Sonic the Hedgehog 4 – Episode I

I understand why people hate this game.
The title Sonic 4 put a lot of pressure on this game. Expecting a sequel to Sonic 3 And Knuckles just isn't what we got here, but besides the horrible graphics, I find this game to be enjoyable. The gimmicks in each level can be really fun.

The physics are terrible, it’s not like the others, but I don’t know why it gets so much hate. It’s playable… is it the best? Definitely not, but it’s not bad. It’s not worth paying that much unless you really want it for a collection. The experience is worth it, but I didn’t like the soundtrack. Don’t buy it expecting the music to be like Sonic Adventure 2

Ah, Sonic 4... This game came out around the time I lovingly refer to as the 8-bit and 16-bit renaissance period, when titles such as Earthworm Jim got an HD re-release, Rocket Knight Adventures received a third entry in the series, and Mega Man had come back to the scene with Mega Man 9 and 10.
That being said, the mechanics are...broken. You can tell what Dimps was going for in this game, and honestly at times it actually does play really well. The other times, well... having come from Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure, I was a bit surprised that Dimps didn't carry the same gusto with this title. It actually feels more similar to Sonic Pocket Adventure on the Neo Geo Pocket Color than it does to the previous Sonic games on Genesis and Game Gear. It tries a bit too hard to be "old school but now new school," and I think that's where the problems emerge from. The game is by no means a bad title--I actually had quite a bit of fun with this title when the controls wanted to work for me. Not to mention the game had multiple console releases, including the Wii.
Unfortunately, the story doesn't really feel like a continuation with what we'd seen in the original trilogy. If Sonic 1 gave us the aesthetics that would define Sonic, with its chequered patterns and loop-de-loops... If Sonic 2 gave us faster gameplay, brighter colours and the Spin Dash... If Sonic 3 gave us shields with effects (dashing with the fire shield, bouncing with the bubble shield, gaining extra ground with the electric shield) and different ways to play (flying with Tails, climbing with Knuckles)... Sonic 4 rewinds us back to more of a Sonic 1.5 feeling to it.
It's quick to judge this title based on the controls, but if you're a bit more patient with it, this game still holds up pretty well. It's a bit more of a casual Sonic title (again like Pocket Adventure), but I think for what it's worth, the game is worth checking out.

Solid 7/10
It's not a perfect game by any means but I fr think the community heavily under credits how fun this game can be. Played it to completion and I know I will be coming back because to my eyes its a perfect sit down and turn off your brain Sonic game. Sonic 4 is nowhere near the level of quality as Genesis Sonic especially Sonic 2 but for what its worth I love Sonic 4 and its level design from Dimps is just as fun as the other Sonic games they've handled. Also the art style is cool idk I like how it looks it pleases my eyes. Backgrounds and foregrounds do mix a little tho thats my main complaint.

get it if you want. i aint stopping you

This game made me contract depression. I lost my job because of this game and I will blame it for my personal shortcomings too. Love you Sega!!! <3<3<3

I completed all the achievements back in the day on Xbox360, and I decided to do it again on Steam. It's exactly like I remember it, it aged pretty well. I like this game.
I had to repeat a perfect run 5 to 7 times for the Untouchable achievement because the final punch from above at the very end always messed everything up for me. It's pretty easy with a bit of practice if not for that RNG move.
I had to install Java to run it, but I have no problem with that.