One thing that some more critical fans should be pleased with is that classics physics have been fixed a bit from its HD brother. Sonic now has gravity when he rolls and gains momentum downhill. It feels much more natural than in the console versions. But sadly, once the Genesis era finishes, Modern Sonic butts in and teaches Classic Sonic homing attack. This classic version of the homing attack is a permanent upgrade and cannot be undone. Now, with the game on a 2-D plane, even in the modern levels, it cuts back the differences between classic and modern Sonic greatly.

That seems to be the theme with this game; for every thing it gets right, something else goes wrong. For example, the bosses in this game are a real treat. Most of them have the old Dimps staple of Sonic fighting them on a circular platform but with different tactics. Biolizard is my favorite. You fight his full form instead of his half like in SA2. But on the other hand, you have the rivals. They play out like mini-bosses before the big boss of each era. Sadly, these are not like the rival fights in the console versions. Instead, they’re just simple races. Some of them them, like Silver, are not even in their proper game level. Also, it feels odd having what’s basically two bosses in a row. One is more than necessary. This, right after playing a special stage, piles on a bit too much after playing through the two acts in each zone. Another example of the teeter-totter of quality in this game is the special stages. They are much better than the Heroes stages they are based on, but since you need the seven chaos emeralds to go against the Time Eater, all seven special stages must be completed in order to finish the game. This is the equivalent of having to beat all the stages of Sonic 2 just to beat the game normally instead of getting Super Sonic.

Graphics for the most part, are great. The models have an almost HD look to them, especially in cutscenes. Also, the 3-D is quite well done. Especially in Genesis era levels like Casino Night Zone that have both back, middle and foregrounds scrolling independently. However, the details in the backgrounds tend to vary in quality from the highly detailed Casino Night and Tropical Resort, to areas with poor detail and pop-up like Emerald Coast and Radical Highway.

Now onto the meat of the game, the levels themselves. These tend to vary greatly. The Genesis era is helped greatly by being an almost perfect replica of the original levels in the classic versions. This helps the modern versions as well because they have a blueprint to go by. They’re large and vast with many paths to go through. With Sonic’s roll back to normal, they have more of a classic feeling about them. Sadly, the level quality takes a nose dive in the Dreamcast era. Since Dimps doesn’t have a 2-D Genesis blueprint to go by, they suffer the most in level design in the entire game, feeling flat and bland. Instead of the vast, vertical levels shown in the Genesis era, there’s just an upper and lower path and that’s it.  Radical Highway suffers the worst. Not only is it a poor choice of a level (Sonic was never even in this level.), but it’s some of the worst 2-D level design I’ve seen since Sonic Rivals. While playing as classic, there was one stretch of road where Sonic ran straight on a flat plane for over ten seconds with no interaction with anything.

Thankfully, the modern era pushes the quality back up a little. Water Palace is based off Sonic Rush. A game Dimps knows very well and it shows. It’s surprisingly fast-paced for a water-based level and closely designed after it’s original. Sadly, it commits a great crime of Sonic game design. It has no drowning music when you’re running out of air. Just a countdown and some beeping. Why would they omit that?! Tropical Resort is well done with classic based directly off the DS version of Colors. The modern version of Tropical Resort is actually my favorite of the Modern levels. It has a very fast, Rush-based feel to it that’s more in line with Dimps style of games. It’s a good ending since about half the modern levels just felt bland to me. Also, one important thing of note is that S ranks are not pathetically easy to obtain like the console versions. You really have to work at it to get a good grade which helps give the levels some replay.

The soundtrack is decent, but no where near as well done as the HD version. Granted, there are some great new tracks including the Big Arms boss, but many of the old tunes are just very slight remixes where you can barely tell what’s been added. Classic Emerald Coast sounds exactly the same until late into the song and modern Tropical Resort sounds like it’s just been boosted to double speed and that’s it.

One other minor gripe is the controls. They work fine for the most part, especially classic who loses the one button spindash. Modern however, feels off at points. His boost is still over on X, but sliding and stomping are done by holding down and B instead of just using A (the rightmost button), which takes a while to get used to.  Also, classic’s jump has that odd Sonic 4 feel to it where you can turn around in mid air easily. It’s supposed to help you aim onto platforms better, but feels off in comparison to the HD version. Another gripe is the length. With only 7 zones with 14 acts, 4 bosses, 3 rivals and seven special stages, the main game can be beaten in 2 hours (about the same time it took me to beat Sonic 4). The big difference is that Sonic 4 is a $15 or less downloadable title where Sonic Generations 3DS is $40.

