Grand_OoF
11-08-2010, 05:13 AM
So I think before we begin, I need to come clean about something.
...:neko_020:
I am a Sonic the Hedgehog fan.
Yes, even after everything he's put me through, I can't get enough of the little guy.
But even though I'm a fan, I'm not blind to the fact this relationship is a very painful one. Mostly on my part.
Since Sonic’s transition to 3D, he has, like many popular franchises (see Castlevania, King of the Fighters, Street Fighter, Donkey Kong Country, Final Fight) had a little…uh…trouble.
In order to keep Sonic relevant to new audiences and trying to keep up with increasing demands from modern gamers, Sega has pulled out every gimmick in the book to keep Sonic in the game. He’s been a brawling monster, a hack-n-slash knight, an RPG hero and raced on karts and hover boards. And in his free time, he’s happy to occasionally rip of Mario Party with his colorful cast of generally annoying friends.
Sadly, in an attempt to keep Sonic popular, the people at the helm of his games seem to have forgotten what it was that made him popular in the first place…running fast from point a to point b.
How hard is that to mess up, really?
Well, as with many developers, Sega is attempting to remedy the Blue Blur’s past drunken follies by going with the “updated look with 2D gameplay” trend, brining us to the topic of this review and the beginning of my little series, the Sonic Saga.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1.
A Grand_OoF! Review:
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1
http://i425.photobucket.com/albums/pp332/NintendoFB19/Sonic_4_Logo.png
"Please, I swear to God I'll stay 2D. Just PLEASE buy my game! I need the money for rings! Sweet...delicious...rings..."
Stats:
System: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii, iOS
Genre: Platformer
Players: 1 player
Rating: Rated E for Everyone
Sonic the Hedgehog 4, is developed by DIMPS and Sonic Team, who made the fantastic Sonic Rush and Sonic Advance games. Chronologically, Sonic 4 takes place after Sonic and Knuckles and before Adventure. Sonic is just kind of running around doing nothing when he discovers Eggman (AKA Robotnik) is still alive and kickin’ (and rocking the Teddy Roosevelt mustache), placing cute critters into robots for still vaguely defined reasons.
…Maybe to work at his amusement park for a minimum wage?
http://i425.photobucket.com/albums/pp332/NintendoFB19/1229537150009_f.jpg
Seriously? How bad a villain can he be when his entire life's work is to turn the world into Disney Land?
Anyway, the story isn’t the focus here and thank GOD because the last thing we need is Sonic making out with more women from another species.
http://i425.photobucket.com/albums/pp332/NintendoFB19/Worst_Elise3--article_image.jpg
Even the fact that Lacy Chabert played the princess can't make this uncreepy.
The main focus is the gameplay. And fortunately, there’s not much to it. Sonic moves left and right with the corresponding Dpad/Joystick press, he can jump and additionally he can use his homing attack carried from many recent incarnations to hone in on various switches, bumpers and enemies.
I have to admit, though the game takes a while to find its groove, it DOES feel like an old Sonic game. There’s no friends to be found and it borrows themes and elements from the first three games (even those trippy bonus levels from the first are back) to help cement the feel. Plus Genesis era music helps seal the deal and it definitely makes it an enjoyable one.
http://i425.photobucket.com/albums/pp332/NintendoFB19/sonic-the-hedgehog-4-episode-iphone-3.jpg
Ahhh...nostalgia.
Unfortunately, Sonic 4 suffers from the very same problem similar HD reboot Rocket Knight suffered from. In attempt to add in the new, it becomes a messy hosh-posh of classic and modern that never really meets its full potential.
The biggest offender is the controls. Everything feels OFF. Sometimes the homing attack doesn’t quite “hone in” so much as it “sends you flying into a pit”. Other times it doesn’t react at all or you’re inexplicably stopped by the above ledge. It’s pretty sad when Sonic Unleashed can lord something over you. Though to be honest, the jump in general just feels weak and sticky.
Additionally, the game takes a while to build up steam, which when you only have five zones or so, that’s not so good. The first few zones, homages to Green Hill and various Casino zones, are enjoyable but not terribly creative or fun, save for a few ideas (such as Sonic running on an unfolding deck of cards). And maybe it’s just me, but I would have preferred a little more originality in the level designs, as opposed to ripping off the successful stuff from the first few games. By about the time I reached the Labyrinth Zone, the game started to gel with me, but by then I was already halfway through.
http://i425.photobucket.com/albums/pp332/NintendoFB19/sonic-the-hedgehog-4-episode-1-screenshot.jpg
"Man, what is it with developers and sewer levels anyway? I know I don't enjoy running through sh**."
