Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1

[CrazyT]

Session was great. I think it deserves to be on the front page.

Here the video

[youtube:1s74pqcs]JhU5MP6mNHk[/youtube:1s74pqcs]

[Sega Stylista]

[youtube:2nsey78t]JZV5UNS2y60[/youtube:2nsey78t]

Hardcore physics

That video perfectly contrasts the old-school game's hardcore physics to the casual physics of Sonic 4.  

Slower acceleration, uncurling, homing attack, and drop-stop physics are all casual elements to make the game more accessible to iphone casuals playing with their virtual d-pad and Sonic Rush DS playing kids.

Take drop-stop physics for example.  It allows fast forward momentum while coming up with a cheap method to avoid over-shoot and diminishes the need for precision timing.  Uncurling gives Sonic a little mid-air play requiring less accuracy from the casual player.

If you look at a lot of the review and fan feedback for Sonic 1 & 2 iphone there were a lot of complaints about the game being hard to play and too fast for the virtual d-pad.

[MadeManG74]

^And the standing on walls? Also, Uncurling isn't a physics related issue, and doesn't that actually make things harder since you are more vulnerable?

Either way, I do see where you are coming from.

[Barry the Nomad]

Posted this on the front page story, but I'm reposting it here:

RubyEclipse wrote up an excellent reply to the impressions: http://forums.sonicretro.org/index.php? ... ntry529657

[MadeManG74]

So I finally gave the demo a shot.

Good lord this game is ugly as sin. Like, really the Sonic Animation/design looks horrible and the speed boosters in particular look horrendous.

Gameplay isn't as bad as I thought, but still feels a bit off. Yeah, don't think I'll be buying this one.

[fluffymoochicken]

Well, if you've waited this long, then yeah I would suggest waiting for it to eventually go down in price. ^^ The pre-rendered backgrounds aren't too bad once you get used to them though. I really like the way that the casino and ruins stages looked especially (damned if I can remember their names).

[MadeManG74]

It's not the backgrounds, I didn't mind them so much as Sonic's look and animations (Particularly the running at full tilt) and the really odd looking speed boosters. They look like 2D Vector Sprites or something compared to the 3D of everything else.

I didn't really dig the controls either, not that the demo gives you much chance to try things out with only one act. Well I guess if they gave us a whole stage, that would be one quarter of the game so...

I don't think I'll buy it even if it was dropped in price.

[crackdude]

Gameplay starts feeling smooth on the 3rd level or so, normally cause you're used to the old ones.

[MadeManG74]

^Yeah, I could feel myself getting used to it even in the demo, it does take a while to get out of the old game's mindset.

[crackdude]

^Yeah, I could feel myself getting used to it even in the demo, it does take a while to get out of the old game's mindset.

True. But after the initial bump it's pretty easy to have a smooth control experience.. The level design helps quite a bit too. I think that if something bothers you about it in the demo, don't get it right now. But I wouldn't miss it at discount price if I were you..

[SOUP]

I played Sonic 2 the other day and actually found myself trying to do the homing move for a quick mid-air speed boost all the time O_o

[Barry the Nomad]

I played Sonic 2 the other day and actually found myself trying to do the homing move for a quick mid-air speed boost all the time O_o

HA! Same here. I switch between Sonic 1, 2 and 4 on my iPod Touch which makes it even worse. I try homing in 2 and spin dashing in 1, then I try to do the halfpipe roll in 4.  :oops:

[CrazyT]

Sonic 4 episode 1 sales:

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/3165 ... r_2010.php

To be honest even though I dislike the game I expected it to do a lot better than this... especially when you consider the "name".

I think a lot of the legit things that have been pointed out made an uproar throughout the net causing an uproar, may have played a role. Also the price tag of course. The price tag threw me off immediatly since I knew the game was just going to have 4 zones. And than the overall presentation. The production value and overall appeal of art design.

All of these factors may have played a role. Sega, better luck next time. Listen to the fans.

[Barry the Nomad]

Note the "*" that states "* stats lower due to limited knowledge", so this is hardly the full number.

Still, Sonic 4 was able to add 15,728 players in its first week for a total of 22,698. The sales itself would be quite a bit higher -- potentially two or three times, we might guess -- considering the requirements. Dead Space was too difficult to tell, and it’s a shame that we don’t have the Top 20 to deal with.

I'd bet it jumps up close to Comic Jumpers number, if not surpassing it.

[Aki-at]

Those numbers are not reliable at all. And as Barry pointed out, are quite misleading. I do not believe the internet has had any major effect on the games sales or as much as people think it has, or else Mad World would have been a raging success.

Mike Hayes also had an interview a few weeks back claiming that Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is selling beyond SEGA's expectations. So I doubt those numbers are an indication of anything.