<s>
is	O
a	O
2012	B-Application
episodic	O
platform	O
video	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
series	I-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
sequel	O
to	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
4	I-Application
:	I-Application
Episode	I-Application
I	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Dimps	O
,	O
with	O
assistance	O
from	O
Sonic	B-Application
Team	O
,	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Sega	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
intended	O
to	O
emulate	O
the	O
original	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
games	O
on	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Episode	O
II	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
May	O
2012	B-Application
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
(	O
via	O
Steam	B-Application
)	O
,	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	I-Device
,	O
Xbox	B-Device
Live	I-Device
Arcade	I-Device
,	O
Android	B-Application
,	O
and	O
iOS	B-Application
,	O
and	O
in	O
July	O
2013	O
for	O
Ouya	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Nvidia	B-Application
Shield	I-Application
(	O
as	O
a	O
preinstalled	O
app	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
version	O
for	O
the	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
was	O
slated	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
in	O
July	O
2012	B-Application
,	O
but	O
was	O
cancelled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
version	O
was	O
planned	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
via	O
WiiWare	O
,	O
although	O
it	O
was	O
cancelled	O
due	O
to	O
hardware	O
constraints	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
additional	O
episode	O
,	O
"	O
Episode	O
Metal	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
centers	O
around	O
Metal	O
Sonic	B-Application
,	O
is	O
available	O
for	O
those	O
who	O
purchase	O
both	O
episodes	O
for	O
the	O
same	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
received	O
mixed	O
reviews	O
from	O
critics	O
,	O
although	O
it	O
was	O
generally	O
considered	O
an	O
improvement	O
over	O
Episode	B-Application
I	I-Application
,	O
with	O
praise	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
improved	O
physics	O
,	O
co-op	O
mechanics	O
and	O
visuals	O
,	O
but	O
criticism	O
for	O
its	O
boss	O
fights	O
and	O
level	O
design	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
third	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
4	I-Application
:	I-Application
Episode	I-Application
III	O
,	O
was	O
planned	O
but	O
was	O
ultimately	O
cancelled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
4	I-Application
:	I-Application
Episode	I-Application
II	I-Application
is	O
a	O
2D	O
side-scrolling	O
platformer	O
reminiscent	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
Sonic	B-Application
games	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Mega	I-Operating_System
Drive/Genesis	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
is	O
now	O
accompanied	O
by	O
Tails	O
,	O
either	O
controlled	O
by	O
the	O
computer	O
or	O
a	O
second	O
player	O
via	O
local	B-General_Concept
or	O
online	B-Application
co-operative	O
play	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
the	O
earlier	O
16-bit	B-Device
games	O
,	O
neither	O
Sonic	B-Application
nor	O
Tails	O
can	O
be	O
controlled	O
individually	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
various	O
combination	O
moves	O
Sonic	B-Application
and	O
Tails	O
can	O
perform	O
together	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Tails	O
lifting	O
Sonic	B-Application
up	O
to	O
places	O
he	O
would	O
be	O
unable	O
to	O
reach	O
otherwise	O
,	O
or	O
the	O
two	O
rolling	O
into	O
a	O
ball	O
to	O
perform	O
a	O
fast	O
and	O
powerful	O
spin	O
attack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Special	O
Stages	O
in	O
Episode	O
II	O
are	O
accessed	O
similarly	O
to	O
Episode	B-Application
I	I-Application
(	O
finishing	O
an	O
act	O
with	O
at	O
least	O
50	O
rings	O
;	O
then	O
jumping	O
into	O
the	O
Giant	O
Ring	O
at	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
stage	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
are	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
half-pipe	O
format	O
introduced	O
in	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
player	O
must	O
collect	O
a	O
certain	O
number	O
of	O
rings	O
before	O
the	O
goal	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
obtain	O
a	O
Chaos	O
Emerald	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
features	O
Red	O
Star	O
Rings	O
,	O
which	O
appears	O
in	O
Sonic	B-Application
Colors	I-Application
and	O
Sonic	B-Application
