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.
Sonic isn't afraid of heights... just water.
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.
Ohhh... crap.
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.
Courtesy of IGN
