The Sonic Generations Review Topic

[Neon]

GamesRadar 3DS Review: 7/10

[Tails spin]

GamesRadar 3DS Review: 7/10

good points:

• Brilliant retro levels remade in 3D
  
• Better end boss than the 360/PS3 game
  
• How the level design shines at S rank
  
  bad points:
  • Some new levels can feel sparse
    
  • Modern Sonic is never given 3D freedom
    
  • It's not as exciting as Sonic Rush
    

  I would agree. I love the 3DS verison but Modern Sonic could of had more freedom. If the special stages are 3D and work well why can't the levels do the same. Plus some points in the level it switches to over the shoulder perspective. good review none the less.

[Crazizzle]

Damn, solid review. Props.

[SenEDDtor Missile]

bad points:

• Some new levels can feel sparse
  
• Modern Sonic is never given 3D freedom
  

Somebody wants Sonic in 3d!?!11111!? ITS THE END OF THE WORLD!

Nah not really, still fair points all around.

[Balding Spider]

http://www.screwattack.com/reviews/video-review-sonic-generations I take it this hasn't been posted yet huh?

good points:

•Better end boss than the 360/PS3 game

Yeah it's much better than the absolute worst thing it could possibly be.

Edited November 18, 2011 by Balding Spider

[Kuzu]

http://www.screwattack.com/reviews/video-review-sonic-generations I take it this hasn't been posted yet huh?

And this is how you praise a game, but still criticize its faults. Pretty much everything in the review is spot on, and even said that Modern Gameplay should be the base for every subsequent game, but Generations is held back by relying too much on nostalgia, which is completely true.

[The Dead Skin]

http://www.screwattack.com/reviews/video-review-sonic-generations I take it this hasn't been posted yet huh?

Yeah it's much better than the absolute worst thing it could possibly be.

What was that? I could only see a GIF of an anvil dropping.

Edited November 18, 2011 by The Dead Skin

[sonfan1984]

Very old, but it's still sad to see some of the comments.

"Honestly, this review score doesn't surprise me at all. The problem with Sonic Team is that they genuinely don't seem to care about making games, at least that is the impression I get from their countless examples of sloppy design."

Yeah..that comment is something I would've kinda agree with maybe like 4-6 years ago. This game and Colors clearly shows that Sonic Team is actually giving a damn now and trying to put Sonic back on his feet.

[Xenos]

Very old, but it's still sad to see some of the comments.

"Honestly, this review score doesn't surprise me at all. The problem with Sonic Team is that they genuinely don't seem to care about making games, at least that is the impression I get from their countless examples of sloppy design."

Yeah, no. The amount of love that's been poured into Generations is astounding. It's nice to see people defending the game in the comments, too.

See, this is why I hate when people rely on scores from reviews to judge the entire game.

The guy this comment came from has only played the goddamn demo and he thinks this is a well deserved score for a game he hasn't even played at it's best and most impressive point?

When did gamers in general lose their own opinion?

[sonfan1984]

I thought the demo is fun even though the level design in GHZ is pretty straight forward. The stage design gets better after that.

Edited November 18, 2011 by sonfan1984

[krazeeKidd102]

Isn't the point of a demo is to give an impression of what the game will be like? If they thought Green Hill Zone, the most simple and straightforward level, was the best thing they've got (especially for Modern Sonic), then of course a person with above average standards won't enjoy it that much. They're not nerds like us that look at a ton of game footage before release; these are regular people here.

[sonfan1984]

Isn't the point of a demo is to give an impression of what the game will be like? If they thought Green Hill Zone, the most simple and straightforward level, was the best thing they've got (especially for Modern Sonic), then of course a person with above average standards won't enjoy it that much. They're not nerds like us that look at a ton of game footage before release; these are regular people here.

That's why SEGA spoiled all the stages and everything else to the public before release so people don't only judge the entire game based on GHZ. I haven't read the rest of the guys comment so I don't even know if he even played the demo at all or he just judging the entire game based on it's score.

Edited November 18, 2011 by sonfan1984

[Swiss]

It's simple. Any game/series/anything you like that gets a lot of hate, it should not matter in the slightest if you enjoy it yourself. That's seriously all that matters. If the games getting some great reviews, sure, be happy that people are liking it! I know I am! But I also don't get angry/annoyed/upset when the game gets a bad score since that's the reviewer's opinion!

