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Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992)

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Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I is a 2010 episodic platform video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. The game was developed by Dimps, with assistance from Sonic Team, and published by Sega. The game was intended to emulate the original Sonic the Hedgehog titles on the Sega Genesis.

Episode I was released in October 2010 for iOS, PlayStation Network, WiiWare and Xbox Live Arcade. A release for Windows Phone 7 followed in June 2011, for PC (via Steam) and Android in January 2012, for BlackBerry PlayBook in July 2012, and for Ouya in July 2013. A direct follow-up, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II, was released in 2012.

The game's existence was first revealed on GameSpot on September 9, 2009, under the code name Project Needlemouse (the name was derived from Mr. Needlemouse, an early prototype of Sonic pitched to Sega by artist Naoto Ohshima). The site published a brief teaser trailer and an interview with Sega's Ken Balough who acknowledged that "old-school Sonic fans have long asked to see Sonic return to a more 2D style of gameplay," stating that "Needlemouse is that critical first step that brings Sonic back to his 2D roots."

The decision to create the game using a 2D graphical style was made after considering older Sonic fans' possible reactions to the game versus those of younger players:

“This is sort of recognition that Sonic is a brand that has a wide variety of fans in a wide variety of age groups. We have a fan base that's very young, and they want a little more of a Looney Tunes-ish kind of gameplay ... But we also have an older fan base who liked Sonic as he was in the Genesis days. And if we want to keep that fan base happy, we should provide games that cater to them as well. So it's more of a splitting a little bit of the brand.”
— Ken Balough of Sega

On January 11, 2010, Sega of America began a "character countdown" on their blog, removing potential playable characters from a list, which by January 14, 2010 revealed the game would feature Sonic as the only playable character. Also revealed was concept art which showcased classic enemies from early Sonic games. On February 2, Sega updated the front page of Sega of America's website with a short flash animation featuring a sample of music from the game, reminiscent of Mega Drive/Genesis sounds. The game's proper title was revealed on February 4, 2010, as Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I, along with the debut of in-game footage.

The game was developed primarily by Dimps, under the direction of Sonic Team. Takashi Iizuka, who has worked on various Sonic games, notably as senior level designer for Sonic 3 & Knuckles, served as the game's producer. Music and sound were composed by Jun Senoue, also a mainstay of the series, and were intended to be reminiscent of classic Genesis titles, via the use of drum samples from the original Sonic and Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and relatively lo-fi synth samples.

Not long after Sonic 4 was officially announced, rumors surfaced that the game was available to members of the Xbox 360's online game testing service for developers, PartnerNet. On April 3, PartnerNet was shut down due to the leaks. The leaked footage led to harsh criticism of the game physics and certain level designs.

On May 20, 2010, Sega announced that Sonic 4 would be available on the App Store for the iOS, and that the game was to be moved from its original summer 2010 deadline to late 2010, so as to extend development time. Izuka claims that this was because although he planned for all versions to be similar, two levels that worked on iOS did not work as well for consoles. The iOS version retains these levels, which utilise accelerometer controls, while new levels were built for the console versions. The announcement of the delay was also accompanied by an interview with Sega's Ken Balough, in which it was explained that Sega had taken note of fan reaction to the game and were incorporating that feedback into the ongoing development. Areas specifically mentioned were a reworking of the "floaty" nature of the gravity and physics, and a redesign of some levels and elements in order to accommodate more of the momentum-driven gameplay style that was a staple of earlier entries in the series.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I received generally positive reviews. Criticism of the game focused on poor physics and lack of momentum; both aspects were often cited as being inferior to the momentum-based physics from the 16-bit Genesis games.

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