• Sonic 4: Episodes 1 & 2 soundtrack CDs have been planned to be released on the 1st of August in Japan and presumably on a date close to that to the rest of the world. (No comment.)
• Sonic Blast is now available on the 3DS Nintendo eShop in Europe and Australia (Yes, for once Australia got something Sonic related before America did. When was the last time that happened? When they built SEGA world in Sydney? Come to think of it, America never got a SEGA world, Europe did though. Unfortunatelly they knocked both of them down though.)
• Another trailer for the Sonic fan-movie has been released!
  
  Wow, this almost looks official! Check out the CGI quality of those robots!

Now to the big news…a new Zelda game!

Many of you may of heard about how Nintendo have said that an HD remake of The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask isn’t impossible if enough people want it, well now they have decided for certain that they are going to make it!…Well, not quite. They have decided for certain that they are going to make a new Zelda game, but they have a few choices that they need to decide against. The first one is an HD remake of A Link to the Past. This was considered by many fans to be the best 2D Zelda game and would please many fans if it was remade in HD. You can see a fan-made intro of what the intro to the game would be like in HD here…

And here’s a trailer made by some third party game developers for the HD remake of Majora’s Mask (This isn’t official either, but it certainly looks like it!)

Nintendo’s other choice is a sequel to A Link to the Past. No videos have been made for this yet, but now that Nintendo have put it out there that they might be making a sequel, it’s quite likely that someone will make a fan-trailer.

Which of these do you want? Cast your vote in IGN’s video!

-Dafster

Source(s): The Sonic Stadium, IGN

A Tail of Two Games

He is one of gaming’s most beloved mascots, but in recent years, the spiky speedster that is Sonic the Hedgehog has had trouble even getting out of the starting gates due to a difficult transition into the 3D realm. But, with games like Sonic Generations and the first episode of Sonic the Hedgehog 4, we’ve come to realize that Sonic’s natural environment may just be that of a classic side-scrolling platformer. So, when SEGA announced they were finally releasing the second episode for Sonic 4, many fans, myself included, could not wait to see if Sonic could hit the trifecta.

Unfortunately, where Sonic succeeded in his previous two side-scrolling forays, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II is held back by one key factor: Sonic’s ever-irritating sidekick, Tails. And it’s not that I mind Tails’ presence in the game, but more that SEGA felt the need to force Sonic to share the spotlight with his sidekick. In fact, the game almost feels more like a Tails game than it does a continuation of a Sonic adventure. Many of the puzzles, obstacles, and even boss battles require you to team-up with Tails in order to navigate the branching pathways of the four new acts presented to us. Whether grabbing Sonic and briefly flying with him to scale a particularly steep cliff or a special double-spin attack that lets you barrel over nearly everything in your path, the emphasis on Tails is ever-present and quite off-putting if you’re an old-school fan.

Another down point is that even though the controls have been tweaked and it is nice that Sonic feels a lot smoother than in Episode I, with the Tails team-up maneuvers, it feels like you’re fighting your joystick a lot of the time when flying or rolling in the double-spin. Just another aspect of the game that is taken down a notch due to Tails’ overbearing presence.

There are some positives to this game as well though. The audio/visual aspect of the game is absolutely top-notch. From racing down rickety roller coasters, to working your way through a Robotnik Oil Refinery, or sliding down snow-covered slopes, the level design is diverse and no two areas really look the same. The music, specially tailored to sound like the 16-bit tunes of old, are simple, but catchy, successfully reminding us of Sonic’s past exploits.

There are even some positives to Tails. Since they make you drag the fox around anyway, as he continues being flattened, forked, and flambéed as he gets left behind constantly when just being controlled by the computer, the least SEGA was able to do was insert both local and online 2-player co-op. Playing with a friend as Tails is still difficult depending on your communication skills, but at least it’s a lot more entertaining when you can yell at your friend for dropping you instead of the computer.