I don't know, just seeing some of the responses to some reviews (even if, I will admit, some are badly written, but again, that's down to the reviewer) and scores in this thread made me feel like saying (probably repeating) this. It seems so silly sometimes.

tl;dr - Generations is getting some great scores and recognition, be happy about it!

[sonfan1984]

Since this game is getting a lot of good reviews and scores overall, I'm not even mad or worried if a few reviewers don't like the game and gives it a low score. If this game is actually a really bad game and it was getting bad press everywhere then yeah I'll start to get worried.

[McGroose]

And it's things like this that gives me hope of finding competent reviewers in this world

[sonfan1984]

And all that hope was burned to the ground with the Edge review.

Maybe there is still hope if more fans who are tired of solo Sonic games and wants more characters would come out of the woodworks and actually speak out. Hopefully SEGA don't always listens to those guys and understands that there's people who likes the other characters as well and would like to see them make an important role again.

[Milo]

Just checked Egde's reviews of previous Sonic games (games that have have a overall mixed/mixed to positive/positive reception:

Sonic Generations: 5/10

Sonic Colors a 6/10

Sonic 4 6/10.

Sonic Rush Adventure: 5/10

Sonic Unleashed: 6/10

Sonic and the Secret Rings: 5/10

Sonic Heroes: 5/10

Although I've heard that they have quite a reputation when it comes to reviews-they are pretty strict with their rating score from what I've heard; it's uncommon that a game gets higher than a 8/10-their reviewers sound pretty biased against Sonic, apparently they never want to cut him some slack at all whatsoever.

"Honestly, this review score doesn't surprise me at all. The problem with Sonic Team is that they genuinely don't seem to care about making games, at least that is the impression I get from their countless examples of sloppy design."

It's comments like this that I know that the reader apparently can't think for himself when it comes to judging a game he hasn't played. What a bunch of herp derp sheeple.

But I think the comments that really disgusted me were the ones from blatant Mario fanboys.

Edited November 20, 2011 by ModernHentaiQuillFanPhase2

[Crazizzle]

lol And that's why metacritic sucks, but I repeat myself.

lol Sonic Unleashed is better than Generations. Take that!

[-Robin-]

8bitfix: 8.5/10

Rolling around at the speed of sound, Sonic is back in a brand new adventure. This time he is bringing our old friend, Classic Sonic, along for the ride. The classic Sonic that we know and love and the Modern Sonic are both playable in Sonic's new venture in Sonic Generations. Gotta go fast!

Presentation

Sonic is celebrating his birthday, as his friends throw him a surprise birthday party in the park. The party is interrupted by an enemy called Time Eater, who can erase time and space. Time Eater crashes the party by creating 'time holes' that take Sonic, and his friends, back in time. His intent is to own the world when he is "finished with Sonic," he claims. Time Eater wants to destroy both Sonics...forever.

Sonic is now trying to find his friends. In the process, he encounters many familiar faces, that fans will remember from previous Sonic titles, from Sonic's past. Sonic runs into his classic self and Classic Tails. Modern and Classic Sonic and Tails attempt to restore the time that Time Eater is destroying and save their friends, all the while.

Graphics

Sonic Generations brings classic side scrolling 2D tracks back with enhanced graphics to give depth and updated visuals. 3D tracks are also offered while playing as Modern Sonic. This offers the player the option to play with a retro classic feel or take the modern route, depending on the Sonic they choose to play as.

Not only are the stages stunning, it is amazing to see it from the Classic Sonic to the Modern Sonic. It adds a fun-factor and builds excitement to see how a classic mode will turn 3D, and vice versa.

Playing Sonic Generations in 3D brings the gameplay to an entirely different level. The stereoscopic 3D is a pleasant compliment to the already gorgeous colorful graphics. In other words, you do not need to play the game in 3D to be pleased with the graphics, but if you do play Sonic Generations in 3D, be prepared for a realistic Sonic experience. The interface remains in the foreground and the visuals just pop out at you, as you feel the depth of the levels, rather than just seeing them. Sonic Generations in 3D is a roller coaster of fun and excitement.

