The co-op is frankly terrible anyway, using a distracting catch-up mechanism - even when playing online - that means the trailing player is constantly teleporting to keep pace with their partner.
Such moments feel inorganic, and raise suspicions that the inclusion of Tails was due more to the need to offer multiplayer than any burning creative need to have him in the game. Join forces underwater and Tails uses his double tail as a propeller for a little anthropomorphic submarine action.įor every moment where the team-up concept works, encouraging you to explore beyond the boundary of the screen, there are many more where these additional abilities have encouraged lazy design: sudden dead ends that can only be flown over, and instant deaths that can only be avoided by knowing when to fly or roll. Do the same on the ground and the duo form a rolling ball of furry destruction, smashing barriers and crushing enemies. Jump and call him into action and Tails can fly you to higher areas, or past obstacles. Tails operates much as he did in the olden days, following Sonic around and helping out with combination moves. This immediately alters both the flow and pace of the single player game, while also paving the way for co-operative multiplayer.
Sonic 4 episode 2 online coop pc series#
In terms of the series past, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is the obvious model for this latest offering, as sidekick Tails is brought back into the fold. Getting up to speed takes longer, while movement at low speeds is incredibly sluggish annoying when trying to navigate some platforms, absolutely fatal when attempting to survive the poorly handled boss fights. Sonic is less weightless and skittish than in Episode 1, but now the scale has perhaps tipped too far the other way. Old, bad habits are once again evident, while the design itself is still frustratingly not quite right. It succeeded, mostly, but there were still enough dissenting voices that Sega clearly felt the concept needed more work before serving up the next helping.Įpisode 2 arrives with some major changes then, and not all for the better. A 2D platformer in the '90s style with none of the 3D distractions or cosplay characters that blighted the series in the 32-bit era and beyond. Sonic the Hedgehog 4 was, in most respects, a game aimed squarely at those loyal yet disgruntled fans. In truth, the delay is just the latest example of how Sega is still frantically trying to retool its mascot for modern audiences while appeasing a vocal fanbase that has stuck by him through thickand thin. It's been 18 months since the first episode of Sonic the Hedgehog 4 was released, leading many fans to believe that the wild blue wonder's foray into episodic digital gaming was over before it had properly begun.
Tails becomes Sonic's guardian angel, and while that's sweet and a welcome evolution of their friendship, it turns the action from a high-speed balancing act to a series of peaks and troughs, of dips and recoveries.Somebody needs to check Sega's calendar. Being able to call Tails at any time to pick you up and carry you blunts that thrill: miss a jump or plummet towards a death pit and you have a safety net. When the speed really builds it mirrors the dazzling high-wire act of the best Sonic stages - stay on the top route for the fastest times. Tails instantly snaps to your position when you call him, so no more waiting for him to sort himself out before getting on with the adventure, but that creates a problem in itself. In the air he'll pick you up and fly, in water he'll pick you up and swim, and on the ground you'll both roll into a giant ball of fur, whizzing along the level and smashing everything in the way. The little fox still copies your every move, bless him, but the two of you can team up by pushing Square to activate combo moves. Episode II also walks in its 16-bit heritage by including Tails as Sonic's sidekick, the first time the two have worked side-by-side in a platformer since Sonic Advance 3 in 2004.