Game News

Sonic 4: Episode 2 in 2012, Episode 3 Unlikely

Sonic’s 20th Anniversary affair is remaining for Sonic Generations and Mario and Sonic 2012, as Sonic 4‘s second episode has been bumped back to 2012, according to Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka in an interview with Eurogamer.

“This year, 2011, is the anniversary, so we’re focusing on the celebration title, but moving forward to 2012, Sonic will still be going, so I’d hope to provide Episode 2 then.”

Given the usual nature of episodic games, where titles are released very quickly in multiple installments, it’s strange that its taken Sonic Team nearly more than a year to churn out the second episode. Iizuka reassured that things are going according to plan.

“It was always the plan,” said Iizuka. “We knew about the anniversary year, and Generations was planned way in advance. It was always our plan to release Episode 2 after Generations.”

However, when it came time to determine if Sonic 4 would stretch on toward a third episode, that same sense of confidence faded away, leaving the fate of the installment uncertain.

“We can’t say if there’s going to be Episode 3 or not,” Iizuka said.

No other details about Episode 2 were revealed, so keep your torches and pitchforks down. For now, Sega is letting Sonic Generations keep the dance floor all to herself.

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31 Comments

  • Reply

    they should just can it. Shame they wasted the title “Sonic 4”

  • Reply

    AWUSUM SAUCE!!! hope we get fixed rollin.

  • Reply

    That’s to bad, I was hoping for Sonic 4 Ep. 2 (Lol It sounds like Star Wars) to come out sooner. I personally liked Sonic 4 Ep. 1 but I can’t keep rushing through four worlds as Super Sonic forever! Thou If Sega plays their cards right this could be the return of the Super Emeralds. We collected the 7 Chaos Emeralds in the first episode so why would we collect them again in episode 2? Come on Sega bring back the 7 Super Emeralds and Hyper Sonic!!!! 

  • Reply

    Wait, upon giving it more thought, Episode 3 will never happen because episode 2 will be so bad it’ll break out a war between the retro and new fanbase. By 2012 both fanbases will be so big they’ll be religions, and instead of flame wars it’ll be a nucular war.

    Thus the world ends. the end.

    • Reply

      Needs more Cthulu.

    • Reply

      The fucking mayans were right!

  • Reply

    If this is anything like Episode 1, ethey might as well call it Sonic Advance 4

  • Reply

    Um. The interview with Iizuka doesn’t say episode 3 is unlikely. It’s just him doing his teasing again. Probably because if episode 2 is just as bad as the first, it’ll be killed off.

  • Reply

    I dunno, I don’t take it as him saying that “Episode 3 is unlikely”. The phrasing can also be interpreted as him saying “We can’t confirm or deny its existence at this point in time”. After all, they’ve barely even said anything about E2, why would they talk about E3?

    • Reply

      Unlikely is never a definite, and in this industry, things can change pretty quickly. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.

      • Reply

        I’m in agreement with Dr.Facepalm here. With the information we have to go on, it’s no more unlikely than it is likely.

  • Reply

    I’m hoping they just come clean and say “LOL JK SONIC 4 WASNT SONIC 4 WE TROLLED YOU” And then actually give us Sonic 4.

    • Reply

      I agree 100%

      They need to “scrap” sonic 4’s episodic adventures and give us a “true” sequel, with the intentions of making it similar to that of classic sonic in generations 🙂

  • Reply

    And yet another series that will lack an Episode 3.

  • Reply

    “It was always the plan,” said Iizuka. “We knew about the anniversary year, and Generations was planned way in advance. It was always our plan to release Episode 2 after Generations.”

    …I call bullshit.

    • Reply

      Considering this site, you would.

  • Reply

    Am I the only one here who’s staying levelheaded about Sonic 4? It’s a disappointment yes I’ll agree but it’s not THAT bad.

    Can’t we all just stay optimistic about this?

    • Reply

      Yes we can.

    • Reply

      I agree. Maybe the 2012 delay was because Sonic Team needs to improve Sonic 4 for the better… You know, lessons learned 🙂

  • Reply

    It’s not surprising at all, Iizuka said they planned to treat 2011 as the anniversary year and that’s what happened, the delay for Episode 2 is required due to some issues the first episode suffered with like the physics, I guess when he said “We can’t say if there’s going to be Episode 3 or not” that he meant if episode 2 sells good enough they will consider making a third episode.

    • Reply

      It’s got Sonic’s face on it so of course it’ll sell good. Problem is he’s aware of the amount of mistakes in episode 1 so doesn’t really wanna continue the series.

      • Reply

        If that was the problem why would they even consider making a second episode? Also wouldn’t it make more sense if they try to fix what went wrong with the first episode instead of scrapping the whole thing?

        Need I to remind you that, despite what the majority of Retro fans think of the game, it did in fact sell well and receive mostly good reviews? could it been better? of course, and SEGA themselves said that, but you can’t say it was a total failure that it needs to just get scrapped, if someone doesn’t like a game the common sense is to not play it, problem solved!

  • Reply

    Atleast thats an even bigger chance of having Episode 2 be an improvement over Generations classic sonic. In November they will get even more feedback. And obviously Episode 2 will be a completely different game than Episode 1, otherwise they could’ve just made more levels onto the EP1 formula.

  • Reply

    At first I believed they wouldn’t even create Ep 2 because 1 failed in epic proportions.

    What they actually need to do, not for their main line of games but on the sidewalk, is to recreate the classics in HD. Same physics engine, only with fix layers instead of a new engine from scratch. 

    False hope, probably, but it’ll be the only way to convince me to buy another Sonic game. (Unless Generations actually has the physics engine fixed. Especially the DS version, it’s terrible. Like Sonic 4’s engine but a little less sluggish. Still terrible. End.)

    • Reply

      The Gamescon build of both demos have improved phenomenally from the E3 build, especially the 3DS version.
      The moar you know.

    • Reply

      Dude, Generations Console version has amazing gameplay. Not exactly 1:1 with the Genesis but it’s really close.

      And the DS Version doesn’t have Sonic 4 engine. Didn’t the hands on here say it’s a massive improvement

  • Reply

    I’m just gonna pretend they never made sonic 4. I hope the second part is good.

  • Reply

    Personally I think SEGA is being a little too careless about this…not just because like Episode 1, they’re taking forever, but, also that it feels like they want to avoid the project all together, and if that’s the case, Sonic will be as washed up as Megaman is now, not to mention the endless fan war..

  • Reply

    Since we all know the mainstream complaints of the game, here is my issue assuming that all of those problems are fixed: a scrolling camera. C’mon SEGA, you did it in 1993 with Sonic CD, bring it back so you can turn up the speed and at the same time make the levels feel less cheap. If they brought that back it would show me they are really digging deep, after all there would be no reason for a good camera without good level design which build off good momentum-based physics.

    And classic controller…do those and I could see episode 20.

  • Reply

    Why would you want a HD remake of the games you probably have bought 15 times now? For the love of god… And It’s better for the game to be released in 2012. Maybe then I’ll have some money.

  • Reply

    It makes sense to have three episodes, and treat each with the features of the original three games. So Episode 2 would introduce Tails and multiplayer, and Episode 3 would introduce Knuckles. Plus I want Sonic 3’s bonus round to be done again, best bonus level in any Sonic game.

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