Sega Not Developing Sonic 4; Leaked Screens
Sega isn't actually developing Sonic 4, but rather a 3rd-party developer experienced in handling the blue hedgehog.
Closet Sonic fans (you know who you are) may be disappointed to find out that Sega's Sonic Team isn't the party behind the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 4 game. According to Destructoid, a listing on Xbox Live Marketplace reveals the developer to be Dimps, the team behind Sonic Advance, Sonic Unleashed for the Nintendo Wii, and the Sonic Rush series. Destructoid seemed rather thrilled over the idea of a 3rd party developing the title.
But as CNET points out, it feels more like the end of an era. While the franchise is returning to its 2D, side-scrolling roots, it should also return to the hands of the original developer. Hopefully Sonic fans won't be severely punished (again after the last few Sonic titles) by this latest installment. If Sonic the Hedgehog 4 falls flat on its face, then Sega may need to permanently close the book on Sonic-based games for good.
Earlier today, leaked video footage of Sonic the Hedgehog 4 in action appeared on the Internet, however Sega has forced hosts to pull the plug. 1UP even managed to score screenshots taken from the first zone of the game, but Sega smacked those off the site as well.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is slated for the Xbox Live Arcade, the PlayStation Store, and WiiWare this summer.
UPDATE: the leaked video can be accessed here, however it will probably be taken down soon. I've also provided two screenshots originally posted over on 1UP.
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I don't like it at all.
I am not going to even get into why. If anyone has played the original and loved it, they will know why.
considering the team behind the gba/ds titles have been making the only half-decent sonic games i think it's a good thing they are handling sonic 4..sega has a really bad habit of starting with a decent idea, then falling flat on it's face, continuing to grid it into the ground
i dont know why mlopinto2k1 but well, i loved every 2d sonic game.
Sonic Rush was great.
i dont know why mlopinto2k1 but well, i loved every 2d sonic game.
Actually, it's not horrible. I just don't like how he doesn't "spin" when he jumps and spins forward. He's off center. It looks stupid. Otherwise it looks cool!
Now this is supposed to be Sonic 4, a whole new incarnation, but all I'm seeing is a repetition of ideas. Casino street = Casino Night. Lost Labyrinth = Labyrinth Zone. Splash Hill looks identical to Green Hill. We'll see.
Give the game a chance, they are still fixing the problems. Its still like 4-5 months away. There is no point for Sega to make this game alone, none of the original designers for the Genesis Sonic games are around more. They all left for other companies.
I truly wish they would remake Mortal Kombat II with a brand new engine and crystal clear captures and smooth animation. Oh god what I would do for a "BADASS" remake of that game. DON'T CHANGE IT! JUST UPDATE THE ENGINE!!!! Ahhhh!!
AW Shucks! I kinda liked the little guy. My girlfriend thinks he's cute.
Video reminds me of the good old days of playing sonic 1.
They need to work more on Sonic's movements... So far looks good, but I'd like to see more, lol.
Cheers!
Thank god its not the guys who made Sonic 3D Blast lol, I just hope its not as bad as the new Mario game on the Wii (I don't mean that games terrible but its not as good as Super Mario World and you can download that to the Wii anyway)
It's not like Sonic Team's been doing the Hedgehog any favors since the DC games, so letting someone else do it for a change may actually be a good thing.
I don't agree with this 2D Sonic 4. I've absolutely no interest in an enhanced graphics Sonic Megadrive/Genesis. They have almost hit home run with Sonic Unleashed except they mess up with the WereHog crap. If they make Sonic 4 with the Hedgehog engine, with 3x the amount of the daytime stages, REMOVED THE NIGHTTIME/WEREHOG CRAP STAGES COMPLETELY. That'll be the best Sonic ever!!! I seriously love the Daytime stages in Sonic Unleashed. It's the best Sonic experience ever!!!
Sonic Rush was actually pretty good, but I really miss the 16 bit Sonic games...
Since when did I have to hide the fact I like Sonic Games?
Since when did I have to hide the fact I like Sonic Games?
Yeah, me too.
I don't know if it's the quality of the video but does it look like Sonic's quite a bit slower than usual?
I can actually SEE him while he's spinning...
on Sega days, Sonic was "supersonic"....now he seems he's stuck in 3rd gear....
The video doesn't really show anything. If anything, it looks like a remake of sonic 1 with the visual effects of sonic 2, but that's just my opinion.
I have high hopes that the new sonic game will have the classic feel to it and hopefully new hands wont screw up its classic feel.This game over all depicts the future of the sonic franchise as far as im concerned if this dousn't go right it will keep getting worse .
They should have just made sonic 4 a cheep game for the xbox and ps3,just so that they could use the old fashioned 16-bit graphics and shit. That would be a good idea. At least they would be getting there original fan base back again.