It’s fortunate that the actual meat of the game is not the main game itself, but rather, the extras. There are 100 missions you can buy with your player coins you get from walking with your 3DS in sleep mode. These range from defeating all enemies in a short time, beating a level without hitting an enemy or collecting 100 rings within a certain amount of time. When you beat these missions, you get a special unlock added to your collection.

These include artworks from common game covers, rarely seen production sketches, music you can play on loop and with the 3DS shut (but not inside levels sadly) and highly detailed models of various Sonic cast members. If you are having too much difficulty defeating a level, you can use your coins to buy the reward you normally get for beating the mission. The missions come with some new music straight from the challenge music in the console versions. Sadly, this music repeats a lot and you don’t get the original music from the levels in these missions. Let’s not forget online multiplayer. You and your opponent in a race on any level of the game you choose. I’ve played a few rounds and outside of some slight framerate stuttering from time to time, I experienced no lag. You can play with strangers or folks on your friends list. There’s also leaderboards for the time attack mode which lets you compare and compete with your friends for the best time when not racing them

Sonic Generations is a mixed bag in terms of quality. On one hand, you have some great levels with designs based straight off their original 2-D sources, some great bosses, fun special stages, 100 missions, cool unlockables and well-done multiplayer. On the other hand, you have a very short main game, some poorly designed levels, pointless rivals, a forced Chaos emerald hunt in order to finish the game and sub-par modern controls. In the end, the game is just average and bland. There’s enough content in there to make die-hard Sonic fans happy but otherwise, it’s poor compared to its HD brethren or other 3DS platformers, such as Super Mario 3D Land. Sonic fans might want to wait for a lower price on this one. For me, it’s Dimps’ most mediocre portable Sonic game yet.

We’ve been celebrating Sonic’s 20^th anniversary all year with various online and real-life events, contests and videos. It’s only suitable that a game be a part of the festivities. Sonic Generations is an interactive tribute to the series’ longevity and is one of the most fitting anniversary titles ever to be released. Why? It’s not because classic levels are re-imagined in 3D or that Sonic’s previously portly self is present.

Sonic Generations is fitting because in eerie, yet hilariously appropriate fashion, the game starts off incredibly strong, falters hard and shows a glimmer of hope at the end. It sums up the series’ history so perfectly, allowing you to ride the highs and lows of 20 years in one convenient, 4-hour package.

PREMISE

I don’t need to go into detail on the story. You’re at The Sonic Stadium. You know what the story is and it simply serves as a device to get both Sonics logically in the same game. That’s all a Sonic story should be.

The writing is substantially weaker than Sonic Colors. Tails is your source for exposition, Modern Sonic supplies the most groan-inducing quips in series history and Classic Sonic is endearing as ever, saying more than anyone with simple body language. All of the other characters never say anything of worth and gang-bang you with inane “tips” when you battle Time Eater. The highlights are when the game attempts self-deprecation, riffing on bad decisions and rattling off inside jokes.

Due to the writing, Roger Craig Smith doesn’t turn in a good performance, but Kate Higgins does an admirable job doing two, motor-mouth versions of Tails. Mike Pollock… still untouchable. All of the other voices are garbage. There, I’m done talking about the story and voice acting.

JUDGMENT: Thumbs Up.

FAVORITE SCENE: “That pink water makes me nervous.”

GAMEPLAY AND DESIGN

Follow me here.

The game begins and you’re thrown into a reimagining of Classic Green Hill. If you were born in the eighties, you’ll immediately feel that something is off at the first jump. Is it better than how Sonic 4 handles? Clearly, but it’s still not ideal. The amazing feeling of being in total control of a seemingly out-of-control character isn’t entirely there and it’s an expected let down at this point, yet not game-breaking. Rolling still is abysmal, a disappointing trend that would be rectified with the proper game engine. Spin-dash is back, but it’s ridiculously over-powered, allowing Sonic Team to propel you to a more-than-fast-enough roll where you don’t notice that the walls and loops are scripted and don’t function well (even when you’re near the game’s speed cap).

