Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1 is a great game with some flaws of course.
Gameplay:
From the start you'll notice (if your used to the originals that is) that Sonic seems a bit sluggish while moving around, but this shouldn't have any affect on the how the game is played.Your still moving pretty fast and after a while you get use to his speed. Something new added to the 2d repertoire is the Homing Attack. This new move can really screw you over at times, it feels uncomfortable at first but like Sonic's speed you should be able to adapt to it and begin to us it to you advantage. The physics have changed, but thats only to aid in the platforming, the physics from the originals would make the platforming in this game hell. In later levels enemies and boss become a lot tougher.Badniks will seem to come out of nowhere or just be in area that will cause you to hit them and loses all your rings. Bosses get harder as well, you may die a number and get frustrated. You'll need patience and strategy and you will succeed.
Graphics/Art Style:
Sonic 4 looks great, the colors and design of the levels are great. I like how they have taken advantage of the current consoles power and made dynamic foreground and backgrounds for the levels. The levels themselves are very reminiscent of levels from the past, Splash Hill is similar to Green or Emerald Hill, Casino Street is Casino Night, Lost Labyrinth is Labyrinth Zone. The music isn't as good as the tunes from the originals but are still catchy and fits the game.
Sonic 4 while not being a exact replica of the originals still stays true to 2d side scrolling platforming. Anyone should be able to casually pick up and play this game and have fun as well as take the controller and rush through the levels as fast as possible for a challenge. For anyone looking to buy this game I ask you to stop trying to find and point out its flaws and look for and embrace what this game is, fun. 8.5/10