Generations	I-Application
,	O
with	O
one	O
Red	O
Ring	O
hidden	O
per	O
act	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cross-compatibility	O
was	O
planned	O
for	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Device
Live	I-Device
Arcade	I-Device
and	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
versions	O
,	O
allowing	O
players	O
to	O
alternate	O
their	O
games	O
using	O
Cloud	O
saving	O
,	O
though	O
the	O
idea	O
was	O
removed	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
version	O
being	O
cancelled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Owners	O
of	O
both	O
Episode	B-Application
I	I-Application
and	O
II	O
on	O
the	O
same	O
system	O
can	O
unlock	O
free	O
"	O
Episode	O
Metal	O
"	O
content	O
in	O
Episode	O
II	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
Episode	O
Metal	O
"	O
explains	O
how	O
Metal	O
Sonic	B-Application
was	O
revived	O
after	O
being	O
defeated	O
in	O
Sonic	B-Application
CD	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
can	O
control	O
Metal	O
Sonic	B-Application
through	O
four	O
acts	O
,	O
all	O
of	O
which	O
are	O
reworked	O
from	O
the	O
first	O
act	O
of	O
each	O
Zone	O
in	O
Episode	B-Application
I	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Metal	O
Sonic	B-Application
survived	O
his	O
previous	O
defeat	O
in	O
Sonic	B-Application
CD	I-Application
,	O
but	O
was	O
severely	O
damaged	O
,	O
and	O
left	O
on	O
Little	B-Application
Planet	I-Application
when	O
it	O
disappeared	O
at	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Episode	B-Application
I	I-Application
,	O
Little	B-Application
Planet	I-Application
returns	O
,	O
and	O
Dr.	O
Eggman	O
locates	O
and	O
repairs	O
Metal	O
Sonic	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
hears	O
that	O
Eggman	O
is	O
back	O
and	O
reunites	O
with	O
Tails	O
to	O
stop	O
him	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Meanwhile	O
,	O
Metal	O
Sonic	B-Application
,	O
after	O
receiving	O
a	O
mysterious	O
power	O
source	O
,	O
searches	O
for	O
the	O
heroes	O
and	O
sees	O
them	O
fly	O
away	O
in	O
the	O
Tornado	O
,	O
following	O
them	O
using	O
Tails	O
 '	O
rocket	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
revealed	O
that	O
Eggman	O
plans	O
to	O
construct	O
a	O
new	O
over	O
Little	B-Application
Planet	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
dwarf	O
planet	O
heads	O
back	O
into	O
space	O
,	O
Sonic	B-Application
and	O
Tails	O
follow	O
the	O
villains	O
to	O
the	O
Death	O
Egg	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Inside	O
,	O
they	O
confront	O
and	O
defeat	O
Metal	O
Sonic	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
and	O
Tails	O
then	O
escape	O
via	O
space	O
pods	O
just	O
before	O
the	O
Death	O
Egg	O
begins	O
to	O
explode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2011	O
,	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
4	I-Application
:	I-Application
Episode	I-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
confirmed	O
to	O
be	O
in	O
early	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
also	O
hinted	O
that	O
Episode	O
II	O
may	O
have	O
a	O
larger	O
budget	O
than	O
Episode	B-Application
I	I-Application
,	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
commercial	O
success	O
of	O
Episode	B-Application
I	I-Application
.	O
Balough	O
stated	O
that	O
many	O
ideas	O
in	O
Episode	O
II	O
were	O
planned	O
while	O
the	O
first	O
episode	O
was	O
under	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
August	O
23	O
,	O
2011	O
,	O
Sonic	B-Application
Team	O
head	O
Takashi	O
Iizuka	O
stated	O
:	O
"	O
this	O
year	O
,	O
2011	O
,	O
is	O
the	O
anniversary	O
,	O
so	O
we	O
're	O
focusing	O
on	O
the	O
celebration	O
title	O
,	O
but	O
moving	O
forward	O
to	O
2012	B-Application
,	O
Sonic	B-Application
will	O
still	O
be	O
going	O
,	O
so	O
I	O
'd	O
hope	O
to	O
provide	O
Episode	O
2	O
then.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
also	O
said	O
that	O
Sonic	B-Application
Team	O
"	O
knew	O
about	O
the	O
anniversary	O
year	O
,	O
"	O
and	O
that	O
"	O
Generations	O
was	O
planned	O
way	O
in	O
advance.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Preparing	O
for	O
Episode	O
IIs	O
release	O
,	O
Sega	O
re-released	O
Sonic	B-Application
CD	I-Application
to	O
digital	O
platforms	O
in	O
late	O
2011	O
,	O
billing	O
it	O
as	O
a	O
'	O
prequel	O
 '	O
to	O
Sonic	B-Application
4	I-Application
,	O
as	O
Episode	O
II	O
’s	O
story	O
would	O
rely	O
heavily	O
on	O
what	O
occurred	O
in	O
CD	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
December	O
29	O
,	O
a	O
teaser	O
trailer	O
for	O
Episode	O
II	O
was	O
released	O
,	O
and	O
revealed	O
that	O
both	O
Metal	O
Sonic	B-Application
and	O
Tails	O
would	O
be	O
