Impromptu Q&A Again Proclaims Reveals to Resume
On Saturday, an informal Sonic 4 Q&A ensued between Sega community manager RubyEclipse and members of the popular NeoGAF forum. Included in the comments are the closest things to acknowledgment of the recent video (and now download) links. With it comes a caution not to take everything seen thus far at face value.
“Anything officially released is fairly representative (or very close) of the final game,” RubyEclipse said. “My advice is to hold off any opinions on other things you may have seen until we officially reveal what the final game will look like. I know the website and content reveals have been dark for some time, but we’re almost ready to start kicking things back into gear again.”
Among questions fielded was a point blank inquiry on whether the next Sonic will be a Sonic 5-type game, even if the Sonic 4 franchise is unsuccessful. In Ruby’s words:
I won’t let it fail. This is perhaps our first chance in almost sixteen years to start getting Sonic back towards what I know many would like to see from the franchise.
The fanbase will never completely agree on perfection, and there will always be someone, somewhere out there who is unhappy. But this is a first step, and as mentioned on another forum this evening, sometimes what matters most is the direction you’re walking in.
Another point of debate has been the addition of the homing attack to Sonic 4′s mainly 2D environment. That, too, was addressed, and its use may not be so standard:
Knowing that a lot of older fans might prefer the classic style gameplay, I made it a mission to try and play through each zone without using the homing attack. What’s interesting is that not only was it largely doable in most zones (depending sometimes on which route one took), but I found that in some cases it is actually advisable to use the classic attack style over the homing attack. In addition, the homing attack cuts down on a player’s momentum, meaning that while it is harder to navigate over enemies classic-style, those who perfect their skills can do so and will be moving far faster than those who do not.
Also acknowledged by RubyEclipse were ongoing community plans in relation to the game, which he said would be revealed before the first episode’s released. It is well known Sonic Retro had been approached for those efforts after Sonic 4 was announced–which critics point to as the reason why administrators took such swift action on leaks only after the entire game, in video form, had been released via links on its message boards.
Despite that, and continuing efforts by Sega to nip leaks in the bud, the community manager insists they have little to hide.
“We’re definitely not sweeping anything under the rug here; rather, making sure it’s ready to go before we open the curtain,” RubyEclipse said.
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@ Scartillary
Okay…. you do know that Sonic and Knuckles stories are happening at the same time right? They are both fighting Mecha Sonic.
You will see them again, throughout the *whole game*, besides, the point is that Sonic has never done that in a classic game
Have you played the first zone in Sonic 2 for the gamegear? Its a main series game too… Theres your mine cart. Your welcome.
“I do not plan on playing this game at all unless there is a demo and I will do a review of that, *of course I don’t even have to play the game to know what it’s like*.”
Don’t expect anyone to take you seriously…
Oops, my bad. Looks like I made a mistake with the Mecha Sonic thing. I was looking for things to cite my sources from (since its been a while since I’ve played Sonic 3 and Knuckles) and it turns out that this person was using debug mode in order to fight mecha sonic as Sonic
Anyways, I think anonymous has cleared up any confusion that may have been had.
back @ edge AGAIN
You are the most immature prick I’ve ever seen complain about Sonic 4. I thought sonic4321 from sega forums was as bad as a person could be over this game, but you’re just completely bonkers.
1) Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles don’t need to be together after Sonic 3 & Knuckles. In fact, Sonic and Tails left Knuckles behind on Angel Island, and Sonic doesn’t have to be accompanied by Tails if he doesn’t want to. Sonic has started his adventures on his own time and time again. Why? BECAUSE HE’S SONIC THE FREAK’N HEDGEHOG!!
Oh, and by the way.
The story mentions nothing about the economy. Only about Eggman’s budget cuts. And guess what? That should be understandable considering Eggman lost so many resources after loosing the Death Egg a third time in a row! Sure, it would’ve made more sense to scrap the spike-less Bubbles, but only one such as yourself would make a big deal over it rather than brushing it off as a bit of humor.
3) For a gift, you must have really played your part as the receiver. Face it, you’re doing more than just disliking your gift. You’re shouting at the people who have brought you the gift after chucking it back at their faces. You’re like a spoiled child at his birthday party when he gets a birthday cake with chocolate sprinkles when he wanted one with chocolate chips.
4) Sega can call a game Sonic 4 even if it meant impregnating you with a bowling ball. Sonic 4 is Sonic 4, and that’s just how it is. And for the record, that so called “tradition” you’re riding on is nothing more than an inflated excuse to hate the game.
Oh, and prepared to have your review of this game debunked by the tens of thousands if all you’re doing is reviewing a demo. You’ll be more dead to me than the guy on IGN who reviewed Sonic Unleashed for the XBox360.
@ Edge
1.) Okay, you got me with the Tails and Knuckles thing…they never really confirmed that…but it’s not a bad assumption come on…
2.) I know they never reused badniks in the classics, but we haven’t really seen a badnik since what…the first Sonic Adventure (1999) so when I saw the Shellcracker concept art and then the Motobug it caught my attention and I instantly thought NOSTALGIA!! So I meant it in that sense.
