Much better than episode 1!
If you really want to play one of these 2 games, play this one!

The controls are a lot better, still not as great as the classic 2d Sonic games, but managable.
The stages are better designed and look beautiful, but it still has a lot of flaws on the gameplay side of things.

In this game you play as both Sonic and Tails and got a lot of places you need to use their combined power to get through the level. While this may seem fun at first, it only slows you down and its always the same few abilities... like flying (obviously, cuz Tails) and rolling together to be able to get through stuff you otherwise couldn't or to just build speed.

The special stages in this game, are much better, though you constantly have to live with the fact that you gotta try to get all the rings yourself and don't let Tails collect any ever. He will copy your moves, but he jumps later, so he constantly gets hit by bombs you gotta jump over. It is quiete a hassle to complete, but not as annoying as the special stages from the previous game.

The game itself isn't that long either and since you can actually control Sonic a little better this time, you will get through the levels a bit easier and be done with it quicker. Personally I wasn't annoyed that much, if Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1 was released like this game and Episode 2 would have gotten as much better, as this got to the first one, it could have actually been a really good experience.

As it stands, its simply an okay Sonic game. There are many which are better, but if you're craving more Sonic, you could actually play this and have a bit of fun.

Much better than episode 1! If you really want to play one of these 2 games, play this one! The controls are a lot better, still not as great as the classic 2d Sonic games, but managable. The stages are better designed and look beautiful, but it still has a lot of flaws on the gameplay side of things. In this game you play as both Sonic and Tails and got a lot of places you need to use their combined power to get through the level. While this may seem fun at first, it only slows you down and its always the same few abilities... like flying (obviously, cuz Tails) and rolling together to be able to get through stuff you otherwise couldn't or to just build speed. The special stages in this game, are much better, though you constantly have to live with the fact that you gotta try to get all the rings yourself and don't let Tails collect any ever. He will copy your moves, but he jumps later, so he constantly gets hit by bombs you gotta jump over. It is quiete a hassle to complete, but not as annoying as the special stages from the previous game. The game itself isn't that long either and since you can actually control Sonic a little better this time, you will get through the levels a bit easier and be done with it quicker. Personally I wasn't annoyed that much, if Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1 was released like this game and Episode 2 would have gotten as much better, as this got to the first one, it could have actually been a really good experience. As it stands, its simply an okay Sonic game. There are many which are better, but if you're craving more Sonic, you could actually play this and have a bit of fun.