Sonic Generations 3DS review

Made 2 Game's Sonic Generations 3DS review score: 7 out of 10
Formats: 3DS, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Format reviewed: 3DS
Publisher: SEGA
Developer: Dimps, Sonic Team

We can't believe it's been twenty years since we first clapped eyes on Sonic the Hedgehog; twenty nostalgic, rollercoaster years. Sonic's past and the games within it could easily make a whole collection of opinion-dividing articles, and indeed they have over the years. It is strongly our opinion, however, that the best thing to happen to Sonic in recent times is Sonic Team's willingness to embrace the more-than-capable assistance of the talented developers, Dimps. This leads us nicely onto our review.

Yes, once again, the guys and gals that brought us the excellent Sonic Rush and (mostly excellent) Sonic Colours have been hard at work on the Hog's first 3DS adventure. Instead of completely original scenarios, however, Generations - as the title implies - revisits Sonic's past and presents us with a mixture of stages based upon ancient Sonic outings and ones as recent as Colours. Fear not, though: this is not a simple rehash with fancy visuals (for the most part). Besides a handful of faithful reproductions of classic levels, Generations' revisited stages take everything that was fun from each zone and fires the remixed results at you in a burst of speed and colour.

Each stage revisits and reinvents a classic Sonic and modern Sonic level, followed by a special stage (which is a hybrid of the tunnel dashes from Sonic 2 and Rush, mixed with the sphere collecting of Sonic 3). Classic Sonic's stages are mostly reminiscent of the gameplay found in the original Mega Drive outings, whereas 'modern' Sonic's stages most closely resemble the gameplay found in Sonic Rush (boost bar and all). On a console that can literally deal with detailed 3D environments, it's curious that these stages shun proper into the screen segments, especially when many of the newer stages featured within were originally designed this way.

It is worth noting that the new level designs (the majority that aren't play-by-play remakes of the originals) seems much more fluid than their 90's equivalents do today. Compare the remade Green Hill Zone Act 1 with the reimagined Act 2 to see what we mean. Enemy and platform placement, when memorised, is evidently executed with great care; and once you know the smoothest routes through any given level (particularly the modern Sonic levels), you are duly rewarded with a dazzling sense of speed and a heightened appreciation of the level design.

Modern Sonic's stages are mostly memory and reaction tests: using the boost button in the right place will make all the difference to the route that unfolds before you, as certain ramps require the right amount of momentum in order to reach the highest (and usually fastest) branch of the stage. Knowledge of enemy placement is also important, as you may be required to bounce off the head of a series of aerial goons to reach your desired platform. Classic Sonic's stages understandably feel slower and more basic, but you'll still need to know the most efficient route to the goal to get an S rank at the end of it.

This type of trial and error gameplay won't appeal to everyone, but for those who are willing to stick with it, it's not long before you're shaving ridiculous amounts of time away from your original runs and earning not only an improved rank, but also a visual feast in the process. Some of the pathways, loops, spirals and sheer drops in Radical Highway simply have to be seen in motion. We've read comments about this game which complain that it's simply a 'super pretty DS game'. Sure, the branching pathways and foreground/background tricks would've been possible on the old DS hardware, but only now is there a tangible sense of depth between the twilit cityscape miles behind, and anywhere up to three intertwined paths zigzagging in and out of each other from who knows how many angles, each meeting and parting at varying depths and heights. Excellent use of 3D can almost be taken for granted here, and many great little visual touches are lost if you try playing with the 3D switched off.

All the action levels are bundled together into a main 'story' mode. We won't elaborate on the story, as its only reason for existing is attempting to justify why you're playing a game which combines the two Sonic eras. The 3D character models look fairly decent in these scenes, but they literally shuffle around like cardboard cutouts on 3D backgrounds in time to the dialogue, and all credibility is lost. Games like The World Ends With You got away with this on the original DS, as it was inkeeping with the game's art style and its modest host hardware. Here, it's quite painful to watch, though we sense that these compromises were the result of a strict deadline at SEGA headquarters. It would've been fantastic to see some proper video sequences between levels which encapsulated the dramatic camera angles and fantastic speed found in the main game, but it's hardly the end of the world.