If you were born in the nineties, you probably won’t notice and life goes on. Everything is great. Nothing is bad.

If you think it’s super funny that the original Sonic the Hedgehog is included to showcase all of Generations’ faults, you’re not alone. It’s super funny. For all the self-deprecation the game’s cut-scenes lay down on the Sonic franchise, the choice to include Sonic 1 is the crown jewel.

It’s Modern Sonic’s turn now. This time, you’re not looking to 1991 for gameplay, you’re looking all the way back to… 2008 to Sonic Unleashed. Yeah, you thought I would say Sonic Colors, right? Well, unfortunately, Generations’ base is the Unleashed engine, as the welcome, minor improvements made to Modern Sonic in Colors are absent. Platforming at low speeds in 3D is, of course, a mess and doesn’t belong. The amount of moves Modern Sonic has to perform at such an insane speed also muddles the experience. Modern Sonic is at his strongest in 2D or when in an area that focuses on the “quick step.” Those two kinds of sequences are when Modern Sonic is at his absolute best.

Again, if you grew up with Sonic in his current incarnation, you’re none the wiser. It’s another happy day in the park for you.

Now, all of these issues are alleviated with thorough practice. Like, dude, I’m the best Sonic R player around and that game controls like a fresh turd. It’s such a bad game. Why am I so good at it then? The presentation in Sonic R has some strange charm that draws me to replay it and, unlike modern games prior to Colors, Sonic Generations has an appeal that can encourage your perfectionist desires (which I’ll elaborate on later). If you can survive all that frustration and memorization, have at it. You’re the man.

You might be asking yourself at this point why I’m focusing so much on flaws. Neither Classic nor Modern Sonic is unplayable. They’re competent, given the series’ history, but I have to highlight the flaws to make the following point: the gameplay of Sonic Generations is not the tale of two hedgehogs. It’s the tale of a developer that understands and then somehow doesn’t understand its own game.

I mentioned earlier that Sonic Generations mirrors the path of the Sonic franchise in terms of quality over time. At the game’s outset, in the Genesis Era of the game, Sonic Team designs its levels in a way that minimizes the amount of times you encounter the game’s shortcomings. If you miss a jump or accidentally fly astray, there are lower paths that catch you that are usually less fun and possess less red rings, but at least you didn’t fall in a pit and die. The levels are wide open and provide enough wiggle-room to accommodate the controls and physics. Green Hill, Chemical Plant and Sky Sanctuary are a blast for both Sonics and feature sprawling paths that require exploration and a bit of screwing around, leaving the player feeling satisfied and wanting to replay them.

In the Dreamcast Era, some things appropriately start to slide, but it remains a fun experience. Bottomless pits, scripted sequences and grind rails start to become a bit more prevalent and the overall pacing of the game is definitely on the fast side of things, as one would expect from the Modern Sonic stages. Hitting all of the highlights, from helicopters to street-boarding, haven’t lost their rush after all these years. Those sequences are as great as you remember them. Seaside Hill has its moments, but it’s kind of forgettable.

But wouldn’t you know it… the Modern Era opens with Sonic 2006’s Crisis City and it’s… terrible? That’s the damndest thing! Ham-fisted platforming meets the dated Sonic model of killing the player for making the slightest mistake. Crisis City Classic is surprisingly neat, but the mixture of gale-force winds and sluggish acceleration will test your patience. Rooftop Run is not memorable at all. I just played the level to specifically insert a moment into this review, but I forgot what it was before sitting back at my computer. Planet Wisp, like Colors to the Sonic series at large, starts to win you back, but it’s somewhat tarnished by its monotonous, near 10-minute length.

The inherent problem with the Modern Sonic stages is that they are just that: Modern Sonic stages. Instead of continuing to design around the limitations in their engine, the designers felt compelled to try and make Modern Sonic levels authentic to their respective source material, where a player’s curiosity will cause Sonic to go flying off into pits or fall through floors. The source material didn’t work in their respective, flawed engines, so why did they think it would work in Generations’ flawed engine? If they would had stuck to simply using a level’s theme and graphics and adapting well to the Generations design, then we would all have less problems.

