Reviews// Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1

And although the graphics on the PlayStation 3 version are absolutely fantastic, you do get a feeling that this episode serves as more of an homage to the Mega Drive classics than as a real, bona-fide sequel. All of the Zones are re-imaginations of locations from past Sonic the Hedgehog titles (Green Hill, Casino Night, Labyrinth and Metropolis Zones specifically), and even the bosses are practically the same as their forebears too.

The floating Special Stages from the first game return, but with a twist: you're rotating the world rather than directly controlling Sonic. It makes for an entertaining challenge – and the shouting of many swearwords – before you get those seven chaos emeralds. But then of course there's the sweet reward in Super Sonic - the ultra-hench athlete 'hog that can leap over buildings and smash robots with ease.

The familiarity is no bad thing to be honest, as the original level maps are interesting enough to avoid complete deja-vu and the whole presentation of Episode 1 is almost like a re-introduction to the series after 16 long years.

I would really like to see some totally new locations in Episode 2 though - something that can give me the same fresh experience as tackling Flying Battery Zone or Oil Ocean Zone for the first time. Some new badniks would be nice as well, with all of the enemies in Episode 1 being the most popular ones (if you want to call that bastard crab with a claw the size of Stratford 'popular') from Sonic the Hedgehogs 1 to 3.

As much as it adopts from the past however, there are still some modern-day hangups that might deter the fussiest Sonic fans. For one reason or another, the game's engine isn't the same – or at least, an adaptation – of the Mega Drive source code. As a result, a few things haven't quite been translated 100 per cent.

If you jump to the left or right and then decide to let go of the D-pad, Sonic will stop moving in that direction instead of letting momentum take over. Stages are also a bit too dependant on having Sonic speed through zippers and springs, instead of allowing the player to build up speed naturally. Sonic himself is a bit too slow, and there are a few clipping issues on rare occasions when it comes to shooting around curvatures in Casino Street Zone.

Conclusion
The positives far outweigh the issues these niggles present, and to be honest you forget they're even a problem once you start getting lost in the platforming action. Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 is an exciting blast from the past that has still has the magic of the Mega Drive classics. You might think twice about the price, given how short it really is – 12 Acts, seven Special Stages and five Boss levels – but 16 years is a very long time. If you've been hankering for some brand new, back-to-basics Sonic action, you can't really go wrong here.

SPOnG Score: 86%