New 2D Sonic game "Sonic the Hedgehog 4" announced for 2010

Status
Not open for further replies.
Fan: Term used to describe a person who is interested, or admires a franchise, object, line, etc. Usually people who are fans tend to wear clothes related to the product, post images on their bedrooms, or research about the product´s latest version. However, the meaning of the word can vary drastically if you add the word ¨Sonic¨ before the sentence. Please see ¨Sonic Fans¨, ¨Growing Up¨ or ¨IGNorance¨ on our page for more information. -Inciclopedia.

Pretty much. Sonic´s known for it´s corrupted fanbase, in other franchises like Phoenix Wright, Silent Hill and stuff everyone´s like:

¨We need a new game, I hope the original characters come back sometimes¨
then someone says:
¨Not a bad idea, but it would be kind of hard for the creators to make a new story taking in count the complicated storyline, but I´d also like to see that¨
and then they start formally discussing, but in sonic it´s like:

¨Hey guys, Sonic 2006 is not bad, I actually like it¨
¨WTF dude, you´ve got not a single idea of what a good game is, that´s some serious shit¨
¨What are you talking about, it was good¨
¨STFU¨
*Topic Locked*

Or... that´s the way I see it.
 
Fan: Term used to describe a person who is interested, or admires a franchise, object, line, etc. Usually people who are fans tend to wear clothes related to the product, post images on their bedrooms, or research about the product´s latest version. However, the meaning of the word can vary drastically if you add the word ¨Sonic¨ before the sentence. Please see ¨Sonic Fans¨, ¨Growing Up¨ or ¨IGNorance¨ on our page for more information. -Inciclopedia.

Pretty much. Sonic´s known for it´s corrupted fanbase, in other franchises like Phoenix Wright, Silent Hill and stuff everyone´s like:

¨We need a new game, I hope the original characters come back sometimes¨
then someone says:
¨Not a bad idea, but it would be kind of hard for the creators to make a new story taking in count the complicated storyline, but I´d also like to see that¨
and then they start formally discussing, but in sonic it´s like:

¨Hey guys, Sonic 2006 is not bad, I actually like it¨
¨WTF dude, you´ve got not a single idea of what a good game is, that´s some serious shit¨
¨What are you talking about, it was good¨
¨STFU¨
*Topic Locked*

Or... that´s the way I see it.
What about green eyes, "OMFG SONIC HAS BLACK EYES, THIS IS HORRIBLE"
Wait,.....didn't Sonic have black eyes in the Genesis years?
Episode 1 is a prologue to the main story
Tails and Knuckles are teased to return in Episode 2
Moves include: Spin Dash, Rolling Attack, Homing Attack and a fourth mystery one
Classic special stages will be returning
The graphics aren't 3D, but CG pre-renders
If you don't get all the Chaos Emeralds, you'll receive a classic "Try Again" ending. Getting all the emeralds results in a cliffhanger tease for Episode 2
-DestrucToid
imgres
 
I'm not an extremist, but I am of the opinion that Sonic 4 won't be a spectacular game, so I'll give out my sentiments.

Starting off with the presentation, to use the modern Sonic design (especially after SEGA announced a return to their roots... again) is just giving the wrong message. For the classic Sonic fan, classic Sonic stands as the symbol of good times -- conversely, modern Sonic is an icon for a franchise that has lost its way (and honestly, I've always felt modern Sonic and the art style going along with him never looked good either, but that's another few paragraphs all by itself). By neglecting classic Sonic in trade for the modern design, immediately you're giving the classic fans a feeling of uncertainty and discomfort. Why not use the old design? Hell, if the game's supposed to be a blending of old and new, why not use that to the game's advantage to create a different design for Sonic that mixes characteristics of the old and new designs? As it stands, the presentation just seems a bit thoughtless. No, it won't directly affect the game, but it will echo bad vibes for me and some other classic fans. So, there's one reason why I'm hesitant to take the game seriously.

As far as art direction goes, I don't have much to comment on the level and badnik design and all that (although I will say that Splash Hill Zone is way too glossy for its own good). My concern is the music. So, they're using cookie-cutter sounds to try and give the game a 16-bit feel. They're missing the point. I don't just like classic Sonic songs because they're retro, I like them because they have good composition. I also like plenty of soundtracks from newer Sonic games. Is it because they're a certain genre? Not necessarily. Much rather, it's because they have good composition! From the soundtrack that we've been shown for Sonic 4, everything sounds same-ish and bland. I think the way the compositions were written would work if there was better instrument diversity; tunes like the one you listed, Splash Hill Zone 2, would sound nice if it wasn't dominated by antagonizing synthish sounds and following pseudo-Genesis restrictions. So, that's another reason for me to care less about Sonic 4.

The gameplay itself is worrisome. One thing I enjoy most about classic Sonic games is using the unique pinball mechanics to my advantage and pleasure. I recall hearing that the rolling ball physics was the very first that was programmed in Sonic 1... yet, alongside the numerous "beta" leaks that were shown for Sonic 4, I saw an E3 video where Sonic was in ball form, slowing down, downhill, until the slope finally curved into a wall, at which point the game decided Sonic should speed up now. Are these physics? If the physics are flawed to where I can't do awesome jumps and speed boosts by exploiting the traits of the mechanics, then Sonic 4 immediately loses some of its potential depth, therefore, I have less reason to feel comfortable with buying this game.

Then there's the matter of level design. I haven't seen all of the leaked videos of Sonic 4, so for me there isn't a lot to go by. Most of my thoughts on level design are on this page, however. You can't levels without the engine to go along with it, however; if the physics aren't good, I don't know how fun a level in Sonic 4 would be. This is an issue I'll leave someone else to tackle.

