The original Sonic series has always been considered to be Sega's best. During the 2000s, the series had nothing but a big line of clunkers and game collections, with a few exceptions (Sonic Unleashed, Colors, Adventure series, and the handheld games, to name a few). Then, instead of re-releasing the old Sonics again, Sega finally decided to make Sonic 4, a game that was meant to take the series back to its roots? Did it succeed? I'd say so.
Sonic 4 may happen to rehash of Sonic 1 & 2 elements, but the level design, leaderboards, music, homing attack and graphics are all-new (At least, to the original series). The basic gameplay holds up pretty well, and there are some really cool gimmicks added into this installment, such as running across a path of cards, riding in a mine cart, having to beat the special stages under time limits (and no jumping during the Special Stages), etc.
Of course, there have to be some flaws. First off, since this was built from ground-up, the physics are off and somewhat floaty. Another thing is that it was really easy compared to the previous Sonics. You won't have a hard time being able to collect 100 (or even 200) rings. Lastly, although this is minor, it could have been more fitting for Sega to use the classic design of Sonic for the game.
Those flaws aren't to say that the game is bad. The game itself is just as fun as its predecessors. In fact, while it does contain 4 zones compared to the other Sonics' 6+, certain levels themselves are pretty long. I timed it, and the game is actually just as lengthy as the old Sonics, if not longer. It could be a bit steep for a purchase, but it is totally worth it.
Overall, people can say it's a rehash, but in my perspective shown above, in which I think about what's beyond that, it's a new fun Sonic game. Just be sure to have the Steam service installed on your computer. Does it have a lot of flaws? Yeah, but they are pretty tolerable.
