Review by: Mike Thompson

Dear Sega,

I'd pretty much written off Sonic the Hedgehog as a lost cause, largely thanks to how you keep on whoring out the poor guy for a quick buck. Your last Sonic game for current consoles was terrible; there's no other way to put it. If there was ever an argument for putting everyone's favorite hedgehog down, Sonic Unleashed made a pretty convincing case. Thankfully, you seem to have realized that there's still some potential for Sonic, provided that you stick to what made him great in the first place: fast-paced 2D racing and creative platforming.

I should also note that it's been a long time since Sonic actually looked this good. I appreciate that. The art design is a beautiful, hi-rez throwback to the Genesis days, with bright colors and cute character designs. I even loved how you managed to make the Splash Hill Zone a close replica to the Green Hill Zone of old.

But the new zone designs are gorgeous, too. The Lost Labyrinth, the Mad Gear, and Casino Street Zones display cleverness and imagination, both in terms of level design and visual touches. I particularly enjoyed using dynamite to blow up obstacles in the Lost Labyrinth sections and earning poker hand bonuses as I flipped over cards in Casino Street.

Still, Sega, you remember what made Sonic great— and the best thing about Sonic 4 is its fast-paced gameplay. All you really have to do is run, bounce, and jump your way through levels. I also appreciated the lack of sidekicks with weird powers, stupid werehog levels, and incomprehensible platforming sections. Of course, there are all the old power-ups that were included in the original Sonic games, too (such as speed and invulnerability). That said, the new targeting system -which makes it a lot easier to hit enemies and bumpers- is a major help. So, thanks again for that.

But what I loved the most about this game was how it was simultaneously thrilling, fun, and tense. Replaying levels and finding new routes is a blast, as is trying to get through a level as quickly as possible. At the same time, I was terrified of getting hurt and losing all the rings I'd accumulated up to that point.