I'm going to be upfront about this -- I'm a longtime Sonic fan. Everything about how I feel about Sonic Generations can be summarized in a simple statement; I loved it because I love the series.
I bought this game on release back in November, but something's been troubling me when I try to review it. I fully enjoyed this game and I wanted to sing its song of praise. However, my problem is that I can't get on here and give you, the reader, a confident review. My experience will explain my feelings.
I let my brother borrow it, who is a tried and true "remake Sonic 3 in 3D" type of Sonic fan, while I'm more of a "I enjoyed the last decade of Sonic (2006 being an exception)" type of fan. So, it was much to my dismay, when I thought he'd love it because it harks back to old design concepts, that he actually didn't like much after the first three zones. I brushed it off for a bit, chalking it up to his cynical nature and my overly optimistic attitude towards any Sonic product. Flashback to this week:
I rented the game for the PS3 to play with a couple friends (long story short, my living situation kind of disables me using my 360 in this situation), certain that they would be impressed and whatever. However, they had the same feelings my brother had. Where I was excited to press on and experience the rehashed levels, they were frustrated by the difficulty created by "off" gameplay decisions. It was then I realized that the only way for someone to really have a great time with this game requires them to have enjoyed Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Colors.
So, my review.
This game clashes together black-eyed, chubby Sonic of old and green-eyed, svelt Sonic of new. Playing as each type of hedgehog harks back to the era from whence they came -- "Classic Sonic" playing strictly in 2D with a focus on platforming while "Modern Sonic" playing like his Sonic Colors self, a eclectic mix of 3D and 2D platforming and speed-racing.
The levels are all references to 9 different levels of Sonic's past, with a lot of fan service thrown in. Changeable music, new remixes, lots of memorable moments, and more. Experiencing the collapse of Sky Sanctuary and the truck race of City Escape in both 3D and 2D is a thrilling, breathtaking experience for me. All in all, I flew through the game in less than six hours immediately after the midnight release and thought it was great.
Playing through it a second time was more difficult and opened my eyes. These experiences are great revisions and recreations, but without the shit around it (i.e. context), there is nothing on the line. What made the original run through Speed Highway so great was the Sonic Adventure idea that Sonic spent all night looking for a kidnapped Amy, to no avail. What Speed Highway brings to the table to a fun level, but no motivation. Sure, Sky Sanctuary's destruction was a great experience, but it lacked the emotion from the first go round -- Sonic just kicked the shit out of Knuckles, who came to realize the truth, and now you were taking the battle to the newly risen Death Egg with Mecha-Sonic trying to stop you at every turn. When you put it in that context, the game I played was largely uninspired.
The story is mostly throw-away -- Sonic gets sucked back in time to realize he has to race through time and space to restore it and stop 2 Eggmen this time. I didn't expect anything on par with Sonic Adventure 2, but I thought it was an opportunity missed. I was secretly hoping for recreations of cinemas-past, getting the chance to see the silent emotion on Knuckles' face as Sonic races off, or the dire situation of the Perfect Chaos battle. Instead...there's some cutesy cinemas that remind me that SEGA has actually started doing what Nintendoes. That is, making an interesting game with an incredibly boring subtext with very little to nothing at stake.
There is one cinema from Sonic Adventure 2 that opens the game and sets the stage for the story; Sonic busts out of a military helicopter, ripping a piece of it off and using that to "snowboard" around San Francisco with a plank of metal. That situation set up City Escape, which is in this game.
I think Sonic Generations is yet another step in the right direction. It just wasn't the long jump the series needs to compete in today's market. Sonic and Mario belong to a dying genre and the two really have to provide a meaningful and "ageless" experience to compete with a market that is both growing up and just starting. I can't stand the direction of the market currently, which is why I play Sonic games. They offer a type of gameplay not really offered elsewhere. But the room I give the developers for uninspired development is getting really small.
I do recommend this game, highly, but when I realize I can only recommend it to long-term fans of a 20 year series, or children, I realize that's a small pool to recommend a fun game to. My problem lies in the fact that Sonic Team had a really great opportunity here that they used to play it safe and try things that most likely won't be tried again. Sonic Generations represents a neatly written love letter with no substance, save for a single fun-sized candy bar to the fans, who the publisher needs to survive.
Pros
Fun early levels
Lots of fan-oriented content
Represents a hopeful direction
Cons
Levels begin to get really frustrating in a shoddy way
There is some terrible acting and writing (again)
The story is lacking purpose and emotion
Represents a genre and character largely forgotten, who needs a break