Visually…the game looks…nice. I mean, it looks sharp and colorful with smooth textures and no slow down and the actual character models themselves look fine for the most part. It’s just…something seems wrong when the game is in motion. Maybe I’m just very used to other 2D Sonics like Rush or Advance, but the game seems to move at a slower pace. Maybe this is an effort to make it seem similar to the older games, but if feels off. Also, Sonic’s running animation just looks WEIRD. Hell, Sonic just looks weird in general. His legs are way too long. I think they were trying to justify the classic reference, where Sonic’s legs cartoonishly disappear in a circular blur, but it just looks off with his updated look.
The game’s sound and music is easily the highest selling point. The tunes (as previously said) are very old school and they’re really well composed by series veteran Jun Senoue. I especially liked the music in the Mad Gear zone. Those tunes just rocked. And of course, there are plenty of classic sound effects to keep us reminded of the better days.
But overall, Sonic 4 is just disappointing.The blending of new and old doesn’t mix quite as well as you’d like. Couple that with a short game time (I beat it in about three days…and the only thing left to do is collect the Chaos Emeralds) and a hefty price tag, Sonic 4 is hardly the return to form we were all hoping for. That being said, it definitely isn’t a bad game, especially compared to some of his recent outtings. If you’re a die hard fan or someone looking for a nostalgia trip, it could be worth a look…provided you’re willing to pay $15.
+Bright, colorful graphics and nice models and textures
+The 2D gameplay is pretty fun
+Some cool throwbacks, such as the sound effects, level designs, badnicks and bonus stages
+This game’s music is fantastic
-Controls feel off, especially the jump; the homing attack is more or less a cruel joke
-The game takes a while to get really fun. Not helped by being really short
-There are a lot of ideas that are just “ripped off” from older Sonic games and it would have been nice to see more originality
-Something about the graphics just feels…wrong
-$15?! Are you kidding?!
Grand_Oof awards Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1 a C
Special Award: The Old School Charm Award
Yes. I’m reusing this award for a third time. The reason being that while Sonic 4 has a number of missteps in its approach, it DOES manage to nail that classic Sonic feel, even if it is only in brief, shinning moments. The music, the enemies, the bonus levels and a number of other things do help nail the feel that Sonic 4 was going for…now if only it could be improved upon…
NEXT TIME...:
The Sonic Saga continues and decides to get noticeably more...COLORFUL!
http://i425.photobucket.com/albums/pp332/NintendoFB19/Sonic_Colors.jpg
...:neko_020:
I am a Sonic the Hedgehog fan.
Yes, even after everything he's put me through, I can't get enough of the little guy.
But even though I'm a fan, I'm not blind to the fact this relationship is a very painful one. Mostly on my part.
Since Sonic’s transition to 3D, he has, like many popular franchises (see Castlevania, King of the Fighters, Street Fighter, Donkey Kong Country, Final Fight) had a little…uh…trouble.
In order to keep Sonic relevant to new audiences and trying to keep up with increasing demands from modern gamers, Sega has pulled out every gimmick in the book to keep Sonic in the game. He’s been a brawling monster, a hack-n-slash knight, an RPG hero and raced on karts and hover boards. And in his free time, he’s happy to occasionally rip of Mario Party with his colorful cast of generally annoying friends.
Sadly, in an attempt to keep Sonic popular, the people at the helm of his games seem to have forgotten what it was that made him popular in the first place…running fast from point a to point b.
How hard is that to mess up, really?
Well, as with many developers, Sega is attempting to remedy the Blue Blur’s past drunken follies by going with the “updated look with 2D gameplay” trend, brining us to the topic of this review and the beginning of my little series, the Sonic Saga.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1.
A Grand_OoF! Review:
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1
http://i425.photobucket.com/albums/pp332/NintendoFB19/Sonic_4_Logo.png
"Please, I swear to God I'll stay 2D. Just PLEASE buy my game! I need the money for rings! Sweet...delicious...rings..."
Stats:
System: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii, iOS
Genre: Platformer
Players: 1 player
Rating: Rated E for Everyone
Sonic the Hedgehog 4, is developed by DIMPS and Sonic Team, who made the fantastic Sonic Rush and Sonic Advance games. Chronologically, Sonic 4 takes place after Sonic and Knuckles and before Adventure. Sonic is just kind of running around doing nothing when he discovers Eggman (AKA Robotnik) is still alive and kickin’ (and rocking the Teddy Roosevelt mustache), placing cute critters into robots for still vaguely defined reasons.
…Maybe to work at his amusement park for a minimum wage?
http://i425.photobucket.com/albums/pp332/NintendoFB19/1229537150009_f.jpg
Seriously? How bad a villain can he be when his entire life's work is to turn the world into Disney Land?
