97

PC: Easily the best version of Sonic Generations

Coonskin_Cap | May 22, 2013 | See all Coonskin_Cap's reviews »

Sonic Generations is a chaos emerald soaked love letter to Sonic as a franchise and everything that made the blue blur great over the past twenty years. Everything in this game seems like it was exactingly aimed at eliciting nostalgia whilst incorporating change and growth in a good way.

There are two principal play-styles, embodied in an adorably mute Classic Sonic and a "way past cool" Modern Sonic. Classic Sonic's stages are in 2d, and focus on increasingly challenging platforming and working out the best way through the enemies without slowing down or falling down a pit and coming a cropper. It gets more and more challenging as the game goes on, and you could spend potentially hours on a level figuring out the optimal route. Certainly, if you were expecting to “hold right to win”, you'll be pleasantly surprised. None of the challenges are insurmountable or unfair however, although there is a cute "gotcha" moment which plays on Sonic convention in one of the later levels that will catch you by surprise in a fun and playful way.

Modern sonic is arguably where the game shines, and is an adrenaline fuelled testament to how far the series has come. The main focus is on attaining boost and keeping it; that means zipping through levels tantalizingly close to the sound barrier, drifting through turns, and reacting with lightning fast reflexes to the many dangers you come across. Darting from rail to rail with the music zoning out of your periphery whilst barely holding yourself to the edge of the stage, before sliding through an overhang to begin skimming across the water at breakneck speed; or running down the side of a building whilst a giant robot snaps menacingly inches away from your heels; these are moments that Generations delivers on in fine form.

The levels are varied and rich, which differing soundtracks for each game-play style that feel nonetheless like they both belong. They mark an incredibly high point of the game and complement the atmosphere so superbly it's hard to imagine it without them. Some of these, in particular the themes for Planet Wisp, “Shadow” and Crisis City are exemplary pieces that stand far aloft on their own. If you've played any of the Sonic games, you'll be well at home. The levels take from Sonic's past games, with most of the major points of Sonic's history being documented: the GUN truck hilltop chase of Sonic Adventure 2, the lazily looping Green Hill zone of the original Sonic, the labyrinthine Chemical Plant zone of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 are all here but refreshed by a new design philosophy which cuts all the chaff and leaves the glorious grain. The design of all of these levels is stellar, particularly for the modern side, which often has subtly branching paths which can open whole new parts of the level for the astute speed runner with quick reflexes. You'll need your wits about you if you want to place in the top 100, or to score and S rank, particularly in latter levels.

The longevity is decent, clocking in at 10-15 hours for the main game, though perhaps this will depend on your level of skill. There are many mission modes which are alternately interesting gimmicks or simply beguilingly puzzling for their obtuseness. With this and many interesting unlockables there is a lot to get through and even a customization mode where you can mod Sonic with abilities to either help or hinder you.

If you're a Sonic fan then this is definitely a must buy. Even if you loathe Sonic, I'd still highly recommend this game. The awesome game-play and kickin' rad music is just too sublime of an experience to pass up. The PC port of the game gets a further recommendation, as it can run in 1080p at a frantic 60fps, which makes for an almost transcendental experience, though the game is not noticeably worse of the PS3, which is the other platform I had the opportunity to play this game on. Bottom line, this is a game that few can afford to pass up.

81

Blast from the past

georgecopos | May 16, 2013 | See all georgecopos's reviews »

Sonic Generations is a fun game that redeems the Sonic franchise of its status for putting out pitiful games of late. The game was designed to and succeeds in bringing back a sense of nostalgia with its classic gameplay. Each stage has 2 acts, where the first act lets you use classic Sonic in a 2-D environment and the second stage lets you use modern Sonic in a 3-D environment, but the ultimate goal is the same... to get to the end of the level. Both classic and modern Sonic control slightly differently and can both be equipped with unique unlockable abilities (such as being able to stop on a dime and starting a level with 10 rings instead of 0). The game has an emphasis on speed(it's a Sonic game after all), but at the same time the player needs to be patient and observe the area at times so the player won't run haphazardly into any danger. There are some frustrating parts at times, but none of them feel cheap... just usually the player's fault by either rushing through too fast or mistiming a jump.

Overall the game should take about 6-8 hours to complete depending on your skill level. The game has plenty of extra challenges for each level including racing an opponent and collecting a certain number of rings before finishing. You will have to do some of the challenges in order to actually unlock the bosses, but you are allowed to pick and choose and some are easier than others. Each challenge also has a high scorer's list if you are into setting records. Also the game has a plethora of unlockable items such as remixed songs from older Sonic games, and concept art. If you are a fan of Sonic, whether it is the Sonic of Genesis days or the fan of the modern Sonic games then Sonic Generations is a game I would wholeheartedly recommend for you

85

Best sonic game in a decade.

