Got onto a bit of a Sonic kick over the holidays, seems to be continuing into 2026! Somewhat begrudgingly, as it's been a chaotic mix of good, okay, and crimes against humanity.
So far in 2026, with short reviews I wrote:
Not bad! Sonic fans waited a decade for a good 3D Sonic, and here it is. Understsnds that 3D Sonic of this era works best when it takes control away from the player and lets them enjoy the spectacle, which fits the them park setting beautifully. Sonic riding through an asteroid field in a dragon roller coaster? Sick. Generally good and varied level design coupled with an entertaining Saturday-morning-cartoon vibe and some of the best visuals on Wii (especially those pre-rendered cutscenes, lookin' good!), and we're in for a pretty good time. There's a few drawbacks you expect with Sonic, frustrations in the level design (some feeling like they're over before they've started, others dragging on longer than they should) and jank and the like, but honestly this comes pretty close to the highs Generations would reach not long after. Get yourself a decent PC or handheld, chuck this into Dolphin, and have a blast. Far as I know the remaster is a worse product so sail the seas my friends, sail them well
Not a good game, but there's things to enjoy. The music isn't insulting, there's a few neat set pieces sprinkled into otherwise bland levels, and the usual mirth that comes with playing a game you know is awful. The main problem is an awful physics engine, clunky and slow in levels based around momentum - what could go wrong? Sonic is no stranger to poor outings, but I suppose what hurts the most is Sega passing this off as a successor to the Mega Drive trilogy, which it most certainly is not. Call this game the low effort WiiWare shite it is, port it to mobile, and be done with the damn thing - it already looks like one of those fake mobile games you see on YouTube ads, why not go the whole hog? Sonic 4 is a concept, an idea, never fully realised, only teased to us in some fever dream shat out of a game design course dorm room and left to litter the internet with all the rest of the half-finished fangames. Except those fangames are on average probably of higher quality than this. The fact this is coming from the Advance/Rush team at Dimps, who were making probably the only good Sonic games of the 2000s, stings that little bit more.
I did also start Sonic 4 Episode II, just couldnt put myself through it til the end. Somehow worse than the first one despite vastly improved physics?
So far in 2026, with short reviews I wrote:
Not bad! Sonic fans waited a decade for a good 3D Sonic, and here it is. Understsnds that 3D Sonic of this era works best when it takes control away from the player and lets them enjoy the spectacle, which fits the them park setting beautifully. Sonic riding through an asteroid field in a dragon roller coaster? Sick. Generally good and varied level design coupled with an entertaining Saturday-morning-cartoon vibe and some of the best visuals on Wii (especially those pre-rendered cutscenes, lookin' good!), and we're in for a pretty good time. There's a few drawbacks you expect with Sonic, frustrations in the level design (some feeling like they're over before they've started, others dragging on longer than they should) and jank and the like, but honestly this comes pretty close to the highs Generations would reach not long after. Get yourself a decent PC or handheld, chuck this into Dolphin, and have a blast. Far as I know the remaster is a worse product so sail the seas my friends, sail them well
Not a good game, but there's things to enjoy. The music isn't insulting, there's a few neat set pieces sprinkled into otherwise bland levels, and the usual mirth that comes with playing a game you know is awful. The main problem is an awful physics engine, clunky and slow in levels based around momentum - what could go wrong? Sonic is no stranger to poor outings, but I suppose what hurts the most is Sega passing this off as a successor to the Mega Drive trilogy, which it most certainly is not. Call this game the low effort WiiWare shite it is, port it to mobile, and be done with the damn thing - it already looks like one of those fake mobile games you see on YouTube ads, why not go the whole hog? Sonic 4 is a concept, an idea, never fully realised, only teased to us in some fever dream shat out of a game design course dorm room and left to litter the internet with all the rest of the half-finished fangames. Except those fangames are on average probably of higher quality than this. The fact this is coming from the Advance/Rush team at Dimps, who were making probably the only good Sonic games of the 2000s, stings that little bit more.
I did also start Sonic 4 Episode II, just couldnt put myself through it til the end. Somehow worse than the first one despite vastly improved physics?
(to be fair: I've included ports and also relatedcollections if I've played them on there, like DMC HD Collection, SNK 40th Anniversary etc.. So I should at least lower the number by 50)
