Sonic Generations
By SEGA and SONIC TEAM
Genre: Action-Adventure
Rating: Everyone (Comic Violence)
Another homage to old-school gaming sees us return to our favorite blue hedgehog and his friends on a strange yet very humorous and self-referential journey through time, as Sonic of old and of new finally meet!
A malevolent being, intruding upon what was sure to be a wonderful birthday celebration for the blue blur, has somehow frozen several zones from Sonic’s past and present, along with his friends! Tails, Knuckles, Amy and many more have been taken by this entity, and of course it’s up to Sonic (both Classic and Modern forms!) to restore the state of these zones as well as rescue his friends!
I must admit, I was fairly blown away the first time I saw Classic Green Hill Zone taken on by Classic Sonic; remastered music and cool 3D effects abound, even when our mute, lighter-colored hedgehog friend did his run-through, but the second act is where modern technology truly shines! Modern Sonic, darker-colored and green-eyed, gets to run through the same stages Classic Sonic does, only freely switching between side-scrolling and fully 3D at a moment’s notice!
As you clear the stages, they become unfrozen and fully colorful within the simple level/mode select menu. Go to the left of the stages and you’ll find special areas that let you buy additional skills to equip for your runs; access more information about the game; and review cinematic sequences, music, concept art and character information!
For those who are old-school Sonic fans who may tilt their heads and look askance at the new 3D views and gameplay, I say give the new ways a chance; they might just grow on you! As for new fans, don’t discount old methods of gameplay just because they’re old. This perfect blending of both methods of game play is most definitely a love letter from SONIC TEAM to the long-time fans, who may finally rejoice! For too long, modern Sonic games have been plagued with mediocrity, but no longer! I unreservedly give this title five out of five and highly recommend you buy it!