Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1

[MadeManG74]

But at the end of the day it's still the closest thing to a classic Sonic game in 15 years. Dispite it's flaws and faults.

Which means it's a step in the right direction no matter which way you swing it.

If I were on fire, would throwing acid on me be a step in the right direction because it would put out some of the flames?

If they are just replacing bad 3D games with bad 2D games it's not really a good thing. I'm playing devil's advocate now though.

I agree that it's better than most recent efforts, but I'm not about to ignore the stuff I really don't like because of it.

[crackdude]

God, it's like discussing about Star Wars all over again.

Look, it's been almost 20 years since the first Sonic. It is obvious it won't be the same thing. There are new techs and stuff to make it look great. If they just made it 16-bit it would be no better than a fan-edited ROM image.
MegaMan 9/10 is really lame. And NSMB is also a mess. Good thing Sonic Team is making the game look fresh and relying on good old gameplay. Sure it has homing attack, so it will be different. But Spindash also made Sonic 2 different, for better! Maybe the homing attack will be fun to use and stuff.
Most of the things some people are complaining about are subjective and will be sorted out by the time everyone gets to play it.
As for the recycled stuff, as someone already said Mario is using the exact same characters and enemies since ever. So watching some old favorites like the mecha-piranhas will be awesome. At least I like it.

And nobody knows if this is going to be a great of bad game yet. It might end up being the most playable one of the series, imagine that. Probably not, but there's still no way to know. Just wait guys.

[MadeManG74]

God, it's like discussing about Star Wars all over again.

Look, it's been almost 20 years since the first Sonic. It is obvious it won't be the same thing. There are new techs and stuff to make it look great. If they just made it 16-bit it would be no better than a fan-edited ROM image.

Except nobody is asking for it to be 16 bit...

It would be nice if it was 2D like Muramasa or KOF XIII though, but whatever. The graphics aren't horrible, but they aren't all that special either I think.

As for the rest, I get what you are saying, but we aren't saying it's definitely going to be bad, just that we don't like the look of it at all. I may as well say 'Stop getting excited guys, you haven't even played it yet!'.

[Sharky]

But I havent been excited at all yet! I'm just not ready to write it off either.

[MadeManG74]

But I havent been excited at all yet! I'm just not ready to write it off either.

Well thats fair enough, I don't mind people getting excited or people getting concerned, I just hate it when either one gets shot down. I want to make clear that I'm not saying the game is going to be shit, just that I'm not liking what I see for a lot of it.

Anyway seems like we are all cool with eachother again, us Sega ner- err Bits, need to stick together.

[crackdude]

yummy.

[Sega Uranus]

4) Overall design
Episode 1 has been called a throwback episode, with the promise of original content in the other two episodes. Until Sonic Team reveals if they have remained true to this promise, I'm really not bothered by repeated enemies and locations. Mario has been using the same two enemies for years and nobody gives a shit. Sonic brings back a stable of unique and memorable enemies and everybody goes into a rage. I personally love the badniks and like them just as much as Sonic and his friends, if not more than the heroes. It's great to see them back. There are two sides to the nostalgia coin, and I prefer to look at the positive side.

My biggest issue here is with the bosses. Sonic & Knuckles had you revisiting creations from previous games, sure, but none of them were the actual end of stage fight. Another point is that the pufferfish thing from Marble Garden Zone is used in every level that I have seen from Sonic the Hedgehog 4. Even in the worst of Sonic games, at least each level had different enemies (EDIT: LOL NOT SONIC 06). I mean, I just cannot disregard these details as to me, it just screams that they do not have any passion for the title and barely care as to how it turns out. This would be fine - perfect even - for a side game, but this is Sonic the fucking Hedgehog 4. Completely not acceptable.

This is the exact same issue that came up with NiGHTS Journey of Dreams! It is like, they took a game we all loved and changed a bunch of the basic concepts just to make it more marketable or sumshit. Sonic Team just cannot stick to once concept, that game had tons and tons of really horseshit extras yet when people pointed this stuff out, defenders came up and would say crap like "It has been over ten years since the first game! Be more respectful", in the end it literally even made me like the first game less and I am horrified to think the same will happen with this.

I am not going to downplay the fact that the STRANGE MINECART is the worst thing I ever saw in the whole franchise. I do not know why they needed to add this. Sonic Pocket Adventure and Sonic Advance 1 both play very good, why could they have not just made games closer to these? Even as a recreation of Sonic 2 and 3, Pocket Adventure has much more original content and ideas that are mainly based around exploration that are better than Sonic the Hedgehog 4.

I just do not know how you guys are cool with all of this. Obviously it is not the worst Sonic game or anything, but that is not saying much when most of the franchise is not even worth playing anymore.

[Barry the Nomad]

You just answered your question with the last sentence you wrote. I can't speak for anybody else, but I'm cool with Sonic 4 because it is definitely not looking like the worst Sonic game (gameplay wise, it looks better than anything that came out this gen AND last gen not counting the Dreamcast) and it is the first real effort in getting Sonic back to his roots. Unleashed was a start, Sonic 4 Episode 1 is an even larger step and I have hopes that Episode 2 and 3 will be the biggest movement to get Sonic back to where he should be. The promise of [spoiler:570ms9an]Metal Sonic[/spoiler:570ms9an] in episode 2 as well as the return of [spoiler:570ms9an]Tails and Knuckles in episodes 2 and 3 respectively[/spoiler:570ms9an] gets me excited from both a gameplay and storyline standpoint.