Vegimite | April 24, 2013 | See all Vegimite's reviews »

First off, have a game pad of some kind for the pc, it's not impossible to play it with a keyboard but the experience is vastly improved without having to. This is coming from someone who played sonic the hedgehog on the megadrive as well as sonic 2 and sonic 3 and knuckles. I later went on to play sonic adventure 2 on the gamecube. So I have a bit of experience with each.

  This game primarily has two distinct forms 2D classic sonic and the newer 3D sonic, you can switch between each before the level and doing so gives you both different gameplay and perspective on the level. The 2D gameplay handles well and is fairly precise so most of the time that you spend dead is going to be you being terrible and the sense of speed from the original games is recaptured well. The 3D sonic also maintains the great sense of speed you come to expect from sonic games but the platforming is also a bit floaty and the locking on system seems to behave a little bit more erratically then it should.
   It involves a psudo leveling system via unlockable abilities and while some of them are indeed cool and useful they don't change the game in a manner that is significant enough that I wonder if they would be better left out, or vastly improved in some way. In saying that getting all the abilities you want isn't difficult so it doesn't gate anything and it's just something extra.
    There is a good assortment of levels from previous games, but I feel the game could have benefited from more, but for the price tag it is very fair. Ultimately if you're vaguely interested in sonic games get it on a sale, if you've spent a good part of your childhood with sonic then buy the thing, it's good and you won't be disappointed.

92

A surprisingly fun game

Profoundly_Mad | April 22, 2013 | See all Profoundly_Mad's reviews »

Sonic Generations manages to return the blue speedster to glory after a long period of terrible to mediocre games for nearly a decade. Graphically the game is bright, colorful and expressive, with some truly breathtaking visuals as you boost around levels from Sonic's past games. Rooftop Run especially is a visual delight.

The game has two different styles of gameplay. Classic Sonic plays like the old Megadrive/Genesis games being strictly 2D and heavy emphasis on both platforming and speed, though his physics aren't quite the same as the old games. Modern Sonic plays like a more refined version of Sonic Unleashed's daytime levels, with multiple routes to take as you speed through the levels in stylish ways. You can also purchase new skills which give either Classic Sonic or Modern Sonic new perks or abilities which can make repeated playthroughs of a level somewhat different.

There are also challenges which can unlock concept art, music and various other things. Most of these challenges are fun but one or two are way too difficult than they have any right to be. The final boss, without spoiling anything is also a major letdown compared to how good the rest of the game is.

If you loved Sonic as a kid and you were lamenting the state of the franchise in the past decade, this game returns to form.

85

Sonic is Back to Glory

Nuxaider | March 2, 2013 | See all Nuxaider's reviews »

In my opinion, Sonic games have gone down in quality since Sonic Adventure 2. Each game disappointed me more and more so when I saw Sonic Generations, I was expecting more failure. Luckily, SEGA showed that they still know how to make good Sonic games.

Graphics: The game looks nice, but not in a technical sense. The game gets its impressive visuals from aesthetics rather than technical force. Each level is bright and detailed, giving each stage their own unique look.

Story: The story in Sonic Generations is bad. The plot itself is self explanatory: it's Sonic's birthday, Eggman creates a time warp, you fix it, but it's just so,...boring. The setting isn't explained so there isn't much motivation besides "Eggman is the bad guy so I have to stop him." The voice acting doesn't help the story out either. Don't get me wrong; the voice actors are excellent, but their lines are cringe-worthy. Sonic sounds like a car salesman and it totally ruins the interest in the plot. That being said, the plot isn't very important in a Sonic game.

Gameplay: Sonic Team finally got it right. Previous games were plagued by linear level design and speed crazy gameplay that was only designed to make the player feel a rush when they were playing. There was absolutely no skill involved and it felt like playing a racing game. This game does not do that. Modern Sonic levels are wondrously designed and have more branching paths than the older "go left or right" variety. Levels are open and encourage exploration to find new paths to the goal. Classic Sonic levels are similar to the style of older titles and is definitely a nostalgia trip. The physics are not 100% accurate to the first couple Sonic games, but they are leaps and bounds better than the horrid physics of Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1. The only minor complaints I have with Classic Sonic's stages are that there aren't enough loop based sections and the platforming is too "Mario-y" (simple hopping on one platform to the next.) Overall, excellent gameplay.

If you were disappointed by recent Sonic titles, Sonic Generations is the game fans have been waiting for.

See all 48 reviews