Why Sonic Generations STILL Rules 10 Years Later.

Hi there! I hope everyone had a great Halloween. November is here and you know what that means.

Sonic releases. 2011.

What a year. How was that 10 years ago?

I'm old. If you're reading this, you're probably old too. Ha! All jokes aside. Sonic's 20th birthday bash was actually pretty solid. A great new entry in the main series, arguably the best game in the Mario & Sonic series, and a stellar remaster of Sonic CD. Not bad, not bad at all.

Sonic Generations was a game that actually leaked well over a year before it or even Sonic Colors released, and I must say, the hype for it was unreal. I was still a big fan and an avid  defender of Sonic Team at the time. Neither Colors nor Sonic 4 were my thing, but I always had this idea in my head that SEGA would nail the 20th anniversary game. They just had to, right? It was my most anticipated game of 2011, no question, even more than Skyward Sword and Uncharted 3. Many believe that Sonic Team had finally gone and made a solid title that brought together both 2D and 3D fans of the series, and I'm in agreement. Sonic Generations rules. 

The Return

I remember the announcement like it was yesterday. A 30 second teaser trailer popped up on social media. That 20th anniversary logo pops up. Sonic rushes through a near-colorless Green Hill. Vaulting, sliding, and boosting through the terrain. He reaches a ramp, and then...

13 long years of absence is a very long time, especially in the gaming world. It truly felt like Classic Sonic was coming home. I couldn’t be more excited.

His idle animations looked like they came straight out of the Genesis games, and that one thing proved to me that they actually cared. SEGA knew the demand for 2D Sonic had boiled to a fever pitch, especially in the past year, so I had every ounce of faith that they wouldn't let me down.

I remember the wait for E3 being particularly arduous that year, but it was well worth it. City Escape was announced, and that was a huge favorite of mine back in the day. It's funny how Sonic Generations is as old now as Sonic Adventure 2 was back in the day. Time is a weird thing.

The Release

As the hype steadily grew more and more, I made myself a promise to go on a social media blackout until its November release, so I did just that, and I succeeded. I had no idea about any of the game's remaining stages or bosses. November 1st came, and I played Generations for eight hours straight. I was in love.

The Negatives

I'll get this out of the way next: Classic Sonic does not feel right at all. I understand that it would’ve  been exceedingly difficult to get the physics of the classic games into the engine, but it doesn't even feel anything like the originals, despite the PR at the time boasting that it would be. The main issues are that he feels too weighty, his jumps are fine but he's far too heavy, the spin dash is extremely overpowered, and while it's pretty useful, it lacks the impact of the originals. Classic also really can't roll down hills very well. It's amazing how much they missed the mark here. It's nowhere near as bad as Sonic 4, but I still wouldn't call Sonic Team's recreations great by any stretch. Despite all of this, I enjoyed the Classic Sonic stages immensely, and I still do to this day. 

I have so little to say about the game's story because there really isn't one. It feels like a waste of time and I don't even see why they bothered. The Time Eater feels like they just threw something at a dart board and went "Oh! There's our villain!" Actually fighting the thing is awful, too. (Editor’s note: I still hear “That looks like a homing shot!” in my sleep after all these years.)

The Stages

I'm gonna go through the stages one by one, and give my take on each stage.

Green Hill

I'm just as sick of Green Hill as everyone else, but this is a pretty great recreation of Sonic’s iconic opening level. Act 1 is a nostalgic return to form and it's a simple, easy stage made to get you started. I've always been more of an Emerald Hill guy, and there's plenty of its elements here as well.

Act 2 is a thrilling new take on the established level, full of grind rails, setpieces and trick ramps. Also love Jun's take on Green Hill. Good shit.

Chemical Plant

I'm as sick of this place as Green Hill, but the same applies. It's THE stage people remember from Sonic 2, myself included. Act 1 is a lovely new take on the original level, but I love the darker, spookier aesthetic they gave it, making it feel like more of a lab than a plant now.

Act 2 ramps the action up to 11, and I love every second of it. Once again, Jun fucking kills it. Tons of alternate paths here. One of my favorite modern levels. 

