Post by Nam on Aug 22, 2011 23:19:43 GMT
Sonic 4 was not a let down.
It was a disappointment to hardcore fans, it had several bugs, and it didn't cut the mustard compared to Sonic 3 & Knuckles. But it was never going to compare properly to Sonic 3 and Knuckles, as far as the hardcore fans (that's us BTW) are concerned, because Sonic 3 & Knuckles is the holy grail.
But lets be a bit more objective here. Yes, Sonic 4 sold a [censored] tonne, as did Sonic Colours, and also Sonic '06. Sales are comparable, but good sales and large profits does not correlate with quality. That doesn't mean sales should be ignored, nor does it means sales are the key point to focus on from a creative standpoint. Sonic is a cash cow franchise still (somehow), hence it will always sell, so quality should be of some importance to get new people in to increase sales nowadays.
Lets go back. Way way back, to the early part of 1993, when Sonic 3 came out. It was this massive hyped sequel to an amazing game, that everyone knew would be a killer app for the console. Instead we got a rushed, and relatively flawed game that was awfully short for what it was, lacked half the promised content, and didn't really deliver quite the experience we were hoping. It was good, because it wasn't too far removed from it's predecessor, but it wasn't the masterpiece it would become, not at first.
This is the problem. Everyone looks at Sonic 3 and Knuckles as one game. Everyone knows it was supposed to be one game, everyone is aware that S3&K was the end of what Sonic 3 should've been, and everyone conveniently forgets that S3&K cost twice as much as any other Mega Drive game, and was really just the combination of two games. Yes we got Blue Sphere and Knuckles in Sonic 2 by means of an apology, but it still took what might've been one of the biggest expansion packs/DLC packs of it's day (and to date) to do it.
It is this that is the key area Sonic 4 fell down on. It never got it's Episode 2, and the Sega of today isn't the Sega of yesterday, they know how dedicated there fan base is, and can afford to experiment more with the formula (can you imagine there even being a follow up if Sonic '06 levels of badness was released in '94?). Potentially, Episode 2 could fix the bugs, and tweak the engine to make it more playable, but in today's games that's too much effort for too little reward; if there was to be a bug fix, we'd've had Sonic 4: Episode 1 patches/bug fixes.
Of course it's very easy to just say "Sega didn't put the effort in", but just as much of the problem is in it's reception. The fan base would always hate Sonic 4, because it wasn't Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Sonic 4 is such a backwards step, even compared to Sonic 3 alone, that the title Sonic 2.5 would've been more appropriate. Sonic 4 is Sonic alone, no power up shields, no sub bosses, no level transitions, no narrative of any type (bar one cut scene that's more jarring to include than having Sonic just suddenly be in space), and with level themes that are clear rehashes of old Sonic 1/2 levels, with just a few new gimmicks, some to utilise the advancement from sprite based graphics, some to make the game a bit more bearable for more recent younger fans (such as the homing attack), and some just because the hardware can do it (such as tilt motion special stages).
Some of these gimmicks work well. The torch carrying is one example that's both hit and miss, with some parts, such as having to light fuses to blow up TNT working well with some (but not much) clever level design going into making this both helpful in some places, and a hindrance in others, where deciding whether to do it or not makes for an interesting choice. But then it's ruined with that light pillar puzzle which is up there with the Carnival Night barrel for obtuse and unclear answering. other gimmicks that don't work include running on playing cards (flashy, but it's really just more "hold right to win while we show off some cutscenes that we think are awesome looking"), and entire levels where you're chased by giant walls (though that may just be me - I personally hate those levels as they kill all exploration, annoying for a non-linear level).
But no Sonic game is not without gimmick levels. Sonic 1 had block pushing in Marble, Sonic 2 had earthquakes in Hill Top, and flying in Sky Chase, Sonic 3 had snowboarding in Ice Cap, and Sonic & Knuckles had the Sandopolis ghosts and the anti-gravity of Death Egg. The difference with most of these and Sonic 4's gimmicks is they don't take a whole level, don't interfere with the fundamental gameplay, and generally tend to be well thought out, and bar two, seldom last the whole level, so they add variance. Sonic 4's approach was "this will be the level that's all about X", which makes some acts much more enjoyable than others due to it's gimmicky premise.