The game also offers a fair amount of replayability with the time trials feature where you can upload your times to an online leaderboard, and there are always those seven Chaos Emeralds to collect. As a nice additional bonus, if you purchased Sonic 4: Episode I, once you beat Episode II, you can unlock an additional act where you can play as Metal Sonic and learn just how it was that he came back as he traces a unique path through levels from the first few Sonic games. These levels were particularly fun as it gives fans a chance to revisit some classic locales as well as you don’t have to deal with an irritating sidekick most of the time.

All in all, this game does a decent job of finishing off the Sonic 4 story and does offer enough platforming and old-school elements that should please hardcore fans enough that they can look past many of the game’s shortcomings. It is efforts like this though that remind us why so many people consider Tails a nuisance as him hogging the spotlight for this game really forced a lot of the game play to take a step back from what fans expect and appreciate from an old-school Sonic adventure.

SUMMARY:  The controls took a surprising step back and there were too many puzzles that required Tails’ assistance for my liking. If you can get past these though, there is a solid Sonic adventure here at its core that’s worth taking a look at for long-time fans.

• THE GOOD: Classic Sonic style action in bright and colorful new locales
• THE BAD: Tails-centric obstacles and puzzles
• THE UGLY: A.I. Tails still constantly getting killed just like in Sonic 2

SCORE: 6.5

Sonic 4: Episode II is available on XBLA (Xbox 360), PSN (PS3) and PC. Primary version reviewed was on XBLA (Xbox 360).  

Since I can’t play the game, I decided to watch someone else’s playthrough on YouTube. So, with the obvious disclaimer that I haven’t actually played the game, here are my thoughts.

My biggest problem with Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I was that it didn’t feel like a separate game at all. It was basically a slightly less interesting Sonic the Hedgehog 2 without Tails. There were some other problems (the physics engine was pretty shoddy, for instance), but it basically boiled down to, “I’ve already played this game, and it was better last time.”

Episode II made it clear almost immediately that my objections had been heard. The game opens with the kind of minimalistic cutscene Genesis fans will be familiar with from Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Sonic and Tails are flying on the Tornado when they notice what looks like a ruined castle. Being the adventurous sort they are, the heroes decide to investigate.

Now this is what I’m talking about. Although the level concept might be reminiscent of previous games, it isn’t a Copy/Paste like Episode I‘s zones clearly were. The real masterstroke was the boss fight, Egg Serpentleaf. This boss begins with two pillars rising which are identical to the pillars seen in the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 boss fight Hammer Eggman. Before I could even get out an exasperated complaint, the pillars were suddenly smashed away by a pair of huge tentacles, and it was revealed that the real boss fight was a giant flower with tentacles controlled by the Egg Mobile mounted on it. In other words, nothing like Hammer Eggman. This almost felt like a “yeah, we heard you” teasing wink from the game designers. In addition to being quite unlike anything we’ve seen in any of the previous 2D Sonic Games, this boss required the use of the new Sonic/Tails partner system, a mechanic entirely unique to this game.

Speaking of that partner system, although I obviously didn’t actually get to use it, it looks much better than what we’re used to from 2D Sonic games. It appears that you have the ability to initiate several moves (the most common being Tails grabbing you out of midair and flying you somewhere) and then control them. For anyone who remembers plugging in a second controller to get to hard to reach places in Sonic 2 and Sonic 3 & Knuckles, please join me in saying thank you to the designers of Sonic 4: Episode II. Furthermore, it becomes apparent later in the game that the Sonic/Tails partner moves actually have the extremely useful ability to bring Sonic out of his Super Form, meaning you can finally switch back and forth between Sonic and Super Sonic at will. (The only way to do it in previous games was by entering a Bonus Stage.)

More than the dramatically improved gameplay aspect of Sonic and Tails as partners, what I love about this game is the emphasis on Sonic and Tails as partners, something that’s been missing from Sonic games for almost 20 years. Sega seems to think that because they have come up with so many new, interesting characters that they need to cram every single one of them into every Sonic game, and that makes it almost impossible for Tails’ role to not be diminished. Here, in addition to the fact that the whole game is Sonic and Tails having an adventure together, it’s the little things, like the fact that the gauge that shows how many lives you have is a Sonic & Tails logo, not just a Sonic logo.

