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Xbox.com Releases First Screenshots of Sonic 4: Episode 2, Co-op Play Also Revealed

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Author Shadzter
135 Comments

The Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 product page over at Xbox.com has received a significant update today. In the update, ten screenshots have been released, the game’s final ‘box art’ and new details about the game. The screenshots give us a look at the four various levels, including an ice type stage, a carnival type stage, a desert/oil field type stage, an Aquatic Ruins type stage and a special stage. A chase with Metal Sonic on Tails’ rocket is also shown. New details revealed include offline and online co-op play and combo attacks Sonic and Tails can pull off together.

You can check out the new info and screenshots after the jump.

The Sonic 4 Saga continues as Sonic reunites with Tails for all new collaborative play! Following the events of Episode I, Metal Sonic has returned to form a formidable alliance with Dr. Eggman! To face this new threat, Sonic will have to call upon an old friend to help him save the day! Joined by Tails, utilise ingenious combination moves and race across four brand new Zones, in order to put an end to their evil plans! Play alone, or with a friend locally (and online), in an evolution of Sonic 2’s collaborative gameplay! Unleash Sonic and Tails’ devastating joint attacks and combination moves to fight the united force of Metal Sonic and Dr. Eggman. Episode II features an all new game engine, bringing you updated physics and an original graphical style as you race through four unique Zones and a new Special Stage.

Source: Xbox.com

Thanks to Agent York at the SSMB for the heads up!

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135 Comments

  4. I hope this game deosn’t link up with the first one somehow, only because I have the first Episode on the Wii and I have to get this one on the Xbox 360 and I don’t wanna miss out on anything special lol. It looks really awesome though.

      1. My guess is that it is the Death Egg being built over Little Planet. You can kinda see what I think might be the moustache in it, and also the details of Little Planet.

        1. Wait, why are we all calling him Hyper Metal Sonic now, I can understand that you guys like Sonic OVA, but why is it officially the “Hyper Metal Sonic” battle…?

  8. wow the carnival level looks like it is paying homage to sonic and tails’ early fallen comrade Bubsy : ) the first Bubsy was very good and was one of the first genesis games to receive a pc version with totally redrawn graphics.

  9. Hm….only 4 zones? as good as this looks, I think it will be over all too soon like Episode 1 was. Sega have listened to the fans, up to a point. I would have liked 6 zones with 6 battles with Metal Sonic. not 4.

    Little planet looks like it’s returned to Mobius – hence Metal Sonic returning, but these levels all scream “HD redux” from Sonic 2 (and 3).

    Will buy it, but was kind of hoping for a bit more. Sigh. still….maybe it’ll have a “patch” to update graphics and game engine for episode 1. Then again, this is Sonic Team. sigh.

    1. Yea, I was a bit sad how there is ONLY 4 zones again. Maybe episode 3 might have more if there is one.

  12. Why do the graphics look like Sonic Fan Remix? ANYWAY, awseome!!!! I cannot express how happy I am right now!

  14. I like the original Tornado 1 making a return. That one level looks like a mix between Aqutic Ruin and Marble Garden zones. Nice to see Bubbles is returning once again. Honestly, I think this game looks like lots of fun. Sure hope it is on the Wii U.

  15. If that is littel planet with a metal frame around it, creepy! The return of the bit plane, right on! All the level designs look beautiful.

    Maybe the final battle with Metal Sonic does take place on Little Planet. Or all or Episode 3 will be on little planet. Either way looks really good.

    1. I hope to god there’s an Episode 3….but I doubt it….they said this was the “second half” of Sonic 4

        1. ur retarded they said there MIGHT be an ep. 3 IF ep. 2 goes good. I doubt they’d go 1, 2, 4, 5. get your facts right before you troll somebody.

  19. -Flash Back-

    -Sonic & Tails in the Special Stage-
    Sonic: “Lets go Tails!”
    Tails: “OOOOOO Shiny”
    Sonic: “No Tails!”
    -BOOM!-
    Special Stage: “Not Enough Rings!”

    Ahhhh Good times in Sonic The Hegdhog 2!

  22. I’m really glad sega took the incentive to improve the game. The graphics engine is very different in a good way, I much prefer the new style. The only issue I see with the game is price. As HUGE of a Sonic fan as I am, I’m not paying another 15 for 4 more stages.