The special stages are an absolute nightmare. As Stu said, they might be perfect for the iPhone, but they do not work to well on a console where the thing you're turning is not the thing you're looking at, and work even worse when you're using digital buttons to control this precise turning, with all the preciseness of a hippo conducting keyhole surgery. I don't know if you learn to deal with them, I only tried to do one once, and somehow fumbled towards the emerald, but it was such a retched experience I swore I wouldn't bother with it again. On paper, it might've been a good idea, but whoever said "I know, lets make these segments timed" should've been locked in the stationary cupboard for the rest of the day, as it just makes something that could be manageable with time and patience, and turned it into something stressful and aggravating.
All of this points the game as awful. But it's not. The aforementioned aside, there is a good game in here. It's not brilliant, it's worse than Sonic 3, and is buggier than any of the Mega Drive Sonic games. But most of the bugs occur if you try to play the game like a classic Sonic game. Despite the name, it's not a classic Sonic game. It's a modern Sonic game, and that entails Homing attacks, running when you could be rolling, and being able to just blast through the levels without too much option to turn around and go back on yourself. Yes, for a game that wants to be a sequel to Sonic 3 & Knuckles, this is a bizarre choice, but this isn't a direct sequel, this is a modern game, paying homage to the classics. If you try to play it like Sonic 3, you'll expose the worst of the physics and the stupid gameplay choices, but if you take to it like you would a Sonic Advance it is not a bad experience. Annoying at times, because you'll want to play it like a classic, but hardly awful.
There is good stuff to be had here. The levels are actually pretty well designed, with little in the way of bottomless pits, or unfair enemy placements. and a few moments of "You weren't psychic enough to know there'd be a trap there, too bad" aside, it doesn't really penalize you too much for not taking it patiently. On top of these, despite how they're all rip offs of previous levels, they are very well designed. Splash hill, while still quite pretty, is actually the weakest level, with Lost Labyrinth being the clear standout in terms of looks. At times, you can see footage of it being played by someone who doesn't encounter physics problems, and it's what you'd imagine a modern remake of Sonic 1 might look like.
Similarly, the music is actually good. Both boss themes especially are excellent, but generally, if you give it half a chance, you will find level themes you like. It's just the case that you never really here them enough for them to grow on you due to the way the game is played. Saving means you don't have to redo the early levels when you mess up the late ones, so you don't get that exposure you might've. This isn't something you can complain about, as saving is a fundamental shift in the way games are played, but it does mean you do miss out on the soundtrack, and the chance to explore you'd get if you had to restart each time. This isn't helped by the abundance of lives Casino Street gives away, meaning you'll almost never need to continue, but this again isn't really a complaint that can be leveled against just this game specifically.
Ultimately Sonic 4's problems boil down to three things. 1) as a game, it doesn't quite know what it's doing. It wants to be a retro treat for fans, but goes about this not by bringing back classic gameplay, but by bringing back classic level themes, enemies and bosses, and pitting them against modern Sonic. 2) It doesn't want to actually be a sequel to the game it's supposed to follow. It tries so hard to remind you of Sonic 1 and 2 that it forgets there was Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and just leaves you feeling like a step back. 3) It tries to be a Mega Drive game, without remembering what made the Mega Drive games good. It got the thematic choices right, the music was close, but it picked the wrong physics engine and control choices, making it more jarring.
But ultimately it's main downfall is that Sonic 3 & Knuckles was already 15 years old when it was released. Times have changed, and people are more forgiving of S3&K's flaws (even though there are fewer), because "It's a product of it's time", "there were technological limitations", or "It's such a good game in every other way, I can overlook that bit". If Sonic 3 & Knuckles hadn't happened, Sonic 4 would've been better received, as it's relatively close to Sonic 2, aesthetically at least, and wouldn't be so hated for missing it's mark.
Sonic 4 was not a let down. It was everything it set out to be, did what it wanted to do, and delivered pretty much what it set out to do. It just set out to do the wrong thing, picked the wrong things from the classics to try to use, and generally while it delivered a fairly competent 2D Sonic platformer, it didn't deliver anything like Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and for that, the fans were let down.
