Blog of MattGCPC

WRITTEN REVIEW:

Sonic 4 Episode 2 carries the burden of having to expand upon
the original series that launched the fabeled blue hedgehog to fame
in the early ’90s, and the way I see it, it delivers.
However, rather than attempting to expand too much upon the original
games, episode 2 simply adds a few new mechanics to the mix and sticks
to what’s safe.

The homing attack introduced in episode 1 is here to stay, and despite
it’s criticisms was a welcomed addition back there, and it’s good to
see it’s still here. On top of this, the main new mechanics introduced 
feature tails. Sonic can use tails to fly up to previously unreachable 
areas, propel sonic through water, and create an enhanced version of 
the original spin-dash. These manuevers aren’t spammed too often, and
is incorporated well into the already established gameplay.

Critics of episode 1 will be happy to know, that physics of the game
have been restored to the way they were back in the 16-bit era, which
is probably the best improvement of all over episode 1.

One thing I will say, is that recently, SEGA seems to have been relying
heavily on nostalgia to rip him out of the rut he was going through a
couple years back. But it’s getting apparent that this tactic is
starting to get old. This game draws heavily from Sonic CD and Sonic 2
as you could probably tell from the inclusion of tails and metal sonic.

Just like in sonic 2, you’ll watch tails die every few seconds, and
magically be restored to life, and the last metal sonic fight is
literally the same as the one in sonic cd, just a bit easier. (let’s
face it, it was a hard fight in sonic cd)

Boss fights range from simple to complex, but all involve trying to find
a pattern and figuring out the timing on when you can attack, and
unlike episode 1 the difficulty is consistant and appropriate throughout
the whole game.

It is a relatively short game, with myself managing to beat it in under
two hours, but if you’re completionist, each stage
has a red ring you can collect, and there’s seven chaos emeralds you can
earn by completing the seven special stages, all inspired by Sonic 2.
SEGA also opted to add local and online co-op, and leaderboards to the
game, so if you’re someone who is constantly trying for a certain time,
you’ll have plenty to do in this game for least a little while.
Despite it’s short comings Sonic 2 delivers a solid experience, but
you may left wanting more by the time it prematurely finishes.

FINAL SCORE:
8 out of 10.