Even though he’s strictly 2D, Classic Sonic is not immune to issues in the latter half of the game. Modern levels punish the pudgy one for the tiniest misstep, putting crucial platforms just out of horizontal or vertical reach, all above nefarious pits. There are less branching paths and more cheap shots. Again, Sonic Team, your controls aren’t that tight. Design for the engine that you’ve built and not for what you think you have built.

Sonic Generations’ gameplay proves itself to be convoluted through the return of the robot Chao, Omochao. If you need constant text, voice and button prompts during gameplay, that’s bad game design. Video games are best when they illustrate what you have to do through gameplay. If you have to constantly prompt the player to press buttons at all these given times with limited warning, then maybe there are too many actions for the player to handle or you didn’t give them enough time in a controlled environment.

At the main menu, you can turn Omochao and the control tutorials off because we all know he is obnoxious. However, you’re putting yourself at a disadvantage during a majority of the boss fights and the modern era stages. You have no idea what to do unless you read a walkthrough or turn Omochao on.

With tutorials/Omochao on, the game is patronizing. Without them, the game doesn’t teach you enough through gameplay. There’s no middle ground. The latter third of the game is one, giant Carnival Night Barrel. Each stage presents its own set of rules and moves, so it’s difficult for a new player to quickly adjust and learn. The biggest offender here is Time Eater. When you approach him, a homing attack reticle appears on his weak spot. Throughout the course of the game, you are taught to press X to attack when you see this reticle. Well, that doesn’t work and the player is left alone in one of the worst boss fights in recent memory.

When you need all of that explanation, you’ve made things too complicated and it noticeably impacts the game’s flow and direction. Maybe that’s why you only lose 25 rings at a time…

JUDGMENT: Thumb Neutral. Like Sonic 4, your mileage may vary depending on your Sonic history and experiences.

FAVORITE PART: Breaking a bridge with Modern Sonic’s stomp in GHZ and uncovering a cool, new path to explore.

LEVEL SELECTION AND GAME NAVIGATION

Since I’m reviewing a compilation title of sorts, the level selection and hub world deserve their own section and verdict.

If you’re like me and in your mid-twenties (or older), you probably feel old knowing that it has been 20 years since the original Sonic the Hedgehog crashed into our living rooms. You know what makes you feel older? The fact that Sonic’s ever-changing, inconsistent modern form has been around longer than the often fawned-over classic design.

Taking that fact into consideration, it’s understandable why two-thirds of the game is post-1998. There are more modern games. What doesn’t make sense is repetition of level tropes. The Genesis Era takes you from a lush, green landscape to an intimidating facility to a ruin adrift in the clear, blue skies. The variety opens a vast well of creativity, giving the player something new to see and do as the game progresses.

After that amazing rush, it gradually comes to a halt. The modern stage selection is also a comment on the last 12 years: same old, tired shit. You’re treated to a city at night, a city at day, a second green “hill,” a city under attack, a foreign city and a green landscape tarnished by industry. I know modern Sonic games have mostly taken place in the “real world,” but I know there are more tropes than green lands and cities in those games. There’s only so many times you can run on the sides of buildings or on scaffolding. It gets boring and screams, “lazy.”

The stage selection seems to be based more on the popularity of the stage’s music more than making Sonic Generations a thematically diverse package.

There’s a real missed opportunity here with Sonic Generations. Instead of more levels, you’re left with challenge levels within the set of 9. These challenges are 90% optional and while some of them are fun and clever, most of them are clearly showing the challenge mode’s “filler” nature. In one challenge, you have to stop what you’re doing, call on Rouge and have her shake her tits to distract robots long enough for you to kill them. Some challenges are that absurd.

Challenges feature many level gimmicks not seen in the main acts. Why aren’t they? They would only enhance the experience on the part of the game that is mandatory. As mentioned earlier, Crisis City Classic was cool, but it needed something else to really bring it together. Well, the challenge stages had level gimmicks, like spikey seesaws, that could’ve really diversified the main act and made it memorable.

The way you get to these challenge levels is a great example of how you don’t create a hub world. Navigating the main acts is great, but you have to ascend awkward ramps, platforms and sometimes text in this Sonic purgatory to reach the multiple challenge doorways. Whatever happened to menus? Not only are the challenges filler but also simply getting to them is a time-sink in itself.