The level concepts of the next two zones are also relatively original, though not nearly as smooth. I have to admit, I honestly have no idea what’s going on with White Park Zone. Act 1 is a snow level with a theme park in the background, Act 2 is that theme park, and Act 3 is a frozen underwater level. What exactly is going on here? On a positive note, Tails’ already-awesome swimming from the Genesis games actually seems genuinely useful in this game, as he carries Sonic with him and can even go from swimming to flying if you break the surface of the water. It’s great stuff. And the boss of this stage is none other than a revived Metal Sonic!

The next zone, Oil Desert Zone, immediately made me think, “Oh Lord, if I see one badnik in a burqa, I’m turning this video off.” Luckily, there wasn’t anything nearly so tasteless, and now Sonic fans have another inside joke I guess.

Sky Fortress Zone is probably the least original zone in the game, but it does certainly have distinguishing features. Act 1 is indeed quite reminiscent of Sky Chase Zone from Sonic 2, but with the added element of being attacked by Metal Sonic piloting the Metal Carrier. Acts II and III are reminiscent of Wing Fortress Zone from Sonic 2 and Flying Battery Zone from Sonic & Knuckles, but that’s perfectly acceptable as having a flying fortress seems like a sensible trope for Robotnik.

And the boss makes up for any lack of originality in Acts 2 & 3. The boss is Metal Sonic’s Metal Carrier. To my knowledge, this is the only time in a 2D Sonic game that Sonic fights a boss from Tails’ Tornado plane. It’s really actually kind of surprising this hasn’t happened before, and fits the theme of this game actually introducing new gameplay elements to the series while staying mostly within the Genesis style.

After the Metal Carrier is destroyed, we get another Genesis-style cutscene of Sonic pursuing Metal Sonic and Robotnik on the heavily-damaged Sky Fortress. Sonic chases Robotnik all the way to an escape pod, where Metal Sonic steps in to hold him off while Robotnik takes off, and then takes off himself, leaving Sonic and Tails to find escape pods of their own to pursue.

The final level of the game, predictably enough, is Death Egg mk. II Zone. This zone features two acts, both of which are boss fights. The first is a duel with Metal Sonic in which you fight him twice with a stretch of normal gameplay in between. The first fight features Metal and Eggman, while the second is a straight up fight with Metal Sonic himself. After you defeat Metal Sonic for the final time of the game, the stage is set for the final boss.

This is where the game easily could’ve gone wrong. Episode I made the mistake of just giving us a carbon copy of Sonic 2‘s final boss. An original boss might not have a grand enough scale to fit the paradigm of Genesis game final bosses. Don’t worry: they didn’t screw up. The Egg Heart is both original and convincing as the final boss of a Sonic game. Robotnik’s machine is surrounded by three rings, which you must again use the partner system to fly between. Some of the rings will become electrified, and after a few hits Robotnik will start using a forcefield to protect himself that you must use the Rolling Combo move with Tails to break. The Egg Heart also uses gravity-based attacks. This combination of obstacles and attacks makes this look like a challenging final boss worthy of a Sonic game.

The final cutscene is nothing special, just Sonic and Tails abandoning the dead Death Egg in escape pods, but that’s what you’d expect from a Genesis-style Sonic game, so no complaints there. The credis roll… and then, if you own both parts of Sonic 4 on your game system, you’re not done.

Reminscent of the “lock on” features of Sonic & Knuckles, if the game detects Sonic 4: Episode I, you move on to Episode Metal. Episode Metal begins with a flashback to Metal Sonic’s defeat in Sonic CD, and then shows Eggman showing up and reviving him. The badly damaged Metal Sonic limps to Metal Gear (a stage from Sonic 4: Episode I). We learn that Metal Gear was built for the purpose of reviving Metal Sonic! Ingeniously, Metal Sonic then plays through the zones of Episode I backwards. Although I question why Robotnik’s badniks would attack his ally, this ties Episode I and Episode II together nicely, and forces me to concede that Episode I may not have been entirely useless (though my earlier complaints still stand.)

