Sonic Generations First review

It's almost jarring to see SEGA finally deliver on their generation-old promises that SEGA "does what Nintendon't." They have finally re-purposed Sonic as a platforming mascot that is, for the first time in ages, wildly definable by its own merits instead of trying to play catch up, tagalong or sorority sister with its mustachio partner in crime. Instead, Sonic Generations decides to ditch the plight of spending decades chasing Mario's happy go lucky hop and bop, vacational romps through paradise in favor of a vigorously fast and unforgiving speed drive through dystopia that honors expertise over bubbly luck.

Sonic Generations taps into the nostalgia of two decades of Sonic fans, who, against all odds, have shown their love for the blue blur. The story, while largely superfluous, is an homage to Sonic games of the past. The twin hedgehogs battle against an unknown force trying to destroy time itself. They relive each others' memories, zooming through iconic stages from nine different Sonic games. It's almost like SEGA rebooted the entire franchise, and caught you up on 20 years of hedgehog with a single game.

Watching old-school Sonic zip around his new beautifully reimagined Rube Goldberg-ian playgrounds and MC Escher-esque mazes is pure delight, with SEGA finally managing to perfectly recapture what made this franchise so fun to begin with after years of missed attempts. Classic Sonic's new 3D character model (based on his original sprite-base origins) has an adorable, almost claymation-like appearance. You speed through stages, traverse careful platforming sections, and break open item boxes as if it were 1991 and you're still going nuts over "blast processing" and Jaleel White's voice acting.

In contrast Modern Sonic exudes an attitude that contradicts his age. This is an older, more experienced Sonic, yet somehow more of a kid. His memories aren't those of green hills and sky temples, but of alien worlds and burning cities. His levels focus on blazing speed, an unstoppable force destroying every enemy in his path. Part super hero, part professional skateboarder, Sonic lives up to his name by physically pushing the sound barrier with his speed. Every Modern level shifts at some point into a 2D platformer, showing off Sonic's new arsenal of attacks. Think of it as a bit of Sonic Rush in the middle of your Sonic Colors and you've got it.



Neither Sonic is perfect however. At times the Classic version can feel floaty, and his Modern counterpart can stop dead in his tracks with every minor error. But these feel like small complaints compared to the exhilaration of playing a Sonic game that never stops the action to make you battle with stretchy arms. Bouncing between the two distinct modes does sometimes cause mishaps, though; it's easy to forget that 2D Sonic lacks his 3D counterpart's homing attack, leading to some incidental ring loss and occasional deaths. Likewise Modern Sonic has a limited boost meter instead of a spin dash.


Every single level in Sonic Generations is a multi-path racetrack. You'll blaze past ramps, jumps, hidden emblems and entire new depths before you realize that you could have been soaring through them with a second's more dedication. Then you'll return to right your wrongs, as a quicker and more deliberate blur of cold-calculated genius on the rollercoaster setpieces created for your driven demolition. Newcomers will flail as they collide with walls, obstacles and clocks built either to deter them from this franchise forever or beat them into determined masterminds. Dedicated gamers will, on the other hand, give this thing the asskicking it deserves, and they'll earn it by triumphing over gameplay that's both thick and balanced, instead of fighting against the insurmountably broken ideologies that weave their way into most Sonic the Hedgehog games these days.



After destroying the main Acts, additional, mostly optional Challenges unlock, testing your skills. Sonic faces off against giant enemies, uses classic shields to traverse dangerous death traps, and teams up with his friends to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Most of the Challenges are fun, though there are duds among the batch (usually featuring an annoying side character). It can get frustrating if you're a completionist, but the cooler challenges outweigh the obnoxious ones.

The only time Sonic Generations lets Sonic fans down is with the limited number of boss battles, and lackluster Chaos Emerald levels. The Sonics battle a mere four bosses in the entire game, two of which are very short. What happened to the days of a boss after every level? The Chaos Emeralds are unlocked through the bosses, and the Rival Battle stages, which are like mini-bosses against Sonic's more annoying clones, Shadow, Silver, and Metal Sonic. This game needed a separate Chaos Emerald stage, a trippy, dizzying, infuriatingly difficult mini-game that makes you earn the emeralds, instead of just being given them.


Closing Comments:

It feels refreshing to be able to say that Sonic is good again. His upward trajectory over the last year continues and he’s only gaining momentum. Sonic Generations is largely a game for the most hardcore of Sonic fans, but for the millions who have fond memories of narrowly dodging spikes, grinding on rails, or even that time he was a pinball, Sonic Generations is a game made for you.

8.5/10

Source: IGN

I'm really chuffed this has worked out well, always have been a Sonic fan (First game I ever played on the Master System ) but the crap games were getting tedious at best....

This is one to get when its in the sales, loved the demo so good to see it getting good reviews.

Matt