3.) As far as rehashing goes…it won’t bug me if it’s only for this episode because every level is an obvious rehash, but if every episode has obviously rehashed levels from older games in it then yeah it will be a disappointment and I’ll back you up 100% on the lack of originality statement. now I’ll still play it because I’m a Sonic fan but I won’t be completely satisfied
3.)
@ Porcupine Man
I think Sonic Team realized their mistake with unleashed. Me realizing it and addressing it is one thing, but when my older brother who knows nothing about Sonic the Hedgehog whatsoever walks into my room, walks by my tv, takes my shoes, walks back by my tv, double takes the tv screen and says with the utter most disgust in his voice…”Why is Sonic turning into a Werewolf!!?” is a HUGE PROBLEM that needs to be solved quickly…hence Sonic 4. It is a step in the right direction if done properly. It is a genesis style game, it doesn’t play like anything after S&K (with the exception of the homing attack.) You do have to earn speed in all the classic Sonic’s and hopefully it’s the same here. I’m definitely not judging the game off of someone else playing it, I have to be hands on with it to properly review it. If you were referring to me being a fanboy and me having some part in trashing the Sonic franchise, me buying the games and trying them out for myself is not destroying the franchise. It’s when people compliment an obvious mistake…
I in my opinion haven’t seen a huge mistake yet from this game (and I pretty much have seen the entire first episode) so yeah I’m going to support it, it looks fine to me so far, the entire game isn’t out yet so I can’t pass judgement on the whole thing…Thats the reason I’m saying ITS ONLY EPISODE ONE
@ Jmack
I would like to take the time to thank you for being the only person here who has been polite to me when adressing my oppinions. Thank you, I almost have enough research for my essay over the ferocity of the Sonic the Hedgehog fanbase
@ edge
Give me a break. I attacked you for your first post because I found your reasonings to boycott this game to be more irrational than anything I’ve ever seen. After you replied to me, I toned down on the aggressiveness. Sure, I still didn’t agree with you completely and I didn’t coat it with any sugar, but I was being polite nonetheless. It was your response to my 2nd post and your additional comments that flared me up again. Some of your claims were ridiculous, some of your opinions were biased, and you refused to open your mind to other things. Furthermore, you somehow think you’ll be doing justice to this game by reviewing a demo. That is just low.
I may be ferocious towards you and other people of the likes at times, but you have been ferocious to the developers of the game, and that’s not any better.
@Jmack
“Thats the reason I’m saying ITS ONLY EPISODE ONE”
You know, that´s the worst thing of it all. If it sells, Sega won´t change anything from the gameplay because “people thinks it´s good”. But if it don´t sell, then they will just stop making 2D Sonic games like this one. Anyway, I´m sure it will be the first choice.
@ Edge
You’re welcome, nuthin but love
Yeah I’m just able to see this whole thing from different angles and understand peoples opinions since I grew up in both the classic and modern eras of Sonic so I can see the disappointment in hardcore fans when this game has an epic title behind it but doesn’t quite live up to the originals. No modern Sonic game will ever touch the Classics unless Sonic Team throws in some SERIOUS SERIOUS SERIOUS ELBOW GREASE!!! This game was the dealbreaker for me but it’s holding up well so far in my opinion, but I think it’s gotten bad on both ends of the spectrum and alot of people are being very one sided about this game and lash out at other people just because they’re expressing their opinions, so I’m being as civilized as I can to show that not everybody in this fanbase is crazy lol
So heres what I think about Sonic 4 episode 1 so far
1. No it’s not the classics, but It’s the closest modern game we have.
2. In my opinion, things like Sonic not in his sprite form or the rings look too big or when he jumps he doesn’t spin like he used to, aren’t the things that bother me, it’s when Sonic Team promises that this is his return and then later you find out that Sonic transforms into a freakin autobot and the entire gameplay changes drastically (the mine cart is one act and it looks like a painful level for xbox users but it could be interesting for wii and ps3 users)
3. Everything else looks and sounds fine so far, if I had any complaint about this game whatsoever it would be that Sonic takes to long to do his running animation (not a dealbreaker though)
4. I swear Metal Sonic better be the hardest thing I’ve ever faced in a Sonic game ever this time around or I’m going to be extremely disappointed (Sonic Heroes…did not do it for me)
@ Knuckles MetalMind
Sonic is going to sell regardless…you gotta remember that this is a character that not only beat out Mario and the Nintendo franchise single handedly at one point in time but he also became more popular and recognizable than Mickey Mouse!! Sonic Team can get over on the Kids with anything because they’re ignorant to what his gameplay style really REALLY is that’s why you have Werehogs and Swords and halfway inspired story lines and bad voice acting and Sonic 06′. But they’ve understood that in doing that they’re also losing their retro crowd, which I think is why they made Sonic 4 in the first place. They knew they effed up on unleashed when everyone bashed them for the Werehog (except kids.) so far what I have seen has not disappointed me yet, but that doesn’t mean that there’s room for complacency. They can still turn this game into something much more than just “Sonic the Hedgehog 4: The Rehash”
it can still go much further, it has the potential…if it doesn’t Sonic Team WILL lose all of it’s retro fans…starting with me
@ Mopingskull
First of all, what did I do to upset you in my second post?
