Sonic is a hedgehog of many reboots, and he’s been struggling to find his place in the current generation of consoles since his critically-panned debut on the 360 and PS3 back in 2006. The obvious question surrounding this latest entry in the Sonic franchise is: has the blue blur finally carved his niche back into the gaming world after what some consider an extended vacation from greatness?
The short answer is almost, and the long answer is the rest of this review.
Generations takes a different approach to celebrating Sonic’s past than other recent titles such as Sonic the Hedgehog 4 and the brief 2D sections of Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Colors. Instead of putting Sonic’s 2D days on a pedestal and shoving his more recent excursions under the rug, Generations makes a conscious decision to value every game in the franchise equally. This decision pays off beautifully as Sonic’s latest adventure is blessed with some of the most interesting and varied level designs that the series has ever seen. Gamers who have stuck with Sonic from the very beginning will be ecstatic to see their favorite levels from older games re-rendered in HD, and newcomers to the series will be treated to the best of the Sonic’s past without having to endure any of the duds.
For those not familiar with Generations’s gimmick, the gist of the story is that an evil, shadowy monster is eating its way through time and space, uniting modern Sonic with his classic counterpart from the Sega Genesis. Together, the two versions of Sonic, with completely different styles of play, will have to overcome challenges based on previous games in the series in order to defeat the monster and restore the universe to proper order. Surely the stakes have never been higher in a Sonic game, but the ridiculous story is really no more than a vehicle for Sonic Team to bring 2D sidescrolling and 3D platforming together in a cohesive way. For what it needs to do, the story works; and that’s a good thing because Sonic’s Team’s blatant effort to please everybody at once actually pays off. The gameplay in both modes is so well-executed that even the most adamant haters of Sonic’s more recent fare will have to soften a little beneath the love and polish that’s been put forth into every element of this endeavor.
.jpg) Green Hill Zone has never looked so good.
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