Sonic the Hedgehog 4

[MusicallyInspired]

Don't know how many Sonic fans we have here, but don't waste your time with this one either way. It sucks. Don't even bother getting the demo. The first level is basically a mish-mash almost direct copy of random Green Hill zones from the early Sonic games (mostly Sonic 2) and everything about the game seems to obstruct and hinder your attempts at going fast at all. He's as slow as a slug and his acceleration is abysmal. They also seemed to focus their entire game mechanics and level design on the gimmicky target lock-jump feature. And despite the fact that they got the same guy from Sonic 2 to compose the music (they even use the same drum kit sounds from the Genesis) the score is boring and very forgettable. No memorable level themes here.

In short, it's a horrible game. Can't Sonic Team do anything right???

[Datadog]

So sorry to hear that. I just watched the demo for Sonic 4, and somehow it looks a lot more backward than Sonic 3. I haven't played a good Sonic game since "Sonic 3 & Knuckles" and I can't believe they can put out so many of these and still not recapture the same magic they had on the Genesis. Even Mario manages to put out a new classic every couple of years.

Listening to some interviews on YouTube, I can't even place the problem. They say they're trying to listen to the fans, but still miss the target. And when they don't listen to the fans, Sonic turns into a were-wolf. How hard is it to make a fun game where you run through a level collecting rings and fighting robots?

Maybe that's not even the problem. Looking at the level, it's still all springboards and loop-de-loops. I'm getting more of a "fan-made" vibe from it, like it's a failed attempt at nostalgia.

[MusicallyInspired]

Heh it's not even that. Elements from their levels are literally carbon copied from past Sonic games. I just don't understand how they can create this game, beta test it, play the original games and not see the immense difference. I literally sat down and threw on Sonic 2 played for a bit and then played the Sonic 4 demo and the transition was glaring and overly obvious. The controls and physics are just completely crippled. Speed and jumping (the two things that make a Sonic game) are absolutely broken. I really just don't even think Sonic Team is capable of creating anything decent. They don't know how to make a good game.

[Tawmis]

That does suck. Speaking of Sonic I got it for the Wii (forgot the name of it?) - and man that's hard! Still a good game - but hard. Never even finished it. Should go back to it one day...

[DeadPoolX]

I never really cared for the Sonic games. We got the first Sonic as package deal with the Sega Genesis back in the early 90s. We did have the other Sonic games, but that's because my brother liked them a lot.

I have the first two Sonic games -- in addition to quite a few other Genesis games -- on a PSP disc called "The Sega Genesis Collection." Looking back, I probably could've downloaded them for free and use a Genesis emulator, but I didn't. Probably for the best anyway. I've always found console emulators to be flaky at best.

[MusicallyInspired]

Emulators for anything before the N64 and PSX generation generally work perfectly well. Pretty much flawlessly, actually. Snes9x & ZSnes are the best SNES ones and GensWin/GensWinPlus are the best Genesis ones. Perfect emulation from what I can tell.

Of course, I still have my old consoles and game cartridges hooked into my 26" CRT TV.

[DeadPoolX]

I recall one Genesis emulator (I think it was called KegaFusion or something like that) where it was hell to set up the Sega CD and 32X portions. It eventually worked, but was far from reliable.

But yeah... NES emulators work the best. SNES ones usually work well, too. As I said before, I've had mixed results with Genesis emulators and attempting to get a DS emulator to work is beyond difficult. I suppose that's due to the touch screen interface.

Apparently someone's made a GameCube/Wii emulator. I don't need that, but I can't imagine it works very well. Most Wii games take advantage of the Wiimote.

[MusicallyInspired]

I tried a Gamecube emulator once. I managed to get games starting but it was FREAKING slow and there was no sound. Not really playable at all. And that was only for 2D things. 3D wouldn't even work so it was kind of pointless. Nintendo 64 emulators are generally pretty good now, though. With Project 64 you can even replace textures in certain games with your own. This resulted in High Resolution packs for various games like Zelda Ocarina of Time and Goldeneye 007 as well as other silly types of packs. PSX isn't bad either. Runs a heck of a lot better than Bleem anyway. ePSXe and PSEmu are the best ones there.

As for Genesis/32x/SegaCD, I've never had a problem with GensWinPlus. Every game I tried worked great.

[DeadPoolX]

Okay, I have a few questions, but I'll PM you those. I can't imagine Collector wants us discussing where to get console game ROMs on an open forum.