  23. a roller coaster stage, there goes my fan game idea, still with puttind accusing of ideas aside lol, this looks very good though have to see in action before final verdict

      1. I hope! Because if this rubs off on Episode 1, it could be better than Sonic 3 when all the episodes are combined!

  24. BEAUTIFUL!
    Stage similar to Aquatic Ruins—-LOVE IT!
    Snow themed stage——————–LOVE IT!
    Sonic 2 Special Stage——————LOVE IT!
    Teaming up with Tails—————LOVE IT!
    Graphics———————————–LOVE IT!

    I am sooooooooooooo excited!
    And I would be fine with only four zones if they’re challenging enough.

  25. WOAH! THIS… IS… AWESOME! This looks like a definite must have! Beautiful and original levels, enhanced graphics, local and ONLINE co-op with Tails, and come on, that Metal Sonic fight just looks bad ass… and is that a transition between ice and carnival I see? I NEED this game…

  26. haha Eggman has a weird addiction to using planets for his own devious plans (Sonic colours comes to mind)

    3. That whole screenshot kinda sucks. I’m not one of those fans who complains about the little things like green eyes, but the boar badnik look lazy or like a toy. And ik this isn’t a final shot probably but idk it’s lazy lookin.

  28. WOAH! SEGA IS IMPLEMENTING GAME CONSISTENCY! Look guys! They’re using the classic Tornado model! And that planet in the background… and how the game is related to Sonic CD… hmmmmm… Little Planet’s return?

    1. makes me wonder if they gonna make a clear indication to sonic adventure 1 or is that just me thinking too much of it

      1. I would like that considering Sonic Adventure is my second favorite Sonic game, but what would they make? A reference to the Egg Carrier’s construction? Nah…

        1. hey i am down with that, maybe he relize rehasing his robots was bad and decided to work on the e series. and if its true amy is gonna be in the game, her flash back could be reference to her being save in 4 not cd. thats of course if the rumour is true, but even so i doubt sega/sonic team would go that far with consistency(recent games kinda prove this) unless we tell them too

      2. I love that idea! I work at SoA and I’m going to request that this gets added onto the next episode (oops, spoilers there will be a final 3rd episode)!

        1. WAIT that means we can ask you to add what we like right? please add the homing attack in the options menu PLAESE ITS MY FAVORITE

        2. really? hmm well if that’s true then you will love some more ideas about 4 i may have but i won’t push it =). if you don’t work there still my point stands it be nice if they will connect 4 to adventure or reference of some sort but we will have to tell them to i guess

  30. Wait…..Could this be that Christmas island, as in the place Sonic was born???????? O…M….G

    2. Look up “Christmas Island” on Google Images. Do you see anything to do with that Christmas tree screenshot in ANY of the pictures that show up? No.

  32. YES SEGA! THIS IS HOW YOU SONIC 4!
    Honestly loving it. Though looking at the formation of Bubbles it looks like Sonic will still have that homing attack… optional please?!?!

  33. WOW SONIC TEAM YOU DID IT!!! I loved episode I’s magic atmosphere and this is looking even better!!! And with Tails!!!

  34. – First Stage looks like an Aquatic Ruin rehash once you’re in the water. The Land above looks pretty cool though. Reminds me of SatBK for some reason.
    – The Carnival/Rollarcoaster Level looks like Sky Park from Rivals, but I loved that level because of all the twists and turns.
    – The Oil plant area definetely looks cool.
    – Total roflcopter on the Sonic-Tails 69.
    – S2 Special Stages = Win.
    – Awesome new grapics, but Sonic’s running animation makes him kinda look like he’s about to fall over, not bad thou.

  35. Wait, did anyone else notice that the Death Egg is being rebuilt with Little Planet being the core of the space station? O.o

  37. Little planet to become the new death egg. The return of the time stones? (from CD). Are we going to see a time war in the next episode. Sonic and Tails battling Robotnik on the new’Death Egg’?

  41. Now, all we need is a sonic 4 ep 1 remake, with the Nvidia Tegra engine and Tails as a playable character.

  43. I would actually like to analyze the pictures and come to a speculation of the plot.

    Dr. Robotnik has once again revived Metal Sonic in order to do his latest scheme in the Sonic 4 Saga. After a whole 2 years from his last encounter with Little Planet, the mad scientist wants to use its structure for his latest model of the Death Egg. Sonic is feeling confident that Robotnik was defeated at the E.G.G. Station Zone, but he knows that he’ll be back for more. Tails reports back to our blue blur in panic as he’d figured out that Little Planet is back and is being toiled with again, Sonic immediately springs into action and the young fox follows!