There are several boss encounters to be found within the game's main mode; seven, in fact. They're a bit of a mixed bag in all honesty, but they are faithful to the games they originated from, so we can't really blame Dimps for this. A few of these encounters include races with familiar faces from the series' past, which manage to be both easy and frustrating at the same time. In one particular race (bearing in mind that your only power is speed) your opponent teleports to catch up with you, hurling metal boxes that stop you in your tracks. How frightfully rude.

So, once you've mastered seven of each of the different types of stage: Classic, Modern, Special and Boss, totalling twenty-eight stages, what's left to do? Well, there are a hundred missions to play through for a start. Ranging from ring grabbing runs to racing towards the goal against a ticking clock and other fun little objectives inbetween, they're simple but welcome additions, and many require advanced knowledge of the stages you've cleared in the story mode. Failure is usually down to lack of experience, making improvement all the more satisfying. Most of the missions require Play Coins to unlock, so there's an excellent reason to keep your 3DS in Sleep Mode on your person and return to the game at regular intervals.

Each mission gives you a reward upon completion - usually a piece of music or artwork from the Sonic archives - accessible from the Collection heading in the menu. If you're no good at any given mission, you can spend extra Play Coins buying the reward associated with it, which is a nice touch. Time Trial mode is exactly what it says, though it's curiously isolated from the main play mode within its own option on the menu. More cynical players will see it as an excuse to artificially lengthen the game; but for those looking for a new challenge after obtaining all the S ranks, it's a welcome and engrossing diversion, and the online leaderboards are the icing on the cake. Plus: every new personal best you upload earns you points towards new backgrounds for your in-game StreetPass profile.

Yes, StreetPass is in here, though it's strangely squirreled away unannounced within the game's options menu. Turning StreetPass functionality on allows you to automatically beam your Time Trial data to a fellow Sonic Generations player; with your competitor's best times being displayed within your game in the same way as Super Mario 3D Land. You can also share a bit of basic info about your favourite Sonic game and character and whatnot.

Generations may display Sonic's flaws alongside the elements that have earned him a notoriously vocal legion of fans, but this is simply testament to the faithful representation of the series that Dimps have served us with. Sure, it could have a longer list of stages to choose from; but what's here is mostly done well, and none of the zones (besides perhaps the Water Palace) outstay their welcome, each offering at least one memorable setpiece in the process.

As a reminder to the fans of the series, it's quite startling how much of the last twenty years of Sonic have sat so vividly in your mind without you even realising it. The biggest surprise, though, is just how much of the music has stood the test of time. The end credits features a mix of Sonic ditties old and new, and it was impossible for this writer to resist humming along to most of the tunes within.

As a standalone platformer, the sheer sense of speed sets it apart from its peers: there isn't another game on 3DS that's anything like it. The 3DS hardware is generally well considered, sensibly incorporating its various features as we've already explained. Though use of the second screen isn't particularly imaginative, it prevents statistical clutter detracting from the impressive 3D visuals displayed above. Having two screens of action joined together (like in Sonic Rush) where the lower screen is incapable of displaying a 3D image was wisely avoided in a game that literally runs so fast.

The only things keeping this game from a higher score are the less-fun-than-everything-else boss races, relatively modest selection of action levels, and a few niggling presentation issues outside of the levels that feel rushed and counter-intuitive. Fans of more traditional Sonic outings may want to add another point to the score, but for everyone else, we're awarding it with a respectable:



An endearing celebration of twenty years of Sonic and a fun game by itself. If this lays the foundation for upcoming Hedgehog-based 3DS outings, Sonic has a bright future. 

Words by Stuart Jones (Twitter: @Stu_Dee_Jay)

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