returning	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
revealed	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
would	O
feature	O
an	O
updated	O
graphics	O
and	O
physics	O
engine	O
from	O
Episode	B-Application
I	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Platforms	O
confirmed	O
for	O
release	O
were	O
Xbox	B-Device
Live	I-Device
Arcade	I-Device
,	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	I-Device
,	O
iOS	B-Application
,	O
Android	B-Application
,	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
and	O
PC	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
confirmed	O
that	O
no	O
WiiWare	O
version	O
of	O
Episode	O
II	O
would	O
be	O
released	O
,	O
with	O
it	O
being	O
highly	O
assumed	O
that	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
version	O
was	O
cancelled	O
due	O
to	O
hardware	O
constraints	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
April	O
21	O
,	O
2012	B-Application
,	O
an	O
early	O
beta	O
version	O
of	O
Episode	O
II	O
was	O
accidentally	O
made	O
available	O
to	O
people	O
who	O
pre-ordered	O
the	O
game	O
on	O
Steam	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2012	B-Application
,	O
Iizuka	O
said	O
that	O
Sega	O
was	O
not	O
planning	O
on	O
releasing	O
further	O
episodes	O
of	O
Sonic	B-Application
4	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2015	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
revealed	O
that	O
Sonic	B-Application
4	I-Application
was	O
originally	O
conceptualized	O
as	O
a	O
trilogy	O
,	O
but	O
plans	O
to	O
develop	O
Episode	O
III	O
were	O
abandoned	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
4	I-Application
:	I-Application
Episode	I-Application
II	I-Application
received	O
mixed	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Review	B-Application
aggregator	I-Application
website	O
Metacritic	O
gave	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
version	O
63/100	O
,	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
version	O
61/100	O
,	O
the	O
PC	O
version	O
54/100	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
iOS	B-Application
version	O
66/100	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IGN	O
Lucas	O
M	O
.	O
Thomas	O
gave	O
the	O
game	O
a	O
score	O
of	O
6.5	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
while	O
it	O
fixes	O
the	O
physics	O
problems	O
of	O
Episode	B-Application
I	I-Application
,	O
it	O
is	O
still	O
missing	O
the	O
"	O
magic	O
"	O
of	O
its	O
Genesis	O
predecessors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GamesRadar+	O
Lucas	O
Sullivan	O
criticized	O
it	O
in	O
similar	O
ways	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
the	O
two-player	O
mode	O
"	O
seems	O
to	O
prioritize	O
griefing	O
your	O
friends	O
instead	O
making	O
real	O
in-game	O
progress	O
,	O
"	O
and	O
further	O
stating	O
that	O
"	O
every	O
time	O
we	O
felt	O
like	O
we	O
were	O
reliving	O
our	O
old	O
Sonic	B-Application
glory	O
days	O
,	O
the	O
next	O
stage	O
would	O
incorporate	O
limp	O
and	O
uninspired	O
gimmicks	O
like	O
shifting	O
winds	O
or	O
avalanche	O
snowboarding.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Electronic	O
Gaming	O
Monthly	O
Ray	O
Carsillo	O
gave	O
the	O
game	O
a	O
6.5	O
,	O
praising	O
the	O
"	O
old-school	O
Sonic	B-Application
"	O
aspects	O
of	O
the	O
gameplay	O
,	O
but	O
criticizing	O
the	O
Tails-related	O
gameplay	O
,	O
stating	O
"	O
there	O
were	O
too	O
many	O
puzzles	O
that	O
required	O
Tails	O
 '	O
assistance.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Joystiq	O
Richard	O
Mitchell	O
had	O
mixed	O
feelings	O
on	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
well	O
,	O
awarding	O
it	O
3	O
out	O
of	O
5	O
stars	O
,	O
and	O
stating	O
"	O
Episode	O
2	O
makes	O
improvements	O
over	O
its	O
predecessor	O
,	O
with	O
better	O
visuals	O
,	O
useful	O
co-op	O
maneuvers	O
and	O
great	O
special	O
stages	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
inconsistent	O
boss	O
battles	O
and	O
uninspired	O
level	O
design	O
keep	O
it	O
from	O
recapturing	O
Sonic	B-Application
's	O
glory	O
days.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Official	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
Magazine	O
(	O
UK	O
)	O
Jon	O
Blyth	O
was	O
more	O
positive	O
,	O
concluding	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
"	O
a	O
smooth	O
,	O
slippery	O
Sonic	B-Application
that	O
takes	O
another	O
step	O
away	O
from	O
single-button	O
origins	O
without	O
losing	O
any	O
of	O
the	O
hog	O
essence	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
local	B-General_Concept
and	O
online	B-Application
co-op	O
,	O
it	O
offers	O
just	O
enough	O
entertainment	O
to	O
justify	O
its	O
steep	O
episodic	O
price.	O
"	O
</s>
