Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1

irish_stevo815

Finally, a proper Sonic sequel is on the way in the form of Sonic the Hedgehog 4, which will be spilt into 2 parts - Episode 1 & Episode 2. The game gets rid of the bulky 3D 360degree camera style and goes back to the old school style of Sonic 1, 2, 3 and Sonic & Knuckles.



The latest issue of Game Informer has more information on Sonic 4: Episode 1 than one could possible want, with screens and an interview that should please plenty of old school fans. At least, the old school fans who aren't busy whining about Sonic's legs being too long.

Here's all the important stuff gleaned from the interview with Takashi Iizuka:

* 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

Sega have also released a Teaser trailer for the game which looks cool, and has me personally very excited about the return of the legend that is, Sonic the Hedgehog.

Episode 1 is due out Sptember 2010 on PSN, Xbox live arcade and WiiWare.

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Jazzy

ha, sweet

Fnz

But his eyes are green... unplayable!

B00MSTICK

His legs are feckin' huge though

Kinetic^

This will sell better then all sonic games since sonic 3 combined! Can't wait for this, back to the original side scrolling awesome game play.

Professey Chin

I am hoping for a spinny legs animation when running full whack.
Spinny legs always looked cool!

smellslikeshoes

Got a serious shiver down my spine watching that

Fnz

smellslikeshoes wrote: »

Got a serious shiver down my spine watching that

dreamers75

16 years and about 43 games it took them to come to this conclusion.


And they wonder why they are **** now.

L31mr0d

Would of preferred the short, stocky Sonic from the originals rather than the tall skinny Sonic they have now but whatever... gameplay should be good... hopefully.

Overheal

I liked Sonic Adventures... the levels mind you. I could give two ****s about the god awful cutscenes and voiceovers

And then they dropped Dreamcast and I grew up a little bit more. But I rented Heroes once - what a horrible crock of shyte. Ever since all I've gone on was word of mouth, which has been woeful.

Shapey Fiend

This has probably been farmed out to some **** developer. The level design will probably be worse than the Sonic Advance games. I think those had a more unified style as well. Ugly prerendered 3D.. yay. Bring on Rise of The Robots 3.

Kidchameleon

looks awful. theyll never make another sonic game like 1,2 and 3 unless naka and co from the original team are involved

Professey Chin

Shapey Fiend wrote: »

This has probably been farmed out to some **** developer. The level design will probably be worse than the Sonic Advance games. I think those had a more unified style as well. Ugly prerendered 3D.. yay. Bring on Rise of The Robots 3.

Kidchameleon wrote: »

looks awful. theyll never make another sonic game like 1,2 and 3 unless naka and co from the original team are involved

Its being developed by the studio who made Sonic Advance & Sonic Rush with Sonic 3s lead level designer involved aswell

landsleaving

Looks good enough so far. Needs more Big the Cat though. Bit of fishing!

PirateShampoo

And then they go and ruin it all by making it GFWL.

Dunjohn

Sonic Rush was good. Not AS good as the originals, but very close, and very playable.

I'll probably get this, whatever the reviews.

D4RK ONION

Sonic Rush was very enjoyable indeed. Classic 2D sonic with some nice new twists. And this is being developed by the same people, so I've very high hopes for it!

Professey Chin

http://kotaku.com/5497403/the-splash-hills-of-sonic-the-hedgehog-4/gallery/

I see a spinny legs animation

Fnz

Ultimate Chin wrote: »

http://kotaku.com/5497403/the-splash-hills-of-sonic-the-hedgehog-4/gallery/

I see a spinny legs animation

I can't believe I care about such a stupid thing but... where?

Professey Chin

Fnz wrote: »

I can't believe I care about such a stupid thing but... where?

The blur on his feet in the second screenshot.I choose to believe thats spinny feet.....and why wouldnt you care :pac:

Retr0gamer

I think the art is awful. Looks like the backdrops have an awful dated digitised CGI look like in Donkey Kong Country and the sprites look like they are out of a flash game. Would it kill a dev team to put some detail in their 2D instead of filling it out in solid blocks of colour.

Holsten

Cannot wait.

I still play Sonic 3 and Knuckles every once and a while.

Gaming perfection!

Dunjohn

Swinging-vine sections. Ugh, I hate those in games.