Instead of challenges, Sonic Team could’ve supplied more levels or, better yet, more bosses. There are a pitiful amount of bosses on display here and each one takes very few shots to defeat. Outside of Metal Sonic, the rival battles are confusing without Omochao and only seem to exist to tap into your happy memories for a brief moment. Special Stages are also a huge part of the Sonic legacy and they’re nowhere to be found in Sonic Generations.

JUDGMENT: Thumbs Down.

FAVORITE ASPECT: Selecting levels from a list using “Online” mode.

PRESENTATION

Nobody expects bad presentation from Sonic Team and they continue to deliver with gorgeous graphics and well-produced music.

The graphics are solid, but there’s an iffy texture here and there if you happen to be moving slowly. If you’re playing on the consoles, you’re going to be disappointed at the game’s frame rate. Sonic needs to run at 60 FPS to be successful. At 30, it’s too hard to follow the action and Sonic can become lost in the detailed scenery.

The true champion here is the music. Solid remixes of classic and modern tunes to suit, uh, classic and modern levels ensure that you’re in for an aural treat from start to finish. Each song evokes a past emotion and guarantees that you remember this second visit by adding some additional flair. The option to select from a wide library of other songs is nice (hell yeah, Toxic Caves), but many of the bonus songs sound like MIDI and thrown in without care.

Nostalgia plays a huge role in Generations.

The sheer amount of fan-service in this game is ridiculous. It’s so awesome. Clearly, all of the effort went into this aspect of the game. From the many Easter Eggs, musical cues and classic forms of characters, Sonic Generations might have the most fan-service ever included in a video game.

All of the familiar sights, winks and nods make for one sick nostalgia trip that, upon contact, almost makes you forget all of the game’s flaws. The sense hits some people stronger than others (I mean, look at all those glowing reviews on Metacritic/our forums) and it’s undeniable that most of the game’s appeal lies here. If you’re a die-hard fan of the series, your devotion to useless knowledge will be rewarded here.

I mentioned earlier that I became insanely good at a terrible game like Sonic R because it was presented with such charm. Sonic Generations oozes charm. Despite all the bad things I’ve said about it, the presentational aspect draws me back for brief spurts of play.

JUDGMENT: Thumbs WAY Up!

FAVORITE PART: Fighting Silver the Hedgehog with Palmtree Panic music.

LONGEVITY

Sonic Generations is short, clocking in at 4-5 hours to beat the mandatory sections of the game. Even if you suck at the game during your initial play-through, you’ll probably walk away with B, A and S ranks and a handful of red rings. Deaths are limited to frequent trips to the abyss and that’s all. A level obstacle or enemy will never kill you because you only lose 25 rings at a time. It’s really sad.

Online leaderboards are present, but the real attraction that I don’t see many people mentioning is the “30-Second Trial” mode, where you try and make it as far as you can in 30 seconds. I’ve never experienced a mode in Sonic so addicting. Whoever created this mode deserves a beer or two for actually extending the mileage of a game that was clearly desperate for it. Absolutely genius idea.

But why is there a single save file? Who decided that one save file is a good idea? Fire that person.

JUDGMENT: Thumbs Down.

FAVORITE TIME WASTER: 30-second trials, dude!

CONCLUSION

Everybody is saying that this game “shows great promise for the future” and is “a step in the right direction.” I hate to break it to you, but Sonic Generations is a one-off deal that’ll never be happening again anytime soon. Classic Sonic is going back into the vault and Iizuka is already looking to create a new Modern Sonic. This game only services the present and the past; reminding us of the crazy ride we’ve all been on.

Sonic Team put all of their eggs into the presentation and fan-service baskets to win back the hardcore, yet jaded fans and the fans that haven’t paid attention in years. The marketing for Sonic Generations was nothing like we’ve seen before. It certainly worked. They’re paying attention now.

However, nostalgia is a temporary fix unique to this game, a crutch that Sonic Team has been leaning on for the past few years. Bringing back Classic Sonic, Genesis stages and strictly 2D gameplay does not a good game make. These changes are simply cosmetic. Sonic Generations’ existence is conspicuously born from years of criticism and complaints, but the real ills with Sonic today still weren’t addressed.

