative than Sonic Generations Classic was.
Not to mention the bosses are actually really impressive; I can't remember the last time a Sonic boss was genuinely foreboding...and the special stages are a treat. Almost as cool as the Sonic 3D Blast Saturn special stage. Almost. 
The physics are still a little iffy, but it's a huge step forward from S4E1...I'm curious to hear what you see as so disgraceful about it.
I respect your opinion but I just don't think that is enough for sonic 4 episode 2. The way you are describing it like you are describing a very ordinary platformer. Sonic should not be an "ordinary" platforming game. It should be the best thing ever if not better than its predecessors. S4e2 is not a bad game, but for a sequel to the classics, to be one of the worst 2d sonic games(maybe even a little bit worse than some of the game gear games) is just wrong at so many levels from a principled point of view. What has been fixed from episode 1 to 2 is the instant loss of momentum. Air inertia has been fixed drastically which are great plusses. But besides that, the level design is still very basic and sometimes even automated to the point where you'd think DIMPS designs their levels in a very formulatic way. Safe sky fortress, which is quite an impressive level.
For sonic music standards, the music is very bad actually. I wasn't a big fan of episode 1's music either but episode 2's music seems worse in some ways, and even the good ones fall flat because they're looped in seconds. I just don't get how little care there's putten into this specific game. Do you really think this is the way a sonic 4 should have ever been treaten?
The game actually feels unfinished in a few departments. The red rings for example have been confirmed to do nothing but achieve a trophy/achievement. Supersonic mode is not so much a supersonic mode because he gets back his episode 1 control/physics and transforms back everytime you use a team movement.
The bosses are debatable but personally I hate the fact that the bosses take so long only because they're very cinematic and make you wait before he's open for an attack. They just drag on too much for no reason sometimes. May become a bigger issue in a boss rush or when simply redoing them. I like the sand ocean boss however.
Special stage is an upgrade to sonic 2's and is indeed great yet still very unoriginal for a game that is called sonic 4. Yeah this is also something that irks me to death. This game should be a sequel of new original ideas, instead we are still getting renewed/redone content. I still don't get that.
Overall it's just dissapointing. I enjoy sonic advance more, I even enjoy sonic rush more than sonic 4, which should never be the case. Sonic 4 almost feels like marketing first and a game second. That is why I think it's disgraceful.
@Barry and shigs on the reviews
I think you both may be spot on. Realisation may have come later