The homing attack is... debatable. Sonic Adventure didn't have very bad reasoning for putting it in; enemies are hard to jump on in a 3D environment than in a 2D one, so Sonic homing in on enemies is kind of like how Mario punches goombas in Super Mario 64. I'd only like it in the 2D atmosphere if adds depth to the gameplay instead of just detrimenting the difficulty level. I think something more akin to S3&K's instashield would have been better, since it's more skill-indexed, and something an expert classic Sonic player can really appreciate. And elemental shield abilities! Those things added depth and gameplay variety to the levels and made Sonic really worth playing. Does Sonic 4 have those? I think not.

The inclusion of the homing attack would be fine if I could opt it out for the ability to fly; or maybe glide and reach different routes. But SEGA appears to be adamant with their god damn "Sonic's the only playable character!!!! :D" streak, so forget it.

Sonic 4 might be decent for a general platformer experience, but I don't think it's going hold a candle to its predecessors. It seems lacking in the traits that I think make up a Sonic game, so I'm not looking forward to it.
 
Last edited:
[Wall of Text]

Sonic 4 might be decent for a general platformer experience, but I don't think it's going hold a candle to its predecessors. It seems lacking in the traits that I think make up a Sonic game, so I'm not looking forward to it.


Soo, because it's a sequel it has to be directly compared to it's predecessors? If it's not as good as those, it's not worth buying?
For the record, I hated Sonic 3 and Knuckles...
 
"Not worth buying" is a gross generalization. If you want to play a Sonic game for different reasons than I do, that's perfectly fine. I'm saying that it's missing the things I enjoyed about classic Sonic games, both from a gameplay and artistic perspective. You'll probably enjoy it as a general platformer, but I think if I tried to get the most out of the game, its depth would fall short.
 
Just hypothetically, if a new Sonic game is going to be released that looks pretty bad, aren't we supposed to complain? It's in our interests, as the delay and tweaking with Sonic 4 has demonstrated. And isn't in the interests of SEGA as a whole, to make the game have as wide as an appeal as possible to move the most units? Therefore, criticism isn't unwarranted, even from long-time fans. Mainstream videogame companies recognize the value of criticism as well. Otherwise, they wouldn't spend money on things like testers or focus groups. In terms of economics, criticism from regular fans may be even more valuable because you don't have to pay it. Just go to any old sonic.net/forum and there's a lot of quick and free criticism for developers.

I will concede that some forms of criticism (or, okay, complaining) are more useful than others. For instance, I try to avoid forcing my points into discussion again and again and again. That's just annoying. But I don't think there's any inherent problem with high aspirations. I want Sonic 4 to be as original and good as its predecessors, and while I doubt that standard of quality will be met (not because/just because of lack of talent, but also because almost none of the influential people who made the original games over 15 years are working with the Sonic 4 dev team), it forms a good base from which to form my criticism towards the project, because those were games that I thought were the pinnacle of fun.
 
Just hypothetically, if a new Sonic game is going to be released that looks pretty bad, aren't we supposed to complain? It's in our interests, as the delay and tweaking with Sonic 4 has demonstrated. And isn't in the interests of SEGA as a whole, to make the game have as wide as an appeal as possible to move the most units? Therefore, criticism isn't unwarranted, even from long-time fans. Mainstream videogame companies recognize the value of criticism as well. Otherwise, they wouldn't spend money on things like testers or focus groups. In terms of economics, criticism from regular fans may be even more valuable because you don't have to pay it. Just go to any old sonic.net/forum and there's a lot of quick and free criticism for developers.

Yeah, you totally have a right to do what you said in your post, people obviously can go and tell to the developers, but what´s the point of being in an SRB2 netgame, minding your own buisness, and then a guy comes and starts spamming about how Sonic 4 sucks, or why he dislikes something he hasnt even played. And if you say anything like ¨Don´t like it, don´t play it¨, he will just start spamming crap. Same goes for private Youtube videos.
 
Well, there's a time and a place for everything. Since this topic relates to Sonic 4, I think it's fine we discuss it here. But the purpose of SRB2's multiplayer is primarily to have fun playing the game, so harping on Sonic 4 there would be inappropriate. Fortunately, SRB2 has mechanisms to kick anybody who does that out of the game, I believe.
 
The point is, isn't Sonic Suppose to stink sometimes and sometimes have good times.
Is it me or the song "Dear my friend" from Sonic Unleashed tells us a lesson.
"Good times and bad times,
I can count on being with you.
I thank you for staying" Good times and Bad times, he will be with us.
 
Last edited:
I could say the same, well maybe except for Sonic Heroes since you play the same levels and ect. But yeah, i'm gonna re-buy Sa2B for my Gamecube I have. I accidental-y traded it off with the Playstation 2 game package. I really missed my little Chaos. Speaking about Sonic 4, try to get all the emeralds to get a special ending and a seek-off of Episode 2. :P
 
I don't know really, but the song applys as in we stick with him through bad and good

I think it´s suppoused to be about Chip and Sonic, as for the fantards and him, I´m not so sure.

Sonic´s one of the least subliminal games in history, so it´s not to amaze people hates it so much.
 
oh cool! That super sonic is really good! i like how they gave him his running/flight and you CAN play as him in a stage instead of the final acts! This game is going to be AWESOME!
 
oh cool! That super sonic is really good! i like how they gave him his running/flight and you CAN play as him in a stage instead of the final acts! This game is going to be AWESOME!

Is this... is this sarcasm? I´d assume so, but with so many new people around, one never knows.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Who is viewing this thread (Total: 1, Members: 0, Guests: 1)

Back
Top