The remedy isn’t hermetically sealed in Green Hill Zone and has been apparent for over ten years; Sonic Team has no idea what’s wrong with its games on a fundamental level. Until they realize that tight controls, physics and level design ultimately trump presentation and nostalgia, we’ll continue to be stuck in our own Sonic purgatory.

For having a mostly mediocre existence, Sonic gets an average adventure to celebrate with no indication on where he is headed. Sonic Generations is an inoffensive title that has frequent flashes of brilliance, but is once again hog-tied by legacy issues. Its strongest feature isn’t within the game, but rather, your memories.

See? I told you Sonic Generations was the most appropriate anniversary release.

Sonic Generations is a perfect celebration of Sonic the Hedgehog’s 20th Anniversary and fans of both the classic Sonic titles and the modern titles will be happy with Sonic Team’s Birthday efforts. Classic Sonic’s gameplay handles very close to how it does in the original Mega Drive/Genesis Sonic titles and Modern Sonic has been tweaked with controls even tighter than those in Sonic Colours.

All of the game’s nine stages you revisit have been given fresh redesigns with plenty of routes to explore in multiple playthroughs. Add Red Star Rings to collect, 10 missions for each stage (5 per Sonic), rankings and online leaderboards and you’ve got plenty of replay value. Sonic Generations is one of the best Sonic games of all time.

JUDGMENT: Thumbs Up!

THE GOOD

+ Copious amount of fanservice.

+ OMG NOSTALGIA.

+ Amazing graphics.

+ A well-produced soundtrack spanning the series history, even a few of the spin-offs.

+ Layered level design with many alternate paths.

+ The first half of the game.

+ Classic Sonic’s reactions to anything.

+ Great 2D platforming areas for both Sonics.

+ Getting all S-Ranks.

+ 30-Second Trials.

THE BAD

+ Most of the writing.

+ The quality of a few of the alternate music tracks.

+ (Unless you’re a veteran) Convoluted Modern Sonic controls.

+ Drifting.

+ The hub world.

+ Challenges.

+ The latter half of the game’s level design.

+ Lack of multiple save files.

+ The meager selection of stages and bosses.

+ Omochao and his unfortunate, occasional necessity.

+ The lack of difficulty, artificially created by bottomless pits.

+ The short length.

Both the main review and second opinion were based on the PS3 version of the game.

Special thanks to Ian (bmn) for providing the HD game footage.

GoNintendo reports that the first review of the Wii version of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games is featured in the latest issue of US magazine Nintendo Power. No excerpts have been given, but the publication has scored the game 7.0/10, which is the same score they gave to Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games and .5 lower than the score they gave to the first game in the series Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games.

The November issue of Nintendo Power is available at US retailers and newsstands now.

Source: GoNintendo

IGN US has released their review for the console version of Sonic Generations as promised and it’s received a lot of praise, with barely any complaints outside of missions and occasional clunky controls.

We’ll let you find out the score and the rest of their thoughts for yourselves.

To see their video review, go here.

To read their review, go here.

German website VideoGamesZone.de has today provided the world’s first review of the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC version of Sonic Generations and the game earned a high score of 85%. The website praised its many unlockables and hidden secrets, its stage selection and the combination of 2D and 3D gameplay. Negatives include its “inconsequential story” and the controls.

VideoGamesZone.de has also shared three new screenshots, which you can view below.

You can read a Google translation of the full review here.

Thanks to SSMB member Neon for the heads up!

The UK’s Official Nintendo Magazine has previewed the Nintendo 3DS version of Sonic Generations in their latest issue and within it are a few details about physics, Casino Night Zone and the Metal Sonic Rival challenge.

* Regarding Classic Sonic’s physics, the magazine says “The Mega Drive physics are more or less spot-on, and far better than they were in recent WiiWare release Sonic 4.”
* According to ONM, Classic Sonic’s Casino Night Zone music is “slightly modernised but for the most part it’s faithful to the ditties from the older games.”, while the remixed Modern Sonic version is “bursting with saxophone solos and various other musical flourishes.”
* The Metal Sonic boss battle is a race to reach the end of the level before he does. ONM says “It reminds us of the two-player mode in Sonic 2 and it’s a fun, challenging stage.”

ONM will have a review of the game in next month’s issue, which is due out in UK stores November 17th. To read their full preview, pick up their December issue at your local retailer now for £3.99.

