Sonic the Hedegehog 4

[Sam]

While I know this should be considered old news by now but Sonic the Hedgehog 4 was announced by Sega not to long ago and I just wanted to ask everyone's opinions about it. Do you feel the game is going towards the right direction or do you think the game is another attempt at beating a dead horse?

[muffinstud]

Do you feel the game is going towards the right direction...

Any direction away from the recent Sonic games is a step in the right direction. My parents bought us a Genesis way back when, and I played the first Sonic when it was new. Back then it blew my mind. Looking back, I realize there were good things about the game that I never even considered. In order for Sonic 4 to truly go back to it's heyday, it needs a few things:

1: Tight controls and simple gameplay. Sadly, just because this is a throwback title, it doesn't mean things will be simple. Developers love making use of all the flashy parts of these new-fangled controllers we have nowadays. The original Sonic only made use of a D pad and one button (all three buttons were the jump button). The challenge was in controlling the hedgehog's momentum. Yes he could move really fast, but even when moving slow the player was in complete control. I understand this will be available for controllers with rumble and analog sticks and loads of buttons, but it's all unnecessary. One button, maybe two. Maybe.

2: A good villain. Doctor Robotnik (I REFUSE to call him Eggman) has evolved into your standard villain of the week. He makes these horribly useless death traps and extracts money from his butt crack for exorbitant armies and machines just like any James Bond villain. This needs to go. The original Robotnik was evil. Why? He was experimenting on little woodland creatures for his own gains, even turning them into his own private robot army. He may have looked silly, but anyone that can weld a baby seal into a device that turns it into a rabid killing machine is a sick, demented soul. He doesn't need anything else.

3: Minimal Cast. The first game just had two main characters. The second added one person. The third didn't really add anyone. Eventually Knuckles was introduced. Four whole games, four characters. Then along comes the 3D era and the Sonic cast bloats into uselessness and complete annoyance. Heck, even the cast from the Saturday morning cartoon wasn't completely free from this (cue the whiny french fox). I realize there are those among you that enjoy the cast from Sonic Adventure, but upon deep analysis, you too can come to the conclusion that the vast majority is just not needed. And this is even before Sonic had a REAL LIFE HUMAN GIRL trying to start a relationship with him. Someone hand that girl some bactine, she's gonna need it.

Now, with Sega's recent treatment of Sonic, what do I think is going to happen with this game? Well, I'm pretty sure that Robotnik is gonna continue being a pushover. The old school style might work, but it's still up in the air at this point. So far, none of the cast has been mentioned, but that could change too.

I want a good Sonic game. I've wanted one for a good long time. I'm just not going to get my hopes up, because I know this has just as much opportunity to fail as it does to succeed. Perhaps moreso.

As for beating a dead horse, Sonic's had enough variety that he's not at that point yet. Granted, that variety's been full of failure, but it's there.
Megaman 10 is beating a horse to death. With 8 different weapons.

[Blaze]

What muffin said really.

[Kumi-chan]

All I can really say is we shall see. Yes I agree with Muffin. But Many of the problems that is with the sonic games is the fact that they went 3d. It, for those games, doesn't capture his speed.