Sonic
Generations is the game released to celebrate Sonic's 20th "birthday."
In order to do so, SEGA decided to take our hedgehog on a trip through
time to revisit worlds from his past; however, this time there is a twist! Sonic
isn't the only one who joins us for this adventure, but "Classic" Sonic
makes his return as well!
Story:
Sonic Generation is very
light on it's story elements, but there is at least some story to get
you through the game. The game starts with Sonic going to his birthday
party which his friends have planed for him without him even knowing it.
Sonic spends some time with his friends, but soon a strange black
creature crashes the party. This strange creature captures all of
Sonic's friends and leaves him in a world without color. As the game
goes on Sonic meets up with his younger self, and they both set out on
an adventure to save their friends.
The story is very light and
only has any real development near the beginning. Once Sonic meets up
with his younger self, the game takes on a classic style with Sonic
simply running through the levels. After each level Sonic saves one of
his friends, which have something to say to him in return, but that's
actually about it. While having a basic story isn't a bad thing, it can be a bit of a let down for fans expecting more. A lot of the characters you meet along the way are sort of just "there," and the game never does offer any real explanation. Even characters from other dimensions and timelines are here to support Sonic, and no one seems to notice just how out of place they are.
Gameplay:
Sonic
Generations features two very different styles of gameplay, Classic
Gameplay and Modern Gameplay, and it features three different eras: Classic, Dreamcast, and Modern. Although each level does in fact come
from a past Sonic game, they have been completely redone to fit the new
gameplay styles. While the Classic Sonic levels play a lot like they did back in the day, Modern Sonic's have been completely revamped.
Classic Gameplay -
Act
1 of every single level will have you playing as Classic Sonic in
Classic Style levels. These levels play just like they did back during
the Genesis days! Sonic can only run, jump, spin dash, and use items
that he picks up. The spin dash HAS been mapped to a button for quicker
access, but it can still be pulled off by holding down and pressing jump
as well; really this is the only change that was made to the Classic
Style.
The
Classic Gameplay is a little bit faster than it was during the Genesis
days, and the levels do make use of 2.5D effects. Sometimes you'll be
able to get on paths which lead to the foreground, while other paths
will actually take you into the background or behind objects. The
Classic Style always stays 2D, but it does make use of the 3D world. Although it isn't quite the same as the old days, it does still have that 90s feel to it.
Modern Gameplay -
Modern
Gameplay is the same style of gameplay that we've seen in the past two
console releases, Unleashed and Colors. Now I actually didn't care much
for either of them games, heck I didn't even think a good Unleashed
Style Sonic game was possible, but things have been GRATELY improved
this time. Modern Sonic's gameplay switches between full 3D, and
2.5D during each level. Modern Sonic's levels are VERY long levels with
many long paths which also branch out into others. Although speed tends
to be the main focus in these levels, there are quite a few platforming
parts, and there are places that will require fast reflexes. Modern
Sonic has the ability to boost, a boost meter is seen at the bottom of
the screen which fills up as you collect rings/kill bad guys, he has the
ability to lock onto enemies and homing attack, and he also has the
ability to slide and drift around corners, and even side step.
While
boosting the screen will actually be coming at you at over 300 MPH,
which will require you to be able to react fast. Sometimes you'll have
to side step to dodge objects that are falling in front of you, other
times you'll have to be able to drift around a corner without flying off
the screen. These parts can be quite challenging at times, but they can
also be taken slower if players have a hard time with them. You just
have to keep in mind that stages grade you based on speed, so it's
always best to try and go as fast as possible.
(It's really nice to see classic levels in HD)
Sonic
Unleashed and Colors featured the same type of gameplay, but there were
a few major differences. In Unleashed and Colors MOST of the levels had
invisible walls that forced you to go along a set path. The 3D levels
felt like 2D levels with a behind view, and you really couldn't explore
at all. There were a few branching pathways, but these were still very
limited. Sonic Generations on the other hand, fixed this.
Sure
there are still a few invisible walls to keep you on track, but the
levels themselves are actually a lot more open. Since all of the levels are remakes
from past Sonic games, SEGA had to make sure that the Unleashed style
would work for them. The gameplay feels much smoother, Sonic no longer slides
around as much, and all of the controls are much tighter as well--making the game much more enjoyable than other recent releases.
Although
there are only around 9 levels in this game, two acts per level, there
are actually levels hidden inside of levels! Although you might be
playing "Seaside Hill" from Sonic Heroes, you could find yourself
running through parts of "Hydrocity" as well. It's just really nice to
see how SEGA was able to hide parts of other levels in completely
different levels! If you've never played a Sonic game before you really
wouldn't notice these parts, but any true fan would be able to spot them
right away.