After playing through the site of his revival, Metal Sonic moves on to Lost Labyrinth Zone, and we discover that the purpose of this zone was Metal Sonic discovering a mysterious orb that grants him new powers (powers which we see in the main story of Episode II). Casino Street Zone seems to more or less be thrown in for the sake of completeness, and finally Metal Sonic plays through Splash Hill Zone, arriving just too late to catch Sonic as we see him and Tails taking off in the Tornado.

So there we have it. Although it would be nice to actually play the game, it certainly looks like all of my complaints about Episode I were answered, and then some. Plus, the game features excellent graphics and sound, and for the most part a superb soundtrack. There are a few exceptions to the “superb soundtrack” part, though (I’m looking at you, Oil Desert Zone Act 2.) I still don’t understand why Episode I had to exist, and they couldn’t have just made a slightly longer version of Episode II, but I’m glad to see Sega finally got their heads out of their asses.

Except for releasing this game on every system they released Episode I on, anyway.

Opening song: Test Dummy, originally from Mega Man 2 and remixed by AE.

Ending song: Atmosphere, originally from Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and remixed by halc.

Sonic the Hedgehog revs up for a sidescrolling adventure in Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II in another attempt to recapture those wonderful days when his games didn’t suck. While last fall’s Sonic Generations took some good strides in helping the spiky rodent reclaim his place among gaming royalty, Episode II feels like a return to the Sonic we got to know during the last 15 years…

…the one that always disappoints us.

WHAT YOU’LL LIKE

Tails doesn’t fail
The most notable difference between Episode II and its predecessor is the return of Tails as your loyal (and strangely immortal) sidekick. Teaming up with Tails can allow you to fly to hard-to-reach places and to save yourself from a deadly fall. You can also use the two-tailed fox to better navigate the game’s annoying underwater levels (seriously, does anyone actually like water stages?) and to perform a sort of super spin dash that can blast through obstacles.

While Tails originally introduced a trend that would eventually drown the series with annoying animal sidekicks, he remains a classic and useful ally. Recent games have reduced his role to an inventor and mechanic who sits on the sidelines, but Episode II returns him to Sonic’s side, where he belongs.

Better levels
Episode I’s levels were boring retreads of ideas from Sonic’s better days. I mean, seriously guys — we don’t need another casino-themed stage.

Some zones in Episode II still feel too familiar. Sylvania Castle Zone, for instance, is a blatant rip-off (or homage, if you prefer a kinder word) of Sonic 2’s Aquatic Ruin Zone from the Sega Genesis days. But on the whole, the levels this time around are much more interesting and uniquely themed. The second act of White Park Zone, which takes place on a wooden roller coaster, is the biggest standout thanks to branching paths that spring Sonic from background to foreground.

WHAT YOU WON’T LIKE

A cheap imitation
When I played the first episode of Sonic the Hedgehog 4, I really didn’t understand what Sega was trying to do. After playing Episode II, I still have no idea. Is this a retro homage to its blue mascot’s awesome past? Well, then it should look like a Genesis game. Remember Mega Man 9? So many people loved it because playing it felt exactly like playing a Mega Man game on the Nintendo Entertainment System. The developers were even smart enough to program in the limitations of the NES, like slowdown and pixel flickering.

Sonic 4 doesn’t feel like a Genesis game at all. It just makes me wish I were playing one. Sure, the 2D platforming is similar, but the graphics are made out of lifeless polygons instead of rich, vibrant pixels. Sonic and Tails both sport their modern looks, even though Sega just went to great lengths to reintroduce classic Sonic to the masses with Sonic Generations.

The identity crisis doesn’t end there. Sonic has the homing attack that was first introduced in Sonic Adventure for the Dreamcast. It was a clever way of making fast-paced, 3D platforming possible without falling to your death every other minute. In a 2D game it just makes the experience too easy. But it’s there, so I guess they want Sonic 4 to feel like a newer game? Then why are the sound effects straight out of a 1990s Genesis?

My point is that if Sega wanted to do a proper homage, then it should have tried to make Sonic 4 look, not just play, like an old-school title. If they wanted Sonic 4 to stand on its own as a next-generation sidescroller (like Rayman Origins or New Super Mario Bros. Wii), then it shouldn’t feel like a cheap imitation of the series’ best games.