Anyway, the story isn’t the focus here and thank GOD because the last thing we need is Sonic making out with more women from another species.
http://i425.photobucket.com/albums/pp332/NintendoFB19/Worst_Elise3--article_image.jpg
Even the fact that Lacy Chabert played the princess can't make this uncreepy.
The main focus is the gameplay. And fortunately, there’s not much to it. Sonic moves left and right with the corresponding Dpad/Joystick press, he can jump and additionally he can use his homing attack carried from many recent incarnations to hone in on various switches, bumpers and enemies.
I have to admit, though the game takes a while to find its groove, it DOES feel like an old Sonic game. There’s no friends to be found and it borrows themes and elements from the first three games (even those trippy bonus levels from the first are back) to help cement the feel. Plus Genesis era music helps seal the deal and it definitely makes it an enjoyable one.
http://i425.photobucket.com/albums/pp332/NintendoFB19/sonic-the-hedgehog-4-episode-iphone-3.jpg
Ahhh...nostalgia.
Unfortunately, Sonic 4 suffers from the very same problem similar HD reboot Rocket Knight suffered from. In attempt to add in the new, it becomes a messy hosh-posh of classic and modern that never really meets its full potential.
The biggest offender is the controls. Everything feels OFF. Sometimes the homing attack doesn’t quite “hone in” so much as it “sends you flying into a pit”. Other times it doesn’t react at all or you’re inexplicably stopped by the above ledge. It’s pretty sad when Sonic Unleashed can lord something over you. Though to be honest, the jump in general just feels weak and sticky.
Additionally, the game takes a while to build up steam, which when you only have five zones or so, that’s not so good. The first few zones, homages to Green Hill and various Casino zones, are enjoyable but not terribly creative or fun, save for a few ideas (such as Sonic running on an unfolding deck of cards). And maybe it’s just me, but I would have preferred a little more originality in the level designs, as opposed to ripping off the successful stuff from the first few games. By about the time I reached the Labyrinth Zone, the game started to gel with me, but by then I was already halfway through.
http://i425.photobucket.com/albums/pp332/NintendoFB19/sonic-the-hedgehog-4-episode-1-screenshot.jpg
"Man, what is it with developers and sewer levels anyway? I know I don't enjoy running through sh**."
Visually…the game looks…nice. I mean, it looks sharp and colorful with smooth textures and no slow down and the actual character models themselves look fine for the most part. It’s just…something seems wrong when the game is in motion. Maybe I’m just very used to other 2D Sonics like Rush or Advance, but the game seems to move at a slower pace. Maybe this is an effort to make it seem similar to the older games, but if feels off. Also, Sonic’s running animation just looks WEIRD. Hell, Sonic just looks weird in general. His legs are way too long. I think they were trying to justify the classic reference, where Sonic’s legs cartoonishly disappear in a circular blur, but it just looks off with his updated look.
The game’s sound and music is easily the highest selling point. The tunes (as previously said) are very old school and they’re really well composed by series veteran Jun Senoue. I especially liked the music in the Mad Gear zone. Those tunes just rocked. And of course, there are plenty of classic sound effects to keep us reminded of the better days.
But overall, Sonic 4 is just disappointing.The blending of new and old doesn’t mix quite as well as you’d like. Couple that with a short game time (I beat it in about three days…and the only thing left to do is collect the Chaos Emeralds) and a hefty price tag, Sonic 4 is hardly the return to form we were all hoping for. That being said, it definitely isn’t a bad game, especially compared to some of his recent outtings. If you’re a die hard fan or someone looking for a nostalgia trip, it could be worth a look…provided you’re willing to pay $15.
+Bright, colorful graphics and nice models and textures
+The 2D gameplay is pretty fun
+Some cool throwbacks, such as the sound effects, level designs, badnicks and bonus stages
+This game’s music is fantastic
-Controls feel off, especially the jump; the homing attack is more or less a cruel joke
-The game takes a while to get really fun. Not helped by being really short
-There are a lot of ideas that are just “ripped off” from older Sonic games and it would have been nice to see more originality
-Something about the graphics just feels…wrong
-$15?! Are you kidding?!
Grand_Oof awards Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1 a C
Special Award: The Old School Charm Award
Yes. I’m reusing this award for a third time. The reason being that while Sonic 4 has a number of missteps in its approach, it DOES manage to nail that classic Sonic feel, even if it is only in brief, shinning moments. The music, the enemies, the bonus levels and a number of other things do help nail the feel that Sonic 4 was going for…now if only it could be improved upon…
NEXT TIME...:
The Sonic Saga continues and decides to get noticeably more...COLORFUL!
http://i425.photobucket.com/albums/pp332/NintendoFB19/Sonic_Colors.jpg