Sound/Music

Sonic Generations would not give that nostalgic feel without grabbing the Sonic tunes, from some of the older games, that we know and lov,e and remixed them. SEGA truly delivered some fan service by bringing Crush 40 back for the soundtrack. Each stage has its original signature track. The game allows the player to select their favorite track and play them on any stage. For example, if you unlock the song, "Chemical Plant Zone", you can play it on the stage Green Hill Zone, and so on.

What is quite enjoyable are the sound effects that we remember from the retro Sonic games. From the homing attacks to the coins and the dashes, they all take the player on a trip down memory lane. When Sonic goes underwater, it is a really neat addition. It creates a sound that one would imagine what the game would sound like, under water.

Gameplay

Sonic Generations offers the player, for the first time ever, the ability to play as both Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic in one game. Many iconic environments are revisited and have been hand-selected for the player from three eras of Sonic, which is 20 years into Sonic's history.

Each track offers up some 2D platforming fun, to switch up the feel throughout the stage. As Sonic furiously makes his way across the stage, players will make use of Classic Sonic's jumping and spin-dashing moves. Modern Sonic takes advantage of more "age-appropriate" moves, such as turbo boosts and homing jumps to take out enemies.

When playing as Classic Sonic, the player will notice that he runs faster than Modern Sonic. Whether you are playing as Modern or Classic Sonic, both are enjoyable to play as. Although, playing as Classic Sonic, you are able to enjoy additional features such as Speed-Up, extra rings, invincibility, and so on, that are not available to Modern Sonic.

With previous Sonic titles, it was quite challenging to collect all seven Chaos Emeralds. In Sonic Generations, as long you complete the stage, you will automatically obtain all of the Chaos Emeralds. For those players new to the Sonic franchise, Chaos Emeralds allow Sonic to obtain powers to turn into his super form, Super Sonic, which makes him stronger and faster.

For all the Sonic fans out there, this game covers, not to spoil a whole bit, the stages that cover a span of Sonic classics from Sonic 1, Sonic 2, Sonic 3, Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Unleashed, and Sonic Colors.

Lasting Appeal

Sonic Generations offers the player lasting appeal with some challenges. Race against yourself to beat your time for some personal satisfaction, or for bragging rights. You can also race an enemy to complete some challenges. The game offers up some unlockables, including art work, music, and skills. To name one of the skills, the player can be Super Sonic in any stage, once that skill is earned by game completion. The player can also earn in-game money and unlock the Genesis version of the original Sonic the Hedgehog game

Conclusion

All I have to say, ladies and gentlemen, is that Sonic is back and he is hitting your screens full-force in the Sonic game that fans have been waiting for. Sonic Generations has offered the fans what they were expecting to see in a Sonic game. However, it did not exceed these expectations with new elements. This is the game that should've been given to us years ago and should have evolved. Although it is a fantastic game, what would have pushed it over the top, is if it offered up some new stages, innovative concepts, and ideas to help celebrate Sonic's evolution over the years.

Whether you are a fan of the fastest thing alive or if you are new to Sonic, anyone can pick up the game and love it! The game gives in to fan-service allowing us to take a blast to the past and live up Classic Sonic stages in enhanced graphics and gameplay. Players can also mix it up and play as Modern Sonic, as well. Sonic Generations definitely gets my seal of approval.

What a way to celebrate The Blue Blur's 20th anniversary, than with a title like Sonic Generations!

Score

8.5/10

http://www.8bitfix.com/content/review-sonic-generations-xbox-360-version-3231/

[bwrosas]

This is my review on Sonic Generations, the Xbox 360 version.

I have to say that this is by far the best Sonic game to date. The overall play is challenging at times, but once you get used to it, it flows very well to your control. Now for those who have not beaten this game yet you are in for quite a ride, for each act and stage gives you a feeling of nostalgia with the 2-D playing aspect as well as it gives you a more modern feel with the 3-D playing aspect. For example, when you play the cosmic Speedway you could play it as you did in sonic adventure or you could play it from a nostalgic 2-D Genesis perspective. The same can be said for the green hill zone and the chemical zone, for there in those stages you can play as you play them originally on the Sega Genesis back in the early 1990s or you can experience it by playing them with the new modernized 3-D perspective that we got with the sonic games of today and throughout the 2000's.