It was a disappointment to hardcore fans, it had several bugs, and it didn't cut the mustard compared to Sonic 3 & Knuckles. But it was never going to compare properly to Sonic 3 and Knuckles, as far as the hardcore fans (that's us BTW) are concerned, because Sonic 3 & Knuckles is the holy grail.
But lets be a bit more objective here. Yes, Sonic 4 sold a [censored] tonne, as did Sonic Colours, and also Sonic '06. Sales are comparable, but good sales and large profits does not correlate with quality. That doesn't mean sales should be ignored, nor does it means sales are the key point to focus on from a creative standpoint. Sonic is a cash cow franchise still (somehow), hence it will always sell, so quality should be of some importance to get new people in to increase sales nowadays.
Lets go back. Way way back, to the early part of 1993, when Sonic 3 came out. It was this massive hyped sequel to an amazing game, that everyone knew would be a killer app for the console. Instead we got a rushed, and relatively flawed game that was awfully short for what it was, lacked half the promised content, and didn't really deliver quite the experience we were hoping. It was good, because it wasn't too far removed from it's predecessor, but it wasn't the masterpiece it would become, not at first.
This is the problem. Everyone looks at Sonic 3 and Knuckles as one game. Everyone knows it was supposed to be one game, everyone is aware that S3&K was the end of what Sonic 3 should've been, and everyone conveniently forgets that S3&K cost twice as much as any other Mega Drive game, and was really just the combination of two games. Yes we got Blue Sphere and Knuckles in Sonic 2 by means of an apology, but it still took what might've been one of the biggest expansion packs/DLC packs of it's day (and to date) to do it.
It is this that is the key area Sonic 4 fell down on. It never got it's Episode 2, and the Sega of today isn't the Sega of yesterday, they know how dedicated there fan base is, and can afford to experiment more with the formula (can you imagine there even being a follow up if Sonic '06 levels of badness was released in '94?). Potentially, Episode 2 could fix the bugs, and tweak the engine to make it more playable, but in today's games that's too much effort for too little reward; if there was to be a bug fix, we'd've had Sonic 4: Episode 1 patches/bug fixes.
Of course it's very easy to just say "Sega didn't put the effort in", but just as much of the problem is in it's reception. The fan base would always hate Sonic 4, because it wasn't Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Sonic 4 is such a backwards step, even compared to Sonic 3 alone, that the title Sonic 2.5 would've been more appropriate. Sonic 4 is Sonic alone, no power up shields, no sub bosses, no level transitions, no narrative of any type (bar one cut scene that's more jarring to include than having Sonic just suddenly be in space), and with level themes that are clear rehashes of old Sonic 1/2 levels, with just a few new gimmicks, some to utilise the advancement from sprite based graphics, some to make the game a bit more bearable for more recent younger fans (such as the homing attack), and some just because the hardware can do it (such as tilt motion special stages).
Some of these gimmicks work well. The torch carrying is one example that's both hit and miss, with some parts, such as having to light fuses to blow up TNT working well with some (but not much) clever level design going into making this both helpful in some places, and a hindrance in others, where deciding whether to do it or not makes for an interesting choice. But then it's ruined with that light pillar puzzle which is up there with the Carnival Night barrel for obtuse and unclear answering. other gimmicks that don't work include running on playing cards (flashy, but it's really just more "hold right to win while we show off some cutscenes that we think are awesome looking"), and entire levels where you're chased by giant walls (though that may just be me - I personally hate those levels as they kill all exploration, annoying for a non-linear level).
But no Sonic game is not without gimmick levels. Sonic 1 had block pushing in Marble, Sonic 2 had earthquakes in Hill Top, and flying in Sky Chase, Sonic 3 had snowboarding in Ice Cap, and Sonic & Knuckles had the Sandopolis ghosts and the anti-gravity of Death Egg. The difference with most of these and Sonic 4's gimmicks is they don't take a whole level, don't interfere with the fundamental gameplay, and generally tend to be well thought out, and bar two, seldom last the whole level, so they add variance. Sonic 4's approach was "this will be the level that's all about X", which makes some acts much more enjoyable than others due to it's gimmicky premise.
