Ranking Every 2D Sonic Game From Worst To Best
14. Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode II
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II was the second half of Sega's attempt at the turn of the last decade to use modern graphics to recapture the magic of the the classic Sonic 2D platformers of the '90s. And while the job they did was decent overall, the second episode of Sonic 4 definitely did not live up to the first.
While there were definitely graphical improvements made over Episode I, and the snowboarding and wind mechanics were good fun, Episode II felt a lot more sluggish in comparison to the first overall, especially in regards to the sections that required the use of Tails.
Tails is a mainstay of the main Sonic series and some games (namely Sonic 3 & Knuckles) provide extra benefits if a player two is present to play as him and help Sonic out of a pinch. However, in Sonic 4: Episode II, playing as Tails is a requirement, even in single-player. And the puzzles Tails is needed to solve can feel very slow and tedious.
It's not unbearable by any means and the game is serviceable, but Episode I simply flows much better.