Sonic The Hedgehog 4

[La Yodha Stasella]

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6249457.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=topstory&tag=topstory;title

for those who loved the early side scrolling sonic

what do you guys think?

[Mousefire]

going in the same direction as new super mario bros. wii

[Ike-Mike]

going in the same direction as new super mario bros. wii

No, SMB5 treated sidescrolling fans with dignity by giving us a full retail game.

This is just another example of the "sidescrollers should be downloadable/handheld only" line of thinking every other game company has.

At least I hope SEGA will put out a compilation disc once all episodes are out.

[La Yodha Stasella]

an episode is already a "complete game", remember sonic 3 was composed of 2 episodes (sonic 3 itself + sonic and knuckles)

[Candlejack]

Hooray. Looks like we can add another thing to the list of ways Sega can troll Sonic fans:

#47: Create a 2-D game... in episodic content.

[Phoenix Wright]

I'm probably going to get it.

[Ike-Mike]

an episode is already a "complete game", remember sonic 3 was composed of 2 episodes (sonic 3 itself + sonic and knuckles)

Because we are still plagued by the same memory and financial issues like in 1995, right?

[Raven]

Talking in terms of Nintendo Points, it's £7 (pounds) for 1000 points. Assuming they charge 1000 points for this first episode (I've never seen anything cost more than 1000 points), that's not bad. It just depends how many episodes there will be.

They aren't going to release a full version of a new game for download for only £7, so as a company, it makes sense for them to release it in episodes. Assuming there's 4 or 5 parts, I wouldn't mind paying £28 or £35 for it.

Plus they're saving a shitload of money not having to put them onto media and stocking shops and whatever other shit that costs money.

But nice going Sega, you're only about 15 years late with this. Better late than never I guess.

[uguu]

Foreign N64 game costs 1200 wii points, Final Fantasy something something costs 1500 wii points

[Raven]

Foreign N64 game costs 1200 wii points, Final Fantasy something something costs 1500 wii points

I see. Then who knows how much we will have to pay for it when it's released.

[La Yodha Stasella]

Because we are still plagued by the same memory and financial issues like in 1995, right?

Because 2d sidescrollers platform really last 30 gameplay hours, right?

[Ike-Mike]

Because it means that just because the game lasts about 8 hours these 8 hours shouldn't be taken with much care and not treat its customers as second rate by putting it on a second rate download service, right?

[La Yodha Stasella]

8 hours of which 7 spent dying in the same point I assume

like the second download service wouldn't be a different game

[Ike-Mike]

An average SMB5 playthrough lasts about 5-8 hours for me.

And you fail to see my point. I want the real thing! I want to have an actual case with a manual, CD and everything else that's needed in it, especially if it's something as huge as Sonic's return to former glory! I want to display this on the shelf just like about every other game! Even if it means that additional costs will pile up, at least it shows that the devs care that the customer should be satisfied even long after he bought the game.

Or let's take an example from Fire Emblem. Thracia 776 was originally exclusively for the Nintendo Power service where you basically had a flashcart and could download a game for it in exchange for money. However it sold so much that Nintendo decided to release it as a full retail game as acknowledgement for its success. So why is it that 10 years later everyone seems to have pretty much the opposite mentality towards retail?

I'm having enough that devs see sidescroller fans as 2nd rate customers who only deserve handheld and/or downloadable games! I'm having enough that devs want to have used game sales removed and use download services as a measure to that! I'm having enough that they compare it to the success of iTunes because it was common practice to sell CDs stuffed with crap and only one good song while iTunes let you download songs individually. Gaming never had a problem like that!

SMB5 has been doing sales records not only because it was Mario, but also because it's still the only console sidescroller in years to treat us with dignity.

Edited February 6, 2010 by Ike-Mike

[La Yodha Stasella]

I'm not arguing the fact that retail > digital delivery and I completely agree with you

And you fail to see my point. I want the real thing! I want to have an actual case with a manual, CD and everything else that's needed in it, especially if it's something as huge as Sonic's return to former glory! I want to display this on the shelf just like about every other game! Even if it means that additional costs will pile up, at least it shows that the devs care that the customer should be satisfied even long after he bought the game

what I was arguing is the whole durability fact

[Starwolf_UK]

8 hours of which 7 spent dying in the same point I assume

Sounds like Sonic Rush :P (except that was more crushers and bottomless pits you have no way of knowing).

The word I can think of to describe this so far is...fake. The music is trying to be Mega Drive but it sounds fake (let's take the drums from Sonic 1 then put techno sounding MIDI way above the quality of the Mega Drive sound chip), the graphics feel wonky currently (casual speed walking, graphical issues like the size of rings).

They've got time to iron all this out and I suppose it isn't meant to feel old in the same sense as Mega Man 9 but the impression I'm getting is retro throwbacks are for the sake of being nostalgic (old Badniks, old bits of music, remixed Eggman Machines etc).

The good thing about it being episodic is I can pick up episode 1 and if the rest sucks not bother...or it being a SEGA published game wait for the whole season to come out and then watch the price drop until it costs about the same as 1 episode.

[grandjackal]

Sonic becoming an episodic downloadable? I can't help but sonic team feeling it's becoming a pity party, as if no one likes Sonic to the point they feel it only deserves to be shelled out for basically chump change for what might be the only good game they've made in years (but watch, the pointless sidekick characters will be in, the crappy voice overs will be there to do nothing more than to be annoying, and it'll switch over to Shadow at some point). The one time they just settle down, and work on something simplistic they know people actually like, and it's like they're whining the whole time as if it's not worth their time and effort. Reminds me of the Shining Force 1 remake on the GBA. As much as it fixed some problems (inventory's no longer annoying, tells you the turns, speed mattering), you'd think it was a fan project made in some dude's basement, and added a bunch of unecessary shit (2 broken characters and another who comes close, the story is somehow worse) that almost makes it feel unworth it.

Only sonic team can take something incredibly simple and good and make it unecessarily complicated or convoluted. If this is as simple as to be just a normal golden days Sonic game and nothing more, and it's good, I hope it does well so perhaps the team will see how wrong they were. Maybe then they'll make Shining Force 4

[Candlejack]

The fact they aren't making this a full game just shows the levels of epicness that is Nintendo's Troll Power.

[prompto]

If they ruin the Green Hill Zone song I'm going to go apeshit on somebody's ass. ;___;

[Venusaur]

Finally, another Sonic sidescroller. About time, too, hopefully it's as good as Sonic 3 + Knuckles. Cannot wait for it. Too bad my Wii's broken...