Sonic Generations

Sonic Generations
File:Sonic Generations Logo.jpg Official cover
Developer(s)	Sonic Team (Xbox 360, PS3, PC) Devil's Details (PC) Dimps (Nintendo 3DS)
Publisher(s)	Sega
Producer(s)	Takashi Iizuka
Designer(s)	Hiroshi Miyamoto (director)
Composer(s)	Jun Senoue (sound director)
Series	Sonic the Hedgehog
Engine	Hedgehog Engine (graphics) Havok (physics)
Platform(s)	PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 Microsoft Windows Nintendo 3DS
Release	November 1, 2011 PlayStation 3 & Xbox 360 NA: November 1, 2011 AU: November 3, 2011 EU: November 4, 2011 JP: December 1, 2011 Microsoft Windows NA: November 3, 2011 (Steam) EU: November 4, 2011 (Steam) EU: November 25, 2011 (Retail) AU: November 25, 2011 (Retail) Nintendo 3DS NA: November 22, 2011 AU: November 24, 2011 EU: November 25, 2011 JP: December 1, 2011
Genre(s)	Platformer, Action Adventure
Mode(s)	Single-player

Sonic Generations (ソニック ジェネレーションズ, Sonikku Jenerēshonzu) is a 2011 platform video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, produced by Sonic Team for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and Nintendo 3DS. It celebrates the 20th anniversary of the original Sonic the Hedgehog game and was released by Sega in North America on November 1, 2011, in North America on November 4, 2011 for PC Download, November 4, 2011 in Europe, and will be released in Japan on December 1, 2011.

In Japan, the two versions are given subtitles: the PS3/Xbox 360/PC version of the game is given Shiro no Jikū (白の時空, lit. "White Spacetime") while the 3DS version is given Ao no Bōken (青の冒険, lit. "Blue Adventure").

Plot

As Sonic celebrates his birthday with his friends, a mysterious new enemy called the Time Eater (タイムイーター, Taimu Ītā) appears, sucking everyone through various 'time holes' and scattering them across different places in Sonic's history. Sonic finds himself in strange dimension known as White Space, where everything has been drained of color and life. As Sonic searches for his friends, he encounters his younger self, Classic Sonic, along with a younger Classic Tails. As the two Tails determine that Time Eater's actions are damaging time and space itself, both Modern and Classic race through their history, restoring time to normal and rescuing their friends. They soon discover that the mastermind behind Time Eater is none other than Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik, who has joined forces with his past self to erase Sonic's victories from history. Although the Time Eater manages to overwhelm the two Sonics, the support of their friends and the power of the Chaos Emeralds allow them to become Super Sonics and defeat the two Eggmen. As Sonic finally celebrates his birthday and teaches Classic Sonic some new tricks before he and Classic Tails travel back to their time, the two Eggmen find themselves stuck in White Space, with seemingly no way out.

Plot (3DS Version)

The story begins with Classic Sonic in Green Hill whom after clearing a area of Badniks, a purple vortex appeared and surprises Classic Sonic. Which then it goes all the way to the present day. Sonic is invited to a party by Tails. Sonic and Tails were having chili-dogs until a vortex sucks Tails in. Sonic jumps in but is "attacked", though he manages to get in anyways. Sonic sees a white world and wonders what's going on. Later on, Sonic meets his past self. After a surprising meeting, the two realize that the world is losing color and the time-line has been messed up for unknown reasons. The two Sonics team up to bring the world into its colors, learn how to fix up the timeline and save Tails.

