THE BUZZ: Sega has announced the official release date of Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2, along with news of an exclusive Metal Sonic episode.

Owners of both Sonic 4 episodes will be able to download the Episode Metal Lock-On DLC completely free. This special episode contains four exclusive levels that will bridge the gap between Sonic CD and Sonic 4, and reveal the origins of Metal Sonic.

Sonic 4: Episode II, and Episode Metal Lock-On, will be available on May 15 for XBLA , PSN and PC priced at 1200 Microsoft Points or $14.99.

EGM’s TAKE: Metal Sonic has been a long time favorite of Sonic fans, so it’s nice to see Sega giving him some real game time as teasing his return so much in the run-up to Sonic 4′s release. It’s also good to see fans getting rewarded for supporting the game by buying both episodes, more publishers/developers should offer bonus content like this. Fans of the series had better hope that the game sells well, as Sega has previously said that if the game doesn’t perform they will not be making any more episodes.

Do you like the idea of bonus DLC for supporting sequels? Leave your thoughts below.