THE STAGES

Each stage represents a game that has a place in the history of the sonic gaming franchise. The first two stages and eight acts represent Sonic's 1 and 2, so if you want to feel nostalgic you can play four acts out of the eight through the 2-D perspective as well as get a feel for what these first two games would have been like if made today and that by playing the other four acts in the more modernized 3-D perspective. This pattern also continues on with the other stages and acts in Generations.

Who You Rescue after each stage

The first character you rescue after the green hill zone is Tails and he is shown in the cut scenes along with sonic more then the other characters you have to rescue. The next character you rescue is Amy Rose after you've beaten the chemical zone. And then after you've beaten the sky sanctuary stage you rescue Knuckles. The next two characters you rescue after you've been the sonic adventure 1 and 2 stages are Cream and Rouge. The next stages after that represent three games that fans and critics have been very vocal about, whether it be positive or negative.

The first one after the adventure 2 stage is the stage that represents the most negatively received Sonic game in history and that is Sonic The Hedgehog 2006. For the stage that is used is the Crisis City stage and after you beat that, you save Blaze. The next stage represents Sonic Unleashed, which started a return to positive reception by fans and critics. And in the final stage before you face the final boss represents what many have called the most beautiful Sonic game ever made and that is Sonic Colors, after you beat these stages representing those games, you rescue the Chaotix.

Those my friends other stages in the acts you have to play through as both the 3-D and 2-D Sonic's book for you face the final boss.

The Bosses

There are bosses aplenty in this game. From mini bosses to the main bosses. The first sub boss you face is Metal Sonic. Once you beat him you receive one of the first of seven chaos emeralds. The first main boss you face after metal is the Death Egg Robot, beat him and you get a cut scene and I believe a chaos Emerald.

The next sub boss is shadow, and like with metal you beat him you get a chaos Emerald. The next main boss is Perfect Chaos, beat him and you get a chaos Emerald. The next sub boss is Silver and it's the same pattern as with the other sub bosses beat him and get a chaos Emerald. And then the third final boss is the Egg Dragoon and again beat him, get a cut scene and Emerald.

The final boss of the game is the time eater which of course is controlled by both Eggman's from the past and present. Their main goal or at least the present Eggman's goal is to wipe out both the past and present Sonic's so that sonic doesn't interfere with his plans anymore. Now of course the only way to beat the time eater is to go super sonic with both sonics and try your best to win this final battle.

Overall Thoughts

My overall thoughts on this game is that it lives up to the hype that it was given when it was first announced it succeeds even beyond that. Now there are some areas, most importantly in the final boss battle that might frustrate some fans and gamers, I know that not only did frustrate me at first but also my 16-year-old nephew. For you see the only way to win the final battle is to have a not gold rings and not to go below 30 rings as well as keep pressing and holding onto the X button if you have a 360 or pressing and holding onto the pink square button if you have a PS3, that my friends is the only way you can win the final boss battle. I do warn you that in that final battle after the first two hits you make on the time eater they will try to slow down time which can be a beneficiary to you at times but then after the third to fourth hit you make on them they will start to throw a huge fireball at you which you by combining both Super Sonic's powers will have to go through to try to win and that's all I'm going to say there.

But overall besides that it definitely is one of the best Sonic games I have ever played in my life.

I give it 10 out of 10 and highly recommended anybody that has yet to play this game to pick it up either by buying it or renting it and having the time of your life trying to beat and enjoy the overall play of this game.

[Detective Shadzter]

Just noticed that SEGA Online posted up their review of the console and PC version 6 days ago. They give it a 9/10.

http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.segaonline.nl%2Fblog%2F2011%2F11%2F15%2Frecensie-sonic-generations%2F&act=url

[sovereign73811]

Somebody's gotta do it...

The Nitpicker's review to Sonic Generations PC

WARNING: Contains gratutiously long paragraphs and multiple spoilers; reader discretion is advised.

I had a bit of Sonic in me since birth in 1990, long before I knew what Sonic was (a very long story). The year 2000 came along and the first Sonic game I played was the charming yet really-not-good game Sonic R. Needless to say I was thrilled with it and ever since I'm a fan...of the games.