“Some of your claims were ridiculous, some of your opinions were biased, and you refused to open your mind to other things.”
Sir I would like to tell you that nearly all opinions are biased, and I open my mind to new things all the time, new things that are not Sonic 4. Face it, this game is called Sonic the Hedgehog *four*. You shouldn’t have to open your mind to anything new, you should already know it all, and seriously though, if this is Sonic 4 then shouldn’t Tails be in the game? Hm? Shouldn’t he? I recall him and Sonic flying in the Tornado flying off Angel Island at the end of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Knuckles. Also a word of advice, you spelled ‘rediculous’ wrong, not trying to sound like a smart alleck of anything (because I try my best to be polite to everyone), I’m just telling you, I have OCD and cannot stand mistakes.
“Furthermore, you somehow think you’ll be doing justice to this game by reviewing a demo. That is just low.”
I will tell you this bit of knowledge, since obviously you were never aware before, that developers send in demos of their games for reviewers to play through, and after they do that they review the game, so just know the next time that you see a review for a game that they reviewer only played a demo, they did not play the full game, do you think that a reviewer would have enough time to play through a game as long as the newest Final Fantasy or Disgaea RPG and have a review ready the same day the game is released? No, it does not happen like that.
Well of course my oppinions on this game are based off what I have seen,(which is the whole game) So they are subject to change, which, after watching the whole game it seems very hard for my oppinion to be changed now, however if the demo is freaking amazing, which I hope it is, I want to like Sonic again, I will buy this game, *but* my eyes are not usually decieved, so I can pretty much tell that I am not going to like this game, it is my hope that dimps can pull a quick 180 and prove me wrong.
My Sonic 4 hate fueled messages are only for 2 things.
Me stating my current oppinion on this game
and 2, writing an essay on the fanbase for a report that I am working on
1.) Personally, I think that the first advanced game and Pocket adventure are the closest non-Sega based console games to the classics
2.) Having seen the whole game I will warn you that this game practically plays itself, and the homing attack makes the bosses a piece of cake.
3.) One of my biggest problems was the sound actually, not the sound effects, but the music, I hate synth-pop, wheres my Genesis/MegaDrive sounding music?
back @ edge
First and foremost, I did not misspell ‘ridiculous’. The spell checkers on my web browsers and word documents as well as multiple dictionary sites and the ones on my shelf spell ridiculous this way. I don’t know which country you’re from, but this is how we spell it in America.
Second, I already stated that Tails doesn’t have to be with Sonic in a sequel. Just because Sonic and Tails left Angel Island together, it doesn’t mean they have to start a new adventure together. Sequels don’t have to take place directly after the prequel, and if you were as open-minded as you claim to be you should understand at least that much.
Thirdly, in addition to me doubting that reviewers only review demos of the games they are assigned to review, this Sonic game is far different from an RPG such as Final Fantasy. It’s too short and simple for a reviewer to require a demo of the game in order to review it.
Fourthly, I can’t even make sense out of your short lecture about opinions, but you should know that plausible criticisms are often more than just personal input. In other words, you simply can’t go around saying Sonic Unleashed (for example) deserves a 4.5/10 simply because it doesn’t play at all like the classic Sonic games. It’s biased opinions like those that make things sound worse than they really are.
Fifthly, just look at your posts again. You brought your supposedly homosexual dog into the argument as a means of insulting the writer for coming up with such a simple story. You also show little understanding as to what a sequel is, yet you continue to assert that the exclusion of Tails and Knuckles does not make a sequel (for the record, all a story needs to be considered as a sequel are references to the last adventure. You don’t even need Sonic or Robotnik in order the make a sequel, but it only makes sense that you do if Sonic’s name is the title). You also assert that a real sequel to the Mega Drive games would feature their own badniks because that’s supposedly a tradition. And while you continue to whine about this game breaking these so called ‘traditions’ set by the Mega Drive games, how’s about criticizing Sonic 3 for breaking the tradition of using regular shields that lack any special attributes? This badnik tradition thing you’re starting is merely an opinion made out of pure BS.
And you know what? I’m done wasting my time with you. If you’re going to abandon Sonic games for the rest of your life, then I’m not stopping you. Sonic games need less nit-picky fans like you, and more fans who can tell design flaws apart from disliking decisions made by the developers, anyways.
@ mopingskull
Homosexual dog? I don’t remember writing anything like that, I had a friend over that day so maybe he wrote that into my comment when I left the room or something like that.
I’m not even going to bother with the rest of your comment. I’m too freaking tired and hungry to even care about replying right now, not to mention I have a severe headache after watching some ocean movie, maybe later.