Please note that this review is based on the PS3 version of the game, and some things may differ on the XBOX360
Game play(49/50)
The only way I can describe Sonic 4's game play Sonic 3, but better. All the classic moves are there, and you don't have to Spin Dash every hill or loop. On top of this, Sonic now has the modern Homing attack to compliment his normal jump, and the Homing attack will lock onto anything; enemies, springs, vines, containers. The 12 level's puzzles are a little repetitive, repeating similar puzzles/devices throughout each individual stage, but most puzzles/devices don't repeat in more than 1 stage, so I'll chock the repetition up to each stage's theme. In addition, all the enemies are new versions of classic enemies.
The difficulty might push some more casual gamers away, because the stages, and especially the bonus rounds are extremely difficult by modern gaming standards, but after beating the first stage, the other 11 are all unlocked, meaning you can just skip around stage to stage, but hit Triangle at the end of a level, and the game takes you to the next unbeaten stage. You have to beat all 3 stages in a world, then you can fight Dr. Eggman in the boss, which is usually a new version of an old school boss.
The bonus rounds are similar to the ones in Sonic 1, but you rotate the actual stage instead of controlling Sonic, who just continually falls. Unlike the normal stages, Bonus rounds are completed in a set order, and are extremely difficult to complete. You enter them by getting 50 rings and jumping into the giant ring at the end of the stage, but if you miss the ring, you miss your chance to enter, and must beat another stage with 50 rings to get another chance.
The only complaints that I have about Sonic 4 is that unlike Sonic 3, there is no other characters than Sonic. I miss playing as Tails or Knuckles, and that you can miss the bonus round entrance but other than that, game play is near perfect, 49/50
Controls (20/20)
The controls are great, X and circle act as the action button, making Sonic jump/spin dash/ homing attack, and both the analog stick and the D-pad can be used to run. I personally use the D-pad because at first the analog stick feels weird in a Sonic game, but I'm warming up to using it, and both work very well. The whole game is extremely responsive, and therefore I give it 20/20
Graphics (25/25)
The graphics in this game are simply amazing. Think Sonic 3 in full 720 HD. All the sparkle effects, explosions, and of course Sonic when he Homing attacks/spin dashes are just beautiful. I have to give it 25/25, any lesser score would be an insult to this game.
Sound (5/5)
It's not annoying or distracting, and the sound effects for things like the spin dash do justice to the classic sonic games, 5/5.
]b]Summary (99/100)[/b]
Yes, I gave Sonic 4 a near perfect score. It's graphics are amazing, it plays well, the sound is okay, but doesn't damage the experience, it controls well, it just is amazing. My only problem with Sonic 4 is the way you enter the bonus rounds, it would have been better if you just hit a button on the result screen. The great thing about it, is that it is Episode 1, implying that there will be more. Bring back the various shields and characters from Sonic 3, and fix the problem with bonus rounds, and you would have the perfect Sonic game. I highly recommend it if the difficulty doesn't deter you.
