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**Durahansolo** · 02-04-2010, 04:17 AM

Re: And Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is...

Episodic... *Sigh* I don't even know what to say about that.

Rejected Sonic the Hedgehog Zone #2

**Armando** · 02-04-2010, 05:00 AM

Re: And Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is...

Yep, that's right, they couldn't even be bothered to release a whole game at one time. Some games can be episodic, but this isn't one I would have really put in that mold.

Sonic 2, 3 & Knuckles was technically a 3-part episodic story arc, and S3&K is still the best goddamned Sonic game of all time. Sonic 3 started literally minutes after Sonic 2, and S&K did the same thing with Sonic 3. The odd one out in all the old school Sonic games was Sonic 1, with its lack of game mechanics beyond rolling and jumping, only 6 Chaos Emeralds and no real plot tie-ins to the rest of the games.

I won't mind the fact that it's episodic as long as they're still delivering a full Sonic game in each episode at a reasonable price ($10-$15): 8 zones with 2 full acts + 1 boss each, 7 Special Stages and a "secret" final boss. They've deviated very little from that formula in the past, just like how Mega Man is 8 Robot Masters and 3-5 Wily stages.

Granted, the skeptic in me says that after all these years of failure they can still botch this, but so far they're sticking to the formula of a classic Sonic game, barring the absence of Tails and the usage of Sonic's post-Adventure green-eyed look. It's not exactly rocket science, it's as straightforward as 2D Mario.

@Durahansolo: Probably know this already but that picture is fake. Genocide City Zone - Sonic Retro

**Durahansolo** · 02-04-2010, 06:03 AM

Re: And Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is...

Originally posted by Armando View Post

@Durahansolo: Probably know this already but that picture is fake.

Yeah, the hint was "Rejected" its a parody of the old Rejected Mega Man Villains Fad. Pretty sure this picture is posted somewhere in the Mega Man 10 thread too. Picture courtesy of YTMND.com

**ShepardG** · 02-04-2010, 06:27 AM

Re: And Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is...

Sonic was dead to me after any game that was released after that one game, that you actually plugged the game onto the top of the other game... can't remember the name, but it was for the genesis.

**Armando** · 02-04-2010, 06:32 AM

Re: And Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is...

Yeah, the hint was "Rejected" its a parody of the old Rejected Mega Man Villains Fad.

Never heard of this fad. I don't think I want to find out >_>

Sonic was dead to me after any game that was released after that one game, that you actually plugged the game onto the top of the other game... can't remember the name, but it was for the genesis.

Sonic & Knuckles.

**Durahansolo** · 02-04-2010, 07:30 AM

Re: And Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is...

Originally posted by Armando View Post

Never heard of this fad. I don't think I want to find out >_>

http://www.ffxionline.com/forums/vid...tml#post865392 too late

I had a sonic collection for my PC back in the day, and almost all of the ones for Game Gear (Man that was a long time ago)

**Omgwtfbbqkitten** · 02-04-2010, 07:24 PM

Re: And Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is...

I found this and used it in my blog today, heh.

I've seen many comments regarding it and most of them are "Aw c'mon, let's wait and see. Give them a chance. Maybe there's a reason Sega is making it episodic, we don't know!"

Except this is what people said every time for a new Sonic game, we've given Sega over ten years to get it right and there is not rhyme or reason to what Sega does.

Had they merged Project Needlemouse with the Sonic Level Creator for PC and thrown in some LBP-style user content sharing, I would totally be on board for Sonic 4.

Thing is, I know Sega is only going to pretend to listen. they're going to make whatever levels they want and take all the users feedback and put it toward a totally different product. That is because this is what they always do. People paid fees and complained about the issues of Phantasy Star Online for years, but Sega didn't fix anything until after three different console versions. Then they made PSO Blue Burst, which addressed all the issues... in a PC version.

And this episodic version is just another instance of that. If they were sincere about fixing the franchise, they would have done this years ago, not now.

