Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II (2012)

Most of my review of Episode I also applies to this game, with a few exceptions.

The controls are slightly better: Sonic builds momentum faster and isn't so eager to unroll. The levels are also less derivative, and a couple of bosses are pretty fun and original. I also think the special stages are an improvement on those of Sonic 2.

I have mixed feelings about Tails' inclusion. It's nice to see his role expanded to something other than "character that runs behind you and dies a whole lot." The extra moves come in handy quite often. But I just don't enjoy halting the action to switch to a different movement style. (I have a similar problem with wisps in other Sonic games.)

And this episode backslides in one or two ways. Those damn bottomless pits are back, some of the new enemies have baffling hit boxes, and the optional Metal sections have an unreasonable number of crushing hazards.

Overall, I think Episode II improves on Episode I. But these are best enjoyed today as curious detours rather than worthy successors.

Some years back I played Sonic 4: Ep 1, and I absolutely hated it. I figured there was no point in ever bothering with Ep 2, since it looked like more of the same. But a lot of people on the internet said Ep 2 was a big step up from Ep 1! So I figured what the hey, I can at least try it out. Maybe it'll still be a mediocre game, but I'm okay with those.

Nope. Sonic 4 Ep 2 is a terrible game. If it really is a step up from Ep 1, it sure isn't much of one. The physics are clumsy, the controls are fiddly, the graphics are soulless, the level design is bland, the music is bweah-bweah-bweah-ey, and Sonic + Tails have new pointless moves that are entirely unneeded in a 2D Sonic game and only serve to slow you down or force you to a standstill every ten seconds. I feel bad for anyone whose first experience with Sonic games is Sonic 4. (And that's sadly probably a lot of people, since the game was so heavily pushed on mobile, and made its way on a bunch of other platforms at the time.) I hereby direct all newcomers to play Sonic Mania instead.

The game has moments of fun and interesting ideas throughout.

My biggest issues is that some ideas has not been fleshed out, like the mechanics you do with tails are cool and all but they feel clunky. Sometimes if you want to fly you end up doing the tails and sonic spin since you're too close to the ground.

Except the tails and sonic mechanics, the controls feel tighter than episode 1, not perfect or anything.

Oh another thing is in some boss fights it's kinda hard to know what you're supposed to do, like you are supposed to do a tails and sonic mechanic and it is kinda explained but not fully.

I remember that at one boss I managed phase one but not phase two since I didn't know what to do, I died several times.

Overall the game is kinda a mess, sometimes it shines and some stages are really fun or some parts of the stages and sometimes you end up frustrated or bored, I blame it partly on the controls and mechanics.