PlayStation 3

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1

Overall Sonic 4: Episode 1 is the best Sonic game I have played for a long time; and I absolutely loved it. While it lasts it’s the perfect example of how to a 2D side scrolling platformer. No doubt some will want to mark it higher, and some will want to mark it lower and that’s fine. All I can say is bring on Episode 2.

The fact is, Sonic 4's first episode is so much fun that it makes you forget about the world and think of nothing but the game. It encapsulates the pure thrill of gaming that many contemporary titles seem to comatosely forget.

So if you fancy a happy afternoon spin-dashing down memory lane, Sonic 4 is well worth the money. There are no 3D environments, no isometric viewpoints, no sidekicks or hoverboards or knights of the round table. Just a blue hedgehog, a fat man in a space helicopter, a good selection of well-designed 2D environments and some of the greatest gameplay mechanics in history.

So I'm going to plump for 'deserving'. And I mean that in two ways. It's deserving of your time and your money despite its length. But more importantly, it's deserving of the name 'Sonic The Hedgehog 4'. That was always going to be this game's biggest challenge, but it's succeeded with aplomb.

Sonic 4: Episode 1 is a short, but well-crafted entry in the series. It’s hurt by a lack of innovation and a relatively high price given that it’s basically half the length of a regular side-scrolling Sonic, but still carries a pretty hefty $15 price tag. If you’re a casual Sonic fan, you’re probably better off waiting for it to be discounted at some point on PSN or as an Xbox Deal of the Week, but series die-hards will definitely get $15 out of it between playing through it, then replaying stages for better times and leaderboard scores.

Sonic 4: Episode I's greatest flaw is its label as the first chapter. Its duty was to carefully reintroduce 2D Sonic to the masses, and by default couldn’t veer too far into experimental territory without upsetting the pitchfork wielding hoards. Setting the stage is its main aspiration, and it does so strictly through faithful recreation of Sonic's past, along with a bit of insight toward Sonic’s future. Saying it's the most fun I've had in a Sonic game in 15 years isn't actually saying a whole lot, but it's certainly a great start.

Sonic vuelve por sus fueros y se adentra en una aventura plataformera 2D muy similar a la que protagonizó en Megadrive allá por principios de los 90. Su único defecto es que resulta corta a todas luces, pero mientras dura es una auténtica delicia, y más teniendo en cuenta que se trata de un juego de distribución digital. Sonic ha regresado en plena forma.

Sonic is back doing what he does best, grabbing rings and going really, really fast. With twelve stages (or sixteen if you count boss battles and twenty three if you count the seven Chaos Emerald stages), great graphics, an awesome soundtrack and a buttload of nostalgia to go with it, Sonic 4: Episode 1 is a great game choice for any gamer.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 isn’t perfect, but it is pretty good. Perhaps its most serious problem is its short length; you can have everything done in just a few hours, which is odd for a game costing about $15 USD on most systems. The majority of that short time is very fun however, so if you’ve been hoping for a new Sonic game that is faithful to the classic style then this is worth checking out.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 doesn't do very much that's new. Instead, it takes a step back to a time when Sonic was awesome. I would like to have been able to bring a friend along to play as Tails and experience the old Sonic levels in a new way -- in co-op. Otherwise, there's really little to complain about. Sonic 4 is short, but sweet and well worth downloading.

It's good game, but it's mostly just recycled Sonic content with a fresh coat of paint. It's fun, and it has all of the niceties you'll find with modern games, such as leaderboards; however, it still comes up a bit short for all of the hoopla over Sonic returning to 2-D. It's a good buy for new and old fans of Sonic alike, but don't expect it to rock your world.

Altogether I feel like it's a great throwback to old Sonic games, but at the same time I wish it was a little more refined and had removed some of the annoyances I had with the previous 2D Sonic games. It's totally worth picking up if you like old-school platformers, or were a Sonic fan during the Genesis days, but I'd keep your expectations in check a bit if you really want to enjoy it. I'm still looking forward to the upcoming episodes, but I feel like this will be a little more fun to play when you have the entire finished product in your hands, and not these little chunks of gameplay to digest.

Those fights, the occasional puzzle, and some really lousy music are the flaws that keep Sonic 4 from besting Sonic Rush as the best game to come out of the franchise in a decade. But for every element that Sonic 4 gets badly wrong, it gets four or five others exactly right. Most importantly, it nails the fun of hitting springboards, bouncing off enemies, and defying gravity with pure speed. While hardly perfect, it's solid enough that even reviving the old "Se-ga!" before the title screen feels appropriate. After a decade of missteps, Sonic has earned it.

Sega pakt de zaken ontzettend voorzichtig aan en levert een geslaagde remake af, maar nog geen perfect vervolg. Los daarvan blijft het spel een stevige nostalgie-injectie die iedere ancien graag zal spelen.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1 follows the basic formula of successful titles: there's just Sonic and he is faced with a wide array of levels and puzzles through which he must blaze through as fast as possible. The graphics look great, the levels are pretty reasonable, and this is just the quintessential 2D Sonic experience. This, for any Sonic fan, is the stuff dreams are made out of. Sadly, Sonic 4 doesn't exactly deliver such a great experience, with a few cheap deaths and complicated acts in certain levels, but it is a step in the right direction for the speedy blue hedgehog. If Sega's Sonic Team will be careful with the following episodes, Sonic might once again become popular with the regular gamers.