Sky Sanctuary

Eh, I was never into Sky Sanctuary back in the day, and i'm still not now. Act 1 is well-designed, but it's not the stage for me. I hardly ever replay this one. Modern Sonic’s take on the locale is a bit better, but still not one of my favorites. Great rearrangement of the original song, though, and a decent way to end the classic era.

 

Speed Highway

What a wonderful change of vibes. Classic Sonic is now the one in foreign territory, and it's great. You get to see more of Station Square, it's got a lot of cool little twists, and Cash Cash does a clean ass remix here. Act 2 is the original stage but on crack. I love all of the alternate paths, and this is the stage that I feel best captures the feeling of running around a winding roller coaster. It's a thrill ride from beginning to end. I know Jun is accused of just adding some new guitars to his Dreamcast era remixes and calling it a day, but I don't even care. It's still good shit.

City Escape

Classic gets his turn to escape from the city, and it's a rather solid level. I love how these now iconic set pieces are being done from a 2D perspective, and it's super clever how involved the truck is for this act; it's a chase from beginning to end. Great remix, with a bit of Sonic 3’s Endless Mine thrown in. As for Modern Sonic... This stage is a gorgeous mix of a recreation and remix. It has this wonderful free flowing feel to it, and you can just fucking tell how proud the level designers are of this one. It's a flex and I admire it. The truck chase is ramped up by 200 percent and it's a blast of adrenaline. Absolutely love this stage. The two singers have still got it, even after a decade. 

Seaside Hill

This is a stage where I went "Huh? This one? Really?", then I actually played it, and I understood why. Seaside Hill is one of the best first stages in any Sonic game, and it's even better here. It's stunning to look at, even now. Act 1 has an amazing remix, and I love that it has some Hydrocity Zone elements in it, and it even functions as the water level of the game and they did a great job with it. Act 2 has tons of paths, it's frenetic, it's actually two stages in one, it's a loving tribute to Heroes, and both of these levels are among my favorites in the game. 

Crisis City

This one made me do a huge double take, and I definitely went "Why not Kingdom Valley instead?".  Thinking back on it now, I think Crisis City is actually the most remembered stage from 06, for good and bad reasons. I'll be honest here: I love Crisis City. Both versions. Act 1 is this energetic, strangely light-hearted take through this apocalypse, and the rearrangement is an absolute head banger.  The troll at the end with the sign post is just incredible. 

Act 2 is the original but somehow it's been made into something much more subdued. I absolutely love the remix by Ohtani-san here. I've played both of these levels hundreds of times by now. Sonic 06 has some of the best representation in the game, and that feels weird to say. 

Rooftop Run

Goodness gracious. As tiring as the city stages get in Generations, I absolutely love the choice for Unleashed level here. Rooftop Run has become a well loved stage in its original game, and it's somehow just as good here. Classic Sonic's version is magical, it's extremely well-designed and it's really cool to see him running through Spagonia, while Modern runs over it. Ohtani-san once again absolutely kills it here. Both remixes are some of my absolute favorites. Act 2 never fails to make me misty eyed. What a genuine banger of a level.

Planet Wisp

And here we are, the final levels. Unfortunately, Sonic Generations ends on a whimper for me. Planet Wisp was my favorite level from Colors, but these iterations are missing the magic entirely. Here, it has no sense of finality at all. Act 1 is an outright bad level. It's not fun, it's repetitive, and it just goes on too long. The Pink Spike wisp is a lame gimmick. The remix sucks. I don't know what the fuck happened there. Modern Sonic fares a lot better, but it's still far from my favorite. It's, as usual, well-designed, the length is pretty decent and the Orange Rocket is better used here than Spike, but it's still lacking... something. Still haven't figured it out to this day. Regardless, it's okay, but this was not an ideal way to end the game. It doesn't help that the game's final boss is absolute dog doo doo.

The Verdict

Regardless of the game's lackluster finale, Sonic Generations is an absolute thrill ride and I still love the game dearly to this day. Sonic Team hasn't made anything even close to this level of quality since then, and it's amazing how well it’s held up. This game brought hope to many of us that Sonic Team was going to right the ship and that they were going to stay consistent. Of course, we all know how that turned out. Still, a decade later and after just replaying it once again, I can still confidently say: Sonic Generations still rules.

Edited by: David J. (https://twitter.com/dv_kh3)