Sonic 4 tries, but ultimately lets down.
The game makes a decent first impression by presenting the game's stunning levels. It's also got some rather clever and unique ideas, like the card snake on Casino Street Zone, but that's when it all turns to crap. The gameplay itself is a living nightmare, mainly the physics. The physics are one of the main reasons this game is frustrating to play. Sonic lacks a sense of momentum to the point where taking your finger off the button brings Sonic to a standstill. This, coupled with the aggravating level structure and object placement can lead to many cheap and unfair deaths. Not to mention the fact the game uses Dimps' broken engine from Sonic Rush, to which you can stand motionless on a ceiling without falling off sometimes. The hit detection is also rather dodgy; sometimes, you can attack an enemy with say, the homing attack, you take the hit yourself.
Now with the music. The excessive use of synthesized instruments are completely unnecessary, plus a number of tracks are insipid as well. Giving credit where credit is due, some of the tracks are rather catchy. However, most of them sound dull and are made even worse with the constant use of synths.
And what's with the rehashing of zones from the old games as well? It's rather uninspired and unoriginal and it just feels like you're playing a rehash. Plus, there's little replay value unless you want to try going after the game's masochistic trophies.
And that wraps up Sonic 4. It's worth a play, but you should know what to expect. A 6.0 is rather kind, as it is nowhere near as good as the three games before it. If the physics were any better, that would have made the game a hell of a lot better. I'll end this review with a quote from a friend:
'As others have already stated, the physics were the biggest disappointment. In fact, the only time the physics felt remotely right was when I was playing as Super Sonic, which at first struck me as very odd until I remembered the engine this game was built off of (which heavily emphasized speed). I found it to be somewhat enjoyable, but there is absolutely a lot more improvement needed if it's going to even come close to the level of the classics (Sonic Advance-like physics would be a good start). '
Final Score: 6.0