The special stages are an absolute nightmare. As Stu said, they might be perfect for the iPhone, but they do not work to well on a console where the thing you're turning is not the thing you're looking at, and work even worse when you're using digital buttons to control this precise turning, with all the preciseness of a hippo conducting keyhole surgery. I don't know if you learn to deal with them, I only tried to do one once, and somehow fumbled towards the emerald, but it was such a retched experience I swore I wouldn't bother with it again. On paper, it might've been a good idea, but whoever said "I know, lets make these segments timed" should've been locked in the stationary cupboard for the rest of the day, as it just makes something that could be manageable with time and patience, and turned it into something stressful and aggravating.
All of this points the game as awful. But it's not. The aforementioned aside, there is a good game in here. It's not brilliant, it's worse than Sonic 3, and is buggier than any of the Mega Drive Sonic games. But most of the bugs occur if you try to play the game like a classic Sonic game. Despite the name, it's not a classic Sonic game. It's a modern Sonic game, and that entails Homing attacks, running when you could be rolling, and being able to just blast through the levels without too much option to turn around and go back on yourself. Yes, for a game that wants to be a sequel to Sonic 3 & Knuckles, this is a bizarre choice, but this isn't a direct sequel, this is a modern game, paying homage to the classics. If you try to play it like Sonic 3, you'll expose the worst of the physics and the stupid gameplay choices, but if you take to it like you would a Sonic Advance it is not a bad experience. Annoying at times, because you'll want to play it like a classic, but hardly awful.
There is good stuff to be had here. The levels are actually pretty well designed, with little in the way of bottomless pits, or unfair enemy placements. and a few moments of "You weren't psychic enough to know there'd be a trap there, too bad" aside, it doesn't really penalize you too much for not taking it patiently. On top of these, despite how they're all rip offs of previous levels, they are very well designed. Splash hill, while still quite pretty, is actually the weakest level, with Lost Labyrinth being the clear standout in terms of looks. At times, you can see footage of it being played by someone who doesn't encounter physics problems, and it's what you'd imagine a modern remake of Sonic 1 might look like.
Similarly, the music is actually good. Both boss themes especially are excellent, but generally, if you give it half a chance, you will find level themes you like. It's just the case that you never really here them enough for them to grow on you due to the way the game is played. Saving means you don't have to redo the early levels when you mess up the late ones, so you don't get that exposure you might've. This isn't something you can complain about, as saving is a fundamental shift in the way games are played, but it does mean you do miss out on the soundtrack, and the chance to explore you'd get if you had to restart each time. This isn't helped by the abundance of lives Casino Street gives away, meaning you'll almost never need to continue, but this again isn't really a complaint that can be leveled against just this game specifically.
Ultimately Sonic 4's problems boil down to three things. 1) as a game, it doesn't quite know what it's doing. It wants to be a retro treat for fans, but goes about this not by bringing back classic gameplay, but by bringing back classic level themes, enemies and bosses, and pitting them against modern Sonic. 2) It doesn't want to actually be a sequel to the game it's supposed to follow. It tries so hard to remind you of Sonic 1 and 2 that it forgets there was Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and just leaves you feeling like a step back. 3) It tries to be a Mega Drive game, without remembering what made the Mega Drive games good. It got the thematic choices right, the music was close, but it picked the wrong physics engine and control choices, making it more jarring.
But ultimately it's main downfall is that Sonic 3 & Knuckles was already 15 years old when it was released. Times have changed, and people are more forgiving of S3&K's flaws (even though there are fewer), because "It's a product of it's time", "there were technological limitations", or "It's such a good game in every other way, I can overlook that bit". If Sonic 3 & Knuckles hadn't happened, Sonic 4 would've been better received, as it's relatively close to Sonic 2, aesthetically at least, and wouldn't be so hated for missing it's mark.
Sonic 4 was not a let down. It was everything it set out to be, did what it wanted to do, and delivered pretty much what it set out to do. It just set out to do the wrong thing, picked the wrong things from the classics to try to use, and generally while it delivered a fairly competent 2D Sonic platformer, it didn't deliver anything like Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and for that, the fans were let down.