Why waste a paragraph on personal story? That's what Sonic Generations is all about: your experience of Sonic's past. Which is no wonder why there's hardly a story to the game. Here's a different take on the nearly-non-existent story: why make a story when every fan has one of their own in their head? Each level and song is meant to induce our memories of playing those old Sonic games that are now probably collecting dust, then after this game is finished, dust them off and go right back and party like it's 1999. It's a different approach to keeping the Sonic franchise alive without really doing anything new in a way.

Does this mean I don't wish for more of a story? No, I would have loved to have more stages, more bosses, and screw that Time Eater...thing...it would have been cool to have a series of multiple bosses throughout a rip in time and space from a number of Sonic games with the two Eggmen coming after you simultaneously and - oh forget it; it's as if Sega's going to read this...

One thing I'm grateful for: Sega didn't leave out the PC for this game (well...Unleashed and '06 probably didn't deserve it). Hence I've spent 28 hours of quality time with this game before writing this according to Steam.

The game runs 95% smoothly on this configuration:

• AMD Phenom II X2 555 Unlocked to X4 B55
  
• 8GB 1333MHz Ram
  
• AMD Raedon 6950 2 GB Video Card
  
• Other materials irrelevant to list
  

Contrary to that list, I'm NOT an AMD fanboy.

From a technical perspective, Sonic Generations for the PC is a pretty good port. Anti-Aliasing doesn't slow down and most of the time the game is stable. Out of those 28 hours of play the game crashed on me three times; once due to an overclock issue. Occasionally the game can slow down a bit and cause the controller to be semi-resposive and only the analog sticks will be operational at that time. For some reason it happens mostly when I'm in the hub and not in the game. Chemical Plant is notorious for slowdowns though. No overclocks or settings will help in those spots even with the new patch. The game also detected my Asus Xonar DX so I got 5.1 sound without really setting anything and the game sounds as flawless as a Sonic game gets.

To make the game autoconfigure my Rumblepad 2 from Logitech, I put an Xbox controller emulator program in the game's directory and my controller works perfectly. Sometimes things get complex when trying to keep the boost on and jump or duck at the same time.

Although the glitches are far and between, when encountered they are frustrating to deal with. Rooftop Run's mission with the snowboard is atrocious when the boost physics can be non-responsive in midair or sometimes when Sonic decides to go the wrong way when falling onto a lower or higher platform and you need to change directions. That said also when modern Sonic sometimes jumps sometimes (especially after a spring or say the rocket in Planet Wisp) Sonic is still facing a certain direction and you cant' change the direction he's facing in midair and have to wait for him to touch the ground before you can start boosting the right way.

Some textures are very HD such as the Green Hill Zone's terrain while some are very compressed, especially Speed Highway's signs, ugh. Aside from that the character textures and animations are well-detailed and very smooth. It makes me feel good to play this game in 1080 resolution albeit only a 23" monitor. Having 60 frames per second really makes the experience much more immersive and get a little lost in all of the details that Sega threw in there; you'll be speeding away with a Sonic Boom and never really appreciate a LOT of the details they threw in the background...until you stop that is, and what reward does that bring in a Sonic game? Nevertheless, each stage is meticulously colored and unlike a few of the past Sonic games I played, much more pleasing to the eye.

But what good is that if the levels are trash? Good news is, they're not. Bad news is...either they're too easy to roll through or maybe the ranking system is so laid back that even significantly longer paths in a level can still get you an S Rank. The difficulty sometimes seems uneven as some stages are easier than others at a first run of the level. It's said according to the game's help screen that Classic Sonic is easier than the Modern Sonic levels...Bull...I was able to catch S-ranks on the last four levels far before I ever achieved S-ranks on the classic stages...but hey maybe that's just me being a Sonic fan for only ten years? Oh well. I still find myself playing modern levels more as it's just plain fun to speed through a level and see how good your hand-eye coordination is and how consistently well can you execute Sonic's speed while getting the shortcuts (which is something I haven't wholly figured out yet).

Don't get me wrong, the classic stages are very fun, but certainly more difficult than the modern stages. The level design of classic Sonic are very well done and easily take any Sonic fan back into the good old glory days of the 1990s even with the most modern Planet Wisp stage. To me they provided the core of the challenge of just simply finishing the game's not-really-there story mode.