As for the bosses, just as with the badniks, I'm not bothered. They look to have enough of a twist to be a Ver. 2.0 of the vehicle rather than a straight rehash. I wouldn't have the Splash Hill boss any other way. Casino Street boss, I'll admit, is the weakest of the four I've seen in the leaked videos. Lost Labyrinth boss is my favorite of the bunch: a cool little chase, and then the columns attack. Mad Gear, from what I remember, is a return of one of my favorite bosses and the chase was pretty awesome with the bouncing growing mini-Eggmen.

[Sega Uranus]

I guess you missed my point then. Just because this is supposedly better than most of the franchise does not mean it is good in my eyes, or most of the people here, ESPECIALLY when it is supposed to be a direct sequel to unarguably one of the greatest game trilogies of all time, if not simply the best. I cannot ever believe why you would ever even try to minimize the impact of crap like STRANGE MINECART or the art style being dreadful.

Basically you are going to say you are alright with anything they do, which is all you have said since it was first shown off, so best we do not continue this. You have probably been saying the same things for years with every release, but I am done wasting my money on the same bullshit promises over and over again on a product most of the staff probably does not even give a shit about. I will not be getting Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I, and the only way I am getting any of these is if the rest of the episodes are miles better and it is part of a compilation disc.

I am glad that you will like it, though.

[Barry the Nomad]

Actually, I've been away from the Sonic scene since Heroes (which I bought while in college, so I was hardly paying attention to the series by that point) and didn't get back into Sonic until buying Unleashed 9 months after release. So to assume I've been "saying the same things for years with every release" isn't true.  8-) It's more like I've been coming late to the party since Heroes and by the time I buy the games I know what to expect. The fact that they're at bargain bin prices also helps. Sonic 4 is the first release I've followed this closely since SA2.

I can see why you'd have your opinion, it's just a real shame that you can't see how I could have mine. I'm sorry that one gimmick act out of twelve ruins the game for you and that you find the art style to be dreadful.

[Sega Uranus]

Actually, I've been away from the Sonic scene since Heroes (which I bought while in college, so I was hardly paying attention to the series by that point) and didn't get back into Sonic until buying Unleashed 9 months after release. So to assume I've been "saying the same things for years with every release" isn't true. 8-) It's more like I've been coming late to the party since Heroes and by the time I buy the games I know what to expect. The fact that they're at bargain bin prices also helps. Sonic 4 is the first release I've followed this closely since SA2.

I can see why you'd have your opinion, it's just a real shame that you can't see how I could have mine. I'm sorry that one gimmick act out of twelve ruins the game for you and that you find the art style to be dreadful.

I never once said the rest of the levels were great or even good. I saw most of them, they are nothing special at all, only two or three of them looked fun to play more than once either. To me it is like a big shit sundae with speckles of shit flakes doused in hot piss fudge and only one cherry on top.

And, when I saw how you were defending Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing the same way, I put the two together. I mean, it was painful to watch "I'm okay with one Billy level" and then "I'm okay with playing as Billy" and then "I'm okay with two Billy levels" and then "I'm okay with three Billy levels" and then "I'm okay with this turning out nothing like anyone wanted". Well you probably did not say the last bit, but you get my point!

[Barry the Nomad]

So... I guess you won't play SASAR with me?

I'm not a Billy fan in the slightest, but I'm fine with the amount of Billy in the game. I've clocked roughly 13 hours with the game and I'd say only 1 of those hours consisted of Billy Hatcher track racing or playing as him (to get certain achievements, etc.). Yes he's there, but one can easily ignore him. I'm not going to throw a hissy fit online over something that I can simply avoid.

I'm sorry you live with so much hate, and that other people's opinions of a video game cause you so much pain.

edit: there is a man you can turn to. he has been a great inspiration to me:

[Sega Uranus]

So... I guess you won't play SASAR with me?

I already have! I will again if you want in early May.

I'm not a Billy fan in the slightest, but I'm fine with the amount of Billy in the game. I've clocked roughly 13 hours with the game and I'd say only 1 of those hours consisted of Billy Hatcher track racing or playing as him (to get certain achievements, etc.). Yes he's there, but one can easily ignore him. I'm not going to throw a hissy fit online over something that I can simply avoid.

This has been discussed to death, I only brought it up because you kept saying you were okay with around 10% of the content in the game being based around some obscure game barely anyone even likes in a mashup of SEGA's supposed most loved and greatest achievements. I like smart decisions, so I am allowed to complain about poor ones. I played the game over 25 hours now, so I am doing fine with it, I think.

I'm sorry you live with so much hate, and that other people's opinions of a video game cause you so much pain.

Why so serious? I just told you that I am happy you will enjoy the game and I never even said I hate this game or anything. In negative mood response I will mention your girlfriend as I know it bugs you. I bet she is like... Ugly or something! HA! Take that! :!:

edit: there is a man you can turn to. he has been a great inspiration to me:

He has been dead for years.  :cry:

[Barry the Nomad]

No, my fiancee is not ugly. I'm sure you have a lovely boyfriend (joking), and I hope you treat my significant other with equal respect.

Jesus has been dead for years and people still follow his teachings. I'd argue that Yukawa has started fewer wars than the other guy.

Now could we PLEASE get back to how Eggman should be called Robotnik and how this game needs a Genesis release?!

edit: in regards to SASAR, May is a-ok!  

[George]

For the record, Jesus gave people terrible advice.

PRO TIP: Add trophies or achievements with the new DLC.