Systems: Available for download on PS3/Xbox 360/Wii
Price: $14.99
Multiplayer: None
ESRB Rating: E
My first video game system was the Sega Game Gear. I’d played games before in arcades and my friends/relatives houses, but I wanted something I could play whenever I wanted. My mom was against the idea, but dad didn’t see the harm in it. I saved my allowance for what seemed like months (and given the exorbitant price of game systems then and now, I suspect it was). I think my parents primarily let me get a system as a way of teaching me basic economics. If you save your money, you can get something better than if you spend it immediately. I vaguely recall the long drive to Fort Wayne to visit Toys “R” Us (the only local retailer back then that carried video games), and the warm feelings I had as I bought a system of my very own.
The Game Gear came with one game: Sonic The Hedgehog 2. I had fun at first, really enjoying the speed and the colors. Then I reached the first boss. Memorizing patterns wasn’t my strong suit, and the first fight relied on dodging a series of projectiles before getting an opportunity to strike (with no rings). I liked the gameplay, but the difficulty was too high. Because of the high price of games, it was a while before I could afford another. For a long time I was stuck with a game where I usually couldn’t get past the first Zone. When I got the chance to get another game, I was hesitant. I liked playing Sonic, but I wanted something I could beat. I decided to get the first Sonic. I loved it. Over time I would buy several more Sonic games (Sonic Triple Trouble, Sonic Chaos, Sonic Spinball, and the terrible Sonic Labyrinth). When my Game Gear disappeared a few years later (discovered months later in an umbrella, hidden by my evil babysitter for the purposes of stealing it at a later date), I was unhappy. I could play games with my friend/neighbor Adam, but it wasn’t the same. A couple months later my parents surprised me with a Sega Genesis. It was a wonderful gift. They rented Earthworm Jim 2 for me, and the Genesis came packaged with the original Sonic The Hedgehog. They almost literally had to drag me away from the TV so I could participate in a school choir concert that night.
All of this is a long preamble to one thing: I love Sonic. When Sega announced this year that they were returning to the classic side-scroller style for the next Sonic game, I was quite happy. I enjoyed some of the newer games (Sonic Adventure 1, the non-Werehog portions of Sonic Unleashed), but they didn’t capture the fun of the older games. The closest Sega’s come since are the excellent Sonic Advance games. There have been several failures, too numerous to mention here (though I have to say that I found Sonic Riders to be particularly bad). Revisiting the old style on the major consoles seemed to be a good decision. For the most part, it was.
My first thought when playing Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode I (referred to from here on as Sonic 4.1), was that it wasn’t fast enough. The original games had a sense of speed that I haven’t seen in any game since. It may not be the best game mechanic, but it’s the one thing that defined Sonic. He goes fast. In revisiting the levels later I found that some of the speed is there after you’ve been through once, but it never gets to the same level as the originals. Still, some of the areas completely recapture that magic. Act 3 of Splash Hill Zone might be my favorite level of the game.
The gameplay here is almost the same as the old games. You have 10 minutes to get through each zone, with the goal being to finish as fast as possible with as many rings possible. If more than 50 rings are collected by the end, you can access a Special Stage for a shot at one of the seven Chaos Emeralds. The Special Stages are different in that you don’t control Sonic; rather, you control the rotation of the stage around him. This takes a little while to get used to, but I thought it was a fun update.
Sonic 4.1 has five Zones with a total of 17 Acts, plus seven Special Stages. The main game took me less than two hours to complete, with another three to four hours to complete all of the Special Stages. After completing the first Act, the four main Zones are unlocked, allowing you to play them in any order you like. The game also has a Time Attack mode and leaderboards to compare your efforts with other players. I like some of the new additions, like the open level select and the homing attack. I do take issue with basically remaking entire Zones from the classic games. I understand wanting to make the whole game a nostalgia-fest, but I’d much prefer new level designs. The gameplay should be the callback, not the levels. If nostalgia is the main point here, then why don’t aspects like the music and character names (I prefer Dr. Robotnik much more than Dr. Eggman) reflect the early era?
The game is absurdly easy, and the game time is something to be ashamed of. I am not exaggerating when I say that by the time I reached the final boss I had close to 300 lives. As for the length, two hours for $15? I can purchase Sonic Adventure 1 for the same price and get a lot more hours out of it.
My recommendation: Sonic has been out for close to two weeks now, so if you were going to purchase it you likely have. If you’re undecided, I’d recommend downloading the demo. Don’t buy it. Instead, play that level until Sonic 4.2 comes out, causing a price drop for 4.1. You could also purchase the Sonic Ultimate Genesis Collection for the same price and get a lot more playtime out of it. Personally, I’m hoping this will finally get Sega to port over the classic Sonic CD. Sonic The Hedgehog: Episode I is fun, but not enough to justify the price.