I am impressed by how closely they're keeping to the style of the original games. The starposts, the badniks, the chequerboard geology, they're not going to let ANYONE say this isn't core Sonic.

At least in the looks department, anyway.

Professey Chin

Preview from IGN

Blue skies, red shoes and golden rings, tied together with chequered tiles, corkscrews and springs. These are the things that great memories are made of, but it's impossible to talk about Sonic the Hedgehog without acknowledging how tarnished they've now become, with nearly every entry within the past decade marred by missteps, mishaps and plain bad design. Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I promises to be entirely different; it takes those memories of long afternoons spent dashing and spinning against ever-colourful backdrops at a time when it wasn't parallax barriers but parallax scrolling that was the buzzword, and it makes its business nothing simpler than polishing them and refining them. The result, we're delighted to report, is quite dazzling.

Marking the first entry in a new episodic approach – although SEGA's yet to reveal how many episodes to expect or how frequent they'll be – Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I is so reductive in its approach to the series' formula that it makes Sonic 2 seem bloated and Sonic 3 feel like an exercise in abstract expressionism. Every bit of excess fat that the games have accumulated over the years has been stripped away (and when Sonic games have descended into delivering water-weak mimics of God of War it's fair to give a diagnosis of morbid obesity), and it's a thrilling discovery to realise that Sonic's core concept is still as brilliant as ever.



Maintaining momentum is the order of the day and it's a feat that's rewarded by some wonderful turns of speed. Sonic's always been more of a racing game than a platformer, its legacy more evident in games like Trials HD than anywhere else, and when it goes back to basics this is more apparent than ever. It's an aspect of the game that's acknowledged well in the time trial mode, with global online leaderboards logging the best times achieved throughout Sonic the Hedgehog 4's stages.

Those stages themselves are well designed and while they're firmly rooted in the foundations laid by the very first wave of Sonic games they've clearly benefitted from 20 years worth of hindsight. Splash Hill Zone is the only set of stages on display and they're near enough a remake of Sonic 2's Emerald Hill Zone, with multiple paths coursing through green hills and under a SEGA-blue sky that turns red as the sun sets in the last of its three runs.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4's structure is also steadfastly traditional, with levels coming in sets of three and climaxing with a showdown with Dr. Robotnik. Snatch 50 rings in a stage and at its end there'll be the opportunity to enter a bonus stage that's ripped from the very first Sonic the Hedgehog, with a revolving maze housing a Chaos Emerald. There's a modern twist too; both the PlayStation 3 and Wii versions get motion control support as the maze can be rotated with a flick of the pad.



Sonic himself is also a blast from the past. His look in the game may well stem from the 3D generation of games, but his moveset harks back to earlier days. The only addition to the standard set of run, jump spin and spin attack is the homing dash that Sonic Adventure introduced and it's been well worked in to a 2D space, providing an invaluable tool when trying to chain airborne enemies in order to maintain speed. Likewise the power-ups are of the old order – speed-ups, shields and the trademark glittering invincibility were the only ones we witnessed, and we doubt there are any other outlandish additions that lay in wait.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 might feel familiar, but in truth it's better than we ever remember Sonic being. Levels flow together with a little more ease than the originals, and of course the HD refit sits perfectly with Sonic's bright visuals. Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I's an advancement of the approach taken by the DS's excellent Sonic Rush games, no surprise given that it's Dimps that are undertaking the bulk of the development work with Sonic Team lending a helping hand. Some familiar names return, most notably composer Jun Senoue who provides some suitably sparky and hummable background music.

We've been here before, of course, and it's not the first time that a Sonic game has wowed at first glance only to disappoint further down the line. But, truly and genuinely, Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is different, being the first game in some time to acknowledge why the series was so popular in the first place. Don't be surprised if it provides some sweet memories of its own when it comes out this summer.

http://ie.ps3.ign.com/articles/107/1079805p1.html

sprinkles

I can not wait. To the Green Hill Zone!!

nitromaster

Arghh.

I have a ton of games I've barely played (amongst them majoras mask, animal crossing wii, nsb wii, fall out 3, fable 2 and loads more.) but I want this reallybad!

And I know I'm gonna just drop everything...including any games I buy before that....for this

New sonic side scroller every few months? Each with 7 stages? He'll yeah seems like a good return for sonic...so far :pac: