Sonic Generations Impressions, Help, & Discussion Topic

[Eternlo]

Remember how the original sonic the hedgehog had that spike glitch where if you landed on spikes after getting hurt you died instead of being invincible for a few seconds, iv had a problem like that in seaside hills underwater tubes, id get stuck on a spike ball and lose my rings and then die. It happend wheile trying to get the red star ring in the uper underwater tube.

[Sushi]

This is wierd, I installed the Game on my HDD (360), but the Disk still spins when I start the game. Whats the matter?

[PSI Wind]

Remember how the original sonic the hedgehog had that spike glitch where if you landed on spikes after getting hurt you died instead of being invincible for a few seconds, iv had a problem like that in seaside hills underwater tubes, id get stuck on a spike ball and lose my rings and then die. It happend wheile trying to get the red star ring in the uper underwater tube.

[Sega DogTagz]

Check my sig if you want my reaction.

My god, this game was everything I could have possibly wanted. The stages were great, almost all of the missions were a blast and the whole thing comes together so well.

Words don’t describe how un-ready my body was for this game.

I’m still taking the whole package in.

Edited November 4, 2011 by Sega DogTagz

[Silencer226]

I beat this game in less than 4 hours last night on my PC, so here's a small review from me.

Sonic Generations is the best Sonic game that has been released since 2001. The controls in the game are not exactly perfect but they're not bad either. As far as unresponsive controls go, I did manage to experience that in the Egg Dragoon boss battle. When the battle switched to sidescroller mode, I would press the jump button only to see Sonic continue running forward, of course this did make me a bit peeved however it was a rare glitch, and nothing game breaking. Speaking of boss battles, these were too easy, I would have preferred more of a challenge, especially against Sonic's two rivals Shadow and Metal Sonic. Those two are in my top 3 most disappointing battles in the game, this includes the last boss. Some battles also had some interesting glitches, I found myself fighting the Egg Dragoon boss, and the camera had a bit of spaz attack. There was also a moment in this battle where Dr. Eggman/Robotnik tries to trap you in his robots claw... things, and shoots ice bombs at you, you are supposed to wall jump to the top and hit him on his noggin, however one time when I did this Sonic did not attack instead kept going in a straight line towards the head eventually going completely past the doctors head and eventually landing back on the ground, this gave the good doctor a cheap chance shot at me.

Enough about the boss battles, the true beauty of the game lies in the actual level zones. Being able to go back and relive the glory days of blasting down Speed Highway was exhilerating. This time around, you play a classic and a modern version of the stages. Modern Sonic stages are fast, thrilling, and a blast to play through. Classic versions of stages, are more slower paced, but still fun. I didn't really think the controls were clunky in the classic stages, from what I played in the latest demo, I felt it was vastly improved. Also, SEGA has made sure to poke fun at itself in some of the levels, in the City Escape levels you can see fliers hanging up with Mighty the Armadillo and Bean the Dynamite that say "Missing since 1993" at the top. It's nice to see a company paying homage to past characters despite them not really being in the game, at least it lets us know they haven't actually been forgotten. Of course, there were some stages that just weren't working for me. The Planet Wisp stage was an absolute bore to me. I've never played Sonic Colors but I honestly hope it had better level design than what I played in the modern stage. I got to a point in the stage where a ceiling was collapsing on me, so I need to use the rocket power, simple enough... eventually however, this turned into a battle in itself as I was constantly going back and forth pushing the ceiling up and trying to use the rocket in the right spot... Needless to say, mr. controller was not very happy at this point in the game. The classic stage version however, was more fun. I liked the spike power up, as it was actually useful and not a frustrating bore like the rocket. Another stage, Seaside Hill was also a bit of a bore. The levels start out strong but eventually you run into a downward slope (not really bad, but some of the stage choices really got me wondering).

Once you've beaten the classic and modern version of the stage you unlock one of Sonic's friends to help you in challenge stages. These stages are a short and some of them are boring. I hate to beat a dead horse but what on earth made SEGA think it would be a good idea to make Knuckles' challenge stage a treasure hunting bore fest, is beyond me. You need to beat at least one challenge stage in order to unlock a boss key in each stage, afterwards you can progress in the story/game. Also, pitfalls weren't much of a problem, I fell in them a few times, but they weren't anything to complain about. There are even warning signs that tell you if you're going to fall down in a bottomless pit.

The musical score in the game will make you feel very nostalgic if you've played these games since you were a kid. For me it was the Speed Highway and City Escape stage music that made me feel excited and nostalgic . The classic remixes of the stage music is nice as well. You also have the option of changing which song plays in the stages. The games soundtrack for the most part is good, a few tracks I didn't like were Seaside Hill (I don't know what it is about that level, I guess it's the Heroes nightmares coming back) and Crysis City, mainly because levels like Greenhill, Chemical Plant, Speed Highway, City Escape, and even Planet Wisp were more upbeat, what I got out of Seaside Hill and Crysis City was boring and depressing.

The story line, is simple, a mysterious force has been eating time and it's up to Sonic and... Sonic to stop it. The two hedgehogs travel through past and future worlds to set things right and free their friends who have been thrown through time. I for one loved the subtle humor between modern Sonic and classic Sonic. I got a nice chuckle in certain cutscenes involving those two.

Finally, the graphics. They're nothing to write home about, but seeing this game run in glorious 60fps does the game absolute justice. For a port, I am surprised at how much better it is than it's console counterpart (so I've heard). However, when you're in motion going 300mph in modern stages, stand back because you're in for a treat, this a game that looks great while in motion, but at a stand still not bad but decent looking. I for one didn't care much about the graphics, it was the gameplay that took the cake for me, it was for the most part fluid and has some of the best control I've played in a Sonic game in over a decade, I can tell SEGA has been making tweaks to the engine since Sonic Unleashed as it's a lot more responsive.

One more bad thing about the game is that it's short, I mean I beat it in 4 hours, which I suppose is kind of normal nowadays, but considering I only paid $20 for this game I'm satisfied with what I got. Sega did include some challenge levels and red rings for you to collect in the levels to keep you preoccupied longer, not to mention testing your speed against online opponents in the real world to see who's top "hog".

Despite the shortness of the game, some of the questionable stage choices, weak disappointing boss battles, and a few glitches, I consider this game to be a good comeback for Sonic the Hedgehog. I look forward to seeing if SEGA can keep this up with the next game, after all this is the first Sonic game I've purchased in 3 years.

Overall Sonic Generations is a fun game, and I'd say at this point SEGA has figured out what they need to do, and continue working in their current direction while gradually making improvements a long the way. This game gets an 8/10 from me.

Edited November 4, 2011 by Silencer226

[mcsleepy]

I guess this is as good a time as any to say "Hi everyone" so...Hi everyone

So, I might be in love with this game. The only two levels I didn't like were Classic Planet Wisp and Time Eater.

Classic Wisp just feels like a giant maze that overstays its welcome (and gives me horrible flashbacks to Metallic Madness), and the spike wisp puzzles are incredibly irritating. I only played it once though so maybe my opinion might change.

The Time Eater's just messy. It's hard to move, it's hard to see rings, it's hard to tell what you're doing and what if you're doing is working until you get into point blank range.

Other than those two levels, everything else so far (havent finished all the missions) has either been fun or a quick and pleasant distraction.

Also, don't know if this is a reference or a glitch but, it either Sonic gets hit in the air and you jump at the right time, they'll jump in the air and you regain control of them. Just like Adventure 2.

[Emmett L. Brown]

but a "classic" is not just made with great gameplay alone.

[Crazizzle]

I beat the Planet Wisp Classic doppleganger mission with an S! Yes! Now, I never have to play that dreadful abomination ever again!

But...I still need to perfect Time Eater to get that achievement. :/

[Winston]

For those of you who got it with the preorder, how is Casino Night Zone? I can't find a single video of it on youtube.

For some reason, I pre-ordered it from Gamestop and I never got the code, and I was to lazy to go back up to the store and get it. So I went without it.

[Emmett L. Brown]

That reminds me: I notice that there's no achivement for S-ranking missions, so does anyone know if S-ranking them all provides any kind of reward? I'll still do it out of stubborn doggedness (I'm halfway through S-ranking everything), but it would be nice to know there's an end-goal other than satisfaction.

[Winston]

That reminds me: I notice that there's no achivement for S-ranking missions, so does anyone know if S-ranking them all provides any kind of reward? I'll still do it out of stubborn doggedness (I'm halfway through S-ranking everything), but it would be nice to know there's an end-goal other than satisfaction.

You get trophies for getting a certain number of S-Ranks, thats pretty much all, nothing special.

Edited November 4, 2011 by Future-Hedgehog

[Emmett L. Brown]

You get trophies for getting a certain number of S-Ranks, thats pretty much all, nothing special.

I saw those, and they only count acts, not missions.

[Winston]

I saw those, and they only count acts, not missions.

Ah, well I'm not sure what happens if you finish all missions with S-Rank.

Edited November 4, 2011 by Future-Hedgehog

[MugiMikey]

Having had the game for a several days now, I feel as if I'm ready to actually judge the game.

The stages are great for the most part (I'm especially fond of Acts 1 & 2 of Seaside Hill and Rooftop Run). Ever since the level list was leaked back in June, I was looking forward to Chemical Plant, Speed Highway and City Escape the most. I certainly wasn't disappointed, but I was fairly surprised that I ended up liking some stages that I didn't think I'd like as much even more so. When it comes to length, some are too long, some are too short, and some are just right. There are a few stages that are just irritating to play through due to being lengthy with lots of annoying enemies and abundant obstacles (Planet Wisp Act 1 being the main culprit here), but that's okay. I can't think of one Sonic game that didn't have at least one irritating level.

The gameplay isn't perfect, but I kind of saw that coming. I don't know if it's just me, but Classic Sonic feels heavier in stages like Green Hill and sometimes lighter in other stages. His spindash is too nerfed for my liking, but I guess it's necessary seeing how small he is compared to his large enviornment (especially on widescreen TVs). The reason why I don't like it is if you press (going by Xbox 360 controls here) down + A/X just once it's pretty much enough to send him blasting across the screen with little to no control. In the Genesis games, the spindash came in handy when I needed just a tiny little boost to get across to a higher ledge or to defeat certain enemies. It just makes it makes it really inconvienent in this game, but it can also really come in handy. I just wish it'd be more of a win-win situation. When Classic Sonic gets injured, it's slightly irritating how long it takes for him to get back up on his feet and moving again. Other than those two issues, I really have lots of fun with Classic Sonic.

Modern Sonic controls much better than he did in Colors and Unleashed (especially Colors!). Especially when he isn't running; he doesn't feel stiff and super fast, making him feel like he did in the Adventure games. When he isn't walking, it's so nice to see him boosting around at the speed of sound with places to go in re-imagined zones. A breakthrough for Modern Sonic stages is definitely the alternate routes. It's not as linear and it adds lots of replay value! Plus, there's nothing like zooming through a stage and accidentally discovering a new route.

The story is... well, how blunt should I be? Okay. It's kinda shitty. I'm sorry, but I'm disappointed in this department as it has SO much wasted potential, especially for a Xbox 360/PS3 game. Since the Colors writers were on board, I was expecting Modern Sonic to come up with plenty more of immature wisecracks, especially towards his younger self. The little interaction it had between characters was dull and it went by so quickly. When Modern Sonic & Tails met Classic Sonic & Tails, they were just like "Oh, it's our younger selves. Cool. Let's not do anything interesting together! No questions about the future, past, or anything! Time travel's a bitch."

Things started to pick up towards the very end, though. I thought the ending cutscene with Classic Sonic trying to do the boost was adorable. When the Time Eater's true identity was revealed, both Eggmans interacting with each other was great, like when Modern Eggman laughed and Classic Eggman asked if he was "really going to get that crazy." Why couldn't the other characters interact that way too? Oh man, the cutscene with both Eggmans in white space together at the very end was probably the best cutscene in the entire game. Hey, Sonic. You're the titular character. The least you can do is be interesting like that in a game like this. Hell, Tails too.

It also kind of sucked that no other classic characters appeared, but it's no biggie.

The bosses are alright. Again, so much more could have been done. Why not the Doomsday boss? Some bosses felt too easy and short (Metal Sonic). Perfect Chaos' difficulty was... perfect. Not too hard, not too easy. Egg Dragoon was leaning more towards the difficult side, but that's okay. Time Eater was quite the smelly asshole. At first I wasn't sure what the hell I was even supposed to do. Flying around like that with so much space to roam and so little rings was irritating. I didn't understand the benefit of switching between Modern and Classic Super Sonic, besides maybe when time got slowed down. Even after that was over, I would just switch back.

The music is awesome. Just absolutely awesome. My favorite tracks have to be Casino Night, Classic Rooftop Run, Classic Speed Highway and the mission music that's a remastered version of the 3D Blast opening/You're my Hero.

The replay value is pretty good. There's lots of material to unlock and lots of extra missions to play which incorporate Sonic's friends into the gameplay as well. I miss having Sonic's friends playable, so this is the closest we'll get for now, I suppose. Anyway, I haven't completed all of them all yet but they're great fun and sometimes challenging. The achievements are rather a bit too easy to get, but oh well. Yay for more points!

Overall, it's a really good game! Kind of short, but good! If I were using numbers to rate it, I'd give it an 8 or 8.5 just like other people have been doing. I hope I didn't sound like I didn't enjoy the game because I really did. I was just sharing my criticisms (some of them weren't even really a big deal as I had to look for them). The game seems to be getting its fair share of praise around here anyhow.

[Candescence]

I'm gonna be brief. Got it on PC, and after managing to find what was causing my crash bug and fix it... My verdict so far?

Meh.

Seriously. Like Colours, the whole game is just... Mediocre, at best. Boring. Both Classic and Modern just feel... Off. The level designs are improved, and it's obvious there's a ton of love going into this game, but... It just falls apart at the base. I was going in with low expectations, hoping to be pleasantly surprised. Unfortunately, I wasn't. Colours was marginally better than Unleashed, but this isn't any better than Colours at all.

I'm simply convinced, at this point, that the Unleashed style gameplay simply does not work. Third strike, Sonic Team, you're out.

Oh, and getting the red rings can be a massive pain in the rear, an exercise in frustration.

Edited November 4, 2011 by Masaru Daimon

[Voyant]

I'm simply convinced, at this point, that the Unleashed style gameplay simply does not work. Third strike, Sonic Team, you're out.

For you it doesn't...although I agree red rings are a tad frustrating, but it wasn't nearly as bad as Colors.

[Pawn]

The Time Eater definitely one of the more terrible Monsters. What a mess. I'm not going to be in a hurry to replay this part.

Edited November 4, 2011 by Lungo

[Creamy]

I have a question! When I collect all the red rings from each level

I received bonus abilities (for example treasure thing or extra speed or something)

where can I use them?

[Eternal EX]

Only red rings for modern I have to get are in Planet wisp. Oh gosh I have to deal with taht stage.....

[Emmett L. Brown]

I'm gonna be brief. Got it on PC, and after managing to find what was causing my crash bug and fix it... My verdict so far?

Meh.

Seriously. Like Colours, the whole game is just... Mediocre, at best. Boring. Both Classic and Modern just feel... Off. The level designs are improved, and it's obvious there's a ton of love going into this game, but... It just falls apart at the base. I was going in with low expectations, hoping to be pleasantly surprised. Unfortunately, I wasn't. Colours was marginally better than Unleashed, but this isn't any better than Colours at all.

I'm simply convinced, at this point, that the Unleashed style gameplay simply does not work. Third strike, Sonic Team, you're out.

Oh, and getting the red rings can be a massive pain in the rear, an exercise in frustration.

Hate to break it to you, Masaru Daimon, but there's now a non-zero chance that you're not in the target audience. In fact, you're probably not even in the same timezone. Saying this formula "doesn't work" when the majority of playes and reviewers think it works great only demonstrates that you're expecting this game to be something it was never intended to be.

But don't let me stop you from giving up on Sonic. There's thousands of great games for you to invest your time in instead of perpetually going around being disappointed by this series.

I have a question! When I collect all the red rings from each level

I received bonus abilities (for example treasure thing or extra speed or something)

where can I use them?

Just go to the store to edit your abilities. The ones you unlocked are automatically added to the list of available choices to pick from.

Edited November 4, 2011 by Grumpy Old Guy

[hypermikey]

The Time Eater definitely one of the more terrible Monsters. What a mess. I'm not going to be in a hurry to replay this part.

Agreed. It doesn't fit with the rest of the game. It almost feels like that level was outsourced to another developer, then just stapled onto the end of Generations.

Kinda sad that this game is a celebration of 20 years of sonic & they go out with a level that wouldn't look out of place in Sonic '06

[Silencer226]

Just want to ask this, did any else find Sonic's fucking friends voices in the final battle annoying? "You can do it Sonic's" shut the fuck up!!!!!

[Phos]

Crisis City Restored!! Look what a great job I did!!

[Sega DogTagz]

Just want to ask this, did any else find Sonic's fucking friends voices in the final battle annoying? "You can do it Sonic's" shut the fuck up!!!!!

[Emmett L. Brown]

Just want to ask this, did any else find Sonic's fucking friends voices in the final battle annoying? "You can do it Sonic's" shut the fuck up!!!!!