Click here to view the embedded video.

You can hear some voice clips of the new voice actors portraying the characters in the video at the top of the page, courtesy of YouTube user MidniteWv4. The clips are played in the following order of characters: Sonic, Tails, Yacker, Eggman, Cubot, Orbot, Knuckles, Shadow, Blaze, Amy, Silver, Cream, Big, Espio, Charmy, Vector, Chao, Rouge, Omega and Wisp.

In other news, more reviews have been published across the net for both versions of the game, some scoring the game high and some scoring it low. British newspaper Guardian, along with Gamekult have given the Wii version its lowest scores of 3/5 and 6/10 respectively. Guardian cite dull presentation, lack of polish and an untidy interface as their reasons for an average score.

Eurogamer put their review of the Wii version out today and it was a positive one, with an 8/10 score awarded. The game received positive marks for its controls, simple storyline and replayability. Videogamer are equally positive in their review, where the Wii version got another 8/10. Videogamer’s Jamin Smith says “The controls are tight and simple, and even the camera is on its best behaviour throughout.”, the latter being something most modern console Sonic games are often panned for.

As for the DS version, Game Informer gave the portable outing an 8.5/10 for its fluid high-speed, the Wisps adding interesting gameplay and the addictive special stages. Elsewhere, the DS version was given a 7.9/10 by GameTrailers, a higher score than the 6.4 they gave the Wii version. GT’s reviewer appears to have really enjoyed the multiplayer modes of the DS version and the Wisp abilities that encourage exploring and replayability, but they say the game can get frustrating, because of the gap between the two screens resulting in you losing sight of Sonic from time to time.

You can check out more Sonic Colours Wii and DS reviews at Metacritic.

What do you think of the critics impressions of Sonic Colours? Have you picked up or will you be purchasing the game? Let us know in the comments.

Thanks to Woun at the SSMB for first revealing details about the cast of characters in the DS version!

More reviews for SEGA’s first Xbox 360 Kinect title Sonic Free Riders have rolled out to join IGN’s 7.5/10, GameInformer’s 5.75/10 and G4′s 3/5 that we reported about yesterday. GameTrailers put out the above video review, scoring the game 4.5/10. Elsewhere, Kotaku, a site that doesn’t give scores, called the game’s controls broken, but said if SEGA could fix them he would recommend the game. Joystiq put out the game’s lowest scored review yet, with a painful 1/5, but there has been another higher score from the U.S. Official Xbox Magazine that matches IGN’s score of 7.5/10. The main complaint among the reviewers is the controls and how poorly they work, especially the steering. Check out the reviews at the links provided and share your thoughts in our comments section.

In other news, SEGA Japan updated their official Sonic Free Riders website with fifteen more screenshots from the game and two images from later unlocked tracks Final Factory and Metal City. You can check out those screens and images below.

Finally, we have some new gameplay videos from Kotaku, Giant Bomb and GameTrailers:
GameTrailers gameplay video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Kotaku gameplay video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Giant Bomb gameplay video part 1:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Giant Bomb gameplay video part 2:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Thanks to SSMB member Woun for the YouTube conversions and for obtaining the images and screenshots.

It turns out that the rumour we reported that about Gamepro German division reviewing Sonic Colours (Wii version) in the latest issue of their magazine is true and they have indeed scored the game an 87%. The publication has now released their video review of the game, which features plenty of new gameplay footage of the various stages and even some cutscenes clips with English and Japanese voice acting. If you’re trying to avoid all story spoilers, then we advise against watching the video. The written review has not yet been published on their website.

Thanks to Slashhedgehog at the SSMB for the heads up!

IGN has put out the worlds first review of Sonic Free Riders, SEGA’s first Xbox 360 Kinect title. Associate Editor Jack Devries has given the game a 7.5/10, just .5 less than the website gave Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing. Devries is very positive about the multiplayer aspects of the game, even the new relay and tag modes. The only real complaints expressed are that the game is shallow, isn’t so easy to jump into for casual players. You can check out the video review for yourself in the video above or read the written review at IGN’s website.

Outside of the review, we get a look at more gameplay footage from the various tracks and characters, as well as some of the static cutscenes and voice acting.

Source: IGN
Video review
Written review

Thanks to Doctor Eggman at the SSMB for the heads up!