Metal Sonic
One of Sega’s selling points for Sonic 4: Episode II was the ability to play as Metal Sonic, who fans mostly remember from the much-loved Sonic CD. The Metal Sonic levels unlock if you also own Episode I. As a big fan of Sonic CD, I was really looking forward to seeing how Metal Sonic would control. Well, he controls exactly like Sonic. Exactly.

Once again, Sega steals a page from its old playbook without understanding why it worked in the first place. Remember how locking Sonic the Hedgehog 2 onto Sonic and Knuckles allowed you play as the red echidna in the former? Well, that was cool, not just because we were Knuckles, but because he played differently than Sonic. His gliding and climbing abilities made journeying through all of Sonic 2’s zones just as exciting as it was the first time around.

When you’re Metal Sonic, you only get to play through a few levels from Episode I with a few lame cutscenes throw in. He doesn’t shoot energy beams or glide over gaps. He’s exactly like Sonic. He even has the stupid homing attack.

Metal Sonic also shows up during the main campaign as Dr. Robotnik’s lackey. How sad it is to see one of the series’ best rivals reduced to a sidekick. There’s no good reason for him to be there other than Sega desperately trying to associate this mediocre affair with the far superior Sonic CD.

The music
The Genesis Sonic the Hedgehog games graced gamers’ ears with some of the best tunes of the 16-bit era. I still often find myself humming the themes from Green Hill Zone and Star Light Zone. Those songs have inspired hundreds of remixes and beautiful orchestrations.

So why does the music in Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II make me wish for deafness? It’s not just bad; it’s annoying. Seriously, listen to the boss theme from Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Classic. I could play that on loop all day. Now listen to the boss theme from Sonic 4: Episode 2. Forget about waterboarding. That’s kiddy stuff. Just tie someone to a chair and force him to listen to that atrocity for a few hours. He’ll bite off his own toes just to make it end.

I wish that song was just a solitary example of lameness, but the whole soundtrack penetrates your eardrums with annoying beeps and bloops. This game is supposed to pay homage to classic Sonic titles, right? Then there’s no excuse for music like this. They couldn’t even properly replicate the distinctive tones of the Genesis sound chip.

The only thing they replicated was crap. Like, if a robot could poop, it would sound like the soundtrack for this game.

The camera
Yes, folks. The camera in a 2D sidescroller is bad. How is that even possible, you ask? The camera has an annoying habit of zooming in. Now, while this is sometimes a neat effect, it also means you can’t see anything coming ahead of you. You’ve probably heard, but Sonic is kind of fast. So, if you can’t see five feet ahead of where’s he running, you’re going to experience some cheap deaths.

Way too easy
Episode II wants you to beat it. I don’t mean abusively (although I certainly had moments when I wished I could deliver a swift kick to the game’s rear), but it goes to great lengths to make sure you won’t fail. After just a few levels, your extra lives will reach double digits. Most stages don’t require any tricky platforming, and Tails’ flying ability often allows you to bypass the few difficult sections that do exist.

Extra life-saving rings fly at you during boss battles, meaning you could just run through most of their attacks, allow yourself to get hit, and take advantage of your second of invulnerability to hit your target and run into some new rings in the process.

I was able to zip through all four zones in a few hours using only a small percentage of my admittedly limited brain power. Even then, the experience was so easy and mundane that I had to take breaks just so I could find some sort of stimulation to keep myself awake. Yes, I needed to find entertainment before I could finish my “entertainment.”

CONCLUSION
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II is a frustrating experience for Sonic fans. You can sense the old, creaky bones of what once made the franchise so much fun, but they’re surrounded by chewy, rancid meat. You may experience a few moments of nostalgia when playing through the short campaign, but you’ll really just wish you could bust out your Genesis, dust off your old cartridges, and play a real Sonic game.

Score: 45/100

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II was released on May 15, 2012 for the PlayStation 3 and on May 16, 2012 on the Xbox 360. An Xbox 360 copy of the game was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.

