Sonic 4 talks the talk, but can it walk the walk? Can it even walk at all?!

I finally got around to booting up Sonic 4 on my Wii this morning, and as much as it pains me to say it, the game is nigh-on unplayable.  Prior to playing the game, I thought complaints about the game's physics were pedantic and manufactured, but there is something very off about the way Sonic walks, then runs.  It is as though there is an invisible gate held directly in front of and behind the blue-blur-to-be that is very suddenly lifted after several seconds of holding left or right.  Sonic seems incapable of walking at a normal pace.  It is as though he is walking uphill constantly.

Sonic's endless struggle for legitimacy.

The curious thing for me is how few of these complaints actually addressed this issue.  I remember many, many furious comments and even videos about the physics of jumping and landing, but walking?  The issue is so glaring it's all they should have talked about.  Perhaps I didn't help matters with a quick round of BIT.TRIP.RUNNER beforehand, but there is literally no getting past it for me.

What's even more curious was the rabid defence that followed, particularly from the likes of Destructoid's Jim Sterling.  The game is indefensible!  Platformers are all about running and jumping, and if you don't get that right, you don't get anything right.

If I had of known about this issue beforehand, I never would have purchased the game, but here's the rub: most Sonic fans are inarticulate and crazy, and most critics are not Sonic fans.  For once the vocal, rabid minority were correct and I couldn't stand listening to them.

Unfortunately this leads me to the most expensive possible conclusion: where Sonic is concerned, you just have to see for yourself.