pikarceus (2012-01-26 00:56:11)

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Happy Birthday Sonic!

Introduction
I'm sure we all know who Sonic the Hedgehog is. He's one of the most iconic video game characters of all time, that's who.
And Sonic Generations celebrates his 20th Birthday. In this 20 years a lot has changed, and some would say, not for the better. Sonic Generations seeks to unite the classic Sonic that long time fans love, and modern Sonic, who most of you, and myself are more familiar with. For the most part, the game does a pretty good job, this is Sonic heaven for long time and new fans.

Story
Sonic is celebrating his birthday when a monster called the Time eater "kidnaps" Tails. Sonic finds Tails, but time is all messed up, hence him meeting his classic counterpart. Then they have to restore time blah, blah, blah. Oh, did I mention it has Eggman? Yep, just a typical Sonic story.


Graphics
Amazing. The HD versions may look better, but the 3DS version still looks great. When I ran through Green Hill Zone in 3D, I was wowed. The graphics themselves are excellent, with amazingly detailed levels, but the 3D takes the cake. Excellent depth and pop, and in some levels Sonic can go to and from different layers of the 3D background similar in a way to Mutant Mudds. The cut scenes aren't as bad as you've been told, they may not be fully animated, but there is some movement in them. All in all, Generations is easily one of the best looking 3DS games.

Sound
Boy, what a great sound track. GreenHill zone, the "ring" sound, everything old and new is here. The cut scenes also have some voice acting, you'll hear Eggman's laugh and Sonic shouting "Dang it!" As if that wasn't enough, you can unlock more sound.(more on that later)


Gameplay
Well, you got Modern Sonic and Classic Sonic.

Classic Sonic
Lots of platforming and gradually building speed. The experience is somewhat shaken, when modern Sonic teaches him the homing attack however. It doesn't ruin the game, but old timers will be slightly disappointed.

Modern Sonic
Forget building speed, modern Sonic is all about BOOSTING. And grinding on rails. Yep, hold Y and occasionally jump, and you pretty much got the hang of it. Even though it is a bit repetitive, it is ridiculously fun blasting through the level while performing outrageous stunts.

Aside from the 2D platforming, there are also 3D "special" levels that involve chasing down a chaos emerald. They are quite fun, and the switch to 3D is welcome.

One other annoying flaw this game has though is the slippery physics. In some sections where serious platforming is needed, you won't be able to stop yourself, and tumble over the edge. With enough skill you should be able to overcome this, but it's still an annoyance. Overall, Generation's gameplay could use some tweaking, but for the most part is pretty solid.

Set-up

Generations has a simplistic but actually helpful set-up. All the action is on the top screen, and the touch screen shows how close to the end of the level you are. It also warns you of pitfall deaths, which is greatly appreciated. I was pretty impressed at how helpful yet unobtrusive the touch screen usage was.

Content
The main game is pretty short, you will breeze through it very quickly. However, if you want that S rank on all levels it may take awhile. Then there are 100 bonus mission, similar to the "get this many rings" missions of Sonic and the secret rings. They are a bit repetitive, but you are rewarded with bonus sound, concept art, and figurines for beating them. The missions also cost a reasonable 5 playcoins, and it is possible to unlock some without playcoins. The game also features a time attack, streetpass usage, and online play. In online play, after the race, you can obtain profile cards from people with all sorts of information on them. This adds a good deal of interaction that enhances the experience a good deal. In short, you can pump quite a few hours out of this game.


Conclusion
Sonic Generations is quite the game, with amazing graphics, sound, and replayability. It has a few flaws, but for the most part it is the most solid Sonic experience we have had in awhile, and a must by for Sonic fans and platformer lovers.

Overall: 8/10

This post has been edited one or more times, the last time was:
2012-05-18 22:45:49

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pikarceus (2012-01-26 01:01:58)

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Grrr....having issues with one of my pics.

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Dragnet (2012-02-08 02:25:11)

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Hmm. Seems about equal to my review, except with more spoilers and different coverage. Good job.

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Smashsonic123 (2012-03-09 15:11:33)

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i also want the pc version but the store me because they dont have one or do have buy it one steam or something?

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Gokunaruto (2012-03-09 19:23:32)

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i might consider buying it! looks good im an old-fashioned sonic fan yet i still love modren sonic this is the game for me!!

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pikarceus (2012-05-03 20:57:20)

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This game was not good enough to deserve a 9. Many people consider an 8 to be too high for this game considering how short the main game is. I gave it an 8 because of the excellent graphics and the compelling content besides the story.

This post has been edited one or more times, the last time was:
2012-05-03 20:57:55

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Nisc3d (2012-05-17 10:32:54)

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Best game ever.

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fireblast8422 (2012-07-13 00:19:05)

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classic sonic is 2d and modern sonic has 2d levels that are more like rollercoasters and i hav ps3 and 3ds version

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SuperShadic76 (2013-08-11 00:29:03)

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Yea the 3ds version is a bis disapointing its very short and the stages are different I played Ps3 version quite good but online? stupid you have to beat your friends score thats all but I like the 3ds version.

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