Sonic the Hedgehog 4, my thoughts.

A few weeks ago sega released Sonic the Hedgehog 4 episode 1 for xbox live arcade and the playstation network. After logging many hours with the game and finally obtaining all the achievements I felt a review of sorts was in order. I also wanted to dispell a lot of the misinformed ideas a few of my friends held about the game before even trying it.

First of all, does it play like a classic Sonic game? Well, yes and no. If you're looking for Sonic 4 to be a direct sequal to the classics like Megaman 9 or 10 were then you may be dissapointed.

The most obvious thing you'll notice is the new graphics engine. Rather than taking the Megaman approach and re-using the classic graphics everything has been given the modern Sonic look. The visuals in this game are beautiful and i would probably recommend the Xbox 360 or PS3 over the Wii version for this reason alone. Sonic 4 in HD looks fantastic.

With the modern changes in graphics also come changes in gameplay. When you first pick up the game you'll notice that the physics in general feel completely different. For example in the classic Sonic games when you jump forward you are comitting to the momentum Sonic held while he was moving forward. Now there appears to be no real physics involved once so ever. Despite the speed i was going on the ground before I jumped, if i dont hold forward during my jump i will imediately fall straight down. Once you get used to it you can aim your landings pretty precisely, but no it doesnt feel like classic Sonic.

On the ground Sonic will still gain speed by going down hill, but you must hold forward the entire time or he will slow and stop. You can't just spin and let the physics carry him forward anymore. On that note, it appears that running moves you faster than spinning now.

In case you took what I wrote above in a negative light, well, you shouldn't. Yes it feels different but keep in mind that this is a sequal, and a 15 years later sequal to boot. Gameplay changes, and I personally feel like its a fun chance to learn something new while playing something familiar.

The level design keeps a good balance of speedy segments and platforming. I feel like they did a good job of emulating the classic game's level designs. I wish they created some more original themes though. The zones, while renamed, are pretty much remakes of older zones. Basically episode 1 gives you green hill, casino night, labyrinth, and metropolis.

The bosses follow a similar theme too. Many of them are almost the same bosses as before but have a "rage" mode added that puts the boss in a wilder pattern when Robotnik is almost beat.

They did a great job with the music. Very Sonic all the way. The fact that they used the drum beats from the sega genesis helps a lot too!

All in all, if you enjoyed the original Sonic games then you're likely to have a good time with Sonic 4. Yeah the new physics can take some getting used to, but it doesnt take long to find your groove again.

Pros:
Great level design and platforming segments.
Fast paced.
Great music and graphics.

Cons:
Moving Sonic takes some getting used to if you spent a lot of time with the classic games.
Bosses and zone themes lack originality.

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