Gameplay

The game features levels derived from 20 years of Sonic history, spreading across three eras: Classic, Dreamcast and Modern, which are played as either Classic Sonic or Modern Sonic. Classic Sonic's levels are strictly two dimensional side scrolling stages, using classic moves like the Spin Attack and Spin Dash, while Modern Sonic's levels follow a gameplay style similar to more recent entries in the series, with the console versions using the 2D/3D style gameplay of Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Colors, whilst the 3DS version will use the 2D gameplay of the Sonic Rush series, both featuring techniques such as boosting and homing attacks. As well as classic power-ups such as Invincibility and Speed Shoes, certain levels have unique power-ups, such as skateboards in City Escape and Wisp powers in Planet Wisp. Each zone consists of a main act for each Sonic, as well as 10 challenges such as beating an opponent to the goal. A Skill Shop allows players to use points earned from high scores to unlock upgrades such as abilities, shields, and even the original Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis game. Completing challenges, as well as finding Red Star Rings hidden in each of the main Acts, unlocks additional skills, as well as bonus artwork and music. There are also online leaderboards for two modes; Ranking Attack, which challenges players to obtain the best time and score on each level, and 30 Second Trial, which challenges players to see how far they can get through a level in 30 seconds. Unlike the console versions, the 3DS version will feature special stages (based on the ones from Sonic Heroes) and a multiplayer versus mode, and the majority of stages included will be different from those of the console versions. There are also several missions which can be unlocked via StreetPass, or by using Play Coins.

Levels

Other than the original Green Hill Zone, both the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3/Windows version and 3DS versions of the games feature their own list of stages, taken from the games of the main series. The classic versions of the first three 3DS stages are faithful recreations of the original Genesis levels. The game contains the following stages:

Xbox 360/PS3/PC		3DS version
Stage	Original Game	Stage	Original Game
Green Hill	Sonic the Hedgehog	Green Hill	Sonic the Hedgehog
Chemical Plant	Sonic the Hedgehog 2	Casino Night	Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Sky Sanctuary	Sonic & Knuckles	Mushroom Hill	Sonic & Knuckles
Speed Highway	Sonic Adventure	Emerald Coast	Sonic Adventure
City Escape	Sonic Adventure 2	Radical Highway	Sonic Adventure 2
Seaside Hill	Sonic Heroes	Water Palace	Sonic Rush
Crisis City	Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)	Tropical Resort	Sonic Colors
Rooftop Run	Sonic Unleashed
Planet Wisp	Sonic Colors

Bosses

Xbox 360/PS3/PC			3DS version
Boss	Stage	Original Game	Boss	Stage	Original Game
Metal Sonic	Stardust Speedway (Bad Future)	Sonic the Hedgehog CD	Metal Sonic	Casino Night	Sonic the Hedgehog CD
Death Egg Robot	Death Egg	Sonic the Hedgehog 2	Big Arm	Launch Base	Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Shadow the Hedgehog	Final Rush	Sonic Adventure 2	Shadow the Hedgehog	Radical Highway	Sonic Adventure 2
Perfect Chaos	Station Square	Sonic Adventure	Biolizard	Cannon's Core	Sonic Adventure 2
Silver the Hedgehog	Crisis City	Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)	Silver the Hedgehog	Tropical Resort	Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
Egg Dragoon	Eggmanland	Sonic Unleashed	Egg Emperor	Final Fortress	Sonic Heroes
Time Eater	Center of Time	Sonic Generations	Time Eater	Center of Time	Sonic Generations

Development

File:Sonic generations CE.jpg

Sonic Generations Collector's Edition Content

The game was first revealed on April 7, 2011, when Sega posted a teaser trailer on their Facebook page. The teaser depicted both modern and classic interpretations of Sonic the Hedgehog running alongside each other. The game was officially unveiled as Sonic Generations on April 18, 2011, along with the first gameplay trailer. The game's plot was penned by Ken Pontac and Warren Graff, who previously worked on Sonic Colors. Sega's Community Manager Aaron Webber revealed that Classic Sonic will be mute. Both Classic and Modern Sonic will have their own sets of physics, the former of which Webber claims will be "closer to the classics than anything since, including Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1." Producer Takashi Iizuka has confirmed that although other characters will be part of the story, only the two Sonics shall be playable. Iizuka also confirmed that each returning level shall feel familiar but will also feature a new visual element like the caves seen in the Green Hill stages. The game will also feature boss battles against foes from past Sonic titles, including Metal Sonic, the Death Egg Robot, Shadow the Hedgehog, Perfect Chaos, Silver the Hedgehog, and the Egg Dragoon.

