Sonic Generations (Greatest Hits) - PlayStation 3

First, some background. I grew up a Sonic kid. I played Mario like everyone else too, but after playing Sonic 2 for the first time back in 1993, I was hooked. I played through Sonic CD, Spinball, Sonic 3, Sonic & Knuckles, and even gave Sonic Adventure on the Dreamcast a shot and loved them all. But as time went on, the newer Sonic games just didn't grab my attention. Occasionally I tried them, but each time I just wasn't impressed (in fact, the game commonly referred to as Sonic 2006 was practically unplayable). I still found myself playing the classic Sonic collections when they were released on each new system. I suppose that means I fit in the "Classic Sonic" crowd (Apparently there's quite a divide on the internet). So when I found out that Sega was going back to basics one more time and trying to finally make a game that brought the old fans and the new fans together, admittedly I was skeptical. But with each new trailer released, I found myself getting more and more excited for the release, and let me say, I wasn't disappointed! Graphics The game is gorgeous. From the level design down to the fine details like the stitching of Sonic's gloves, the game doesn't disappoint. 10/10 Sound Another one Sega hit out of the park. According to some of the videos I saw from Sega, there was a ton of emphasis put on getting the music right, without sounding stale. Classic levels like Green Hill Zone and Chemical Plant Zone sound like their originals, but are slightly remixed and in the end sound great. Playing through those levels as Classic Sonic really brought me back just by the music alone! Some of the unlockables in the game are soundtracks from all the Sonic games that can be played on any level. Sound effects are well done too, even the jump sounds are unique to each Sonic. 10/10 Story It's a Sonic game, what do you expect? Generations stitches together enough of a story to keep things flowing, but don't expect something with the depth of The Godfather. 7/10 Gameplay part 1, Controls Ok, the nitty gritty. People are always going to complain about something and the most common thing I've read about is physics for Classic Sonic. Yes, they are different, but not so drastically different like they were in the downloadable Sonic 4. It took very little time to get used to them. The other common complaint is Sega deciding to put "spin dash" as its own button, but after going back and forth between the two Sonics you realize why. Modern Sonic uses the square button (on PS3) to boost his speed and after awhile you find yourself trying to do the same thing with Classic Sonic. Luckily, spin dash is also the square button, so it makes the transition much easier. Honestly, I had more issue with trying to break the old habit of holding down when I wanted to perform a spin dash as it is no longer necessary in this game, and tends to have less than satisfactory results when you do. For Modern Sonic, I was honestly surprised by how easy he was to control. In my experience with past "Modern Sonic" games, I found myself getting frustrated when he just wouldn't do the things you wanted him to do. Combine that with poor collision detection, and you would fall to your death... a lot. With Generations, this was cleaned up quite a bit. I still seem to fall to my death frequently, but at least I'm not falling through platforms for no reason. I'm sure the kids who grew up playing Sonic Adventures onward won't have much of a problem. 9/10 Gameplay part 2, Difficulty and Replay-ability The main levels and challenges are difficult enough to keep your interest without tempting your urge to throw the controller... Not to say the grading system won't. If anything this is the biggest thing keeping you coming back for more. Through all the levels you will receive a performance grade at the end, based off of various factors, usually time. While getting an A isn't usually that difficult, getting an S is. Trust me, nothing is more annoying than missing an S by tenths of a second. For completionist, there's quite a few little hidden things throughout the game to go back and find that will keep you replaying this thing for awhile. That being said, it's a platformer, not a sandbox game, so don't expect Elder Scrolls type involvement to complete this thing 100%. Still, I give it a 9.5/10 So basically, if you liked any Sonic game, there's going to be something here you'll like too. If you loved any Sonic game, well you're going to love this one. If it isn't apparent by the review or the 5 stars, I loved it. So what are you waiting for? Click "Add to Cart" already! UPDATE 12/07/11 I may have jumped the gun a bit on my initial review, but now that I've beaten the game, I figured I'd revisit this review. I still stand by my original overall score, but I'm bringing down the fun score to 4 stars. I had written the review before playing some of the final levels and bosses which sadly, seem to take a bit away from the game. I'll try and be as vague as possible in describing the boss battles in order not to spoil the ending of the game, but still address my complaints. The Crisis City Zone seems to emulate a bit too much of the disaster of a game it came from, Sonic the Hedgehog 2006. It wasn't outright bad like the original, but there were moments in the level, mostly with Classic Sonic, that weren't clear what you were expected to do, once again resulting in plenty of needless falls, that tempted those controller throwing moments I spoke about before. Bring plenty of patience with this level, especially the challenges. However, I will say that this zone and Seaside Hill were the only levels in the game that I didn't have an outright blast with. The boss/rival battles. I didn't mention them before because at the point I wrote the review, the bosses I had fought weren't very exceptional, and didn't seem (at the time anyway) to add or take away from the game. However, very late in the game, mostly the final boss, the game is very ambiguous on what you're expected to do, despite all the squaking from Sonic's friends the whole time, and the controls seem to turn to mush. I won't go so far as to call the final boss a train wreck or anything like that, but it was poor enough of an experience that it really messed with the pacing of the game, and wasn't as satisfying as I'd have liked. Still, I stand by my overall score of the game. The final boss battles and Crisis Zone are the only real blemishes on an otherwise fantastic game, and I don't just say that as a Sonic fan, but as a platform gamer. Most of the levels are very solid and are worth quite a few replays, especially the challenge versions. I'm hoping that Sega listens to the gaming community and releases patches for some of the issues, as well as downloadable content for further levels. If they do, I'll be sure to revisit this review again. Happy gaming everyone!

