"Bringing all the intrigue of a platform adventure combined with the thrill of a high-speed car chase, the Sonic that we all loved in the early 1990s gets back on track. Choose from near-identical versions for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii and iPhone.
You look familiar
We seem to recall having the same reservations about ‘New Super Mario Bros’ last year; could an old-school reimagining of a videogame legend really turn heads in the 21st Century? Of course, as we now know, the answer was an emphatic ‘YES!’ And so, with ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 4’, the designers at Sega have seized the opportunity to create a true sequel to the original side-scrolling 2D games, 16 years after ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3’ rather let the side down, sadly never to fully recover.
We seem to recall having the same reservations about ‘New Super Mario Bros’ last year; could an old-school reimagining of a videogame legend really turn heads in the 21st Century? Of course, as we now know, the answer was an emphatic ‘YES!’ And so, with ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 4’, the designers at Sega have seized the opportunity to create a true sequel to the original side-scrolling 2D games, 16 years after ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3’ rather let the side down, sadly never to fully recover.
It’s the good old days of ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ and ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ that’s captured here, and as with ‘New Super Mario Bros’ there’s a little bit more besides. We can’t tell you how heart-warming it feels to see the familiar Hill Zone represented in new high-definition splendour, but it’s the sheer pace and pinball-style game elements that flicked our adrenaline switch once more.
We could get used to this... again
This being ‘Episode 1’ of what we’re assuming (and Sega might hope) will be a kick-start to a long-running series, there’s only Sonic himself to control. No two-tailed foxes or bright red echidnas to concern yourself with, alongside unusual capabilities. So, Sonic is all about running as fast as you can to reach the end of the level, while collecting as many shiny rings as possible.
This being ‘Episode 1’ of what we’re assuming (and Sega might hope) will be a kick-start to a long-running series, there’s only Sonic himself to control. No two-tailed foxes or bright red echidnas to concern yourself with, alongside unusual capabilities. So, Sonic is all about running as fast as you can to reach the end of the level, while collecting as many shiny rings as possible.
However this is a stunt that can only be achieved after much more traditional exploration, pattern learning, and a great deal of practice. Older gamers will know the score, and have such a routine hard-wired into their brains. Anyone born after 1994 might take a while to appreciate the benefits, but in the meantime appreciate how lovely everything looks in traditional ‘Sonic’ hangouts that include a Casino Street, Lost Labyrinth, and mechanical Mad Gear Zone before confronting arch nemesis Dr Eggman in his E.G.G. space station. Sonic bounces off pinball bumpers, loops-de-loop along roller-coaster features, and can now death-slide to build momentum. The magic carpet playing-card idea is especially wonderful. Sometimes you’re forced to keep moving, again a familiar 1990s trapping of videogame design, with obstacles to make Sonic stumble, but by this stage your hand-eye coordination will be almost supernatural.
iPhone handles it pretty well... considering
This is a solid value mess-around for £9.99 on PlayStation Network (PlayStation 3), 1200 Microsoft Points on Xbox LIVE (Xbox 360) and 1500 Wii Points (Nintendo Wii). ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 4’ is one of the more expensive iPhone games at £5.99, but almost worth it for the Special Stages. These utilise the accelerometer to replicate the tilt-and-turn of those little ball-bearing games, or you can tilt to move Sonic through the main adventure. He’s trickier to command using the touch screen (spin dashes and half-pipe routines in particular), plus hard to keep track of with your thumbs in the way on a slightly blurry screen. But the new Homing Attack keeps you in control just about; it means a different approach to playing the game but is entertaining in its own right.
This is a solid value mess-around for £9.99 on PlayStation Network (PlayStation 3), 1200 Microsoft Points on Xbox LIVE (Xbox 360) and 1500 Wii Points (Nintendo Wii). ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 4’ is one of the more expensive iPhone games at £5.99, but almost worth it for the Special Stages. These utilise the accelerometer to replicate the tilt-and-turn of those little ball-bearing games, or you can tilt to move Sonic through the main adventure. He’s trickier to command using the touch screen (spin dashes and half-pipe routines in particular), plus hard to keep track of with your thumbs in the way on a slightly blurry screen. But the new Homing Attack keeps you in control just about; it means a different approach to playing the game but is entertaining in its own right.
Perhaps a little bit too familiar
Sega has definitely got it right this time, but has needed to revisit almost too much of the past to make a future for Sonic justifiable. We wish the boss battles weren’t so familiar, nay almost identical to previous encounters with Dr Eggman on the Sega Mega Drive. Old timers will instantly know the drill regarding air-supply in the flooded Lost Labyrinth. But this is a small complaint really. The bigger issue is where does Sega go next having already rehashed the best of its legacy content?
Sega has definitely got it right this time, but has needed to revisit almost too much of the past to make a future for Sonic justifiable. We wish the boss battles weren’t so familiar, nay almost identical to previous encounters with Dr Eggman on the Sega Mega Drive. Old timers will instantly know the drill regarding air-supply in the flooded Lost Labyrinth. But this is a small complaint really. The bigger issue is where does Sega go next having already rehashed the best of its legacy content?
Metal Sonic, the stage is yours for Episode 2… "
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