A financial earnings report posted by Sega Sammy Holdings listed versions of the game for Nintendo 3DS and PC, though a revised version of the report no longer listed either version. The game was eventually confirmed in Nintendo Power to be coming to the Nintendo 3DS, being co-developed by Dimps. Other than Green Hill Zone, the console and 3DS versions of the game will feature completely different sets of levels. A Steam client update contained details on a Sonic Generations Beta, further hinting at a PC version of the game. SEGA officially announced a PC version of the game on October 11, 2011, which will be released digitally on November 4th 2011, with a retail version to be released in Europe shortly afterwards. All versions of the game will support stereoscopic 3D. A downloadable minigame based on Sonic 2's Casino Night Zone will be available for the console versions as a pre-order bonus from GameStop in the USA and from Game in the United Kingdom. A Collector's Edition was announced for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, containing the game and manual with limited lenticular box art in a steelbook case, special booklet containing never before seen pictures, a documentary disc about Sonic's history with never before seen footage, a music album containing many tracks specially picked by Sonic Team, a limited and individually numbered gold ring, a voucher for downloadable content, and a figurine of both classic and modern Sonic striking a pose on a ring. Currently the Collector's Edition will only be available in Europe and Australia. The original Sonic the Hedgehog game can be unlocked in the console versions of the game. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles and Sonic 3D is also being offered for people who preorder the PC version on Steam.

A time-limited playable demo of the game containing Classic Sonic's Green Hill Zone was released on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network between June 23, 2011, and July 12, 2011, when downloaded copies were disabled. A second demo for PSN and Xbox Live, which also contains Modern Sonic's Green Hill Zone, was released on October 18th and the 19th for Xbox Live Gold members and the European PSN respectively. The demo was also released on the North American PSN on the 25th.

Reception

Reception

Aggregate scores

Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	78.43% (PS3) 78.52% (Xbox 360)
Metacritic	76/100 (PS3) 78/100 (Xbox 360)

Review scores

Publication	Score
1Up.com	B
Eurogamer	7/10
Famitsu	35/40
G4	4/5
Game Informer	6.75/10
GamePro
GameSpot	8.0/10
GamesRadar+	8/10 (360/PS3/PC) 7/10 (3DS)
GamesTM	7/10
GameTrailers	8.1/10
GameZone	9.0/10
IGN	8.5/10
PALGN	9.5/10

Sonic Generations has received generally positive reviews. On Metacritic, Sonic Generations scored a 76 on the PS3, and a 78 for the Xbox 360. IGN gave the game a score 8.5 out of 10 and an Editor's Choice award, praising the overall gameplay and the level design, whilst criticising some occasional control issues and limited boss battles. Computer and Video Games gave it a 7.5/10, praising the balanced design but criticising the framerate of the graphics. 1UP.com gave the game a "B" score, praising its variety, fun-to-play levels and interesting set-pieces, whilst criticising some on-rails sections and occasional frustration.

PlayStation Official Magazine gave it an 8/10, calling it "a masterpiece of platform game design." GameTrailers gave the game a score of 8.1, calling it "the best Sonic game in over a decade." GamesRadar gave the console version 8/10, calling it "the best Sonic game since Sonic 2," whilst they gave the 3DS version 7/10, praising its replay value but criticising some sparse level design. Eurogamer, however, was less enthusiastic, writing that "Sonic Generations still doesn't do much to dissuade us that the hedgehog's best days are distant memories, but at least it is a worthy tribute to them." The most positive review on Metacritic is a 9.5/10 from PALGN, which argues that the game is significantly better than Sonic Unleashed, Sonic Colors, and Sonic the Hedgehog 4. Game Informer's Tim Turi was more critical of the game, criticizing Sega for "...shoehorning recent Sonic games, no matter how awful, into the 20-year timeline." He felt that such stages served "...only to remind you of how far the series has fallen from its original form." Famitsu gave the game a score of 35/40, praising the speed and addictiveness of the gameplay as well as the bonus material, while emphasising that "you do need a certain amount of ability to play it the way it was meant."

External links

• Official website Template:En icon
• Official website Template:Ja icon