Sonic 4 Review

If you dwell into the internet at all you have probably noticed a few things. One is that Sonic 4 is getting great reviews. The other is that a lot of "fanboys" talk a lot about hating it even though they haven't played it. Do me a favor: if you meet any of these haters on the street, take out an actual hedgehog, roll it into a ball, and throw it into their face. Sonic 4 is in fact a worthy successor to the original Genesis games.

It is no secret that the Sonic fan base is hard to please. You have people such as me who grew up on the Genesis ones, you have fans of the shows (I actually have an affinity for the old goofy one with just Sonic and Tails), people who likes the comics, and people who love the newer 3D ones. I'm going to be honest; I hate most of the stuff from today and I hate Sonic Adventure 1 after playing it again. Thus, I have been waiting forever for an actual 2d sequel and that's why I flipped out when it was announced.

The first thing I can tell you is that the additions are fantastic. I have seen a lot of people complain about them throwing in the homing attack from Adventure and I am telling all these people to shut the hell up. There is nothing wrong with adding this move. Does anyone remember that Sonic 1 didn't have the spin-dash? Exactly, and now it's a staple of the Sonic series. So back the hell off!!!! (I rant a lot). In fact, it can be used to counter one of the few problems I have with the game: It takes a bit too long to speed up. However, this can be remedied by jumping and air dashing (the homing attack) and Sonic will get up to speed in no time. If you don't like it you don't even have to use it, but it will help you get to new areas, as any good Sonic move should.

Another great change is what Sonic does when he hits a speed panel. Instead of just running, he goes into the ball. This way he takes out any enemies he hits instead of running into them loosing rings in the process. Let's be honest, the originals DID have problems and the occasional cheap enemy was one of them.I know that bastard that pops out of the wall is around here somewhere...


Everything else is a giant love letter to the series. Sometimes, there are some weird sections where you move the environment instead of Sonic, but it's just new; not bad. That is the only main structural difference. The levels are big and ripe for exploration. Any true Sonic fan knows that the old games were just as much about that as running. Then there's the nostalgia. I couldn't even begin to talk about the sound. The music is just "right" and most of the sound effects are straight out of the originals. I wish they had kept the original invincibility music, but it is in no way an issue. There are also lots of throwback enemies and boss fights. Some people say the reused boss fights are lazy, but I call them classic. The thing is, they are changed and tweaked to make them feel new and challenging. It also takes you by surprise when Robotnik (I refuse to call him Eggman) breaks out a new move.


Well this seems famil.... WHAT THE SHIT!!!


EVEN THE BONUS STAGES ARE THROWBACKS!!! Except you control the stage instead of Sonic. It's actually really cool.

Also, and all of you old school Sonic fans will love this, it is just Sonic. None of his annoying friends have come along to ruin the game. Don't get me wrong, I originally liked tails and knuckles, but they've gotten annoying. And don't get me started on Shadow... that emo twit is one huge symbol of one of the big problems with the 3d games.
A good lot of these should die in a fire.


My only other problems, besides the speed up time, are that it could have been prettier and longer. That isn't to say it isn't good-looking (Sonic's running animation is gorgeous), it could just look better. I also don't like that it's episodic. I want my full game now, dammit! Other than that, it is the purest Sonic game in years and I am absolutely in love with it. It's length is honestly the only thing keeping it from getting a perfect score.

The game just feels right and I can honestly say I love almost everything about it. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You won't find a better Sonic game anywhere else this side of the originals.
9 out of 10 rings!