Supposedly the game has warning signs to let the player know if there's a bottomless pit, but later in the game I never noticed a single sign after Sky Sanctuary. Someone tell me where I'm wrong there because I probably missed some?

Then come three bosses...seriously...only three? Considering how much easier it is to take out Perfect Chaos and the Death Egg Robot, I wished for a greater challenge...then came Egg Dragoon...spent about an hour figuring out how to reach Eggman without dying (my fault, not the game's, OK?). The Time Eater boss felt like operating Sonic in a wormhole...oh wait, that's what it is because waiting for Super Sonic(s) to reach the Time Eater for more than 30 seconds was really slow and boring until you approach it and it "damages" you because that's really the only way you can actually take damage in that boss; most of the ill-conceived ordinance hurled at you hasn't a slightest chance of hitting you if you're boosting. "IT LOOKS LIKE A HOMING SHOT!!!!!!" everyone screams in your intercom while Sonic can just laugh is tail spike off wishing all of his friends would just shut up and let the experts do the not-so-best-boss-beating-ever. At least the new voices are very tolerable and I much like the new voice for Sonic though some of the lines (especially Charmy's) seem written from a 3rd grader.

Sadly, the only character that has worthy dialouge is - are the two Eggmen, simply because they're the only ones that really drive the story at the end. Surprisingly I actually share something in common with the everlasting villian of the Sonic series: I too like telling people what to do...uh...this review kind of gives that away doesn't it?

After that mess you'll be in for both treats and tricks with the missions that you didn't do (you thankfully only need three done in each "era" to progress). Doppleganger races can range from epic S-Rank runs to mere struggles to the goal (modern Planet Wisp race...ugh). I did love the blaring "Everybody's Super-Sonic Racing, try to keep your feet right off the ground," song playing...Cool shields from the past games are only part of the missions unless you use that skill set from the skill shop but definitely add to the playing experience. And finally the mission with Vector and the music note...I'm going to deviate from the pack here...I actually enjoyed that mission better than most of the races since it broke up the monotony of just going from point A to point B...and it was pretty easy to win.

Probably the absolute undisputed best thing about the game is the motherlode of nostalgia value found by collecting red rings and flying musical notes after you finish each mission. The artwork is interesting at least, and maybe inspiring for future Sonic games at best, while the unlockable music brings back a lot of the best of some of the worst Sonic games in history. It was one thing that I thought was always was a little light in the darkness of bad Sonic gaming. Oh and try combining Sonic CD's Palmtree Panic music with the Perfect Chaos boss and see if you can find the terribly awful irony there...

At the end of the day though, Sega made a good game. Not a great one, but one that I had the most speeding thrills with since Sonic R, the first Sonic game I played; that's saying something. For Sonic fans holding their breath for other guinea pigs to test the game for them...probably already have it right now. For everyone else there's my review so you know every little nitpickin' problem with it...fortunately none really makes a significant dent in the experience when you're rolling around at the speed of sound...and there's my exit..."trust me and we will escape from the city..."

Well that's pretty much it...well someone had to write this terribly long review! If you did thank you. If I made any errors in nitpicking feel free to nitpick my nitpicking apart.

If you happen to come across this review on Amazon.com's PC SG page, don't worry, we're one and the same; you can't call foul if the same person plagarizes himself.

Edited November 22, 2011 by sovereign73811

[Neon]

JustPushStart 3DS Review: 3.5

/5

http://www.justpushs...ons-3ds-review/

The dialogue is passable at best and tends to make Sonic come off as arrogant rather than heroic and friendly.

Hmm...

---

DigitalTrends 3DS Review: 6.5/10

http://www.digitaltr...ons-3ds-review/

Edited November 22, 2011 by Neon

[KrazyBean]

JustPushStart 3DS Review: 3.5

/5

http://www.justpushs...ons-3ds-review/

Hmm...

---

DigitalTrends 3DS Review: 6.5/10

http://www.digitaltr...ons-3ds-review/

Isn't Sonic always a arrogant guy?

Edited November 22, 2011 by KrazyBean14

[Badnik Mechanic]

If we're posting 3DS reviews here...

Gameinformer gives it a 5.75/10.

Comes with this tagline "Dimps’ Reliable Quality Skips A Generation."