    Ending:
    With Robotnik stopped and Metal Sonic destroyed once more, Sonic and Tails resume life in piece…

    However…

    “Angel Island has now been re-targeted by the Robotnik Empire…”

    To be continued…

  44. Hopefully Ep. 2 can Lock-On to Ep. 1 and do the first episode justice. There were some good ideas in Ep. 1 under all of the rehashed nonsense. It’d be nice to see the Ep. 1 stages with the Ep. 2 graphics, too.

  46. I call this aquatic ruin 2.0 as the start level. Box art confirms it. Sonic Colors had Tropical Resort in the box art. Green Hill in Generations box art.

  47. I honestly didn’t get as excited as I thought with these images ;3;

    But I am loving these zones.

  50. Wow I like how they reused some badniks from ep 1, still made some stages look like old stages in some parts but then also made then really super different, some stages looking completely origina. The graphics look like actual 3D models this time and amazing with the depth. The moves with Tails look new and amazing, looks like you might be able to switch between Sonic and Tails (similar to Sonic Heroes in a way) but idk.

    I just don’t like the running animation much, particularly after Generations’ take on Classic Sonic’s running animation. But can’t be helped. Either way, this looks amazing so far.

  51. Huh, I also like how the similar looking stages are actually a mix between multiple stages. Like with the one that looks like Aquatic Ruin, I noticed the Marble Garden arrow shooting face and merely thought it was to replace the pillar totem polls.

    But just now I thought the background and badniks made it feel half like Marble Garden Zone when I remembered the face.

    “Marbe Ruin” Zone or “Aquatic Garden” Zone (probably an original name) looks quite interesting really.

  52. *looks at the last pic about Sonic 2 style Special Stages and Tails in it*

    Tails? In Special Stages?

    NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

  53. No offence to anybody, but why’s everyone so obsessed with trying to feel nostalgic with Sonic games? Don’t get me wrong, this looks awesome, but jeez, level remakes all people care about? O_o

    1. I agree. Nostalgia is okay, but there’s a point where one needs to move on. I like the idea of having all-new zones in this game.

  57. Oh, my previous comment was a reply to Dr. Robotnik. For some reason, it didn’t appear as a reply to his comment.

  58. Sonic and Tails using combination moves….

    Does this mean Sonic Tails and Knuckles can do combination moved in episode 3? ….

    WAIT A FUCKING MINUTE!!!!

    Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles doing 3-way combo moves??

    Sonic Heroes 2 much?

  59. Those screenshots look awesome 😀 I wonder if that level could be Christmas Island? it would be epic and Tails will be getting rid of your rings all over again in the special stages!!!

  61. PLEASE SONIC TEAM: if this plays as well as it looks, either:

    1) develop more levels
    2) give us an episode 3
    3) Re-make episode 1 with this engine and graphics, add a few “extra” zones, (about 2 = so total of 10 3 act zones) and put it on a disc release.

    no 3 would be the best……Pretty please!

  62. this looks like what sonic 4 episode 1 should have been, please have these be the sonic 4 we’ve been wanting

  63. I just thought of Something. One of the screenshots shows that Eggman is building the Death Egg over little planet. So in Sonic CD, Amy was there. We know that Knuckles will defiantly be in the episode 3, so would it be possible for Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy to go on the adventure? If so, SEGA might throw in Co-op. So it would be like the Sonic 3 and Knuckles version of New Super Mario Bros. Wii or Kirby’s Adventure Wii. This would really flip some shit.

    OVERANALYZING

    1. Woah! You’re right! That… would… be… AWESOME! And after all, when Episode I was first announced, it basically SCREAMED New Super Mario Bros. Wii to me… so, the logical explanation would be what ya just said there.

  64. This is amazing. The graphical quality looks millions of times better this time around. Although a sequel on the original 16-bit engine would have been better, this is still great. The new model for Sonic is much more suiting to me as a die hard classic fan. He looks like a strong blend between classic and modern, much like how he was in the first Sonic Adventure. And the level themes and props look really interesting. Now lets just hope they get the physics right this time. I think that’s everyone’s main concern.