**Malacite** · 02-04-2010, 07:37 PM

Re: And Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is...

Oh lord I shudder to think if Capcom ever got up the nerve to do an episodic Mega Man game...

Imagine if you will just how stupid that would be. Unfortunately I wouldn't put it past today's Capcom.

**Armando** · 02-05-2010, 05:16 AM

Re: And Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is...

Except this is what people said every time for a new Sonic game, we've given Sega over ten years to get it right and there is not rhyme or reason to what Sega does.

Except every new Sonic game has deviated significantly from the old formula (and the Sonic Adventure formula for that matter) in a lot of asinine ways. Every new release was a new way to jump the shark. The entire reason this game has a chance of not sucking is precisely the fact that they're going back to the old formula. For better or worse, this could be Sonic Team's answer to New Super Mario Bros.

I'm not saying skepticism is unwarranted, because it still sounds too good to be true for me; just that your reasoning isn't completely sound.

**Omgwtfbbqkitten** · 02-05-2010, 05:50 AM

Re: And Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is...

Originally posted by Armando View Post

Except every new Sonic game has deviated significantly from the old formula in a lot of asinine ways. The entire reason this game has a chance of not sucking is precisely the fact that they're going back to the old formula.

All handheld versions say "hello" in unison.

They've gone back to the formula several times in between the 3D installments and learned nothing. If they were serious about pushing Sonic in the 2D direction and listening to their customers, the 2D versions would be the only versions on consoles, too. That's all people have ever wanted.

But Sega keeps trying to make Sonic something he can't be - Mario. That's why all these different directions they try to take Sonic in fail. Nintendo can take Mario anywhere they want and he's a success, but that's because Mario can be redefined.

Sonic is in the same boat with Castlevania. We've found a few ways to make Castlevania work, all in 2D, but the second it goes 3D it almost always forgets to go in any of those directions and instead tries to be the Devil May Cry clone its not.

But people are giving it a chance this time because Kojima is the producer. Oh spare me, he's phoning this stuff in from across the pond just like he did with MGS: Twin Snakes. He might meet up with this team every now and again, but he's not peering over their shoulders like he would be for his own games. If it does well, he'll get all the praise, if it doesn't it will be condemned because it was farmed out to a western developer and there will be some mild, but brief, resentment toward Kojima.

Were it just Sonic Sega was mishandling, though, I might have given them the benefit of a doubt, but since they've botched so many other things I've liked, they're usually on thin ice.

**Armando** · 02-05-2010, 06:30 AM

Re: And Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is...

All handheld versions say "hello" in unison.

The handheld versions do not play like Sonic 3 & Knuckles, sorry. Similar, yes, but no. Sonic also doesn't fare as well in a tiny screen due to not being able to see nearly as far ahead or above when you're zooming through the stage.

Were it just Sonic Sega was mishandling, though, I might have given them the benefit of a doubt, but since they've botched so many other things I've liked, they're usually on thin ice.

Understandable.

**Durahansolo** · 02-05-2010, 07:29 AM

Re: And Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is...

Originally posted by Malacite View Post

Oh lord I shudder to think if Capcom ever got up the nerve to do an episodic Mega Man game...

Mega Man Taking Over: One Boss At A Time Edition

@ Armando, is that Simon Avatar from an episode or was it from the internets?

**Kailea** · 02-05-2010, 07:42 AM

Re: And Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is...

I am sure the problem lies in Sonic Team itself, I know this will be a big surprise (no not really ;p) but Phantasy Star Universe PC/PS2 US servers will be shutting down in March. The 360 servers will stay live though, and the only reason it will stay up (no matter what so of the blind followers may say), is because the Japanese players are mixed with the rest of the world on the 360, unlike the PC/PS2 servers, which where US only

What ever they are doing to Sonic, they also continue to do with any attempt at an Online Phantasy Star

**Armando** · 02-05-2010, 08:39 AM

Re: And Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is...

@ Armando, is that Simon Avatar from an episode or was it from the internets?

It's from the first movie.

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