Sonic Generations (Nintendo 3DS) Review

Much like the more appreciated of Sonic’s gaming catalogue, Sonic Generations keeps the plot to a minimum and lets the player just get on with the game. The story goes that after his defeat at the end of Sonic Colours, Dr. Eggman comes across a creature in the depths of space with unique abilities to distort time and matter, and he takes control of this beast to try and undo his past failures. Modern day Sonic is invited to his birthday bash, which is subsequently ruined when the monster turns up and sucks everyone into a white void with colourless hub representations of past zones and levels. To restore the timeline, 'Modern Sonic' must team up with his past iteration to conquer and bring back the colour to each zone. Cue lots of running and jumping.

Sonic Generations primarily consists of a selected zone from each of Sonic’s past headlining games (bar a few recent titles), with Act One of that Zone reserved for the 'Classic Sonic' momentum-based gameplay, and Act Two put aside for the 'Modern Sonic' speed-based play. At the end of each zone is a special stage directly based on the one from Sonic Heroes, whereas you take control of Modern Sonic as he speeds through a shifting tube to catch up with a fleeing Chaos Emerald. There are seven zones in all, one for each Emerald, with Boss Battles between groups of stages.

Only seven zones naturally means that some of Sonic’s main games are not represented in the same way as in the HD version of the game. Omitted titles include Sonic the Hedgehog 06, Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Heroes (minus the special stage representation). Although a zone from Sonic Rush is included in this and not any other version, the lower number does contribute to a lesser main game lifespan for Sonic Generations on Nintendo 3DS.

One of the levels in each Zone, depending upon the main form of it in its original game, brings with it the original backing track, whilst the second level uses a remixed tune. Some of the remixes can be hit or miss, but all are generally enjoyable to listen to, and unlockable tracks from the deepest corners of Sonic gamedom provide that nostalgia kick even more so, though sadly they cannot be used in a level replay, you can only listen to them from the collection menu.

Classic Sonic is represented in his original form; black eyes, short build, and silent-but-sparky demeanour. His levels take the traditional 2D route of regular running, loops and spin dashes, with each of the classic zones given a visual makeover, but still processing the same layout and feel as the original iterations. For the newer Adventure titles he gets his own 2D version of the zone, which thankfully continues the streamlined feel of the original levels. Classic Sonic’s controls could not be simpler; A or B to jump, Slide Pad or D-Pad to move, and Down + A or B to speed dash. A story plot point around halfway does force him to equip a homing attack move somewhat required for later levels, however, which may annoy traditionalists wanting a pure Sonic experience, though this technique works okay as a move and does not take away anything.

Modern Sonic’s green eyes and lankier exterior has similar 2D levels, but coupled with a three-dimensional shift from time-to-time, and backed with Sonic Rush physics and gameplay. Basically these are the speed sections that make heavy use of the boost bar, which can be refilled by destroying enemies and collecting rings. Modern Sonic loses the speed dash, though the boost function does compensate for that easily, and gains a wall jump, slide, and stomp move-set to boot. The slide can be tricky to use with the Slide Pad, but is rarely required really.

All action takes place on the 3D widescreen up top, the touch-screen being relegated to a status and help screen instead of a second vertical view of the level like in previous Sonic DS games. This does, however, mean that the 3D effect can work its magic for the first time in a Sonic title, and the effect is excellent for both Classic and Modern Sonic levels, enriching the depth of the former’s backgrounds and deeply emphasising the size of the latter’s free-moving 3D segments. The special stage with the 3D slider on speaks for itself, becoming a useful aid on judging the distance between Sonic and the bombs in his path.

This boost in visual ability unfortunately does not hide the rather lacklustre presentation elsewhere in the game, as cut-scenes consist of character models and lines of text, with barely any voicework, and use of portraits instead of antagonists actually swooping in. Only the characters essential to the plot are shown in the game, so fans of Knuckles, Amy, and the Chaotix Crew may be disappointed by their absence.

Sonic Generations’ main campaign mode is quite short for an experienced player, lasting around four hours at most, but Dimps has included a surprising amount of replay value in the cartridge. Mission Mode makes an appearance in this version of Generations too, this time not being a main prerequisite for completing the main game, instead being just a sideline extra to beat at your convenience. Around ten missions are there for the taking, with dozens more opening up as more of the game is played or data is exchanged with StreetPass buddies. These missions range from simple endeavours, such as beating a certain zone in an allocated limit, beating 'X' number of enemies, or finding and hitting a number of item boxes, for example, but all help to extend the life of Sonic Generations substantially; more so when you consider that subsequent missions can be unlocked with Play Coins from the pedometer feature of the 3DS.

The StreetPass features, in particular, are very strong in this game, the basis of which is the customisable Profile Card you can fill out that holds your data, rank, and completion score, with cards being swapped when connecting with other Sonic Generations owners. Time Attack for each Act, the special stage, and boss level are included, as is an online worldwide ranking table for the best times that also yields unlockable music tracks, art samples and 3D models upon completion.

The last padding out feature is probably the most notable; Versus Mode. Be it a local connection with a friend (that sadly requires a cartridge for both players) or Internet play with registered friends and random opponents, this mode is fun and rewarding, although with only one Sonic on screen at a time to compensate for a lower frame-rate and level events that would otherwise block the second player’s progression. All levels, including the special stages, can be raced through, minus the boss levels. The touch-screen provides a handy indicator of where each player is in the level, so even though you can only see a marker to indicate their progress on the main screen, you can still see how far ahead or behind you are overall.