    1. Oh yeah, you’re right! That model is shorter and a bit chubbier than Modern Sonic, just like how he was in Sonic Adventure… ya gotta hand it to SEGA for the consistency they put in this game.

    1. Oh yeah, good point… I wonder how SEGA will explain this… maybe these special stages are for the Timestones and if you collected the Chaos Emeralds in Episode I you can play through this episode with Super Sonic… I hope it’s like that, it would be a nice bonus to those who actually got the Emeralds last time….

    2. three simple ways to work around it.
      1.The emeralds scatter after use
      2. Sonic scatter them
      3. Sonic 3 opening

  66. @Jonah

    Maybe in episode 2 you collect the Super emeralds. Or you loose the chaos emeralds at the start of Ep2. Maybe Metal Sonic steals them like Knuckles did in S3&K.

  67. Oh wait! What about Super Tails? Can SEGA please give us Super Tails, it would give me an awesome nostalgic feeling… of course, according the Sonic Wikia, Yuji Naka claims that Tails can’t go super with Chaos Emeralds due to his young age… maybe… just maybe those Super Emeralds could return… though, since this episode is based off Sonic CD and Sonic 2, I would bet they’d use the Timestones here, then in Episode III they use Super Emeralds. But now I’m wondering what award we could get from the Timestones… besides the good ending.

  68. @ Jeb The Hedgefox

    If they aged Tails slightly by a few years (god forbid) then he could become Super Tails.

    Personally, I think that Episode 3 will take place on the Death egg/little planet. That way they could bring back the timestones special stages. Totally re-imagine/redesign the CD levels due to the effect of the Death egg. Have time travel as well. So it would be 8 zones (in episode 3 – including Desert Dazzle) past, present, good and bad future. So 32 zones effectively. Which would be quite a jump from the four in episode 1.

    2. @MilesKnightwing:

      I think its interesting that they chose the name Desert Dazzle. All the other stages in Sonic CD have chaotic sounding names:
      -Palmtree Panic
      -Collision Chaos
      -Tidal Tempest
      -Quartz Quadrant
      -Wacky Workbench
      -Metallic Madness

      And Stardust speedway, but that one sounds serene ^-^

      Something along the lines of Desert Dissaray might work. 🙂

  69. @Jeb the Hedgefox

    In answer to another point you made: ‘But now I’m wondering what award we could get from the Timestones… besides the good ending.’

    Perhaps collecting the timestones would give you the ability to slow down time. So while Sonic moves at normal speed everything around you, badniks and bossed would move really slowly and so easy to destroy………

    1. Hmmmm, so, basically like time break and speed break from Sonic and the Secret Rings but better? Sounds cool to me. 🙂

  71. i just heard on this article in sonic retro that it’ll come out on may 16th. yeah right. when ep 1 was in development they finished the game in the summer, but needed to put in HD graphics. so basicly, it’ll come out in late 2012 from my view :\

    1. Yeah, that sounds like it’s bullshit unless of course the started development a long time ago out of our knowledge. Late 2012, or early 2013 at max.

  72. I think the ice level and the carnival level are the one. If you look at the background to the 5th screenshot you can see part of the carnival level. Unless there’s a level that from one zone to the next, that would be cool.

  73. @BrandonTH

    How about:

    Disaster Desert
    Deranged Desert
    Desert Danger
    Damned Desert

    Ok my ideas are pretty bad.

    1. I really hope they make it like Sonic 3’s special stages where Tails is always right behind Sonic so that never happens.

  75. Ever since Twinkle Park, I have always wonder when will Sonic have a Roller coaster themed level, now it looks like my prayers have been answered. 😀

  76. Well I’ll be, I would never have guessed Sega would actually put the effort into reworking the physics for just an episodic sequel. Well done Sega.

    Well, now that one hair brained wish has been granted, I’m going all out: Release all the episodes in a package deal, with Episode 1 running on Episode 2’s engine.

    Come on Sega, you can do it. Keep this up and I might forgive you for Sonic ’06

  77. I think screenshot 1-9 is all the same stage; In this way it is a good level. It is a night level.
    Look at the pine trees that can be seen everywhere.
    Welcome Sonic, hurray ^o^

  78. OH MY FREAKING GOD THIS IS GOING TO BE THE BEST SIDE SCROLING SONIC GAME EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! X”D

  79. Pingback: SEGA Officially Releases Nine More Sonic 4: Episode 2 Screenshots | The Sonic Stadium

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