Sonic 4 voelt als Sonic, klinkt als Sonic en ruikt misschien zelfs een beetje als Sonic, het ziet er alleen een beetje onegels – ja dat is vanaf nu een woord - uit. Natuurlijk is het nog duidelijk herkenbaar, maar de precieze invulling van de graphics laat enigszins te wensen over. De strakke lijnen die we te danken hebben aan het HD-tijdperk doen Sonic zelf, die vooraan een kijkdoos lijkt te zijn geplaatst, niet veel goed. Wel zien de achterliggende omgevingen er aardig kleurrijk en divers uit, al komt het niet levendig over. Maar uiteindelijk draait het toch om het echte Sonic-gevoel. Daarmee zit het gelukkig wel goed en blijkt dat SEGA van zijn fouten heeft geleerd. Wel geven we de ontwikkelaar nog wat huiswerk mee voor de volgende episode, in de hoop wat meer speelduur en creativiteit terug te zien.

Esta nueva entrega de Sonic apenas ha variado su desarrollo desde sus inicios. Es más, podemos afirmas que Sega ha mantenido intactos todos y cada uno de los aspectos del juego en lo relativo al control. Fases a toda velocidad, saltos por todas partes, enemigos que se cruzan en nuestro camino y muchas plataformas hacen de este Sonic una viva imagen de lo que fue en su momento. El control de nuestro protagonista es prácticamente idéntico y tan sólo hemos apreciado que es un poco más estable a la hora de frenar o de realizar movimientos más precisos, pero nada alarmante. La única novedad realmente llamativa ha sido la inclusión de un segundo salto una vez que ya estamos en el aire.

With a toe-tapping soundtrack, glitzy presentation and obvious accessibility, Sonic 4 Episode 1 has much to be proud of. Gamers who recall the early nineties and yearn for a simpler time when true 3d was restricted to bad sci-fi movies should lap this title up, but there’s definitely a sense that it could, or indeed should have been more. We don’t often reference the overall score here at D+PAD, but in this case Sonic misses out on a fourth star by a single blue hair, largely down to the lack of imagination applied to the worlds and that terrible end boss. We hope to see these issues remedied in Episode 2, however, in which case we’ll be happy to offer the speedy hedgehog our full support. Sega, it’s over to you…

This isn't the sequel we've been yearning for all these years. It's a fancy looking homage; a game that regurgitates old levels with shiny new visuals. Sonic 4 does a fantastic job of recreating the retro Sonic experience that defined many a childhood, but ironically this could be considered its biggest shortcoming. Depending on which camp you fall into regarding Sonic, however, a homage is no bad thing. The platforming is undeniably good fun, marrying old school platforming with some interesting new mechanics. Despite its shortcomings, there's a lot of fun to be had here, and its flaws can be easily overlooked. Sonic fans will likely be blind to these blemishes anyway, it's simply that charming. Sonic Team just need to make sure the blue Hedgehog's shoes are fastened a little tighter for Episode 2.

On the one hand Sonic 4 constitutes an effort to drag the Sonic brand back into respectability through familiarity alone. Yet the game’s flaws are not without a touch of irony; by taking many of their fans’ demands too literally SEGA have created a good game damaged by its unhealthy preoccupation with their mascot’s golden days. Sonic 4 isn’t the messiah fans have been waiting so long for, but if we’re being honest they can hardly be picky. It’s a solid game regardless of its franchise, and for Sonic that’s as much of a breakthrough as anyone could hope for.

You've come a long way, made some mistakes, and now you're trying to make amends for them. It shows a great amount of maturity on your part to admit that you're flawed and can be better a perso-er-hedgehog, but you've still got a long way to go before things are back to the way they were between you and me. At least you're taking steps in the right direction. Let's hope you keep it up in Episode 2.

I really wanted to like Sonic 4 Episode 1. As a Sega fanboy I feel guilty for not liking this game more. To have waited for this long though... we probably should have gotten a little more polish and originality for the price tag.

There are enough good moments in Sonic 4 to demonstrate that an update of the classic Sonic games has the potential to be great. But this is not that great game. Sonic fans hoping for a worthy tribute to the early days of the blue blur will have to keep waiting, and those who aren't familiar with Sonic's earliest adventures won't find out what the fuss is about by experiencing this one. With more episodes of Sonic 4 on the way, we may not have to wait too long. Some may be able to overlook the frustrations of Sonic 4 and have an enjoyable experience, but Sonic deserves better, and so do we.

Sonic 4 is an utter mess of a game, cobbled together in a manner that puts the entire franchise to shame. It feels sluggish, broken and lazy, but at least it only lasts a couple of hours! This is exactly the opposite of what we were hoping for, and not worthy of its name.