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Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 was a good attempt at giving players a continuation of the original Genesis titles, but its wonky physics and gimmicky stages kept it from achieving true potential. It looked like a classic 2D Sonic game, but the game lacked that special essence that made its 16-bit predecessors so much fun. Luckily, Episode 2 is the better of the two installments and gives fans a Sonic they’re more familiar with, even if does come with a few misses.

One of the biggest additions to Episode 2 is the inclusion of Tails, who now brings two-player co-op to the table. Like in the classic games, Tails can pick up and fly Sonic to places he can’t reach for a short amount of time, but players have a lot more control over him this time. By simply pressing a button, the action will pause, and Tails will teleport to where Sonic is and help him out. I found this too convenient sometimes because while it gets you out of sticky situations right away, after a while, it becomes too easy to press a button and save Sonic from a misstep. Tails and Sonic also have another combo ability that turns them into a giant ball, faster and stronger than the average spindash. The duo will always be joined by one another, so levels integrate these two abilities in unique ways that create a different experience. The game may feel like Sonic the Hedgehog 2, but this is a new game, after all.

Co-op mode lets two people play together offline or online, but it does come across a few problems, one of them due to the game’s fast-paced action. If you fall behind your friend, the game will respawn you right behind him, but you’ll need to press a button to pop out of your protective “bubble” like in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. The problem here, though, is that this happens a lot when going down slopes or slides, even when you don’t intend to leave someone behind. Another thing I noticed is that the person playing as Tails will have an advantage and can easily exploit certain situations by flying; this is especially evident during boss fights. Let’s just say, playing with someone else is easier than playing solo.

Controlling Sonic and dashing through the many colorful worlds feels quite good. Episode 1’s physics engine has been overhauled, and the blue hedgehog runs a bit more like he did back during his Genesis years. Sonic’s homing attack is back, but aiming feels more accurate and is easier to pull off. He is also less shiny and doesn’t look out of place amid his colorful backdrops, which have layered textures that often give the game a great pseudo 3D effect. Considering the game is supposed to feel like Sonic 2, it’s great that controls and graphics don’t distract you from the game’s speed, a problem that often plagued Episode 1.

Stages, too, are a lot more reminiscent of the original games and are designed to keep you always in motion. While it’s a bit apparent that the themes of past stages have been recycled into “new” zones – expect to see a sky fortress and a snowy amusement park, for example – the game does have its unique charm that is complemented by its soundtrack reminiscent of Sonic’s 16-bit days. There is, however, one section of an underwater level that requires you to swim past enemies that freeze the way forward. If you’re too slow or your aiming is off, you’ll be blocked from all sides, and all you can do is wait until Sonic and Tails drown to try again. Frustrated, I tried (in vain) to find a solution, and can only wonder why the developers wouldn’t provide one that doesn’t require losing a life.

Like classic Sonic titles, Episode 2 is great the first time you play it, but you may question playing through it several times. To extend playtime even further, the game includes chaos emeralds and red rings to collect in each act. As expected, collecting these emeralds lets you turn into Super Sonic, but it doesn’t really affect the game’s ending that much. Also, while finding each act’s red ring is supposed to provide a challenge, they are simply in areas you’ll explore anyway, and their presence simply serves to unlock an achievement. The developers did include a score attack and time trial mode for each act, so players can at least compete with each other via the game’s leaderboards.

While I didn’t particularly enjoy Episode 1 that much, Episode 2 rewards players who played the first game and unlocks Episode 1 stages playable as Metal Sonic. This feels almost like an apologetic thank you to fans that played through the first game, but this expansion gives you some backstory to the character and lets you play through the first game in a whole new way. Plus, it’s great to see Sega implement a similar lock-on technology it did back when Sonic & Knuckles came out.

Episode 2 has some obvious gameplay issues and provides a lackluster ending, but the experience playing through each stage is very nostalgic of the fun I had playing through the Genesis games. I also truly appreciate the improvements the developers made to the game and that they listened to and fixed what fans disliked about the first one. At this rate, let’s hope Episode 3 is made and becomes something truly worth raving about.

Score given: 3/5

Published May 2012 | BlastMagazine.com