Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II - PlayStation 3

Sega Desecrates Sonic 2's Legacy With Inane Co-op

Tim Turi — Thu, 17 May 2012 23:50:00 GMT

Tails spent his early Genesis days as Sonic’s co-op partner. Dedicated player twos across the world used the sidekick’s flight ability and invincibility to help the hedgehog exact revenge on Dr. Robotnik. Unfortunately, the two-tailed fox was always left choking on Sonic’s dust when things picked up speed, thus 2D Sonic co-op never felt truly balanced. For downloadable title Sonic 4: Episode II, Sega attempts to create a compelling two-player experience whether you’re controlling Sonic or Tails. Thanks to the characters’ shared vitality and some egregious levels and boss fights, the end result is an awkward mess.

Episode II follows the first installment’s formula closely: Pick from one of three zones, play special stages to earn chaos emeralds, and beat them all to unlock the final stages. This time we’re treated to gorgeous castle ruins, a snowy amusement park, and a desert level filled with oil slicks. While all the Sonic 2-inspired environments look crisp and vivid, the level layouts are riddled with boring, spring-to-spring autopilot stretches and cheap shots from out of the blue. During one underwater segment, robotic enemies create impenetrable ice barriers, imprisoning Sonic and Tails while you watch them drown. The overly zoomed-in view of the action makes avoiding tricky oncoming hazards even more troublesome.

Co-op is available locally and online, but you’ll likely lose any friends you finagle into playing it with you. Episode II fails in its main goal: Make playing as Tails fun. Joining forces to fly to new heights or roll into a gigantic spin dash is rarely a satisfying exercise in discovery. The game flat out tells you when to use special team moves, and tinkering with them outside those instances is a waste of time. In the classic games, players were free to explore the lofty heights of levels for goodies, but the frantic pace of Episode II carts you along on rails to new locations before you can look around.

Trudging through the lackluster levels is bad enough, but the boss battles are the worst in the troubled series’ history. Dr. Robotnik has been beaten so many times that he’s not even trying anymore. Both players share one reserve of rings, and one hit to Sonic or Tails scatters them everywhere. Doubling the chances of getting hit means more lost rings than a jewelry store robbery. In one encounter, Sonic and Tails chase Robotnik’s gigantic scrap-metal robot up a tower while trying to coordinate aerial attacks. The constant barrage of boxes, Tails’ clumsy flying, and Sonic’s inconsistent homing attacks will likely have players reaching for their system’s power button. The rest of the showdowns with Dr. Robotnik and Metal Sonic are just as infuriating.

Ditching the second player and going solo offers brief bouts of playability. Single-handedly coordinating the duo’s flight and rolling abilities makes passing tricky spots less awful, but certainly doesn’t make them a blast. At its best, playing only as Sonic offers glimpses of Episode I’s solid platforming. After a terrible flying segment aboard Tails’ biplane, I had a good time speeding across Robotnik’s flying fortress. Floating on huge turbines and avoiding afterburners reminded me of Sonic 2’s Wing Fortress Zone, but only until it’s interrupted by another horrendous boss fight that makes me question Dr. Robotnik’s Ph.D.

The game also attacks your ears with the worst faux-Genesis musical loops I’ve ever heard. The Sonic series boasts some of the best 16-bit music ever, but Sonic Team is clearly not interested in them. Instead, we get the shortest and most grating loops I’ve heard in recent memory.

Playing Sonic 4: Episode II co-op is like returning to your favorite family vacation destination as an adult and bringing along a friend. You point at the broken attractions and try to convince them how good things used to be, but no amount of nostalgia can change the fact that the powers that be have let your beloved memory deteriorate.

Sonic & Tails Team Up To Bring Fans Hope

Tim Turi — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 15:22:00 GMT

Sonic didn’t exactly make a splash with Sonic 4: Episode I, and Sega is well aware of the game’s lukewarm reception. Sonic Team has listened closely to feedback and is incorporating changes and all new features to make this Genesis-era tribute feel better than ever. In my time with the game, I teamed up with gaming’s most famous two-tailed fox to check out a snow and castle level.

The alterations to the gameplay are immediately apparent. Sonic 4: Episode II reincorporates the Genesis titles’ trademark momentum, something that Episode I was lacking. Now taking a roll off a steep drop will keep the hedgehog rolling in a ball, and you’re not required to keep the analog stick pressed in the direction you want to roll. The entire game feels more fluid and less sticky this time around, allowing you to settle into the fast-paced flow the classic games are known for.

Episode II marks the return of Sonic’s flying sidekick Tails. Sonic’s loyal friend has always possessed the ability to fly, and could lift Sonic to new heights in the hands of a second player in Sonic 3. While Sonic 4: Episode II will feature a two-player co-op mode, my playthrough was limited to one-player. However, all of Tails’ tricks are at your disposal. At the press of a button you can team up to fly through the air, swim quickly through water, and even roll up into a gigantic ball to barrel through obstacles. Teaming up to steamroll larger enemies and bust through barriers is easy to pull off and always available.

The two stages available to play were White Park Zone and Sylvania Castle Zone. Sonic outruns his share of avalanches in White Park, and in a tribute to Sonic 3’s Ice Cap Zone, also incorporates some surprise snowboarding sequences. I liked creating a super spin dash with Tails to forge a path through masses of snow. You’ve got to keep moving, however, as slowpokes are bound to be crushed when the tunnels eventually collapse. Tons of wintery trees and festive carnival rides populate the background. The levels of Sonic 4: Episode II are definitely better-looking than the bland environments of the previous entry.

Sylvania Castle Zone features moss-covered castle walls and plenty of moving platforms to navigate. Players have to spin dash special wheels to lower barricades, similar to the terrain-altering mechanisms found in Sonic 3’s Marble Garden Zone. I really enjoyed sprinting through the ancient ruins, but I hope the next act takes Sonic and Tails inside the castle for some spooky encounters. Remember the ghost enemies and puzzling sections from Sonic & Knuckles’ Sandopolis Zone? I’m expecting something along those lines.

I went into my hands-on time with Sonic 4: Episode II skeptical. Sega has a way with getting me pumped for new Sonic games, only for me to taste bitter disappointment upon actually playing through a new title. Sonic Team really seems to be giving fans the game they want with Episode II, and the inclusion of two-player co-op makes the whole package a lot more intriguing. I like what little I’ve played so far, so color me cautiously optimistic to get my hands of the final game later this year.

New Screens Race Out Of Sonic 4 Episode II

Matt Miller — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 18:40:00 GMT

These new Sonic 4 Episode II images offer substantial hints of features on the way in the new game.

It's been some time since the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I, and fans could be forgiven if they were getting a little impatient. Perhaps to hold off that frustration, Sega today released a bevy of new screens from the game that help to show off what is in store for the little blue hedgehog.

The presence of snow environments has us wondering if we'll see a return of the old snowboard feature. Plus, the focus on Tails' presence in pretty much every screen has us wondering about prospective multiplayer options. Independent of feature conjecture, the new screens look quite pretty, with some cool running and weather effects, not to mention crisp, clear character designs.

Sonic 4, Episode II is currently in development for all sorts of platforms, including PSN, Xbox Live Arcade, iOS, Windows Phone, and Android.

Enjoy the new screens!