While everybody may just be starting up Diablo III, I’m going to be playing the next episode in Sonic the Hedgehog 4. I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m more excited about Sega’s new 2D platformer than Blizzard’s hellish epic. Chalk it up to misplaced priorities or my boundless love for Torchlight II.
If you’re like me, you have reason to be excited. Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II is launching today on PS3 and PC. It will be launching tomorrow on Xbox Live Arcade and iPhone on May 17. Android owners will have to wait until June. That’s a lot of platforms to get your Sonic on, but that just means more people will get to experience a game that looks better than its predecessor in every way.
The new episode brings Sonic’s longtime partner Miles “Tails” Prower along for the ride. This means that there will be some flying levels and co-op focused levels that utilize the powers of Tails to the fullest. We haven’t seen Tails being this useful since, well, never. There’s a time for everything and it’s finally Tails time to shine.
The one thing I was worried about, however, was the bosses. Sonic bosses have generally been kind of weak ever since Sonic and Knuckles, but it seems that big bosses are back on the menu. The examples shown in the launch trailer are absolutely massive.
On a side note, you should probably get Episode II on whatever platform you picked up Episode 1 on. This allows you to unlock Metal Sonic as a playable character in the original game as well as opening up four new levels. It’s a throwback to the connector technology in Sonic and Knuckles that allowed you to connect Sonic the Hedgehog 3 to for the complete game.
Check out the trailer below to see how awesome Sonic’s next adventure looks.