Missions -
Missions are just side quests that
can be completed as extras. Sometimes these missions have you racing
other characters, other times they make you use other characters special
powers to get you through the levels. Really these are just extras, and
they offer a wide range of different gameplay styles (Time Attack,
Collection, Battle, Race, Mini Game, and so on).
The Skill System:
The
Skill System is kind of a mix between past power ups, and the level
system we saw in games like Sonic and the Secret Rings. By doing
different goals in the game, players are able to unlock different skills
that either Classic or Modern Sonic can use. Each character can equip
up to 100 points worth of skills, each skill requires a set amount of
points, to use in just about every level in the game. There's a wide
range of skills to unlock in this game (including faster speed, endless
boost, and the skate board in any level), and it's up to the player to
decide how to mix and match them.
Music:
Sonic
Generation's music is mostly made up of remixes from past Sonic songs.
Each stage includes two remixes of their original songs, and a few other
remixes were thrown in for the side missions. All of the music sounds
great, and you can even unlock originals! To go along with the
unlockable music, there's also a music select option for each stage!
Want to run through City Escape (from Sonic Adventure 2) with Endless
Possibilities (Sonic Unleashed's Theme Song) playing in the back ground?
Well, you can do it! It takes a little while to unlock all of the
songs, but it's really nice to know that most of the well known
songs did make it in. It's really nice fan service for long time
fans.
Graphics:
The Graphics in Generations
really do look nice, but they are also more of a cartoony style. It
fits well for Sonic, but it isn't crazy detailed like Sonic The
Hedgehog (2006), or other 360/PS3/PC games. Please don't get me wrong
though, this isn't a bad thing at all! Although I loved seeing all the
detail in Sonic 06, Generations still looks really nice. The only down
side is the fact that the world flies by so fast, you really don't have
time to look at it! Sure you could always slow down and take your time
to enjoy the world, but it's something you most likely wont want to do.
Although
the game graphics do look really nice, some of the Cutscenes were
actually compressed which caused the quality to become a lot lower than
it should be. This is only a problem in a few cutscenes, since most
cutscenes are actually rendered in real time, so once again its actually
not a big deal, and it's only a problem that effects the 360 version of
the game. It's still a shame that we won't be able to see these
cutscenes the way they were made.
Online Leader Boards:
The
final feature included in Sonic Generations is the inclusion of Leader
Boards! Leader Boards allow you to speed through each stage and upload
your score to a global server! This gives all players a reason to shoot
for that high score, and it also gives them the chance to prove who
truly is the fastest thing alive!
Besides
the normal Leader Board mode, a second "30 second" trial has been added
as well. The goal in this mode is to simply run as far as you can into a
level before your 30 seconds are up. This mode can be a LOT of fun, and
it's a nice way to show off to your friends just how fast you really
go, but there is no global ranking for this mode. This is friends only
sadly... Either way, it is still a fun mode to mess around in, and it
really challenges you to just try and push a bit farther!
The Good and the Bad:
Overall
Sonic Generations is the game that many Sonic fans have been waiting
for. It brought back Classic Sonic, it improved the Unleased gameplay,
everyone's favorite songs are back, and we get to see remastered
versions of some of our favorite levels. The custom soundtrack option is
nice, the graphics look nice, and the gameplay is also nice and smooth.
This is a game most Sonic fans would really enjoy, and it doesn't
matter what generation is your favorite!
Even though it is a pretty good game overall, the compressed CGI cutscenes look bad, the game lacks
difficulty (I was able to S rank every level on my first try), and there
really wasn't much of a story. I was also hoping to be able to play as
characters OTHER than Sonic, but that didn't happen. Really, Sonic being the only playable character
could be seen as both a good and a bad thing, but it really just comes
down to what you prefer.
In short, Sonic Generations is a good
game, but it's one of them games that can really only be fully
appreciated by fans. This game allows you to relive the past 20 years of
Sonic's life, and is filled with nostalgia. In the end, I give Sonic Generations a solid 8/10.
It's
a good game, but it still has a few minor problems. If you're a fan of
the Adventure games, you're going to miss the other characters, and if
you're a die hard classic fan, you may end up not wanting to play as
Modern Sonic. These few things may keep the game from being a perfect 10
for you, but I can still safely recommend it to just about anyone!
Even if you're just a fan of platformers, this game is worth *at least* a rent!
Thank's SEGA, it's good to be home.