well if yuzo was on board if sor 4 was created, i think it'd be a great game for a side scroller. if u take the first two sor games, yuzo managed to compose great music that ran perfectly with the game. Yet in sor3 he wasnt composing the music, just supervising a man called motohiro kawashima.(or summat like that), which is why it was the weaker game of the megadrive series with a less exciting soundtrack. Sure itll need a big tune up just as street fighter did when it introduced 3d graphics. But i think with Yuzo Koshiro on board, along with the original programmers, sor4 would be a great game.
I dont think people would pass by a game that was successful alongside the sonic series. if sor4 is properly promoted, it should do good.