Sonic Generations was made to please fans of both classic and modern Sonic. You'll race through levels from various Sonic games throughout the ages, experiencing waves and waves of nostalgia as you go. But this game relies upon far more than fond memories. Here's my breakdown: Story: If you must know, Dr. Eggman and Dr. Robutnik have teamed up to mess up time. As the 2 Sonics, you'll race through the worlds at top speed to restore places and rescue friends. Speaking of Sonic's friends, you'll cringe every time they have a dialogue. It's that bad. Anyways, no one plays these games for story, so I'll just dock a point for lame voice acting. Score: 4/5 Graphics/Setting: What I've always appreciated about Sonic games is the fact that they don't follow the whole photo-realistic craze. You'll dash through bright, refreshing environments that take you all over Sonic's history, starting with Green Hill Zone way back from Sonic the Hedgehog 1 to Planet Wisp from the recent Sonic Colors. The more familiar you are with Sonic games, the more you'll get out of Generations because of nostalgia, but anyone will enjoy it regardless. Speaking of nostalgia, this game does NOT play it safe by merely copying and pasting the levels it draws from. These are levels with obviously similar themes, but redesigned structure, so they feel both old and new in the best possible ways. And it's always a pleasure to play modern versions of classic levels and vice versa. The levels feel just right no matter which Sonic you play as. Score: 5/5 Gameplay: As classic Sonic, you'll utilize the famous spin dash, smash in TV boxes containing rings and powerups, and bounce off enemies on your way to the familiar banner at the end of the level. As modern Sonic, you'll boost at break-neck speeds, homing-attack bots, and stomp your way to the giant ring goal. A quick note: don't worry about moving so fast that you won't be able to see obstacles coming; the game is pretty fair about reaction time. However, you'll still need to know levels inside and out for a smooth run, and this applies to both Sonics. The game mixes things up by giving you optional skills. These are welcome enhancements that do things like give you the signature fire/water/lightning shields or make you brake faster. The number of skills you can equip is limited, so you'll have to strategize which skills to use for which levels. Levels themselves are a blast to play. You'll never tire of discovering and taking shortcuts, all the while listening to the incredible soundtracks provided for each version of levels. Even better, YOU CAN CHANGE the soundtracks for levels by choosing from unlocked music in the gallery! If you're still not convinced about this game I have 2 words for you: Super Sonics. Score: 5/5 Missions: And here is where Sega could have gone with the policy "less is more." When you're not zipping through the 18 main levels, you might be engaging in not-so-fun side missions. These have you collecting a certain number of rings or making it to the goal with limited time. There are even some that feature a friend. These missions are nowhere near as fun as the main stages and there are 30 of these that completionists will feel obligated to muddle through. At least they offer soundtracks and artwork upon beating them. One of my favorite things about Generations, though, are the red rings. There are 5 of these in each main level and collecting all 5 yield skills to use. The best part is that you'll get hints on where these are found, and they usually are found on shortcut routes, serving as a guide for the quickest way through a stage. Very clever, Sega. Score: 4/5 Overall: This is such a remarkable game, and it's a well-needed break from the myriad of realistic-looking shooter games flooding the console market nowadays. This game will test your skills as you race through beautiful, well-designed worlds, learning shortcuts and memorizing routes. Classic and modern Sonic are both great fun to play as. Skill sets add a welcome strategic element to gameplay, and the soundtrack is stellar. My few complaints are somewhat tedious side missions and lame friend characters. These are easy to overlook in the grand scheme of things. Trust me, from the moment you start up this game, greeted by the unforgettable Genesis era menu music, you'll be enchanted. Beware! Nostalgia awaits! Overall score: 4.5/5

The same is awesome and very fun as a new school feel in the video game playing and it has that old school field to go 2D or 3D the game is fast paced and slow paced depending on how you play it in a very fun and enjoyable game very short gameplay though

Where to begin... I have been really wanting to get into Sega Saturn and Dreamcast games since I never really grew up on them and their games look fantastic, and for some reason Sonic stood out to me. Maybe because it's his 30th Anniversary as I write this and its why I bought the game, and overall was a really fun game!

No problems very happy with the game, thanks.

Juego super chulo, de buena calidad, muchas pantallas para pasar. A mí hijo le encanta!! Lo recomiendo.

Gran juego. Las misiones super buenas. Jugar con mi hijo en retro y 3d me ha traído grandes recuerdos y gustos compartidos.

Articolo preso per i miei figli. Sembrano molto felici, essendo fan di sonic. Articolo arrivato nei tempi stabiliti . .