Sega Respond To Fans Concerns

"Today we have some good news to bring you guys in regard to Sonic's running animation in Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I! Specifically, we wanted to cover a topic that many of you have asked about after seeing the trailer. Q: Is the running animation in the trailer what Sonic's fastest running animation will look like in Sonic the Hedgehog 4? It looks kind of slow, don't you think? 

A: Actually, it is not his fastest speed! There is a faster animation for Sonic's running that was not shown in the trailer, and is more akin to what you might be familiar seeing from Sonic 3 & Knuckles or Sonic CD. So there you have it! We'll get to show you guys firsthand what that running animation looks like in the future - but until then, rest assured that there's a lot more to the game than what you saw in the trailer: running animations included." 

Dude. They're making an episodic Sonic game. This was the thing I was least worried about.

Very good news. This pleases me. Stay on target, Sega!!

Sega doing things right?
 
 
 
This feels weird.

" Dude. They're making an episodic Sonic game. This was the thing I was least worried about. "

I can't believe 
 
a) that internet people actually complained about "the running animation!!1"
b) that SEGA actually responded to that.

People complaining about this have been utterly retarded.  Personally, I see this as a good thing, as it means we're moving away from the awful Sonic Rush/Advance games, were there's nothing to the gameplay but holding right and making Sonic move as fast as possible.  The old games were NOT like that!  The old games also had very good level design and an equal mix of platforming, not just speed.  Sega specifically said that Sonic will build speed based on momentum and the flow of the level, people just seemed to completely ignore this piece of information, but it's rather clear that Sonic was not moving at his fastest pace during the two second clip we saw of the gameplay.
 
I'm as skeptical as anyone when it comes to Sonic these days, but this is just head against the wall stupid.

I think people should wait to know exactly how long these episodes are before complaining about them. They could feel like full games (such as the episodes for Half-Life 2). They could not. But for now, we don't know.

" People complaining about this have been utterly retarded.  Personally, I see this as a good thing, as it means we're moving away from the awful Sonic Rush/Advance games, were there's nothing to the gameplay but holding right and making Sonic move as fast as possible.  The old games were NOT like that!  The old games also had very good level design and an equal mix of platforming, not just speed.  Sega specifically said that Sonic will build speed based on momentum and the flow of the level, people just seemed to completely ignore this piece of information, but it's rather clear that Sonic was not moving at his fastest pace during the two second clip we saw of the gameplay.  I'm as skeptical as anyone when it comes to Sonic these days, but this is just head against the wall stupid. "

" @WinterSnowblind said:

" People complaining about this have been utterly retarded.  Personally, I see this as a good thing, as it means we're moving away from the awful Sonic Rush/Advance games, were there's nothing to the gameplay but holding right and making Sonic move as fast as possible.  The old games were NOT like that!  The old games also had very good level design and an equal mix of platforming, not just speed.  Sega specifically said that Sonic will build speed based on momentum and the flow of the level, people just seemed to completely ignore this piece of information, but it's rather clear that Sonic was not moving at his fastest pace during the two second clip we saw of the gameplay.  I'm as skeptical as anyone when it comes to Sonic these days, but this is just head against the wall stupid. "

You're missing the point if you think that the issue is "if the animation represents Sonic's maximum speed, then the game will be crap"...   The issue is that the animation in the trailer just looked wrong.  In the context of the trailer, the Sonic sprites from Sonic 2 and 3 were running at full speed (though not Sonic 1 oddly enough).  I think it's natural to assume that the Sonic 4 model would be too.  Then you see the Sonic 4 model seemingly sliding along the floor because his legs aren't moving fast enough.    Seeing as you can tell things from 2 second clips with ease, did you notice anything else in the trailer that didn't seem normal? "

Great, now the Sonic Cycle needs to be revised.