Sonic Team has been in a state of deep decline over the past several years, while recently attempting to re-attain their good name with their upcoming title Sonic 4: Episode 1, now scheduled for a “late 2010” release. I won’t be so quick to praise the team, as to avoid a possible enlargement of their craniums which would result in a state of complacency, but I would like to point out that Sonic Team is doing something right and, if they persist, just might manage to get back in good standing with the gaming public while successfully bringing back a franchise that many of us have cherished for quite some time.
Sonic 4, we’ve heard good things about it, we’ve heard bad things about it, but so far in the development process the game wreaks of mediocrity, with fans of Sonic titles past annoyed with how Sonic seems to have no real weight to him and floats rather than jumps and lacks what the blue blur has been known for all these years… speed! One huge issue those anticipating Sonic 4’s release have had has been the fact that Sonic seems to float forward with a slow jog as opposed the to the rapid, fancy and more realistic footwork he was known for back in the Genesis and even Dreamcast days. Well, in a pretty awesome move, Sega and Sonic Team showed that they had been listening to the fans and, in a recent trailer, Sonic was shown chasing Robotnik (don’t even think about saying “Eggman”) and was no longer floating forward but actually running much like he did back in the old days. Albeit it’s not perfect, but it’s a start.
This small improvement mixed with the new “late 2010” release window should be considered a positive sign for Sonic and Sega fans alike. First Sega listened by bringing Yakuza 3 stateside and now their taking the time to polish a game that, otherwise, would have probably been considered the final nail in Sonic’s coffin, at least for the main storyline. If Sega can continue to tweak the game’s physics, make Sonic feel more solid gameplay-wise, avoid gimmicky gameplay like the leaked “Lost Labyrinth Zone” and pull the camera out a bit, we could be looking at one awesome PSN release, but that’s if, and only if, this game gets several extra coats of polish. Yes, many of us Sonic fans out there have been hard on this title ever since its inception, but that’s only because we want it to succeed.
All-in-all, I think Sonic fans have a lot to look forward to, and although this significant delay may seem like a letdown for some, it can certainly be seen as a shining beacon of hope for others who may have been skeptical from the get-go but really want to see this game do well. So what do you guys think? Has Sonic Team finally gotten their act together, or is it really too soon to tell? Let us know in the comments below!
