The newest trailer for Sonic’s latest episodic release revealed this potentially disappointing news to the general public. Sonic 4: Episode I was, in my opinion, one of Sonic’s finest titles to date. Sure the physics were a bit…wonky, to be honest, but the game did everything else right – including holding a spot on the Wii Shop Channel, giving everyone a chance to play the game. The Wii version’s soundtrack was even tweaked a bit, adding a bit of diversity to the mix.
However, it seems as though Episode II won’t be offered on the Wii at all, so says this new trailer (and apparently confirmed by Sega on their forums). While this certainly alienates players who only own a Wii, it also hurts all the folks who own other consoles, yet still purchased Episode I on the Wii. These players are now being denied bonus content that, frankly, they deserve and have already paid for in part. Since both games must be downloaded onto the same device, everyone who plunked down cash on the Wii version must now repurchase the game on another device to get this content. If they even can, that is.
Honestly, Sega manages to screw something up with nearly every Sonic game lately. It’s as if they’re meeting some sort of “whoops, guess we messed up” quota put in place to anger loyal fans. To name a few, Sonic Unleashed had glorious Daytime levels, but boasted twice as many horrible Night levels. Way to go. Sonic Generations is a flawless Sonic game…unless you own the PS3 version, in which case input lag caused by a developmental aspect of the game renders it utterly unplayable. Thanks, Sega. And then, as previously mentioned, Sonic 4: Episode I had those weird physics (not a game breaker…but c’mon Sega). All I can say is…thank the Maker for Sonic Colors, which was pretty flawless in general. And that was a Wii exclusive (well, and DS).
In closing, am I excited for Sonic 4: Episode II? Sure I am. I’ll admit that the allure of HD made Episode I a PSN purchase back in the day. Still, it’s unfair what they’re doing to the rest of their followers who don’t fall into that category. Sega’s all over the place as of late, and I’m eager to see when they finally get their act together; if they get it together. Anybody else with me? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
