Ranking Every 2D Sonic Game From Worst To Best
9. Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode I
As stated before in the entry on Episode II, Sonic the Hedgehog 4 was a conscious effort by Sega to return the Sonic franchise to its roots in the midst of all of the mixed reception their 3D Sonic titles had been receiving at the time.
And while Episode I of Sonic 4 did leave a bit to be desired, it was still a very enjoyable entry to the Sonic franchise (and was considerably better than Episode II.)
It may not have quite captured the same lighting in a bottle as some of its side-scrolling predecessors, but it was paced incredibly well, was very fun to play, and had some of the great music that the early Sonic titles were known for.
Plus, the added annoyance that the Tails aspects of Episode II had were virtually non-existent in Episode I, which says a lot, considering that that was really one of Episode II's only major drawbacks.
In the end, wile Episode I of Sonic 4 didn't exactly take the series to new heights, Sega does deserve praise for trying to go back to their roots in the way they did.